Chapter 852 A Dream of Youth 384
Xie Ning chuckled for a while, but she didn't actually intend to ask Chen Yuncheng these two questions; she would write them herself when she had time.
Because of this, Xie Ning also discovered another problem that has existed from ancient times to the present: some officials know the suffering of the people, but never think about how to solve the people's suffering.
Some people lamented the hardships of the people's lives in their writings, but that did not stop them from plundering the people's wealth to indulge in pleasure and maintain a luxurious lifestyle.
Xie Ning never believed that a person's handwriting, poetry, or prose represented their character and virtue. He thought that good handwriting and literary talent were merely basic skills for entering officialdom.
The summer night breeze blows in through the window, making the candlelight flicker, until the summer thunder rumbles and large raindrops fall, hitting the banana leaves outside the window and playing a symphony.
Chen Wanniang wanted to hold a coming-of-age ceremony for Xie Ning, so Xie Ning naturally had to ask for leave. Yan Xi was also considerate of Xie Ning's hard work, so she generously gave her five days off.
This aroused the envy of the scribes standing nearby, who whispered among themselves, "Do you think I should apply for a make-up coming-of-age ceremony? After all, I was out of town when I came of age and didn't have a ceremony. Coming-of-age ceremonies are important!"
The other secretaries glanced silently at his slightly aged face, but couldn't help but remark, "Lord An, your youngest son is almost as old as Lord Xie..."
When Xie Ning came of age, she was away fighting a war. In the past two years, she has been so busy that she hasn't had a single day off. Her mother felt sorry for her and wanted to take advantage of Xie Ning's time in the capital to give her a belated coming-of-age ceremony.
"What a joke! Don't you understand what a joke is? You all have such serious faces all day long, aren't you afraid of scaring the children in your families!"
To be honest, they really wanted to take a vacation. After all, the current emperor was even more diligent than Emperor Jing, and Xie Ning, who was also a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat, was too indolent. They felt embarrassed and were forced to become indolent as well.
But taking a vacation is out of the question; they have to save up their vacation days to go home, since not all of them have wives and children in Beijing.
In the Xie residence, Chen Wanniang laid out all the hairpins she had prepared, as well as those given to Xie Ning by others. "Bao'er, have you chosen which one you want to use?"
Among them, the hairpin given by Yan Xi was of the best quality and the most gorgeous.
Xie Ning glanced at them but didn't choose any. Instead, she asked Qingxu to go back to her room and bring out a sandalwood box. "Use this," she said.
"This is?"
"It was a gift from my master." She couldn't make it to Mr. He's funeral, so she could only ask someone to deliver the funeral gifts. Fortunately, Xie Wangzhi was there, and the master and disciple met one last time.
"This hairpin is excellent." Chen Wanniang accepted the jade hairpin.
Even with the ice basin, the summer heat was still unbearable. Xie Ning turned around and went back to the inner room to change into a cooler dress, which was sleeveless and covered only by a light gauze. "Will Father be able to return tomorrow?"
"Yes, he can. He set off early and will definitely make it to your coming-of-age ceremony." Xie Wangzhi rarely takes leave, so he has accumulated a lot of vacation time over the years and naturally doesn't want to miss Xie Ning's coming-of-age ceremony.
We originally planned to hold a belated celebration for Xie Ning last year, but she was too busy and was still in the period of national mourning, so we had to postpone it until this year.
“Mother, although the national mourning period has ended, Father is observing mourning for his grandmaster. So, no wine will be served at the coming-of-age banquet. Tea will suffice instead. Please also serve more cold drinks, which will help cool you down in the hot summer.”
Xie Ning's coming-of-age ceremony was held at the Xie residence. Although the Xie residence was not considered large before, it was large enough after the adjacent house that Yan Xi had given to Xie Ning was opened up.
"good."
Two days in advance, Chen Wanniang had the courtyard cleaned, and the eaves and corners of the walls were all cleaned spotlessly. She also made new clothes for the servants in the mansion.
Therefore, when the crowd arrived at the Xie residence to witness the ceremony, in addition to seeing the Xie residence decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations yet exuding a touch of elegance, the uniformly dressed and well-mannered servants also gave people a refreshing impression.
The guest who greeted the guests at the door was Chen Yunsheng. He was doing very well in the capital and many guests knew him, but they did not know that he had a connection with the Xie family.
It is evident that even though Chen Yunsheng had the Xie family backing him up when doing business outside, he never mentioned it. As a result, many people felt that he was polite and had a better impression of Chen Yunsheng.
Because the adjacent house had a large, spacious, and beautiful garden, the coming-of-age ceremony was held in the open pavilion of that garden, and the guests watched the ceremony from there.
The Xie family wasn't large, but Xie Ning, as a teacher at the Imperial Medical Bureau, had quite a few students under him. He summoned them over, assigning one group to take care of the female guests and the other to take care of the male guests.
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