Chapter 8: Releasing 'Kongming Lanterns' for Promotion

In the twelfth lunar month, the winter winds whistled coldly.

Having woken up slightly late, Xia Tingning arrived at the side hall of the Pear Courtyard to dine with her mother, Lady Shui, and her younger brother, Xia Ziyun.

The weather had been growing colder these past few days; after all, Old Madam Xia was aging, and her constitution was no longer what it used to be. Consequently, she had exempted all the masters of the manor from coming to pay their morning respects today.

Because of this, Xia Tingning had slept for an extra hour. Lady Shui did not rush her, but instead waited with great patience alongside Xia Ziyun for her to wake up so they could dine together.

As soon as she stepped into the hall, the sensation of coldness immediately receded. Several charcoal braziers were arranged orderly in various corners, their faintly flickering red flames continuously emitting heat, making one feel a wave of warmth.

Walking to the dining table, Xia Tingning sat beside Lady Shui as usual.

Lady Shui looked at her daughter and said with concern, "Ning'er, the weather is so cold; you must wear more layers. Do not fall ill."

Xia Tingning nodded with a smile. "I know, Mother. You and Yun'er must also remember to keep warm."

As she spoke, she served bowls of porridge for both Lady Shui and Xia Ziyun.

Lady Shui happily took a sip of the porridge, then suddenly remembered something. She turned her head toward Xia Tingning and said, "In a few days, it will be the Lantern Festival. You should go out and see it then. The Lantern Festival here in the capital will surely be more lively than back in Yixing City."

Upon hearing this, Xia Tingning's movement of picking up food with her chopsticks paused. So, the Lantern Festival was only a few days away? She had been so busy lately that she hadn't even realized the festival was approaching.

In an instant, a flash went through Xia Tingning's eyes. As if she had thought of something, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. The Lantern Festival, hmm? It was indeed an excellent day.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the Kingdom of Tianqi welcomed its annual Lantern Festival.

On the night of this day, almost all young men and women would go out to admire the lanterns and wander about. The streets were filled with blossoms and splendor, and the lights swayed everywhere.

In previous years when she was in Yixing City, Xia Tingning would also go out to participate in the Lantern Festival, immersing herself in the lively and jubilant atmosphere just like everyone else. But for Xia Tingning, this year's Lantern Festival held another significant meaning.

That was, she intended to use the night's lantern festival to promote and create momentum for her shop and restaurant.

A few days ago, while dining with her mother, she had inadvertently heard her mention that the Lantern Festival was approaching. This had triggered a flash of inspiration in Xia Tingning, and she immediately had an idea.

She wanted to release 'Kongming lanterns' on the day of the festival to promote her shop and restaurant. She believed that the sky filled with dancing lanterns would surely make the entire capital boil with excitement.

Without delay, Xia Tingning immediately worked through the night, drawing several lantern designs. She instructed Wanyu to hand them over to Chang Nuo, telling him to take them to his father and ensuring that this batch of lanterns was completed before the Lantern Festival.

Worried that the lanterns might catch fire midway, Xia Tingning specifically added a layer of protection around the candles. Each lantern contained only a small segment of a candle to limit the flight time, ensuring they would not burn up.

She designed the Kongming lanterns in a small and cute shape, covering them with paper of various bright colors. She hung a promotional flyer beneath each lantern and carefully controlled the weight of the lanterns themselves so they wouldn't fly too high.

She was simply waiting for the arrival of the Lantern Festival so that her Beauty Hall and Warm Smoke Tower could be known by everyone in the capital.

That night, after informing Lady Shui, Xia Tingning hurriedly left the manor with Wanyu to meet with Uncle Chang and Uncle Yu.

As for Lady Li, she had long since taken her two daughters out to participate in the lantern festivities.

The streets were decorated with lanterns and streamers, incredibly lively. Many young lords and ladies walked and stopped, chatting and laughing incessantly.

Xia Tingning arrived at the agreed-upon meeting spot, where Uncle Chang and Uncle Yu were already waiting quietly.

This was a small courtyard behind the Warm Smoke Tower; the location was relatively secluded and not easily discovered, so she chose this place to release the lanterns.

In the center of the courtyard, two large square tables had already been set up. Dozens of small, multicolored lanterns were arranged neatly upon them. Each lantern was supported by a stand, and several fire starters were placed beside them.

Xia Tingning said nothing more, directly addressing Uncle Chang and Uncle Yu: "Light the lanterns." The lantern festival had already begun; now was the perfect time to release them.

The four of them each took a fire starter and lit the candles inside the lanterns one by one.

Although Uncle Chang and Uncle Yu saw Xia Tingning lighting the lanterns with a calm expression, their hearts were pounding: *Can these lanterns really fly? Why does the Young Mistress always come up with such strange and peculiar ideas?*

Before long, a lantern placed at the edge of the table showed a faint tendency to rise. As the candle burned, it continuously produced hot air, and the beautiful light-blue lantern finally drifted upward, ascending into the night sky.

Wanyu pointed at the lantern and shouted with a face full of pleasant surprise, "Miss, look! It's flying, it's flying! It's really flying!"

Uncle Chang and Uncle Yu were also filled with astonishment: *Heavens, it really flew. How on earth did the Young Mistress think of such lanterns? This is truly a wonder under heaven.*

Watching the lantern rise into the night sky, Xia Tingning could not hide the excitement and joy in her heart. Perhaps encouraged by this first lantern, several other lanterns on the table also successfully took flight.

Uncle Chang and Uncle Yu worked even harder to light one lantern after another. By the time the lanterns on the table were all lit, more than half of them had already flown into the night sky.

Seeing that most of the lanterns on the table had flown away, Wanyu hurriedly went to the wall where the lanterns were stacked, moving back and forth to transport them one by one to the table. The four of them worked in division of labor, successively finishing the lighting of all three hundred lanterns.

In a short while, the pitch-black night sky was filled with beautiful lanterns of various colors.

Meanwhile, the streets of the capital were extraordinarily bustling, illuminated by lights everywhere. The cries of street vendors, the lively sounds of people guessing lantern riddles, and the laughter of children running and playing with lanterns in the streets all blended together.

Sketching out the prosperous splendor of the capital's night.

Amidst the bustling crowds, someone pointed at the night sky and shouted, "Look, what is that?"

Hearing the shout, everyone looked up to see various beautiful lanterns floating in the night sky.

Halos of light radiated from the lanterns; from a distance, they looked like multicolored twinkling stars scattered across the night curtain. It was incredibly beautiful.

This unique and beautiful sight shocked the men and women of the capital, and everyone began to point and discuss the lanterns in amazement.

At this time, as the candles were nearing the end of their burn, the floating lanterns began to slowly drift down from the sky. Some of the bolder people, unable to contain their curiosity, reached out to catch them. Upon catching them, they saw the promotional flyers hanging beneath the lanterns, which triggered even more intense discussion.

The entire capital boiled with excitement because of this, as people reached out one after another to catch the falling lanterns.

Some lanterns fell halfway and drifted into various manors, causing curious discussions among the ladies, maids, and servants of those households.

Other lanterns that flew further drifted into the Imperial Palace, leaving the night-watch guards staring in dumbfounded shock. Once they regained their senses, they rushed to report to their respective Empresses or Consorts.

On this day of the Lantern Festival, the sky-filling lanterns meticulously designed by Xia Tingning successfully caused a sensation throughout the entire capital. Everyone made sure to chat about it after their meals, and the trend showed signs of growing even more intense.

After releasing the lanterns, Xia Tingning did not linger to watch the beautiful scenery, but instead returned to the Xia Manor with Wanyu.

As soon as she entered, she saw that most of the maids and servants in the entire Xia Manor were gathered in small groups, talking incessantly while holding the promotional flyers from the lanterns.

Upon returning to the Pear Courtyard, she saw that her mother, Lady Shui, was also holding a lantern and saying something to her personal maid, Bifu, while her brother, Xia Ziyun, sat to the side playing with a lantern in his hands.

Xia Tingning walked into the room. When Lady Shui looked up and saw her daughter had returned, she hurriedly beckoned her over to sit.

Pointing at the lantern, she said to her daughter, "Ning'er, look, these lanterns can actually fly! That sight just now was truly amazing."

She then held two promotional flyers in front of Xia Tingning. "This paper says that the 'Beauty Hall' and 'Warm Smoke Tower' will open the day after tomorrow. The introduction is so good that even Mother is tempted after reading it." After saying this, she offered another round of praise.

Xia Tingning's expression remained calm and composed. "Since Mother likes it, let us go and take a look together the day after tomorrow."

Lady Shui hesitated upon hearing this. "Is that alright? I wonder if the Madam will agree."

Xia Tingning frowned. "It is not as if we are her servants; why must we seek her permission to go out? It is decided then. The day after tomorrow, I will take you and my brother to see it."

After exchanging a few more words of greeting with Lady Shui, she returned to her own room, feeling somewhat fatigued.

Wanyu followed her into the room, her face full of excitement and enchantment. "Miss, you are truly amazing! The sight tonight was simply too beautiful."

Xia Tingning gave a soft "Shh." "Keep your voice down. Do you want the whole Xia Manor to know it was me who did this?"

Wanyu hurriedly covered her mouth and nodded cautiously.

Only then did Xia Tingning wave her hand and say, "Go back to sleep. You've been busy all night." Wanyu obediently gave a bow and withdrew.

On the soft bed, the corners of Xia Tingning's mouth curled into a smile: The opening the day after tomorrow is truly something to look forward to.