Attending Court Before Dawn
"No, we've been busy all day, and we have more important things to do tomorrow. If there's nothing else here, Scholar Zhao, we'll take our leave," Lord Mo quickly declined.
Tomorrow's grand announcement ceremony will certainly keep the Ministry of Rites very busy. Since Lord Mo said so, the old lady and Lady Zhu couldn't stay any longer. They packed up some pastries and some good tea, and asked Liu Quan to see Lord Mo off properly.
As soon as Lord Mo left, the two urged Zhao Ruxi, "Put your clothes on, let us see."
Zhao Ruxi naturally had to try it on. If there were any problems with the clothes, she could get them altered in time.
They returned to the backyard, Zhao Ruxi went to the old lady's bedroom to change her clothes.
The official robes of the Great Jin's Jinshi degree holders were blue. Due to the dyeing techniques, the blue was not very bright and had a slightly dull appearance.
Perhaps not wanting Zhao Ruxi to stand out too much during the imperial examination ceremony, making the other scholars look like mere foils, her entire outfit was made of the same fabric as the male scholars' official robes, only in a women's style. The style was simple and elegant, with cloud patterns embroidered only on the cuffs and collar. The whole outfit looked both elegant and dignified, appearing extremely grand.
Of course, if Zhao Ruxi were short or slightly overweight, this dress wouldn't look good on her. Especially in front of a group of male scholars who were all taller than her, she would appear completely lacking in presence.
However, she was already taller than girls her age, and with improved nutrition in the past two years and daily Zhao Ruxi practice, she grew even taller, reaching 1.68 meters. Such a height is quite average among modern girls who are generally well-nourished and drink milk from a young age, but in ancient times, she was considered tall for a woman.
With such a figure, coupled with Zhao Ruxi's inherent temperament, her features are well-defined, her eyes are bright and black, and her skin is fair. Wearing this slightly dark blue dress further accentuates her elegance.
In addition, the officials of the Ministry of Ministry of Rites also put a lot of thought into the headdress.
The three-branch, nine-leaf crown worn by the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) was reduced to two-thirds of its original size. Made from the same fabric and pattern as the male Jinshi's, it was crafted into a crown-like hair ornament. After Zhao Ruxi finished combing her hair, it was placed directly on top of her head, resembling a crown worn by a Western princess. It neither obscured her hair nor detracted from her clothing, further emphasizing Zhao Ruxi's snow-white skin and ink-black eyes. She appeared extremely noble and elegant.
Looking at Zhao Ruxi coming out of the house, Lady Zhu smiled broadly and exclaimed three times, "Good, good, good!"
The old lady immediately commented, "The clothes you made for her before were beautiful, but it was hard to tell whether the clothes complemented the person or the person complemented the clothes. This set of clothes sent by the Ministry of Rites perfectly complements the person. At first glance, everyone will think the person is exceptionally beautiful, but the clothes are nothing special. If the clothes were more beautiful, I wonder what a stunning beauty she would be. Oh my, truly worthy of the embroiderers from the Ministry of Ministry of Rites and the palace; their clothes are indeed excellent."
Lady Zhu, however, was unconvinced. "What?! The Ministry of Rites could only use this fabric; they had no other choice. The style was also to be as simple and elegant as possible, to match the style of the male scholars. The fact that you can achieve this effect only shows that our Miss Xi is beautiful and has a good temperament. Why don't you try it on someone else?"
The old lady immediately changed her tune. "You're right, it's true that our Miss Xi is so outstanding that she makes such ordinary clothes look so good."
Zhao Ruxi: "..."
These two are definitely granddaughters (daughters) who are being overly enthusiastic.
After praising her, the old lady ruthlessly ordered her clothes to be stripped off, "Quickly take off the girl's clothes and hang them on the rack. Have someone keep a close watch on her tonight. If anything goes wrong, you'll be in big trouble."
Then she urged Zhao Ruxi, "Go back to sleep quickly, so you'll have the energy to participate in the grand ceremony tomorrow."
The grand ceremony of announcing the birth of a noblewoman had never been attended before. Her daughter, Miss Xi, was the first, a moment that would be recorded in history. Just thinking about it made the old lady very happy.
Zhao Ruxi had no choice but to return to Slender Bamboo Courtyard to sleep. As for the set of official robes worn by the Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), they were left in the old lady's courtyard. The old lady was worried and wanted to keep an eye on them herself, no matter how much Lady Zhu and Zhao Ruxi tried to persuade her.
Before four o'clock the next day, Zhao Ruxi was dragged out of bed by Matron Yuan, Matron Jin, and Matron Zhou —don't ask why Matron Jin, who served the old lady, and Matron Zhou, who served Lady Zhu, were here; just say you don't know.
She dressed and washed in a daze, only coming to her senses when Lady Zhu personally placed a cold handkerchief soaked in well water on Zhao Ruxi's face.
"Mother, are you really my mother?" Zhao Ruxi cried out.
"No, I'm a stepmother." Lady Zhu cruelly distorted the facts and further attacked Zhao Ruxi, "If you were to become a fifth-rank official, you'd have to attend court every day, and you'd have to get up at this time every day."
Zhao Ruxi was fully awake.
Whoever set this rule of holding court in the dark is truly inhumane. Even if one is diligent in governing, is it necessary to push oneself to such an extreme? Disgusting!
Modern office workers complain endlessly about their 9-to-5 jobs; why not try being an official in ancient times?
After hastily eating a few pastries—daring not to drink water or eat anything with soup— Zhao Ruxi, who had the potential to be a tyrant, was stuffed into a sedan chair, her mouth dry and parched, and taken to the palace.
Having learned from the previous experience, Zhu Hehuai made a point of getting up early today to go to the Earl of Suiping's Residence to invite Zhao Ruxi to go together, so as to prevent his niece from being bumped into.
These newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) will wait at Gate of Heavenly Peace today, and together with princes and officials, enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony and stand on the left and right, listening respectfully as the names and rankings of those who passed the examinations are read out.
Fortunately, the Earl of Suiping's Residence was very close to the palace, and the sedan chair stopped after traveling for a while under the illumination of the lanterns.
"Miss, we've arrived," Lady Luo whispered.
The area in front of the palace was quite different from other places. To keep it clean, ministers dared not come by carriage—if a horse defecated in front of the palace, it would be considered disrespectful to the royal family and punishable by death. Everyone usually traveled by sedan chair.
If they traveled by sedan chair, the accompanying servants would have to walk. This was very tiring for Qingfeng and the other maids.
In addition, women were taboo to participate in politics in ancient times, and women generally did not set foot in Gate of Heavenly Peace and the Hall of Supreme Harmony; ministers were afraid that the emperor would misunderstand them as being licentious and extravagant, so they dared not bring their maids to the palace gates.
Considering all the above circumstances, the women of the Earl of Suiping's Residence, spanning three generations, discussed the matter and felt that it was inappropriate for Zhao Ruxi, being a woman, to only have male attendants. However, they had to respect the established rules. In the end, they decided to have Ma Sheng and Lady Luo accompany her in the sedan chair. Although Lady Luo did not need to specifically conceal her female characteristics, she dressed in men's clothing, which was a way of keeping her identity a secret and complying with the rules.
Complete compliance is impossible. Since Zhao Ruxi, as a woman, has come to the main hall, it is perfectly reasonable for her to bring a female attendant.