“Yuan Jia, put them away.”
It was said that emperors do not easily show their joy or anger, but an old servant like Yuan Jia, who had served by Emperor Yuan’s side for many years, could still discern some clues.
His Majesty must be somewhat displeased.
Yuan Jia quickly took the order and swiftly put away the two brocade boxes, placing them together with the items previously presented by the other princes.
Seeing that this hurdle was passed without danger, Zong Luo felt a momentary pang of guilt and returned to his seat with Zong Ruichen.
However, it was not over yet.
Originally, according to the arrangement, Zong Luo should have been the last to present his gift, but he came up with Zong Ruichen, leaving one more person behind him, Zong Hongjiu.
When Zong Luo presented his gift, Zong Hongjiu glanced at it and showed undisguised disdain on his face.
Even if no fault could be found, it was still far inferior compared to the first three princes.
No matter how much Father Emperor favored him, he was still a waste.
He surreptitiously sized up Zong Ruichen, who was standing behind Zong Luo.
After coming out of the palace, with the support of his imperial brother, Zong Ruichen slowly regained the appearance that a young man should have. Now, he was just silent, showing no abnormalities, completely different from the foolish with a drool hanging on his chin image that Zong Hongjiu remembered.
A wicked fire ignited in Zong Hongjiu’s heart.
This waste dared to pretend in front of him for so many years.
But now was not the time.
Thinking of the plan he had with the Fourth Prince, Zong Hongjiu’s face cleared up, thinking maliciously.
Soon, Zong Ruichen would be in trouble.
“Announcing Prince Zong Hongjiu.”
He rose from his seat and trotted to the center of the great hall to present his gift.
The congratulatory gift from Zong Hongjiu was naturally not anything particularly valuable, after all, he had not yet left the palace and built his own mansion, and his daily life was still within the imperial palace. The items he sent out were also bestowed by the Emperor.
However, at the age of ten, he was still a child, and there was no need to present anything valuable. It was enough to show one’s sincerity.
The eunuch said in a measured tone, “A pot of five-year-old pear blossom white wine.”
Zong Hongjiu performed the ritual with proper decorum. “This pear blossom white wine was bestowed upon me by the Emperor Father. I couldn’t bear to drink it and secretly buried it under a tree. Now, it’s just borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha again.” (TL: or “I’m just re-gifting it, so to speak.”)
Any pot of pear blossom white wine from the palace’s wine cellar would be older than the one Zong Hongjiu presented, but this particular bottle was given to him by Emperor Yuan, so it held more symbolic significance.
“Today is a joyous day for the Father Emperor. Wishing Father Emperor longevity equal to the heavens, good health, and unification of the world.”
The gift was ordinary, but Zong Hongjiu’s sweet words were his advantage.
He had been favored in the palace for many years because of this, although he had not been able to show it previously due to being blinded by jealousy.
Zong Hongjiu stood in the center of the hall, lavishing praise and flattery, and the Emperor’s expression visibly softened from its previous coldness.
“That’s enough. After presenting the gift, go back and have your meal.”
Emperor Yuan raised his hand, signaling Zong Ruichen to take his seat.
Seeing this, Zong Hongjiu was overjoyed.
Since Father Emperor was willing to pay attention to him, the matter of his previous confinement would probably be forgotten after tonight’s birthday celebration.
Those who did not understand the situation could only remark that the Ninth Prince was indeed favored.
After the princes had presented their gifts, it was time for the toasts and music.
A eunuch called out loudly, “Let the music and dance begin—”
Immediately, dancers in splendid attire gracefully entered the hall, their water sleeves extending like clouds in the air, their charming smiles and glances causing ripples of light, instantly lifting the atmosphere of the banquet.
(t/n: water sleeves-sleeves in classical operas or dances)
At this point, there were no longer as many rules to follow, and the ministers were free to drink and feast. They could also carry their wine cups to the head of the table to offer toasts.
Of course, this round of toasting had to start with the princes.
Zong Luo followed suit and offered his round of toasts.
While toasting, Emperor Yuan said, “Yuan Jia.”
The old eunuch respectfully brought over a jade pot and poured a cup for Zong Luo.
Zong Luo held the cup with both hands and said softly, “Wishing Father Emperor’s dragon body good health and endless longevity.”
It was only when he lowered his head to drink that he realized Yuan Jia had poured a pale green tea instead of the fine wine usually served at the Emperor’s birthday celebrations.
This jade pot was the one from which Emperor Yuan drank when receiving toasts from his subjects.
Emperor Yuan enjoyed wine, and it was said that in his youth, he even went as far as the Xiongnu territory just to taste their milk wine and grape wine. After becoming the emperor, he restrained himself quite a bit, for regardless of how good his alcohol tolerance was, a body worth a thousand pieces of gold should not be exposed to risk. He only drank a few cups during the annual palace banquet.
“Hmm.”
Emperor Yuan’s expression remained unchanged throughout the process.
After returning to his seat, Zong Luo felt an indescribable sensation in his heart.
Because there was no birthday banquet last year, this year’s banquet was a combination of the previous two.
According to the timeline, Emperor Yuan would suddenly fall ill in a year.
Recalling what Yuan Jia had whispered to him at the Great Witch Temple last time, Zong Luo realized that there had already been signs of what was to come.
He shook his head to clear it, then suddenly looked up and surveyed the entire scene.
During today’s birthday celebration, Yu Beizhou was absent from beginning to end, probably leading the Tianji Army to guard the Imperial City. When Zong Luo entered earlier, he seemed to have heard someone in the hall mention the King of Beining and that something significant had happened outside the palace, seemingly related to the Ting Wei, but the specifics were unclear.
