Chapter 306 – The Real First Praying Ceremony
It was dark outside the window. Previously, Wei Yuewu and Jin Ling didn’t notice it as candles were lit inside both rooms. The two rooms did not directly face each other, but now that the candles in Wei Yuewu’s room were blown out, they could clearly see the brightly lit candles in Wei Qiufu’s room through the patio.
To their surprise, Wei Qiufu was still awake at this hour.
“Miss, do you want me to secretly take a look?” Jin Ling sat up and asked.
“No! This is the imperial palace. There might be someone hiding in the dark.” Wei Yuewu shook her head and closed her eyes. She was probably Wei Qiufu’s least concerned person for the time being.
Moreover, she had to find an opportunity to put the paper in her hand back into Wei Qiufu’s writing brush washer. Since someone had been paying attention to the two rooms, they should know that the two of them had moved in.
She must hurry and put the paper back to its place before the cleaning servant entered the room tomorrow.
The next morning, Jin Ling woke Wei Yuewu up. When Wei Yuewu was sprucing up her appearance in front of the dressing table, she heard a eunuch knocking on the door of the next room. An idea flashed across Wei Yuewu’s mind as she smiled.
She walked to the bed and passed the paper she had folded yesterday to Jin Ling. “Jin Ling, when I talk to Fourth Young Lady, put this in her writing brush washer.”
“Okay, I will.” Jin Ling nodded.
“Sixth Miss Wei, I’m here to deliver your breakfast.” At this moment, a eunuch knocked on Wei Yuewu’s door.
Jin Ling hurried out and opened the door to take the breakfast from the eunuch. After thanking him, she slightly carried the food box into the door.
Wei Yuewu casually came out with her hair tied up without any ornament on it. It was clear that she had just gotten up and had not put on any ornaments.
Sure enough, the door next door was ajar. Wei Yuewu gently pushed the door open and asked, “Fourth Elder Sister, are you up?”
Wei Qiufu, who was sitting in front of the dressing table in the room, was taken aback as she did not expect Wei Yuewu to come so early. She instantly replied, “Yes, I’m already up.”
“Sixth Young Lady!” Ming Yan, who was preparing breakfast in the outer room, did not expect that Wei Yuewu would be so early. After standing still, she bowed to Wei Yuewu.
“Ming Yan, you can go ahead doing whatever you’re doing. I’m here to see if Fourth Elder Sister has any pretty accessories. I want to borrow some to wear,” Wei Yuewu asserted with a smile, gestured to Ming Yan to send her away, and walked toward the inner room.
Wei Qiufu was about to get up when she heard Wei Yuewu say that she wanted to look at her jewelry. She couldn’t help but curl her lips into a sneer. Indeed, Wei Yuewu was a petty-minded country bumpkin. She had just borrowed a hairpin from her yesterday, and now she came to borrow accessories from her early in the morning.
However, it was none of Wei Qiufu’s concern. She did not intend to return Wei Yuewu’s hairpin. Since Wei Yuewu had come to her room on her own accord, she must seize the opportunity. She had some accessories that didn’t belong to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. If Wei Yuewu wore them, that hairpin would be hers.
Reaching out, she took out an exquisite jewelry box from under the dressing table and placed it on the table. With a smile, Wei Qiufu urged Wei Yuewu, who had just turned around, “Sixth Younger Sister, come over and take a look. If there’s anything you like, just take it!”
With that, she opened the box. There were not many ornaments inside, but all of them were of the highest quality, especially a flower-shaped headware. It was an exquisite handiwork, and the flowers looked delicate as if there was really a butterfly on it. The hanging red gemstones added a splendid touch to the ornament, emphasizing the wearer’s dark silky hair.
“This… is so beautiful!” Wei Yuewu picked up the flower-shaped headwear and exclaimed.
“If you like it, I’ll give it to you,” Wei Qiufu said generously.
“Uh… It’s not very nice. I’ll just borrow it from you.” A trace of embarrassment flashed across Wei Yuewu’s expression as if she felt ashamed because Wei Qiufu had read her mind.
At this moment, Ming Yan came in with a smile. “You’re too polite, Sixth Young Lady. Fourth Young Lady does not mind these silver and gold accessories, but she takes a fancy on your wooden hairpin. If you don’t feel nice to take the headwear from her, you can lend the hairpin to Fourth Young Lady for a few more days.”
Lend it to her for a few more days? Could she be more specific about the number of days?
Clearly, Wei Qiufu wanted to exchange the butterfly headwear for her hairpin, but Wei Yuewu was not in a hurry. She would get the hairpin back eventually.
“Thank you, Fourth Elder Sister!” Wei Yuewu grinned from ear to ear as she took the headwear. “Fourth Elder Sister, I’ll go back and have breakfast first.”
“Alright, hurry up and go. The Third Princess might call for us in a bit.”
Seeing that Wei Yuewu’s goal was indeed her headwear, Wei Qiufu nodded with a relieving smile.
Previously, Wei Yuewu was Wei Qiufu’s concern. Now that she knew her purpose, she heaved a sigh of relief.
Jin Ling had followed Wei Yuewu here, but she waited at the door of the outer room instead of going into the inner room with her. Seeing that Wei Yuewu exited the room, she turned and left with her. It seemed as if she had not entered the room at all.
“Miss, was Sixth Young Lady really here for your headwear?” After seeing Wei Yuewu and Jin Ling out of the door, Ming Yan turned back into the inner room and asked Wei Qiufu.
“Looks like it!” Wei Qiufu looked at the wooden hairpin and made up her mind. “I will wear this today.”
“Miss, didn’t you say you would only wear it at night?” Ming Yan was startled by Wei Qiufu’s remark. This was different from what she had said before.
“I’ll wear this one now.” Wei Qiufu smirked. “Since Sixth Younger Sister has put on my headwear, it is only right that I wear her hairpin.”
In other words, she wanted to show the ornaments to everyone. Although they had exchanged their ornaments, everyone would have thought that they were wearing their own accessories. With so many witnesses, Wei Yuewu could not exchange them back in the future even if she wanted to.
Originally, Wei Qiufu was still thinking hard to find an excuse to never return the hairpin, but to her surprise, the excuse had knocked on the door itself. Therefore, she would not let such a good change slide away.
“Yes, I understand!” Ming Yan immediately understood what Wei Qiufu meant. She took the hairpin with a smile and inserted it into Wei Qiufu’s hair.
In terms of value or rarity, the headwear borrowed by Wei Yuewu was not comparable to this wooden hairpin. That headwear was exquisite and lovely, but the wooden hairpin was the best of them all. It was a rare possession.
After wearing it, she looked even more elegant and dignified.
Similarly, in the room next door, Wei Yuewu was also selecting jewelry to wear. The flower-shaped headwear was not in her list of selections though. She was choosing among the accessories she brought into the Palace with her. Most of them were given by the Madam Dowager. She had aplenty, but there were not many which were truly outstanding. Fortunately, Wei Yuewu did not think about putting herself under the spotlight. Therefore, she casually picked a pearl hairpin, a pair of pearl earrings, and a pearl headdress.
Jin Ling chose a white dress with dark stripes for Wei Yuewu to match the pearl jewelry.
After breakfast, the Third Princess’ summons had arrived by the time the eunuch carried the food box away.
“Sixth Younger Sister, why didn’t you put on the headwear I gave you?” Seeing that Wei Yuewu was not wearing that exquisite headwear, Wei Qiufu was bewildered for a moment.
“I’ll wear it later. We’re going to meet the Third Princess and pray with her, so it’s better to wear something light,” Wei Yuewu explained with a smile.
The explanation did not clear Wei Qiufu’s doubts, nor did it make her feel relieved, but she knew that it was not the time to discuss the accessories. With that, she could only smile at Wei Yuewu, followed the palace maid who was leading the way, and walked out together.
When Wei Yuewu and Wei Qiufu arrived at the door, they saw that the young ladies had already been there in twos and threes and boarding the soft sedans on the side. Wei Yuewu’s eyes flashed, and she immediately found the eunuch who had carried the sedan for her yesterday. She brought Jin Ling over and sat inside.
When the young ladies came out, some casually chose one, and some chose the sedan that they had sat in for the past few days.
After the young ladies all entered the sedans and sat down, the eunuchs lifted the sedan and started walking, while the maids followed at the side of the sedans.
However, Wei Yuewu realized that it was not the road to the Third Princess’ palace which they had been to yesterday.
Wei Yuewu coughed in a low voice. Jin Ling, who was outside the window, understood her intention, slowed her pace slightly, and asked the eunuch who was carrying the sedan behind, “Aren’t we going to the Third Princess’ place?”
They were familiar with each other thanks to the ride yesterday, so the eunuch answered with a friendly smile, “We’re heading to the Buddha Hall now. The Third Princess is there right now.”
“Why is the Third Princess there so early?” Jin Ling looked up at the sky. At this time, the sun had not risen, and there was only a bit of red painting the dim sky.
“Zhaoyi Tu is there today, so the Third Princess went earlier.” The eunuch worked in the Third Princess’ palace previously, so he knew about this matter.
“Zhaoyi Tu?” Jin Ling gasped in surprise. “Didn’t they say that only the Third Princess would pray for the prosperity of the country? Why would Zhaoyi Tu come?”
“Yes, the Third Princess is praying for the prosperity of the country, but it doesn’t mean that others were not allowed to come. As the Third Princess’ birth mother, it is normal for Zhaoyi Tu to take a look and pray with Her Highness, especially since today is the first day. Many people would come to watch the ceremony,” the eunuch, who seemed young and talkative, lowered his voice and told Jin Ling.
Wei Yuewu heard everything clearly in the sedan. First time? What about yesterday?
“It’s not the first time. Didn’t the young ladies pray with the Third Princess yesterday?” Outside the sedan, Jin Ling asked in confusion.
Checking their surroundings, the eunuch realized that they were the last sedan in the convoy, and no one had noticed them. Only then did he lower his voice even more and whisper, “T-That doesn’t count.”
“Why not?” Jin Ling opened her eyes wide, her face blank.
“O-Of course, it doesn’t count. Yesterday’s event was just to let the ladies familiarize themselves with the environment. It will officially begin today,” the eunuch stammered as he couldn’t say why but he knew that it wasn’t.
“Really?” Jin Ling was rather doubtful about the answer that had not explained anything.
“Really! Take a good look later. There are many people coming today!” The eunuch nodded. In order to make his words more convincing, he pointed to the front and said, “Do you know why we walk so slowly?”
“I don’t know.”
If it weren’t for the eunuch, Wei Yuewu would not have realized it. Only now did she feel that the sedan was moving slowly, and it was slower than when they left Chu Xiu Palace.
“Why are we moving so slow? Who are we waiting for?” The keen Jin Ling immediately speculated the key point.
“Of…” Before the eunuch could finish the sentence, they heard someone scream in front of them, followed by some crashing sound. Then, women’s shrill shouts echoed one after another.
Wei Yuewu’s sedan suddenly stopped. If not for the fact that Wei Yuewu had been carefully supporting the edge of the sedan, she would have fallen out of it…
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om