Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

At first, Liu Wenying was forced to follow behind Pei Yaojun, her mind not on the dazzling lantern festival at all.

But as they merged into the surging crowds on the main street, everything before her eyes gradually made her feel dizzy and mesmerized.

The Lantern Festival was even more magnificent and awe-inspiring than the Tang Dynasty Never Sleeping City she had seen during her travels, and it was full of vibrant local life.

The shops and buildings on both sides, and even the branches of tall trees, were all covered with all kinds of lanterns.

The materials are varied, from hazy silk gauze to crystal clear glass and ingenious bamboo strips, all shimmering and sparkling under the light of candles or lamp oil.

There is also a lantern tower made up of hundreds of lanterns, reaching a height of ten feet, with upturned eaves and corners adorned with glazed tiles, and a dazzling display of lights cascading from the top of the city to the bottom.

Liu Wenying seemed to blend into the vast crowd, becoming a grain of millet, a drop of water.

She followed Pei Yaojun along the long street, surrounded by endless liveliness and prosperity.

When we arrived at a lantern stall, the lantern hanging in the very center, in the most eye-catching place, was exceptionally beautiful.

The lantern is octagonal in shape, with a delicate painting of ladies enjoying a spring outing on silk gauze. The mechanism inside rotates the painting, and the ladies seem to come alive as light and shadow flow.

A crowd had gathered around, most of them looking up in amazement.

A little girl, about five or six years old, wearing a new cotton-padded jacket, tugged at her mother's clothes and looked on longingly, "Mommy, I want that moving lamp..."

A wooden sign next to the stall owner reads: "No lanterns are for sale at this stall. Anyone who guesses ten lantern riddles correctly can choose one lantern as a gift."

The woman looked troubled. "My dear, you need to solve many riddles to get that lantern, and I can't. How about we go buy a sugar figurine instead?"

The little girl, however, pouted and continued to gaze intently at the lamp.

Liu Wenying happened to walk up and saw this scene. The little girl had big eyes just like Luo Luo, which reminded her of the softness in Luo Luo's heart.

She stepped forward and asked softly, "Do you like that lamp?"

The little girl nodded, her large, dark eyes, similar to Luo Luo's, filled with anticipation.

Liu Wenying smiled, straightened up, and said to the woman, "How about I try it for the child?"

The woman waved her hand in surprise, "How could I? I heard that riddle was quite difficult, otherwise no one would have answered it correctly."

"It's alright, let's give it a try."

Liu Wenying looked at the stall owner, "Boss, the rule is that if you guess ten correctly, you can choose any one?"

The stall owner, a middle-aged man with a goatee, immediately perked up when he saw someone taking on the challenge.

"Indeed, indeed, my lady has a good eye. The lanterns here are all carefully crafted. They are not for sale but given away for a pleasant experience. For just ten coins, you can have the chance to guess lantern riddles. If you guess ten correctly, you can choose any one of the lanterns."

It's just a business transaction, yet they talk about it in such a grand and dignified way.

Liu Wenying didn't argue much, paid ten coins, and prepared to guess the riddles.

Every year during the Lantern Festival, Pei Yaojun would sneak out of his residence. What seemed like a grand spectacle to Liu Wenying was nothing special to him.

He was standing a few steps away, idly watching the street scene, when he saw Liu Wenying take the initiative to guess some riddles to win lanterns for the children.

He strolled over, chuckled, and said, "You? How many words do you even know? Don't end up guessing one out of ten correctly and making a fool of yourself."

Liu Wenying focused her attention and prepared, but she was not annoyed by his words. She glanced at him indifferently and said, "If Third Master doesn't believe me, just watch."

In today's terms, she had studied diligently for over a decade; surely she couldn't possibly be unable to solve a single riddle.

Pei Yaojun raised an eyebrow, said nothing more, and stood aside with his arms crossed.

The challenge begins when the stall owner randomly draws a slip of paper with a riddle written on it from a bamboo tube.

First question: "Two rows of distant trees reflected in the mountains, a light boat on the calm water, what Chinese character is this?"

Liu Wenying: "The 'hui' in 'intelligent' or 'wise'."

Second: "Bite off the cow's tail in one bite, what Chinese character is it?"

Liu Wenying: "The 'to inform' in 'to inform'."

Article 3: "..."

……

Liu Wenying answered calmly and clearly.

Although the riddles were somewhat difficult, most of them were classic riddles passed down among the people, which Liu Wenying handled with ease.

She answered seven or eight questions in a row without hesitation, which attracted a crowd of onlookers who whispered their admiration.

Pei Yaojun's playful expression gradually faded. He never expected that the usually docile wet nurse would be so cunning.

Article 9: "It has a face but no mouth, feet but no hands, and although it has four legs, it cannot walk on its own. What is this thing?"

Liu Wenying: "It's a table."

Only one item remains.

Everyone around held their breath, and the little girl gripped her mother's hand tightly, her eyes unblinking.

The stall owner was also a little nervous. He pulled out the next slip of paper, unfolded it, and read aloud: "Looking south, a lone star rises, and the crescent moon appears. Guess a Chinese character."

This riddle is clearly much more elegant and obscure than the previous ones.

Liu Wenying frowned, lost in thought.

Looking south, a lone star, and a rising crescent moon—can these be combined to form a single character?

"South" could refer to a direction, or it could refer to the character "South" itself?

Is it somewhat like "Lone Star"?

The "crescent moon" is a pictograph, resembling a stroke or a hook.

What is the meaning of "升"?

Time passed slowly, and the surroundings became so quiet that one could hear distant noises.

Liu Wenying vaguely felt that the character should not be complicated, but for a moment, she was stuck.

The stall owner smiled and reminded her, "Madam, time is running out, ten, nine, eight..."

The countdown felt like a death knell, making Liu Wenying even more flustered.

Just as the stall owner counted to "three," a clear male voice rang out behind her.

"It's the character '庄' (Zhuang)."

Liu Wenying answered before the countdown ended: "Zhuang!"

The moment she blurted it out, she suddenly understood.

The stall owner was stunned, not expecting that the other party would actually answer the riddle he had been keeping under wraps.

But that revolving lantern was his facade, and he was really unwilling to give it away like that.

"Madam, the answer to the riddle was given by the young master beside you. According to the rules, it doesn't count."

"rule?"

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Yaojun stepped forward, unleashing his imposing aura as a nobleman.

He didn't raise his voice, but just stared at the stall owner.

"You only said that ten questions needed to be answered correctly, but did you stipulate that the same person had to guess them all from beginning to end? She already gave the answer to the last question at the right time, so how can it be considered against the rules?"

His gaze was like a knife. "Or are you trying to break the rules of the Lantern Festival and ruin your own reputation? I can kindly help you then."

Help with what? Help smash things up, of course!

The stall owner was intimidated by his imposing presence, and seeing that Pei Yaojun's clothes and demeanor were extraordinary, he knew that he had probably offended someone he shouldn't have.

"No, no, it was my mistake. My lady guessed correctly. Please feel free to choose any of these lanterns!"

Liu Wenying only wanted the lamp that she had chosen first.

She took the lamp and handed it to the little girl. Seeing the little girl happily spinning around with the lamp in her arms, a faint smile appeared in her eyes.

The little girl's mother quickly pulled her aside to express her gratitude, "He'er, quickly say something auspicious to thank the kind person."

He'er looked up at Liu Wenying, then at the brocade-clad young man standing idly behind her with his hands behind his back, and poured out all the good things she had heard during the New Year.

"He'er wishes her sister and brother a long and happy marriage, many children, and abundant blessings!"

……