After the emperor gave a brief speech, he announced the official start of the coming-of-age ceremony.
The sound of stringed instruments rang out faintly again, and Gu Yanfei walked into the hall slowly and calmly, without any hurry.
Hundreds of eyes in the room were all cast on her, some in admiration, some in amazement, some in envy, some in jealousy, or simply looking away.
The sunlight poured in through the open windows and the main door, casting a brilliant halo around Gu Yanfei.
Her silver-red dress dragged along the mirror-smooth marble floor, and the hem of her dress, like a peacock's tail feather, swayed slightly with her steps.
With the appearance of the girl, a faint floral fragrance filled the hall, as fresh and elegant as jasmine, and as distant and mellow as orchid. The fragrance penetrated into the nose, making people feel as if they had come to a garden full of colorful flowers, which was beautiful beyond words.
Soon, a lady with a keen nose smelled it out. This fragrance belonged to the priceless Yuelin incense. It was not only very expensive but also extremely rare. It came from faraway Persia. In the Dajing Dynasty, only the royal family could use it.
Not only the incense, but also the rattan mats, furnishings and even the stringed instruments used in the hall today are extremely exquisite.
This second Miss Gu is really lucky and blessed! Many women in the family expressed envy and admiration in their hearts.
Today's coming-of-age ceremony is quite grand.
The Grand Princess Fengyang was the main guest, Wei Jiaoniang was the assistant, the Grand Princess Anle was the host, and all the noble ladies in the capital served as guests and witnesses. This was the regulation for a princess's coming-of-age ceremony.
The last time the palace held a coming-of-age ceremony was for Princess Myeonghye, and that was seven years ago. The main guest at that time was the Princess of Li, which was slightly inferior to today.
Today, the emperor actually invited Fengyang to be the guest of honor! Standing in the guest of honor seat, Fengyang wore a dark black jacket with auspicious patterns, and her gray hair was tied into a neat bun, fixed with a green jade hairpin, looking elegant and simple.
The old woman, who is nearly 70 years old, has wrinkles all over her face, but her posture is still straight and heroic, and she exudes an air of self-confidence and pride. She stands out among the ladies in gorgeous clothes in the hall.
In the Da Jing Dynasty, there was only one Princess Fengyang who was "capable of both civil and military power in maintaining peace and stability in the country."
Under the ardent gazes of the crowd, Feng Yang held a red gold filigree nine-winged phoenix hairpin inlaid with rubies, and chanted a blessing with a smile: "In the right year, in the order of the month, may all be blessed."
She leaned over slightly and personally inserted the glittering hairpin into Gu Yanfei's bun.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the red gold filigree nine-winged phoenix hairpin inlaid with rubies, with a look of surprise and doubt in their eyes.
Could this hairpin be the one that Empress Taizu personally put on Fengyang when she came of age? ! It is said that this hairpin was carefully made by an old craftsman from the silver bureau of the previous imperial court. After Fengyang wore it, it set off a trend in the capital. Many women in the family asked jewelry shops in the capital to imitate the style of this hairpin to make phoenix hairpins, but all of them failed miserably.
All those old ladies stared at the hairpin in Fengyang's hand, almost staring with their eyes wide open.
Fengyang's hand holding the hairpin was very steady, not moving at all. When she leaned over to insert the hairpin into Gu Yanfei's hand, they were very close, and her rough fingertips accidentally brushed against Gu Yanfei's smooth forehead.
Gu Yanfei's eyes flashed, and he raised his head slightly to look at Fengyang.
In that brief moment of contact just now, she could feel that Feng Yang's soul had faded a little, becoming even weaker, like a flame that was about to run out of fuel, swaying...
It seemed as if the flame would be blown out by the next gust of wind.
Gu Yanfei's heart seemed to be pricked by a needle, and he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.
She couldn't help but raised her hand to touch Fengyang's wrist, and let go immediately. Her pupils were as dark as night, reflecting Fengyang's face clearly.
Fengyang smiled slightly and stood up to return to his position.
Then, Wei Jiaoniang, who was the one who gave the praise, carefully helped Gu Yanfei to straighten her hairpin. A string of pearl tassels came out of her small and delicate phoenix mouth and hung beside Gu Yanfei's ears, swaying and shining, making her eyes sparkle.
Sister Yanfei is so beautiful! Anle sat in the wheelchair and looked at Gu Yanfei with burning eyes, her big black eyes wide open, and she was reluctant to blink.
I have contributed to this! Anle felt like a little sparrow flapping its wings happily in his heart. He felt sorry for his brother. If only he could be here.
Anle was stunned for a moment, and after coming to her senses, she quickly performed her duties as a host and reminded Gu Yanfei to proceed to the next step.
Gu Yanfei slowly stood up, her dress flowing down with her movements, and the tassels made of lotus seed-sized pearls hanging on her cheeks swayed gently.
In the golden sunlight, her skin is whiter than snow, and when she smiles, it's like all the hibiscus flowers on the tree blooming all at once, dazzling and gorgeous. She is the undisputed protagonist here.
Everyone subconsciously held their breath and looked at the absolutely stunning girl in front of them.
Gu Yanfei bowed gracefully and first thanked the emperor in front of him.
When a happy event comes, people are in high spirits. The emperor was happier than anyone else. He smiled and stroked his beard, saying, "No need to be polite."
"You are a pure and innocent child, very good. Your parents in heaven would be pleased to see you."
The emperor looked radiant, and his elegant face seemed to be ten years younger.
Madam Xiao and other ladies from the noble families around them became even more rigid when they heard this. Even those who had a glimmer of hope in their hearts before, when they heard the emperor praising Gu Yanfei in public, they knew that the emperor had made up his mind.
There is no doubt that the candidate for the eldest prince's wife must be Gu Yanfei.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compliment." Gu Yanfei thanked him generously. He saw a silver pocket watch in the eunuch's hand from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but smile knowingly.
She tilted her little face playfully towards the emperor, showing her intention to get close to him.
They took great pains to prepare for her coming-of-age ceremony.
Moreover, she felt that the emperor's evaluation of her was quite appropriate, saying that she was pure and genuine, rather than kind and filial.
The emperor liked his little daughter's cuteness and laughed out loud.
Afterwards, Gu Yanfei bowed to Fengyang and all the guests present in an elegant and solemn manner.
At this point, the coming-of-age ceremony was completed.
If this were an ordinary coming-of-age ceremony, the next step would be for the guests to congratulate the parents for their good parenting and say a few words of praise for their good fortune. But now the person presiding over the coming-of-age ceremony was the emperor, so this step was naturally skipped.
The female relatives bowed respectfully and sent the emperor, Fengyang and Anle off in unison.
The emperor's departure made the women feel relieved, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly relaxed.
Everyone was no longer reserved and gathered in twos and threes. Some of them left Qinghui Palace immediately. Some looked in Gu Yanfei's direction with jealousy or envy, while others walked up to talk to him with smiles on their faces. Some female relatives who were familiar with him surrounded Gu Yanfei and congratulated him. There was laughter and chatter, and the atmosphere was lively.
After talking for a while, they let Gu Yanfei go to change clothes.
Gu Yanfei followed Gu Yunzhen back to Qinglian Pavilion across the bridge, changed out of his silver-red dress with wide sleeves, and put back on his original green lotus-colored Hu clothing.
She originally wanted to take off the phoenix hairpin on her head, but was stopped by Gu Yunzhen: "Yan Fei, this hairpin looks good on you, don't take it off."
Knowing Gu Yanfei as well as Gu Yunzhen, she knew that if Gu Yanfei didn't wear it today, she would probably not wear this hairpin in the future because of her laziness.
When Gu Yanfei tidied his clothes and came out of Qinglian Pavilion, the Qinghui Palace on the other side of the bridge was already empty.
After she spoke to Gu Yunzhen, she asked Eunuch He to take her to find Fengyang.
Eunuch He was well-informed and got the news in just a cup of tea. He personally led Gu Yanfei to a stone boat by the Yueming Lake.
Fengyang stood alone on the stone boat, leaning on the railing.
She was wearing a Taishi blue cloak, which fluttered freely in the spring breeze, and her whole body exuded a sense of loneliness and arrogance.
She looked quietly at the shimmering lake in front of her, without saying a word, and seemed immersed in her own thoughts.
"Your Highness." Gu Yanfei called out.
Fengyang turned his head and looked at her. There was a faint sadness in his cloudy eyes, like an impenetrable fog, and his appearance gave off an aura that kept people at a distance.
When her eyes met Gu Yanfei's, her expression softened a lot, as if she had walked back to reality from the mist of illusion, and she smiled and said, "Yanfei."
Gu Yanfei walked to Fengyang's side, stretched out his hand to her, and said as a matter of course: "Give me your hand."
Feng Yang held out her hand. Gu Yanfei grabbed Feng Yang's wrist and began to feel her pulse. After staring at her for a moment, he looked at her with a look that said "You are really naughty" and said, "Did you stay up late again last night?"
“……” Fengyang was speechless.
Gu Yanfei took off a jade bracelet from his own wrist and put it on her left wrist, then stretched out his fingers to draw a complex winding pattern on the back of her hand.
While painting, she reminded Fengyang to take good care of herself and not to drink cold water all the time; she told her to calm down, not to have wild thoughts, and to go to bed early every day. She kept on talking on and on.
Fengyang listened to the little girl's chatter quietly, with the corners of his lips slightly raised.
She was not an ungrateful person, so she naturally understood that the girl was doing this for her own good.
She was about to say something when she suddenly felt a little warmth on the back of her left hand, very faint. A thin stream of warm current slowly flowed along the eight extraordinary meridians and flowed through her limbs and bones.
Her numb limbs warmed up a little, and the pain that felt like her soul was being torn apart also faded a lot, as if a life force was injected into a body that had long been riddled with holes and lifeless, and the blood that was so cold that it was about to freeze began to flow again.
She hadn't felt this relaxed for a long time, it was like she was reborn.
Gu Yanfei looked at Fengyang deeply, let go of her hand, and explained: "I drew a soul-inducing array for you. With this bracelet, it can warm up the soul."
"You'll feel better."
Over the years, Fengyang has been enduring a pain that feels like peeling skin and crushing bones. This pain goes straight into the bone marrow and deep into the soul, making people live a life worse than death, but Fengyang has survived until now.
Hearing the deep meaning in Gu Yanfei's words, Fengyang's heart was shocked, and ripples appeared in the lake of his heart.
This girl really knew that her life was coming to an end and she would soon die.
"No need." Feng Yang whispered, his voice a little hoarse, "Girl, don't worry about me."
She smiled slightly, her smile was bright and cheerful, with a kind of open-mindedness as if the world was vast and the sea was untouched.
She has lived to this age, and including the previous dynasty, she can be said to have experienced four dynasties. She has experienced wars and chaos, witnessed Taizu establishing the new dynasty, and watched this dynasty develop step by step to the present. She was also able to wait for Chu Yi to return from the Kingdom of Yue and watch this child help his father to sit firmly on the throne step by step. She has experienced everything in her life and has no regrets.
"If I say I need it, then I need it!" Gu Yanfei said domineeringly, his dark pupils sparkling like a bright morning star.
Fengyang stared at her in a daze, as if he saw his younger self, and a kind and nostalgic smile escaped from the corners of his old lips.
Fengyang's fingers gently rubbed the jade bracelet twice. The touch under her fingers was delicate and smooth. In just a moment, she felt warm all over.
This girl is really thoughtful.
Chuyi has good vision, and these two children will definitely be very happy.
Fengyang raised his hand and gently touched the soft top of Gu Yanfei's head, and then adjusted the red gold filigree nine-winged phoenix hairpin inlaid with rubies for her.
This hairpin suits her very well! "A young girl should dress up beautifully," Feng Yang said with a gentle smile, "You usually dress too plainly."
"When I was young, I liked to wear red and dress myself up beautifully... You and Anle can come to the princess's mansion someday. Instead of letting my jewelry sit in a box and not see the light, it would be better to let you young girls wear them."
Gu Yanfei agreed generously, and then asked curiously: "Your Highness, I heard from Anle that your princess's mansion has many cats?"
Thinking of Anle's excited expression when she talked about this, Gu Yanfei smiled with a pair of faint dimples on his lips.
"If you see one you like, pick two kittens and take them back." Feng Yang said with a smile.
"I dare not. You don't know how jealous Qingguang is." Gu Yanfei laughed, "I'll just go to your place and pet the cat for a while."
Fengyang was amused by her and laughed heartily.
The two walked and talked all the way, and after getting off the stone boat, they walked along the lakeside.
By the lake, a gentle breeze blew slowly, and countless willow branches swayed in the wind, like dancing sleeves caressing the surface of the lake, making the water ripple and sparkle.
On the other side of the lake, twenty or thirty young boys and girls were playing and laughing, feeding fish, drinking tea, catching butterflies, tossing pots, or shooting wooden arrows... They were having a great time, and their laughter could be heard in the wind from time to time.
Many people saw Gu Yanfei and Fengyang chatting and laughing from afar. Some were envious, some were surprised, and some exchanged glances with complicated expressions.
A girl named Zeng, who was wearing a red gown, tugged at the sleeve of another girl in blue, motioning her to look at Gu Yanfei and Fengyang, and whispered, "Sister Tang, Princess Fengyang seems to like Miss Gu very much."
Miss Tang's expression was very surprised at this time, and she sighed softly: "Yes."
The Grand Princess Fengyang held an extraordinary status in the Dajing Dynasty and was always arrogant. No one, whether it was the ladies of the royal family or the princesses and county ladies of the royal family, had ever caught her eye. However, anyone could see that she was very friendly towards Gu Yanfei.
Previously, they all thought that Fengyang had chosen Gu Yanfei as the guest of honor at her coming-of-age ceremony at the request of the Emperor and the eldest prince. But now it seemed that it was most likely Fengyang's own intention.
"This second Miss Gu has always been able to please others." Miss Zeng said meaningfully.
Several girls present had participated in the palace's love banquet, and they couldn't help but recall the day when Gu Yanfei and Yu Chaoyun competed in playing the piano in front of the emperor and Fengyang.
At that time, Gu Yanfei sang the song "Taqingxiao" to please Fengyang.
"That's just her ability, isn't it?" another girl said sourly, looking away from her unwilling gaze towards the flowers on the other side, "The butterflies over there are so beautiful, let's go catch them..."
Before she could finish her words, she was drowned out by another high-pitched female voice: "Ah Qin, look, it's Yan Fei!"
Several people all frowned slightly and looked towards Wei Jiaoniang, with a gleam of disapproval in their eyes. How could a lady from a noble family be as rude as Wei Jiaoniang! "Yanfei!" Wei Jiaoniang smiled and waved to Gu Yanfei across the lake.
The girls around her, including Lu Qin, Fan Mushuang, etc., also waved happily at Gu Yanfei.
Feng Yang smiled, patted Gu Yanfei on the shoulder and said, "It's rare for you to come out, go over and play with Jiao Niang and the others."
Gu Yanfei said goodbye with a smile, and ran lightly to the other side of the lake to find Wei Jiaoniang and the others.
"Yanfei," Wei Jiaoniang took Gu Yanfei's arm affectionately and pointed to the right front, "Let's go over there and play wooden shooting."
She nudged Miss Zeng and the others with her chin and said, "It's better to stay away from them."
Not far away, Miss Zeng and her companions were catching butterflies with round fans in their hands. The long, curved gowns they wore made them look tall and slender with thin waists. However, their movements were restricted as a result, so their steps were very small and graceful, as if they were dancing.
Their butterfly-catching movements are indeed very good, but...
"The skirt is so long, aren't you afraid of falling?" Wei Jiaoniang leaned close to Gu Yanfei's ear and whispered in her ear, "Let's stay away from her. If she falls, she might blame us."
Many female members of the royal family liked to wear long gowns with curved hems on important occasions. The problem was that the hems of the skirts worn by Miss Zeng and the others were very long and dragged on the ground. Although they looked beautiful, as Wei Jiaoniang said, one could easily step on the hem of the skirt if not careful.
Fan Mushuang did not hear the whispers between Wei Jiaoniang and Gu Yanfei. He only heard Wei Jiaoniang's first sentence and agreed with a smile: "Yanfei, let's play wooden shooting."
"Sister Yan Fei, wooden shooting is very simple." Fan Beiran came over with a smile, "Just roll the wooden ball out and hit the row of wooden stakes in front of you. Knocking down a red wooden stake counts as one point, and knocking down a black wooden stake deducts one point."
"Is it easy? Come and try it."
Fan Beiran roughly explained the rules. Next to him, Wei Jiaoniang's cousin, Wei Liugongzi, enthusiastically handed the wooden ball in his hand to Gu Yanfei.
Gu Yanfei weighed the bowl-sized wooden ball and threw it towards the wooden stake with ease.
The wooden ball rolled forward, and with a "bang", it knocked down six red wooden stakes at once.
"Yan Fei, you are so awesome!" Wei Jiaoniang, Fan Mushuang and other girls applauded and cheered.
Not far away, Miss Tang, who was catching butterflies, was startled by the sudden applause. She stepped on the hem of her skirt and almost fell down. Fortunately, Miss Zeng beside her supported her in time.
"Sister Tang, are you okay?" Miss Zeng asked with concern.
Miss Tang frowned, turned her head and glanced in the direction of Wei Jiaoniang and Gu Yanfei, and said lightly: "It's okay, I was just frightened."
The girls surrounded the frightened Miss Tang and tried to comfort her softly.
On the other side, Gu Yanfei, Wei Jiaoniang and others didn't even look at Miss Tang and the others, and just played with their wooden shots.
Miss Tang and the others couldn't help showing displeasure on their faces, thinking: These people disturbed others without any apology, how rude and disrespectful! (End of this chapter)
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