"Yes, Miss Qingzhu's favorite is Miss Lixue!" Granny Li wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice choked with emotion. She took out a purple jade hairpin that she had prepared long ago from the jewelry box and gently put it on Chen Lixue's exquisite hair bun. It swayed and shone in the morning sunlight.
Qiu He and Yan Yue carefully helped Chen Lixue put on a semi-transparent gauze dress. It was Qingyan's best cloud silk brocade, sewn by the best tailor. The area above the shoulders was semi-transparent and hollowed out, with a slender waist. The skirt was adorned with various precious ornaments symbolizing wealth and good fortune. It felt light and airy to the touch.
Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and waist ornaments—Li Mama personally put them on Shen Lixue one by one, without relying on anyone else. Looking at her beautiful face, it was as if Lin Qingzhu was still alive. Li Mama couldn't help but burst into tears. The young lady has grown up. If Miss Qingzhu knew this in the afterlife, she would surely rest in peace!
"Granny, the auspicious time has arrived!" A young maid entered the room and reminded her softly.
"Alright!" Granny Li wiped away her tears, carefully examined Shen Lixue's hair, long dress, and jewelry, and made sure that nothing was missing before she and the others escorted Shen Lixue toward the main hall.
The coming-of-age ceremony of the Princess of the War Prince's Mansion was a major event. Since the War Prince was not in the capital and there was no suitable elder in the mansion, the Empress Dowager came from the palace to the mansion to personally preside over the coming-of-age ceremony for Shen Lixue.
The Empress, several noble concubines, and ladies and young ladies from prominent families all came to the Prince of Zhan's mansion and sat in the main hall to watch the ceremony. The Empress Dowager's condition had improved and she was in good spirits. She sat on the mahogany chair in the center and looked at Shen Lixue who was walking slowly towards her with kind eyes.
Amidst the admiring gazes of numerous noblewomen, Shen Lixue gracefully entered the living room. Looking at the room full of wealthy ladies and heiresses, she was slightly surprised. She was born in modern times and had held a banquet for her coming-of-age ceremony at eighteen, but compared to the solemn coming-of-age ceremony of women in ancient times, that banquet was not worth mentioning at all.
She looked up and met the Empress Dowager's kind and gentle gaze. A slight smile appeared on her lips, and she walked gracefully forward. Her long, trailing dress left a shallow mark on the smooth ground.
"Empress Dowager!" Shen Lixue gracefully knelt down on the futon in the center of the room.
With a kind smile, the Empress Dowager slowly stepped forward, removed the hairpin from Shen Lixue's hair, and gently placed a beautiful crown inlaid with various gemstones on her head, symbolizing her coming of age!
Li Youlan sat not far away, looking at Shen Lixue's beautiful and noble clothes and priceless crown. A mocking smile appeared on her lips. Her coming-of-age ceremony was so grand because she was the adopted daughter of the War King and the Princess of Qingyan. Without the War King and the War King's Mansion, she was nothing.
"Congratulations, Princess!"
Congratulations, Princess!
After the ceremony, ladies from prominent families and young women flocked over, offering their blessings with smiles and presenting various valuable gifts.
Shen Lixue stood up, smiling slightly, and exchanged polite greetings.
"Li Xue!" A magnetic voice rang out, and everyone turned around to see a young man walking in the bright sunlight. He was incredibly handsome, and his white robes were tinged with golden light, dancing lightly in the wind. He was elegant and noble, captivating the hearts of all around.
As she watched Dongfang Heng slowly walk towards her along the bluestone path, the smile on Shen Lixue's lips deepened, and her beautiful eyes also held a hint of laughter.
In ancient times, etiquette was very important. When she came of age, only elders or women could witness the ceremony. Dongfang Heng was an outsider and could not sit in the living room to watch her come of age. However, after the ceremony, he was the first to come to the Prince's Mansion to offer his congratulations.
"You've come of age!" Dongfang Heng smiled slightly as he looked at the elegant crown in Shen Lixue's hair.
"Yes!" Shen Lixue nodded, looking at the dust on the hem of Dongfang Heng's white clothes, a faint smile appeared in her beautiful eyes. He must have rushed here, and the dust stirred up by the wind had stained the hem of his clothes.
Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng looked at each other, and it seemed as if no one else was in the world. The noble ladies and young ladies smiled slightly and tactfully took their leave.
The Empress Dowager, supported by a palace maid, slowly walked over and looked at the two of them kindly: "Heng'er, Lixue, when is your wedding date?"
"Ten days later!" The wedding date of September 16th was determined by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau after repeated calculations; it was a truly auspicious day.
The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded: "I will also go to the Holy Prince's Mansion to drink a cup of wedding wine!"
"Thank you, Empress Dowager!" The Empress Dowager's noble status and her attendance at the wedding banquet at the Holy King's Mansion is a great favor to the two of them.
Today, Shen Lixue was dressed in a magnificent gown, exuding elegance and freshness. The jewels on her headdress and the auspicious stones on her skirt complemented each other perfectly, sparkling with brilliance. Her bright face was like a blooming snow lotus, a beauty beyond compare.
A hint of amazement flashed uncontrollably in Dongfang Heng's deep eyes. His jade-like fingers slipped into his sleeve, where the coming-of-age ceremony he had painstakingly prepared was kept.
"Your Highness, Your Highness..." A guard rushed over, his eyes filled with anxiety. He looked at the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the others, hesitant to speak.
Dongfang Heng frowned, paused in his act of taking the gift, and said coldly, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"
The guard lowered his eyelids and reported, "Your Highness, it was the Heir Apparent... he's been murdered..."
"What did you say?" Dongfang Heng was startled. His sharp eyes narrowed instantly. He reached out and grabbed the guard's collar. The cold light flashing in his eyes was terrifying.
Looking into that icy gaze that seemed to freeze everything in an instant, the usually composed guard couldn't help but tremble, his words stammering, "The young master has been murdered... right at the foot of the mountain outside the city..."
Dongfang Heng felt a sudden boom, his mind instantly went blank, and he could no longer hear what the guard said next. Only one sentence kept echoing in his ears:
The Crown Prince has been murdered!
The Crown Prince has been murdered!
My elder brother was murdered? How could that be? His martial arts skills were so high, how could he possibly die!
"This is impossible!" Dongfang Heng's jade-like fingers clenched tightly, his handsome face turning terrifyingly gloomy. He roared, turned around abruptly, and strode out of the living room. He did not believe that Dongfang Xun was dead. He would never believe such baseless rumors without seeing it with his own eyes.
Shen Lixue was also shocked by the news and couldn't come to her senses. Her mind was in chaos. Wasn't Dongfang Xun always taking care of the old prince at the Holy Prince's Mansion? How could he have died at the foot of the mountain?
Looking up, she only caught a glimpse of Dongfang Heng's white robes fluttering in the wind as he departed. His lightness skill was extremely high, and he was moving very quickly, so his speed must have been incredibly fast. Her lightness skill was only average, and she simply couldn't catch up with him.
"Someone, prepare the carriage!" The foot of the mountain outside the city is quite a distance from the War King's Mansion. Shen Lixue's lightness skill and internal strength are not sophisticated enough. Taking a carriage is faster than her using lightness skill.
"Li Xue!" A gentle voice called out. In the sunlight, Dongfang Zhan, dressed in a royal blue brocade robe, walked slowly forward, his dimples smiling, his demeanor as warm and refined as jade: "Where are you rushing to prepare the car?"
"Leave the city!" Shen Lixue's thoughts were all on Dongfang Heng and the murdered Dongfang Xun, and she had no intention of saying anything more to Dongfang Zhan.
Dongfang Zhan smiled and said, "The carriage is relatively slow. How about I use my light-foot technique to take you there?"
"No need!" Shen Lixue glared coldly at Dongfang Zhan. She didn't want any contact with him, much less any connection with him.
"Li Xue!" The Empress Dowager, supported by a palace maid, walked over slowly, her gaze kind and gentle.
"Empress Dowager." Shen Lixue gave a slight curtsy, concealing the doubt and confusion in her eyes.
The Empress Dowager looked at Shen Lixue: "The guard reported that Xun'er has been in trouble?"
"Yes!" Shen Lixue heard every word the guard said clearly: Dongfang Xun had been murdered.
"Are you going to the foot of the mountain outside the city?" the Empress Dowager asked.