Chapter 278 Xuanxu, Your Birthday Gift Is Too Perfunctory
"After the smallpox epidemic and famine, the grain storage in the charity granaries in various places was insufficient, and the granaries in the imperial court were under great pressure. Now that the autumn harvest has passed and the spring plowing has not started, the people have no surplus grain. Famine will surely break out at the end of this year and in the spring of next year. I have used all the financial resources of the government to buy surplus grain from the three kingdoms of Dayan, Xizhou and Nanxun to fill the granaries of the imperial court. I believe that the best gift for my father is for the people to live and work in peace and contentment."
Emperor Ming took a look at his son and found that he was not fighting or competing. The gift he gave was also proper, neither standing out nor being impolite.
Although he had already sent people to neighboring countries to purchase a batch of grain so that his people would not starve, these ten thousand stones of grain were ultimately a token of his thoughtfulness.
He said calmly: "The King of Qi has a purpose in this move."
With the emperor speaking, the ministers echoed: "The King of Qi cares about the people, which is a blessing for the court."
Beigong Yu looked at him more. What was Beigong Xian's intention?
Want to take this opportunity to stand out?
Beigong Xian seemed not to notice Beigong Yu's gaze. He returned to his seat and continued to look at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose.
There was still a hint of sadness lingering between his brows.
Beigong Yu couldn't help but think of the Princess of Qi who died in the Temple of Heaven that day. He secretly thought it was bad luck and quickly turned his eyes away.
Lin Miaoyin glanced at the man beside her calmly.
If her guess was correct, the birthday gift Beigong You prepared today was also food.
Now that the King of Qi has taken the lead, considering how much Emperor Ming dislikes Beigong You... his situation is not optimistic.
Before Lin Miaoyin had time to think about it, she was attracted by the birthday gift from King Wei.
The King of Wei was three years old. He was sent to Dayan as a hostage at the age of thirteen. Ten years have passed since then, and it is time for him to return home. The date has been set for the beginning of the twelfth lunar month.
As a birthday gift this year, I asked an envoy to send a simplified version of the hand cannon diagram.
Lin Miaoyin was shocked.
As far as she knew, although gunpowder had been invented in her time, it was limited to fireworks and firecrackers and was rarely used in wars. Black powder had not yet demonstrated its power, let alone the small and more lethal hand cannon.
This is not just a birthday gift, it's a bomb that will subvert the world!
Logically speaking, this thing is not a product of this era. Could it be that it was made by her "fellow villager"?
Apart from this reason, she could not think of any other explanation.
Lin Miaoyin suddenly became more curious about the King of Wei, whom she had never met before.
After learning about the usage and power of the hand cannon, the officials in the hall were very excited, especially the generals who led the troops.
"Your Majesty, this is a good thing!"
"If you put a hand cannon on the battlefield, it will surely terrify the enemy."
"The Northern Liang cavalry has always been invincible, and with gunpowder they are even more powerful. This hand cannon comes at the right time. God bless our Northern Liang!"
“…”
Emperor Ming agreed with what everyone said, but he felt uneasy in his heart, "Did the hand cannon sent by the King of Wei come from Dayan?"
If Dayan had developed the hand cannon, Beiliang would have been completely gnawed away.
They need to take precautions early!
"Your Majesty, this was developed privately by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei, who said it was a surprise for His Majesty, and the people of Yan were not aware of it."
Emperor Ming was relieved and said, "King Wei is thoughtful. I will reward you."
A hostage who has lived in a foreign country for ten years will become a discarded pawn if he returns to the court without a trump card in his hand.
Beigong Sheng is a smart man. He easily attracted the attention of thousands of people with just a pistol.
Emperor Ming's eyes were deep.
After all, it’s that woman’s child, it’s not that simple!
Beigong Yu gritted his teeth secretly when he saw that everyone was focusing on King Wei's pistol.
He knew exactly what birthday gifts his brothers had received, except for the hostage in Dayan, which his people could not find out. He did not expect that it was such a magical artifact!
He was careless.
Beigong Sheng? I really underestimated him!
He quickly gathered his thoughts and congratulated Emperor Ming: "Father, you haven't seen my gift yet."
"Okay, okay, let me see your birthday gift first." Emperor Ming had a loving look on his face.
Lin Miaoyin had originally looked to her side calmly, but her attention was attracted by Beigong Yu again.
The order of presenting birthday gifts was originally arranged according to the ranking of the princes, but now Beigong Yu has intervened, and Beigong You and Beigong Yi have to stand behind.
Looking at the man in the hall who looked like a peacock spreading its feathers, Lin Miaoyin felt a chill in her heart.
It's obvious to him!
After getting the approval, Beigong Yu clapped his hands towards the outside of the hall, and immediately four young eunuchs came to the middle of the hall holding a painting. After they stood still, they slowly opened the scroll and showed it to Emperor Ming.
Seeing that Beigong Yu was so impatient, everyone thought he had sent something extraordinary, so they stretched their necks to look.
Who would have thought that there was only a big word "Shou" on the huge scroll.
They looked left and right, up and down, but could not see anything special about it. It was neither made by a famous artist nor was it inlaid with gold or jade.
Forgive their short eyesight, but no matter how hard they look at it, the painting in front of them is just a painting that cannot be more ordinary.
There is not even any mention of poetry, it is so simple and monotonous.
"It's such a grand occasion, I thought it was something else, but it turns out to be just a birthday gift. King Jing, your birthday gift is too perfunctory." Beigong Yi couldn't help but laughed first.
He thought there was something different about the birthday gift presented by King Jing.
That’s it?
Pretending to be mysterious.
"When it comes to calligraphy, who else in the world can compare to father? Sixth brother, are you trying to fool father with this thing?" Beigong Shu also echoed Beigong Yi.
He did not forget to avenge the backstab just now.
Such a good omen was interpreted by Beigong Yu as a sign that would shake the dragon's vein.
Ten years of planning was ruined in an instant!
How could he not hate?
Beigong Yu raised his head with a proud look on his face, "Father's calligraphy is unmatched in the world, but this painting is different."
After saying this, he waved his hand to signal several young eunuchs to carry the calligraphy and paintings forward.
"Father, please take a closer look."
Beigong Yu pointed at one point of the character "Shou". "This is not a stroke, but is made up of many characters. This character is actually made up of countless small characters stacked together to form a big one."
Emperor Ming took a closer look and found that it indeed contained many longevity characters of different sizes and shapes.
Each character for longevity is written differently, but not in a way that is abrupt. They are stacked together very neatly. It can be seen that much thought was put into this birthday gift.
"Yeah, not bad." He praised.
Beigong Yu immediately bowed and said, "Father, these longevity characters were written by scholars, celebrities, and outstanding students from the four major academies. I would like to use this calligraphy to wish you a long life and a long life! Next year's spring examination will also flourish under your blessing."
"Your Majesty, this birthday gift from Prince Jing is the blessing and love of all the students in the world for Your Majesty!"
"It's OK for students, but it's very difficult to invite celebrities from the opposition. I heard that some celebrities were invited to come out of seclusion after King Jing visited them three times."
The court officials of King Jing's faction in the hall echoed each other.
Beigong Yu's birthday gift seems clever, but in fact it has no substance.
There are only two kinds of compliments. The one who speaks first takes the initiative, and the rest of the court officials have no chance to speak.
They couldn't praise him, but unwilling to be left behind, they could only grab their hair and praise him: "King Jing is so humble and courteous to the literati, it is a blessing for the court."
"Yes, yes, it's a blessing from the court!"
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