Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 266: Offering Gifts in Front of the Palace
"Donghua, did you go to see Zhao Qi'an on purpose?"

Facing the question from Emperor Tianwu, the middle-aged swordsman did not hide anything and replied calmly: "The Queen Mother wants to take him to Mount Xumi, so I have to take a look."

Emperor Tianwu laughed and said, "Then according to your opinion, what do you think of my beloved son-in-law?"

Even when facing Emperor Tianwu, Donghua still showed no fear. After thinking for a moment, he said, "There are many things hidden in his body. I can't tell the depth."

Hiding a lot of things?

Emperor Tianwu looked at the Imperial Master, but the Imperial Master just sat there quietly and said nothing.

He retracted his gaze and said, "Why can't I see what he is hiding?"

"Your Majesty, everyone has his or her own specialty."

Donghua replied indifferently, and then said firmly: "There must be something familiar to me on Zhao Qi'an."

"what?"

"I can't tell. When we get to Mount Xumi, we'll show it to the prince and he'll know."

Emperor Tianwu smiled and said, "So my beloved son-in-law really has a lot of secrets. But it doesn't matter. Without some skills, you can't enter my Mount Xumi."

Donghua said expressionlessly, "Your Majesty, please don't think about bringing Zhao Qi'an into Mount Xumi for now. I don't think Your Majesty will be able to have a peaceful dinner today."

Emperor Tianwu was startled when he heard this, then looked towards the front of the palace.

At this moment, the Minister of Rites in the hall had finished reciting, and the palace maids jumped in, lined up in a queue, and served the delicious food and wine one by one.

Zhao Qian poured himself a glass of wine, raised it to his lips and took a sip, his eyes involuntarily looking upwards.

The second prince Ji Haoyu, who had not been present just now, was now hurriedly coming around the side corridor of the hall and sitting back in his seat.

He noticed that the eldest prince sitting next to Ji Haoyu was frowning and talking to the second prince, while the second prince just smiled along and kept wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

If things go as expected, the Second Prince will go down to arrange the gift presentation in front of the palace.

However, his panicked look might be noticed by some people with ulterior motives. Although it has no impact now, once something happens, he will be the first one to be suspected.

It seems that the Second Prince was previously protected too well by Queen Wu and Prime Minister Wu.

This kind of mentality...is not up to the task!
Zhao Qian'an shook his head secretly and drank by himself.

Princess De Ling, who was standing by, saw him drinking with his head down, and whispered to him, "Brother-in-law, drink less. This wine is very strong. If you behave inappropriately in front of the palace tonight, you will be punished by the emperor!"

If it were usual, the relationship between the two families would not be good enough for Princess De Ling to personally remind Zhao Qi'an.

But now she still has something to ask of Zhao Qian'an, and Yu Zhen is not around. She is a very enthusiastic person, so naturally she gave one more reminder.

Zhao Qi'an just smiled at the kindness. When he was about to speak, the third prince on the seat spoke:
"It's lively tonight, so naturally we have to drink a few more glasses."

Ji Yunrui circled the wine glass with his fingers and looked up at Zhao Qi'an: "But it will be more lively soon, Haiqing, why don't you save your alcohol for later."

As they were talking, palace music began to rise, and a group of dancing maids wearing gauze on their faces entered the hall, dancing gracefully with their long sleeves fluttering.

Zhao Qi'an was attracted by the singing and dancing, while Lin Fu Ma, who was sitting on his left, murmured with some regret.
"It's a pity that His Highness Yuzhen is not here."

Everyone in Kyoto knew that Princess Yuzhen was an expert in both singing and dancing. Her singing skills might be comparable to those of famous actresses, but when it came to dancing, there was no one better than her in the entire city of Kyoto.

Perhaps... Concubine Zhen when she was young can be compared.

As soon as Lin Wenxu said this, Princess Deling immediately nudged him hard with her elbow and whispered viciously: "Shut your mouth!"

As she spoke, she glanced at Zhao Qian cautiously.

Who would like his wife to be exposed in public? Is it appropriate for a princess to do the work of those women in the Music Bureau?
If it were in private, she and her husband Lin would make fun of Yu Zhen, and also laugh at Zhao Qi'an for not being able to control his own wife.

But is it appropriate to say this in front of Zhao Qi'an now? Fortunately, she noticed that Zhao Qi'an didn't seem to hear Lin Wenxu's whispers, but just enjoyed the singing and dancing as usual, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, Zhao Qian had already heard it, but it was just such a small matter and not worth taking it to heart.

When the singing and dancing ended, the Duke of Ying, Ji Liyuan, who was sitting at the head of the table, suddenly stood up, walked out of the dining table, came to the center of the hall, lifted his robe and knelt down in front of the high throne: "Your Majesty, today is your birthday. On behalf of the royal descendants, I have come to present a small gift. I wish your Majesty great fortune, good health, and a long-lasting rule."

The sound was clear and loud, echoing in the hall. Everyone held their breath and looked sideways. The whole hall fell silent.

Because everyone present knew that the highlight of the day was coming.

Duke Yingguo Ji Liyuan was just a stepping stone. It didn't matter what he gave. What mattered was that he had to lead the way.

After the Duke of England finished speaking, a eunuch outside the hall quickly walked in, holding a brocade box on a tray in his hand.

Behind the gauze curtain, Emperor Tianwu nodded slightly and said, "Duke Yingguo is thoughtful. Please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

As the Duke of England stood up, the eunuch slowly opened the box and took out a palm-sized statue of the God of Longevity.

The birthday god statue was cast from wax stone, which was not a very precious material, but it was carved to look lifelike.

The Duke of England bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this statue of the God of Longevity was cast forty-nine days ago. During this period, I led the royal family to burn incense and pray for this statue day and night, praying that God would bless our emperor with happiness as vast as the East Sea and a life as long as the Southern Mountains."

He spoke with such righteousness that those who knew the situation could not help but look at him with awe, thinking that this Duke of England was really good at making up lies.

But no one would blame them for this. After all, the royal family members these days... have a really hard time, and it is understandable that they are not well off.

Emperor Tianwu was not surprised and said, "Although this gift is not as luxurious as gold, silver, pearls and jade, its sincerity is far more valuable than thousands of treasures. I am very pleased."

Afterwards, the Fifth Marquis came out from behind the gauze curtain, put away the gift, and presented it to Emperor Tianwu.

The Duke of England withdrew with satisfaction.

When he sat back in his seat, he looked at the eldest prince Ji Wuchang and signaled him with his eyes.

Ji Wuchang stood up and bowed to the throne from a distance without leaving the dining table: "Father, I have also prepared a birthday gift for you. However... I want to keep it a secret and present it at the end. Please allow me."

"What birthday gift? Are you still keeping it a secret?"

The court officials began to discuss the matter, and Emperor Tianwu was also curious.

But maybe he was in a good mood today, so he didn't take it as a surprise and agreed: "In that case, I will agree. But if it's not as good as what your brothers and sisters have offered, I will punish you."

Ji Wuchang laughed loudly and said cheerfully, "I will definitely not let my father down."

When the eldest prince sat down again, the second prince Ji Haoyu was distracted for some reason.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

It was not until the Second Imperial Concubine Qin Muwan realized something was wrong and called Ji Haoyu in a low voice several times that he woke up as if from a dream and stood up hurriedly.

When he stood up, he accidentally knocked over the wine glass on the table, wetting his collar.

Ji Haoyu was a little embarrassed. He didn't care about his clothes being wet by the wine. He walked out of the banquet, stood in the hall, and bowed to the throne on the high platform:

"Father, I have also prepared a birthday gift for you."

Seeing that he didn't even say a word of congratulations, he actually asked the eunuch to bring the birthday gift he prepared...

This rash behavior, when seen by others, immediately made many people frown.

(End of this chapter)