Chapter 362: The King of Southern Yunnan’s Annual Gift
As she spoke, Princess Rui naturally took Empress Sun's arm and carefully helped her walk forward.
Empress Sun asked about their life in the fiefdom, and the Princess of Rui patiently explained everything, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
As she was talking, Princess Rui mentioned Xiao Baozhu and talked about her marriage.
"Baozhu will be coming of age next year. Has she settled on a marriage yet?"
Empress Sun acted as if she didn't care about anything. "That child has her own ideas. The Emperor also said that she can choose her own consort."
Princess Rui immediately disagreed, "Sister-in-law, please don't blame me for being nosy. Marriage is a serious matter, and it's up to the parents and the matchmaker to decide. It must not be taken lightly. Baozhu is simple-minded, and I'm afraid she doesn't know how to judge people. She needs someone to help her arrange things properly."
Empress Sun smiled bitterly, "You can see that my health is not good enough. Even if I wanted to worry about you, I would be powerless."
Princess Rui immediately said, "If the Emperor's sister-in-law can trust me, I can help you with some things..."
Empress Sun covered her lips and started coughing. Nanny Wu hurriedly patted her back to help her calm down, and also helped Empress Sun back up.
It took a long while for Empress Sun to finally recover, but she became even weaker and could not even speak.
Nanny Wu immediately ordered someone to help Empress Sun onto the sedan chair, and then she apologized to the wife of Prince Rui.
"Princess, the Queen is not feeling well and cannot stay here for long. I will escort her back to the palace first. Please forgive me, Princess."
Princess Rui's face was filled with concern, and she wanted to follow him, but Empress Sun said weakly, "The palace banquet hasn't ended yet, and you can't be away for too long. Go back first, I'm fine."
After watching the sedan chair go away, the expression on Princess Rui's face gradually faded.
When Empress Sun returned to Kunning Palace, her hands were already cold. The palace maids immediately busied themselves changing her hand warmer and taking off her snow-soaked cloak.
After a busy period, Empress Sun half leaned on the couch, and her body slowly began to feel a little warm.
Empress Sun seemed to be talking to herself, "Everyone has changed."
Princess Rui was so enthusiastic in reminiscing about the past with her, but I'm afraid the last words were her real purpose.
Baozhu's marriage is being targeted again.
But, is this her intention, or Prince Rui's?
Nanny Wu said softly, "I dare not speculate on the intentions of the Princess of Rui, but there is one thing I think she said is correct."
"It's time to arrange the princess's marriage. If you don't trust Princess Rui, why not leave it to someone you trust? You can't let the princess deal with it on her own."
Empress Sun nodded slowly, then closed her eyes tiredly.
Her health is getting worse day by day, and I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left.
Even if she couldn't live to see Baozhu's wedding, she had to at least settle the marriage first.
But who should I give it to?
Inside the main hall, the dinner party was still going on.
The musicians played the "Danbi Dayue", with the chimes melodious and the sheng and xiao sounds in harmony.
Concubine Rou changed her clothes and returned to the hall quietly.
At the top, Emperor Defeng glanced over here lightly.
On the other side, Gu Qishan had returned to the table two quarters of an hour ago. He was away for only half a quarter of an hour. The palace servant reported that he had gone to the bathroom and came back soon, without meeting anyone during that time.
At the table, there were also a few obscure eyes secretly watching all this.
A palace banquet may seem peaceful and lively, but in fact it is full of turbulent waves.
When the music ended, a palace maid hurried in with a happy look on her face.
"Your Majesty, the annual gift from the King of Southern Yunnan has arrived."
Every year, the princes would present annual gifts to the imperial court.
This year, the King of Southern Yunnan’s New Year gift was delivered a little late, but fortunately, it arrived on New Year’s Eve.
Emperor Defeng smiled broadly, "The King of Southern Yunnan's annual gift is delivered just in time. I present it here so that all the ministers can enjoy its presence."
Concubine Rou's heart was lifted again, and she secretly clenched her hands in her sleeves.
This New Year's gift didn't come earlier or later, but came at this time. Could it be that someone with ulterior motives tampered with it?
Before she could think any further, someone brought in the New Year gifts.
The official selected by the King of Southern Yunnan to escort the New Year gift was Duan Siming, the chief secretary of the royal palace.
He first paid his respects to Emperor Defeng, and then introduced the annual ceremonies held in southern Yunnan one by one.
One is the "Menghai Millennium Ancient Tea Cake", which is taken from trees over 300 years old from the six ancient tea mountains and pressed using the secret method of the Dai people.
The tea cake is shaped like a full moon with golden tips visible. When opened, amber tea buds naturally arrange themselves into the pattern of the Chinese character "Shou".
The second is a pair of "Yunnan Golden Monkey Hair Brushes", which are made from the white hair under the chin of the snow mountain elves and were made by the descendants of the royal brush craftsmen of the Dali Kingdom over a period of two years.
The third is a "Four Seasons Shine Together Screen", which is made of translucent ivory pieces from Yongchang County and is embroidered with the four seasons scenery of Yunnan. It is lifelike and makes you feel as if you are there in person.
The fourth is the twelve "Bronze Moving Lanterns", which are made of Huize bronze in the shape of rare birds and animals from Yunnan. They have built-in mechanisms. When the candles are lit, the peacocks will spread their tails, the elephants will curl their trunks, and the black-necked cranes will flap their wings.
After introducing them one by one, Duan Siming presented the memorial of the King of Southern Yunnan and said loudly, "These tributes may seem ordinary, but they actually hold secrets. The tea cakes can cure all poisons, the pine resin in the brush can calm the mind, the butterfly powder on the screen can repel insects, and the smoke from the moving lantern can stop bleeding. These are all rare and undisclosed skills of the frontier. There are no valuable things in this wild land, only some of the works of nature, which are a token of my gratitude."
After hearing this, all the ministers were amazed.
Emperor Defeng stroked his beard and laughed, "Excellent, very excellent. The New Year gift sent by the King of Southern Yunnan is very ingenious and thoughtful."
Seeing this, Concubine Rou finally let out a long sigh, and her tense heartstrings slowly relaxed.
At this time, Xiao Yanqing spoke, seeming very curious.
"Father, that revolving lantern sounds very novel and interesting. How about we let this Lord Duan demonstrate it to everyone on the spot?"
The atmosphere in the hall was good, and some ministers also echoed it.
Seeing how curious everyone was, Emperor Defeng also became more interested.
Duan Siming received instructions and fetched a candle to light the revolving lantern.
Strangely enough, the lampshade is as thin as a cicada's wing, but it is not afraid of fire.
I don't know what the secret is, but when the candle was lit, it was just as Duan Siming said, the peacock spread its tail, the elephant curled its trunk, and the black-necked crane flapped its wings, all looking more vivid under the candlelight.
When everyone saw it, they were all amazed.
Suddenly, something happened to the mechanism. There was a click and something fell out of it, blocking it.
Everyone thought, could it be that this mechanism is so useless that it breaks so easily?
"What is that?"
Everyone was curious.
Duan Siming's expression seemed to change, with panic in his eyes.
He hurriedly took the thing away, as if intending to cover it up.
"It was my negligence that allowed the foreign object to get stuck in the mechanism. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Emperor Defeng couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.
"What is this?"
Duan Siming's forehead was covered with sweat, and he hurriedly knelt down to apologize, "Your Majesty, this is just an ordinary thing, I'm afraid it's not worth polluting your eyes."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
