The ninth day of September is the Double Ninth Festival.
The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional folk festival that falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year.
In the early morning of this morning, when the sky was just beginning to dawn, Bai Yanqing was awakened by the slight noise. When she had washed herself, dressed neatly, and walked out of the palace gate, what she saw was the busy palace people.
Today is the Double Ninth Festival, and all the palace people are busy preparing holiday supplies.
The palace has always paid more attention to these traditional festivals. And the people have always believed that the Double Ninth Festival is a day of happiness, auspiciousness and reunion! Therefore, whenever these traditional auspicious festivals come, most emperors will
Banquets are given in the palace. Therefore, during festivals, the palace seems extremely busy and lively!
The Double Ninth Festival, in addition to being a happy and auspicious festival, is also one of the most important ancestor worship festivals among the people. It is a tradition to worship ancestors and pray for future generations!
On this day, the emperor will lead the princes, princesses, concubines and other relatives of the emperor to the Fengxian Hall to worship their ancestors. Therefore, today, Yunqi entered the palace early and accompanied the other princes.
At the emperor's side.
After the emperor and empress had taken a bath and purified themselves, palace attendants would dress and crown them.
Mianfu is the dress worn by the emperor when he performs sacrifices. Mianfu is divided into crown, upper garment, lower garment, knee-covering, jacket, gui, pei, ribbon, etc. Complicated dresses often require several palace attendants to serve them together.
It took a long time to dress the emperor properly!
Due to this year's autumn election, there are still many daughters from aristocratic families in the palace. In order to avoid extraneous matters and unnecessary troubles. Therefore, the emperor decreed that this year's Double Ninth Festival ancestor worship in the palace should be simple. Therefore, this memorial ceremony
For ancestors, that is, the emperor, the queen, and all the princes and princesses in the palace can just go to the ancestor hall to offer sacrifices. The rest of the people are waiting outside the hall and are not allowed to enter.
As soon as Chen hour arrived, there were people from the palace ahead, who came to Qiyun Palace to deliver a message. It was the emperor's oral instruction, and everyone in the harem should go and wait outside the Fengxian Palace to wait for the emperor to pay homage to their ancestors.
In fact, even if the emperor did not give this oral edict, the people in the harem would rush to wait outside the Fengxian Hall. After all, for the women in the harem, this is a rare time when they can
How could they not cherish the opportunity to meet the emperor?
"Miss, it's cold in the morning, so put on a cloak!"
Cai Xing considerately took out a thick cloak and put it on Bai Yanqing's shoulders. He put it on for her carefully, for fear that she would freeze again.
Now, it is already late autumn, and the weather is getting colder and colder. Bai Yanqing is filled with reluctance at the thought of waiting outside the Fengxian Hall for several hours.
"Hey, it turns out that when I was in my own house, I had never suffered like this."
Bai Yanqing quietly complained to Cai Xing.
Seeing this, Cai Xing quickly covered Bai Yanqing's mouth, fearing that the walls had ears and those palace servants who loved gossiping would listen to her.
Although Bai Yanqing was sent by the Ren family to live in Zhuangzi for several years in her early years, she was still allowed to be taken back to the Bai family every year during the Double Ninth Festival to participate in ancestor worship.
The ancestor worship of the Bai family is naturally simpler than the ancestor worship of the emperor's family. The whole family crowded together in the ancestral hall, knelt down in front of the tablets of their ancestors, burned paper, and offered sacrifices.
Forget it! The Bai family doesn’t have so many taboos. The young and old in the family just
Bai Jingxuan and his daughter, Ren and Nahuizi, and Bai Furong, mother and daughter, were temporarily staying in the Bai family. Because Lai Feiyan and Lai Bizhi were from other places, they were spared the burden of kneeling and stood at a distance.
, bowing is a sign of respect for the ancestors of the Bai family!
Thinking of this, Bai Yanqing missed the days outside the palace more and more. Unfettered, free, not bound by all kinds of rules, not bound by all kinds of red tape, days like that... It seemed like she would never be there again.
No more?
I wonder if the Bai family is here today, like in previous years, with everyone gathered around to worship their ancestors in the ancestral hall?
Why……
"Miss, miss, this is the Double Ninth Festival cake that my servant made for you early in the morning. You can eat a few pieces of cake first! I don't know how long we will have to wait when we go to Fengxian Hall!"
Cai Xing brought a stack of cakes and placed them in front of Bai Yanqing's eyes, pulling her out of deep thought.
Double Ninth Cake is also known as Five Color Cake or Chrysanthemum Cake. Its preparation method is also more casual! Layer by layer, spread your favorite nuts, red beans, red dates and other ingredients, layer by layer, stacked up to nine layers
, just steam it! Its meaning is also very beautiful, which means rising steadily, and also means "rising step by step"!
The soft, glutinous and sweet Double Ninth Cake has a soft texture in the mouth and can be easily eaten by seniors in their seventies and eighties, with all their teeth missing, and by infants who have not yet had their teeth erupted!
Bai Yanqing took the Double Ninth Cake handed over by Cai Xing and put it into her mouth. The sweet and fragrant Double Ninth Cake was not sweet at all! Because Bai Yanqing did not like to eat sweets on weekdays, Cai Xing did not steam it.
During the preparation process, additional sugar is added. The sweetness that Bai Yanqing can taste is all the sweetness of the red dates themselves.
"Well, the craftsmanship is good. Wrap up a few more pieces and I'll take them to His Highness to try!"
Bai Yanqing subconsciously ordered Cai Xing. Cai Xing was amazed!
"Huh? Our young lady is becoming more and more caring now!"
Caixing joked with a smile, then obediently took out a clean handkerchief, wrapped a few more Double Ninth Festival cakes, and stuffed them into Bai Yanqing's hand.
Bai Yanqing smiled mockingly, stuffed the handkerchief containing the Double Ninth Cake into her sleeve, ignored Cai Xing, pretended to be angry, and walked out on her own. Seeing this, Cai Xing hurriedly raised his feet and followed him.
!
"Have you ever eaten some bedding yourself? If you faint from hunger later, I won't let you go!"
Bai Yanqing said angrily when she saw Cai Xing following him.
"I've eaten it a long time ago. If I don't taste it first, how can I know whether it's cooked or not?"
Cai Xing was happy, knowing that Bai Yanqing felt sorry for herself!
In the morning, Cai Xing indeed steamed a lot of Double Ninth Cake! However, the heat was not quite right. She tried several times before steaming it successfully! So, she picked some and voila.
Dressed neatly, served to Bai
Those unsightly, not neat, and broken Double Ninth Cake that Yan Qing ate went into Cai Xing’s stomach! Thinking of this, Cai Xing couldn’t help but burped! Those broken Chongyang Cake
, there are quite a few!
Outside Fengxian Hall.
When Bai Yanqing and Cai Xing arrived, many concubines from the harem had already arrived. There were many people standing on both sides of the door of Fengxian Palace! Bai Yanqing didn't want to go forward and join in the fun, so she pulled her
Caixing, calmly stood at the end!
About half an hour later, the emperor and the queen appeared on the stage, surrounded by everyone! Behind them were the princes and princesses.
Yunqi was the eldest son, so he naturally followed closely behind the emperor! When he inadvertently looked up and saw Bai Yanqing at the end of the team, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth! But, Bai Yanqing knelt down with everyone and did not see him.
This scene!
"quiet!"
As the Grand Eunuch beside the emperor shouted at the top of his voice, the surrounding area became so quiet for an instant! Everyone knelt down and worshiped on the ground, not daring to move. Then, the emperor and the empress, together with the princes and princesses, followed suit and went to the Fengxian Palace.
Go!
"How long will you have to kneel for...?"
Bai Yanqing quietly asked the person next to her, she felt that her knees would be broken if she kept kneeling like this!
It was silent, and the person kneeling next to her didn't pay attention to her.
Bai Yanqing smacked her lips secretly, are all the women in this palace mute?
I don’t know how long it took, but as the sound of scriptures rang out, the ancestor worship ceremony finally began.
Headed by the emperor and the queen, the princes and princesses behind them stood in two rows. Standing behind the emperor were the princes headed by Yunqi! Standing behind the queen were the princesses!
The musicians played mournful music and rose up to the sound of the scriptures.
Outside the Fengxian Hall, everyone knelt down and worshiped, with their palms clasped on the ground, their foreheads lightly placed on their hands, and kowtow to show their pious respect!
In the Fengxian Hall, the emperor led everyone to kneel down, hold his chest in his hands and lower his head, put his palms upside down, parallel to his chest, and then bend down and kowtow.
When the chants and mourning music stopped, everyone raised their heads and straightened their bodies, still kneeling on the ground and not getting up. At this time, the palace servants from the Ministry of Internal Affairs brought the prepared sacrifices to the front, and then from the palace.
Under the guidance of the father-in-law, the sacrificial items were placed on the altar table one by one!
"knock!"
After the sacrifices were placed, everyone kowtowed again as the Grand Duke called out.
"Serve the wine!"
After the kowtow, the people outside the Fengxian Hall were still kneeling, while the people inside the hall stood up and held wine! Under the guidance of the palace people, the wine in the wine glasses in their hands was sprinkled in front of the spiritual thrones of the ancestors!
"Kow again!"
After the wine was poured out, amid the shouts of the Grand Eunuch, everyone in the Fengxian Hall knelt down again and kowtowed to the tablets of their ancestors!
"rise!"
When the three kowtows were completed, in the Fengxian Hall, the emperor took the lead and stood up one by one! But everyone outside the Fengxian Hall was still kneeling and not allowed to get up! Fortunately, they could straighten their bodies and no longer had to kneel on the ground.
!
Bai Yanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This royal ancestor worship was actually so troublesome! Kneeling again and again, bowing again and again, and kowtowing again! It was really tiring after all the tossing and turning!
The cold and hard floor tiles made Bai Yanqing's knees feel cold and painful. She couldn't help but quietly stretched out her hands to rub her knees, but Cai Xing secretly held her back!
"Miss, no!"
Caixing quietly reminded Bai Yanqing.
Bai Yanqing had no choice but to straighten her body and kneel down while holding back the pain.
In the Fengxian Hall, the emperor and everyone stood up together and respectfully listened to the eminent monk reciting the scriptures. The long scriptures were read for a long time, so long that... Bai Yanqing felt that his knees were going to be worn out! It was so long that...
...Bai Yanqing could even doze off while kneeling!
The people inside the Fengxian Hall stood and listened to the scriptures for as long as they stood, and the people outside the Fengxian Hall knelt for the same amount of time.
I don't know how long it took before the sound of scriptures in Fengxian Hall suddenly stopped.
Just when Bai Yanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she could finally stand up, the Grand Eunuch's voice came from the Fengxian Hall again!
"Burn paper!"
"kneel!"
With the sound of "Kneel down", everyone in the Fengxian Hall knelt down again. With the blazing flames and flying ashes, everyone in the hall kowtowed again! And the people outside the Fengxian Hall bent down and prostrated.
Put your hands on the ground, palms facing the ground, tap your forehead on the back of your hands again, tap four times in a row!
Bai Yanqing didn't know how others felt, but in short, she was really complaining secretly! Isn't the royal sacrificial process too complicated?
"The ceremony is over!"
Following this sound, which was like the sound of nature, Bai Yanqing seemed to be able to see a holy beam of light on the top of the Grand Eunuch's head!
After hearing this, everyone stood up one after another!
Because she had been kneeling for too long, Bai Yanqing's legs and feet were weak when she stood up. She almost fell down without paying attention! Fortunately, Cai Xing behind him had quick eyesight and quick hands, and held her firmly, thus avoiding embarrassment!
In the Fengxian Hall, the emperor led everyone. After bowing three times, he turned around and walked out of the hall!