After a moment of silence, Zhang Chao could only pretend not to understand the Emperor's implied meaning, and stood up and said with a smile, "This girl was bought into the household not long ago, so Your Majesty has never seen her."
"Oh?" Emperor Rui's fleshy face darkened, and he was about to continue speaking when a clear male voice suddenly rang out from the side: "This humble subject, Liang Yihan, greets Your Majesty!"
Emperor Rui frowned and looked over with displeasure. He saw a person kneeling on the ground in the center of the wooden platform. The man was dressed in a thin blue brocade robe, but he was relaxed and showed no sign of cold in the biting wind.
Seeing that he had successfully attracted the Emperor's attention, Liang Yihan lowered his head and continued, "This humble subject holds no official position or rank, and I am deeply grateful to Your Majesty for granting me the honor of attending this banquet! While traveling, I was fortunate enough to acquire a thousand-year-old ginseng. Such a precious treasure of heaven and earth can only be possessed by Your Majesty, who is of such high status. Today, I present this ginseng to Your Majesty, and I hope Your Majesty will accept it with pleasure!"
As he spoke, Liang Yihan knelt on the ground and raised his hands, holding up an exquisite rectangular box.
Emperor Rui's expression softened, and he smiled, "A thousand-year-old ginseng is quite rare. Someone, bring this ginseng here so I can take a look."
The middle-aged eunuch behind Emperor Rui bowed his head in response, walked over, took the box from Liang Yihan's hand, and handed it to Emperor Rui.
Emperor Rui opened the box and felt a rich spiritual energy rush to his nose. He looked closely and saw a ginseng root about a foot long inside. The ginseng root was almost human-shaped, with its limbs vaguely visible.
"Good stuff, good stuff!" Emperor Rui closed the box and handed it to the eunuch behind him, laughing, "Put it away carefully for me."
As he spoke, he looked up at Liang Yihan, his expression softening, and said gently, "Liang Yihan, is it? Get up! I remember you. You are Liang Aiqing's youngest son, and also the Jade Prince's study companion. I remember twenty years ago you said you went to seek immortality and the Dao. Have you cultivated yourself into an immortal?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Liang Yihan stood up, shook his head and smiled, "Those immortals and Taoists are nothing but illusory legends."
"Pfft!" As soon as Liang Yihan finished speaking, a shrill laugh suddenly came from behind Zhang Chao. At that moment, the Moon Gazing Platform was extremely quiet, so the laugh was particularly jarring. Everyone looked over in unison and saw that it was one of Zhang Chao's petite guards who was laughing, and she was trying hard to suppress her laughter, looking like she was about to burst out laughing.
"Insolence!" Zhang Chao glared at Liu Li fiercely, muttered a curse in a low voice, his entire face already turning black.
Liuli bit her lower lip, suppressing a teasing laugh, and lowered her head, burying her face in her high collar. But her shoulders were still trembling slightly, as if she was still laughing.
Liang Yihan withdrew his gaze from Liuli, shook his head, and smiled faintly.
Emperor Rui looked at Liuli following the laughter. His eyes lit up when he first saw Liuli's small face, but he shook his head in disappointment. It was a pity that he was a boy. If he were a girl, he would definitely be extremely beautiful.
Emperor Rui found it boring, turned around to look at Liang Yihan, and said with a smile, "Yihan, don't stand there, go and sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Liang Yihan bowed and turned to walk back to his desk and sit down. He turned to look at Xuan Yuanhao and gave him a wink.
Xuanyuan Hao nodded slightly, then stood up and took a scroll from a maid behind him. He smiled gently and said, "Does Your Majesty still remember that I love to paint? This time, I received Your Majesty's decree and spent a month copying Zhuge Yunqing's 'Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains' to present to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will not find it distasteful."
"Is that so?" Emperor Rui said with a smile, "My fifth brother's painting skills have always been the best. Quickly bring it here so I can take a good look."
The same eunuch took the scroll from Xuan Yuanhao's hands and laid it flat on Emperor Rui's desk. The scroll, about ten feet long and two feet wide, depicted a vast expanse of undulating mountains in a grand and majestic style. A lake appeared and disappeared among the mountains, which were covered in lush, verdant forests, and a pavilion stood atop a distant peak. In the very center of the scroll, a waterfall cascaded down, shrouded in mist, adding a touch of ethereal beauty to the landscape.
"Excellent, excellent!" Emperor Rui praised, "The painting is truly lifelike. If Fifth Brother hadn't said it was a copy by you, I would have thought it was the original!"
"Your Majesty flatters me." Xuan Yuanhao bowed slightly and said with a smile, "I specially chose this 'Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains' painting to copy and present to Your Majesty, precisely to symbolize that this vast land will forever be peaceful and prosperous under Your Majesty's rule, and that the country will be rich and strong!"
Emperor Rui chuckled and laughed heartily, "Excellent! What a thoughtful meaning! Fifth Brother!"
"I'm glad that Your Majesty is happy." Xuan Yuanhao said gently, "Your Majesty is much older than me and has taken good care of me since I was young. I have always remembered this and will never forget it."
Emperor Rui's expression softened, and his gaze toward Xuan Yuanhao became much gentler. He said in a kind voice, "It's kind of you to remember. Alright, alright, please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xuan Yuanhao sat down and quietly turned to look at Liang Yihan, meeting Liang Yihan's approving gaze. Xuan Yuanhao smiled and nodded slightly to Liang Yihan.
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