"Alright, Li'er, you mustn't delay any further. Let's start with your hair and makeup," urged Old Madam Xia beside her.
With that, Old Madam Xia immediately picked up the comb brought by Madam An and skillfully styled Leng Ruo Li's hair into a ceremonial bun. She then adorned it with a double-directional peacock-feather tassel. Following this, Madam An and Granny Hua, armed with Leng Ruo Li's unique cosmetics, discreetly applied makeup to her, away from the other female guests.
The two of them worked quickly, finishing Leng Ruo Li's makeup in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Xia Wan'er and Madam Jiang then helped Leng Ruo Li into a floor-length, ice-blue gown with a cinched waist and wide sleeves. The dress was exquisitely embroidered with red plum blossoms, accented with small pale purple flowers around the neckline. The cuffs and hem were finished with silver thread depicting auspicious clouds. Standing in the center of the room, she immediately astonished everyone, her complexion appearing like jade and her demeanor elegant and refined.
Madam Su, who was close to Leng Ruo Li, couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, Consort Leng, your coming-of-age gown is absolutely stunning!"
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruo Li's two maternal aunts broke into happy smiles.
"Indeed, Li'er's ceremonial gown was meticulously crafted by my mother-in-law, who rack her brains to embroider it for this girl within a month," Madam An said with a smile to Madam Su as she adjusted Leng Ruo Li's clothing.
Leng Ruo Li looked gratefully at Old Madam at Madam An's words.
"Old Madam Xia, you are truly wonderful to your granddaughter. Seeing this ceremonial dress you made for Consort Leng, I wish I had such a thoughtful and skillful grandmother myself."
"Hahaha..."
Madam Su's remark drew laughter from everyone in the room.
At this moment, Old Madam Xia quickly beckoned to everyone, signaling for quiet. She said with a smile, "Alright, stop teasing this old woman. Let's go out and perform the capping ceremony."
Reminded by Old Madam Xia, everyone finally remembered the main purpose of the day.
Madam An and Madam Jiang escorted Leng Ruo Li out of Mingyue Courtyard and into General Leng's ancestral hall, where Leng Jinyu and Leng Ruo Rui were already waiting.
As Madam An and Madam Jiang were not members of General Leng's household, they escorted Leng Ruo Li to the ancestral hall and then stepped outside to wait by the entrance.
At this point, Xia Wan'er, Leng Jinyu, and his son stood in a line and bowed deeply three times before the ancestral tablets of the Leng family. Afterward, Leng Jinyu produced a paper filled with the obituary from his sleeve.
Leng Jinyu read aloud the obituary, and then Leng Ruo Li, leading the way, was followed by everyone else in lighting an incense stick for each of the ancestors.
They then kowtowed three times to his ancestors with their wives and children.
Following this, Leng Jinyu led his wife and children out of the ancestral hall and towards the newly erected platform in the garden.
Grand Tutor Xia and Old Madam Xia were already seated on the platform, with two rows of female relatives standing on either side.
Leng Jinyu bowed deeply to the two elders and said with a solemn expression, "Father, Mother, I entrust Li'er's capping ceremony to your care."
Grand Tutor Xia and his wife nodded slightly.
"Li'er, please come and kneel on this red, round cushion in the center of the platform. We will begin your capping ceremony shortly."
"Yes!"
Leng Ruo Li responded, obediently walking to the cushion in the center of the platform and kneeling to face Grand Tutor Xia and Old Madam Xia.
Immediately, Grand Tutor Xia, holding a book, began to read words that Leng Ruo Li did not understand.
After Grand Tutor Xia finished reading the declaration, Madam An and Madam Jiang, each holding a small bamboo basket filled with various flower petals, showered Leng Ruo Li with petals until the baskets were empty. The air was filled with a faint floral scent.
Then, Old Madam Xia approached Leng Ruo Li again. She took a pair of scissors from the basin presented by Granny Hua and snipped off a small lock of Leng Ruo Li's hair. As she cut, Old Madam Xia murmured auspicious words that Leng Ruo Li couldn't hear. She then quickly wrapped the lock of hair with a red string and handed it to Xia Wan'er as a keepsake.
"All done. Li'er's capping ceremony is complete for today. Let's have Li'er return to her courtyard for a simple breakfast, then we'll do her hair and dress her in her wedding gown," Old Madam Xia said smilingly to Leng Jinyu and Xia Wan'er.
Xia Wan'er and Leng Jinyu both nodded readily upon hearing this.
"Yes, Father, Mother, we understand."
Afterward, Xia Wan'er and Leng Ruo Li's two maternal aunts together escorted Leng Ruo Li back to Mingyue Courtyard.
Granny Hua immediately served Leng Ruo Li a bowl of preserved egg and lean meat congee and two of Leng Ruo Li's favorite steamed meat buns from the main kitchen. Leng Ruo Li slowly finished the large bowl of congee and the two meat buns.
Before Leng Ruo Li could rest, Xia Wan'er and Madam An were already busy with her makeup. Their movements were swift, quickly undoing the bun Old Madam Xia had styled earlier and redoing it. Simultaneously, Xia Wan'er and Madam An instructed Madam Jiang to bring a basin of warm water for Xia Wan'er to wash Leng Ruo Li's face.
Once this was done, Xia Wan'er immediately performed the hair-combing ceremony for Leng Ruo Li.
Holding the peach wood comb that Old Madam Xia had used earlier, Xia Wan'er combed Leng Ruo Li's hair while reciting auspicious verses:
"The first comb takes us to the end, the second comb ensures silver hair meets the eyebrows, the third comb blesses with a house full of descendants, the fourth comb ensures all four jade-like braids are neatly in place."
"The first comb signifies the deep affection between father and daughter, mother and daughter. The second comb signifies remembering parental admonitions. The third comb signifies respecting in-laws and fulfilling filial duties."
After reciting the two sets of auspicious verses, Xia Wan'er immediately styled Leng Ruo Li's hair into a "Flying Immortal" bun. She then adorned it with the nine-curved phoenix-winged double gold hairpin bestowed by the Empress Dowager, and a pair of tourmaline peony hairpins at the back, making Leng Ruo Li appear very grand.
Next, Xia Wan'er brought out Leng Ruo Li's makeup. The modern cosmetics they were using were far superior to the rouge and powders used by ancient people, less prone to caking, and wouldn't smudge with sweat.
The makeup Leng Ruo Li had brought from the modern era was perfectly suited for the hot summer.
Xia Wan'er, having been a young lady of high standing in her past life, often attended gatherings of elite individuals. She was undoubtedly equipped with good cosmetics, making her makeup skills impeccable.
Within ten minutes, Xia Wan'er had finished applying a delicate makeup to Leng Ruo Li. The cosmetics and techniques she used instantly stunned Madam Su and the others.
Madam Su exclaimed curiously, "Madam Leng, your rouge and eyebrow makeup are truly unique. The finished look is far better than what we achieve with our usual rouge, powders, and eyebrow pencils. Do you have more for sale?"
Other official ladies also wanted to comment, but they were not familiar with Xia Wan'er, so they could only look on with envy.
Xia Wan'er glanced at Madam Su, contemplating how to respond, when Madam An spoke up.
"Madam Su, these cosmetics were brought back by Li'er from the East Sea. At the time, there were only a few sets. Li'er kept one for herself, Wan'er has one, and my second sister-in-law and I also have one, so Li'er has no extras."
"Oh, so Consort Leng brought these back from the East Sea. No wonder they are so effective."
As Madam An finished speaking, everyone seemed to understand, and no one asked further questions.