Chương 569: Thousands of lights illuminate every home, may peace prevail year after year.

As he picked, he thought: Cai Yan likes simple elegance, so he'd give her a black jade hairpin; Zhen Mi is gentle, so he'd pair it with pearls; Zhang Ning is lively, so he'd give her a silver bell; Ren Hongchang dances, so a butterfly hairpin would be perfect... He couldn't leave anyone out.

"How much is it in total?"

"That'll be three hundred and eighty coins in total!"

Liu Ce paid the bill, stuffed the hairpin and perfume into his large sleeve pocket, then went to a tea stall to buy a pot of hot tea before slowly walking back, humming a little tune.

When Cai Yan saw him return, she took the hot tea and asked in confusion:

"Why did it take you so long? Do we have to queue to buy tea? Why is your face so red?"

Liu Ce coughed lightly, his eyes darting around, not daring to look at her: "Ah... right, there were too many people, we waited in line for ages. Have some tea to warm up, we should go back to the palace, the children are all sleepy."

He didn't notice that the tip of a silver bell was peeking out from his sleeve pocket, gleaming in the moonlight.

Sharp-eyed Xiao Qiao spotted them and whispered in Da Qiao's ear, the two of them covering their mouths and giggling, saying in a voice only they could hear:

"Sister, look, there's something in my husband's sleeve."

Da Qiao pinched her: "Don't make a sound."

...

The group boarded the carriage, which was lined with thick, soft cushions and had a heater burning, making it warm and cozy, just like springtime.

The horse-drawn carriage wheels made a rumbling sound as they rolled on the bluestone pavement.

They hadn't walked more than a few steps when the children fell asleep, slumped over in various places.

Liu Yan leaned against the car window, still clutching the half-eaten candied hawthorn skewer tightly in his hand, sugar crumbs still clinging to the corner of his mouth...

Liu Heng, with his head resting on Liu Yao's lap, was so asleep that he was drooling, wetting a patch of Liu Yao's pants...

Liu Ran nestled in Liu Ce's arms, hugging her big rabbit lamp, fast asleep, her little face rosy.

Suddenly she burst into tears, startling everyone.

Liu Ce quickly patted her back and gently coaxed her, his voice as tender as if he were soothing a baby:

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Daddy's here."

Then Liu Ran sobbed, "My rabbit lantern... it ran into the river... Daddy, please help me get it out... it's going to be swept away... it can't swim... Waaah..."

Liu Ce was both amused and annoyed, and whispered in her ear:

"It didn't run away, it didn't run away, the rabbit lantern is in your arms, it's being good, it won't run away. Look, it's still sleeping, just like you. Touch it, is it still there?"

Liu Ran groggily touched the rabbit lamp in her arms, then snuggled against his chest in relief and fell asleep again, a sweet smile on her lips, probably having a wonderful dream.

Cai Yan smiled and shook her head, her voice gentle: "These kids had a blast today, their dreams are full of food and games. They'll definitely wake up with sore backs tomorrow morning."

Liu Ce sighed, covered Liu Ran with the small blanket, and then wiped away the drool stains from Liu Heng's mouth.

"That's right, they had a rare chance to get out, and they were having a blast. We should take them out more often in the future, instead of keeping them cooped up in the palace all the time. Children should experience the outside world more."

The carriage swayed along, and the interior gradually quieted down, with only the children's even breathing and the sound of the carriage wheels turning, occasionally punctuated by a murmur in sleep.

Occasionally, the sound of fireworks exploding could be heard in the distance, exceptionally clear in the quiet night, like a final farewell to the night.

Upon arriving at the capital, everyone disembarked.

The children were carefully carried back to the palace to sleep by the guards, one by one like cargo being moved, some even waving in their dreams.

Liu Ce led his wives slowly toward the Lizheng Hall. The night breeze carried a slight chill, but his heart was warm.

The moonlight spilled onto the palace path, casting long, long shadows of the group of people.

When they reached a secluded spot, Liu Ce suddenly stopped, took out the small gifts he had just bought from his sleeve pocket, and stuffed them into their hands one by one.

He first handed Cai Yan the black jade hairpin and peach blossom perfume, then whispered in her ear:

"Knowing you like simple and elegant things, I specially chose this black jade hairpin. The orchid on it is as beautiful as you, elegant and composed."

Cai Yan paused for a moment, looked down at the thing in her hand, her cheeks slightly flushed, and like a young girl, gently took his hand and whispered:

"Thank you, my husband. It's beautiful, I love it."

Then it was Zhen Mi's turn; he placed the smooth pearl hairpin in her palm:

"This pearl is so round and smooth, it goes perfectly with your light pink dress today, and it makes your skin look even whiter."

Zhen Mi looked up at him, her eyes full of gentle smiles, and nodded, her eyes slightly red.

Next was Zhang Ning, who handed over the silver bell hairpin, deliberately shaking it to make a series of crisp sounds:

"This is perfect for you. It makes a jingling sound when you walk, so if you grab Liu Yan's collar again, he'll hear you from far away and won't be able to escape. It has a built-in warning function."

Zhang Ning smiled and took it, put it on her head, shook her head, and it jingled incessantly.

"At least you have a conscience and still remember me. I like this hairpin."

Then came Du Xiuniang, Zou Yu, Zhen Jiang, Zhen Tuo, Zhen Dao, Zhen Rong, Mi Zhen, Gan Mei, He Lian, Yin Ying, Feng Yu, Cai Wan, Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, and Cai Zhenji, each of whom received a hairpin that suited them.

Da Qiao received a white jade hairpin, and Xiao Qiao received a red agate hairpin. The two sisters compared them and smiled like two flowers.

Plum blossom hairpins, peach blossom hairpins, phoenix hairpins... each one was carefully selected, and no two were alike.

Liu Ce picked up the butterfly hairpin and carefully pinned it in Ren Hongchang's hair, adjusting its position several times.

"Wear this next time you perform the Dance of the Flying Swan. The butterfly wings will follow you as you fly, making you the most beautiful in all of Luoyang."

Ren Hongchang touched the butterfly hairpin in his hair. It was warm to the touch, and the butterfly wings trembled slightly, making it look very lifelike.

She suddenly turned around, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him on the cheek, her voice as soft as the wind:

"Thank you, my husband."

A few small heads peeked out from behind a pillar not far away.

It turned out that Liu Chen and the others hadn't fallen asleep at all; they had been secretly following behind and watching. Each of them was clinging to the pillar, revealing half their face, their eyes sparkling.

Seeing this, the children covered their mouths and giggled, exchanging winks and whispering among themselves:

"Father is delivering gifts to Mothers!"

"How embarrassing!"

Hearing the laughter, Liu Ce turned around, pretending to have a stern face, and shouted:

"You little devils, what are you doing out here instead of sleeping? Go back to sleep!"

The children let out a "whoop" and ran off laughing, like a group of startled little rabbits, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

The moonlight spilled into the courtyard, casting long, overlapping shadows of the two people.

Ren Hongchang leaned against Liu Ce and said softly, "Today is the happiest Lantern Festival I've ever had in my life. Back in Luoyang Palace, the Lantern Festival was just about eating a bowl of glutinous rice balls and sitting by the window to watch the moon. It was so quiet and lonely. It's never been this lively before."

Liu Ce held her tightly, resting his chin on her head, gazing at the round moon in the sky, his voice gentle:

"I will be this happy every Lantern Festival from now on. I will be happier every year than the last."

Fireworks were still blooming in the distance, and the lights of Luoyang were on all night.

That night, every home was lit up, and peace was assured year after year.