Chapter 25: Courtesy Ceremony (Part 1) (Please add new books to your collection)
The next day, Aunt Zhou and Aunt Qi cleaned up the kang themselves without any help from the maids.
Shu Shu sat in front of the dressing table and let Xiaoyu comb her hair, but she couldn't help but look at Brother Jiu out of the corner of her eye.
Who would have thought…
Brother Nine is a fresh peach?
Never been bitten?
If you have experience, why are you so clumsy?
Although he was a little embarrassed the first time, he didn't look like a "sick peach" from behind?
But if you haven't been "bitten" by anyone, what happened to the two palace ladies in the backyard?
Brother Jiu felt that Shu Shu's eyes were like hooks, hooking him again and again.
In broad daylight...
His mouth was dry...
Is this convincing?
Still not convinced?
This woman...
How dare you turn over...
Brother Jiu thought about last night and couldn't help but gnash his teeth again. However, seeing the girl holding the high-soled flag shoes, he couldn't help but remind him: "I'm going to several places in a while. I don't need such high shoes... …”
There are chariots in the palace, but they are obviously not available to the younger generation, so no matter where they go, they have to walk there.
Today, the newlyweds will go to Ningshou Palace in the northeast corner of the palace to meet the Queen Mother, then go to Qianqing Palace in front to meet the emperor, go to Yikun Palace in West Sixth Palace to meet Concubine Yi, and then Yuqing Palace to meet their peers.
The person who gave the shoes was Xiao Chun, but he didn't take them away immediately. Instead, he looked at Shu Shu.
"Change to the two-inch pair..."
Shu Shu ordered.
In fact, Shu Shu's height is here, and she is not short when wearing flat-soled flag shoes, but it is too homely and seems rude.
Among the rules of the banner people, etiquette is the most important thing. Today is the first time to pay respects to the elders.
Xiaochun came over and changed her shoes, and Shushu put them on. She was still dressed in a full set of auspicious clothes, but it was no longer the red color of yesterday, but the autumn fragrance color of Prince Fujin's clothes.
In order to rush for time, the two of them did not have time to have breakfast. One of them drank a bowl of noodles and tea before leaving the second house.
The Five Qianxi Institutes are five connected courtyards with three entrances, sharing a corridor in front. They are located due north and west of the Forbidden City, on the outer road of the West Inner Court.
The couple did not bring anyone else with them. Behind Shu Shu were Xiao Chun and Xiao Song, who had already changed into palace maid clothes. Behind them were He Yuzhu and Jiu Age.
The couple had met several times and had interacted with each other before, so they didn't feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable. In addition, they had been arguing for half the night last night, so they had more connections and were different.
"The Empress Dowager and several concubines all lived in Ningshou Palace. Earlier, when the Empress Dowager was still alive, the Empress Dowager and the concubines all lived in Cining Palace... Later, the Empress Dowager died, and this place was repaired, so they all moved here. Come……"
The two of them walked out of the side door of Qianxi Wusuo, passed through the Imperial Garden, and arrived at the East Road. Brother Jiu was talking as he walked.
The Forbidden City is a symmetrical building. Beyond the Imperial Garden, there are the Five Qiandong Institutes corresponding to the Five Qianxi Institutes.
From west to east, they are the first institute, the second institute, the third institute, the fourth institute and the fifth institute.
"The eldest brother, the third brother, the fourth brother, the fifth brother, and the seventh brother live here. This place was damaged in the early years and was repaired later than the west side. They only lived here in the past few years... In the past few years, the eldest brother and the third brother lived here. The fourth brother, seventh brother, and eighth brother live in Jingren Palace, and the fifth brother lives in Ningshou Palace..."
Shu Shu listened carefully and couldn't help but gossip in her mind. Is 4488 a bamboo horse?
In addition, the five Qianxi institutes and the five Qiandong institutes are only ten courtyards, and they cannot be arranged no matter how you calculate them.
Brother Thirteen and Brother Fourteen are not young either. One is thirteen years old and the other is eleven years old. They are not the age to live with the palace concubine.
“Brother Thirteen, where does Brother Fourteen live?”
Brother Jiu pointed to the direction of the northeast corner: "They all live in Zhaoxiang House... The brothers who will be ennobled at the end of the year are waiting to move..."
Shu Shu had a bad premonition.
The eighth prince next door is moving at the end of the year, who will move in?
Although I haven’t met Brother Fourteen yet, I indirectly experienced his naughtiness yesterday.
As the two said this, time flew by quickly, and in about two-quarters of an hour, they arrived outside Ningshou Palace.
Someone from the palace had been waiting for a long time. When they saw the two people approaching, they immediately sent a message inside.
After a while, an elderly nun came out to send a message and called the two of them to come in.
The Queen Mother did not go to the palace and met people directly in the East Room.
The Queen Mother is in her fifties, has a typical Mongolian appearance, high cheekbones and single eyelids, slightly wealthy, dressed in homely style, azure blue loose robe, hair tied up on her head, holding a bunch of Hetian white jade eighteen seeds in her hand, sitting cross-legged On the kang.
Sitting on chairs on the floor were two concubines of similar age, who were also Mongolian concubines. The older one was Concubine Duanshun, and the younger one, who looked similar to the Queen Mother, was Concubine Shuhui, the Queen Mother's sister.
Shu Shu followed the ninth elder brother and gave the "courtesy ceremony" to the Queen Mother.
Brocade mats were placed on the ground. Ninth Age's position was slightly forward on the left, Shu Shu's position was slightly behind on the right. Ninth Age's position was to kneel three times and nine times, and Shu Shu's Liu Su's position was three times to kneel three times.
After the ceremony was completed, the young couple presented the ceremony to the two concubines again. This time it was simple, Brother Jiu said "beating Qian'er" and Shu Shu said "squatting in peace".
Shu Shu can speak Mongolian. She learned a few sentences when she was a child, and most of the rest were studied in the past two months.
Grandma Qi is half Mongolian and can only speak one or two sentences in daily life, but she can learn the common dialogues used by women, and simple daily conversations are enough.
The Queen Mother stumbled at first and greeted Shu Shu in Manchu, but because she said little, there was always a sentence or a half of Mongolian between the two or three sentences.
Shu Shu naturally turned to Mongolian to answer the question, which made the Queen Mother look more happy. She took Shu Shu's hand and said, "Who did you learn Mongolian from? You speak Mongolian very well."
"My granddaughter-in-law's nanny was born in Mongolia. She learned a few words from her when she was a child. She was naughty and couldn't calm down. In the past two months, she has learned a few more, which are these auspicious greetings. If you use too many of them, it won't work... "
Shu Shu didn't hide it and told the truth.
The Queen Mother could not hear her shyness, but she liked her sincerity. She patted the back of her hand and said, "Good boy. He is handsome and honest. He is a good boy!" As she said that, she removed the Eighteen Sons on her wrist. Pull it off and put it in Shu Shu's hand: "The Immortal God will bless you..."
"It's a gift from the elders that cannot be declined." Shu Shu held it in both hands and hung it directly on the lapel of her clothes: "My granddaughter-in-law also prayed to the Changsheng Heaven, and the imperial grandmother will live a long life..."
Shu Shu presented her filial piety with a sapphire blue forehead. She did not sew any coral or beeswax, but used millet beads to sew three round little lambs about the size of her thumb. The lambs had black agate eyes and Ruyi on both sides. A mini yurt composed of patterns.
The thing was not expensive, but it was worth the effort. The Queen Mother stroked it for a long time.
The faces of the two concubines also became softer.
The Queen Mother has no biological children, and her dignity in the palace these years has depended on the Emperor's filial piety. Now that she is a junior, there is another level of separation. Being able to use this kind of heart is rare and valuable.
Coming out of Cining Palace, Brother Jiu's eyes fell on Shu Shu's clothes, which was a coincidence.
This string of eighteen beads looks simple, but the beads and the Buddha's head are all made of sapphires, which are high-grade palace-made and used daily by the Queen Mother, so the meaning is naturally different.
Xiao Chun held a sandalwood box in her arms, which contained a pair of emerald gold hairpins with double happiness and double luck, which were a regular reward from the Queen Mother.
Every prince, Fujin, who comes to pay "courtesy" has a similar portion.
Only these eighteen sons are different.
Shu Shu also knew it and had no intention of covering it up.
After a while, the two of them walked to Qianqing Palace, and Shu Shu's soles began to feel sore.
These are really two-inch soles. If they had worn the previous three-inch ones, they would have been even worse.
When you are summoned to go in, you must kneel down in accordance with the rules. This routine is the same as the Queen Mother's.
Shu Shu couldn't look directly, but he took a quick look when he stood up.
This is the Xinuang Pavilion, which is much larger than the secondary rooms in the Queen Mother's palace.
Kangxi also sat cross-legged on the kang, next to a few cases with written and ink folds on them.
The first impression is that of a thin, middle-aged man in his forties, with Sichuan lines already appearing between his eyebrows, with thin eyebrows and narrow eyes. As for the pockmarks... I can't really tell.
Kangxi's eyes fell on Shu Shu's lapel and saw the string of eighteen pieces.
The next day he went to Ningshou Palace to make a visit, and he realized that this string of eighteen children was the Queen Mother's favorite thing.
The reason why I was able to reward Dong E was obviously because Dong E was liked by the Queen Mother.
Kangxi's expression softened slightly, and he said with a hint of mystery: "You two are destined to be..."
Brother Jiu's face was full of confusion, Shu Shu had already woken up, and quickly lowered his head, his face turned red, not out of shame, but because he was holding his breath.
What else could happen?
You can't be shocked yourself and turn pale?
Is this the strict imperial power?
Everything going on in the capital is in his eyes.
Brother Jiu realized it later, and he was embarrassed: "How does Khan Ama know this? It's all Guidan's fault. I'm so angry with him!"
Kangxi glared at his son: "Starting from next month, you will add a subject of "Qing Dynasty Law" to your study room homework. I will take the test later!"
"Khan Ama, my son and I are already married, why do we still want to go to school?"
Brother Jiu's face showed disbelief: "After brothers got married, didn't they start learning to work as errands?"
“Brother, your majestic prince, I don’t understand the Qing Dynasty Code. What can I do if I don’t study?”
Kangxi hummed and said: "When will you read through the "Qing Dynasty Code" before talking about errands!"
Brother Jiu's face immediately turned into a bitter gourd, and he looked at Shu Shu with a look of complaint.
Shu Shu's head was lowered even lower, with her chin touching her chest, feeling really uneasy.
Kangxi not only admired Confucianism, but he also advocated the idea that "a woman's lack of talent is a virtue", right?
There are eight boxes of books in my dowry, not to create a "talented girl" persona, but to lay the groundwork for my future actions.
Kangxi's eyes turned to Shu Shu, looking at her quail appearance, he couldn't help but laugh, waved his hand to Brother Jiu: "Your mother is still waiting, take Dong E's over..."
Brother Jiu agreed respectfully and took Shu Shu out of Qianqing Palace and headed to West Sixth Palace.
It wasn't until they left Longfu Gate that Shu Shu and Brother Jiu breathed a sigh of relief.
The two of them looked at each other. Brother Jiu thought of continuing to study and complained in a low voice: "It's all your fault. You kept talking about "The Law of the Qing Dynasty"..."
Shu Shu was unhappy in her heart, but she didn't want to argue with Brother Jiu outside. He only reminded: "Young master, if you just say a few words, do you still want everyone to know the antecedents of the "Qing Dynasty Law"?"
Brother Jiu stared, feeling lucky, and snorted and stopped talking.
Going out of Longfu Gate, there is a long road from north to south, with several side doors leading to the palaces of the Sixth Palace in the West.
Diagonally facing Longfu Gate is the Guangsheng Right Gate leading to Yikun Palace.
Enter the right gate of Guangsheng and follow the corridor a few dozen steps to the west until you reach the main entrance of Yikun Palace, Yikun Gate.
The little eunuch at the door saw a group of people coming and hurriedly sent a message inside.
When Shu Shu followed Brother Jiu into the courtyard, there was already a maid in her twenties waiting in front of the main hall. She knelt down to see the ceremony and led the two of them in.
The main hall of Yikun Palace is five rooms wide and three rooms deep. It has a bright and four dark layout. When you enter, you will see a throne and a screen in the middle of the bright room. There are rosewood carved floor covers in the middle and the east and west rooms. They are separated by a fan.
Concubine Yi was living in the Dongci Room, so Shu Shu and the ninth elder brother were directly led to the Dongci Room...