Chapter 45 The Old Slave's Eyes...
Before they knew it, it was the thirtieth day of the eleventh lunar month, Emperor Xiao Che's birthday, the Longevity Festival.
On this day, the curfew in the capital was lifted, and everywhere was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, exuding a festive atmosphere.
As is customary, the morning court session was waived on the emperor's birthday, and all officials were given a day off to allow the hardworking officials to catch their breath.
Lin Yan rarely gets to sleep until he naturally wakes up. Today there is no snow or wind, and the sunlight shines in through the window, making it warm and cozy.
He stretched and felt that even the air was sweeter than usual—days without going to work were like heavenly days.
I had just finished washing up when I heard a commotion coming from the front yard.
Old Zhang came running in, his face beaming with joy: "Young Master, Young Master! Someone from the palace has arrived! It's Chief Eunuch Li Defu himself! He's even brought dishes bestowed by His Majesty!"
Lin Yan was taken aback, and quickly straightened his robes to go out and greet him.
Li Defu stood smiling in the courtyard, followed by a string of eunuchs carrying vermilion food boxes. These eunuchs were dressed in reddish clothes, looking like a string of candied hawthorns.
"Lord Lin, Elder Lord Lin," Li Defu said cheerfully, "His Majesty, mindful of Lord Lin's recent hard work and Elder Lord Lin's conscientious performance of his duties, has specially bestowed upon me a royal meal to share in the joy and grace of the Emperor!"
Lin Chengji and his family hurriedly expressed their gratitude.
Lin Yan thought to herself that Xiao Che was a good boss; he didn't forget to give his employees benefits on his birthday.
Li Defu directed the eunuchs to open the food boxes one by one, revealing a dazzling array of imperial delicacies, their aroma filling the air.
However, Li Defu did not leave immediately. Instead, he took an even more exquisite brocade box from the eunuch.
"Lord Lin." Li Defu's smile deepened, carrying a meaning only he understood. "His Majesty specifically instructed that this is a special reward for you, saying that the proposal you submitted a few days ago regarding the details of the trade with the Northern Rong was very much to His Majesty's liking, and he was very satisfied."
Lin Yan took the brocade box; it felt heavy in his hand.
Upon opening it, one finds a complete set of fine Huzhou brushes, Huizhou ink, Xuan paper, and Duan inkstone—the Four Treasures of the Study, a priceless collection.
They are all luxury goods.
Lin Yan was overjoyed, but tried his best to remain calm: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your generous reward. Your Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state, yet you still remember me. I am deeply grateful!"
Li Defu saw Lin Yan's suppressed joy and knew exactly what was going on.
It wasn't because of any particular memorial that His Majesty was satisfied with it, but he was probably even more satisfied with the person who wrote it.
He could see right through His Majesty's ulterior motives, but he could only keep those thoughts to himself.
After seeing Li Defu off, the Lin family was filled with joy.
The imperial dishes were reheated and plated, and with the addition of several of Wen Yun's signature dishes, lunch was extremely lavish.
"His Majesty is truly a benevolent ruler, even bestowing food upon his subjects." Lin Chengji exclaimed, placing a piece of braised deer tendon from the imperial meal on Lin Yan's plate. "Yan'er, His Majesty's kindness to you is truly immeasurable."
Wen Yun smiled and nodded, "Yes, Yan'er, you must serve His Majesty well and not slack off in the slightest."
Lin Yan, his mouth stuffed full, nodded repeatedly: "Father, Mother, don't worry, your son understands."
The family finished lunch in harmony, and since they had to attend a banquet at the palace that evening, they each went back to their rooms for a short rest in the afternoon to recharge.
Lin Yan did not rest immediately. He returned to his room, took out a sandalwood box from deep inside the cabinet, opened the box, and found it lined with soft brocade, on which lay a jade pendant.
The jade pendant was carved and polished by hand from a piece of high-quality jade that he had purchased.
The design features a Qilin, symbolizing auspiciousness and benevolence, which Lin Yan thought would be a perfect gift for Xiao Che.
Heaven knows how difficult it is to carve this thing, especially those fine scales and flowing mane. Several times he almost ruined it, and his fingers were cut several times by the carving knife. But thinking of all the good things Xiao Che had done for him, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
Lin Yan carefully tied the jade pendant with new silk cords, solemnly put it into the box, and then lay down with peace of mind, closing her eyes to rest.
In the afternoon, the Lin family dressed neatly and prepared to enter the palace.
Apart from Lin Yan and Lin Chengji, who needed to wear official robes, Wen Yun and Lin Mo were all dressed in solemn new clothes, and the family had the air of a prominent family in the capital.
When the carriage arrived at the palace gate, it was already bustling with activity. Officials of the fourth rank and above, dukes, marquises, earls and their families, all dressed in their finest attire, greeted each other and entered the palace in turn, guided by eunuchs.
The royal banquet was held in Chonghua Hall. It was still early, so the guests were first led to a side hall and warm pavilion to rest and wait.
The hall was filled with the warmth of incense and the sounds of laughter and chatter, creating a festive atmosphere.
Lin Yan followed his parents and greeted his familiar colleagues, but his eyes kept glancing outside the hall.
He found a moment and whispered to his parents, "Father, Mother, I want to go and offer my birthday greetings to His Majesty alone first, and then I'll come and join you later."
Lin Chengji nodded: "Of course, go ahead."
Lin Yan responded and quietly left the warm pavilion. He found a young eunuch, showed him his Hanlin Academician's badge, and asked in a low voice, "Do you know if His Majesty is in the Taiyi Hall at this moment?"
The young eunuch recognized him and respectfully replied, "Lord Lin, today is His Majesty's birthday. He is not handling official business in the Taiyi Hall. At this hour, His Majesty should be resting in the Ziji Hall."
The Purple Palace? That was the emperor's daily residence; Lin Yan had never been there before.
He thanked them and, relying on his waist token and his face which allowed him almost no obstacles within the palace, made his way towards the Purple Palace.
The closer one gets to the Purple Palace, the more tranquil the environment becomes, and the number of patrolling guards and palace servants increases significantly, but none of them stop him when they see him.
Finally, a palace, slightly smaller than the Taiyi Hall but even more exquisite and magnificent, came into view.
The palace is surrounded by pine, cypress and bamboo, which exude vitality even in winter, unlike the Taiyi Palace, which has a strong sense of traditional Chinese culture just by looking at it.
Guards and eunuchs stood watch outside the palace gates. Lin Yan announced his name and purpose, and a young eunuch quickly went in to report.
A moment later, Li Lianshun, the second-in-command among the palace servants, trotted out and bowed, saying, "Lord Lin, please come in."
Lin Yan took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and stepped into the Purple Extreme Palace.
The hall is warm and cozy, with elegant furnishings that still exude a sense of everyday life.
The display cabinet was filled with ancient books and rare artifacts, and the walls were adorned with calligraphy and paintings. In the corner, a crane-shaped incense burner emitted wisps of blue smoke, the kind of agarwood that Xiao Che often used. But the smoke here seemed to be gentler than when he was in the Taiyi Hall.
Turning around the screen, Lin Yan immediately saw Xiao Che standing in the hall.
Xiao Che was dressed in a brand-new vermilion casual robe, with exquisite dragon patterns embroidered in gold thread on the robe, which shimmered under the light.
Li Defu, accompanied by two young eunuchs, was carefully adjusting his clothes and cuffs with gentle and respectful movements.
Hearing footsteps, Xiao Che raised his head and looked at Lin Yan. A clear look of surprise flashed in his eyes, as if he had not expected Lin Yan to appear here at this time.
"Lin Qing?" Xiao Che spoke, his voice slightly more relaxed than it usually sounded in the main hall. "Why have you come at this time?"
Lin Yan quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I wish you a long life and good health! In addition to the gifts I prepared with my colleagues, I have also prepared a small gift for Your Majesty in private, which I thought I could present to you in person."
As he spoke, he presented the brocade box containing the Qilin jade pendant with both hands.
The surprise in Xiao Che's eyes deepened, then transformed into an indescribable profound meaning.
He waved his hand, and Li Defu immediately understood, leading the eunuchs to step back a few paces and stand with their heads bowed.
"Oh?" Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, stepped forward, and took the small brocade box. "Minister Lin is very thoughtful. Let me see what this is."
Xiao Che opened the box, and the lustrous white jade pendant with a unicorn shape lay quietly on the dark velvet. Its shape was simple and cute. Although the carving was not as exquisite as that of the court jade craftsmen, it revealed a sense of seriousness and care.
"This is a jade pendant I carved," Lin Yan said somewhat embarrassedly. "It symbolizes... wishing Your Majesty good health and peace for the country. The carving is rough, please don't mind it, Your Majesty."
Xiao Che picked up the jade pendant, and the warm, smooth touch on his fingertips made his gaze flicker.
Examining the Qilin closely, especially the details that clearly required a great deal of effort, one can almost imagine Lin Yan intently carving it under the lamp, perhaps even clumsily injuring his fingers in the process.
Heaven knows how difficult it was to carve these Qilin scales! I almost ruined a piece of my fine material! I nearly turned my fingers into sieves! Your Majesty, you absolutely must like them! Otherwise, all my hard work will have been wasted!
Xiao Che held the jade pendant in his palm and said in a gentle tone, "Lin Qing's craftsmanship is excellent, I like it very much."
He paused, then suddenly handed the jade pendant back to Lin Yan, his tone extremely natural, even carrying a hint of something barely perceptible: "Since you made it yourself, then you shall fasten it for me yourself."
Lin Yan: "???"
【What? Me? This isn't the right thing to do, is it? Isn't this kind of work usually done by Li Defu and his team?】
[Your Majesty, what are you doing now? Are you testing my skills in serving others?]
Li Defu, who was standing to the side, suddenly felt a jolt in his eyelids and quickly lowered his head even further, wishing he could shrink into the crack between the floor tiles.
Oh my goodness, Your Majesty, could your intentions be any more obvious?
Old! Slave! Eyes!
When the boss gives the order, how could Lin Yan dare to disobey?
Lin Yan had no choice but to bite the bullet, take two steps forward, and accept the jade pendant that suddenly seemed to have become too hot to handle.
Xiao Che lowered his head slightly in perfect compliance.
Lin Yan held her breath and carefully reached out, her hand going around Xiao Che's neck. Her fingertips inevitably touched the cool skin on the back of his neck and the roots of his neatly tied hair.
Lin Yan's hand trembled slightly as he focused intently on tightening the silk cord.
He could smell the faint scent of agarwood on Xiao Che's body, mixed with the fragrance of his new clothes, creating a highly aggressive aura.
After tying it for a while, I finally got it done.
Lin Yan quickly took two steps back, his forehead almost sweating: "Your Majesty, it's tied."
Xiao Che straightened up, raised his hand and stroked the warm jade pendant on his chest, a very satisfied smile on his face, as if the jade pendant was some kind of priceless treasure: "Hmm, Lin Qing has gone to great lengths."
Li Defu didn't dare to breathe loudly: Your Majesty, that's enough!
Old! Slave! Teeth! Teeth!
"It's almost time," Xiao Che said in a good mood, his tone becoming much lighter. "Minister Lin, please come with me to Chonghua Palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lin Yangong replied obediently, secretly relieved.
Xiao Che took the lead and walked out of the hall, and Li Defu quickly followed.
Lin Yan lagged behind, following behind.
Looking at Xiao Che's tall and straight back, and the jade pendant he had carved himself worn against the backdrop of his bright yellow robes, Lin Yan suddenly had a thought:
[This jade pendant... seems to match His Majesty's outfit quite well?]
Xiao Che, who was walking ahead, seemed to pause for a moment, but then resumed his normal pace, only the smile on his lips deepened.
Before the palace banquet even began, a unique "scene" had already emerged inside the Ziji Hall.
-----------------------
Author's note: Li Defu: Speak up for me! Speak up for me!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com