For this, Queen Mother Yin scolded Gu Jue non-stop: "Ajue, tomorrow is your wife's coming-of-age ceremony, and you still took her out to play. What if she gets bumped, bruised, or tired, and delays the coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow?!"
"The coming-of-age ceremony is a major event that only happens once in a girl's life!"
"You are already in your early twenties, and you still act so tactlessly."
“…”
In the end, it was Nanny Yan who reminded Empress Dowager Yin that the Queen wanted to try on the dress again, and Gu Jue escaped the disaster.
Until the next morning, when Shen Qianchen, sitting in front of the dressing table, recalled the scene of Gu Jue being scolded, he still couldn't help laughing, and the corners of his lips were always curled up.
Compared to Shen Qianchen's calmness, Amber was as if facing a great enemy. She was tense all over. She confirmed every step and every detail of the ceremony over and over again, striving for perfection.
Everyone in the palace knows that today is the Queen's coming-of-age ceremony. From the Empress Dowager to the new Emperor, everyone takes it very seriously, and the entire ceremony must not have any problems.
From time to time, someone would enter the East Side Hall to report on the progress: "The female guests are all here."
"The Queen Mother is in place!"
"Empress, the coming-of-age ceremony is about to begin..."
"Don't worry, my lady. There will be someone standing at each of your stations to remind you."
There was a bustling noise all around until the auspicious time arrived, when the sound of a bamboo flute was heard from the direction of the main hall outside, and everything inside and outside suddenly became quiet.
After a while, Queen Mother Yin, as the mother-in-law, gave a brief and succinct speech for today's coming-of-age ceremony, and then announced the start of the ceremony.
Nanny Yan lifted the bamboo curtain of Concubine Xiang, and then Shen Qianchen, dressed in Caiyi, walked out slowly from the east hall and immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.
The fifteen-year-old girl is in the most beautiful and brilliant years of her life. She has a tall and straight figure, a flawless appearance, and generous and calm manners.
She walked slowly and quietly, her steps elegant yet light, her beauty and charm mixed with a bit of heroic spirit, making it difficult to look away.
The melodious sound of stringed instruments echoed in the air, and everyone in the hall had a solemn expression, sitting upright and elegantly.
Today, all the women who can watch the ceremony in Kunning Palace are of noble status, including the eldest princess, the dowager concubine, the princess, the county princess, the county princess and the ladies of various mansions. Those who are invited can brag about this matter for the rest of their lives. After all, there has never been a queen in the Great Qi Dynasty who held her coming-of-age ceremony in Kunning Palace.
Their queen was the first since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty.
The female guests exchanged glances with expressions of either envy or emotion. They had long heard that the emperor and empress had a deep affection for each other, and the new emperor had made exceptions time and time again for the empress. Today's coming-of-age ceremony only proved this point once again.
People are the same but have different fates! Under the scorching gazes of the crowd, Shen Qianchen walked to the front of the table calmly, calm and composed, with her black hair hanging down her waist swaying slightly with her steps.
Today's coming-of-age ceremony was very grand. The main guest was the Princess of Li, the sponsor was Princess Changning, and the officiant was Shen Qianhuang, who had just come of age yesterday.
Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was solemn. The entire ceremony was conducted in an orderly manner. The guests were all silent, acting as the best spectators.
After the initial ceremony, Shen Qianchen changed into a bright red plain skirt.
After the second plus ceremony, she changed into a crimson long gown with a curved hem.
After the three-plus ceremony, she put on a real red long-sleeved dress.
The real red material made Shen Qianchen's bright eyes look even brighter, and her skin was as white as the first snow. When the Princess of Li personally put a golden phoenix hairpin inlaid with rubies on her, it was like the icing on the cake, making the already delicate and charming girl look even more dazzling.
She is the well-deserved protagonist today! Shen Zhi looked at Shen Qianchen without blinking, afraid of missing any details, her eyes were slightly sour and there were some tears in her eyes.
She felt both happy and reluctant, with a hint of regret, as if her daughter had gotten married again in front of her eyes.
Yesterday the eldest daughter came of age, and today it is the second daughter’s. Both of her daughters have grown up and are now fully grown.
Her daughter is so outstanding and so happy, she should be happy for her daughter! She can't cry, today is Sister Chen's big day, she can't cry. Shen Zhi told herself over and over again in her heart, her eyes always following Shen Qianchen.
Shen Qianchen followed the procedure of the coming-of-age ceremony and bowed deeply to Queen Mother Yin and the guests with a smile on her lips.
In her previous life, she had never held a coming-of-age ceremony. This was the first time in two lives.
This coming-of-age ceremony also has special meaning for her.
How to say it?
It’s like a ceremony to bid farewell to the past.
Shen Qianchen smiled slightly, and every movement was so elegant, calm and natural.
The golden phoenix hairpin on her head trembled slightly with her every move, and three tassels made of lotus seed-sized rubies swayed down her cheeks, making her phoenix eyes look so dazzling and bright.
Everyone's eyes involuntarily fell on the exquisitely crafted golden phoenix hairpin.
These female guests, who were of noble birth, were all very discerning and knew all about the jewelry shops and items made in the capital.
Most people can tell at a glance that the hairpin on the queen's head should have come from Nanzhufang.
Everyone knows that every piece of jewelry in Nanzhufang is a rare treasure, and buyers need to make a reservation one year in advance. In other words, the empress dowager or the new emperor had reserved this hairpin for the queen a year ago.
No, the empress dowager was under house arrest in the palace by the late emperor Gu Lang at that time. In other words, this hairpin must have been personally chosen by the new emperor Gu Jue for the empress a year ago.
The female guests once again lamented the new emperor's affection for the queen; their feelings could no longer be described by the word "envy".
Perhaps the person who felt the most emotional was the wife of Yang Xuanshan, the Minister of Rites.
Madam Yang had heard Yang Xuanshan complain about the new emperor's extraordinary behavior at the coronation ceremony before, and she was amazed; a few days ago, when the couple talked about the empress's coming-of-age ceremony, Yang Xuanshan said that since the new emperor was unreliable, it might not be easy for him to preside over the empress's coming-of-age ceremony, and he must mess up the empress's coming-of-age ceremony. Madam Yang was skeptical at the time.
But now, Madam Yang really wanted to fly back home to confront him. This old man was talking nonsense.
Madam Yang was filled with admiration, and felt that the Queen's appearance, temperament, and demeanor were all impeccable, and that today's coming-of-age ceremony couldn't be more grand.
Only after Shen Qianchen completed the last step of "bowing and thanking" was the coming-of-age ceremony completed.
Under normal circumstances, at this step, the guests would gather around and praise the girl's elders for their good parenting, praising the girl for being blessed, etc., and then they would praise the protagonist of the coming-of-age ceremony to the skies, just to create a festive and lively atmosphere.
But today was different, this was Kunning Palace, the Empress Dowager and the Queen were here, so the female guests became very reserved, not daring to move around. They politely and restrainedly praised the Queen for her grace, mother of the country, and so on, and most of their voices were dry.
Only the Princess of Li was at ease. She smiled and said to Queen Mother Yin, "Queen Mother, today I told my prince that he would have lunch in the palace before leaving."
Queen Mother Yin was amused and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you go back hungry."
Seeing this scene, the others also relaxed a lot.
After the coming-of-age ceremony, the palace arranged a palace banquet and a theatre troupe performed plays. The atmosphere was lively from morning to afternoon without a single dull moment.
At 3 p.m., all the guests left the palace and returned home, and the palace suddenly became quiet.
Shen Qianchen then returned to the Qianqing Palace. The sun was already setting.
The Qianqing Palace was quiet and empty, as if there was no one there.
If the eunuch hadn't told Shen Qianchen that Gu Jue was here, Shen Qianchen would have run to the imperial study to find him.
"Jiu Xia!"
Shen Qianchen walked faster and faster, her hair ornaments swaying in her hair. She eagerly opened the pearl curtain and rushed into the bedroom in a hurry.
Then, I saw the man leaning against the window.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment.
Gu Jue, dressed in a bright red robe, was lazily leaning on a chair, one hand pressed against one cheek with a fist, his raven-feather-like black hair half-draped and half-tied on his shoulders, his hair shone with a silky luster under the golden sunlight.
His eyebrows were like ink paintings, his eyes were like stars, and the red clothes he wore made him look less calm and composed than usual, and more charming like a thousand-year-old fox spirit.
Shen Qianchen felt inexplicably nervous when he was stared at, but he did not slow down his pace.
She has been waiting for this day for a long time.
"You haven't forgotten my gift, have you?" She pinched his sleeve, looked at him with sparkling eyes, and spoke in a soft voice.
Gu Jue grabbed her wrist with his backhand and gently pulled her into his arms, his right palm gently stroking her slender waist.
"Do you like the hairpin?" he asked her, looking at her with a smile, his broad chest against her back.
The golden phoenix hairpin looked even better on her head than he had expected!
"I like it!" Shen Qianchen, who was sitting on his lap, nodded hurriedly.
Gu Jue laughed softly.
Whenever he smiled, his chest vibrated. Shen Qianchen could clearly feel every vibration of his chest and his warm body temperature through his thin clothes.
She turned slightly, grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand, and asked again: "I'm not talking about the hairpin..."
When her eyes met his, she suddenly had an epiphany and held the fabric tighter in her hands. "You remember, right? You gave me a nickname, right?"
"Girl...born at the age of 15." Gu Jue smiled again, his slender left hand fingers lightly touching Shen Qianchen's soft and delicate cheek, and his right arm hugged her tightly, sticking closely to her.
When he said this, Shen Qianchen immediately thought of the complete sentence in the Book of Rites:
When a girl is betrothed, she is given a name after she reaches the age of marriage.
Shen Qianchen was stunned for a moment, blinked, and suddenly remembered his past life.
In her previous life, she did not hold a coming-of-age ceremony, she just put a hairpin on herself.
When Gu Jue saw that she was wearing a hairpin, he realized that she had reached the age of marriage and said that he would give her a gift as well.
So, she bravely asked for it. At that time, she didn't want to be "Chu Qianchen" anymore, so she asked Gu Jue to give her a small name as a gift for her coming of age.
If a woman is unmarried, her nickname is usually chosen by the elders in the family. In her previous life, she had already left the Chu family when she was fifteen years old, and she had no relatives around her. At that time, Gu Jue was both a teacher and a friend to her, and she never thought there was anything wrong with letting him choose a nickname.
In this life, she got married before she reached the age of 15.
After a woman gets married, her nickname is often chosen by her husband, so it was natural for her to ask Gu Jue to choose a nickname for her last year.
But now, just one year later, when she thought about it again, her ears suddenly felt hot and her cheeks flushed.
When a girl is betrothed, she is given a name after she reaches the age of marriage.
These words kept appearing in her mind over and over again, and her cheeks were getting hotter and hotter, almost burning.
She felt like a flower thief who had been coveting the "beauty" for a long time.
Shen Qianchen was completely unable to look Gu Jue in the eye. If it was a year ago, she could hold her head high and say confidently that she had no hidden thoughts, but at this moment she couldn't be so calm.
Gu Jue looked at her deeply, not wanting to miss any subtle changes in her facial expression.
The smile on his lips was as bright as the morning light, his eyes became darker and darker, and he said nothing more.
The atmosphere gradually became charming.
Suddenly, Shen Qianchen's hands loosened the front of his clothes. The fabric was wrinkled by her, and even the collar was a little loose, adding a bit of laziness, charm... and unruly to him.
Shen Qianchen tried to smooth out the wrinkles on the fabric with his fingertips, then slowly raised his eyes, looked into his eyes, and said word by word: "You promised, and once you say it, you can't go back on it."
The meaning of this sentence is ambiguous, it sounds like a complaint, but also like a act of coquettishness, and the tone seems depressed.
To Gu Jue, it sounded like an answer.
Gu Jue’s response was to hug her tighter and tighter with his right arm, holding the little girl in his arms tightly as if he wanted to embed her in his arms.
Shen Qianchen snuggled into his arms, smiling.
Knowing him as she did, she certainly understood that he was asking her if she was willing to accept him as her husband.
He asked very tactfully, so tactfully that it was almost uncharacteristic of him.
so--
He is very nervous, right? Shen Qianchen's heart suddenly became very soft, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but curl up.
Just as she would blush and her heart would beat fast because of his gaze and touch, he would also feel nervous because he was unsure of her feelings.
At this time, Gu Jue raised his left hand and held one of Shen Qianchen's hands, and brought her slender white hand to his lips to kiss it. His cold voice became as warm as the spring breeze, and he sighed and said: "Well, I promised."
There was undisguised joy in his voice.
He is willing, and she is willing too.
He liked her and she liked him.
With a sigh, his hot breath sprayed on her cheek, and then his thin lips pressed tightly against hers.
In the past, he only kissed the corner of her lips lightly, always restrained and always reserved.
But this time it was different, his lips were tightly intertwined with hers, his tongue tip pried open her lips, and explored inside little by little...
Shen Qianchen's mind went blank. A burning heat spread from her lips, teeth, and cheeks to her limbs and bones, as if a flame was burning in her body...
She felt herself being held by him, felt his strong arms supporting her hips and waist, felt him carrying her and moving around...
When she came to her senses, she was already in a big red tent, lying on a big red mattress.
The hairpin on her head had been pulled out at some point, her hair was loose, and her thick black hair was spread on the red quilt like a waterfall. Her clothes had been loose for a long time, and her neckline was tilted to one side, revealing a graceful collarbone.
A young girl in her prime is like a rose in bloom, so delicate and beautiful that it is breathtaking.
His little girl has grown up!
His tall body loomed over her, his face facing hers, their eyes touching, noses touching, lips touching.
As he kissed her, he sighed softly between their lips:
"Yun Ni."
The man's voice was slightly hoarse, gentle and affectionate, as if it had come from a long and distant time.
Shen Qianchen, who was lying on the porcelain pillow, opened her eyes slightly, her eyes sparkling, and a sentence that only she could hear rang in her ears: "Yun Ni, the rainbow after the rain, also means high in the sky."
"Jiu Xia..." She called softly, panting, her eyes watering with emotion, "Does it mean the same as 'Jiu Xia'?"
She asked him the same question as in her previous life.
The big red gauze curtain fell suddenly, blocking the spring scenery and the lingering panting sound...
Outside the window, the sun sets slowly and night is about to fall.
Ahem, the bridal chamber with the lights on, tomorrow's time is up~ (End of this chapter)