Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 143 Coming-of-Age Ceremony - Part 2

Grandma Su hesitated for a moment. Although it was a tradition for the chief guest to give her a courtesy name at the coming-of-age ceremony, she was not actually prepared for it.

The reason is that the second young lady's identity is somewhat special.

Given Grand Secretary Su's influence in the court, he received the news of the marriage decree on the very day the emperor bestowed it upon him. As a result, after the second young lady became a concubine, the people of the Imperial Clan Court would select an auspicious day to record it in the imperial genealogy on the eve of the wedding.

Old Madam Su originally thought that even if a courtesy name was to be given, Mr. Lin in the hall was well-versed in poetry and literature, and had such a close relationship with the Tang family and the Prince of Jin, so she probably wouldn't need to bestow a courtesy name upon him.

However, Grandma Su quickly came to her senses, thought for a moment, and remembered the divination her daughter-in-law had performed for the second young lady half a month ago.

The divination result for that day was the second line of the Qian hexagram, whose text reads "Humility is praised, perseverance brings good fortune," which perfectly matches what Tang Xian and his wife did for their second daughter.

How about using the single character '贞'?

After Old Madam Su finished speaking, while everyone was still wondering what the specific words were, Madam Yun swayed slightly, her hands clenched tightly under her sleeves, and tears seemed to flash in her eyes.

Hua Yanmengzhu stepped forward with a brush and ink, and Old Madam Su used the tray as a table to write the character '贞' (zhen).

Standing beside Madam Yun, Tang Xian knew that Madam Su had consulted the oracle for her daughter. The character "Zhen" was auspicious, not only for its virtuous qualities but also for its auspiciousness in divination. "Yuan Heng Li Zhen" is one of the four virtues of the Qian hexagram.

Lady Hou was fine, but when Lady Yun saw this word, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she glanced subtly at Lady Su, who was sitting next to Lady Yun in the hall.

After everyone praised her, the second young lady bowed and thanked Old Madam Su for giving her the name.

Next came the instruction, which was just a formality. Tang Yu'er stepped forward and announced: "The young lady is about to receive instruction. Please have the parents of the young lady give their instructions."

The second young lady knelt before the hall, and Madam Yun rose from her seat to give instructions:

"Serve your parents with filial piety, and treat your subordinates with kindness. Be gentle, upright, and obedient; be respectful, frugal, and humble. Do not be arrogant or proud; do not be deceitful or dishonest. These are the ancient teachings; you should abide by them."

The second young lady replied, "Though I am not clever, I dare not disobey."

Then, as the principal guest, Old Madam Su spoke about diligence, self-discipline, chastity, and virtue, while Old Madam Tang's gaze was fixed on her granddaughter standing with her head bowed, her voice choked with emotion.

"Wan'er is now an adult. From now on, you must remember to be careful in your words and deeds, think things through carefully, and never act rashly. You must also be diligent in your studies, cultivate your character and virtue, and never disgrace the family's honor."

The second young lady nodded in agreement.

This was Tang Yu'er's first time acting as a congratulatory speaker, and the process had gone very smoothly up to this point. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was about to announce the completion of the ceremony when she saw the Tang family steward hurriedly enter Fu'an Residence.

Without telling anyone, Steward Tang announced that the guests had heard the palace eunuchs and officials from the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs come to deliver the imperial decree. The ladies of the Zhuang, Sun, He, and Yang families suppressed their doubts and followed the Tang family into the front courtyard.

At this time, an incense table had already been set up in the front courtyard. Dong Ming was the apprentice of the eunuch Zhang Quan. Over the years, he had visited most of the mansions in the capital. Nine days ago, he was the one who went to General Xunhui's mansion to deliver the imperial edict. However, even though he was well-traveled and knowledgeable, he was still quite surprised when he arrived at the Tang mansion today.

The Tang residence may not be as spacious as General Xunhui's mansion, but it is elegant and refined, with almost every step revealing a new scene.

While admiring the scene, Dong Ming was momentarily stunned when he suddenly saw fifty or sixty people walking out from the back of the house. Fortunately, he was a veteran eunuch and had seen all kinds of scenes.

Tang Xian and Madam Yun helped their mother to the incense table, and led their children to kneel and receive the imperial edict. The other guests knelt down as soon as Dong Ming unfolded the edict.

Dong Mingqing cleared his throat and read aloud:

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: There is a woman named Qingwan of the Tang family, who is gentle and kind, widely benevolent, and dedicated to supporting education and promoting culture."

Furthermore, during times of disaster, he provided relief and aid to the poor, saving people from fire and water, and his merits were widely recognized.

I, the Emperor, mindful of her virtue and talent, hereby bestow upon her the title of Consort of the Prince of Jin, and grant her the honors and privileges due to a Consort.

It is hoped that she will uphold virtuous conduct, be respectful and courteous, assist the Prince's Palace, and bring glory to the royal family.

So be it.

The Tang family members respectfully kowtowed to express their gratitude, and the Second Miss accepted the imperial edict with both hands.

"Congratulations, Editor Tang! Congratulations, Master Tang! Your young lady has become a concubine of Prince Jin. It is an honor for the Tang family. You must be shameless enough to ask for a drink when the time comes."

Tang Xian and his son Tang Lin chatted and laughed, and Dong Ming was eager to entertain them. Tang Lin took out a purse from his waist to express his gratitude. He read out the imperial decree of marriage, which was a joyous occasion. Dong Ming accepted it with a smile. The Tang family was indeed wealthy and powerful. The purse alone was much heavier than the one given by General Xunhui's mansion.

The atmosphere here was harmonious, but the Second Miss's mood was neither good nor bad. Since she had already accepted the outcome of marrying into the Prince's Mansion, the Second Miss's expression was relatively calm when Hua Yan helped her up.

Madam Yun helped the old lady up, and Madam Yun, Madam Hou, and Madam Su were the first to step forward to offer their congratulations. The other guests, after their initial surprise, quickly recovered and stepped forward to say many auspicious words of congratulations.

As for whether their words match their hearts, only they themselves know.

Miss Sun and the second young lady were the closest of friends. Seeing that her good friend had been engaged on her coming-of-age day and that her husband's family was the recently rising Prince Jin, Miss Sun was happy for the second young lady but also a little worried.

The other young ladies behaved differently.

Tang Yu'er was similar in temperament to Miss Sun, and was more worried about her cousin, the second young lady. She had heard that the Crown Prince was no good and the position of heir apparent was vacant. At this time, entering the Prince's mansion was more risky than opportunistic.

After hearing the imperial edict, Tang Ling'er was in a daze. Like the young ladies from the Zhuang, He, and Yang families, she couldn't understand why the second young lady was suddenly betrothed to the royal family.

After all, on the surface, the Tang family and the Prince of Jin's family had no connection whatsoever, and there was no known interaction between the two families.

Hua Yan was used to hiding in the back, carefully observing everyone's reactions, and remembering them one by one.

Seeing that Tang Ling'er's expression was different, she gave Ruizhu a wink, and Ruizhu nodded slightly, focusing most of her attention on the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion.

Hua Yan felt a little relieved and turned her gaze back to the young ladies of the Tang family. She looked up and saw the resentment in the expression of the eldest young lady, Tang Qing Shuang. However, she quickly loosened her clenched fingers as the wet nurse brought over the three-year-old child. The eldest young lady took the child and stepped aside, her expression softening again, as if all her resentment had been relieved.

Hua Yan sighed softly, wondering if the young lady understood the meaning of contentment.

The Fifth Miss was probably the happiest one there. She was thirteen years old, in the prime of her youth. Lately, she had heard many praises of Prince Jin from the common people, and she firmly believed that her Second Sister had found a good match. Perhaps she was now pondering how to choose the dowry.

The sixth young lady is simple-minded, but because her birth mother is a concubine, she is most aware of the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, and her gaze towards the second young lady contains a hint of worry.

The third young lady held the fourth young lady's hand tightly, her envy undisguised. Similarly, the fourth young lady's inexplicable resentment was also noticed by Wei Mama and Hua Yan.

Mother Wei's gaze swept across the room, and she exchanged a glance with Hua Yan across the distance. The two nodded slightly.

Mengzhu was somewhat prepared, but she was still a little flustered when she saw the scene of the arranged marriage. As for Ruizhu and Mingyue, they were more happy than surprised.

As night fell, Donggua, holding two cups of cooked bird's nest, sat next to Huayan on the steps under the eaves.

Two figures were projected onto the vermilion window, appearing infinitely elongated.

The soup was at the perfect temperature. When Hua Yan took it, the cups clinked together. Seeing that Hua Yan was silent, Dong Gua didn't say anything either, but deliberately shrugged her left shoulder. Hua Yan smiled and leaned her head against it.