Chapter 75 Wins the Emperor's Favor
Everyone in the Linde Hall knelt down, and Song Zhimian knelt down along with Ruyi.
Song Zhimian was in a good position; after kneeling down, she quickly saw a corner of a bright yellow dragon robe flash past her.
Next came the beige brocade robe, then the red brocade robe, and short little legs.
Xiao Jingjue was being led by the Crown Prince.
It wasn't until Emperor Xiao Xuan and the Crown Prince were seated that the chief eunuch, Eunuch Xue, called them to rise.
Soon, Xiao Jingjue ran from the Crown Prince's side to Song Zhimian's side, and sat down properly under Song Zhimian's guidance.
Song Zhimian crouched slightly behind Xiao Jingjue, ready to serve him at any moment.
At that moment, Song Zhimian glanced quickly at Emperor Xiao Xuan, who was sitting at the head of the table.
This is the emperor of Dayu, around fifty years old, exuding an imposing aura without being angry.
No wonder so many people coveted that spot; if he didn't come, no one dared to touch their chopsticks...
Song Zhimian had a lot on her mind.
Regarding this Emperor…
Some say he was ruthless, others say he harmed his own brothers, but this emperor quelled the Zhou king's internal strife with sheer ruthlessness...
I heard that many people died that year...
The entire Zhou royal palace was wiped out.
Many members of the royal family were also implicated. In the past, many members of the royal family were either beheaded or demoted to commoners...
In short, this emperor had many methods and was ruthless towards anyone.
King Zhou... his former brother...
Song Zhimian glanced at Emperor Xiao Xuan once before respectfully turning her gaze to Xiao Jingjue in front of her.
All she needs to do now is be a good lady-in-waiting and keep an eye on this little imperial grandson.
This is the only path I can take...
Song Zhimian tried her best to minimize her presence, remaining quiet and a little nervous. As long as she could get through the day peacefully, she would ask someone to donate some money for incense at Bao'en Temple on the outskirts of Beijing when she returned...
"Hahaha! So Jue-ge'er also brought a congratulatory gift!"
"Come, come, let Grandfather see what kind of gift our Jue-ge has prepared for him!"
Suddenly, Song Zhimian was brought back to her senses by the loud laughter of Emperor Xiao Xuan at the head of the table.
Oh, now is the time to present the congratulatory gift.
The Crown Prince and the princes have already presented their congratulatory gifts.
The prince presented a strange stone brought from Jiangnan. The stone was naturally carved, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the character "Yu" from the Great Yu Kingdom.
In addition, the Crown Prince personally wrote the Classic of Filial Piety and prepared various other rare and precious treasures.
In addition to sending some rare treasures, the King of Zhao also presented a Ferghana horse and a divine bow.
The other princes, dukes, and ministers also presented their congratulatory gifts, which they had prepared for almost a year.
Song Zhimian was really envious!
Being the emperor is great! Not only do people rush to give him gifts, but you also worry that the recipients won't be happy with them.
Just for that reason alone, those princes would probably want to experience it for a couple of days!
Emperor Xiao Xuan also provided a lot of emotional value to everyone.
If everyone gives gifts, then the one receiving the gifts should definitely be happy, otherwise it would disappoint everyone!
No matter who presented the gift, Emperor Xiao Xuan would always greet it with a smile and say something.
"It pleases me greatly, I like it very much!"
See, that's the best way! Both the giver and receiver are happy, and then the giver goes back happily to prepare next year's gifts...
After receiving gifts from everyone, it was finally Xiao Jingjue's turn to give a gift.
Before even reaching the Linde Hall, Xiao Jingjue secretly told Emperor Xiao Xuan that she had also prepared a congratulatory gift for him.
...
"Come here, Jue-ge'er, bring it up!" Emperor Xiao Xuan beckoned to Xiao Jingjue.
Xiao Jingjue immediately took the prepared brocade box from Song Zhimian and stepped forward.
"Grandfather, this is a birthday gift that your grandson has prepared for you."
May my imperial grandfather live as long as the Southern Mountains and enjoy boundless blessings, and may my great Yu forever prosper.
As Xiao Jingjue spoke, he raised the brocade box high above his head and knelt down earnestly.
Emperor Xiao Xuan quickly gestured to Eunuch Xue to help Xiao Jingjue up.
"Come here quickly and tell your grandfather what has been prepared..." Emperor Xiao Xuan asked as he opened the brocade box himself.
What came into Emperor Xiao Xuan’s view was a bound booklet.
“This is…” Emperor Xiao Xuan looked at Xiao Jingjue.
"This is my wish, my wish is that my grandfather can live like the God of Longevity."
So the grandson asked a tutor to teach him how to write the character for longevity.
Different versions of the character for "longevity".
The master thought for a long time before coming up with a hundred ways to write the character for longevity, and his grandson wrote them accordingly.
Grandfather, I wrote all of this myself; I didn't ask anyone else for help.
"With each character he wrote, his grandson would say, 'Long live the Emperor!'" Xiao Jingjue said earnestly.
Looking at Xiao Jingjue staring at him with her big, dark eyes, and then at the "Hundred Longevity" character in her hand, she saw...
Hmm, the brushwork is immature and the writing skills are insufficient; even an adult couldn't write characters like this with help.
"You've been writing for a long time, haven't you?" Emperor Xiao Xuan asked with a smile.
"Yes! I wrote a lot of them, and I only sent over the ones that were written well. I write for at least an hour every day!" Xiao Jingjue said honestly.
"Good! Well written, Jue-ge'er, you've put your heart into this. Your imperial grandfather likes it the most." Emperor Xiao Xuan smiled and gently pinched Xiao Jingjue's cheek.
Xiao Jingjue chuckled and pointed to the other two items in the brocade box.
"These two things... are my grandson's favorite things."
My father, my mother, and Master Song all asked me what could best represent my feelings.
That means giving someone your favorite thing as a gift; that's the only way to express your feelings.
"Grandfather, these are two more gifts from your grandson to you!" Xiao Jingjue continued.
Emperor Xiao Xuan looked at the miniature gold bow and arrow inlaid with gemstones and the warship woven from gold thread in the brocade box. Both items clearly showed signs of being handled.
Especially that warship, which was a birthday gift from the Crown Prince to Xiao Jingjue two years ago.
The Imperial Household Department put a lot of thought into building this warship.
Now Xiao Jingjue has given it away...
Emperor Xiao Xuan pulled Xiao Jingjue into his arms, then pointed to the two gifts in the brocade box and asked, "These are both things you like. You're willing to give them to your grandfather!"
"Hehe, I would be reluctant to give it to others, but I would definitely be willing to give it to my grandfather."
However, Grandfather, if I ever think about these things in the future, may I come to your place to take a look?
"Just take a look, don't take it!" Xiao Jingjue asked a little embarrassedly.
Emperor Xiao Xuan was overjoyed upon hearing this!
“Okay! You can come anytime! When the time comes, Grandfather will put the two items in the most conspicuous place in the storeroom.”
"Jue-ge'er can come whenever he wants! Is that alright?"
Xiao Jingjue nodded immediately.
"Good! I will definitely visit my grandfather in the palace often from now on."
"Oh, Imperial Grandfather, there's another gift!" Xiao Jingjue said, breaking free from Emperor Xiao Xuan's embrace and standing in front of him.
"There's another gift? Where is it? Do you need someone to carry it?" Emperor Xiao Xuan looked at Xiao Jingjue's body.
This doesn't seem like there's a gift hidden inside!
Xiao Jingjue nodded very seriously.
"Master Song said that congratulatory gifts should be sent in even numbers."
My grandson has already given three congratulatory gifts, but we still need one more!
"The last gift is... my grandson!" Xiao Jingjue said in a serious tone.
"It was you?" Emperor Xiao Xuan was somewhat surprised.
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