The ninth day of September is the Double Ninth Festival.
The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional folk festival that falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year.
In the early morning of this day, Bai Yanqing was woken up by the faint noise. When she had washed herself and dressed neatly, she walked out of the palace door and saw the busy palace people.
Today is the Double Ninth Festival, and all the palace people are busy preparing holiday supplies.
The imperial palace has always paid more attention to these traditional festivals. And people have always believed that the Double Ninth Festival is a day of happiness, auspiciousness and reunion! Therefore, whenever these traditional and auspicious festivals come, most emperors will give banquets in the palace. Therefore, during festive seasons, the palace seems extremely busy and lively!
The Double Ninth Festival, in addition to being a happy and auspicious festival, is also one of the most important ancestor worship festivals among the people. There is a tradition of worshiping ancestors and praying for future generations!
On this day, the emperor would lead the princes, princesses, concubines and other royal relatives in the palace to worship their ancestors in the Fengxian Hall. Therefore, today, Yunqi entered the palace early and stayed with the emperor together with other princes.
After the emperor and empress had taken a bath and purified themselves, palace attendants would dress and crown them.
Mianfu is the dress worn by the emperor when offering sacrifices. Mianfu is divided into crowns, tops, lower garments, knee-coverings, 舄, gui, pei, sash and so on. Complicated formal attires often require several palace attendants to serve at the side, and it takes a long time before the emperor can dress them up!
Due to this year's autumn election, there are still many daughters from aristocratic families in the palace, in order to avoid extraneous matters and unnecessary trouble. Therefore, the emperor decreed that this year's Double Ninth Festival ancestor worship in the palace should be simple. Therefore, for the ancestor worship this time, it is enough for the emperor to take the queen, as well as the princes and princesses in the palace to worship at the Fengxian Hall. The rest of the people are waiting outside the hall and are not allowed to enter.
As soon as Chen Shi arrived, there were palace servants in front of him who came to Qiyun Palace to deliver a message. It is said that the emperor ordered that everyone in the harem should wait outside the Fengxian Hall to wait for the emperor to worship their ancestors.
In fact, even if the emperor did not give this oral order, the people in the harem would rush to wait outside the Fengxian Palace. After all, for the women in the harem, this was a rare opportunity to meet the emperor. How could they not cherish it?
"Miss, it's cold in the morning, so put on a cloak!"
Cai Xing considerately took out a thick cloak and put it on Bai Yanqing's shoulders. He put it on for her carefully, for fear that she would freeze again.
Now, it is late autumn, and the weather is getting colder and colder. When she thought of having to wait outside the Fengxian Hall for several hours, Bai Yanqing was filled with reluctance.
"Hey, it turns out that I have never suffered like this when I was in my own house."
Bai Yanqing complained quietly to Cai Xing.
Seeing this, Cai Xing quickly covered Bai Yanqing's mouth, fearing that the walls had ears and those palace servants who loved gossiping would listen to her.
Although Bai Yanqing was sent to Zhuangzi by the Ren family for several years in her early years, she was still allowed to be taken back to the Bai family every year during the Double Ninth Festival to participate in ancestor worship.
The Bai family's ancestor worship is naturally simpler than the emperor's family's ancestor worship. The whole family, crowded together in the ancestral hall, knelt down and worshiped in front of the tablets of their ancestors, burned paper, and offered sacrifices, and that was it! There are not so many taboos in the Bai family. The young and old in the family, including Bai Jingxuan and his daughter, Ren and Nahuizi, and Bai Furong, her mother and her daughter, are temporarily staying in the Bai family. Because Lai Feiyan and Lai Bizhi were from a different surname, they did not have to kneel down and bow. They stood far away and bowed, which was considered a sign of respect for the ancestors of the Bai family!
Thinking of this, Bai Yanqing missed the days outside the palace even more. Unfettered, free, not bound by all kinds of rules, not constrained by all kinds of red tape, days like that... It seems like they will never happen again, right?
I wonder if the Bai family is here today, like in previous years, with everyone gathered around to worship their ancestors in the ancestral hall?
Why……
"Miss, miss, this is the Double Ninth Festival cake that my servant made for you early in the morning. You can eat a few pieces of mat first! I don't know how long we will wait when we go to Fengxian Hall!"
Cai Xing brought a stack of cakes and placed them in front of Bai Yanqing's eyes, pulling her out of deep thought.
Double Ninth Cake is also known as Five Color Cake or Chrysanthemum Cake. Its preparation method is also relatively casual! Layer by layer, put your favorite nuts, red beans, red dates and other ingredients, layer by layer, stack up to nine layers, steam it! Its meaning is also very beautiful. It means rising steadily, and it also means "promoting step by step"!
The soft, glutinous and sweet Double Ninth Cake is so soft in the mouth that it can be easily eaten by people in their seventies or eighties, the elderly who have lost all their teeth, and the infants who have not yet started teething!
Bai Yanqing took the Double Ninth Cake handed over by Cai Xing and put it into her mouth. The sweet, fragrant and soft Double Ninth Cake was not sweet at all! Because Bai Yanqing doesn't like sweets on weekdays, Cai Xing did not add any additional sugar during the steaming process. The sweetness that Bai Yanqing can taste is all the sweetness of the red dates themselves.
"Well, the craftsmanship is good. Wrap up a few more pieces and I'll take them to His Highness to try!"
Bai Yanqing subconsciously gave instructions to Cai Xing. Cai Xing was amazed!
"Huh? Our young lady is becoming more and more caring now!"
Caixing joked with a smile, then obediently took out a clean handkerchief, wrapped a few more Double Ninth Festival cakes, and stuffed them into Bai Yanqing's hand.
Bai Yanqing smiled mockingly, stuffed the handkerchief containing the Double Ninth Cake into her sleeve, ignored Cai Xing, pretended to be angry, and walked out minding her own business. Seeing this, Cai Xing hurriedly raised his feet and followed!
"Have you ever eaten some bedding? You'll faint from hunger later, and I won't let you down!"
Bai Yanqing said angrily when she saw Cai Xing following him.
"I've eaten it a long time ago. If I don't taste it first, how can I know if it's cooked?"
Cai Xing was happy, knowing that Bai Yanqing felt sorry for herself!
In the morning, Cai Xing indeed steamed a lot of Double Ninth Festival cakes! However, she didn't control the heat quite right, so she tried several times before steaming it successfully! So, she picked some, looked at the smooth ones, and gave them to Bai Yanqing to eat. Those unsightly, not neat and broken Double Ninth Festival cakes got into Cai Xing's own stomach! Thinking of this, Caixing couldn't help but burped! There are quite a lot of those broken Double Ninth Festival cakes!
Outside Fengxian Hall.
When Bai Yanqing and Cai Xing arrived, many concubines from the harem had already arrived. There were many people standing densely on both sides of the door of Fengxian Hall! Bai Yanqing didn't want to step forward to join in the fun. She pulled Cai Xing and stood calmly at the end!
About half an hour later, the emperor and the queen, surrounded by everyone, appeared on the stage! Behind them were the princes and princesses.
Yunqi is the eldest son, so he naturally follows closely behind the emperor! When he inadvertently looked up and saw Bai Yanqing at the end of the team, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth! However, Bai Yanqing knelt on the ground with everyone and did not see this scene!
"quiet!"
As the Grand Eunuch next to the emperor shouted at the top of his voice, the surroundings became so quiet for an instant! Everyone knelt on the ground and did not dare to move. Then, the emperor and empress, together with all the princes and princesses, followed each other step by step and walked towards the Fengxian Hall!
"How long...how long do you have to kneel!"
Bai Yanqing quietly asked the person next to her. She felt that her knees would be ruined if she kept kneeling like this!
Quietly, the person kneeling next to her ignored her.
Bai Yanqing smacked her lips secretly, are all the women in this palace mute?
I don't know how long it took, but as the sound of scriptures rang out, the ancestor worship ceremony finally began.
Headed by the emperor and empress, the princes and princesses behind them stood in two rows. Standing behind the emperor are the princes headed by Yun Qi! Standing behind the queen are the princesses!
The musicians played mournful music and rose to the sound of the scriptures.
Outside the Fengxian Hall, everyone knelt down and worshiped, with their palms clasped on the ground, their foreheads lightly placed on their hands, and kowtow to show their pious respect!
In the Fengxian Hall, the emperor led everyone to kneel down, hold his chest in his hands and lower his head, put his palms upside down, parallel to his chest, and then bend down to kowtow.
When the scriptures and the mournful music stopped, everyone raised their heads and straightened their bodies. They still knelt on the ground and were not allowed to get up. At this time, the palace servants from the Ministry of Internal Affairs brought the prepared sacrifices to the front, and then, under the guidance of the Grand Eunuch, placed the sacrificial supplies on the table one by one!
"knock!"
After the sacrifices were placed, everyone kowtowed again as the Grand Duke called out.
"Serve the wine!"
After the kowtow, everyone outside the Fengxian Hall was still kneeling, while the people inside the hall stood up to hold wine! Under the guidance of the palace servants, the wine in the wine glass in hand was poured in front of the tombs of the ancestors!
"Knock again!"
After the wine was poured out, amid the shouts of the Grand Eunuch, everyone in the Fengxian Hall knelt down again and kowtowed to the tablets of their ancestors!
"rise!"
When the three kowtows were completed, everyone stood up in the Fengxian Hall, led by the emperor! But everyone outside Fengxian Hall was still kneeling and not allowed to get up! The good thing is that I can straighten my body and no longer have to crouch on the ground!
Bai Yanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This royal ancestor worship was actually so troublesome! Kneel again and again, worship again and again, and kowtow again and again! It’s really tiring after all the tossing and turning!
The cold and hard floor tiles made Bai Yanqing's knees feel cold and painful. She couldn't help it, and quietly reached out her hands, trying to rub her knees, but Cai Xing behind her secretly held her back!
"Miss, no!"
Caixing quietly reminded Bai Yanqing.
Bai Yanqing had no choice but to straighten her body and kneel down while holding back the pain.
In the Fengxian Hall, the emperor and everyone stood up together and respectfully listened to the eminent monk reading the scriptures. I read the long scripture for a long time, so long that... Bai Yanqing felt that her knees were going to be worn out! It's been so long... Bai Yanqing can doze off while kneeling!
The people inside the Fengxian Hall stood and listened to the scriptures for as long as they stood, and the people outside the Fengxian Hall knelt for the same amount of time.
I don't know how long it took before the sound of scriptures in Fengxian Hall suddenly stopped.
Just when Bai Yanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she could finally stand up, the Grand Eunuch's voice came from the Fengxian Hall again!
"Burn paper!"
"kneel!"
With the sound of "Kneel down", everyone in the Fengxian Hall knelt down again. Accompanied by the blazing flames and flying ashes, everyone in the hall kowtowed again! The people outside Fengxian Hall bent down and prostrated on the ground, with their palms facing the ground, they tapped their foreheads on the back of their hands again, tapping four times in a row!
Bai Yanqing didn't know how others felt, but in short, she was really complaining secretly! Isn't this royal sacrificial process too complicated?
"The ceremony is over!"
Following this sound, which was like the sound of nature, Bai Yanqing seemed to be able to see a holy beam of light on the top of the Grand Eunuch's head!
After hearing this, everyone stood up one after another!
Because she had been kneeling for too long, Bai Yanqing's legs and feet were weak when she stood up. She almost fell down if she wasn't careful! Fortunately, Cai Xing behind her had quick eyes and quick hands and held her firmly, thus avoiding the embarrassment!
In the Fengxian Hall, the emperor led everyone. After bowing three times, he turned around and walked out of the hall!
It's finally over! Bai Yanqing sighed secretly!
We provide you with the fastest update of "The Silly Husband's Pampering of His Wife Has Been Planned for a Long Time" by the master An Zhanyan. In order that you can check the fastest update of this book next time, please be sure to save the bookmarks!
Chapter 109: Worshiping Ancestors in the Fengxian Hall is free to read.
