Chapter 490 - 500: The Gossip of the Lu Family
The worship of the Dragon King and Dragon Mother is indispensable for all officials.
In the Lin Residence, the aunt had sent someone to inform Youyou the day before, saying that she would take Youyou and her sisters to worship the Dragon Mother.
Meanwhile, the uncle was going to take the boys of the family to worship the Dragon King under the leadership of the Emperor and the State Preceptor.
Gu Youyou put on the new clothes sent by her aunt and got up early in the morning.
The Dragon King Temple was twenty miles outside of the city; traveling there by carriage, when Youyou alighted, she found the temple already packed with people.
Both men and women were present, but stood separated on the left and right sides respectively.
The Dragon King and Dragon Mother sat at the front, on the left and right. It was said that men should worship the Dragon King and women the Dragon Mother, but in fact, people queued up in mixed groups to worship them together. This was also the day when young ladies from Beijing’s boudoirs could openly and closely observe the young masters from other families.
If a man and a woman ended up worshipping the Dragon King and the Dragon Mother together, that was considered a rare affinity.
Youyou looked ahead and saw that apart from the Empress Dowager, who was elderly and had difficulty walking and thus was seated, everyone else stood.
Gu Youyou’s maternal grandmother had not come, having heard that the State Preceptor would recite the ceremonial words for four hours; the elderly ladies without the privilege to sit would not attend. Hearing this, even the young Youyou felt daunted.