Chapter 168: Conferring the title of Queen

When the auspicious time arrived, all the guests went to the banquet hall to wait. That was where the coming-of-age ceremony would be held today. Xu Nian also went to the east room accompanied by Luo Xihe, waiting for the coming-of-age ceremony to begin.

At the same time, a team of eunuchs hurried to Xu's mansion.

Butler Xu thought that he was enlightened today by meeting a top official in the court, but he did not expect that there would be an imperial edict from the master.

Xu Yaozu and his family went to welcome the imperial edict, and all the guests knelt in the courtyard to listen attentively. Those who were well-informed already knew the purpose of the imperial edict, otherwise they would not have lowered their status to attend the banquet in person.

Mo Yan unfolded the imperial edict and shouted loudly: "The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, proclaims:

I have inherited the order of heaven and have taken over the four seas. I must select virtuous and good people to help me govern the country. Now there is the eldest daughter of the Xu family, who is chaste, elegant, virtuous, and gentle. She has been intelligent since childhood, well-educated, gentle, and well-mannered, and has a great reputation among the courtiers.

I, in reliance on the spirits of the ancestral temple and the auspicious signs in the annals of history, have specially decreed that you shall be the Empress, the Empress in the central harem, the mother of the nation. You shall enter the palace on an auspicious day, receive the honor and favor, be respectful and prudent, diligent in your duties, assist me in governing the harem, and safeguard the peace of the ancestral temple, the state, and the people.

Announce it to the world, and let the envoys know.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace—"

Mo Yan smiled and helped Xu Yaozu up, complimenting him: "Congratulations to Master Xu. Master Xu has taught his daughter well."

"That's a lie, that's a lie."

Xu Yaozu now understood why the emperor asked him to hold a grand ceremony for Nian'er's coming of age. Now that he had the decree, he no longer had to worry about how the Xu family was going to gain a foothold in the capital.

Mo Yan waved his hand and several servants came out carrying three wooden boxes. He walked up to Wang and bowed.

"I have met the old lady. These things are treasures that Your Majesty has been searching for for a long time. If you think they are okay, you can use them for the Queen's coming-of-age ceremony."

The guests were all delighted. One reason was because of the title given by the chief eunuch. The Emperor and Empress had not even gotten married yet, but people close to His Majesty were already calling her that. One could imagine how satisfied His Majesty was with this Miss Xu.

The second reason was for the three treasures in the wooden box, which were a white jade hairpin, amethyst butterfly flower hairpin and a golden phoenix rising sun crown placed on the red silk.

Not to mention the white jade hairpin, which is made of sparkling white jade without a trace of other colors, even the purple crystal of the flower hairpin is probably the only one in the entire Sheng Dynasty, not to mention the golden phoenix crown that symbolizes the supreme status of women.

Not only the young ladies but even the married ladies present all had envious looks on their faces.

Xu Nian stepped forward and stopped his grandmother from saying the promise.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gift. I would just like to ask you to pass on a message for me. The wooden hairpin for this coming-of-age ceremony was carved by my father in a month, and the crown of 100 pearls was also found by my grandmother with great effort. They have special meanings to me. If possible, I would like to keep the purple crystal butterfly hairpin."

Mo Yan bowed and smiled, "Your Majesty had already instructed me when I came here. Everything is up to Your Majesty. Your Majesty's filial piety is truly touching."

Mo Yan did not stay long. After all, today was Xu Nian's coming-of-age ceremony, and he could not delay the auspicious time.

Xu Nian, who was originally a little nervous, actually relaxed after this episode. She had attended Wang Pinting's coming-of-age ceremony before, so she was very familiar with the procedure, and the whole process went very smoothly.

If we were to say who was the happiest person among them it would have to be Madam Yousi Zheng, who could have thought that her niece was so lucky, this was the coming-of-age ceremony of the future Empress, this time she didn't have to worry about her niece's marriage, didn't she see that several ladies had already come to inquire about it!

After watching this unique coming-of-age ceremony, Shen Yan felt mixed emotions. She was already sixteen years old, but she had never had a coming-of-age ceremony of her own.

She didn't know whether her original choice was correct, she only knew that there was no turning back. She touched her hair and made up her mind to use some means.

After Xu Nian's coming-of-age ceremony, the busy preparations for her wedding began. Since Luo Jin'an had already begun to rule the country, the wedding date of the emperor and empress was set for May of the following year.

This time was very tight for a royal wedding, so in the second month after the Xu family received the imperial edict, more than a dozen female officials came to the palace.

These female officials were here to teach Xu Nian about the wedding ceremony and the harem etiquette, although Xu Nian had been taught by the female officials around the princess in Northern Xinjiang.

But at that time she was just the daughter of a minor official, and she only learned some etiquette of noble ladies, but the mother of a country was different.

In the future, the Empress will hold various banquets and offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, ancestral temples, etc., so Xu Nian must memorize all these rituals in these few short months.

Xu Nian accepted the study well, but now she could no longer get along with her family freely. Even if her mother wanted to see her, she had to report to her through various levels, and she had to bow and greet her when she met her.

"Oh—" Seeing that the young lady sighed every day and was always frowning, Yanrong felt anxious, so she went to find Lady Officer Wu.

"Aunt, I have something to discuss with you. Do you have time now?"

"Let's go to the front and talk."

Yanrong had no objection. After the two of them were some distance away from the chamber, Female Official Wu signaled Yanrong to continue the previous topic.

"Aunt, I think you can see that Miss has been unhappy lately. I wonder if you can be more relaxed about the rules regarding Miss's relationship with her family."

Lady Wu was also an old hand in the palace, and she was well aware of the importance the royal family placed on rules. Although she had also heard that His Majesty had an extraordinary affection for the Queen, she would not care even if there were a few irregularities in the rules.

But the Empress is not only your Majesty's wife, but also the mother of the prosperous dynasty. The officials in the court will not miss the opportunity to criticize you just because you are the Empress.

"I know about this matter. I will report the reason to Her Majesty."

Yanrong saw that Lady Wu did not agree to her request and did not continue to pester her, so she thought there must be some reason behind it.

When Lady Wu talked about it with Xu Nian in the evening, she realized what Yan Rong had done. She had not thought that her emotions had affected the people around her.

"I have something to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"Aunt, please speak."

"Your Highness is the Empress and shoulders heavy responsibilities. I'm afraid you can no longer be the daughter of the Xu family. Now I just want you to adapt as soon as possible."

"I have overstepped my bounds in what I have said, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

"Aunt, you are too kind."

Xu Nian helped Lady Wu up with both hands. She knew in her heart that Lady Wu didn't need to say this, so since she had said it, she would accept it.

She thought a lot that night. She was well-versed in history and knew that the royal family had always been fickle-hearted. But she also knew another saying: true love only comes from wealthy families.

She and Luo Jin'an have been through all kinds of things, and she is unwilling to make a conclusion about their relationship because of unknown concerns. All she can do is love herself well and leave a way out for the Xu family.