Liu Tan had been very worried about the appearance of the peach tree before. He had not thought of this at first. It was only after Liu Ju reminded him that he remembered that the peach tree was not placed in the center of the hall at the beginning, but needed to be moved in at the right time.

If there is nothing to cover it, the peach tree will inevitably be exposed.

It has been snowing frequently these past two days, and no one knows whether it will snow during the state banquet. If we just move it over here and it gets covered in snow along the way, how can we eat it?

Even if we don't worry about this, Liu Ju's intention is to reveal it at the last moment, so other people can't see this thing on the way. After thinking about it, Liu Tan can only make a cover for the peach tree.

Originally, he wanted to use brocade, which was both beautiful and light.

But Liu Ju felt that it was too frivolous and did not fit the style of a state banquet, so he finally chose a wooden box.

Liu Tan was extremely worried at that time. No matter how thin the wooden box was made, it was still heavy. In addition, the tall peach tree was made entirely of sugar, and the ninety-nine peaches hanging on it were all filled with honey meatballs. The weight was already very heavy.

Although vehicles can be used for transportation within the palace, there is a staircase in front of the Weiyang Palace, so it must be carried up.

In the end, Liu Ju selected twelve strong guards to do this task. Even though those people were very strong, Liu Tan was still worried about any bumps or collisions.

So when the box came in, everyone was curious about what was inside, and even guessed the meaning of the painting outside. Only Liu Tan was so nervous that he could hardly breathe, fearing that these twelve people would not cooperate well and the peach tree would fall.

Fortunately, these twelve people are very competitive.

Liu Tan felt half relieved after seeing the paint box land safely, and the remaining half was yet to be revealed.

This lacquer box used the same principle as the one Lu Xuan used to give him the golden horse statue last time. The box panels opened outwards, but unlike that lacquer box, the top panel was fixed to prevent any movement.

Otherwise, the tree is nearly two meters high, and the paint box is even higher. The top plate would require someone to climb up with a ladder to operate, which increases the danger.

After the twelve people put down the lacquer box, they stood in the four corners in order, then turned to look at Liu Tan.

Liu Tan nodded at them, and one of the leaders shouted, "Open the box!"

The opening action was very quick. Almost in an instant, the four sides of the lacquer box fell down, revealing the brilliant peach tree in the middle.

Twelve men quickly retreated with the lacquer box panels, their footsteps echoing in the hall.

In fact, they had undergone special training and their steps were very light, but almost everyone in the hall was holding their breath, their eyes fixed on the magnificent peach tree.

In fact, at this time, not to mention them, even Liu Che, Liu Ju and even Liu Tan who had seen it in advance felt a little shocked.

Because I usually watched it during the day before, and at most I just thought it was bright.

And now it is during the evening ceremony.

Because of the important ceremony, the interior of the ceremony was almost brightly lit. The light shining from all directions made the transparent trunk and branches of the peach tree reflect a gorgeous color. It was also because Liu Tan was striving for perfection and required the trunk and branches to be restored as much as possible when making the model, so the trunk and branches were uneven, which resulted in the trunk and branches emitting a faint colorful light no matter from which angle you look at it.

Of course, this is not the most eye-catching thing. The most eye-catching thing is the green leaves and beautiful red peaches on the trees that are illuminated by the light. Their existence seems to have brought the hall, which is not very warm, back to spring overnight.

Some of the leaves were fixed on the branches, while others were hanging on them with a sense of movement that seemed to be about to fall off. At this moment, a gust of wind came from nowhere in the hall, causing the movable leaves on the peach tree to move slightly, and the collisions with other leaves and red peaches made crisp sounds, like beautiful music that could bewitch people's hearts.

Although Liu Tan was also surprised by the effect of the peach tree, he quickly came to his senses. After looking around and finding that many people were shocked, he felt relieved. Liu Che... should feel proud, right?

He subconsciously glanced at Lu Xuan and found that Lu Xuan was also looking at the tree, with a bright light faintly flashing in his dark green eyes.

Perhaps sensing Liu Tan's gaze, he quickly looked over. After seeing Liu Tan, he glanced at the peach tree again, a thoughtful expression on his face. Then, he said casually, "I've never heard of this tree before. Could it be that a fairy tree from heaven has fallen to the mortal world?"

The others also woke up as if from a dream, and swayed their bodies from side to side to try to take a closer look at the tree, while asking, "What tree is this?"

Liu Che was also admiring the tree. Before this, he had only listened to Liu Ju's reports and occasionally looked at the branches Liu Ju brought. This was the first time he saw the whole tree.

But he was really knowledgeable and although he felt happy watching it, he did not lose his composure.

After hearing Lu Xuan's words, he suddenly realized that he had indeed never seen the original prototype of this tree. The leaves and fruits looked very unfamiliar.

He turned to look at Liu Tan and found that Liu Tan was staring at something on the food table with his head down.

At this time, Chen Ajiao also came back to her senses and chuckled, "This thing was made by my son. I think he has seen it before."

Her voice was not loud, only Liu Che and Liu Ju could hear it, and Liu Tan could only vaguely hear a sound.

Liu Che was a little curious after hearing this. He seemed to be a little drunk. In the past, he might have said nothing and asked Liu Tan to give him an explanation after the state banquet. But today, he said directly: "Tan'er, this tree was planted by you. Since everyone is curious, you should tell us about it."

Liu Tan: ?????

He looked up at Liu Che, almost confused. What should he say?

The materials used for this tree and other things have been reported. Does he still need to make a report on the spot?

Almost everyone in the hall focused their attention on Liu Tan, causing him to feel hot all over and become even more nervous.

Liu Ju seemed to notice that he was already confused. He turned around and told the maid beside him something. The maid walked over to Liu Tan and said, "Fifth Prince, the Crown Prince asked you to explain the origin of the tree's appearance."

Liu Tan: ...

It would be better to let him tell everyone how it was done!

However, he somewhat understood what Liu Ju meant. Because the tree appeared too eye-catchingly, Liu Ju probably wanted to make it look magical.

The purpose of today's state banquet is not really a grand party among various countries, but to show the wealth of the Han Dynasty and use it to intimidate others.

If some miraculous things happened during this process, giving these envoys a deep-rooted impression that God was blessing the Han Dynasty, then this would make these people even more afraid in this era.

Of course, such fear is not enough to make them ignore their interests and not take action. It can only make them more cautious before taking action, which can somewhat reduce some border friction.

Liu Tan gritted his teeth, quickly organizing his words in his mind, and stood up and said, "Kunmi is right. This thing is indeed not from the mortal world. It is a peach planted by the Queen Mother of the Yaochi Realm. It blooms and bears fruit every three thousand years. When the fruit is ripe, the Queen Mother will hold a 'Peach Festival' and invite all the immortals to taste it."

As Liu Tan spoke, he stood up and motioned the maid beside him to follow with the wooden tray.

He walked over to the peach tree and said, "This tree was made by me based on the sacred peach tree. Although it's not the real sacred peach tree, it's not much different."

At the end of the story, Liu Tan felt a little guilty. It was impossible to have such a close difference. Even if there really was a peach tree these days, if someone looked for it based on the appearance of this tree, they would probably never find it even if they searched forever!

Liu Tan took the white towel from the wooden tray and placed it on his hands, then personally picked a peach from the highest branch. Fortunately, when the tree was first designed, the peach was not placed on the highest branch, otherwise, with his height, he probably wouldn't be able to reach it.

After the peach was picked, it exuded the unique sweet fragrance of honey meatballs. Liu Tan placed it on a plate on a wooden tray, and then personally held it up and walked forward to present it to Liu Che.

Liu Che was listening attentively, but when he saw that Liu Tan refused to continue, he waved to him and asked Liu Tan to come forward.

Liu Tan walked over and lowered the peach in his hand to Liu Che. Liu Che took it and asked, "The Sacred Peach Tree? It's indeed very different from the peach trees on earth. The fruit is somewhat similar, though. Hmm, why don't you say anything?"

Liu Tan smiled. What else could he say? Besides, he probably had to tell the story of Journey to the West again. But at this moment, he could only whisper a reminder: "Father, everyone is still waiting."

Liu Che sat back down with a feeling of unsatisfied. He waved his hand and said, "Although it's not a real sacred tree, my son is very clever. Let everyone try it."

Liu Tan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Liu Che would definitely ask him about the Peach Tree later. He was not worried. As long as Liu Che didn't let him go looking for it, it would be fine.

Even if Liu Che really asked him to go find it...wouldn't he find all kinds of excuses?

Perhaps everyone was interested in this tree, or rather the sacred peach tree, so many people looked at Liu Tan vaguely. Liu Fuling even asked curiously, "When did Fifth Brother go to the fairyland? How come I didn't know?"

Liu Tan looked at him and said softly, "There are many things you don't know."

Liu Fuling's face changed and he was about to say something when he saw Liu Tan stand up and say, "Let's go change clothes."

Fu Yu and Cen You behind him immediately followed.

The so-called changing clothes is actually a polite way of saying going to the toilet. Liu Tan didn't want to go at first, but he felt that if he continued to sit there, he would be constantly watched and questioned, especially since Liu Fuling seemed to have shifted his target from Liu Ju to him.

Come to think of it, Liu Che only has three children in the palace now. It is normal for Liu Ju to be in the limelight as the prince. Liu Tan has also become very famous, but he is the only one left with no one paying attention to him. I'm afraid this child will become mentally unbalanced.

Liu Tan didn't want to endure the nausea and play brotherly games with him, so he simply slipped out and relieved his bladder at the same time.

But after he came out, he didn't go back until Miao Rui came to him and told him that the banquet was over, then he slowly walked back.

Closing the banquet was much simpler than opening it. Everyone just respectfully saw the emperor and empress off, and then the foreign envoys were collectively led out, and the other ministers returned home.

Liu Tan was just thinking about whether to have a midnight snack when he got off the throne. Suddenly, Liu Che turned around and waved at him, "Tan'er, come here."

Liu Tan suddenly had a bad premonition. He walked tremblingly to Liu Che's side, looked at him cautiously and asked, "Father?"

Liu Che pinched the back of his neck affectionately and said, "Come, tell me about the Queen Mother of the West and that Peach Garden."

Liu Tan: ...

Alas, he knew that he should not pretend to be cool. Pretending to be cool might not get him struck by lightning, but it would definitely attract the attention of Emperor Liu Che.