Since ancient times, emperors have sought immortality and enlightenment. For any emperor at this highest position, the natural desire was for good health, to rule the land for thousands of years. Especially for Emperor Yuan, a tyrant with a strong desire for control, who had many hidden injuries and ailments from early years of warfare, indeed his health had declined over the years. If this Hunyuan Pill truly had such effects, it would be a gift straight to his heart.
Zong Cheng Si’s move was well-calculated, pleasing the emperor greatly.
With Emperor Yuan in a good mood, he then ordered the palace servants to serve tea, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, followed by another round of toasts with the emperor. The atmosphere at the banquet warmed up a bit compared to the initial restraint.
With the Fourth Prince’s exceptional gift setting the bar, the following tributes seemed somewhat ordinary.
“A piece of golden silk soft armor!”
The Fifth Prince, Zong Yuanwu, presented a piece of golden silk soft armor.
Perhaps due to his background as a military commander, Emperor Yuan had always taken an interest in collecting various weapons and armors, which was no secret.
However, the world’s catalog of weapons had long been established, with most lost and whereabouts unknown. The remaining famous ones almost all have owners, and they were not to be trifled with.
For example, the Qixing Longyuan Sword of Zong Luo from the world’s top ten swords, the Tai’A Sword of Yu Beizhou, the Zhan Lu Treasure Sword stored in the Great Yuan Imperial Palace, and the heirloom Cheng Ying Sword of the successive Ghost Valley Masters.
The golden silk soft armor was also a renowned piece of armor in the weapons catalog. It was said that in ancient times, the King of Wei Country Feng Yue had one, and wearing it, he broke out of the enemy camp amidst thousands of troops, making a name for himself for a while, hence the armor’s fame.
However, as famous and useful as this item was, it was a rarity, but for Emperor Yuan, it pales in comparison to the Fourth Prince’s Immortal Pill. After all, he had long since transitioned from general to emperor, and it was impossible for him to lead troops into battle in this life. Moreover, with his martial skills still intact, ordinary assassins couldn’t get close to him. The golden silk soft armor, made entirely of gold threads, was heavy to wear and certainly not something to be worn and wander around daily in the palace.
In summary, this was a gift that had more symbolic than practical significance, suitable only for collection.
Following closely behind Zong Yuanwu was the Sixth.
“A Mount Tai birthday tribute painting!”
Zong Yongliu presented a large hanging painting, which reportedly took famous embroiderers from various countries half a year to complete, stitch by stitch. It depicted the scene of Emperor Yuan’s Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai two years ago. The painting specially included auspicious clouds and landscapes, symbolizing the unification of the land and ascension to immortality.
(t/n: Fengshan-large-scale ceremony held by ancient Chinese emperors to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth during times of peace and prosperity on MT. Tai)
The painting was clearly a thoughtful piece, first designed by a master artist, then meticulously completed, and finally blessed for forty-nine days at the Witch Temple.
However, facing the carefully prepared tributes of the Fifth and Sixth, Emperor Yuan merely commented lightly that they were good, instructing the palace servants to put them away without much expression.
It seemed that the ultimate winner this time was still the Fourth Prince.
All the ministers sigh with emotion in their hearts.
Next up was Zong Ruichen.
When the eunuch called out Zong Ruichen’s name, Zong Luo secretly comforted him by touching his hand, and together with Xiao Ba, they stood up and walked to the center of the great hall to salute.
The ceremonial officer took the brocade box from Zong Luo’s hand and announced loudly, “A thousand-year-old ginseng and twelve pearls from the East Sea!”
Zong Ruichen certainly couldn’t present any novel tribute, so Zong Luo prepared his tribute as well, presenting it together with his own.
A thousand-year-old ginseng?
Pei Qianxue, who was sitting upright at the seat, listened and looked slightly astonished.
Seeing the interaction between Zong Luo and Zong Ruichen, and the lack of the previous restraint when facing him, Pei Qianxue thought that Jin Yu had already remembered most things.
Unexpectedly, he still couldn’t recall that piece of jade.
He recalled the Divine Dragon Jade that Jin Yu had always held in his hands, carving it over and over with a carving knife whenever he had time, and felt a deep sense of regret.
If it weren’t for Pei Qianxue witnessing it with his own eyes, he would not have thought that Jin Yu valued Emperor Yuan so much.
The Immortal Pill offered by the Fourth Prince was indeed good, but no matter what, it could not surpass the heartfelt devotion of a personally carved gift.
Even if Zong Chengsi offered another batch of Immortal Pills, it would not change his image as a useless fool in Emperor Yuan’s eyes, unworthy of public display. On the contrary, Jin Yu clearly harbored deep admiration but dared not easily express it. If he missed this opportunity, he might regret it later, as without the occasion of a birthday, he would not dare to present it privately.
As Pei Qianxue thought this, Zong Luo also finished speaking. “With utmost respect, presenting this item to Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty fortune as vast as the East Sea and longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountains.”
Although there were many ginsengs, thousand-year-old ginsengs were indeed rare. It would be good to have one appear every ten years, and it’s estimated that only a few large nations’ treasuries might have one or two. The pearls from the East Sea have always been a symbol of fortune and auspiciousness. To select twelve perfectly round and lustrous pearls, each the size of a child’s fist and rich in sheen, was truly not easy.
These two gifts indeed had no faults to pick, and compared to what the previous princes presented, they only lacked a bit of sentiment. But considering the innate foolishness of the Eighth Prince and the current state of the Third Prince, the hasty preparation of the gifts seemed excusable.
When the ceremonial officer took the brocade box, Emperor Yuan glanced at it indifferently.
The sharp eyes behind the Mian Diao lingered for a moment on the coiled roots of the old ginseng, neither approving nor disapproving.
Everyone held their breath, only to hear Emperor Yuan wave his hand lightly and say, “Yuan Jia, put it away.”
