"Jianing arrived a little late, I hope I didn't spoil His Majesty and the Empress's mood?"

Yan Mingyi gracefully bowed, allowing everyone to observe her with composure.

The Empress gazed at her, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

Emperor Chongde laughed heartily first: "It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. My sister and I haven't seen each other for a long time. Someone, bring a seat for the Princess!"

The Empress spoke slowly: "His Majesty and I are overjoyed that you have come in person."

Yan Mingyi sat down, glanced at her, and gave her a cryptic look.

The arrival of the eldest princess made the atmosphere somewhat tense, and everyone couldn't help but secretly speculate whether His Majesty intended to shake hands and make peace with the eldest princess, judging from his attitude.

Although the events of that year were not made public, anyone with a discerning eye could sense that something was amiss.

Emperor Chongde appeared oblivious, uttered a few polite words, and the banquet officially began. Musical instruments filled the air, and dancers gracefully entered, their movements beautiful and captivating.

After watching for a while, Shen Tangning found it boring and lowered her head to eat the food in front of her.

Suddenly she felt a gaze fall on her. She looked up and saw that Chi Yan was staring at her. When he saw that she had noticed him, he immediately picked up a piece of pastry and put it in his mouth.

Shen Tangning's heart stirred. Her gaze swept across the pastries in front of her, and she picked up one of the same pastries and tentatively took a bite.

Her eyes lit up; the taste was indeed good.

It was truly difficult for him to come up with such a method.

Thinking of this, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

Chi Yan's lips relaxed. He thought this pastry was quite good when he had it in the palace last time, and he was sure Shen Tangning would like it.

Turning his head, he caught Chi Jingyu glancing at him sideways. He twitched his eyebrows and lowered his voice, "Big brother, would you like a piece too?"

Chi Jingyu pursed her lips and declined in a low voice, "No need."

Chi Yan slightly pursed her lips.

Halfway through the banquet, the eldest princess was the first to rise and present a gift.

She ordered someone to present a stack of booklets, and smiled slightly: "These are Buddhist scriptures personally copied by Jia Ning, specially presented to Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty boundless blessings and longevity."

The booklet was unfolded, revealing densely packed, neatly arranged text without a single error.

The act of hand-copying Buddhist scriptures is truly commendable and has earned widespread praise.

Emperor Chongde accepted the order with a smile, saying, "Jianing, you've gone to a lot of trouble."

The crown prince presented a "Father and Son Sharing Prosperity" sculpture that he had personally carved.

Made of Hetian white jade, the two sika deer are closely nestled together. The larger deer lies on the ground, holding a lingzhi mushroom in its mouth with a peaceful expression, while the smaller deer lies beside the larger deer, looking up at it with obvious affection.

Regardless of the symbolism of the statue, the fact that the crown prince carved it himself is already incredibly precious.

When Yan Huai presented the gift in person, his fingers still bore various scratches. He lowered his head slightly and looked a little flustered: "Your subject's craftsmanship is not good. This gift was prepared half a year ago and was only just finished these past few days. The workmanship is a bit rough, and I hope Father will forgive me."

Everyone was moved by these words. Even when the Crown Prince was seriously injured, he did not forget to personally prepare a congratulatory gift for His Majesty, which shows his filial piety.

Emperor Chongde's eyes were slightly dazed. After a long while, he sighed and said, "You're still recovering from your injuries. Why did you have to do such a small thing yourself?"

"I'm glad Father Emperor is pleased." Yan Huai smiled but didn't take credit.

The emperor glanced at Eunuch Fu, who immediately accepted the gift, saying with a sigh, "Your Highness's intentions are commendable, but your lack of care for your health is surely causing His Majesty distress."

The Third Prince's eyes darkened.