The Tree and the Yaochi

Xu Yanmiao's coming-of-age ceremony would not be so simple.

The old emperor cleared his throat and squinted his eyes: "You have no relatives and no elders, how about I crown you?"

Xu Yanmiao just felt incredible: "Your Majesty crowns your subjects?"

[Is there a precedent for this? ]

The old emperor smiled.

Of course not, but from now on, there will probably be one.

*

The old emperor took off his outer robe, put it in the eunuch's hand, and excitedly hugged the old almanac and nestled in the quilt, turned a page and held it in front of Empress Dou.

"Sister, which of these two auspicious days is better for Xu Yanmiao's coming-of-age ceremony? The fifth day of the first lunar month or the eighteenth day?" The

old emperor pondered for a moment and said to himself, "How about the eighteenth day! The eighteenth is a better day."

Empress Dou was dumbfounded by these words: "The examination curtain officials need to enter the Gongyuan one month in advance to select the final examination questions to avoid collusion between examiners and candidates. The examination will be held on the ninth day of February."

Therefore, on the ninth day of January, Xu Yanmiao, the chief examiner, would be locked in the Gongyuan with other examiners. Where would they go to participate in the coming-of-age ceremony?

The old emperor raised his voice: "It doesn't matter! Just let Xu Yanmiao come out by himself, and the others can continue to choose the test questions! As for the guests attending the ceremony, it won't be a problem if there are less 10 or 20 bureaucrats."

Empress Dou patted his hand and complained: "Don't bother the child. You are already busy, and you still have to take time out to attend the ceremony."

The old emperor smiled awkwardly: "Then let's do it on the fifth day of the first lunar month."

*

In ancient times, the ceremony of crowning was fixed in February, but with the development of the dynasty, by the time of the old emperor, the month could be chosen at will.

Soon, everyone knew that Xu Yanmiao's ceremony of crowning was scheduled on the fifth day of the first lunar month.

And it was presided over by the emperor himself!

King Tang shouted: "I said Xu Yanmiao is the old man's illegitimate son!"

Generally, the person who presided over the ceremony of crowning is the father of the person being crowned.

After hearing this, the prince immediately pressed the Tang king's neck and forced him to kowtow in front of the ancestral tablets in the Imperial Temple. He

kowtowed and said one sentence each time -

"Little bastard, you don't respect your elders!"

"Where did you learn from your studies! In addition to the father of the person being crowned, his teacher can also crown him!"

"Look at the old man's appearance, can he give birth to a god-like person like Xu Yanmiao!"

Outside the Imperial Temple, the old emperor was pleased that his elder brother was like a father, and then he heard his eldest son slandering his father behind his back. He immediately clenched his back teeth.

You are really my biological son!

- Those who are not biological dare not say so!

Then, he heard the Tang king's righteous voice: "Maybe the second mother is very beautiful!"

The prince: "..."

You call her the second mother now? ? ?

The Tang prince argued: "Right, right, this is a woman who can give birth to a beauty like Xu Lang despite my father's appearance. What a beauty! I dare not even think about it!"

The prince: "..."

What he said... If he didn't know the truth, he would have suspected it.

"Bang——"

The door was suddenly pushed open with great force.

The Tang prince stood up: "Dad... Dad... I... Ah——"

A scream broke the sky.

The prince silently raised his hands and covered his eyes.

＊

It is said that the Tang prince accidentally slipped and fell on a snowy day. He was bruised and swollen, bedridden, and unable to eat or drink. When he was lying on the bed, he stared at the bed curtain with a dull look, and occasionally mumbled a few times. Others could not hear what he was saying.

Anyway, he could not attend Xu Yanmiao's coming-of-age ceremony.

Xu Yanmiao asked hesitantly: "Did he have a stroke?"

Lian Hang waved his hands: "Impossible, if he really had a stroke, there would not be any news in the court. Everyone is guessing that the King of Tang might have been beaten again."

After a brief silence, Xu Yanmiao's soul asked: "Before the King of Tang went to his fiefdom, was he beaten by his father every other day?"

Lian Hang showed a subtle smile.

Xu Yanmiao stretched out "Oh——".

[I see, the King of Tang must be the kind of devil who wants to make trouble for the world. The old emperor is not at ease with such a son.]

Lian Hang coughed, took out an exquisite black cloth crown from the box, held it in both hands and walked to Xu Yanmiao: "Xu Lang, come and try this crown to see if it fits! If it does, you will have to take it to the palace to prepare for your crown ceremony." After speaking

. He took out a set of brightly colored ceremonial dress from another box and said with a smile: "I have to try the size of this dress too. If it doesn't fit, I have to alter it. The ceremony only happens once in a lifetime, so there can be no mistakes!"

Xu Yanmiao's eyes lit up immediately when he heard this. He couldn't wait to take the black cloth crown from Lian Hang and put it on his head, and then put on the dress in no time.

People looked at themselves in front of the mirror.

"Great, the size is just right!"

"Lian Lang, what do you think I look like wearing this black cloth crown and this dress? I think I look much more mature and stable!"

"Lian Lang?"

Xu Yanmiao turned around excitedly, only to see Lian Hang staring at him straight, motionless, with a trance-like look.

Xu Yanmiao reached out and touched his head lovingly: "Silly boy, what are you daydreaming about? Have you not finished your work?"

Lian Hang suddenly came back to his senses, folded his hands and stepped back two steps, looking Xu Yanmiao up and down. Then, a sly smile crossed his face: "Xu Lang, I am really looking forward to the crowning ceremony in a few days.t"

[Ah? ]

*

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, it is appropriate to crown a woman.

[Wuhu! Crowning ceremony! Crowning ceremony! This is my first time experiencing this! ]

When Yongchang Hou heard the voice, he yawned and got up, asking the servant: "What time is it?"

The servant said cautiously: "One quarter of the morning hour. Master, you don't have to go to court today, do you want to sleep a little longer?"

"One quarter of the morning hour?" Marquis Yongchang laughed immediately: "Get up so early? So excited."

The servant secretly glanced at Marquis Yongchang and privately speculated: Since the master severed ties with those adopted sons, he has become more and more fond of talking to himself. He must be too lonely.

*

Xu Yanmiao got up excitedly, washed excitedly, and sat in front of the mirror excitedly to dress up.

First, she combed her hair meticulously with a comb to ensure that every hair was neat and tidy.

Finally, she changed into a moon-white satin lining, and then a dark black robe with vermilion brocade edges on the cuffs and hem.

[La la la! ]

[La la la! 】

Humming an unknown tune, Xu Yanmiao lowered her head and tied a scarlet ribbon with a red brocade border, put on dark cloth shoes, and tied her long hair with a scarlet brocade. She looked like a burning fire.

【Calm down, calm down! You can't be so lazy! 】

【You're an adult! You need to be mature and stable! 】

Xu Yanmiao took a deep breath, stroked her clothes gently in front of the bronze mirror, and checked if there was anything wrong. After making sure there was no problem, she strode out and got on the carriage that came to greet her.

Then, she was arranged to stand in the east room next to the family temple facing south.

—— The original family temple was of course not in the palace. It was newly built for emergencies and would be demolished after the ceremony of coming of age.

The eunuch patiently explained: "Don't sit down, Mr. Xu. Don't be anxious. Once His Majesty has laid out the mat, you can leave the palace."

Xu Yanmiao casually asked: "How long will it take?"

The eunuch thought for a moment and said: "Now the 'wash' has been put away, and the crown and clothes have been folded and placed under the west wall. Now put away the accessories and wine vessels, and spread out the mats for the ceremony, and wait for the participants to come. It will take about... half an hour?"

Xu Yanmiao's pupils trembled.

[Ahhh! An hour! To stand for an hour! This is too tiring! ]

The old emperor who was supervising the palace people to do these things heard this complaint and still kept smiling.

Little bastard, you still think standing is tiring! You will know what it means to be really tired in a while!

＊

"Xu Lang——"

"Exit the room——"

When Xu Yanmiao heard these two heavenly voices, it was almost an hour.

He quickly stepped out of the door of the east room.

The empress, the royal family members, and the civil and military officials who attended the ceremony looked over with a smile...

The flying red brocade-edged boy's robe, the black hair tied with red brocade, the young man's posture was upright, like a strong bamboo in the wind and rain.

Princess Xiangyang couldn't help but gasp, clenched her hands, and stared at Xu Yanmiao.

The old emperor widened his eyes and looked Xu Yanmiao up and down.

Quan Yingzhang could not help but nod slightly, and whispered to Ji Sui beside him: "Xu is indeed extraordinary, his appearance and temperament are all outstanding, and his every move also shows the elegance of a scholar. He will surely make great achievements in my ancient literature school in the future."

"Yes." Ji Sui replied lightly: "Except for the last sentence, I agree."

The other officials held their breath, as if they were afraid that their voices would ruin this beautiful picture. After that, there was no more voice, and the air was filled with silence, with only the rustling sound of Xu Yanmiao's robe swaying.

*

After Xu Yanmiao sat down, the prince picked up the comb, carefully untied Xu Yanmiao's tied hair, and combed it again.

Then he used a six-foot-long black scarf to tie Xu Yanmiao's hair again and tied it into a bun.

During this process, Xu Yanmiao did not look at the system once, nor did he feel bored. Feeling the comb gently stroking his scalp and the skilled movements when he was tying the hair into a bun, Xu Yanmiao's thoughts diverged.

[I really didn't expect that the prince would be so good at combing hair and helping others to tie a bun.]

[I used to hear that there were girls who could only do their own hair and didn't know how to do it for others. When they were tying their roommate's hair, they would let the roommate stand behind them, and then they would raise their hands and touch the roommate's hair. When they touched the roommate's hair, they would pretend it was their own hair and then tie it up.]

[The prince did a good job combing it!]

The prince was simply very proud.

Of course! He combed his wife's hair and tied a bun every day! Very skilled!

"Ahem." The old emperor stood in front of them.

The prince quickly stepped aside, allowing the old emperor to reach out and help Xu Yanmiao straighten the black scarf that was tied around her bun.

This was also part of the ceremony.

Afterwards, the old emperor stood up, walked to the west steps, went down one step, took the black cloth crown from the official, and returned to Xu Yanmiao.

The majestic voice of Emperor Tiantong rang out: "On an auspicious day in the month of your birth, you will be wearing your first clothes. I will abandon your childhood ambitions and help you become virtuous. I wish you a long life and good fortune."

Xu Yanmiao bowed her head slightly: "Please keep this in mind."

Then, she felt a weight on her head.

The black cloth crown was already on her head.

The old emperor returned to his seat, and then the prince was responsible for tying the crown string for Xu Yanmiao.

"Xu Lang." The prince lowered his voice and smiled: "The first crowning is over."

For this "surprise", they deliberately did not tell Xu Yanmiao in advance that the crowning is not just one time.

Xu Yanmiao's pupils trembled.

[Also, there is more? ! ]

*

The second time, Xu Yanmiao changed into Xuanduanfu, removed the black cloth crown, recombed his hair, and then inserted the hairpin in the bun. Then put on the leather crown.

Except for the process of inserting the hairpin, the other steps are the same as the last time.

But there is a third time.

Xu Yanmiao's smile has become stiff.

[Neck! My neck! ]

[Waist! My old waist! ]

[Except for sitting for a while, I have been standing for two hours before! ]

The old emperor looked forward and sat upright.

Only when Xu Yanmiao's inner voice sounded did she quickly curl her lips.

＊

The third crown is the Juebian crown.

[It's over! It's over!]

There is also the Lili.

[Is it over now? ! ]

After the Lili, you have to pay respect to your mother - your mother died early, so you pay respect to her tablet.

[QAQ]

[Not well yet! ]

[I'm dying! Is there anyone who can save me? ]

[Save me! ]

The old emperor stood in front of Xu Yanmiao again with satisfaction and said slowly: "Xu Yanmiao, I have chosen a name for you and will give it to you today."

The voice in his mind stopped quickly.

Xu Yanmiao's eyes suddenly lit up.

[After choosing the name, it's over! 】

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The old emperor raised his eyebrows slightly, but did not say what the name was. Instead, he continued to tease: "After taking the name, you still need to pay respect to the elders, and then pay respect to the king, the ministers, and the local gentlemen, and finally you have to entertain the guests. You must remember it well."

Every time he uttered a process, it was like a knife stabbed into Xu Yanmiao's body from the sky.

[So many...]

Xu Lang was heartbroken: [With a mouth temperature of 37.5℃, how can you spit out such cold words! My heart is as cold as a fish that has been slaughtered in Darun for ten years. ]

The old emperor lowered his eyes slightly and looked at Xu Yanmiao sitting at the table.

He smiled: "Yanmiao is the top of a tree that is high into the clouds."

"How about your name Yaohai?"

Yaohai means the moonlit sky on one hand, and the other meaning is... Yaochi.

——You are a guest of Yaochi, and you are shocked to enter the nine provinces.

Xu Yanmiao blinked his eyes, and the wind whistled and blew up a lot of snow. The emperor and Bai Ze looked at each other through the snow, and countless snowflakes instantly filled their sight.

Xu Yanmiao's heart suddenly jumped.