High-class Spring Joy

"Since it was specially prepared by Jing'an, then I must take a good look at it."

The Empress Dowager's smile deepened, her gaze towards Princess Jing'an filled with tenderness. She rose and walked to the Buddha statue, saying, "Don't stand on ceremony, everyone. Come and take a look. Anything that catches Jing'an's eye must be extraordinary."

At the Empress Dowager's command, the ladies naturally stopped sitting in their seats and rose one by one, walking to the Buddha statue to examine it and offer their opinions.

The wives of wealthy and powerful families have typically spent many years immersed in the inner courtyards of their mansions, and when they speak politely, each one is more beautiful and eloquent than the last.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is Amitabha Buddha, isn't it? But such a posture and appearance are quite rare, which shows that the person who embroidered this Buddha image put a lot of thought into it."

"Yes, I've seen so many embroidered portraits, but it's rare to see one this good. The Amitabha Buddha is embroidered so vividly, it's as if he's coming to life from the portrait. At first glance, I really thought it was Amitabha Buddha descending to earth to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday!"

"This is a very good intention. Amitabha Buddha is in charge of human lifespan. If Amitabha Buddha is wishing the Empress Dowager a long life, then the Empress Dowager will naturally live to be a hundred years old."

"Long live the Empress Dowager! Long live the Empress Dowager! Long live the Empress Dowager! How can a long life of a hundred years be enough? Of course, you must live ten thousand years and enjoy endless blessings."

A group of ladies from prominent families, each more eloquent and charming than the last, made the Empress Dowager smile broadly and couldn't help but praise the Buddha statue to the skies.

Jiang Qingge remained quiet, listening to the ladies' words. Despite her restraint, her smile deepened and her eyes grew more determined, as if she could already see herself winning the Empress Dowager's reward.

The Empress Dowager nodded and smiled, saying, "Indeed, it's excellent. The embroidery is superb; it's clear that a lot of care was put into it. Jing'an, which young lady embroidered this Amitabha Buddha?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Jing'an glanced around before coldly fixing her gaze on Jiang Qingge. "Your Majesty, this embroidery was done by Jiang Qingge, the eldest daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."

"Oh? From the Dali Temple Minister's residence... I remember this girl."

Upon hearing Jiang Qingge's name, the Empress Dowager remarked, "I seem to have seen her once when I was young, but I wonder what she looks like now?"

Jiang Qingge walked forward gracefully, exuding the air of a well-bred lady. When she bowed, she was gentle yet neither servile nor arrogant: "This humble woman greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

"Indeed, she is a rare and wonderful person." The Empress Dowager looked at Jiang Qingge and nodded with satisfaction.

Jiang Qingge already had a good reputation in Bianjing. Everyone who knew her said that the eldest daughter of the Dali Temple Minister's family was virtuous and kind, and was the kind of daughter-in-law that many high-ranking families in Bianjing wanted.

Now, she has even received praise from the Empress Dowager. In the future, Jiang Qingge's reputation, along with that of the Dali Temple Minister's mansion, will rise accordingly. It can be said that it is a leap from quantitative change to qualitative change.

Immediately, the way the ladies present looked at Jiang Qingge changed considerably.

Jiang Qingge suppressed her joy, convinced that she was certain she would receive the reward.

Unexpectedly, a young eunuch came in to report: "Your Majesty, the envoy from the Southern Frontier has rushed here overnight to pay his respects, saying that he must present a congratulatory gift to Your Majesty today."

The mere mention of "envoy from the southern frontier" completely altered the nature of this banquet intended to be a celebration between the royal family and the people.

Recently, there has been restlessness and wolfish ambition in the southern border regions. Now, the audience has suddenly been scheduled for the Empress Dowager's birthday. Judging from the situation, it must have been a last-minute request to the Emperor. The matter is complicated.

Qingyuan obediently hid in the corner, watching the Empress Dowager and the ladies return to their positions and announce the arrival of the envoys from the Southern Frontier.

This time, the envoy was Princess Mingyue, the youngest princess of the Southern Frontier.

Dressed in southern Xinjiang attire, the silver ornaments on her body clinked and tinkled melodiously as she moved. After a curtsy, she exclaimed, "Empress Dowager, is this embroidered image of Amitabha Buddha a birthday gift for you? What a coincidence! Mingyue has heard stories of the Empress Dowager since childhood and greatly admires her. She also knows that the Empress Dowager is a devout Buddhist, and that this birthday gift is a Buddha image embroidered by hand!"

As she spoke, Princess Mingyue clapped her hands, and the two maids behind her presented the prepared birthday gifts:

"The fabric used for this Buddha statue is the most precious fabric in the Southern Frontier Kingdom, called Moonlight Brocade. Only two bolts can be obtained each year. The silk threads and gemstones used are special products of our Southern Frontier. Our Southern Frontier produces gemstones and makes a living from the gemstone business. Mingyue specially selected some precious and suitable gemstones to embroider on it one by one. I hope Your Majesty the Empress Dowager will like it."

When the red cloth was lifted, everyone present changed their expressions. It was not for any other reason than that the Buddha image embroidered by Princess Mingyue was actually Amitabha Buddha!

However, the embroidery techniques used were completely different, and the patterns and expressions were also different. The embroidery skills were obviously much better than Jiang Qingge's, and there were more details in the patterns. With the addition of gemstones, it looked even more luxurious and exquisite. When placed next to the one embroidered by Jiang Qingge, it was inevitable that people would subconsciously compare them.

The Buddha statue that had just been surrounded and praised by everyone suddenly paled in comparison to Princess Mingyue's Buddha statue.

The winner and loser are self-evident.

The Empress Dowager's smile faded slightly: "It's embroidered very well, I like it very much. But it's just a birthday celebration, there's no need to go to so much trouble. It's too much trouble for you, at such a young age, to be able to embroider such a beautiful Buddha image."

Princess Mingyue spoke, carefully examining the Buddha image embroidered by Jiang Qingge, a naive smile on her face:

"If Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is pleased, then Mingyue will not be tired. However, Mingyue has some regrets. Since childhood, Mingyue has heard that Song Kingdom is a vast and resource-rich country, a superior nation in the Celestial Empire. Whether in terms of national strength or culture such as poetry, literature, and music, it is a model for our small countries to emulate and learn from. Mingyue is young and has only been practicing embroidery for ten years, so there is still much to improve. My father always says that Mingyue's embroidery is nothing special in Song Kingdom. Therefore, Mingyue's purpose is not only to present a birthday gift to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, but also to learn more advanced embroidery techniques in your country. This Buddha statue, which can be presented to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager as a birthday gift, must be exceptionally outstanding."

Princess Mingyue paused deliberately for a moment, her expression innocent and charming: "But in Mingyue's opinion, there's no need for her to study anymore."

The atmosphere changed completely.

Originally, it was just two embroidered portraits for people to compare in secret. But Princess Mingyue's words meant not only to compare them, but to compare them in front of so many people, and it even involved the relationship between the two countries. It was a small matter that Jiang Qingge's Buddha portrait lost completely, but how could Song Kingdom lose face and dignity in front of a small country like Nanjiang on the Empress Dowager's birthday?!

Qingyuan understood this principle, and Jiang Qingge and everyone else present understood it even better, so Jiang Qingge's face turned pale and then red, looking very unpleasant.

At this moment, Princess Jing'an smiled and said, "Princess Mingyue must be anxious. I never said that there was only this one Buddha statue. Your Majesty, my real birthday gift is another one. I would like to ask Your Majesty and Princess Mingyue to take a look."