On the bank of the river

Chapter 54 : Lunar year celebration

It's Lunar new year day .

Whole Hui Empire is getting busier for this festive season . From streets to local houses everything were decorated with vibrant red lanterns and colourful candels. People were greeting each others and sending gifts to their loved ones, wishing for a good health . Many restaurants were filled up with customers. Today , everywhere is full of cheerfulness and extremely crowded. It is a joyous occasion after all !

Inside the imperial palace, a beautiful celebration is ongoing with fewer guests . Whoever got invited , felt very proud at themselves. It is a rare chance to visit this imperial palace. Meanwhile ,getting an invitation from imperial family and celebrating lunar year with them is a big decision , so whoever got invited present themselves no matter what .

Various kinds of dishes were serving towards guests . From dumplings , sweet rice balls , fish , glutinous rice balls to spring rolls , everything served here .

Today , Li Edna wore her traditional attair which is consisted of heavy red silk outer robe embroidered with golden threads and wide sleeves. And a same heavy long skirt as a lower garment. Her dressing completely with her extremely heavy golden phoenix crown. She wore everything that make her looks like someone who is higher and prestigious .

From the morning, various maids have been appointed to help her. Her face is already painted beautifully with white face power to make her skin look more white and delicate. Red rouge used to paint her both full plum lips and her both eyelids also beautifully painted with red rouge . Some maids insist on making her eyebrows looks perfect, so Edna let them. They used burn willow branches as eyebrow sticks , watching everything Edna could only sigh. She didn't forbid them and actually they made her look most beautiful today. Looking at herself in a thin copper plat , Edna broke into a satisfactory smile.

At this moment, surrounded by everyone ... Edna felt discomfort but looking at her husband, she endured everything , every bit of her physical pain . Her robe is extremely heavy and long , who is making her uncomfortable and itcy too. And her phoenix crown , being heavy is other thing but it was pressing her neck and shoulder. For the first time, she is feeling happy as well suffering too. But today , this suffering is worth it.

Every girl once dreams of becoming the empress of the empire. Wearing this Phoenix crown while walking beside her emperor, people kneeling down and wishing them .... it's her dream once.

Glancing at her husband from corner of her eyes , her heart started beating hard and her breath went heavy. She can't ignore the person very next to her, who is the man behind her this position. Because of him, she got her title and this respect. Moreover, her husband looks extremely handsome today in his golden dragon robe and his dragon imperial crown . He seems cold ,found hard to get along , but surely they both made a heavenly pair . Edna smiled happily.

It is a tradition for giving gifts to each others during this festival. But her husband already declared to the harem that there's no need for sending any personal gifts for him from now on . Weirdly, knowing his temper , no one had given any gifts to him . But they do send gifts to Empress dowager for pleasing her mind . Edna is one of them .

Emperor rejected everyone's gift but he do sent gifts to his women . Varieties of jewellery, fine silk cloths were distributed among ladies through their position . Although, it's already kind of awkward and late for attending an imperial celebration as an Empress for the first time , even after being Empress for several years and as first wife of Emperor Lee . Her situation and her body makes her unable to attend anything joyous for about a five long years !

This time , she is happy. With her usual gifts from Emperor and others ladies , Edna found a big black wooden box. Feeling curious, Edna is waiting for the celebration to came to the end . So , she could see what's inside this box !