Dongfang Shuo and the Lantern Girl
Legend has it that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a favorite minister named Dongfang Shuo, who was kind and funny. One winter day, it snowed heavily for a few days, so Dongfang Shuo went to the imperial garden to fold plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. When he entered the garden, he found a courtesan in tears, ready to throw herself into a well. Dongfang Shuo rushed to her rescue and asked her why she wanted to commit suicide. It turned out that the courtesan's name was Yuan Xiao (元宵), and she had two parents and a younger sister at home. Since she entered the palace, she never had the chance to meet her family. Every year to the end of the spring season, it is more than usual miss their families. She felt that it would be better for her to die than to be able to fulfill her filial piety in front of her parents. When Dongfang Shuo heard her story, he sympathized with her and assured her that he would try to reunite her with her family.
One day, Dongfang Shuo went out of the palace and set up a divination booth on Chang'an Street. Many people were eager to ask for his fortune. Unexpectedly, every person's request was "the 16th day of the first month, the fire burns my body". For a while, Chang'an was in a great panic. People asked for a solution to the disaster. Dongfang Shuo said, "On the evening of the 13th day of the first month, the Fire God will send a red-clothed goddess down to visit the earth, and she is the messenger who has been ordered to burn Chang'an, I will give you the copied verse, so that the current son of heaven can think of a solution." After saying this, he threw down a red post and went away. The people picked up the red post and hurriedly sent it to the palace to report to the emperor.
Han Wu Di received a look, only to see written on it: "Chang'an in the robbery, the fire burned the Imperial Palace, fifteen days of fire, the flame red night", he was shocked, and hastened to invite the resourceful Oriental Shuo. Dongfang Shuo pretended to think for a moment, then said: "I heard that the fire god gentleman loves to eat dumplings, the palace Lantern is not often for you to make dumplings? On the fifteenth night, you can let the Lantern make soup dumplings. Banzai burned incense and made offerings, and ordered every family in Kyoto to make dumplings to honor the Fire Goddess. And then, you will summon your subjects to hang lanterns together on the fifteenth night, and light firecrackers and set off fireworks all over the city, as if the city is on fire, so that you can hide it from the Jade Emperor. In addition, notify the people outside the city, the fifteenth night into the city to watch the lanterns, mixed in the crowd to eliminate disasters and solve the problem". When the Jade Emperor heard this, he was very happy, so he sent a decree to do as Dongfang Shuo's method.
To the fifteenth day of the first month of the Chang'an city of lights, colorful, tourists come and go, very lively. The parents of the courtesan Yuan Xiao also took their sister into the city to watch the lanterns. When they saw the words written "Lantern" large palace lanterns, surprise shouted: "Lantern! When they saw the big lantern with the word "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Yuanxiao!
After such a lively night, the city of Chang'an was indeed safe and sound. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very happy, then ordered every first month of the future to make dumplings for the fire god king, the first month of the fifteenth as usual, the whole city hanging lights and fireworks. Because the best dumplings made by the Lantern, people called the dumplings Lantern, this day is called the Lantern Festival.
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