I made the villain right.

Ever since Fan Hua passed the test, Shi Jin and he have signed an engagement agreement and kept it very low-key. Apart from her close relatives, few people know that she has been betrothed.

Those who had teased her about not being able to find a husband would be shocked if they heard the news.

Time passed quickly, and more than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Today, Shi Jin finally had her coming-of-age ceremony.

The General's Mansion was more lively than ever today. Shi Jin got up early in the morning, bathed, changed her clothes, and sat in the West Garden waiting. Now that the time had not yet come, she did not need to rush to the front hall.

Although everything was kept simple, as the eldest daughter of the general's mansion, Shi Jin could not skip the complicated procedures of the coming-of-age ceremony. Shi Jin felt that if she followed the procedures all the way, she would probably be exhausted.

Fan Hua, Yun Youying, Li Muci, and Xu Wusheng all came to her coming-of-age ceremony, except Xu Wuchen, who came uninvited.

The waiting time was long and Shi Jin felt a little bored. To kill time, she went to the study to paint.

Seeing this, Zhilu advised: "Miss, you'd better not paint today, it will dirty your clothes."

But at this time Yun Youying came to her in Xiyuan, and the two of them sat in the study and chatted.

Yun Youying is her friend, and today she attends his coming-of-age ceremony as a sponsor.

Yun Youying saw that Shi Jin was nonchalant and didn't seem to be looking forward to her coming-of-age ceremony at all, so she asked, "Your coming-of-age ceremony will be soon, why don't you look happy?"

Shi Jin shrugged and complained: "The process of a woman's coming of age ceremony is too complicated. I feel tired just thinking about it. Wouldn't it be better to make it simpler?"

Yun Youying chuckled, amused by her words. Normally, women want the wedding to be as grand as possible, but she wanted it to be simple.

Yun Youying said softly: "A girl's coming-of-age ceremony is a big event. It is normal to have a complicated process. We have all gone through it, but you just can't stand it."

Shi Jin was a little surprised to hear that Yun Youying had already reached the age of marriageable. She didn't even know when it was, so she asked, "Yingying, when did you reach the age of marriageable? How come I didn't know?"

“I’m three months ahead of you.”

No wonder she didn't know, it turned out that she hadn't come here yet.

Thinking of something, she asked in confusion, "Yingying, you have reached the age of marriage, so why is there no news about your marriage to the Fourth Prince? Aren't you anxious?"

Yun Youying lowered her eyes upon hearing this, and said after a moment's hesitation: "The wedding date between me and Brother Wusheng needs to be decided by His Majesty, but His Majesty is too busy with state affairs to take care of it, so it's useless for me to worry."

Yun Youying thought of something and smiled lightly, "Don't talk about me. You are about to reach the age of marriage. Do you have someone you like? I think Mr. Fan is quite good. He was very worried when you fell into the water and got injured that day. You can see that he cares about you a lot."

Hearing this, Jin smiled brightly, leaned close to Yun Youying's ear mysteriously, and whispered softly: "Let me tell you a secret, I'm actually betrothed to someone, and that person is Fan Hua"

Yun Youying looked surprised. She had some guesses, but she didn't expect the two of them to be so quick.

Yun Youying congratulated him, "Congratulations, you got the husband you always dreamed of."

Hearing this, Shi Jin was puzzled. She had not told Yun Youying that she was pursuing Fan Hua, so how did she know about it?

"How do you know Fanhua is the man of my dreams?"

Yun Youying smiled faintly, "I have seen your standards for choosing a husband. Given your personality, if the man doesn't suit your taste, you will definitely not agree to this marriage."

This side of the front hall.

Shi Wei and Zhao Xuan went to the door together to welcome the arrival of the main guest. They bowed to each other with smiles on their faces, and then the servants led the guests to their seats for viewing.

Fan Hua, Yun Youying, Li Muci, and Xu Wusheng all came to her coming-of-age ceremony, but Xu Wuchen came uninvited, which gave her enough face.

Their arrival caused a wave of enthusiasm among the guests.

Gradually, more and more guests came, and Shi Jin was dragged to the east room in the front hall to wait.

Shi Wei stood up from the main seat and addressed the guests below, saying, "Today is the coming-of-age ceremony for my daughter Shi Jin. Thank you all for coming. Now, my daughter Shi Jin's coming-of-age ceremony will officially begin!"

After a moment, the old nanny in the mansion shouted loudly: "Please invite the general's daughter Shi Jin to come in and greet all the guests."

As Shi Jin walked out, music started playing in the house. Shi Jin, wearing a blue brocade patterned robe, came in gracefully and elegantly like a bright butterfly, immediately attracting everyone's attention, and everyone had different thoughts.

Li Muci was stunned when he saw it. Although Fan Hua's face was calm, there was a soft light hidden in his eyes.

Xu Wuchen stared at Shi Jin, his eyes becoming increasingly darker, as if he had everything planned out. He then intentionally shifted his gaze to Fan Hua, his eyes as ruthless and vicious as if they were poisoned.

I sent two groups of people but they failed to kill him. He is really tough.

Suddenly he thought of something and a smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He soon received good news.

Fan Hua naturally saw his burning gaze, but he didn't care and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

However, Xu Wusheng's gaze shifted to Xu Wuchen intentionally or unintentionally. His expression was gentle, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were full of the meaning of watching a show. He was afraid that his royal brother would be disappointed.

Shi Jin walked to the center of the room, faced south, bowed to the guests watching the ceremony, then faced west and knelt on the seat for those who had come of age. Then Yun Youying came out, washed her hands, and combed Shi Jin's hair.

Then the guests stood up, washed their hands and dried them. Shi Wei and his companions then stood up to accompany them. After greeting each other, they returned to their seats.

After that comes the initial addition process.

Shi Jin had to turn to the east and sit upright. The old nanny chanted a blessing in a loud voice, "On this auspicious day of the month, you will be wearing your first clothes. Let go of your childish ambitions and follow your virtues. May you live a long and healthy life and enjoy great happiness."

After saying that, Zhilu stood aside holding a wooden tray with a hairpin on it. Aunt Zhao took the hairpin and inserted it into Shi Jin's bun. It was a golden hairpin dotted with rubies. It was said that this hairpin was specially made by a celebrity at a great price by Shi Wei and it was one-of-a-kind.

After finishing, Aunt Zhao returned to her original position and stood up immediately after Shi Jin. The guests below bowed to Shi Jin to congratulate him.

Afterwards, Shi Jin was going back to the east room. Yun Youying took the clothes from Zhilu and went into the room to change Shi Jin into a plain skirt that matched the hairpin on her head.

After Shi Jin came out of the room wearing her ruqun, she showed it to the guests. Then she turned towards Shi Wei and Aunt Zhao and bowed to express her gratitude to her parents for raising her. This was one bow.

After finishing, Aunt Zhao put the hairpin in Shi Jin's hair again, and the old maid chanted a blessing in a loud voice: "In this auspicious month and day, I will wear your clothes. I will respect your dignity and be prudent in your virtue. May you live a long life and be blessed forever."

Yun Youying took off Shi Jin's hairpin and put a hairpin on her, and then the guests bowed to Shi Jin.

When Shi Jin returned to the east room again, she felt a little overwhelmed. After complaining for a while, she still had to continue.

Yun Youying helped her put on a long, curved-hem gown that matched the hairpin on her head.

Shi Jin came out wearing a deep robe to show it to the guests, and then bowed to his teachers and seniors to show his respect. This was the second bow.

Three prostrations...

…………

Shi Jin repeated the movements of bowing, changing hairpins and buns, and changing clothes. After going through the whole process, she felt like a wooden fish, and was a little numb.

After hearing the old nanny shouting that the ceremony was over, she felt relieved.

After the coming-of-age ceremony, Shi Jin asked Fan Hua to come along and take him to visit the general's mansion. Li Mu Ci was quite dissatisfied with this and insisted on hanging out with them, acting as a bright light bulb.

He followed Shi Jin wherever he went, like a little tail.

Shi Jin stood in the middle, Fan Hua stood on her right, and Li Muci stood on his left.

The two of them were talking to themselves, and she was caught in the middle, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and it was impossible to keep an eye on them.

Li Muci asked, "Little Fairy, do you have time tomorrow? Let's go shopping together. I heard that there is a new restaurant on West Street that is not bad. Shall we go and have a look?"

Shi Jin: "..."

"Mianmian, I have some matters I need to discuss with you. How about you come to my house tomorrow to discuss it together?"

Shi Jin thought that there were still some matters in the contract between her and Fan Hua that had not been completed, and also their marriage needed preparation.

So she turned her head to look at Fan Hua and said, "Okay."

After receiving the response, Fan Hua gave a faint smile.

She then turned around and looked at Li Muci and said, "I'm sorry I don't have time tomorrow. Let's go and have a look when we are free."

Hearing this, Li Muci was dumbfounded. It was clearly him who asked her out first, but she rejected him because of Fan Hua. He was very dissatisfied and glared at Fan Hua, saying, "Fan Hua, I think you are deliberately trying to go against me!"

Facing Li Muci's anger, Fan Hua was not the least bit timid. He smiled and said innocently, "How dare I? The prince must have misunderstood me."

Although he said this, there was no sign of fear on his face. The smile on Li Muci's lips was particularly eye-catching.

He was holding his breath, and angrily waved his hands, saying: "Do you understand the rule of first come, then talk? Your matter will be postponed to the day after tomorrow!" His tone revealed his usual arrogance and pride.

Fan Hua opened her red lips and said, "Sorry, I can't postpone it." Her tone was light, but there was a hint of resentment in it that made people grit their teeth.

Li Muci frowned, rolled up his sleeves, and said as if he wanted to fight: "Hey, I've been annoyed with you for a long time, and I have to teach you a lesson today."

Upon seeing this, Fan Hua immediately hid behind Shi Jin to seek her protection, grabbing her arm as if she was afraid that Li Muci would really hit her. Her face was full of fear, like a frightened little white rabbit, but there was a cunning gleam in her eyes.

Shi Jin immediately shouted at this: "Li Muci, stop making trouble!"

After a moment, he said softly: "Ayu and I really have something more important to discuss."

Li Muci was very upset when he saw them addressing each other so intimately. He raised his voice and asked, "Little Fairy, when did the relationship between you two become so intimate? Are you together?"

Because Li Muci's voice was too loud, the maid passing by looked at them strangely. Shi Jin's face was full of black lines. The active part had not yet arrived, and Shi Jin didn't want to make this matter known to everyone.

She immediately said, "Li Muci, keep your voice down!"

Then he replied: "Yes, together"

When Li Muci saw Shi Jin's straightforward answer, a trace of sadness suddenly ignited in his heart, staining his brows.

He murmured sadly: "Why are you together?"

"Li Muci, you..." Shi Jin was speechless. She saw all this and felt that Li Muci seemed to have unrealistic ideas about her. She needed to cut off this idea.

She suddenly became serious, looked at Li Muci and said: "Li Muci, come with me, I have something to tell you."

After saying that, Shi Jin and Li Muci walked to the pavilion not far away.

Shi Jin confirmed: "Li Muci, do you like me?"

Li Muci's eyes flashed, he grabbed his sleeves tightly, and then said solemnly: "Shi Jin, I like you"

Shi Jin's eyes flashed with surprise when she heard that. She had talked to him before and told him that she liked Fan Hua and was pursuing him, but how could he fall in love with her too?

"Li Muci, I don't want to hurt you, but as a friend, I feel that there are some things I must make clear to you. You are a very good person, and I am very grateful that you like me, but I already have someone I like. I hope you don't have to spend your time and energy on me, and cut your losses in time." Shi Jin gave him a nice guy card.

When Li Muci heard this, the pair of eyes that had been looking at her seemed to have lost their luster and suddenly dimmed.

Li Muci hesitated for a moment, pursed his lips, smiled bitterly and asked: "What do you like about Fanhua? He is just an ordinary businessman. You two are not a good match, there is a huge difference between you. How can he bring you happiness?"

"As long as it's the person I choose, I don't care."

In order to make Li Muci give up, Shi Jin picked up his old tricks and acted out this scene with all his strength.

After a moment, he asked cautiously, "Do I have no chance at all?"

"We are friends and that will never change," she said tactfully.

Fan Hua stayed where he was quietly, but his eyes looked towards them intentionally or unintentionally, as if he really wanted to know what they were saying.

Li Muci lowered his eyes, a trace of bitterness began to spread in his heart, overwhelming his entire heart, as if someone had fed him a bitter medicine that he hated, but his strong self-esteem would not allow him to show a sad look in front of her.

He suppressed the sadness in his heart, pretending not to care, and snorted: "Little fairy, you have such a bad taste. You don't even like me, who is so outstanding. I will definitely find someone prettier than you, and then bring her here to piss you off to death."

He didn't dare look her in the eye, afraid she might notice something.

But what Li Muci didn't know was that even though he pretended to be indifferent, the sadness in his eyes still exposed his inner thoughts.

Shi Jin saw all of this, but she pretended not to know. She smiled faintly and said, "Okay, I look forward to that day."

Li Muci raised his eyes and stared at her face, then looked away for a moment. Then he took out a small box from his sleeve, handed it to her, and said, "Today is your coming-of-age ceremony. This is the bracelet I specially ordered someone to make for you."

Shi Jin took it and looked down. The bracelet in the box was red, dotted with a few glass beads. The delicate blue crescent stone in the center of the bracelet was smooth and translucent, exuding an air of nobility and elegance.

The bracelet looked very valuable. She didn't want to accept it and refused, saying, "This bracelet is too valuable. I can't accept it."

After she finished speaking, she returned the box to him, but Li Muci refused to accept it. His eyes were tinged with sadness, and he said bitterly: "Why are you afraid that he will be angry, so you want to cut off your relationship with me so quickly, and you don't even want to accept the gift?"

Shi Jin saw that Li Muci misunderstood her, frowned, and explained: "That's not what I meant, I..."

Before Shi Jin could finish her words, she was interrupted by Li Muci. He looked at her with a firm and passionate gaze, and rarely showed a serious and dignified look, and said: "Shi Jin, if you still consider me a friend, please accept this bracelet."

Shi Jin was silent for a few seconds, then said softly, "Okay, I'll take this bracelet."

Li Muci sighed, pretending to be relieved, and said, "Okay, I suddenly remembered that there are some things I haven't done, so I won't stay here any longer."

"I see you off"

"No thanks," Li Muci refused bluntly.

Shi Jin knew that he was feeling upset and needed to be relieved, and didn't want to see her, so she went along with his wishes.

Fan Hua stood there for a long time. When he moved his gaze to them again, he found that Li Muci had left with a frown on his face and an unhappy look.

She glared at him as she passed by him, with resentment in her eyes, walked past him coldly, bumped into his arm, and left without looking back.

Fan Hua frowned, glanced at him, and ignored his childish behavior.

When Fan Hua saw Shi Jin move to his side, he probably guessed what she had said to him, but he still couldn't help asking: "What did you say to him just now that made him so resentful?"

Shi Jin said calmly: "I just want him to recognize some facts. I believe he will come to terms with it."

Fan Hua's eyes were fixed on the wooden box in Shi Jin's hand, and he asked with an ambiguous expression, "Did he give this to you?"

Shi Jin said frankly: "Yeah"

Fan Hua lowered his eyes and said nothing, with an unknown look flashing in his eyes.