Who Is Twenty?
The hottest months quickly passed. With the arrival of the fifth month, the days became quite a bit cooler.
The palace sent someone out with a decree, inviting everyone from Marquis Gu’s Manor to enter the palace to participate in the imperial palace’s banquet to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. It even specifically invited Yu Fu.
They heard that the eldest prince had praised Yu Fu quite a bit in front of Emperor Ning, saying that she was extremely smart and knew how to predict rainfall.
Emperor Ning had been extremely troubled by the drought. Hearing that Yu Fu had such an ability, he became very interested in her.
Yu Fu thought back to the trip to West Lake in the imperial boat and felt that it would not be good to refuse Emperor Ning’s goodwill, thus she agreed to attend the banquet.
On the day of the banquet, Aunty Li dressed Yu Fu in a beautiful short jacket stitched with silver threads with a light-yellow dress underneath.
The short jacket had two layers with added cotton. Wearing it in this season, it was a little heavy.
“Young miss is someone who has fallen into the water. It would be better to wear a little more than to catch a cold.”
Though it was a little heavy, this could not compare to the beauty of the embroidered patterns. Yu Fu was only willing to wear it because of this.
“Young miss’ hair is really pretty. It’s so smooth and glossy that it resembles silk. When you become of age, you will be able to have your hair styled beautifully.”
Lian Zhu had an envious expression while slowly brushing Yu Fu’s hair.
If she was not paying attention, her inky-black hair would slip from her hand like a waterfall.
Yu Fu looked at herself in the mirror. Her dark and thick hair had already grown long enough to reach her waist.
It could not compare with the older girls whose hair reached their ankles, but it was already much longer than when she was still in Immortals Valley.
“My hair is growing longer and will soon be as long as Princess DanYang’s hair, right?”
Lian Zhu and the others thought that Yu Fu thought of Princess DanYang because she would be going into the palace, thus they smiled and agreed.
Yu Fu was satisfied and sat down in her chair then heard Lian Zhu say: “The short jacket that young miss is wearing today has a white bottom and is a little plain. How about a more stylish hairstyle for today? This will keep you from looking too plain.”
“Let’s go with your plan.”
Lian Zhu’s skill with styling hair was great. Ignoring the fact that her hands were a little plump, her fingers were very agile when working with hair.
When Lian Zhu finished, she raised her head, and everyone let out sounds expressing their approval.
“Wow, young miss’ hair is too pretty!”
Yao Lan stared fixedly at her, and Aunty Li revealed a doting smile.
“With her hair like this, young miss looks like Chang’e flying back to the Moon Palace with the Jade Hare.* She’s even prettier than a goddess!”
Lady in the Moon?
Yu Fu had never seen the Lady in the Moon, thus she looked at the mirror.
It turned out that Lian Zhu had tied her hair into two rings on top of her head. The long hair had been divided into two bundles on top of her head then tied up. It made it look as if she was soaring.
In the middle was a hoop of pure gold inlaid with white pearls. Golden tassels wrapped around the two rings of hair. It was a very exquisite look.
“Woof!”
Who knew when Pang Jiu had run inside. Facing Yu Fu, it quietly barked. It was both pitiful and adorable.
A mischievous thought came to Yin Ling, as she placed Pang Jiu on Yu Fu’s lap. Smiling, she clapped, “This is great. Deity Chang’e now has her Jade Hare!”
Everyone looked at Pang Jiu. Its fur was snow-white, and it was obediently laying on Yu Fu’s lap. Was this not the perfect image of the Jade Hare?
They could not help but burst out laughing.
Lian Zhu then fetched the rose rouge and applied a bit of it on her forehead with a brush. This made her look even more beautiful.
“Young miss, you are young. It’s not fitting for you to use makeup. Just having this bit on your forehead is already very pretty. Our young miss is a natural beauty and looks good no matter what!”
After she said this, she looked so proud as if she was speaking about herself.
The more Aunty Li looked at Yu Fu, the more she rejoiced. She could not help but sigh: “Our young miss was born beautiful and has a good personality and mood. When she grows up, there might be so many people asking for her hand in marriage that they’ll flatten the door sill! But who knows just who will have the good luck of marrying our young miss?”
“Everyone says to marry up, but there isn’t any house in Eastern Ling with a higher standing than the Marquis’ Manor. There’s only the imperial family! Does young miss like either the eldest prince or the second prince?”
Yin Ling was quick to speak. While she was pouring the tea, she was exceptionally interested when it came to gossip.
In the room, aside from Aunty Li, none of the girls had gotten married. When it came to the topic of marriage, they found it to be particularly interesting, and all of their faces turned slightly red.
“But the eldest prince and the second prince are no longer young. The eldest prince is even older than the eldest young sir. How can he possibly suit our young miss?”
Hearing them mention Gu ShuBai, Yu Fu attentively listened while forgetting to let Pang Jiu down from her lap.
“But the eldest prince and the second prince have not yet found official wives. They only have secondary wives and concubines. Being a little older is nothing important. It isn’t considered a big gap if they aren’t over ten years older!”
Not over ten years…
Yu Fu counted on her fingers, “Twenty minus twelve equals eight… That’s not over ten years!”
Lian Bi heard this and curiously asked: “Young miss, what are you muttering about? Who’s twenty?”
“Huh? It’s nothing. Elder brothers must be getting tired of waiting. Let’s go to the main hall to see the head general!”
Saying this, she dragged Yao Lan along and trotted the entire way. The pendant hanging from her hip rang out with the sound of small silver bells.
When they arrived at the main hall, Gu ShuBai and the others were already there. Only Gu HanMo and Gu WenQing were not in the room, as Yu Fu looked around.
“Third brother and fourth brother, are they not going?”
“You know your third brother’s personality. He doesn’t like interacting with people. Your fourth brother also said that he wanted to do some studying, not wanting to be defeated by you. Come here-”
Gu HuaiJiang sat at the top and looked at Yu Fu’s clothes for today. He was very satisfied.
“Since we are going into the palace today, dressing a little more stylishly is best. The hair is quite nice, but the clothes are a little plain.”
Looking at Yu Fu’s short jacket in the light, the patterns were hard to see if one did not look closely because of the silver thread on a white base. The beauty could only be seen if one looked closely.
Gu Yi cheekily grinned and stepped forward to pinch her arm. In the end, he ended up pinching up a thick layer of fabric.
“Goodness, such thick clothes! It’s only the middle of autumn. Who chose such thick clothes for you?”
Yu Fu looked around at everyone, and they were still wearing their summer clothes. She was the only one wearing a short jacket with added cotton. She could not help but feel dejected.
“Aunty Li said that I have already fallen into the water and must not catch a cold, thus she had me wear this.”
Gu ShuBai carefully watched as her little face slowly frowned. She looked like a little steamed bun that had just come out of the steamer.
“You’re as beautiful as Chang’e and as lofty as a fairy. The clothes also make you look a little like the Jade Hare, all puffy and white. How festive!”
To be able to make white clothes look festive, Yu Fu might be the only one.
Gu HuaiJiang burst out laughing and retrieved a pearl and jade necklace from a wooden platter on the table. He then personally put it on Yu Fu.
This pearl and jade necklace had a golden thread that was soft and thin. On this thread were jewels of a variety of colors. They formed an image of a lotus that extended from her neck down to her chest, and this magnificence was filled with Buddhata.
“This is a seven-treasure necklace. It’s a relic left behind by my late wife.”***
Who Is Twenty?
The hottest months quickly passed. With the arrival of the fifth month, the days became quite a bit cooler.
The palace sent someone out with a decree, inviting everyone from Marquis Gu’s Manor to enter the palace to participate in the imperial palace’s banquet to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. It even specifically invited Yu Fu.
They heard that the eldest prince had praised Yu Fu quite a bit in front of Emperor Ning, saying that she was extremely smart and knew how to predict rainfall.
Emperor Ning had been extremely troubled by the drought. Hearing that Yu Fu had such an ability, he became very interested in her.
Yu Fu thought back to the trip to West Lake in the imperial boat and felt that it would not be good to refuse Emperor Ning’s goodwill, thus she agreed to attend the banquet.
On the day of the banquet, Aunty Li dressed Yu Fu in a beautiful short jacket stitched with silver threads with a light-yellow dress underneath.
The short jacket had two layers with added cotton. Wearing it in this season, it was a little heavy.
“Young miss is someone who has fallen into the water. It would be better to wear a little more than to catch a cold.”
Though it was a little heavy, this could not compare to the beauty of the embroidered patterns. Yu Fu was only willing to wear it because of this.
“Young miss’ hair is really pretty. It’s so smooth and glossy that it resembles silk. When you become of age, you will be able to have your hair styled beautifully.”
Lian Zhu had an envious expression while slowly brushing Yu Fu’s hair.
If she was not paying attention, her inky-black hair would slip from her hand like a waterfall.
Yu Fu looked at herself in the mirror. Her dark and thick hair had already grown long enough to reach her waist.
It could not compare with the older girls whose hair reached their ankles, but it was already much longer than when she was still in Immortals Valley.
“My hair is growing longer and will soon be as long as Princess DanYang’s hair, right?”
Lian Zhu and the others thought that Yu Fu thought of Princess DanYang because she would be going into the palace, thus they smiled and agreed.
Yu Fu was satisfied and sat down in her chair then heard Lian Zhu say: “The short jacket that young miss is wearing today has a white bottom and is a little plain. How about a more stylish hairstyle for today? This will keep you from looking too plain.”
“Let’s go with your plan.”
Lian Zhu’s skill with styling hair was great. Ignoring the fact that her hands were a little plump, her fingers were very agile when working with hair.
When Lian Zhu finished, she raised her head, and everyone let out sounds expressing their approval.
“Wow, young miss’ hair is too pretty!”
Yao Lan stared fixedly at her, and Aunty Li revealed a doting smile.
“With her hair like this, young miss looks like Chang’e flying back to the Moon Palace with the Jade Hare.* She’s even prettier than a goddess!”
Lady in the Moon?
Yu Fu had never seen the Lady in the Moon, thus she looked at the mirror.
It turned out that Lian Zhu had tied her hair into two rings on top of her head. The long hair had been divided into two bundles on top of her head then tied up. It made it look as if she was soaring.
In the middle was a hoop of pure gold inlaid with white pearls. Golden tassels wrapped around the two rings of hair. It was a very exquisite look.
“Woof!”
Who knew when Pang Jiu had run inside. Facing Yu Fu, it quietly barked. It was both pitiful and adorable.
A mischievous thought came to Yin Ling, as she placed Pang Jiu on Yu Fu’s lap. Smiling, she clapped, “This is great. Deity Chang’e now has her Jade Hare!”
Everyone looked at Pang Jiu. Its fur was snow-white, and it was obediently laying on Yu Fu’s lap. Was this not the perfect image of the Jade Hare?
They could not help but burst out laughing.
Lian Zhu then fetched the rose rouge and applied a bit of it on her forehead with a brush. This made her look even more beautiful.
“Young miss, you are young. It’s not fitting for you to use makeup. Just having this bit on your forehead is already very pretty. Our young miss is a natural beauty and looks good no matter what!”
After she said this, she looked so proud as if she was speaking about herself.
The more Aunty Li looked at Yu Fu, the more she rejoiced. She could not help but sigh: “Our young miss was born beautiful and has a good personality and mood. When she grows up, there might be so many people asking for her hand in marriage that they’ll flatten the door sill! But who knows just who will have the good luck of marrying our young miss?”
“Everyone says to marry up, but there isn’t any house in Eastern Ling with a higher standing than the Marquis’ Manor. There’s only the imperial family! Does young miss like either the eldest prince or the second prince?”
Yin Ling was quick to speak. While she was pouring the tea, she was exceptionally interested when it came to gossip.
In the room, aside from Aunty Li, none of the girls had gotten married. When it came to the topic of marriage, they found it to be particularly interesting, and all of their faces turned slightly red.
“But the eldest prince and the second prince are no longer young. The eldest prince is even older than the eldest young sir. How can he possibly suit our young miss?”
Hearing them mention Gu ShuBai, Yu Fu attentively listened while forgetting to let Pang Jiu down from her lap.
“But the eldest prince and the second prince have not yet found official wives. They only have secondary wives and concubines. Being a little older is nothing important. It isn’t considered a big gap if they aren’t over ten years older!”
Not over ten years…
Yu Fu counted on her fingers, “Twenty minus twelve equals eight… That’s not over ten years!”
Lian Bi heard this and curiously asked: “Young miss, what are you muttering about? Who’s twenty?”
“Huh? It’s nothing. Elder brothers must be getting tired of waiting. Let’s go to the main hall to see the head general!”
Saying this, she dragged Yao Lan along and trotted the entire way. The pendant hanging from her hip rang out with the sound of small silver bells.
When they arrived at the main hall, Gu ShuBai and the others were already there. Only Gu HanMo and Gu WenQing were not in the room, as Yu Fu looked around.
“Third brother and fourth brother, are they not going?”
“You know your third brother’s personality. He doesn’t like interacting with people. Your fourth brother also said that he wanted to do some studying, not wanting to be defeated by you. Come here-”
Gu HuaiJiang sat at the top and looked at Yu Fu’s clothes for today. He was very satisfied.
“Since we are going into the palace today, dressing a little more stylishly is best. The hair is quite nice, but the clothes are a little plain.”
Looking at Yu Fu’s short jacket in the light, the patterns were hard to see if one did not look closely because of the silver thread on a white base. The beauty could only be seen if one looked closely.
Gu Yi cheekily grinned and stepped forward to pinch her arm. In the end, he ended up pinching up a thick layer of fabric.
“Goodness, such thick clothes! It’s only the middle of autumn. Who chose such thick clothes for you?”
Yu Fu looked around at everyone, and they were still wearing their summer clothes. She was the only one wearing a short jacket with added cotton. She could not help but feel dejected.
“Aunty Li said that I have already fallen into the water and must not catch a cold, thus she had me wear this.”
Gu ShuBai carefully watched as her little face slowly frowned. She looked like a little steamed bun that had just come out of the steamer.
“You’re as beautiful as Chang’e and as lofty as a fairy. The clothes also make you look a little like the Jade Hare, all puffy and white. How festive!”
To be able to make white clothes look festive, Yu Fu might be the only one.
Gu HuaiJiang burst out laughing and retrieved a pearl and jade necklace from a wooden platter on the table. He then personally put it on Yu Fu.
This pearl and jade necklace had a golden thread that was soft and thin. On this thread were jewels of a variety of colors. They formed an image of a lotus that extended from her neck down to her chest, and this magnificence was filled with Buddhata.
“This is a seven-treasure necklace. It’s a relic left behind by my late wife.”***
