kvmb Chapter 379: I'm so tough
Chapter 379: I'm so tough
In front of the Zichen Palace, nine layers of palace lanterns illuminated the night as if it were daytime.
The grand occasion of the Empress' 46th birthday was the most grand since the founding of Ming Dynasty.
Beneath the white marble steps, rare treasures presented from all over the country piled up like mountains:
The coral trees sent as tribute from the South China Sea were crimson in color, seven feet tall, and their branches were studded with pearls as big as longan trees.
The golden carpet presented jointly by the thirty-six nations of the Western Regions was woven with real gold thread and could cover the entire hall when unfolded;
The ferret cloak presented by the northern border has a pure white fur color and is said to be able to turn water into ice in the cold winter.
The empress sat high on a gilded throne, wearing a nine-phoenix crown holding a pearl, and her bright yellow dragon robe was embroidered with twelve emblems.
Faced with such immense wealth, her eyes remained indifferent, and she only nodded slightly when etiquette required it.
It was not until the third princess presented a painting of "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" that the empress frowned slightly - the northwestern territory in the painting was deliberately exaggerated, which was clearly to cater to her intention of sending troops.
"Your Majesty, I wish your Majesty a long and stable reign and that your territory will be expanded!" The third princess Zhou Mingli knelt down and shouted, the jade pendant on the soft sword at her waist jingling with her movements.
The eldest princess immediately stood up and said, "I believe that governing a country should prioritize benevolence and filial piety." She held out a scroll of the "Book of Filial Piety," its handwriting as neat as a carved block. "I have copied this with my own hands. Please review it, Mother."
The corners of the empress's mouth twitched, and her eyes swept to the corner of the hall - Su Yuezheng and Zhou Ziqian were sitting at the last seat.
The woman from a humble family was wearing an indigo official uniform, which made her look out of place among the other gorgeous clothes.
What was even more glaring was Zhou Ziqian beside her. The Seventh Prince, who was so frail that he was almost invisible, now had a rosy complexion and would whisper in Su Yue's ear from time to time.
"Seventh brother looks good now." Second Prince Zhou Ziyan raised his glass in a sarcastic tone, "It seems that Lord Su's 'medicine' is very effective?"
There was a sudden burst of ambiguous laughter in the hall.
Zhou Ziqian took a sip of wine calmly. "Second brother, you're joking. I heard your wife seems to have some connections with the Cao Gang?" He tapped his fingertips on the table three times. "It just so happened that the Dali Temple sent a case file the other day..."
Zhou Ziyan's face suddenly changed, and the wine glass fell on the table with a clang.
The fifth prince immediately chimed in: "Seventh brother now has someone to back him up, and he's speaking with more confidence."
"Fifth brother, you're so kind." Zhou Ziqian looked at Su Yue with a smile, "But when it comes to backing, I really can't compare to you, Fifth brother. You're the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Works. I heard that you're going to propose next month?"
The chopsticks in the fifth prince's hand broke with a snap.
He kept this marriage a secret so well that even the empress didn't know about it.
The empress watched this farce with a cold eye until the eunuch shouted: "Hanlin Academy lecturer Su Yue presents a birthday gift-"
When Su Yue stepped forward holding the brocade box, she could feel countless gazes piercing her back.
She knelt respectfully at the foot of the altar and said, "I have the audacity to make some minor changes to the previous dynasty's Xuanji Diagram. I wish Your Majesty good health and happiness."
Dean Zhao sneered at the side: "Grandstanding for attention."
The empress casually opened the brocade box, revealing the exquisite mechanical disc inside.
When her fingertips touched the central jade ring, a sharp announcement suddenly came from outside the palace:
"The Emperor has arrived—"
Amidst the uproar in the hall, the retired emperor with silver hair walked slowly into the hall, leaning on a phoenix-headed cane.
The empress hurriedly stood up to greet him, and the mechanical disc in her hand was accidentally touched, and immediately a clear musical sound was emitted.
The layers of gilded leaves slowly unfold, revealing the exquisite combination of poems inside.
The retired emperor suddenly stopped walking. She stared at the rotating mechanism, her old fingers trembling slightly.
"This is......"
The Empress was also stunned. When the mechanism moved to a specific position, a fragment of the song "Youlan" began to play slowly. This was the first piece of music that her mother had taught her to play when she was a child.
"Queen Mother..." The empress's voice was a little hoarse.
The emperor didn't answer, but just reached out and gently turned the mechanism.
When the last golden leaf was put back in place, the four seal characters "A Loving Mother and a Filial Daughter" shone brightly in the candlelight.
The old lady's eyes suddenly turned red: "Emperor, this Xuanji Tu... looks very similar to the little toy I made for you when you were seven years old..."
The empress stood there in a daze.
She recalled that distant afternoon when her mother, the empress, put down the memorials for a rare occasion and folded a jumping frog for her out of rice paper.
The Queen Mother at that time was not yet the majestic Emperor Emeritus today...
Su Yue quietly stepped aside and saw Zhou Ziqian winking at her.
In the corner of the palace, the third princess was tightly gripping her soft sword, while the eldest princess's face looked even uglier than her bright yellow dress.
Halfway through the banquet, Zhou Ziqian left the table on the pretext of changing clothes.
He was stopped by the Fourth Prince at the corner of the corridor.
"Seventh Brother, you've become quite capable." Zhou Zijin smiled elegantly, but the folding fan in his hand pressed against Zhou Ziqian's throat. "You've climbed up to Su Yue's high branch, and now you even dare to contradict your second brother?"
Zhou Ziqian didn't dodge or evade: "Fourth brother, you are joking. I am just..." He suddenly started coughing violently and his whole body was shaking.
Zhou Zijin subconsciously tried to help him, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
He was shocked to find that this sickly brother had amazing strength in his hands.
"Fourth brother," Zhou Ziqian whispered in his ear, "the house you bought in Jiangnan last year, the name on the title deed... doesn't seem to be yours?"
The folding fan fell to the ground with a "thump".
Zhou Ziqian bent down to pick it up and respectfully put it back into his brother's hands. When he turned and left, there was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.
The night banquet in the Imperial Garden was in full swing. Su Yue leaned against the vermilion lacquer column and looked at Zhou Ziqian's heroic figure in the distance as he debated with the scholars.
The moonlight was like water, outlining his straight back - under that moon-white brocade robe, was there any trace of the sickly prince of the past?
"Our Ah Qian has grown up." Su Yue couldn't help but chuckle, the glass lamp on her fingertips reflected the light.
It happened that Zhou Ziqian had just finished arguing with the Fifth Prince and turned around triumphantly, only to meet the smiling gaze of his wife.
He immediately walked over with his head held high and his chest puffed out like a peacock with its tail spread out, and the white jade hairpin in his hair swayed in a proud arc.
"Sister, did you see that?" He leaned close to Su Yue's ear, his warm breath carrying the sweet aroma of fruit wine, "I just blocked Fifth Brother's face so much that it turned green!"
Su Yue couldn't help laughing and reached out to pinch his red earlobe: "I saw it, it's very serious." She thought that two months ago, this child could only shrink behind her and cough at the palace banquet.
"Of course!" Zhou Ziqian raised his chin proudly, then lowered his voice as if remembering something. "I've got a backup plan. Brother Yan has discovered that my fifth brother secretly embezzled money from the clan government to support a concubine. If he dares to do that again..."
"Stop, stop, stop," Su Yue quickly covered his mouth, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Who did you learn these twists and turns from?"
Zhou Ziqian blinked innocently, "Axuan said you have to treat the root of the disease, and Achen said you have to hit the snake at its most vulnerable part..." He counted halfway on his fingers, then suddenly looked around warily, "By the way, don't tell Brother Aze that I swore. He punished me by making me copy the 'Gentleman's Etiquette' until my hands were sore..."
Su Yue finally couldn't hold back her laughter.
How could this little fox in front of me, beaming with joy, be the same sickly prince who would blush for a long time after speaking a word?
It's obvious that he was led astray by that naughty boy Lin Yuxuan and that funny guy Shangguan Haochen!