"Young Master Wei, don't be so arrogant!" Lord Jiang slapped him away.
Wei Qinglou shook his head, reached out and pressed down on the necks of the two men, forcing them to bow their heads in front of him. He leaned closer and said, "A bent back can be straightened up, but if a head falls to the ground, it can never be picked up again. Don't you two agree?"
The two men were terrified and were about to speak when he released them. He laughed loudly and said, "It's freezing cold here, so you two must be careful walking. What if you accidentally fall?"
After saying that, he swaggered out of the Golden Palace.
Before long, he was stopped by a young eunuch who rushed over at the foot of the white jade steps: "Lord Wei, the Emperor has personally summoned you. Please come with me."
Wei Qinglou then followed him to the edge of the Jade Pool, bowed his head and clasped his hands, and paid his respects to the emperor standing by the pool: "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"
"Rise. Between you and me, is there any need for such empty formalities? I ask you, were you serious about what you just said in court?"
Wei Qinglou nodded and smiled, "It's definitely true."
"Oh? May I ask which family you are from? Are you from Yujing? Are you from a family of civil officials or military officers? What is your temperament like?"
Wei Qinglou smiled and said, "Her surname is Zhu, her given name is Jiayu, she is from Suiping, and she comes from a merchant family. Her aunt is the adopted daughter of Grand Tutor Xiao. As for her temperament, it is the best."
"You, a man of such sharp tongue, actually have moments when you speak well of others? Wei Qinglou, Wei Qinglou, you've truly fallen from grace." The emperor pointed at him and laughed, "It seems I'll have to meet that Miss Zhu when the opportunity arises."
"But I didn't call you here for this matter."
He waved his hand, and someone came up with a black lacquered and gold-painted tray, on which was a square box inlaid with pearls.
"Open it and take a look."
Wei Qinglou stepped forward as instructed and opened the box. Inside, on a red silk brocade, lay a gold-embroidered cicada hair ornament inlaid with white jade, next to which was a gold hairpin.
The jade cicada is carved so lifelike that the textures on its slightly open, thin, feather-like wings are even clearly visible.
"Last year, the Lu family of Kunshan was asked to prepare it, but Lu Xuwei really put a lot of effort into this jade cicada. I ordered people to urge it repeatedly, but it still couldn't be made in time for your birthday. However, it was quite a coincidence that you were investigating a case on your birthday and you were nowhere to be found. The coming-of-age banquet that your father prepared for you was also canceled, which made him so angry that a few strands of his hair turned white."
Wei Qinglou smiled wryly: "Yes, when I got home, my father gave me a severe scolding because of this."
The emperor smiled and said gently, "The coming-of-age banquet cannot be held again, but the coming-of-age ceremony can. Wei Qinglou, today I present this crown to you, wishing you to be like a cicada, pure and bright, with lofty aspirations and far-reaching goals, so that your fame may spread to posterity without relying on the words of good historians or the momentum of rapid advancement."
Wei Qinglou took the square box, raised it above his head, and knelt down to express his gratitude: "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."
The emperor helped him up: "You haven't received your courtesy name yet, have you?"
"Yes," Wei Qinglou replied. "My father originally invited a great scholar from Wangdu, but before I could return from investigating the case, the scholar had to leave the capital for some business, so the matter of the official name ceremony was delayed."
The emperor nodded, took a piece of paper from the tray, and unfolded it in front of Wei Qinglou.
The word "Yan He" fell on the paper.
He said, "What do you think of these two characters?"
“It must be excellent, since the Emperor himself inscribed it,” Wei Qinglou said.
"Very well, then I will bestow these two words upon you." The emperor nodded. "Go out of the palace and find an auspicious day to have the lady of the Xiao family... no, now the lady of the Ning family, bring Miss Zhu into the palace. As an elder, I should meet her."
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