"Should I offer this Kunshan jade to the emperor or not?"
He had painstakingly planned for so long, all for the sake of making a name for himself at the Longevity Festival, but now this jade has become a hot potato!
"We must offer it! We absolutely must offer it!" the young man said firmly. "The reputation of Kunshan jade has already spread far and wide. If Your Highness keeps it for yourself, His Majesty will suspect your motives!"
Yan Xingzhou sneered: "I know I should offer it, but when should I offer it? Should I personally present it to my father tomorrow?"
The young man frowned, his expression showing some hesitation.
If the Third Prince appears impatient, His Majesty will become suspicious, wondering if he is only presenting the jade because he knows the truth can no longer be concealed.
If we wait until the Emperor's birthday, there's no guarantee that His Majesty won't become suspicious and cause unforeseen complications.
This is the wickedness of the person behind it all; Your Highness is now in a dilemma!
The advisor surnamed Chu said, "Of course, the sooner the better, Your Highness. Delay could lead to unforeseen circumstances!"
The young man disagreed: "Your Highness, if you appear too eager, it will only make His Majesty suspicious. Why not wait until the Emperor's birthday celebration? There's not much time left anyway."
Yan Xingzhou thought about it and agreed with his suggestion.
He put in so much effort, but in the end he didn't gain anything and instead got himself into trouble!
*
"What are you looking at?"
Shen Tangning snapped out of her daze and rubbed her temples: "Looking at the account books."
Chi Yan smiled and snatched the account book from her hand: "What account book are you looking at? Help me think about what gift I should give His Majesty for His Majesty's birthday."
She was taken aback and subconsciously said, "What gift are you bringing? We can't enter the palace."
As the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, she was qualified to enter the palace before marriage, but after marriage, she had to follow her husband's family's standards.
Chi Yan has no official position and has separated from his family, so naturally he cannot enter the palace now.
Master Chi Er did hold an official position, but unfortunately, he was only a sixth-rank official.
Only officials of the fifth rank or above were qualified to attend such a grand palace banquet.
Chi Yan raised an eyebrow slightly and pulled out a gold-embossed invitation from behind her back: "Who says I can't go? His Majesty probably finds me pleasing enough and has made an exception to allow me to bring my family to the palace for the banquet."
Shen Tangning perked up, took the invitation and looked at it, her expression somewhat surprised.
She suddenly became enthusiastic, and Chi Yan bent down and stared at her suspiciously: "It's not like you've never attended a palace banquet before, why are you so excited?"
She curled the corners of her lips into a knowing smile: "This is going to be interesting."
In the past, Chi Yan would feel a chill run down his spine when she smiled like that, but now he thinks her curved eyebrows and eyes look just like a fox.
She is somewhat...cute?
He rubbed his fingers together, then raised his hand to touch his nose: "So what gift should I give?"
"As long as it's decent and there are no mistakes, that's fine." Shen Tangning looked at him with a smile. "His Majesty is rich and powerful, what doesn't he have? We're not the main characters in this play, there's no need for us to steal the spotlight."
Chi Yan seemed to be deep in thought. Her happiness meant that someone was probably about to suffer.
Thinking of the rumors he had heard recently, he clicked his tongue inwardly.
I wonder if the Third Prince has been sleeping well these past few days?
He suddenly remembered something and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Something's not right. When the Kunshan Jade incident happened, Shen Tangning hadn't yet attended Princess Yun'an's flower-viewing banquet, so the Third Prince had no reason to target her.
So, the other party was actually targeting him that time?
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