Chen Shou stayed with Que'er at that private residence until early in the morning on the day of the eldest princess's coming-of-age ceremony, when he finally sent Que'er back to the art school.
Meanwhile, at the Fourth Prince's residence, early in the morning, Granny Li directed the servants in the front courtyard to clean the main courtyard. Although the Princess Consort wasn't particularly concerned about the First Princess's coming-of-age ceremony, Granny Li, as the head steward of the main courtyard, couldn't afford to be negligent. Even if the Princess Consort wasn't interested, they, as servants, had to uphold the dignity of their master.
"Lingxiu, have you arranged everything with the flower shop for today? Let's make sure nothing goes wrong." Granny Li instructed Chunliu and the other maids to prepare all the ceremonial objects and utensils needed for the main room, as well as the arrangement of the flowers, trees, chairs, and benches outside.
"Don't worry, Granny, I already checked with Hai Dayou last night. All the flowers are ready, and I even had them add salt to the water to make sure they look beautiful," Lingxiu said cleverly.
"Go and help set up the tables and chairs, making sure there's plenty of space between them. Also, check the fruit and tea supplies," said Granny Li.
Meanwhile, Lanqin and Madam Geng naturally accompanied Madam Song to the eldest princess's room early in the morning. Madam Song personally made a pink coming-of-age dress and a crimson dress for the eldest princess.
The pink dress was a qipao made of the finest water-cloud satin, its delicate pink perfectly suited to the young princess's age. The collar and cuffs were edged with milky-white cloud satin, the edges densely bound with seven or eight different types of silk thread. Song's needlework was exceptional; every stitch was meticulously placed, a testament to the seamstress's dedication. The matching soft shoes, made of Suzhou satin, were embroidered with budding magnolia blossoms and butterflies perched upon them. The butterflies and magnolias were exquisitely embroidered, truly beautiful and delicate.
The crimson gown was a set of jacket and skirt made of Shu satin, adorned with white plum blossom patterns, and the cuffs and collar were also meticulously sewn. She changed into a pair of soft satin embroidered shoes. A large pearl was set in the toe of each shoe, and the flowers on the sloping sides had rubies and sapphires as their stamens. The entire shoe was exceptionally luxurious.
The shift from fan to red signifies the transition from girlhood to adulthood.
In fact, the eldest princess is only thirteen years old this year (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), still a young girl. However, this wasn't the case in ancient times, especially during the Qing Dynasty, where the coming-of-age ceremony for women was held much earlier. During the Han Dynasty, women generally didn't undergo the coming-of-age ceremony until they were fifteen or even eighteen. After the coming-of-age ceremony, it was considered that a woman was ready for marriage.
Such a cute little girl, already ready to get married. Sigh, in the 21st century, she'd probably just be in middle school. Sigh, these barbaric nomadic peoples on horseback are practically obsessed with young girls!
Lanqin sat to the side, watching Song Shi comb the eldest princess's hair.
"Wait a moment, shall the order of importance be the Fujin (principal wife) and the coming-of-age ceremony?" Lanqin asked.
"Yes, the chief consort said that the Third Princess Consort should do it. The assistant consort should do it, and the officials said that the Second Princess should do it." A hint of displeasure flashed across Madam Song's face. She was the First Princess's birth mother and should have been the one to perform the coming-of-age ceremony for her.
“We just need to follow along and pay our respects. I’m afraid we won’t even be able to get into the house. There are all the wives of the princes standing inside,” said Madam Geng.
"Mother, Yin Mo'er is a little scared. I'm afraid I won't do well. Will my mother be angry? Will my father be disappointed?" Yin Mo'er suddenly pouted and said. The little girl was twisting a light blue handkerchief in her hands as she spoke.
Upon hearing this, Lanqin sighed inwardly: the little girl is only just beginning to understand human affairs, and to force her to adopt adult etiquette and names is really a bit like torturing Xiaobaihua.
Madam Song gently patted the eldest princess's head and said softly, "Yin Mo'er, don't be nervous or afraid. The people standing there are all your relatives. They've come to give you some advice, so there's nothing to be afraid of."
Madam Geng also comforted her, saying, "Yes, your mother and we will all be watching over you. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Seeing that neither of them had addressed the core issue, Lanqin immediately took the eldest princess's hand and said with a smile, "Jasmine, don't worry, the coming-of-age ceremony is just a formality. It's over. You can continue as before, embroidering and learning the zither every day. It's not time for you to get married yet. Besides, you're only twelve years old. Your father wouldn't want you to get married so early, but he has to arrange a marriage for you first."
For some reason, Lanqin always felt that the name of the eldest princess sounded like jasmine, and she couldn't help but call her that.
"Jasmine!!" The eldest princess finally smiled when Lanqin called out to her. She had naturally taken Lanqin's words to heart, so she was no longer so nervous.
"Sister Song, has the eldest princess's marriage been finalized?" Geng asked.
"I only heard Master say one thing, that he had a good impression of the son of the Prefect of the Capital. In short, that person did not interfere again," said Madam Song.
Before they could continue their conversation, a small figure peeked out from behind the curtain of the arched doorway.
"Elinzhu!!" The eldest princess saw the small face in the bronze mirror and immediately exclaimed with joy.
Lanqin turned around and saw the nine-year-old Second Princess Elinzhu. She was wearing a light blue cheongsam, her hair was styled in a bun with a pink ribbon tied into a bow, and she had a pair of white pearl earrings on her ears. She looked quite lively and spirited.
"Eldest Princess, esteemed concubines, your stepmother has sent me to inquire whether it's time to dress my elder sister in her formal attire and to style her hair. The guests are beginning to arrive," Erlinzhu said with a smile, revealing a pair of small, adorable tiger teeth.
"Alright, Auntie understands. I'll get the eldest princess dressed up right away," Madam Song said in a rather cold tone.
"Come here, come in and play." Lanqin didn't see Song's expression, so she didn't notice her displeasure.
No wonder, since Song and Li were formidable rivals in the Prince's quarters, there must have been quite a few rifts between them.
Erlinzhu shook her head, smiled and looked at the eldest princess's dress, saying, "I still need to listen to Granny Li talk about what I need to do at the coming-of-age ceremony later."
After saying that, the little girl turned and disappeared.
Geng tugged at Lanqin's sleeve and gave Song a wink. Only then did Lanqin notice the displeasure on Song's face.
“Sister, she’s just a child. Don’t involve her in the grudges between adults. Besides, the eldest princess and the second princess have been together since they were little, so they must have a very good relationship,” Lanqin said sincerely.
“Mother, Erlinzhu is a very good person, unlike her mother,” the eldest princess suddenly said.
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