This was the first time that the Ministry of Rites hosted the coming-of-age ceremony, and with the financial support from Xiao Mingzhan, they were very dedicated.
The entire princess's mansion was carefully decorated, with lights and decorations everywhere, and it was full of joy.
The gorgeous dress that Gu Xinran was wearing was exquisitely embroidered, with butterflies fluttering on the hem. It was made by more than 30 embroiderers in the palace's needlework room in seven days.
The Princess's Mansion was crowded with people today, and the Ministry of Rites had sent invitations to all officials above the fourth rank.
The ceremonial lineup was also top-notch. The old Princess Dejing, who had the highest seniority in the royal family, took the initiative to serve as the main guest. Gu Xinran cured her long-standing headache. The wife of the Duke of Huguo, a good friend of the late queen, served as the sponsor, and the wife of the Marquis of Qingyang served as the official.
According to etiquette, one needs to fast and bathe at home three days before coming of age, but Gu Xinran stayed in the Ministry of Industry every day to guide the production of glass, so these customary rituals were waived.
She was in a daze the whole time, being led to change clothes, change headwear, and do kneeling rituals. She was taught to be obedient, like a puppet.
When performing the third ceremony, Xiao Mingzhan personally stepped forward and put on Gu Xinran's hand the ruby plum blossom gold hairpin that he had carefully selected.
After the three plus three bows ceremony, the emperor and empress came in person and delivered the gifts on time.
Everyone paid their respects, and the coming-of-age ceremony reached its climax. Everyone knew that Princess Funing was deeply loved by His Majesty the Queen, but they did not expect her to be honored to this extent.
It was a first to let the Ministry of Rites host the coming-of-age ceremony, and now he is personally present at the scene, which really shows his cherishment.
The emperor and empress took their seats and asked everyone to refrain from formalities.
The emperor looked at the dignified and beautiful Gu Xinran in front of him, and thought of her great contributions in medicine, food, weapons and other aspects, and was very satisfied.
Smiling, he said, "Princess Funing, you are a great contributor to the Lan Kingdom. I wish you constant happiness, success, and success!"
After saying that, he handed a small rosewood box to Gu Xinran.
She knelt down to thank him and took it. At the queen's reminder, she opened the gift box, which contained a small bloodstone seal.
She looked at it over and over for a long time, but couldn't recognize what was engraved on it. It looked like seal script, and she couldn't recognize it even when it was upright. What's more, the words on the seal were upside down. It's true that one only regrets not having enough knowledge when he needs it.
The Queen asked seriously, "Ranran, do you like the nickname that His Majesty and I have chosen for you? This bloodstone was carefully selected by me from the storeroom. The words on it were written by His Majesty himself, and were personally carved by the great sculptor Fang Yi."
It is a traditional custom for a man to have his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 20 and a woman to have her coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 15 to be given a nickname by a person of high moral character and prestige.
After hearing this, the guests all showed envy. Not to mention that His Majesty and the Queen did it personally, but the fact that Master Fang made it personally made it, everyone was envious.
Gu Xinran tried to identify it for a long time but still couldn't recognize it. She tugged at Xiao Mingzhan's sleeve and put the seal in his hand.
He asked quietly, "What's the word engraved here?"
Xiao Mingzhan was surprised that his omnipotent wife could one day be illiterate!
He took it, admired it, and read it aloud in a low voice, "Delightful."
Gu Xinran thought of the emperor's blessing just now. It was these two words. She really liked them.
She bowed again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the nickname you gave me. It's very good."
The Queen smiled and said, "Your Majesty and I hope that you will be happy every day, that all your wishes will come true, and that everything will go smoothly."
Gu Xinran carefully put the seal away and said with a smile, "With the blessings of Your Majesty and Your Majesty, my second half of life will be perfect."
After the gifts and blessings were delivered, the emperor and empress returned to the palace. The grand coming-of-age ceremony ended successfully and the guests said goodbye and left.
When they left, they all received a mahogany box from Butler Qi, which was a gift prepared in advance by Gu Xinran.
Officials of the first and second ranks received a super-grade ginseng and antler pill, officials of the third and fourth ranks received an ordinary ginseng and antler pill, and the others who came uninvited received a life-extending pill.
Everyone who received the gifts was overjoyed. The pills given by Princess Funing were all good things that could save lives. Many officials below the fourth rank who did not take the initiative to come and congratulate were regretting it very much.
After the guests had left and everything was packed up, only Xiao Mingzhan and Gu Yuchen were left in the middle hall. Gu Xinran extended her hand to them and asked playfully, "Where's the gift?"
Brother Gu happily handed over a wooden box and said, "Ranran, I'm too busy to go out and customize a gift for you, so I used the time between training to make you an improved crossbow. See if you like it."
When Gu Xinran opened it, she was shocked by its small and exquisite appearance. "Thank you, brother. You are so skillful. The style and size are very suitable for girls. I like it very much."
After saying that, he patted Brother Gu on the shoulder and sighed, "Such a considerate brother, I wonder which girl will be lucky enough to marry him in the future."
Brother Gu laughed and rubbed the back of his head, muttering carelessly, "My beautiful and capable Ran Ran is so cheap to the King of Qi. I really can't bear to let her go."
Xiao Mingzhan didn't like what he heard and glared at Gu Yuchen, "Don't you have to rush back to Beidaying tonight? If you don't set off now, you won't get there before dark."
Brother Gu is a very competent general. In just a month or so, he organized three divine crossbow camps. He has hardly returned home since he went to Beidaying.
He remembered that he had to organize night training tonight, so he had to say goodbye to his sister reluctantly.
But seeing that Xiao Mingzhan had nothing in his hands, he thought, could it be that he doesn't care about his sister anymore before they get married?
He asked calmly, "Brother Xiao, what gift have you prepared?"
Gu Xinran touched the gold hairpin on her head and turned to show it to Gu Yuchen, "Brother, here it is, doesn't it look good?"
Xiao Mingzhan smiled, took her hand, and led her to the backyard, "Come with me, I'll give you a surprise!"
Brother Gu, there is no need to rush back to the camp. What’s there to be afraid of when it gets dark? There is no place for surprises.
The three of them walked all the way to the stable in the backyard, and Gu Xinran saw a silver horse with long limbs, a thin head and a high neck, and fur like silk. She was fascinated by it at first sight!
Gu Yuchen was also dazzled and stammered, "Is this... is this... a Ferghana horse?"
Xiao Mingzhan was very satisfied with their performance, with a smile on his face. "Well, a Ferghana horse."
After answering Gu Yuchen, he turned around and flattered Gu Xinran, "Ranran, I went through a lot of hardships to get two horses. Mine is black. We can ride them when we go out to look for soul-calming mushrooms."
Gu Xinran couldn't stop smiling. This gift was exactly what she wanted. She tried to stroke the horse's head and said, "Great, Brother Mingzhan is really awesome!"
Unexpectedly, this was a wild horse. Before Gu Xinran's hand touched it, it raised its head and feet and neighed.
Xiao Mingzhan smiled brightly when he heard the voice of "Brother Mingzhan". His eyes were always on her. When he saw the horse move unusually, he quickly pulled her behind him.
He said gently, "Ranran, be careful. This horse has a fierce temper and it's a bit difficult to tame it. Let's take it slowly."
Taming horses is a piece of cake for Gu Xinran. Once the spiritual spring water appears, even the most ferocious horse will become docile.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com