Since that afternoon when he received his son's first pure and innocent smile in the Imperial Garden, Emperor Xiao Che seemed to have been reborn and elevated to a completely new level.
The frustration and self-doubt caused by repeated "parenting failures" in the past have long been healed by the gentle grasp of that soft little hand and the instant healing of that toothless smile, completely disappearing into thin air.
Instead, there is an unprecedented, almost overflowing, "dad confidence".
In his eyes, his son's smile was clearly a belated yet supreme recognition of him as a father! It was the highest reward he had received after tireless efforts to finally conquer the difficult subject of "parenting"!
He, Xiao Che, is not only the most wise monarch of the Great Liang, but will also become the most outstanding father in the world!
His confidence was at an all-time high, to the point that he now walked with a swagger. When reviewing memorials, he would subconsciously compare the convoluted and difficult-to-understand text with the adorable smiling face of "Tuanzi" (his son), and then conclude: My son is still more pleasing to the eye.
He even began to feel that he had completely mastered the essence of parenting, and that his previous failures were just minor, harmless setbacks on the road to success.
Now that he has "graduated," it's time to show the world his father's "impressive achievements"!
And right now, there is the best opportunity—the Crown Prince's full moon celebration.
Once this thought arises, it spreads like wildfire and can never be extinguished.
Inside the imperial study, Xiao Che put down his vermilion brush and stared intently at the map of the Great Liang territory on the wall. However, his mind was no longer on border defense and military affairs, but on a grand and unprecedented celebration blueprint that would be recorded in history.
How could his son, his crown prince, the future heir of the Great Liang, have an ordinary first full moon celebration?
Absolutely not!
"Someone come here!" Xiao Che's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement and pride.
The chief eunuch immediately bowed and entered.
"By imperial decree, summon the Minister of Rites to an audience immediately!"
The Minister of Rites was an elderly official nearing sixty, surnamed Zhang. He had been diligent and conscientious throughout his life, and was extremely particular about ancestral etiquette and law. At this moment, he was urgently summoned by His Majesty and thought that something of great importance concerning the national dignity had happened. He was in a great hurry and was panting heavily on the way.
"Your humble servant Zhang Zhiwei greets Your Majesty!" He bowed deeply as soon as he entered the Imperial Study.
"Rise, Minister Zhang." Xiao Che's voice was unusually warm, and he even personally stepped down the imperial steps to help the old minister.
This unusual courtesy made Minister Zhang even more uneasy, feeling that His Majesty had something important to discuss with him. He quickly straightened up, adopting a solemn posture as if he were ready to share the country's burdens at any time.
However, the emperor's next words left him completely stunned.
With his hands behind his back, Xiao Che paced back and forth in the imperial study, then, in a tone as if he were planning a decisive national war, issued his sole and most crucial instruction regarding the Crown Prince's full moon celebration:
"Minister Zhang, in ten days it will be the full moon celebration of our Crown Prince. I have summoned you here today for one matter."
He paused, turned around, his gaze piercing, and said, word by word:
"My son, my crown prince, his full moon celebration, everything must be the best in the world!"
"Heavens...the best in the world?" Minister Zhang repeated subconsciously, his mind still reeling. How could a full moon celebration be called "the best in the world"? What...what kind of standard is that?
Xiao Che seemed to see his confusion, and a look of "this child is beyond redemption" appeared on his face. He walked to the dragon desk, waved his hand, and began to expound his earth-shattering idea in an unquestionable and domineering tone.
"First, the scale of the banquet!" He held up one finger. "It must surpass the founding ceremony! All officials will be present, relatives will offer their congratulations, envoys from vassal states... invite everyone you can! I want the whole world to know that my Great Liang has worthy successors!"
"boom--!"
Minister Zhang felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind.
Surpassing... even the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China?!
He was so frightened he almost knelt down on the spot, his lips trembling as he stammered, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, you mustn't! The founding ceremony is the foundation of the nation's stability, its regulations were established by our ancestors, and it is supreme. How can a mere...a mere full moon banquet be compared to that? This is utter disrespect!"
"Why not?" Xiao Che frowned, displeased. "The founding ceremony is for me. The full moon celebration is for my son. My son should naturally have more prestige than me! This matter is settled!"
Minister Zhang wanted to persuade him further, but Xiao Che had already extended his second finger.
"Secondly, the gifts from all directions!" His voice grew even louder. "Issue an edict to all nations: the gifts presented by those who come to pay homage must be rare enough to warrant a separate biography by the Grand Historian and be recorded in history! Ordinary gold, silver, and jewels are not acceptable! What I desire are rare and precious treasures that can demonstrate the extraordinary nature of the Crown Prince of Great Liang!"
Cold sweat was already trickling down Minister Zhang's forehead.
This is hardly accepting congratulatory gifts; it's blatantly demanding national treasures from vassal states across the land! Since ancient times, what kind of logic is this? If word gets out, won't the whole world ridicule the Emperor of Liang for his insatiable greed?
"Your Majesty, the gift is a token of our goodwill. To insist on it so much might... might be beneath the dignity of a great nation..."
"Character?" Xiao Che sneered. "My son is the greatest example of character! Anyone who dares to criticize him is an enemy of my Great Liang!"
Minister Zhang was completely speechless. He had realized that His Majesty was utterly unreasonable today.
However, Xiao Che's "madness" was clearly not over yet. He extended a third finger, and even showed a hint of longing on his face.
"Thirdly, the celebratory fireworks!" he said in an uncompromising tone. "On the night of the banquet, fireworks will be set off in the palace. I demand that these fireworks, in terms of both novelty of design and loudness of display, must be... louder and brighter than those on New Year's Eve! I want all the people of the capital to hear and see the joy of my son's full moon celebration!"
Hearing this, Minister Zhang was already numb.
Comparing the scale of the founding ceremony to the historical records of the congratulatory gifts, and now even comparing the fireworks of New Year's Eve... This Minister of Rites, who has devoted his entire life to studying rites and laws, discovered for the first time that his knowledge base was completely unable to keep up with the unique thinking of this new father.
He took a deep breath and decided to make a final effort from the most practical perspective.
"Your Majesty..." he bowed tremblingly, "Your Majesty's love for your son is evident to all. However... the national treasury has just been replenished, and the previous disaster relief and post-war reconstruction have incurred enormous expenses. Now... it is truly inappropriate to be so extravagant! I implore Your Majesty to reconsider, for the sake of the nation and the well-being of the people!"
He invoked the nation and its people; this was his last and most powerful weapon as a subject.
However, all of this seemed so pale and powerless in the face of Xiao Che's overflowing "dad confidence".
Upon hearing this, Xiao Che nonchalantly waved his hand, his face displaying an arrogant and overbearing demeanor, and loudly proclaimed:
"No problem! Not a single penny of the national treasury will be touched; all funds will be used for the people's livelihood! All expenses for this full moon celebration will be borne entirely by my private treasury!"
He stepped forward, patted the completely stunned Minister Zhang on the shoulder, and said in a proud and resounding tone:
"Spend my private treasury! My son must have a grand display!"
Minister Zhang was completely devastated by these words.
Looking at the emperor before him, who was beaming with pride and whose face seemed to be radiating an air of arrogance, he could think of no words of advice he could offer.
What could he say? The emperor was going to pay for the most lavish party in history for his son out of his own pocket. As a subject, how could he possibly control the emperor's purse strings?
In the end, the old minister could only leave the imperial study in a daze, his worldview shattered and his heart riddled with wounds. When he came, he thought he was going to discuss state affairs; when he left, he carried with him a "Full Moon Banquet Planning Outline" that was as celestial as a divine book and the most extravagant and wasteful in history.
Inside the Imperial Study, Xiao Che looked at the old Minister's dejected figure and nodded in satisfaction.
He felt that he was not only a qualified father, but also a wise ruler who cared for the national treasury.
He was in a great mood, and even felt that personally participating was the best way to show how much he cared about his son.
So he actually ordered someone to bring out the most precious Chengxintang paper and Huizhou ink, and personally laid them out to start designing the invitation to be sent to countries all over the world!
This is the scene that Lin Wanwan saw when she came in.
Her husband, the emperor of the Great Liang, was hunched over his desk, one hand supporting his chin, the other holding a brush, a focused yet silly smile on his face, scribbling on a piece of paper.
Curious, she stepped forward and saw that on the luxurious paper, Xiao Che had personally inscribed the words "Celebrating the Full Moon of the Crown Prince" in his powerful and elegant "Slender Gold" calligraphy.
In the lower right corner of the inscription, where the imperial seal should have been affixed, he had instead drawn a... crooked, childishly simple cartoon head that was clearly a chubby little baby.
The portrait, with its round face, round eyes, and a lone tuft of hair on its head, bears a striking resemblance to "Tuanzi" in its spirit.
Xiao Che was clearly extremely satisfied with his "painting". He even specially ordered someone to carve the pattern into a small jade seal, which was now dipped in cinnabar and ready to be stamped.
"Wanwan, look, what do you think?" He held up the invitation to Lin Wanwan like a treasure.
Lin Wanwan looked at the cartoon "dumpling" head stamp full of childlike fun, and then at Xiao Che's handsome face that seemed to say "Praise me!" She finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
However, Xiao Che's next order instantly froze her smile on her face.
He then addressed the eunuch outside the door, issuing a command with great confidence:
"Issue my decree! Immediately issue this invitation template to the Ministry of Rites and have it produced overnight! It must be sent to all the states and kingdoms of our Great Liang within three days, and none of the monarchs of any country should be overlooked!"
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