Expectations (revision)
Lin Xu's gaze passed through the crowd and slowly fell on Gao Youyi.
Although Lin Xu knew that Gao Youyi had put in a lot of effort to organize this coming-of-age ceremony, she was surprised that she could even persuade these two to attend. She suddenly realized she had seriously underestimated her new stepmother, both in terms of financial resources and influence.
Besides, Princess Kunrou is one thing, but I had already developed some acquaintance with her while studying at the academy, and considering the discussions at the Princess's residence last time, the two of us could now be considered allies in some way...
But what about the third prince?
I can count the number of times I've spoken to him on my fingers.
The matter of establishing a crown prince is currently attracting considerable attention from both the court and the public, with several ministers already submitting memorials urging Emperor Su to establish a legitimate heir as soon as possible. Naturally, the third prince, born to the empress, is the one receiving the most attention.
Emperor Su had few heirs; apart from the tenth prince, who was not yet one year old, he currently had only three princes.
The Fifth Prince was on good terms with the Third Prince, and was skilled in martial arts but slightly less so in literature; the Ninth Prince was young and timid, only eight years old; while the Third Prince was the eldest among them, proficient in both literature and martial arts, and possessed a righteous and upright demeanor. Therefore... everything was simply a matter of course.
To be honest, this person's whereabouts are usually quite mysterious. Apart from studying at Zhiqiong Hall, she rarely appears outside the capital city. Why is she suddenly appearing now? It's actually to attend Lin Xu's coming-of-age ceremony.
Who is Lin Xu anyway? Why would she trouble the most powerful prince to attend her coming-of-age ceremony?
Even someone as composed as her could not stand still for long...
Seeing Lin Xu's gaze filled with shock and inquiry, Gao Youyi unexpectedly shook her head.
In fact, the confusion and panic on his face were no less than hers.
Even Gao Youyi, who personally oversaw the arrangements, didn't know why these two had come?
Lin Xu felt a throbbing in her forehead, and she felt a little dizzy.
The guests below the stage could no longer contain themselves and began whispering among themselves.
I've always heard that Princess Kunrou is of noble birth and extremely arrogant, while the Third Prince is currently a favorite among various factions to vie for the throne. It's strange that they've both gathered here...
Suddenly, people looked at Lin Fu with a sense of sudden realization.
Who would have thought that Lin Youcheng, who was usually apolitical and low-key, had a backup plan!
Even the white-bearded Minister Wen showed a slight respect after his initial surprise.
Lin Fu was a junior who was very close to him. In their early years, the two were both students of the former Prime Minister Xun. At that time, Lin Fu was talented and elegant but full of arrogance. He was often taught by his master that he was too bookish and did not know how to be tactful and flexible in dealing with people.
Now that he is getting older and will soon retire, he has become much less interested in officialdom and politics, but he still feels a deep sense of regret for this younger generation.
Despite being in his prime, he refused to engage in any self-serving or fame-seeking behavior, and thus, over the years, he has only managed to remain a fourth-rank civil official. If he had listened to advice back then and put in more effort earlier, with his vast knowledge and talent, he would certainly have achieved far more than just the position of Right Vice Minister.
For a moment, Minister Wen was so moved that he even shed tears.
In an instant, the Third Prince, dressed in a dark blue robe adorned with silver trim and subtle floral patterns, entered. He wore a jade hair crown with lotus and ruyi designs, and a matching wide belt with cloud patterns around his waist. He strode in with his head held high, exuding an air of arrogance and grandeur. Compared to his previous understated demeanor at Zhiqiong Hall, his imposing attire now revealed an undeniable and untamed arrogance.
Clearly, one can already glimpse the future rise of the Crown Prince.
Princess Kunrou followed closely behind. Her eyes held their usual aloofness and coldness as she glanced at everyone before finally settling on Lin Xu, who stood in the very center of the main hall.
Liao Yan's brows seemed to relax for a moment, but it was like the first snowflakes falling, and in an instant, it was all submerged in her starry eyes.
Everyone hurriedly stood up, bowing respectfully with lowered eyes and humble expressions. Many of them were seeing the prince and princess for the first time, which made them even more uneasy.
The Third Prince simply smiled, appearing quite amiable. He nodded to Lin Fu, which was considered a greeting. Although Gao Youyi was momentarily stunned, she was, after all, from a wealthy family and had seen a bit of the world. She immediately ordered someone to clear out the head seats at the front and properly led the Third Prince and the Princess to their seats.
A courteous servant had already brought out tea and snacks, with steaming pre-rain buds floating in the clear tea.
The Third Prince leaned back in his chair, gently skimming away the floating tea leaves with his teacup. His expression was unusually relaxed, as if he were at home. He glanced briefly at the elegant figure on the stage, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Today is a rare auspicious day, and I must offer my congratulations to Right Chancellor Lin."
Lin Fu quickly bowed and said, "I dare not."
The Third Prince smiled faintly, his eyes lowered, and at the opportune moment, the eunuch accompanying him spoke in a high-pitched voice:
"To celebrate today, His Highness the Third Prince has specially selected a box of fine agarwood mountain ornaments, a set of red coral ornaments, and a painting of 'Snow Pine in a Forest Stream' by the famous artist Gong Chuo from the previous dynasty as gifts for Miss Lin. They have now been delivered to the entrance hall."
Amidst the envious and suspicious gazes of the guests, Lin Xu could only slowly bow, then perform a proper curtsy, and respectfully say in a melodious voice:
"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness. It is truly an honor for me."
The Third Prince frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of reproach:
"We are classmates from Zhiqiongtang. This is just a small gift to express my congratulations. Why are you being so polite? It makes us seem quite distant."
Lin Xu's brows twitched again.
However, seemingly sensing her thoughts, and without giving her any chance to refute, the Third Prince looked around and then said loudly:
"...To be honest, there is another reason for my visit today."
Having said that, he looked at Madam Yang, who was sitting not far away, his gaze becoming more serious, and said with concern:
"When I was still an infant, I received a few days of kindness from Granny Tang. Now, many years have passed, and I wonder how Granny Tang is doing now, and whether she is in good health?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Yang curtsied slightly, her expression dignified and composed, showing no sign of surprise.
"Thank you for your kind thoughts, Third Prince. Granny Tang is enjoying her retirement in the Gao family, in good health, and she is also concerned about your well-being day and night. I am fortunate to see you today, and I will definitely go back and tell her in person to show you your kind and benevolent heart, Third Prince."
The third prince nodded without saying a word.
Lin Xu, seeing Yang's calm demeanor, understood. It turned out that Gao Youyi wasn't really to blame for the Third Prince's sudden visit today.
Historically, when princes were young, the palace would select strong, nursing women from among the common people to serve as wet nurses. Presumably, the Tang Mama mentioned by the third prince was one of the wet nurses who had nursed him when he was a child.
With such a connection, Lady Yang was naturally closer to the power in the palace. It's likely that this factor played a role in her receiving the imperial title.
Princess Kunrou sat for a while, then looked at Lin Xu and said, "Since today is your coming-of-age ceremony, let's continue immediately, so as not to disturb your auspicious time because of my arrival and the Third Prince's arrival."
The noblewoman, who had been waiting for a long time, couldn't help but whisper:
"...Your Highness, you may not know this, but an unexpected incident occurred during the ceremony. Miss Yao, who was supposed to officiate at the coming-of-age ceremony, left without saying goodbye. With such an important role missing...can the ceremony still proceed?"
As honored guests, they had long since lost patience while waiting.
Upon hearing this, Liao Yan looked at Lin Xu with even more surprise.
It was as if they were asking her, "Are you crazy to invite Yao Suran to be the endorser?"
Lin Xu met those eyes and knew he had nothing to say, so he could only shrug slightly.
But Liao Yan merely pondered for a moment before standing up, his face a mixture of helplessness and indifference, and coldly said to the assembled guests:
"It's alright."
After speaking, she slowly walked to Lin Xu's side in full view of everyone, looked up at her, picked up the comb used for carrying luggage from the shelf, and her expression gradually became calm.
"Ms. Lin and I are classmates and close friends. Since there has been an unexpected situation, I will take the lead and continue with the next steps."
First, the Third Prince presented her with generous gifts, and then Princess Kunrou personally officiated at her coming-of-age ceremony...
Some noblewomen, seeing this, could no longer sit still.
I only came to the Lin residence today because I accepted the invitation from the Gao family. I originally thought that since Lin Fu was also an official of the court, I would just give him some face based on our past relationship.
But how come this Lin Fu, who usually keeps a low profile, has managed to get the two most powerful people in the court to come to his daughter's coming-of-age ceremony?
For a moment, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
Gao Youyi, who had witnessed everything from the sidelines, was overjoyed. Her heart was overflowing with guilt; she had been worrying about what to do for Xu'er's coming-of-age ceremony, but now the problem was solved! In fact, the candidate was a hundred times better than the previous ones!
This is Princess Kunrou, the only daughter of Princess Duanhe, who was granted the title of Princess at the age of eight! How fortunate Xu'er is to have Princess Kunrou as her assistant!
Therefore, Yang dared not rest for a moment, fearing that Liao Yan would change his mind. She hurriedly and quietly instructed the string music and chanting to continue as usual, her expression particularly relaxed and cheerful.
She had been feeling guilty about the earlier turmoil involving the Yao family, but now, in the blink of an eye, the situation had suddenly reversed.
After all, Xu'er is now her daughter. If Xu'er is happy, she is happy; if Xu'er is proud, she is proud. In any case, this is Xu'er's once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony, so she should just enjoy herself to the fullest!
The audience below the stage exchanged glances, while the person on stage had to follow the customs and complete the entire process.
Lin Xu straightened her expression, added two hairpins, and after bowing to Yang and the other guests, she was immediately escorted by Zhu Ling and other maids to the east room to change into a light peach-colored wide-sleeved dress and wear a gold hairpin.
Having learned from the previous mistake, the servants in the manor are now extremely careful to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
After returning, Princess Kunrou removed the colorful swallow and pearl hairpin from Lin Xu's hair. With a smile on her lips, Madam Yang took a heavy handful of jade hairpins inlaid with red pearls and openwork gold crowns from the officials beside her and put them on Lin Xu's head.
She exchanged greetings with Lady Yang, then returned to the east room to change into her last magnificent and dazzling wide-sleeved dress. Amidst the chanting of prayers, she solemnly knelt facing north towards the imperial city.
First pay respects to the imperial court, then to your parents.
After going through the three bows and three repetitions, the ceremony is basically complete.
The only remaining step is selecting the character.
This was also the part Lin Xu feared most deep down...
She always remembered that in her previous life, she had a disagreement with her second aunt, who was the chief guest, because of her willful nature. After a quick bow, her aunt, Madam Hu, took her daughter and rode back to Hecheng in a carriage.
Before the ceremony was even over, the honored guest left in anger. This would be a huge joke in any family, and if word got out, it would be utterly humiliating.
At that time, Lin Fu was only concerned with apologizing and dealing with the guests in the hall. Qi Shi pretended to comfort him but actually added fuel to the fire. She was angry and ran out of the mansion in the chaos, and did not return until dark.
When the servants finally found her, Lin Fu, unusually, became angry. He slammed his hand down and threw the red paper with the name he had written for her already on it onto the table.
"...I was even thinking of giving you the courtesy name 'Qingrou,' but look at yourself! Where do you have even a hint of gentleness and composure? I think it's better not to give you that courtesy name at all. It doesn't suit a lady of a respectable family at all. Let's wait until you're betrothed to your husband's family before we talk about it!"
Although she was indeed betrothed to a man not long after, Zhou Weikan only called her Xu'er. People who were closer to her would sometimes call her Xuxu by her name. Apart from that, she never thought of giving her any other name.
Now, she noticed a delicate red paper in her father's hand, and a few thoughts stirred within her.
Spring breeze and misty dreams, delicate flower rain.
I pity you, I pity you, I know your heart; I lean on the railing and quietly listen to the wind and moon.
That was her father's heartfelt expectation and hope for her in the past.
In her past life, she was reprimanded for her behavior, which was unworthy of the title "Xiao Xu". Now that she has been reborn, has she been able to do it again?
Thinking this, she saw Lin Fu leisurely stand up in front of all the guests, unfold the paper, glance at her with a look full of emotion, and then say with certainty:
"On this auspicious day and hour, my daughter has come of age. Now that the ceremonies are complete, I, as her father, am filled with joy and bestow upon her the name 'Chuoyan' to signify her good fortune. May she live a life of elegance and grace, like a fragrant orchid or a laurel."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
