Ajiu

Chapter 137 Welcome

The prince is about to accept his concubine, and he will greet him in person according to the ancient etiquette.The Crown Prince greeted him in person. This was a rare event, and it was worth looking forward to.It was still early before the official date, and the scholars in the capital were already stretching their necks, waiting to watch this grand ceremony.On the day of the personal welcome, the crown prince will drive out of the palace through the left gate of Chang'an, and after welcoming the princess back, he will enter the palace through the left gate of Chang'an.The situation inside the left gate of Chang'an, whether it is the common people or the officials, can't be seen. You can only see the bustling section from the left gate of Chang'an to Jiuning Street. Houses and restaurants have been booked early, waiting for the day of the wedding so that they can come to watch the ceremony.

On a tall building facing the street, near the window, a middle-aged man and a ten-year-old girl stood by the window, checking the terrain in advance.The ten-year-old girl was already very interested in weddings, let alone the crown prince's wedding, she was even more enthusiastic about it.The middle-aged man was her father, who had always doted on his little daughter. Seeing her excited eyes shining, he couldn't bear to let her down, so he took her upstairs and let her stand in front of the window to feel it.

"Will the crown prince greet you personally, can you ride a horse?" the little girl asked with a longing expression.

When her brother and cousins ​​got married, they all went to meet the bride on horseback.

"No." The middle-aged man smiled, "He will wear a royal dress, a very solemn dress, and it is impossible to ride a horse. On this section of the road we can see, he will ride on a 辂, which is the big horse that the emperor and prince ride. car."

"That is to say, we can't see him anymore?" The little girl showed a disappointed look.How many years does it take to see the crown prince greet him in person, but it turns out that he can't even see what the crown prince looks like today, how boring.

"I can't see it." The middle-aged man said with certainty.

Seeing the disappointment on the youngest daughter's face, the middle-aged man comforted her very kindly, "An'er, you just imagine the prince is beautiful, no matter how you imagine it, it's not too much. Man." The little girl was a little happy, and said happily: "I know, Dad, I saw him once, he is really good-looking! He is even more beautiful than my brother and cousin!"

The middle-aged man smiled and said nothing.

The little girl said affectionately: "It's a pity that we don't have any friendship with the Pei family, so we can't go to the Pei family to watch the fun. Dad, there is a ritual of imperial wheels in ancient rituals, right? Is the prince going to hold a suit and drive a carriage for his bride?"

In the ancient etiquette, on the day of the wedding, the groom should hand over the rope for the carriage to the bride, "holding the sui", and he should personally drive the carriage for the bride, "the imperial wheel for three weeks".Only then could he return to his carriage, ride first, and wait for the bride in front of his gate.

"No." The middle-aged man said no to the youngest daughter again, feeling a little guilty, "Emperor Gao set the rules, the crown princess rides in a phoenix sedan chair, and when the crown prince greets her in person, just lift the sedan chair curtain for her .” Lifting the sedan chair curtain is much easier than holding Sui and Yulun, and Emperor Gao is still very close to his descendants.

"It's not bad to lift the sedan chair curtain!" The little girl tilted her head and thought for a while, then laughed happily.It is also quite interesting that the crown prince lifts the sedan chair curtain for his bride!

Unfortunately, I can't see it.After being happy, he shook his head and sighed.

"I'll bring you to see it when it's the right day." The middle-aged man led the little girl downstairs, and the little girl followed him obediently, with a dreamy smile on her face, "That nine-year-old from the Pei family Miss, you are really blessed." She is about to marry the prince, and she is still a good-looking prince, I am really envious of the dead.

The middle-aged man smiled and said nothing.In fact, being a princess is not necessarily a blessing. It has been difficult to be a prince since ancient times, and it is not easy to be a princess.However, His Majesty has only abolished a prince, and he is already old, maybe the new prince and princess will be successful, maybe.

"We can't go to the wedding." The little girl complained as she walked down the stairs.

"The royal wedding never invites wedding wine." The middle-aged man said in a comforting tone.

"That's not true. When Liang Wang accepted the concubine, I went to the wedding with my grandmother and mother." The little girl pouted, dissatisfied with the middle-aged man's perfunctory handling.Your tone sounds like coaxing children, so I don't know it.

"Prince Liang accepted the concubine at the tenth palace. The crown prince accepted the concubine at the palace." The middle-aged man looked helpless, "An'er, when did you go to the palace for the wedding banquet?"

At this time, the father and daughter had already walked down the stairs, the little girl tilted her head and thought for a while, "Really, I have never been to a wedding banquet in the palace!" .After thinking about it, the little girl calmed down and smiled like a flower.

The Crown Prince's personal welcome is imminent, and the people in the capital are gearing up to watch the fun, but the parents of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are busy educating their respective daughters before marriage.There are many contents of pre-marital education, most of which are about how husband and wife get along, and of course there will be sweet and slightly embarrassing topics about how to spend the wedding night.

In the Pei family, besides being guided by her grandmother, eldest aunt, mother, third aunt, and six sisters-in-law in turn to get along with each other, Ah Jiu was often picked up by her grandfather and father to tell her what the emperor's temperament was like before and now. , What kind of decisions did the emperor make and what kind of words did he say?Ah Jiu knew what they meant, she listened with a smile, and wrote down one by one.Grandfather and father must be thinking that the prince is very affectionate, so don't worry about it. Empress Zhang hates her so much that she doesn't need to please her, no matter how hard she tries, she won't be able to get better, so don't waste her efforts.Only the emperor has to work hard.

It cannot be said that the men of the Pei family were thinking wrong, the situation Ajiu faced was indeed like this: the prince had a deep affection for her, accommodating and pampering her since childhood, while Empress Zhang detested and loathed her from the first moment she saw her.There are two mothers and sons, one is too kind to Ajiu, and the other is too bad to Ajiu, so there is no need to pay more attention to it.The highest status in the palace is the emperor, and the most important thing is that Ajiu can win the emperor's favor.

However, Mr. Pei Ge and his sons did not expect that they were racking their brains here to think of how to please the emperor, but the emperor began to wonder: what does Ah Jiu like?Stone, right?In the future, when encountering strange stones or something, I will leave them for Ajiu.What else does Ajiu like?I don't really know, so I turned around and asked Xiao Shi or Pei Kai.

Before the daughter-in-law got married, the emperor already planned to pamper her.

The emperor thought about it seriously, "Master Ninth Five-Year, do you need to please your daughter-in-law to keep your son?"

The answer is: no.

"Would I mind if Xiao Shi would stay in Ciqing Palace and not come out after accepting the concubine?"

The answer is: not too much.

Although the answer is no, I don’t mind too much, but the emperor is a magnanimous father. After thinking about it again and again, he decided to be more accommodating and pampering to the princess, so as not to make his Xiao Shi uncomfortable, "Xiao Shi is pitiful enough for the empress to him That's it. As a father, I can't give Xiao Shi any more troubles."

Queen Zhang’s mother-in-law is not indifferent to the prince. A few days before the prince greeted him, she specially ordered the female officer to call the prince, "Xiao Shi, there has been no one to serve you in your room. Now you are going to get married, mother will you Famous court lady. This court lady is very beautiful, she can be called heavenly and beautiful, and she is peerless, and you will definitely fall in love with her." Empress Zhang ordered someone to call the court lady out to meet the prince. It is soft, and its posture is like dancing when you bow down, it is very beautiful.Empress Zhang and the maids are full of confidence. How can a man not like such a beauty, such a gentleness?impossible.

The crown prince looked down at her, and declined politely, "Thank you for your mother's kindness, my son accepts it heartily. The emperor ordered my son to go to the secret hall to watch the Huanxi Buddha, and my son dare not disobey the holy order."

The prince's pre-marriage education is to go to the secret hall to watch the Huanxi Buddha, and the ceremonial officer presses the mechanism to explain in detail, instead of hiring a maid.

Empress Zhang's good intentions were rejected by the prince, and she felt very uncomfortable, "This woman was carefully selected by the mother. She is not only beautiful, but also gentle and obedient." The prince bowed politely, "Thank you, I appreciate it." Zhang Seeing that he was extremely indifferent, the queen held back her breath and ordered him to retreat.

The court lady who was lying on the ground saw the prince turned and left without even looking at her, she was ashamed and angry, her eyes were red.Empress Zhang was already in a bad mood, and when she saw her like this, she became even more impatient, "Take it down!" It's so useless, how can you still feel wronged?
The maid was taken down by the servants.Empress Zhang sat alone, dazed in a daze.Xiao Shi is going to accept a concubine, a girl from the Pei family whom he has always looked down upon as a concubine, he has always been estranged from himself these days, after accepting a concubine, will it get worse?Carefully selected a beautiful court lady for him, he refused without even thinking about it, Xiao Shi, mother wants to put people in the Ciqing Palace, but she just cares for you, and you don't appreciate it?

The emperor had already ignored him, Xiao Shi was not caring, and the girl in the Pei family was not docile, and if she wanted her to be filial to her mother-in-law, it would probably be difficult for the empress to think of the situation she would face after the crown princess Pei entered the palace, and was extremely troubled.

When the prince was watching the Huanxi Buddha in the secret hall, Ah Jiu was also receiving a similar education.Lin Youhui personally brought her a book of exquisite pictures, "Ninny, can you read it yourself, or should mother tell you?" Although Lin Youhui has always been generous, if he really wanted to tell Ah Jiu about this, he would blush unknowingly.Ah Jiu took it and flipped through it, "Mom, this one doesn't look too difficult, I'll read it myself. Officers Fan and Ms. Cai gave me a copy yesterday, and that one looked a bit difficult, so I asked them to find an easier one. "

Ah Jiu flipped through the album with relish, "The painting is very delicate." Lin Youhui stared blankly for a moment, then fled in despair.

"My daughter doesn't know how to be shy, what should I do?" Lin Youhui went back to the room in one breath, grabbed Second Master Pei's hand, and asked helplessly.

"Don't be too shy." Second Master Pei didn't understand why, and said softly: "My lady, it's good to be a little bit shy."

But Ah Jiu didn't even feel a little shy, Lin Youhui lamented in his heart.

On the day of the crown prince's personal welcome, the emperor got up early in the morning.The servants helped him with the dragon robe and the crown, and the emperor looked in the mirror, only to see himself in the mirror with a big belly and dignified attire, "Fuxiang, the appearance of the emperor." The emperor was very satisfied with his dignity , looked in the mirror, and commanded in high spirits, "Place yourself in Fengtian Temple!"

In Fengtian Hall, hundreds of officials gathered.Today is a great day for the Crown Prince to greet the Crown Princess in person. Before the personal reception, the Emperor will go to the Xuanxuan to make a funeral ceremony. After the Crown Prince receives the ceremony, he will go out of the palace to marry his Crown Princess.

The emperor drives the Fengtian Hall, the teaching workshop is used for music, the guards in brocade clothes are standing around, and all civil and military officials line up in order, dress up and salute, and the atmosphere is solemn.The emperor married his daughter-in-law today, and he was in a good mood. There was a smile on his usually serious and fat face, "I really want to laugh out loud." feel hard.

The music stopped, and the crown prince, dressed in a crown, was led by his servants and came in through the left door.The emperor sat high on the throne, looking at his well-dressed Xiao Shi, with much satisfaction in his eyes.You've finally grown up, you're going to marry a wife, Xiao Shi, you'll be an adult from now on.Dad wants to treat you like an adult, and you have to look like an adult too. Don't mess around and be ignorant, and don't lose your temper as a child.

The crown prince knelt in front of the emperor, holding the jade gui in both hands.

The emperor had a solemn face, "Go to greet you, accept my family affairs, and respect you as Commander Xu."

The crown prince respectfully agreed, "I would like to accept the order."

Of course you accept the order, you can't wait, don't you, Xiao Shi?The emperor smiled.

At the same time that the crown prince was receiving the ordinance, Ajiu, who had accepted the golden book and was canonized as the crown princess, also received the ordinance at Pei's house.She got up early in the morning, dressed in the uniform of Yanju, and followed her grandparents, parents, and elders to salute, drink wine, and read blessings in front of the ancestral shrine. After returning to the main hall, she paid respects to the elders one by one.

The imperial concubine's funeral ceremony is presided over by senior female officials in the palace, and when to do things are stipulated, Ajiu just needs to follow their guidance like a puppet.Ajiu bowed solemnly four times in front of Second Master Pei and Lin Youhui, and Second Master Pei gently explained, "When you go to Da Nei, be diligent day and night, and be filial." Lin Youhui held back tears, and softly ordered, "My father There is a lesson, you should respect it." Ah Jiu was always joking, but now she also felt sad, and bowed down respectfully, "My son accepts this order."

Ah Jiu was ushered out by the female officer, went back to her room to change clothes, and waited for her personal welcome.

She was wearing a green silk embroidered Di garment, which was luxurious and dignified.Wearing a crown of nine phoenixes and four phoenixes on the head, on the crown are nine trees with large flowers, nine trees with small flowers, nine precious tins, and four golden phoenixes, which are bright and beautiful.She wears green silk socks on her feet, with green silk shoes and six round, soft and shiny pearls adorning the shoes.

This is the dress of the Crown Princess.

Ajiu's eldest nephew, Brother Xiao, was very clever and slipped in while avoiding the ladies. "Auntie!" he shouted.

Ah Jiu hastily pulled him over, "Brother Xiao, why did you come here? Does your father know, does your mother know?" Brother Xiao was complacent, "Father and uncles don't know what they are discussing, so we just I can’t take care of me. My mother can’t take care of me either, my great-grandmother’s eyes are covered by sand, and my mother, grandmothers, and aunts are rubbing her eyes for her.”

Ah Jiu wanted to cry.

How could grandma be fascinated by the sand, she was clearly reluctant to part with me.

Ajiu held back her tears, and quietly told Brother Xiao, "Go and tell your great-grandmother that Auntie will be fine, so that she doesn't have to worry." Brother Xiao was very obedient, "Auntie, I will definitely bring the word to you. "I promised Ah Jiu, and ran away happily.

Female officer Fan hurried in, Ajiu looked displeased, "You arrange, I want to meet my grandmother and mother." Female officer Fan smiled, "His Royal Highness, this is really impossible, His Royal Highness has already arrived! "

(End of this chapter)