The two riders left the palace and headed north for several miles.
The elopement location was not far from the Imperial Palace, gradually rising towards the northeast.
At the highest point, they reined in their horses to a stop.
From their high vantage point, they looked around, seeing stars hanging over vast fields and the moon reflecting in the cold river.
Looking back to the south, the grand palaces and the city full of lights were all visible at their feet.
The scene was stunningly beautiful.
Tang Xiaobai had been to Dragon Head Plain north of the Capital City before, but never at night, and certainly not on a clear Lantern Festival night.
"In the past, when you were in your boudoir, every fifteenth day of the first lunar month, you went to the flower market with your family to admire the lights; in recent years, you joined the common people in celebration on the upper floors;"
"Having a birthday during the Lantern Festival is never a lone affair."
