"Here, put on the cloak again." Minrong looked at her daughter who was dressed up with satisfaction. Although she was only five years old, she had a white and tender face and bright eyes. In addition to her body, which had not yet fully grown, the baby on her cheeks
The fat is still obvious, and she may not be a girl who stands out at first glance among her peers who are also dressed in the same dress. However, compared with the time before and after the menacing illness in September, Xi'er is truly full of vitality now.
"Mom, can you not wear this cloak?" Jinxi suggested with a wrinkled face.
"Why? The gold-threaded cloak is the favorite of Manchu noblewomen. It not only symbolizes dignity in terms of status, but the material is also very good. It can protect you from wind and rain, and is most suitable for wind and snow weather. E Niang is afraid that you will be cold, so she specially
I’m going to get it customized.”
Min Rong really didn't understand why her daughter disliked this custom-made cloak that cost a lot of money. If she hadn't had the official title of master's second grade, the shopkeeper of Jinxiyi would not let her jump in line. If the queue was based on the first-come, first-served rule
Customized items may not be available even after the Chinese New Year. Xi'er has always been in good health, but she suffered a serious illness not long ago. She doesn't want to make any mistakes again.
Jinxi curled her lips, swallowed her protest, and obediently let the cheap girl put on the large cloak that reached her ankles. It wasn't that she didn't want warmth but style, or that she disliked its gaudy style, but that she was not tall enough.
The one-meter-two-meter-old baby wears an oversized cloak that reaches to his ankles. From a distance, he looks like a penguin, and up close, he looks like a penguin.
While Minrong tied the rope buckle on her chest, Jinxi secretly made up her mind: She must design next year's winter coat and cloak herself.
…………
"What are you two bothering about? I'll wait for you." Brothers Fei Yanggu and Qi Ke and Qi Chen stood beside the carriage. When they saw Minrong holding Jinxi coming out of the garden, their eyes lit up, but their mouths were still confused.
He urged patiently.
"My sister is so beautiful today." Qi Chen rubbed Jin Xi's head and praised sincerely.
Today is the first time that Jin Xi wears a flag dress. Once she puts on this tailor-made pink girl's flag dress with silver filigree, she has matured a lot.
In the past few months, I have been drinking milk and exercising every day, and my height has increased significantly. Fortunately, I am not old enough to learn the rules yet, so I don’t need to step on the bottom of a flower pot that is worse than high heels to enter the palace for banquets.
. On the other hand, cheap girls are much more tired.
From this point of view, in the past three years, she did not need to accompany her cheap father to attend this annual palace banquet, which had both advantages and disadvantages.
"Brother is also very beautiful today." Jin Xi responded with an extremely bright smile, which almost made Qi Chen's eyes dazzle.
"Silly girl, how can you say that a man is beautiful?" Qi Ke pinched her pink cheeks in a funny way. Seeing that Fujin had boarded the carriage with Amma's help, he also picked up Jinxi and followed.
"It's also beautiful, why can't men use it?" Jin Xi made a face. In modern times, beautiful is used more or less to describe men.
"You!" Qi Ke pinched the tip of her nose and shook his head fondly.
Since childhood, the weather in the capital has never been sunny. The scattered snow flakes, sometimes big and sometimes small, have not stopped for several days. Therefore, Fei Yanggu, who has always been accustomed to riding into the palace, is now sitting with Minrong.
Got on the carriage.
Brothers Jin Xi, Qi Ke and Qi Chen followed in the same carriage. The two carriages passed through several snow-covered alleys one after another and drove slowly towards the palace.
…………
There were two New Year's Eve feasts in the Qing Palace.
One was a grand palace banquet scheduled to be held between the 25th and 28th of the twelfth lunar month. In attendance were the emperor, princes over six years old, Mongolian princes, first- and second-rank civil and military ministers, and their families.
Another time was the serious emperor's family banquet. It was the reunion day where the emperor, his parents, women, and children gathered together.
Therefore, the feast on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is more grand and luxurious than the family banquet on the New Year's Eve.
The carriage stopped at the gate of the Forbidden City.
Outside vehicles and horses are not allowed to enter the inner city. This is one of the laws of the Qing Dynasty.
After being carried off the carriage by Qi Ke, Jin Xi stood obediently beside Min Rong. He looked up at the tall hall with red walls and gold tiles in the city, and couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
"Let's go, it's almost the end of the day." Fei Yanggu led Qi Ke and Qi Chen, and after greeting several familiar colleagues, he came to the mother and father's side.
"Eh? Isn't that Min Rong? Min Rong! I haven't seen you for three years, right?! Why are you free to come here today?" A sharp greeting came from behind.
Jinxi turned around with Minrong, and a noble woman in a silver-red flag outfit walked up to Minrong with the support of a maid.
"It turns out to be Sister Yuan Ling. Long time no see." Minrong smiled and nodded, not minding the sting in the other person's words at all.
"That's the right thing to do. For this New Year's Eve feast, bring out an aunt who is neither serious nor serious. If you don't know, Minrong is no longer in Ulanala Mansion." The woman smiled brightly at Fei Yanggu.
.Completely ignoring the cold and angry look on Fei Yanggu's face.
"Minrong, let's catch up on old times when you have time. Don't stay bored at home. This is your daughter, right? She's quite handsome. I'll let the old man find a good family through a draft by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in a few years."
"Thank you sister for your concern. Xi'er is only five years old and is still far away from the draft." Minrong smiled and declined the other party's kindness.
"Oh, this is the time that waits for no one. Look, three years have passed in the blink of an eye. In less than three years, it's time to enter the palace, right?" The woman refused to give up, as if she was not affected by the blow.
Minrong looked bleak and vowed not to give up.
Jinxi glanced at the extremely ugly but hidden face of the cheap father, and saw that the cheap mother also answered the conversation in a good voice and with a smile. She must have a good background for this woman.
"Eniang, Eniang, I want to relieve myself..." Jinxi tugged at the hem of Minrong's clothes and said hurriedly in a low voice that could be heard by the other party.
"This..." Minrong glanced at the other party with a troubled expression, "I'm sorry, Xi'er is not sensible...Sister Yuanling..."
"The child is fine. It's fine. Take her there quickly. It's time for me to visit the Queen Mother... Next time, remember to come out and have tea with us. Yuan Qing and the others are also thinking about you." The woman stepped on
Holding the bottom of the flowerpot and waving her handkerchief, she walked gracefully towards the palace gate.
"Xi'er, can you hold it in?" Minrong withdrew her gaze, lowered her head and asked her daughter.
Fei Yanggu, on the other hand, glanced at Jinxi thoughtfully, with a smile on his lips, and took the lead in leading the smiling brothers Qi Ke and Qi Chen through the palace gate of the inner city.
What a cunning fox. Jin Xi couldn’t help but sneered. Then she nodded towards Min Rong, “I can do that, E Niang. Do you know the lady just now...Xi’er?”
"Logically, you should call her aunt. Although she is a distant relative, she is also a member of the Nalan clan. It's a pity... your cousin died young, and she was also a miserable person..." Minrong held her hand and followed her.
Behind Fei Yanggu and his son, they walked slowly in the Forbidden City. Their words were a little lonely.
"Cousin?" Jin Xi raised her head in confusion, "Eniang, are you the same distant relative as Aunt Ningjing?"
"Yes. Your maternal grandfather's family is a relatively declining branch of the Nalan clan. For some reason, it has always been estranged from the direct branch headed by Lord Mingzhu."
"Master Mingzhu?" Jinxi chewed the name playfully. Could it be Nalan Mingzhu, one of the powerful officials of the Kangxi Dynasty?
As a historian, she had heard about this character through "Nalan Ci" written by his son Nalan Xingde. She also knew that Nalan Mingzhu would be dismissed from office by Kangxi. Well... so...
It seems that it is better for the cheap mother's natal family to stay away from her.
Huh? Wait, cousin...
"Mother, what's your cousin's name? Xi'er has no memory."
"Rong Ruo. It's a pity that... he got seriously ill in July and passed away. No wonder Yuan Ling was so cynical... After six years of marriage, he didn't even leave a child. Just... if it were any woman,
I may not be able to bear it..." Minrong swallowed the word "widow" that she almost blurted out. Xi'er is still young, how can she criticize others in front of her like this?!
Hearing this, Jin Xi couldn't help but take a breath.
What a pity! If I could have come a few months earlier, would I have been able to meet Nalan Xingde, one of the representatives of Huajian Ci who left a name in the history of Ci?
Yeah - bah bah! She wished she could return to modern times right away. How could she expect to come months earlier?!
…………
The Qing Palace's New Year's Eve feast was indeed extraordinary. It made Jinxi, who had experienced several company-style New Year's Eve dinners in later generations, sigh for a while.
Hundreds of six-person round banquets are neatly placed on the east and west sides of the Qianqing Palace banquet hall. At the northern end of the two rows of banquet tables is Kangxi's multi-level table seat.
Each banquet table is arranged from north to south according to the official rank.
Second-grade officials are lined up at the end of the south end. After entering the south gate, they are just a few tables away.
Fei Yanggu took Qi Ke and Qi Chen to a table with his colleagues. Jinxi followed Minrong and sat at the back table, sharing the same table with four other female family members of second-rank officials.
Although this seat is far away from Kangxi, it is difficult to admire the appearance and heroic appearance of a generation of emperors. However, he can hide in a corner and enjoy the palace banquet of the Qing Dynasty, eat and drink a royal meal, and Jinxi is also happy and comfortable
.
At noon, the whip sounded and the whole hall fell into silence.
Following the shrill announcement of "The Emperor's arrival," a young man in dragon robe strode up to the throne.
Behind him were his group of princes who had already participated in the morning court, filing into their respective seats.
After bowing and sitting down, Jin Xi squinted her eyes and noticed that the prince who had taken away two of her treasures that day was sitting upright in the banquet, occasionally turning his head to talk to his brother sitting next to him.
Tsk...the eight-year-old young lady has matured so precociously.
As everyone knows, she doesn't look like a five-year-old baby in the eyes of outsiders.
As soon as Yinzhen entered the banquet hall, he caught a glimpse of Jinxi. The pink flag dress made her skin whiter, and the gold and silver hairband added a bit of charm to her against the high hanging red lantern.
The hand that raised the glass shook. He actually used the adjective to describe a mature woman on a five-year-old baby. How terrible!