Chapter 96: Birthday Cake May you be happy every year and have everything go well.

"I hope you will forgive me for disturbing your gathering."

The butler had stood quietly behind him at some point, his waist bent, his narrow eyes filled with smiles.

"The meeting in the front hall is over. Miss Gui, His Highness has summoned you to the side courtyard for a chat."

The housekeeper's tone was gentle, but it carried an invisible pressure that made Liu Qianjin nervous.

Guizhier disagreed.

Listen to what he said, it is clear that what was being discussed in the front hall was important military and political affairs.

Taking the time to summon her seemed like a blessing. As expected, her status had changed, and everything was no longer the same.

Who cares!

Guizhier lowered her eyelids and glanced at the housekeeper from top to bottom with an extremely indifferent look. She stood up with the lacquer box and followed him to the side courtyard.

The butler restrained his smile under her calm gaze.

But I still feel uncomfortable.

As the former chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department and a favorite of the Emperor, Eunuch Fu'an is quite capable.

In his opinion, Miss Gui was appreciated by His Royal Highness Prince Yue only because of her strange and tricky skills.

After learning the arts of literature and martial arts, he sold them to the imperial family.

What a blessing!

Therefore, when informing the people, he naturally attributed Gui Zhier's abilities to the achievements of His Royal Highness Prince Yue.

Since Miss Gui is so proud of herself, we should dampen her arrogance.

Otherwise, how will she support the inner court and help her master achieve great things in the future?

Half a year had passed, and the furnishings in the side courtyard of the government office had not changed.

In the middle is a plain desk made of nanmu wood. Several maps are spread out in a prominent position on the desk, with the directions of mountains and rivers and the distribution of passes marked in different colors.

The beechwood bookcase and carved bodhi tree behind it are still in their original places.

Next to the map, a pile of memorials was piled up like a mountain.

His Royal Highness Prince Yue was wearing a black brocade robe made of high-quality fabric. The craftsman had used gold thread to carefully outline the posture of a tumbling dragon, which was quite majestic and royal.

The corners of the robe are embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, adding a sense of auspiciousness.

The gorgeous clothes almost completely engulfed his figure, making it difficult to see him.

Hearing the sound, Liang Yue paused his pen and his eyes, which were originally focused on the map, instantly lifted up.

Those eyes were like a pool of water, clear yet cold.

Under the high nose bridge, the lips are slightly pursed, and the cold aura makes people dare not approach easily.

"It's been a while since we last met. I hope your highness is doing well." Gui Zhi'er spoke first, placing the lacquer box on the table without hesitation. "Today is your highness's birthday, so you should eat the cake."

Guizhier opened the lid of the box and found a baked persimmon-flavored cake inside, which was fluffy and golden.

The round and cute little persimmon has a concave bottom and the sepals on the top of the fruit stalk are tightly clustered.

The color seems to be dyed by the sunset.

As soon as she came, everything cold in the room seemed to come alive.

Those intimate old times also came back.

Even King Yue, who always kept people at a distance, had a barely perceptible look of astonishment in his eyes when he saw the cake.

"Young lady...how do you know my birthday?" Liang Yue's face still had a hint of alienation, but his voice softened unconsciously, like ice and snow just melting.

Of course it is provided by the system archive.

Guizhier had suffered a loss once, so she read the world background information more carefully.

If you can use some small favors to trick His Highness into letting down his guard, why not do it?

"We have the same thoughts, right?" Guizhi'er's eyes were full of joy.

She answered lightly, but it seemed as if there was a thin layer of gauze between them, revealing a hint of politeness.

"It's customary to eat longevity noodles when celebrating a birthday." Liang Yue said slowly with a lazy smile on his face.

Eunuch Fuan asked the kitchen to prepare a bowl of dragon beard noodles early in the morning.

Served with fresh and rich bone broth, add a few leaves of tender green vegetables and a poached egg for good luck.

However, he was busy with official affairs, and the bowl of longevity noodles was not touched at all. It must have been cold already.

As for the custom of eating birthday cake, it is unheard of.

Having said that, he still followed Guizhier's instructions, closed his eyes and made a wish after the candle was lit.

one two three.

The flickering candlelight gently passed by, outlining a light shadow on the man's thick eyelashes.

"Happy birthday! May Your Highness be happy and successful every year."

He opened his eyes and saw Guizhier showing a row of white teeth, with uncontrollable joy in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes.

Liang Yue took a bite of the persimmon-flavored cake.

The cake base is delicate and dense, and you can vaguely discern the taste of honey and eggs. It is sweet but not greasy.

It makes people feel happy, as if they are holding all the beauty of autumn in their mouths.

"What wish did Your Highness make just now?" Guizhier asked with her head tilted.

Liang Yue sat upright, swallowed a small bite of delicious food, and a very faint but hard-to-conceal joy quietly crept up his eyebrows.

"The current emperor is incompetent and has brought our Daliang state to the brink of destruction. For the sake of the people, I, the king, have raised an army in Zhenbei to start an uprising."

When talking about serious matters, the man's smile disappeared and his expression was full of solemnity.

"This prince sees that the young lady is extremely intelligent and has extraordinary strategies. He would like to invite her to be a key female official in his tent to work together on great undertakings. What do you think?"

Although this was a question, Liang Yue's words were so powerful that they left little room for doubt.

"Ah... I forgot to remind Your Highness that wishes will not come true if they are spoken out." Guizhier looked annoyed and raised her hand to pat her forehead.

What the hell is this important lady-in-waiting!

There is absolutely no possibility for her to enter the officialdom.

The candles had been blown out, and the atmosphere in the inner room was a little stagnant.

There was no emotion on Liang Yue's stern face, and the girl stood timidly beside him.

Their eyes met, then looked away for a moment. A subtle feeling spread between them, making it difficult to tell friend from foe.

“Knock knock.”

The sound of a light knock on the door interrupted the stalemate.

The butler bent down the moment he entered the room. He walked quickly but politely to King Yue and bowed.

"Master, the lady's sleeping quarters have been prepared."

It is easy to enter the palace, but difficult to leave.

Since she was under the surveillance of secret guards every day, he didn't believe that Gui Zhier could still hide her privacy.

No matter if she is possessed of witchcraft or is being guided by an expert.

All techniques that can help the North achieve great things should be used by Your Highness.

When Liang Yue heard this, a barely perceptible surprise flashed across his calm face.

Eunuch Fuan rarely acts on his own.

But in a moment, his expression returned to calm.

Liang Yue stood up with his hands behind his back, without saying anything to stop him. He seemed to be waiting to see how Gui Zhier would react to the housekeeper's unexpected move.

"Your Highness, I suddenly remembered something." A gust of wind carried the young general in armor and rushed in rashly.

"You appointed me the Grand General. What about the person the court sent earlier... Oh, right, Eunuch Deshun?"

His eyes are bright and his voice is loud, revealing his heroic spirit.

Eunuch Deshun was executed at Caishikou because he advocated ceding land in exchange for peace.

His head was hung at the city gate for three days for public display.

Dead as hell.

Liang Yue said silently in his heart.

He was a little impatient. How could they barge in one after another?

Four people suddenly squeezed into the already cramped room, each with their own ulterior motives.

Guizhier firmly occupied the center of sight, without even raising her eyelids. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and her hands were clasped across her chest.

As if to protect the heart, the back is tense, which is a common defensive posture used by martial artists.

"My little girl has a wild nature, but I only hope to become a good cook." Gui Zhier said slowly, "I hope Your Highness will show mercy."

"The young lady is still young and doesn't understand the benefits of this." The housekeeper spoke, still with a friendly look on his face.

As he spoke, he shook his head slightly, with a helpless look on his face that said "I'm thinking about you".

"I am a worthy female official, and I will be at the side of nobles. If I can help the prince ascend the throne, I will usher in a peaceful and prosperous era."

By then, there will be endless rewards of gold, silver and jewelry.

Although her origin was unknown and she was not qualified to be a concubine, it was a great joy for a widow to find a husband.

"If the young lady doesn't listen to my advice and defies my orders..."

The butler's amiable demeanor vanished, and his fangs were bared.

"Oh." Guizhier sighed helplessly.

Faced with naked threats, she always takes revenge.

"If Your Highness insists on not releasing me, then the Emperor's Seal shall be returned to the Emperor of Hangzhou."

Emperor's Seal?

The corners of Liang Yue's and the housekeeper's eyes twitched, and their gazes simultaneously converged on the beech wood bookshelf behind them.

The carved Bodhi tree with outstretched branches and leaves disappeared.

The emperor's seal is hidden inside.

"You, you! This is ridiculous!" The butler's voice became sharp due to his excitement, and his originally fair face turned purple.

Seeing Guizhi'er looking like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water, I was really angry.

What a dirty and shameless person, so bold and presumptuous!

Even without the Emperor's Seal, he could still mobilize the secret guards, and the treasures in the secret vault had long been moved.

But the most important function of the Emperor's Seal is to declare King Yue's legitimacy to court ministers and people all over the world.

Declaring that he was the rightful heir chosen by the old emperor.

"When did you steal it?" Liang Yue closed his eyes.

The answer is already in my heart.

The carved Bodhi tree is small and delicate, and fits perfectly into the hidden pocket of the sleeve.

It must have been in those few seconds when he made the wish, when the slender candle was firmly inserted into the persimmon cake.

The jumping flames sometimes brightened and sometimes dimmed, and the candle wick burned, making a slight "crackling" sound, as if whispering.

"Happy every year, everything goes well."

It's all an illusion.

An indescribable complex feeling surged in Liang Yue's heart.

Liang Yue had been busy with various military and political affairs for days and had been under long-term mental stress. Faced with Gui Zhier's outrageous behavior, his fingertips trembled slightly.

He changed his palm into a claw, his movements were swift and fierce, cutting through the heavy air and attacking Gui Zhier directly.

The wind brought a gust of autumn rain, which hit the window with a dull "bang bang" sound, as if war drums were beating.