Lu Zhou and Lu Xingyao were puzzled by Lu Qing’s reaction. Shouldn’t they be happy about discovering such a miraculous substance? Gu Xingzhao also looked at Lu Qing, guessing what might be on his mind. After all, in ancient times, the primary use of kerosene was as a weapon of war. The old man probably thought of that.

Lu Qing spoke in a serious tone, “The world is unstable right now. If this substance is used by those with ill intentions for weaponry, have you considered the consequences?”

King Su is ambitious, and war is inevitable. If he gets his hands on this, it could spell disaster for the common people.

Connecting the dots, Lu Zhou felt a surge of fear and quickly urged his son to put the substance away.

Lu Xingyao, however, thought that casualties in war were normal. While this substance was powerful, as long as it didn’t fall into the wrong hands, it could be used to defend against external enemies. Wouldn’t that be a good thing? If, in the future, the Emperor decides not to spare them, having this at their disposal could be quite useful…

But seeing his grandfather’s concern, Lu Xingyao kept these thoughts to himself and simply stored the kerosene away.

Gu Xingzhao knew that the old man, who cared deeply for the people, had always opposed war. But some things couldn’t be stopped just by opposing them. In this volatile situation, war was unavoidable.

After a few more warnings to his son and grandson, Lu Qing, leaning on his cane, walked away, no longer dwelling on the matter.

He Zhen used the money Gu Xingzhao had left behind to rent a house in the capital. She rehired the guards and maids who had once served at the Liu residence. She cleaned out a large room specifically for Gu Xingzhao’s use, while she and her child stayed in a slightly smaller room next door.

The next day was the Lantern Festival, and Gu Xingzhao had already sent over the fireworks, carefully explaining to He Zhen how to use them. She found that He Zhen was very clever, quickly understanding everything.

I really have a good eye for people! Gu Xingzhao thought.

He Zhen brought in the manager from the Xu family responsible for the float parade, secretly transporting the fireworks to be used during the parade the next evening.

After the incident with the Lu family, the Xu family, as their in-laws, also suffered a downturn in business. Choosing to cooperate with He Zhen was somewhat of a gamble. They figured that since her drawings were so exquisite, the actual effect wouldn’t be bad either.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, Gu Xingzhao made preparations, planning to give the Lu and Liu families a pleasant surprise.

To ensure that Lu Qing took it seriously, she spoke in a more serious tone, “Lu Qing, no one should be studying tonight. Everyone should stay in their tents, especially Lu Yang and Mrs. Xu. Leave one or two people outside to keep watch, and make sure to call the Liu family to join us.”

Hearing the unprecedented seriousness in the ancestor’s voice, Lu Qing felt uneasy. Could it be that someone in the family had done something wrong, and the ancestor was going to hold them accountable?

He dared not delay and quickly conveyed the ancestor’s message to his grandson, who then passed the word to everyone.

Gu Xingzhao intended to give them a surprise but didn’t anticipate it turning into a shock.

When the message reached the ears of the Lu family members, they all felt a sense of unease, wondering if something major was about to happen. They began racking their brains, trying to recall if they had said or done anything wrong.

Could it be that the ancestor found out about me stealing a hand warmer?

Or maybe they found out that I secretly gossiped about whether the ancestor was male or female?

Will the ancestor, in a fit of anger, unleash divine punishment?

The Liu family, unaware of the situation, became nervous as well when they saw the Lu family’s anxiety.

This sense of unease and tension lingered until nightfall. Over thirty people retreated to their tents, and those with guilty consciences volunteered to keep watch outside.

Lu Yang also wanted to stay outside. While it was an honor to be favored by the ancestor, getting struck by lightning was something he definitely didn’t want to experience a second time…

However, Lu Qing ordered someone to drag his second son into the tent and keep a close watch on him. He strongly suspected that it was his second son who had caused some trouble, otherwise, why would the ancestor specifically insist that the second son’s family be present?

Lu Youtang, looking confused, asked, “Mother, am I not practicing my calligraphy tonight?”

Mrs. Xu, equally tense, patted her daughter’s head, “Not tonight, dear. Let’s go to bed early.”

Lu Yang was on the verge of a breakdown. Dear daughter, why are you still thinking about practicing calligraphy? We’re on the verge of a family disaster!

When Gu Xingzhao arrived to start the projection, she was puzzled to see everyone in the tents looking like they were facing the end of the world. “???”

What’s going on here?

Gu Xingzhao immediately asked Lu Qing, “Lu Qing, did something happen? Why does everyone look so down?”

Hearing the ancestor’s voice, Lu Qing didn’t dare delay: “We are all waiting for you, Ancestor.”

How could he tell the truth? Should he tell the ancestor that everyone was afraid of being struck by lightning?

Only then did Gu Xingzhao activate the projection function, displaying the current scene in the capital inside the tents, hoping to let them experience the festive atmosphere of the Lantern Festival in the capital.

As soon as the projection started, the inside of the tent disappeared, replaced by a scene of crowded streets, people carrying lanterns and walking together in groups, with laughter and joy all around. It felt like they were right in the middle of the bustling streets.

Everyone was stunned. “!!!”

“What is… what is this?”

Before they could even catch their breath from the earlier anxiety, someone recognized what they were seeing and shouted, “It’s the capital! It’s the capital!”

The ancestor had brought the capital’s scene to them, just like when they watched the snowfall during the New Year!

Someone even spotted an acquaintance, “That’s my cousin and his wife!”

“Look over there! Isn’t that Aunt Wei, who used to cook for us in the kitchen?”

Lu Qing’s heart pounded, his hands trembling with excitement. The ancestor had gathered everyone together just to let them experience the lively atmosphere of the Lantern Festival in the capital.

Gu Xingzhao sat down next to the old man, watching everyone’s joyful expressions, and felt happiness too.

However, this was just the beginning.

The grand floats from various merchant houses started parading through the streets. The floats were magnificently decorated, with some merchant houses even hiring famous courtesans from the capital to perform on the floats, scattering flowers and drawing crowds of onlookers who eagerly followed the parade!

When the Xu family’s float appeared, Lu Youtang’s eyes lit up, and she was the first to exclaim, “Mother, mother! It’s Grandpa and Grandma!”

Everyone turned their eyes toward the Xu family’s float. Although the float was nicely designed, it paled in comparison to others that had performances. But they didn’t care about that; their eyes were only on their distant relatives and friends in the capital.

Seeing her parents, who looked much older now, Mrs. Xu’s eyes filled with tears. She grabbed her husband’s sleeve and started to cry.

Lu Yang was overjoyed inside. His wife had taken the initiative to pull on his sleeve!

He silently thanked the ancestor countless times.

At that moment, Lu Qing finally understood why the ancestor had specifically instructed that his second son’s family be present. He couldn’t help but marvel at how well the ancestor treated the Lu family.

Suddenly, the Liu family members also became excited, pointing at someone on the Xu family’s float and shouting at Liu Xiangbai, “It’s the young mistress!”

“Young master, look! It’s the young mistress!”