xymnovel Chapter 13: Why aren't you offering gifts?
Chapter 13: Why aren't you offering gifts?
Throughout this process, Xia Chengzong was merely an observer, standing like an ant.
Next, the princes, representing the imperial family, the Grand Secretary, representing the civil and military officials, and the foreign envoys, representing their respective vassal states, stepped forward in turn to kneel and present congratulatory messages to the emperor.
After the ceremony, the officiant announced the end of the ritual, and the music resumed. The emperor, escorted by his entourage, then departed for the palace.
The officials withdrew in order, and Xia Chengzong's legs were numb from standing, but he had certainly broadened his horizons.
It turns out that the procedures for celebrating an emperor's birthday in ancient times were actually quite complicated.
Once these procedures are completed, the birthday banquet will begin.
The birthday banquet was held in the Fengtian Hall, and everyone sat at separate tables according to their rank.
Xia Chengzong and his brothers naturally sat at the same table as the other imperial grandsons.
They also met the other adult princes of the royal family for the first time.
They are Xia Chengxu, son of the Crown Prince, and Xia Chengli, son of the fourth uncle, Prince Zhongcheng.
Xia Chengyan, son of the sixth uncle, Prince Zhongxin; Xia Chengren, son of the eighth uncle, Prince Zhongkang; and Xia Chengqi, son of the tenth uncle, Prince Zhonglian.
These people were about the same age as them.
They were very warm and welcoming to them, not only asking about their well-being but also inviting them to their homes when they had time, creating a heartwarming scene of brotherly affection.
The other children, besides Xia Chengzong, quickly became good friends with them.
This made Xia Chengzong think to himself, "These royal children are all such drama queens."
Well, it's just that a few of them were a bit lacking; they didn't realize that you can't judge a book by its cover and didn't see through their act.
It's not surprising that the little ones were like that. After all, the Prince's mansion had been sealed off for seven years. Although life there was monotonous, it was also very comfortable. And with no one to teach them, how would they know anything about these things?
Xia Chengzong, on the other hand, already knew the names of his good brothers even before they met.
Because these people all provided him with negative emotional value.
Before long, the banquet began.
The dishes were very plentiful, even better than what I ate at my fifth uncle's house.
However, looking around the entire banquet, more than 90% of the guests were very reserved, only taking small bites and not daring to eat freely.
After all, attending the Emperor's birthday celebration wasn't about eating and drinking.
Being disrespectful in front of the emperor would be a serious offense.
Not only them, but even the little guys Xia Chengqian, Xia Chengkun, and Xia Chengzhi weren't very relaxed.
Xia Chengzong, on the other hand, remained calm and ate his fill.
He could sense that many people were secretly observing him.
The Stone of Heaven also conveys a message about accepting negative emotions, though it also contains a few positive ones.
This clearly shows that he, the emperor's beloved grandson, has officially come into the view of many people.
Xia Chengzong remained unfazed by this.
An hour later, the banquet ended, and the ministers and officials all dispersed.
At this moment, the emperor returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The Empress, along with her concubines, princes and grandsons, princesses residing in the capital, and imperial consorts, paid their respects to the Emperor with family greetings and birthday wishes.
This is a family celebration behind closed doors, so everyone can relax a lot without having to be so formal as before.
Xia Chengzong knew that for him, the real test had only just begun.
Next, starting with the Crown Prince, all the princes and their consorts stepped forward to present their birthday gifts.
The Crown Prince presented a jade Buddha, while the Crown Princess presented a set of clothes she had sewn herself.
Next up is the Third Prince, Prince Zhongzheng.
The gift from Prince Chung-jung was an inkstone, a rare and elegant item, but it seemed rather meager.
However, since the Prince Zhongzheng's residence had been sealed off for seven years and was short of funds, no one made fun of it.
The princess presented a pair of funeral shoes that she had made herself. Emperor Yonglong was delighted with them and praised the princess for her skill and ingenuity.
Next, the other princes each went to present their birthday gifts.
Normally, the birthday celebration would end here.
However, at this moment, Xia Chengxu, the eldest grandson of the Crown Prince, stepped forward holding a painting and said:
"Grandpa, your grandson has personally written a painting of longevity, wishing you eternal life like the pine and crane, and the sun and moon shining brightly together."
Emperor Yonglong received the "Hundred Longevity Scroll" from his eldest grandson and discovered that the scroll was essentially a large "longevity" character.
The character for "longevity" is composed of ninety-nine smaller characters.
Although the gift is not expensive, it shows craftsmanship and clearly shows that it was made with care.
After Emperor Yonglong finished reading the gifts, he ordered them to be put away.
He chuckled and said, "Grandpa Emperor likes this gift very much. Xu-ge'er is very thoughtful."
Xia Chengxu smiled and withdrew, while the faces of Prince Zhongzheng and his wife turned ugly.
They were unaware of the gift-giving process involving the imperial grandson beforehand; the crown prince had not informed them of it.
As for Prince Chungshun, he only has two young daughters and does not need to send gifts, so it is understandable that he was unaware of this matter.
But he was clearly a member of the Crown Prince's faction, and even took the blame for the Crown Prince. Why didn't the Crown Prince inform them beforehand?
Could it be that the Crown Prince felt threatened simply because his father called him a "good grandson"?
This deeply saddened Prince Chungjang.
Next, the other imperial grandsons also stepped forward to present their gifts.
There was nothing special about it; it was either a piece of calligraphy, a painting, or a birthday snack.
But this just happened to tickle Emperor Yonglong's itch.
He is the supreme ruler, so why should he have such good things that he hasn't seen before?
The joy of having children around him was the one thing he valued most.
Therefore, he kept smiling.
After all the younger generation members had presented their gifts, only the little ones from Prince Chungjang's family hadn't yet done so.
Xia Chengqian and the other younger ones looked at each other, filled with anxiety and fear, not knowing how to end the situation.
Everyone else gave gifts, but they didn't. This makes them seem impolite, and they'll probably be ridiculed.
More importantly, I'm afraid my grandfather will grow to hate my father and his family even more in the future.
Emperor Yonglong did not make things difficult for them, pretending not to have noticed that the youngsters had not sent birthday gifts, and prepared to cover up the matter.
If we just let it go like that, it would still be impolite, but it wouldn't be too embarrassing.
But at that moment, Xia Chengli, the eldest son of Prince Zhongcheng, asked innocently, "Brother Chengqian, where are the birthday gifts you prepared for Grandfather? Why haven't you presented them to him yet?"
The moment these words were spoken, the room fell silent.
Emperor Yonglong watched this scene with a smile, without saying a word to stop it.
To Emperor Yonglong, he was a grandfather, but more importantly, an emperor.
He did not oppose the younger generation's open and covert competition; in fact, he encouraged the younger ones to compete within certain rules.
You can't grow towering trees in a greenhouse, and you can't raise thoroughbred horses in a stable.
He was also curious to see how the little guy would handle the situation.
He had high hopes for the little guy, but he was more demanding of him.
Even the phrase "good grandson" was deliberately uttered by him to create difficulties for others.
At this moment, Prince Chungjang and his wife looked grim.
Xia Chengqian's face flushed red, and Prince Zhongshun was about to step in to defuse the situation.
Xia Chengzong stepped forward at this moment.