The Prince of Yanbei also returned to the prince's mansion at this time.
The Prince of Yanbei's return to Yunyang City at this moment was undoubtedly to personally preside over Xiao Jinglin's coming-of-age ceremony.
Although the selection of guests needed to follow certain procedures, generally speaking, the principal guest was chosen in advance.
Regarding the principal guest for Princess Xiao's coming-of-age ceremony, speculation suggested it would either be the wife of the headmaster of Yunyang Academy, Lady Xu, or the elderly matriarch of the Yun Family. Among them, Lady Xu, Ouyang Shi, seemed the more likely candidate.
A few days earlier, Xiao Jinglin had sent a letter to Ren Yaoqi, expressing her wish to invite her to serve as the assistant at her coming-of-age ceremony. The Princess Consort had not commented on the matter but instructed Ren Yaoqi to prepare in advance.
Ren Yaoqi felt that serving as the assistant at the coming-of-age ceremony of the Commandery Princess of Yanbei was somewhat inappropriate for her status.
However, two days before the ceremony, rumors circulated that the principal guest for the princess's coming-of-age ceremony had been confirmed as Lady Xu, Ouyang Shi, while the assistant would be the Yun Family Eldest Miss, Yun Qiuchen. Ren Yaoqi's name was not mentioned. Ren Yaoqi understood that Xiao Jinglin's coming-of-age ceremony was not like that of an ordinary young lady and likely involved many intricate details. Thus, upon hearing this news, she found it quite normal.
Nevertheless, Xiao Jinglin did not send any further messages, which Ren Yaoqi found somewhat strange.
Instead, an invitation from the Yanbei Prince's Mansion arrived. To Ren Yaoqi's surprise, the invitation included not only her but also her mother, Madam Li, and her elder sister, Ren Yaohua. Upon receiving this invitation, Ren Yaoqi felt deeply grateful to the Princess Consort. At this time, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion's willingness to openly support Madam Li would make her future social interactions in Yunyang City much easier.
The day before the coming-of-age ceremony was the "guest lodging" ritual, where the selected principal guest was formally invited. In ordinary households, the host would personally extend the invitation to the principal guest. However, due to the special status of the Prince and Princess Consort of Yanbei, it was expected that a palace ritual official would be dispatched to perform this ceremony.
But on the day of the "guest lodging" ritual, the Princess Consort left the mansion in a palace carriage.
Everyone assumed that since the Princess Consort and Lady Xu, Ouyang Shi, shared a teacher-student relationship, the Princess Consort was likely showing respect to her mentor by personally extending the invitation. The Princess Consort's carriage indeed passed through Zhengyang Street and headed toward Treasure Vase Alley.
However, what ultimately astonished everyone was that the Princess Consort's carriage did not pass through Treasure Vase Alley on its way to Yunyang Academy. Instead, it stopped in front of an ordinary residence within the alley. Attendants from the carriage then went to knock on the door.
With a creak, the door of the residence opened. The elderly gatekeeper glanced outside and, upon seeing so many carriages parked at the entrance, showed no sign of alarm. After inquiring about the visitors' identities, he immediately returned to the inner quarters to inform the master of the house.
Shortly after, the door of the residence swung open from the inside. A woman in her twenties hurried out, bowed respectfully toward the Princess Consort's sedan chair, and said politely, "Esteemed guest, you are welcome. The master of the house awaits your honored presence at the inner gate."Nanny Xin, who served by the Princess Consort's side, came out to give a few instructions. The Princess Consort's carriage then slowly drove through the not-so-wide golden-pillared gate. Because the alley was somewhat narrow, even with both gates open, it was inconvenient for the following carriages to enter together. Thus, the attendants and maids accompanying the Princess Consort alighted from their carriages at the entrance and followed her carriage on foot into the residence.
After everyone had entered, to avoid blocking the alley and to make way for the Princess Consort's carriage to exit later, the carriages parked at the gate were gradually driven into the courtyard through the back gate. Although the facade of this residence was not large, the interior was quite spacious, with enough room in the backyard to park over a dozen carriages.
As for what the Princess Consort discussed with the host inside this private residence, outsiders had no way of finding out. However, the identity of the owner of this residence was well-known throughout Yunyang City, as it was the home of the deposed Prince Xian, Li Qian.
The deposed Prince Xian had been in Yanbei for over a decade, but he and the Yanbei Prince's Mansion had always kept their distance. No one from the Xianwang Residence had ever visited the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, nor had any of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion's authorities ever set foot in the deposed Prince Xian's courtyard. This time, however, the Princess Consort of Yanbei had openly come to pay a visit. The implications of this inevitably led to much speculation among outsiders.
The Princess Consort of Yanbei did not stay long at the deposed Prince Xian's residence, spending only about a quarter of an hour before emerging and boarding her carriage again.
The carriages she had brought also gradually drove out from the back gate, following the Princess Consort as she slowly departed.
The Princess Consort of Yanbei's initial visit to the Xianwang Residence sparked considerable speculation at the time. Various theories circulated, but everyone agreed that the actions of those in high positions were never without deeper meaning, and the Princess Consort's visit was certainly no exception.
Ren Yaoqi naturally learned of this news very quickly. She was somewhat surprised but guessed it might be related to Xiao Jinglin's coming-of-age ceremony. However, she knew that many eyes were likely watching her maternal family's every move at this time, so she did not send anyone to ask Madam Li for an explanation. After all, she would soon learn what she needed to know.
On the second day, the official date of Xiao Jinglin's coming-of-age ceremony, everyone finally discovered the reason for the Princess Consort of Yanbei's visit to Treasure Vase Alley: Rong Shi, the Princess Consort of Xian, was invited to serve as the principal guest at Princess Xiao's coming-of-age ceremony.
This outcome seemed expected. Indeed, aside from this matter, what other reason would the Princess Consort have to openly pay a visit?
However, Rong Shi's role as the principal guest also seemed somewhat unexpected. In principle, the principal guest should not only be esteemed and respected but also blessed with both fortune and longevity. Although Rong Shi had once been the principal consort of a prince, she now resided in Yanbei under what could be considered a status of disgrace. Was it truly appropriate to invite her as the principal guest?
Facing the overt and covert suspicions of the crowd, the Princess Consort offered a light-hearted explanation: "This is the will of heaven. It was the candidate divined by the prince's mansion's astrologer. Even the prince's mansion must comply with the mandate of heaven."
In response to the Princess Consort's explanation, everyone outwardly expressed cheerful understanding, but privately, few truly believed it. People connected this with the recent marriage alliance between the Zeng and Wu families in Ningxia, speculating in secret whether the Yanbei Prince's Mansion was also planning to elevate the deposed Prince Xian to provoke the imperial court in the south.However, regarding whether Prince Xian could truly make a comeback, most people considered it unlikely. Even if the Yanbei Prince's Mansion intended to elevate the Xianwang Residence to counter the imperial court, the Prince Xian's family would merely be a few pawns to be summoned and dismissed at will—presentable but without substantial significance.
When the Ren Family patriarch learned this news, he was quite surprised. After some thought, he decided to adopt a wait-and-see attitude for the time being. He also did not believe that the Xianwang Residence could turn its fortunes overnight—otherwise, what had they been doing all these years?
Nevertheless, out of caution, he sent his eldest son, Ren Shizhong, to Yunyang City to inquire about the situation from Ren Shimin. Unfortunately, Ren Shimin knew nothing and could provide no answers, so Ren Shizhong returned empty-handed.
When Ren Yaoqi saw her maternal grandmother, Rong Shi, at the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, she was no longer as surprised. She thought it might be because Rong Shi was to serve as the principal officiant, which was why she had not been chosen as Xiao Jinglin's assistant; otherwise, it would have drawn too much attention.
However, Ren Yaoqi also reflected that since Xiao Jinglin had sent her a message to prepare earlier, it indicated that there had not been much opposition to her serving as the assistant—at least, the Princess Consort had not refused. The change in personnel occurred three days ago during the "divination for the officiant," which happened to be the day the Prince of Yanbei returned to the mansion. She wondered if there was any connection between these events.
When Rong Shi saw Madam Li and her daughter, she smiled and nodded at them. At the time, she was sitting and chatting with the Princess Consort of Yanbei, so she beckoned Madam Li over to pay her respects to the Princess Consort.
The Princess Consort took Madam Li's hand and invited her to sit down and join the conversation. She then spoke familiarly to Ren Yaoqi, smiling, "Your mother and sister will stay here to chat with me. Why don't you go check if Jinglin is ready? There's only half an hour left before the ceremony begins. If she's prepared, we'll head to Chengde Hall."
Chengde Hall was equivalent to the ancestral temple of the Xiao clan in the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. It was usually closed and only opened during festivals for ancestral worship or ceremonies. Xiao Jinglin's coming-of-age ceremony would take place in the eastern chamber of Chengde Hall.
Ren Yaoqi acknowledged and turned to leave.
Having visited Yanbei many times, she was already very familiar with the Yanbei Prince's Mansion and did not need a guide to find Xiao Jinglin.
Xiao Jinglin was almost ready and seemed to have been waiting for Ren Yaoqi. When she saw her, she dismissed all the attendants who had helped her bathe and change, leaving only Hongying to serve.
Xiao Jinglin immediately said, "I'm sorry. Originally, my mother had agreed to let you serve as my assistant, so I thought..."
Ren Yaoqi smiled and took her hand, saying, "It's fine. This arrangement is also good."
Seeing that Ren Yaoqi bore no resentment, Xiao Jinglin sighed in relief and said, "I didn't expect your grandmother to be the principal officiant either, but you're right—this outcome isn't bad."
Xiao Jinglin and Ren Yaoqi exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously.
Since the Prince of Yanbei had invited Rong Shi to serve as the principal officiant, it was a statement regarding the private alliance previously formed between Xiao Jingxi and the Xianwang Residence. This meant that, at least for the short term, they need not worry about becoming adversaries.
The two chatted for a while longer until the Princess Consort sent someone to summon them when the time was near. They then proceeded to Chengde Hall.This was Ren Yaoqi's first time visiting Chengde Hall. All the buildings in the Yanbei Prince's Mansion were solemn and imposing, and Chengde Hall, serving as the ancestral temple, carried an even more dignified style than the other halls.
The Prince and Princess Consort, Rong Shi, as well as the invited guests, had already gathered in the East Hall.
Xiao Jinglin, with her hair loose, was led before the Prince and Princess Consort, while Ren Yaoqi retreated to stand beside Madam Li and Ren Yaohua.
Votes, please～o(∩_∩)o
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