Chapter One The Wind and the Flowers

　　August 13th of this year was my fifteenth birthday, and also the day of my maturity ceremony. 　　My maturity ceremony was performed by Princess Jinmin, with the Empress as the guest of honor. 　　Come to observe the ceremony of all the inner wife and the capital of the prestige family female relatives, sideburns even clouds, BMW incense car in front of the temple winding miles and so. 　　Inside the east room, orchid soup bath, incense. 　　When the auspicious time came, the ceremonial music was finished, and from the outside came the ceremonial officer's long and loud voice, "The Lord of Shangyang County will perform the rite of maturity--" 　　I was dressed in a dress and shoes, with double hair, and under the guidance of the courtesan, I walked slowly across the long, brocade-lined ceremonial carpet, and came to the hall, where I saw that the Crown Princess, in full costume, had already taken her place on the west step. I kneeled to my parents on the main seat and the Empress on the guest seat, then I got up and bowed deeply to the south to thank the guests, and stepped into the ceremonial seat. 　　I tilted my head to look at the dignified Crown Princess and quietly raised the corner of my mouth. 　　Her eyes like water, dignified and meticulous, personally spread my double hair, pick up the disk of jade comb for me to comb my hair. 　　After combing, the crown princess retreated to the side, is the guest wash hands, the queen and the eldest princess and step down the jade steps. 　　I held my breath and hung my eyes, see a pair of Chaofeng Palace Crawler and apricot yellow luan pattern woven gold dress into the eyes. 　　Empress stood in front of me, solemn chanting, "the auspicious day of the month, the beginning of the yuan dress. Abandon your young aspirations, and follow you into virtue." 　　She sat on the seat, took the jade comb from the Princess, and put my long hair up in a high bun, and added a golden bun with a peony pattern carved through it. 　　I slowly lifted my face and saw the Empress of the world, my aunt, smiling like a spring day. 　　Princess Jinmin, my mother, stood at her side, her forehead swaying with a phoenix pendant, her eyes glistening with tears. 　　I am at the beginning of maturity, and I am wearing a plain jacket again. 　　I am kneeling and bowing to my parents, thanking the guests, and sitting squarely to the east. 　　My aunt once again stepped down from the jade steps and took the lotus flower hairpin from my mother's hand, and added the hairpin to my hairpin to congratulate me. 　　Then she added a deep train and bowed to me again. 　　I was seated with my face restrained, and then I was crowned with a golden phoenix crown with eight jewels and a wide-sleeved gown with a long train, and then I bowed again. 　　Layers of complicated dress plus body, hairpin crown towering, pendant necklace swaying, wide and long skirt curved behind, the past days of the lightness of the shirt is no longer, gradually feel that every move seems to have invisible pressure, so that I had to straighten my posture, solemn mind, to support the weight and solemnity. 　　Three plus three worship, and maturity rite has been. 　　Honorable elders sitting in the main seat, behind is Wang's ancestors of the generations of hanging statues overlooking me, every face on the portrait, every pair of eyes, through the glory of the family name and nobility, condensed silent sorrow and joy, through the centuries of years will be my cage. 　　The ceremonial officer sang in a long voice the words that every woman must listen to at her maturity ceremony: 　　"Serve your parents with filial piety, receive your children with kindness. Be gentle and upright, respectful and frugal. Don't be overflowing, don't be proud, don't be unfair, don't be deceitful. These are the ancient teachings that you should observe." 　　The sound echoed in the hall, and also in my heart. 　　"Though I am not sensitive, I dare to accept it." 　　I held my breath and knelt down with my palms raised to my eyebrows, bowing deeply. 　　I thanked my ancestors for their honor, the Empress for her maturity, and my parents and brothers. 　　I got up after the ceremony and slowly turned around. 　　Near and far, the colorful, bright hall is deep and open, and the surrounding area is solemn. 　　Under the feet of the jade bricks like a mirror, reflecting a faint shadow - high bun Saga, wide sleeves hanging clouds, this figure is so unfamiliar that I am in a trance. 　　The Empress, the First Princess, and the Crown Princess congratulated me in turn, my father and elder brother congratulated me, and the guests congratulated me. 　　I returned the greetings one by one, time and time again, convergence of the face and bowed his head, and then raised his face, to meet the eyes of all the people, independent of the center of the colorful flow of light. 　　In a few moments, the double maids dispersed, and underneath the crown and hairpin and deep clothes, thousands of splendors were gathered in one body. 　　For the first time, my parents and brothers stood behind me, and no one stood in front of me, opening their arms to shelter me. 　　The jade steps in front of the hall were so long that they seemed to lead me to a life so long that I didn't dare to envision it, and the people on the other side were so far away from me. 　　I know, from this moment onwards, the young years are gone. 　　The next morning, I was urged to get up early by Aunt Xu, and began dressing, powdering, and combing my makeup before dawn. 　　Today was the first time I went to my parents as an adult woman. 　　Makeup, Aunt Xu for me to add jade-colored branch cloak, smiling back to the side, so that I turned to look at the standing luan mirror. 　　Mirror people oblique comb screw bun hanging step rock, white veil for skirt, smoke for 襦, waist pick narrow bundle, jade belt wrapped silk ...... I smiled in front of the mirror spinning around a turn, belt flying lift up the ghostly aroma, "today smoked what incense?" 　　I raised my sleeve to smell, surprised that the incense is different from previous days. 　　"Sheriff and look at the feet." Aunt Xu laughed. 　　Dust incense track on thin jade for flowers, track bottom has roses incense powder, from the lotus petals hollowed out in the fine print sprinkles. 　　"What a clever thought!" I jumped with joy, playfulness suddenly, lifting the hem of the skirt on the ground stepped out light rose-colored prints, as if countless flowers bloomed in the dust, all the way to the back corridor with me gently open. Aunt Xu and the maids of honor in the back hurriedly followed, called "county princess slower", I pretended not to hear, will they are left behind ....... 　　It was just after the rain, the morning breeze blew down the osmanthus flowers outside the corridor, one after another, sprinkled a ground of fine fragrant stamens. 　　When I turned around the east corridor, I saw my brother - lacquered gauze small crown, white clothes, wide-sleeved, holding a rhino-handled stag fluttering. 　　He stopped under the corridor, will I look again and again, a pair of oblique flying eyebrow raised high, "Who's daughter was born so handsome, can be compared to my family's wild girl much more beautiful." 　　I raised my head high and followed his example of raising his eyebrows, "And where is this light-hearted child from, accustomed to putting on airs and graces!" 　　"Tsk, tsk, fierce is also coquettish smile, beautiful eyes." He more and more pretentious up, black eyes through the narrow smile, Man voice bantered, "Could it be the son of the marquis of Qi, the wife of the marquis of Wei, the sister of the East Palace ......" 　　I snatched the stag, raised his hand to hit, only to cut off the back of the murky words. 　　My brother laughed and dodged away, his mouth still teasing, "Wei Hou, Wei Hou, where is the Wei Hou of my little A Charming?" 　　I bit my lip, straight behind my ear, my cheeks instantly burning. 　　"Where is the Marquis of Wei, and you are not the Eastern Palace." I walked around the flower tree and threw the stag at him, "Talking all nonsense!" 　　"Although it is not also, it is not far away, are you not the sister of the Eastern Palace, is it possible that Zi Tama ......" 　　Hearing this name, my heart jumped, hastily cut off his crazy words, "told my father to hear not slap your mouth, take who is not good, but take a thin life!" My brother was stunned, remembering the "Shuo Ren" celebrated the beauty of Zhuang Jiang really thin life is ominous, busy cover his mouth, "sin sin sin!" 　　This evil man mouth to beg forgiveness, but again smiled and came over, will turn the words, "Yesterday, my brother for you accounted for a divination, according to the trigrams show that my family A Charming this year, the red luan star, will meet a good man." 　　I probed under his arm to scratch, my brother is most afraid of itching, panicked and dodged, and I made a mess. 　　The maids of honor are used to seeing me and my brother playful, retreating to the side is not to avoid, have to cover their lips and laugh. 　　Aunt Xu laughingly stopped me in my tracks, "County princess, stop it, Master Xiang has already returned to his residence." 　　My brother took the opportunity to draw back and left, the sound of laughter drifting away amongst the rustling fallen leaves. 　　I threw out my sleeve and snapped at Aunt Xu, "Every time you favor your brother, you're the most biased!" 　　She covered her mouth and laughed, posture elegant, quietly said: "After the ceremony of maturity should be out of the cabinet, the end of the year when the departure of the return, no wonder the red luan star moved ......." 　　The maids of honor laughed softly behind them. 　　Only since childhood accompanied by the side of the Jin'er quiet and well-behaved, did not make fun of me. 　　I was so ashamed that I couldn't speak, and stomped my foot, "Jin'er, let's go and ignore them!" 　　After saying that, I turned around to hide the embarrassment of my hot cheeks, and went straight to my mother's residence with quick steps, while the laughter behind me was still unceasing. 　　"Be careful, county princess." 　　Jin'er caught up with me and held me on the steps. 　　I brushed away her hand, the annoyance has not disappeared, but raised his eyes to see the wind blowing outside the corridor, the fine yellow osmanthus flowers rustling down, rich and inviting. 　　This year's osmanthus bloomed a little early, and now it has faded. 　　I suddenly thought, surprised to realize that the osmanthus bloom and thank you, is already deep in the fall, the end of the year is really not far away. 　　The end of the year, the end of the year, he really can come back to ...... 　　Although listening to the mother said privately, the saint intends to call him back to the court early, but aunt said that the period of filial piety, three years have not yet expired, the prince as the world example, can not not abide by the system of filial piety. Aunt Xu only heard her mother say that, but never heard her words, she would not understand. 　　I naturally understand that there are many helpless things in the deep palace, but they always think that I still do not understand. 　　I was stunned to look toward the hazy sky in the distance, sighed - the mausoleum is remote, is separated from the mountains outside, this time has gradually into the autumn cool it. 　　For a time, melancholy dark born, said what luanxing, will meet a good man ...... my good man went to the mausoleum, for his mother consort filial piety, not full of three years of the period, how can come back to marry me. 　　Three years, I do not know how long it is. 　　Jin'er who has been standing at my side suddenly said in a fine voice, "The county princess will eventually have to wait until his highness comes back." 　　My face heated up, "Jin'er, you also come to talk too much." 　　Jin'er lowered her head, knowing that I wouldn't really annoy her, and continued softly, "Aside from His Highness, who else is worthy of seeking to marry a daughter of the Wang Clan?"