Along Dongpailou Street, the group of people walked in the northeast direction.

At that time, there were all kinds of jugglers on the street, including acrobatics, fire breathing, machetes, monkeys, etc., which were collectively called "Baixi".

In addition, the sounds of singing and dancing continued, one after another, and actually faintly covered up the noise on the street.

In front of the doors of some shops, simple stages were set up, with opera singers and song and dance performers. It was so noisy that people were overwhelmed and no one knew where to stop.

However, it is only the morning, and it is not the busiest time yet.

At midnight, in addition to various operas, songs and dances, there are also torches, soaring flames, and various lanterns...

There is an old saying: "The sound of gold, stone, and leather can be heard dozens of miles away. There are 18,000 people strumming strings above the Yanguan. A large array of torches lights up the heaven and earth. The prosperity of hundreds of operas is incomparable."

It is this grand occasion that is described.

For Zhu Xiuyuan and the others, singing, dancing or performing arts on the street are not their goal. They came here just for the hook-up drama.

Therefore, they never stopped at a certain place. Under the protection of plainclothes officers, they moved slowly and lightly while looking around.

"Haha, so lively, so lively..."

Zhu Xiuyuan and Li Jiye walked in front, followed by the three daughters Dong Shuzhen, Dong Shuyu and Li Qingnu.

They were so excited, walking and dancing all the way to the various plays and songs and dances on the street. Although they couldn't stop and watch, it was very exciting to watch them all the way around like this.

Because the festive atmosphere on the street is too strong, it is easy to infect others.

As for Dong Shuzhen, she is a lively person, so putting her here will make her excited immediately.

Zhu Xiuyuan and Li Jiye were walking in front. Suddenly at a certain moment, they both turned back to check on the three women.

I saw two girls, Dong Shuzhen and Li Qingnu, holding Dong Shuyu on one side and the other on the right. They were jumping up and down, curiously and carefully staring at the street operas and songs and dances, the smiles on their faces could hardly be full.

Dong Shuyu, who was caught in the middle, seemed much quieter. Although she was also watching the excitement on the street, she did not jump or scream randomly, which formed a sharp contrast with Dong Shuzhen and the others.

In addition, Princess Anle Li Qingnu was completely released and got involved with Dong Shuzhen, screaming and dancing without looking dignified...

After looking at the three girls, Zhu Xiuyuan and Li Jiye looked at each other again.

They all saw a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes, then shook their heads together and continued walking forward slowly.

After a while, the group came to Wende Bridge.

Wende Bridge crosses the Qinhuai River and connects Dongpailou Street and Chaoku Street.

Zhu Xiuyuan and the others usually pass this bridge when setting off from Jiangcheng Bofu, whether they are going to Dong's Tea House or Dong Yulou. It can be said that it is the only way.

This time they went to Chaoku Street to watch the hook show and had to pass through this bridge.

There was still some distance between them, but Zhu Xiuyuan and the others saw that the bridge head of Wende Bridge and the bridge itself were actually filled with a bridge full of women!

They should be the ladies of various palaces in the capital. They are young and beautiful, their dresses are bright and fluttering, each one is bright and charming, and they are infinitely shy, just like a group of fairies descending to earth.

"bridge!"

Suddenly, Dong Shuzhen and Li Qingnu behind Zhu Xiuyuan and the others shouted at the same time, and then with Dong Shuyu, who had a look of helplessness on his face, he passed Zhu Xiuyuan and the others and rushed towards the Wende Bridge.

"careful!"

Zhu Xiuyuan and Li Jiye shouted from behind at the same time.

"Don't worry, we can spare it."

Dong Shuzhen and Li Qingnu waved back, hugging Dong Shuyu, and the three women plunged into the group of women.

It turns out that on the day of the Shangyuan Festival, when the ladies in the boudoir go out to enjoy the entertainment, there is actually a saying called "walking on all diseases", or "walking on all diseases", "dispersing all diseases", "walking on the bridge", etc.

This is an activity to ward off disasters and pray for health.

During the Lantern Festival, women meet to travel together and walk together. When they see a bridge, they must cross it, believing that this can cure diseases and prolong life.

Therefore, there were only a bridge full of women standing on the Wende Bridge.

Dong Shuzhen and the others were so excited when they saw the bridge.

Knowing this, Zhu Xiuyuan and the others did not stop them. Since today is the Lantern Festival, let them go.

However, Zhu Xiuyuan and Li Jiye crossed the bridge and came to Chaoku Street. They waited by the bridge for about a quarter of an hour. Dong Shuzhen and the others walked back and forth on the Wende Bridge several times. They were finally satisfied and came back.

.

Zhu Xiuyuan and Li Jiye shook their heads again and smiled bitterly.

On their way back after Dong Shuzhen and the others walked across the bridge, Zhu Xiuyuan asked with a smile: "Brother Li, was Her Royal Highness the Princess... also so... so happy when she was in the Liang Kingdom?"

Li Jiye's face suddenly tightened, and he laughed to ease the embarrassment, "No, my Daliang royal family has very strict etiquette, and the imperial sister used to be very dignified. But today..."

Li Jiye's face looked a little ugly, "It's just that today is the Lantern Festival. Haha, as the saying goes, do as the Romans do. As a brother, I am also happy to see the imperial sister so happy."

Zhu Xiuyuan looked at Li Jiye's face. He was so serious. How could he be happy?

However, Zhu Xiuyuan didn't point it out and said with a smile: "I see, that's what I'm saying. Her Royal Highness the Princess is dignified and virtuous, how come she suddenly becomes almost like my wife..."

When Dong Shuzhen and the others returned, the conversation between Zhu Xiuyuan and Li Jiye ended.

The group of people continued to walk slowly along Chaoku Street, "difficultly" walking towards the venue where the Hook Play was held.

Chaoku Street is already the core area along the Qinhuai River, and the flow of people here is even more turbulent. The word "crowding" is not enough to describe it.

The plainclothes men guarding the outer circle had to shrink the space again.

As a result, the space for Zhu Xiuyuan and the others in the inner circle became smaller and smaller. Although it was not yet difficult to turn around, it was no longer as easy as before.

But it's okay, it's a hundred times better than the ordinary people outside. At least, they can still maintain their dignity.

In this way, amid the crowded flow of people, they walked northeast along Chaoku Street.

If you want to go to Wuyi Lane where Dong's Tea House and Dong Yulou are located, or Pipa Lane where Huamanlou is located, you need to go southwest after crossing Wende Bridge.

Therefore, Zhu Xiuyuan and the others are gradually staying away from Wuyi Lane and Pipa Lane.

Close.

Waves of shouts have already been heard.

They were the "cheerleaders" cheering for the hook scene.

Zhu Xiuyuan and the others walked slowly for a while, and they saw a huge open space in front of them, surrounded by a sea of ​​people on all sides. In the middle of the open space, a fierce hook play was going on.

The scene was once extremely lively.

The so-called hook play is actually a tug of war.

However, the game of pulling the hook at that time was slightly different from the tug-of-war of later generations.

The hook-drawing play uses a hemp rope four to five feet long, with hundreds of small ropes tied to both ends. People are divided into two teams, pull both hooks together, and use a neutral flag as a boundary. They beat drums and make noise to make a scene.

Pull, and the one who refuses will lose.

But I heard bursts of shouts, deafening and passionate.

With the help of plainclothes, Zhu Xiuyuan and the others got closer and were able to directly see the hemp rope in the field and the two teams of people holding on to the hemp rope.

I saw that the two groups of men and horses were all stout men. They were fighting in the cold weather, but they were shirtless. They each grabbed the rope in their hands, and the rope was tied to the hemp rope. They were half-leaning and pulling back with a grin on their face.

.

Zhu Xiuyuan was watching when suddenly, his hand was grasped by someone. He turned around and saw that it was Dong Shuzhen.

She had let go of Dong Shuyu, stepped forward, and held his hand. Her face was full of excitement, her mouth was slightly pursed, and her two big eyes were wide open.

"Harder! Quickly, harder, pull harder!"

Suddenly, Dong Shuzhen moved. She held Zhu Xiuyuan's arm with one hand and waved with the other. She said, "jump" and waved her hand at the same time. She was even more nervous than the person holding the rope.

Zhu Xiuyuan smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Hey, there is no other way, today is the Lantern Festival, so let her go.

Zhu Xiuyuan, who was shaking his head and sighing, glanced by chance and happened to meet Liu Wencai's eyes not far away.

In addition to Liu Wencai, there is also Liu Xun holding a big sword.

When Liu Wencai first saw Zhu Xiuyuan, he was stunned for a moment. Then he shouted happily, pulled Liu Xun and squeezed over.

"Brother Liu, are you here too?"

"Haha, this hook-up scene is very exciting, and I love excitement, so I came..."

Liu Wencai chuckled and suddenly saw Li Jiye and Li Qingnu.

The smile on his face suddenly stopped, and he hurriedly raised his hands in greeting and said: "King Qian, Your Highness the Princess!"

However, both Li Jiye and Li Qingnu were very cold and cold, they only glanced at him and didn't speak at all.

Liu Wencai laughed and didn't take it seriously. She and Liu Xun stood aside and watched the hook scene together.

After a while, the three Han Qingshan brothers who had just squeezed in also saw Zhu Xiuyuan and the others.

So the three brothers Han Qingshan also squeezed over. Han Qingshan cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Uncle Jiangcheng, Prince Qian, Princess Anle, and the two princes, what a coincidence, you are also here."

"Mr. Han... no, I should call you General Han now. Haha, is it okay for General Han to be in the Royal Guards?" Zhu Xiuyuan asked with a smile.

"Uncle Laojiang City, it's a good thing that I'm in the Imperial Guard."
To be continued...