Looking at the youthful face of An Zhaoyi, Concubine Ge sneered in her heart. With such beauty, if she were young, she would not even be able to share her beauty. Now, relying on her youth and gaining some favor, she dared to make sarcastic remarks to her.
Despite this thought, Concubine Ge remained calm and said, "Youth has its advantages, just like the flowers in the imperial garden, bright and dazzling, but after all, they only bloom for a hundred days, and not everyone has the blessing of living as long as the pine and cypress trees that the Empress Dowager has."
With the Empress Dowager here, Liang An Zhaoyi didn't dare to mention any nonsense about young and old.
As expected, An Zhaoyi's smile faltered a bit. She glanced at the Queen Mother secretly, and seeing that she wasn't angry, she said, "The Queen Mother is a blessed person. How can a humble servant like me be compared to her?"
The Queen Mother was not surprised by such quarrels in the harem. She patted the head of the Ninth Prince beside her and said, "Well, it's not easy for the Emperor to govern the country. If you can serve the Emperor well, you will have great fortune in the future."
Looking at them, Huo Zhiyu pouted: They were talking and laughing just now, but when these two came, they started to make endless sarcastic remarks. She couldn't get a word in, and it was really boring.
So she said, "Grandma, I think it's almost time. Shall we begin the ceremony?"
As she spoke, she called out "Second Brother" twice, which finally brought Huo Wuyou back to his senses. "What's the matter?"
"What's going on?" Huo Zhiyu asked, "The coming-of-age ceremony is about to begin!"
The Queen Mother did not stop her, so Chai Yue understood and gave a look to the palace maid beside her. Then, a dozen palace maids and eunuchs laid out all the items used for the coming-of-age ceremony.
Huo Wuyou stood up, lifted the corner of his red robe, knelt on the cushions, and kowtowed to the empress dowager: "Grandmother, please crown your grandson."
The Queen Mother was helped up by Shi Qi and slowly walked to him.
Beside Xue Zhiyi, Huo Zhiyu whispered, "Ordinarily, the ceremony of capping should have invited all relatives and friends, and then the male elders should have performed the ceremony. It was my second brother who suggested keeping it simple and hoped that my grandmother could be the sponsor of the ceremony, so His Majesty agreed."
The empress dowager washed her hands with floral water, and then personally untied Huo Wuyou's hair, which was tied up high, and then carefully tied it up again.
Chai Yue said loudly: "First crowned——"
The Empress Dowager picked up the black cloth crown on the table and said, "On this auspicious day of the month, I will put on my first clothes. I will abandon your childish ambitions and cultivate your virtues. I wish you a long and healthy life and great happiness."
After singing the blessing speech, he put the crown on Huo Wuyou's head.
Huo Wuyou kowtowed, and was then led away. He changed into a plain white robe with black edges and kowtowed again.
This was the first time Xue Zhiyi saw him dressed so formally and neatly, which somewhat weakened his casual air.
Chai Yue said again: "Second crown——"
According to custom, the ceremony of capping is completed after the cap is put on three times.
The Queen Mother took off her black cloth crown and placed a leather crown on her head: "In this auspicious month and day, I will present you with the proper attire. I will respect your dignity and be virtuous and prudent. May you live a long and prosperous life and receive eternal blessings."
Huo Wuyou retreated again, and when he reappeared, he had changed into a dark blue robe.
"Triple Crown——"
The third time, the leather crown was replaced with a noble crown.
"In the right year, in the order of the month, all are blessed, brothers are present, to complete their virtue, the yellow ox has no boundaries, and receives the blessing of heaven."
With the final crowning, Huo Wuyou also changed his clothes into the purple official uniform of a marquis. With this outfit, he finally saw the dignity and majesty of the Marquis of Lin'an.
With a determined look, he kowtowed three times to the Queen Mother.
The empress dowager's eyes were kind and gentle, even a little moist, as if she saw someone else through Huo Wuyou's figure.
Beside Xue Zhiyi, Huo Zhiyu sighed with a choked voice: "If...if my parents and big brother were here, that would be great."
Xue Zhiyi didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only pat her on the back.
Ge Yuanhui, who was sitting with them, looked at Huo Zhiyu, who was close to him in the past, and now stuck to Xue Zhiyi, and felt that he was particularly conspicuous.
"The third crowning ceremony is complete. Please ask the Queen Mother to give a name to the Marquis of Lin'an."
As Chai Yue said this, he ordered someone to bring writing materials.
During the ceremony of coming of age, the elders will choose a courtesy name for the person being crowned.
After wiping her eyes, the Queen Mother picked up the pen.
It was clear that the Queen Mother had pondered this day for a long time. She said, "Ling is like the Worry-Free Tree, fearless of wind and rain, with a figure that defies frost and snow. I will give you the character 'Ling'."
After saying that, he put pen to paper.
After each word was written, the scroll was unfolded by the palace maid to show everyone.
Huo Wuyou bowed again: "Huo Ling thanks Grandmother for the gift of calligraphy."
The gongs and drums started to sound, and Chai Yue shouted, "The ceremony is over!"
Then everyone stood up and congratulated: "Congratulations to the Queen Mother, congratulations to the Marquis of Lin'an!"
Huo Wuyou stood up, took the wine cup handed to him by the palace maid, and drank it all in one gulp: "Wuyou thanks everyone for coming to watch the ceremony."
After the capping ceremony, all sacrificial utensils were removed and everyone took their seats.
Huo Wuhui and the Ninth Prince had been unable to sit still for a long time. When the ceremony was over, they hurriedly took their leave from the Queen Mother and ran to the back hall of Jianzhang Palace together.
Concubine Ge and Noble Lady An were still talking to the Empress Dowager with auspicious words, which gradually diluted the sadness in the Empress Dowager's eyes.
Xue Zhiyi didn't listen carefully to what they said, but just glanced at Huo Wuyou opposite him from a distance. Dressed like this, he looked much more stable and dignified, and in this way, he didn't look like a playboy at all.
Noticing Xue Zhiyi's gaze, Huo Wuyou also looked over, but his eyes were still a little evasive.
Although Xue Zhiyi had some unpleasant experiences with him, he did not dislike him after all and only smiled and greeted him politely.
But Huo Wuyou's eyes suddenly lit up. He looked away, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
Huo Zhiyu frowned and said, "Sister Zhiyi, the Imperial Concubine and the others are talking so boringly. What do you think my second brother is laughing at?"
Blinking, Xue Zhiyi simply said, "I don't know either."
What the two of them didn't notice was that Concubine Ge quietly gave Ge Yuanhui a look, and Ge Yuanhui understood and suggested, "Empress Dowager, Concubine, today is Marquis Lin'an's birthday, and it's rare for the Marquis to come to the palace, so we should make it a lively occasion."
The Queen Mother glanced at her, her smile still lingering, yet Ge Yuanhui felt an inexplicable pressure from above her. She forced a smile and said, "How about a game of drinking games?"
"Huh?" Huo Zhiyu looked embarrassed: "I've already finished my classes, why do I still need to write poetry?"
Ge Yuanhui said enthusiastically, "How about the princess come up with something for us?"
Although she had experienced the accident in Changqing Garden last time, Huo Zhiyu did not show her emotions towards Ge Yuanhui on her face, especially since she was not sure whether the incident was an accident or not.
She held her chin in her hand and thought for a while: "Tou Hu? Shooting Covers? But I'm tired of playing these. They're so boring."
Ge Yuanhui murmured, "I wonder if the princess is interested in Chupu?"
"Chu Pu?" Huo Zhiyu perked up a bit: "I love watching people chu Pu the most."
The so-called Chupu is a familiar board game, but the rules are complicated. If you think slowly, it may be really difficult to cope with it. And every time you lose a piece, you have to drink a glass of wine as a penalty.
Xue Zhiyi glanced at Ge Yuanhui: Ge Yuanhui is not only the most beautiful woman in Huajing, but also known as a talented woman. She must be very good at such a complicated game.
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