vstars Chapter 1345: Husband, do you have an affair with Wu Zetian?
Chapter 1345: Husband, do you have an affair with Wu Zetian?
Liu Yifei chewed on the soft and glutinous jade dew ball, her eyes and brows filled with sweetness.
As if suddenly remembering something, she reached out and offered another piece to Lin Lang's lips, her tone slightly coquettish:
"Honey, you should try some too. This is so delicious, I can't enjoy it all by myself."
Lin Lang tilted his head slightly, looking at the glistening white pastry Liu Yifei was holding between her fingers. A gentle smile appeared in his eyes. He raised his hand and gently pressed down on her wrist, his voice low and pleasant:
"Honey, you can eat. I ate quite a lot while having dinner with you earlier, so I really can't eat anymore."
"Then I won't be polite!" Liu Yifei chuckled, withdrew her hand, and eagerly unwrapped the oil paper from the glutinous rice ball.
The thin, translucent glutinous rice skin shimmered under the light. Taking a gentle bite, the rich, sweet red bean paste spread instantly on the tongue. The chewy texture had just the right amount of coolness and moisture, making it a bit more mellow than the Jade Dew Dumplings.
Her eyes lit up and she nodded repeatedly: "Wow! This translucent rice cake is absolutely amazing!"
The glutinous rice skin is soft and doesn't stick to your teeth, and the red bean paste is sweet but not greasy, even more fragrant than modern red bean paste pastries.
Honey, this is so delicious!
Lin Lang watched Liu Yifei eat with a satisfied expression, then reached out to wipe away a bit of red bean paste from the corner of her mouth, his tone so doting it could melt honey:
"Eat more if you like it. We'll buy more if you're not full. Today, I'll let you taste all the sweetness of the Tang Dynasty."
"Honey, you love me so much!" Liu Yifei's eyes shone as she looked at Lin Lang.
The two strolled leisurely along Zhuque Avenue, the evening breeze carrying the shouts of street vendors, a scene of bustling prosperity and vibrancy reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty.
As they walked, they saw a crowd gathered ahead, with cheers rising and falling, which made Liu Yifei curious, so she pulled Lin Lang forward.
Squeezing to the front of the crowd, I saw a coarse cloth spread out on the open ground, and a burly man with his upper body bare was lying on it, with a millstone-sized blue stone pressing against his chest.
A lean man next to him was holding an iron hammer, raising his hand to gather strength.
The onlookers held their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly.
With a muffled thud, the iron hammer slammed heavily onto the bluestone, shattering the stone into pieces instantly. The burly man, however, remained unfazed, stood firmly upright, and bowed to the crowd.
The onlookers erupted in thunderous cheers, throwing coins and silver coins into the center of the arena.
Liu Yifei stared in disbelief, her voice filled with astonishment:
"Honey! I've only ever seen scenes like breaking a boulder on one's chest in movies and TV shows before. I never imagined that such amazing street performers actually existed in ancient times!"
"That felt so dangerous! My heart was pounding just now!"
Lin Lang looked into Liu Yifei's bright eyes, smiled, ruffled her hair, and casually took out a one-hundred-tael silver note from his personal space.
With a flick of his fingertips, the silver note landed steadily in the copper basin in the center of the arena, a stark contrast to the scattered silver coins.
The burly man, who was clearing away the rubble, caught sight of the hundred-tael silver notes in the copper basin. His pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly put down what he was holding. He strode over to Lin Lang, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed repeatedly to Lin Lang, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement:
"Thank you, sir! Thank you for your generous reward! I am truly honored to receive such a kind gift from you today!"
He kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead thumping loudly, his face filled with tears of gratitude.
The onlookers were also astonished by the hundred-tael silver note, and they all looked at Lin Lang with awe. The discussions were endless, but no one dared to utter a single disrespectful word.
Lin Lang said calmly, "Get up. You earned your money through your own abilities and deserve a reward. Work hard to make a living from now on and don't waste your strength."
"Thank you for your guidance, sir! I will remember it!"
The burly man kowtowed again before carefully picking up the silver note, hiding it close to his body, and then turning around to continue greeting the onlookers.
Seeing this, Liu Yifei smiled gently and took Lin Lang's arm, saying, "Honey, you really are generous!"
Lin Lang's eyes were full of doting: "This is called 'those with money support financially, those without money support with their presence.' We can't just freeload off someone of our status, so don't leave without giving a reward after watching."
"Honey, you're such a discerning person."
Lin Lang put his arm around Liu Yifei's waist again and said with a smile:
"Honey, there seems to be a shadow puppet show up ahead. Shall we walk a little further?"
"Great!" Liu Yifei was overjoyed and followed Lin Lang's footsteps, continuing to immerse herself in the bustling night scene of the Tang Dynasty's Zhuque Street. The evening breeze caressed her face, and she felt a sense of peaceful tranquility.
Following the flow of people for several dozen steps, I saw a small shadow puppet stage set up in front of me.
A white screen is supported by a bamboo frame, and lights shine through from behind the screen, making the figures of the shadow puppets appear lifelike.
The area around the stage was packed with people.
Not only were many adults standing on tiptoe to peek, but a group of children were also clinging to the edge of the stage, their little heads huddled together, their eyes wide open, afraid of missing a single exciting moment.
Lin Lang protected Liu Yifei and found a corner with a good view to stand in.
The opening scene on the screen is the Taiji Hall, where Li Zhi, dressed in a dragon robe, and Lin Lang, dressed in a brocade robe, stand facing each other, holding hands and looking at each other. With just a few gestures, they depict the bond between sworn brothers.
In the shadow puppet show, there is a scene where Huang Linlang from Shanghai presents potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, melon seeds, and peanut seeds to the Tang Dynasty, highlighting his selfless love for the people in order to enrich the crops of the Tang Dynasty and change the situation of insufficient land and food shortage.
Li Zhi, the sworn brother, praised him repeatedly and arranged for his sworn brother Lin Lang to marry He Lanminyue, symbolizing a marriage alliance between the two countries.
Next, Lin Lang presented the Tang Dynasty with cannon and warship designs, improved agricultural tools, and served as the chief instructor of the Tang army, teaching the soldiers Bajiquan.
The people below the stage nodded in approval and whispered among themselves, "The friendship between Lord Lin and His Majesty is truly rare throughout the ages."
A moment into the scene, a shadow puppet dressed as a messenger, clad in armor, rushes onto the screen, kneels on one knee, and speaks in a hurried and loud voice:
"Report! Your Majesty!"
The Western Turkic army has suddenly rebelled, launching an attack on the border of our Great Tang Dynasty. They have captured three cities in succession, causing heavy casualties among the border troops. Reinforcements are urgently needed!
Upon hearing this, the shadow puppet of Li Zhi on the screen frowned and looked worried. The shadow puppets of the ministers in the hall also stirred, some looking troubled and others whispering among themselves.
Just then, Lin Lang's shadow puppet stepped forward, head held high, chest puffed out, his tone firm:
"Your Majesty, I volunteer to lead the cavalry of Shanghai to reinforce the border. We will surely defeat the Western Turkic rebels, recover lost territory, and protect the land of our Great Tang!"
Li Zhi, the shadow puppeteer, looked pleased and stepped forward to pat Lin Lang on the shoulder:
"With your words of wisdom, I am relieved! I will immediately allocate provisions and weapons to you, and I hope you will return in triumph soon!"
Then, the scene on the screen shifted to a border battlefield with yellow sand everywhere. Lin Lang, a shadow puppet, wearing armor and holding a long spear, led his iron cavalry in a valiant charge.
Under the control of the performers behind the scenes, the shadow puppets move swiftly and fiercely, with the crisp sounds of clashing swords, the neighing of warhorses, and the sounds of gongs and drums intertwined, realistically recreating the fierce and passionate battle on the battlefield.
The Western Turkic rebels, represented by shadow puppets, suffered repeated defeats and eventually fled in disarray. Lin Lang, the shadow puppet, stood atop the city wall, with the Tang Dynasty banners fluttering in the wind behind him, as news of the recapture of lost territory spread far and wide.
When the scene of people lining the streets to welcome the returning reinforcements appeared on the screen, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience, and children jumped and cheered.
Many people said excitedly:
"Lord Lin is truly awe-inspiring!"
"As expected of His Majesty's sworn brother, he has saved the people from dire straits!"
The atmosphere was extremely lively.
Liu Yifei was deeply moved. It wasn't until the cheers around her broke her reverie that she snapped out of it. She excitedly shook Lin Lang's arm, her voice barely audible, yet brimming with joy:
"Honey! The shadow puppet show was actually about you volunteering to lead the expedition against the Western Turks! You were so cool!"
Lin Lang put his index finger to his lips, a smile in his eyes, and gently shushed, "Keep your voice down, don't let everyone notice. Let's just be quiet spectators."
Liu Yifei stuck out her tongue, her eyes full of slyness, and said with a grin:
"No, no, this is such a wonderful play, and it even depicts my husband's heroic deeds, I absolutely have to give a reward!"
Lin Lang shook his head helplessly yet affectionately, then casually took out a five-hundred-tael silver note from his personal space and handed it to her.
Liu Yifei took the silver note and carefully squeezed to the front of the stage. Taking advantage of the moment when the play ended and the troupe members came out to thank the audience, she handed over the heavy silver note.
The troupe leader, an elderly man with half-white hair and beard, froze on the spot after receiving the silver note and seeing its value. He then trembled with emotion, bowed deeply to Liu Yifei, his voice choked with emotion:
"Miss, your reward is far too generous! On behalf of the entire opera troupe, I thank you!"
The surrounding people also turned their heads to look when they saw this.
Upon seeing that it was a five-hundred-tael silver note, they exclaimed in surprise, and murmurs of discussion arose one after another:
"My God, that's five hundred taels!"
"Wow! That's enough for an ordinary family to earn in a lifetime—five hundred taels of silver!"
"Well done! Lord Lin has served the country and its people, and he deserves such respect and praise!"
"This young lady is clearly a kind person; no wonder she was willing to give so much!"
Applause and cheers erupted again, even more enthusiastic than before, creating a lively scene.
The troupe leader bowed repeatedly to Liu Yifei, promising to make the heroic deeds even more exciting in the future, so that more people would remember the achievements of the Shanghai Emperor Lin Lang.
Liu Yifei returned to Lin Lang's side, her face full of joy, and took his arm, smiling as she said:
"Honey, look how much everyone admires you! The way the troupe leader was so excited just now was truly touching!"
Looking at the joy in her eyes, Lin Lang reached out and gently tidied her wind-blown hair, saying softly, "As long as you're happy."
Just then, someone pointed into the distance and shouted, "Wow, fireworks!"
"It must be the Shanghai Imperial Palace setting off fireworks again! Everyone, come and see!"
The children who were just watching the shadow puppet show stage all looked up at the fireworks exploding in the night sky and ran towards the Shanghai Imperial Palace to watch the fireworks.
Liu Yifei gazed at the colorful fireworks in the distance, her eyes filled with wonder, and said:
"Honey, fireworks hadn't been invented in the Tang Dynasty yet, had they?"
Lin Lang said with a smile, "The fireworks in the Shanghai Imperial Palace were all bought from modern times and brought to the Tang Dynasty."
"But honey, it's not Chinese New Year or any other holiday, why is the Shanghai Imperial Palace setting off fireworks?"
Lin Lang replied via system notification: "It must be my godson Li Hong, who came to the Shanghai Imperial Palace with his mother Wu Zetian again. As his godmother, Yi Ren ordered fireworks to be set off to entertain her godson and sister-in-law."
Upon hearing the name Wu Zetian, Liu Yifei's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked in a low voice:
"Honey, was Wu Zetian really that beautiful, capable of captivating a nation?"
Lin Lang replied objectively, "The Empress Dowager has dragon eyes and a phoenix neck, a natural appearance of nobility. In this era, plumpness is considered beautiful. Wu Zetian, with her full figure, possessed a heroic beauty that was both aggressive and domineering."
Liu Yifei teased in a low voice, "Honey, since Wu Zetian was so beautiful, and you have such a fickle personality, didn't you have an affair with her?"