The number one rebel of the Great Wu

"Tatatom, the envoy from the Kingdom of Kucha, wishes His Majesty a joyous birthday..."

"The Di envoy..."

"The Japanese envoy..."

A dozen or so envoys entered the hall one by one to present their birthday greetings and various birthday gifts, including precious jade and pearls, fine horses and beautiful women, which pleased Xiao Jingtian greatly.

He immediately waved his hand, signaling the envoy to take a seat, where he sat with the high-ranking officials of the Great Wu Dynasty at the very end of the main hall.

Next came the congratulatory gifts from the Empress, Imperial Noble Consort, and others.

They were all Xiao Jingtian's women, and they knew his temperament best. They didn't prepare any expensive gifts, but rather some thoughtful little trinkets or local specialties from their own clan.

What surprised Chen Changgeng the most was the few longevity pills, which were said to have the effect of prolonging life.

This thing, after all, although there are martial arts in this world, you can't cultivate immortality... Nobody knows if it's useful or not, there's no way to verify it, anyway, it's not poisonous, just eat it.

"Father, I know you admire Mr. Fang Tianqi's calligraphy and paintings, so I specially went to collect a few of his masterpieces."

"This magnificent landscape painting is a wish for the eternal stability of the borders of my Great Wu Dynasty."

"This painting of pine trees and cranes symbolizes longevity; may my father live as long as the heavens!"

The eldest prince, Xiao Heng, stepped forward first and had his servants bring out two paintings, which were then displayed in the court.

Xiao Jingtian's face immediately lit up with joy. He asked Eunuch Sun to bring it over and examine it carefully several times before passing it down to all the officials.

He was clearly very satisfied with his eldest son's gift, and even a little smug.

When it was his turn, Xiao Lie immediately stood up, took a box from Chen Changgeng, and strode into the hall.

"Father, I have prepared a jade ruyi for you, inlaid with seventy-two precious pearls and thirty-six bright pearls. It exudes an air of nobility!"

Xiao Jingtian raised an eyebrow and casually waved his hand, telling Eunuch Sun to fetch it.

Grandpa Sun immediately ran downstairs, retrieved the box, and opened it to take a look.

Inside was indeed a jade ruyi, and although it was glittering and precious, it certainly exuded an air of nobility.

But as an emperor, he has no shortage of such mundane things.

Compared to the works of the First Prince Xiao Heng, one is vulgar and the other is elegant; one is made with care and the other without; one is heaven and the other is hell.

With such a stark contrast right from the start, it's no wonder Xiao Jingtian was unhappy.

Seeing that they dared to bring out such a gift, the princes below chuckled, and even the high-ranking officials behind them shook their heads helplessly.

But Xiao Lie didn't care about that at all.

In his view, his trump card lay in the birthday message he had prepared for his father.

"In addition, I have prepared a birthday greeting for Father Emperor."

Xiao Lie confidently reached into his chest and immediately pulled out a small piece of paper.

Seeing that Xiao Lie was actually going to read from a script, the Third Prince Xiao Ce pursed his lips heavily, almost bursting out laughing.

"Oh?"

"Then read it aloud!"

"If it is well written, I will reward it handsomely!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingtian thought that since the Crown Prince had a capable tutor, he might actually have acquired some knowledge.

"What? The Crown Prince wrote a congratulatory message?"

"No way, the Crown Prince has never liked literary pursuits, this congratulatory message is probably..."

"Hey, you forgot? The Crown Prince is currently riding high in court. Even if he doesn't understand it, he always has a few people under him who do!"

When everyone saw that Xiao Lie was going to read a prepared text, they assumed that it was written for the Crown Prince by someone else.

After all, the homework submitted by the Crown Prince was too amazing. Although the civil and military officials in the court flattered him on the surface, in their hearts, no one believed that it was really done by Xiao Lie.

"Ahem!"

Xiao Lie coughed deliberately before slowly beginning his reading.

"May Your Majesty live a long and healthy life; Your Majesty, I bow in reverence."

"My father, the emperor, wielded a three-foot sword to pacify the world, managing countless affairs and governing all directions. He quelled the rebellions on horseback, and worked tirelessly day and night in the palace, bringing peace to the land and enabling the people to live in peace and prosperity. His civil and military achievements were magnificent and illustrious, truly making him an emperor for all ages."

"When Father Emperor resides in the high halls of power, his worries are for the people; when I, your humble servant, am far from the court, my worries are for my sovereign and father. Though our positions differ, our hearts are one of concern for the country and its people."

"But when will we be happy? Now the world is at peace, the people are prosperous, and the common people no longer have any worries. Father Emperor is happy today. This is what is meant by being the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures."

"My imperial father truly deserves these words. Your humble son wishes to share your burdens and rejoice with you in this joy. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Xiao Lie had practiced this passage countless times in private, and today he delivered it fluently in one breath.

As everyone listened to what came before, their expressions gradually turned to shock, while Xiao Jingtian was quite pleased by his flattery.

By praising himself in front of envoys from various countries, he not only enhanced the prestige of the Great Wu Dynasty but also gave himself ample face.

Finally, it also deterred the Di people and the Japanese envoy who had been trying to cause trouble recently.

But when the following line, "Your humble servant is unworthy, but I wish to share your burdens with you, Father," came out, the expressions of the civil and military officials changed drastically!

Xiao Jingtian's expression also quickly darkened!

He couldn't help but curse inwardly.

You brat, are you tired of me being emperor for too long and can't wait to "share your father's burdens"?

Do you think that now that the world is at peace, and I have worked hard for half my life, I can pass the throne to you and enjoy my retirement?

Which emperor could tolerate the crown prince so blatantly coveting the imperial power?

Shen Qingci, who was sitting at the table, was initially a little surprised, but when she heard the last sentence, her beautiful eyes widened instantly, and she turned her head to look at Chen Changgeng in disbelief.

Chen Changgeng was also completely dumbfounded. This idiot changed my stuff!

Are you out of your mind?!

"What's going on!"

Shen Qingci's face turned ashen, and she immediately asked in a low voice!

"I don't know either. What I wrote wasn't like this. It's probably that the Crown Prince changed it in private."

Cold sweat poured down Chen Changgeng's forehead!

Shen Qingci's lips trembled, and she immediately turned her head back.

Upon hearing Chen Changgeng's words, she did not hesitate for a second and chose to believe him.

After all, this is very much in line with Xiao Lie's style.

He did behave for a few days, but that didn't change his nature of "eating shit" that he'd been doing for the past ten years!

"Father, how is my birthday greeting?"

At this moment, Xiao Lie, standing on the throne, could not see the surprised expressions of the officials behind him. Instead, he asked the question with full confidence.

To Xiao Jingtian, his words were tantamount to saying, "Give me the throne today!"

"Good, good, absolutely good!"

Xiao Jingtian, mindful of the greater matter, prepared to suppress his anger and put the matter aside for now, settling accounts later.

Who knew this guy would actually recklessly add another comment.

His suppressed anger erupted instantly.

He immediately slammed his hand on the table and roared angrily.

"Xiao Lie, you've got some nerve!"

"On my birthday, you actually wrote such a disgusting birthday greeting!"

"His intentions are despicable!"

Xiao Lie was taken aback, blinked innocently, and looked puzzled.

"Father, I've come to offer my birthday wishes... Why?"

Xiao Lie was quick-witted enough to immediately kneel down with a thud and shout in fear.

"Your Majesty, I truly do not know what I have done to offend you. Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

"Actually, this birthday greeting was not written by me. It was given to me by a merchant surnamed Zhang."

"Your Majesty, I am terrified. If there is any problem with this congratulatory message, I will immediately arrest that merchant surnamed Zhang and bring him to Your Majesty for interrogation!"

Xiao Jingtian immediately closed his eyes in pain, pointing his right finger at Xiao Lie, so angry that he couldn't speak for a moment.

If Xiao Lie had explained the matter to him afterwards, and then arrested and interrogated the merchant surnamed Zhang, all the misunderstandings could have been cleared up.

Then draft an imperial edict, saying that the crown prince has been misled and has acted improperly. He can be angered for a year or two and then the matter can be hastily resolved.

Who knew that this idiot would actually blurt it out in court?

What are the civil and military officials supposed to think? What are the envoys from various countries supposed to think?

He, the crown prince of the mighty Great Wu Dynasty, is such a fool!

How embarrassing! How incredibly embarrassing!

"Stupid, stupid, idiot!"

"You utter idiot!"

Once Xiao Jingtian recovered, he slammed his fist on the table and roared angrily, then waved his hand.

"Guards, get this idiot out of the palace!"