Chapter 145 Sending Gifts
Everyone sat upright and waited for a long time before the emperor and empress entered.
When entering the venue, all officials and palace servants had to perform a grand ceremony. Xu Chuchu had no choice but to kneel and kowtow as well. Fortunately, she was far away and no one noticed that her movements were not standard.
She also hid in the crowd and secretly observed the emperor and empress. The emperor was older than she had imagined, his beard and temples were beginning to turn gray, but he gave off a sense of majesty and dominance.
The queen is the biological mother of the second prince, but she looks not much older than the drunkard second prince. I wonder if she has some secret recipe for maintaining her beauty, she looks young and beautiful, and has a very fair complexion.
What followed was another long series of birthday speeches and blessing ceremonies, and everyone could only sit and listen obediently.
Only when it comes to the "birthday celebration" part can we relax a little.
Birthday celebrations, to put it bluntly, involve the much-loved "gift-giving" part. The palace servants will carry up each person's gift to the emperor in turn and display it, and may even give a few words of introduction if necessary.
Why is it so popular? Because the officials who sent birthday gifts had different financial resources and ideas.
Some people want to be safe and avoid making mistakes, some want to try something new to attract the emperor's attention. Every year there are all kinds of strange gifts, and some people are not sure and make a fool of themselves.
Two years ago, an official from the Ministry of Revenue openly gave a beauty from the Western Regions to the emperor. Not only was he scolded and expelled from the emperor on the spot, but the Minister of Revenue was also punished.
So this year, many people are secretly waiting to see the show.
The first to present birthday gifts were the empress and concubines. Most of the gifts they presented were hand-sewn gifts from their hearts, and there were no large and luxurious items of value.
This is understandable. After all, most of the things the concubines had were rewards from the emperor. It is certainly inappropriate to return the rewards as birthday gifts.
Next came the princes and the ministers of the six ministries. The prince presented them with a set of four treasures of the study, said to be priceless and exquisite.
Xu Chuchu couldn't see what was so exquisite about this set of four treasures of the study, but when Xiao Yu praised it, she thought it must be quite good.
The second prince made a book of the emperor's poems and articles written in previous years. The outer cover was made of wood, and the pages inside were all carved from pure gold sheets. It was so dazzling under the sunlight that the emperor couldn't let it go and praised the second prince many times.
The gifts sent by officials from the other six ministries were all quite ordinary, except for Minister Xia from the Ministry of War, who gave a sword that had been passed down from generation to generation in his family.
Many people whispered that he had spent a lot of money to please the emperor, but only Xiao Yu and Xu Chuchu guessed that this move was closely related to Xia Wanqing's matter.
Then it was the Grand Master's turn. The gift he presented was prepared together with his disciple Shen Zhaozhi.
The master and the disciple stood on the field and gestured for a while. The originally bright sky suddenly darkened, and the sky was covered with dark clouds. A golden dragon suddenly broke through the clouds, swooped down, and roared as it shuttled through the crowd.
The giant dragon had no physical form, but when it flew past people, it brought with it a scorching gale, and the dazzling golden light around it made it almost impossible for people to open their eyes. It took a full incense stick of time to leave.
"Good, good!" The emperor laughed and clapped his hands. "This gift is very much to my liking. Reward!"
None of the officials were dissatisfied, and they secretly sighed that the Grand Master was really capable and could summon a real dragon.
Xu Chuchu watched it clearly from the side. This golden dragon was certainly not a real dragon, but was simply the result of the spiritual power of the great master.
"What's the principle behind this?" Xiao Yu asked her in a low voice.
Xu Chuchu replied, "The Grand Master's cultivation is profound, and Chen Zhaozhi just followed his movements without exerting any effort."
Xiao Yu nodded in understanding: "It seems that the Grand Master is also determined to lift Chen Zhaozhi up."
After saying this, he didn't say anything else because it was his turn next.
A palace servant brought a tray and announced, "Young Master Xiao presents a copy of the authentic poem by Du Taibai from the previous dynasty!"
The emperor snorted in dissatisfaction, "You little brat Xiao Yu! Which black market did you get this from to fool me? You just throw money around and show no sincerity at all!"
Xiao Yu suddenly felt a chill.
This poem is certainly not as eye-catching or "thoughtful" as the gift from the Grand Master, but it is of comparable value to the gifts previously given by officials from the six ministries. It can be said to be quite standard, but it was also singled out for criticism.
"I chose this because I thought Your Majesty had always admired Du Taibai," he said numbly. "I was foolish."
"You are not stupid!" the emperor said. "Is your calligraphy worse than Du Taibai's? Why don't you just copy this poem and give it to me as a token of your sincere appreciation?"
Then he called to the palace servant beside him: "Prepare writing brush and ink for him!"
Did Xiao Yu actually have to perform calligraphy on the spot? Everyone wondered if Xiao Yu had displeased the emperor in some way, and he was going to teach him a lesson in public?
Xu Chuchu couldn't help but get nervous. She knew that Xiao Yu's calligraphy was very good, but if the emperor was determined to make things difficult for him, the better he wrote, the angrier the emperor would be.
The palace servant quickly brought over the prepared paper and pen.
Surprisingly, the papers were not placed on the desk, but on an upright wooden rack.
Xiao Yu calmly picked up the pen, dipped it lightly in loose ink, turned around, and quickly copied the poem.
His movements were very large, and he held the pen like a sword. It was more like dancing with a sword than writing, which was so agile and vigorous that everyone was amazed.
After finishing the poem and looking at the handwriting on the paper, everyone was convinced by what the emperor said. Xiao Yu's calligraphy was no worse than that of the calligraphy masters of the previous dynasty.
The two people's handwriting styles are not the same. The master of the previous dynasty is neat and solemn, while Xiao Yu's is more free and unrestrained. It can be said that each has its own merits.
"Well written! It really lived up to my expectations." The emperor sighed. "Wouldn't it have been like this earlier? What's the point of hiding it all the time?"
"Your Majesty, I am too humble to praise you. Xiao Yu does not deserve it." Xiao Yu stepped aside neither humbly nor arrogantly.
At this time, many people realized that the emperor was not looking for an excuse to make things difficult for Xiao Yu, but was looking for an opportunity to let him appear in front of everyone!
Is it true as the rumors say that the emperor knows that Master Xiao has recovered from his illness and wants to use him in a powerful way?
"Speaking of which, I am already fifty years old, and I have a concern that has not yet been resolved." The emperor continued leisurely, "Xiao Yu is not young anymore, and it is time for her to get married."
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