PNB Chapter 942 The Magical Fireworks
Chapter 942 The Magical Fireworks
Zhang Ping'an smiled and waved his hand, not taking the words to heart. "Aunt Qian is a sensible person. She knows what to do. It's just a joke. Don't worry. In that case, I'll know how to answer when the Li family asks me privately."
"You've always been accurate in your work, so let's see how you arrange things," Mrs. Xu said, trusting her son's abilities.
Some people felt a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings): "In the blink of an eye, Xiaoyuer is about to get married and have children. Our family has finally made something of itself. It feels like a dream."
Zhang Lao Er chimed in, "Who says otherwise!"
“Oh, right, Father, Mother, there’s another good news. This year, His Majesty has been exceptionally gracious in granting permission for the New Year’s Eve banquet in the palace. Not only can officials of certain ranks attend, but officials of the third rank and above can also bring their families. In other words, Father and Mother, you two can both be invited by His Majesty to the palace for the New Year’s Eve dinner,” Zhang Ping’an suddenly remembered this.
My mother was a titled lady and had entered the palace two or three times before. Although she was only an insignificant supporting character, she had at least seen the splendor of the imperial city, which was a matter of great prestige and status.
However, Zhang Lao Er never had the chance to personally enter the palace to meet the emperor. For a peasant from the countryside, being able to see the emperor in person on a formal occasion would be the greatest honor of his life, something he could hold his head high wherever he went.
So although Zhang Lao Er didn't say it, he always envied Xu Shi very much, and Xu Shi would occasionally bring it up to show off in front of Zhang Lao Er.
It's just that Zhang Lao Er has a good attitude, his family lives happily, and he doesn't hold grudges; otherwise, the old couple would inevitably have a few arguments.
"His Majesty has invited us to the palace for the New Year's Eve dinner. Is that true? Can your father and I go?" Madam Xu asked first.
Zhang Lao Er's eyes flickered, and he looked over with a mixture of reserve and anticipation, his desire to go was all too clear.
Zhang Ping'an confirmed, "It's true, you can all go, including Xiaoyuer. There are four of us in our family, so it's not a big deal for us all to go. I already reported it to the Ministry of Rites during the day."
Madam Xu glanced at Zhang Lao Er and chuckled, "That's great! Your father can finally broaden his horizons, and it'll save him from always worrying about it. In the past, whenever I mentioned that I went to the palace, he would get all grumpy and unhappy. It looks like I won't be able to show off in front of him anymore!"
"That's right, what are you showing off for! You old woman, you only respect me more and more because you have your son and grandson to back you up," Zhang Lao Er said with a stern face.
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu laughed in exasperation: "Alright, alright, it's all my fault. I'll listen to you. I won't show off anymore, I won't say it again, okay? You're really getting more and more senile as you get older, so petty!"
Seeing this, Zhang Ping'an quickly stopped her, saying, "Mother, please say less. Couples grow old together, and you two will be together for a long time to come. Don't argue, go wash up and rest!"
Since her son had said so, Madam Xu stopped pressing the matter. She took the opportunity to get up, smiling as she helped Zhang Lao Er up. As she walked, she said, "It's all my fault. I'll apologize to you, okay? It's freezing cold. Go wash up and go to bed. Don't hold it against me. You'll only hurt yourself if you get upset."
Old Zhang Er was getting old, and with someone to coax him, his anger subsided. Like a child, he instructed, "You old woman, if you deliberately upset me again, I'll get my son and grandson to stand up for me!"
"Okay, okay, I promise I won't make you angry anymore," Xu said, waving her hand at her son as she walked away, meaning that she had appeased him and everything was alright.
Zhang Ping'an was both amused and exasperated. He shook his head and went back to his room.
…………
A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already Lunar New Year's Eve.
Although large-scale banquets were not possible, and the dishes were mainly vegetarian and desserts, good chefs, especially imperial chefs, could still make vegetarian dishes taste like meat. Compared to real chicken, duck, fish, abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and other delicacies, they had a unique flavor.
Zhang Ping'an had given the elderly couple these instructions in advance to avoid any embarrassing incidents during the banquet.
The two nodded repeatedly as they listened. Xu was fine, but Zhang Lao Er was very reserved, trying his best to straighten his body and make himself look more natural.
Actually, Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi weren't that concerned about what they ate. The most important thing was that they had been invited by His Majesty the Emperor to have the New Year's Eve dinner in the palace, which was an unparalleled honor.
Little Fish grew up under their care, sharing a deep bond with them. He also understood their concerns and thoughtfully introduced them to the various palaces in the imperial palace, explaining which noble people lived there. Occasionally, when they saw someone with a particularly imposing presence, he would introduce their identity.
Zhang Ping'an watched from the sidelines, nodding inwardly. Although his son was somewhat pragmatic and utilitarian, he was always considerate of his family.
From another perspective, in this dog-eat-dog world, it's not necessarily a bad thing to have some sharp edges pointing outwards; at least it can protect you.
The further I walked towards the Imperial Garden, the more familiar faces I encountered. Tens of thousands of palace lanterns illuminated the imperial city, making it as bright as day.
Everyone was chatting and laughing. Occasionally, someone would come up to greet them, and Zhang Ping'an would introduce them to each other. Everyone was very polite to the old couple, and gradually, Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi relaxed and were no longer so nervous.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the Imperial Garden, the women would be led separately to another area, where there were screens and artificial hills providing greater privacy.
They happened to run into the Qian family, so Zhang Ping'an asked Qian's aunt to bring Xu inside, so that the two families could keep each other company.
Zhang Lao Er, afraid of saying the wrong thing, dared not speak, but inwardly he grumbled: "The royal family is so particular! They insist on coming to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers and plum blossoms before even eating. Then they have to go inside the palace to take their seats—isn't that completely unnecessary? It's so cold; they should sit down and eat something hot sooner!"
The palace is indeed magnificent. Today's trip has been quite an eye-opener; it was definitely worth it.
Not long after, palace servants carried over a row of wooden boxes. Zhang Ping'an glanced at them and found that they were new fireworks from the firearms workshop in Yangzhou. They were somewhat similar to those in his previous life, and could be launched into the sky, but they were not as dazzling. However, in this era, they were already considered extremely luxurious and dazzling entertainment items, exclusively for the royal family.
Many ministers began to gather in the open space.
At that moment, a eunuch's shrill voice rang out from not far away: "His Majesty has arrived! Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
All civil and military officials and their families immediately bowed and greeted them.
Zhou Pu was dressed very elegantly and gracefully today. His expression was indifferent. He raised his hand to signal everyone to stand up.
A cold expression always makes people seem distant and mysterious. At least Zhang Lao Er was deeply impressed by the emperor's majesty and was very excited.
Zhang Ping'an observed that his behavior and manners seemed to have improved somewhat compared to before, and he could easily intimidate the family members who had come with him.
Looking again, Empress Qin was the same; her expression was indifferent, showing little joy. However, since it was a time of national mourning, no one could find fault with her.
The two were accompanied by several young princes and favored concubines from the harem.
At Zhou Pu's command, a series of bangs rang out as fireworks exploded in the air.
Zhang Lao Er, Xu Shi, and most of the court officials and their families were seeing this for the first time, and they were all amazed and stunned.
"Amazing fireworks!"
"Wow, that's really high. I wonder if it will disturb the immortals!" Zhang Lao Er murmured to himself.