Chapter 931: Wishing to Wear a Crown
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“It’s not wrong for you to think that way. No matter what, it’s never a big mistake to be careful. There’s never a big disaster if you’re cautious.” Yu Youyao had never been a careless person. She was a thorough and appropriate person. Even the maidservants in front of her were cautious. Auntie Xu was still very satisfied with the maidservants.
Auntie Xu helped Yu Youyao change into a gown. The gown was complicated.
There were nine layers of clothes. This was a spring and summer-style outfit. When it came to autumn and winter, there were a total of twelve layers of clothes.
A few maidservants assisted at the side.
Auntie Xu quickly hung the purple robe on Yu Youyao’s shoulder. She changed the topic and said, “It’s a good thing to be cautious, but there’s no need to be too nervous. The people from the palace also want to treat others based on their social status. Eldest Miss has gained power now. In the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, no one dares to make things difficult for you. It’s fine as long as you’re polite. No one will really hold it against you regarding the details.” The maidservants heaved a sigh of relief thoughtfully.
Auntie Xu pushed Yu Youyao, who was dressed neatly, to the dressing table and sat down. Auntie Xu untied the bun on her head and combed it again. In order to express Yu Youyao’s unmarried status, she braided a few braids on both sides of the bun and let them hang by her ears. Then, she took the emerald crown and fixed it on her head.
Dong Mei couldn’t take her eyes off this set of actions.
Auntie Xu helped Yu Youyao put on her jewelry. She observed her makeup with a smile and praised, “You look really good in this.”
After Yu Youyao was conferred the title of princess, she fled to Liaodong with the Xie family. After that, although she showed off her status as a princess, the most important thing she had done was that she had gone to the government office to be interrogated early in the morning. She was wearing ordinary clothes then. How could ordinary clothes compare to half the beauty and value of a gown?!
This was the first time she had worn a princess’s dress.
Be it the etiquette, rules, materials, color, embroidery, and so on, the County Head’s crown clothes were completely incomparable to that of the princess’s.
The maidservants were stunned.
Yu Youyao also felt that it looked good. The princess’s emerald crown was especially dazzling. There were more than 2,000 pearls that were of the same size. They shone warmly.
There were more than 120 seven-colored gems. All the gems had not been carved and had been naturally formed. Almost every one of them was the size of a pigeon egg. The color was extremely pure and rare.
There were a total of seven pure gold phoenixes on the crown. They were
made of the Eight Absolutes of Beijing. They were inlaid with filigree. Every phoenix was vivid and had a tassel in its mouth.
Tian-tsui craftsmanship was not popular in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but the emerald crown of the crown clothes was called an emerald crown because the exquisite Tian-tsui craftsmanship on the crown was bright and never faded.
The craftsmen of the Internal Affairs Department had used peacock feathers to make a more beautiful Tian-tsui crown. In fact, the peacocks of every dynasty were far nobler than kingfishers, and their feathers were also more beautiful.
However, peacock feathers were very big. Not only would they shed their own feathers, but even if they were plucked a few times, they would quickly grow back. They were mainly emerald green and greenish-blue, but there were occasionally purple, yellow, and red colors at the end.
Depending on the grade, the color of the emerald crown was also different. The crown of the imperial family was mainly greenish-blue. The higher one’s grade, the darker and more solemn the color of the feather.
Based on one’s grade and the rules, particular attention was paid to the amount of purple, yellow, red, and other colors used.
Ordinary mingfu only used blueish-green and emerald green.
Moreover, because peacocks were auspicious birds, and their status was second only to the phoenix, the Great Zhou Dynasty had a rule. Peacocks were imperial birds, and the commoners were not allowed to raise them privately. The feathers of peacocks were also for imperial use. The commoners were not allowed to use them privately. Otherwise, they would be punished.
The Tian-tsui craftsmanship on Yu Youyao’s emerald crown was dark blue, representing her noble status. In addition, there were yellow and purple embellishments on the peacock feathers, making it look even more beautiful.
However, it was beautiful, but it was also really heavy.
At the thought that she might wear such a heavy crown often in the future, she felt that the crown did not seem so beautiful anymore and immediately lost interest in admiring it.
Auntie Xu knew her so well that she immediately smiled. “This emerald crown only weighs 1.5 kilograms. The crown on the Empress Dowager’s head has more than 4,000 pearls and more than 160 gems of various colors. It weighs 4-9 kilograms.”
Even the Empress’s Nine Dragons and Nine Phoenixes Crown weighed four kilograms.
Yu Youyao was immediately stunned. The Empress Dowager was so old. How did she do it? She was wearing such a heavy phoenix crown, but she could still maintain her expression and talk to the mingfu!
Just thinking about it made her feel afraid. “l can finally feel what it means to wear a crown. If you want to wear it, you have to bear its weight. The crown is
so heavy. I think it’s to warn the mingfu inside and out.”
“That’s right.” Auntie Xu smiled and nodded. She simply applied makeup for
Yu Youyao. She did not apply any cosmetics and only drew her eyebrows carefully. There was some gold powder around her eyes, revealing her nobility.
After everything was over, Auntie Xu looked at her carefully for a moment. “Bring over the palace token that the Empress Dowager rewarded a few years ago.”
Dong Mei quickly took out the palace token from the secret compartment under the combing table.
Auntie Xu took the palace token and tied it around Yu Youyao’s waist. As she nodded, she smiled and said, “In that case, it’s appropriate.”
Yu Youyao brought Chun Xiao and Xia Tao to the front hall.
At this moment, Old Madam Xie had received the news and rushed to the Yu Garden with her three daughters-in-law. She was waiting in the front hall.
Seeing Yu Youyao’s outfit, the three of them were also stunned. Clearly, they were shocked.
Until Yu Youyao stepped forward and held Old Madam’s arm, calling out softly, ‘Grandmother.”
Only then did Old Madam Xie react. She patted her arm and smiled angrily. “This is the first time our Little Yao’er is wearing the princess’s makeup. It’s really shocking.”
Second Aunt Madam Lin came back to her senses. “The princess’s outfit is indeed imposing. At first glance, I don’t even know where to put my eyes. My heart is beating like a drum.”
Third Aunt Madam Wen also smiled. “Princess Shaoyi’s crown outfit is of the highest style among the women in the imperial family. It’s a style that only the legitimate princess of the dynasty has. Of course it’s imposing!’
“Yi” had always represented the Empress Dowager or the Empress. In a sense, it also meant that she was the formal wife. It was obvious how important the word “Yi n was.
Eldest Aunt Wang smiled. “Our Little Yao’er is blessed. In the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, other than Princess Lishan from the palace, who can compete with our Little Yao’er in terms of status, there’s no other woman more respected than her.”
The princess’s outfit was expensive and solemn, exuding an exquisite and heavy aura from the inside out. It also exuded the majestic aura of a superior.
There were also many pearls and jade of equal sizes and all kinds of gems on the gown. There were thousands of them. At a glance, they felt that they were dazzling..