The location for presenting gifts was in the middle of the second platform. There was a relief of a dragon puffing out clouds and mist on the front, and steps on both sides. Prince Heng and others were on the right. Although there was pride in his eyes, his steps were calm, and his noble demeanor was mixed with the bearing of a modest gentleman. It seemed that he was indeed the most outstanding among the princes, and it seemed reasonable that he was supported by others.
However, Xiaocao felt that there seemed to be something off about this Prince Heng. The last time she was treating Concubine Kou, she had "dealt with" this Prince Heng at close range. At that time, she seemed to have a feeling of "déjà vu". However, there are thousands of people in the world, so it is not surprising that they look alike occasionally. Now, she inexplicably felt a little strange.
Inadvertently, Xiaocao's gaze fell on Prince Duan, and suddenly turned her gaze to Prince Heng. Suddenly she realized something, and she said that something was wrong. It turned out that Prince Heng was imitating Prince Duan's words and deeds. The so-called "déjà vu" was nothing more than that she had seen Prince Duan before she met Prince Heng, and they were brothers, so their facial features were similar. Coupled with this behavior, it was normal to feel a little strange.
However, it seems that there is nothing unusual about other people, and it is indeed quite normal not to compare Prince Heng with Prince Duan. Perhaps it is just that Prince Heng has been imitating Prince Duan for quite some time, and it has formed his own habit, and the people around him also accept it well.
He withdrew his gaze and thought carefully. Before Prince Duan became blind, he was the crown prince, the emperor's favorite son, who was brought up by the emperor himself. It was natural that other princes would follow his example. After he became blind, although he no longer had the position of crown prince, the emperor's favor remained unchanged, but he had fewer opportunities in front of Emperor Xuanren. Therefore, imitating his words and deeds would make Emperor Xuanren feel that he was "like the eldest son", and perhaps he would favor him a little more.
I don’t know if this factor played a role in Prince Heng’s favor. If so, he really was stepping on Prince Duan to ascend to the throne.
But the emperor's mind is hard to predict, and the emperor's favor may not be real. Sometimes, one may fail to draw a tiger and end up drawing a dog.
After some auspicious words, the first gift prepared by King Heng was presented.
A wooden box taller than a person. After the surrounding wooden boxes were removed, the contents inside were still covered with red silk. However, it was obvious that it was a statue of a person. Okay, no need to guess, it was most likely a Buddha statue or something like that, which made people feel that it was nothing special.
Prince Heng remained calm and carefully had the red silk removed. Many people couldn't help but gasp. Even if they had already guessed what it was, they couldn't help but be shocked after seeing it.
It was a jade Guanyin, a Guanyin with a fish basket, with surging waves, lifelike abalone, and Guanyin standing on it holding a fish basket. The carving skills were absolutely master-level, and the various colors of the whole piece of jade were used to the extreme. The overflowing waves, the white of the wave crests, the dark blue abalone, and the red carp in the basket made the whole look symmetrical, natural, and lifelike. The overall height was high. It should be noted that such a large piece of jade was originally very rare, not to mention that the overall water head was more than 90% good. Even if there were flaws, they were covered up by the hands of the master, and the flaws became perfect.
The two small bracelets in Xiaocao's hands are worth hundreds of thousands of taels or even hundreds of millions. Although this jade Guanyin does not have imperial green in it, more than 90% of it is top-grade jade. If it is cut into small pieces, billions would be out of the question. The rarity of the whole piece has surpassed that of the imperial green, plus its artistic value, even if Xiaocao is a layman who does not know how to appreciate it, it is estimated that it would be worth at least tens of billions. This initial figure is still uncertain.
The grass surface is a little numb, so I don't want to go.
This is a statue of Guanyin. How could she be so vulgar as to measure it with money? That would be a desecration of the gods and Buddhas. Moreover, this is also a birthday gift for the Queen Mother. It is a token of Prince Heng's filial piety, and filial piety is priceless.
Thinking this way, my heart seems to be much more balanced.
Not to mention the Queen Mother, even Emperor Xuanren had a strange look on his face at first.
Prince Heng saw this and was very proud. His birthday gift was absolutely unique in the world. Not to mention unprecedented, it was very likely that there would be no one like it in the future. He was stupid to use such a treasure just to give it to the Queen Mother as a birthday gift. It was too much of a loss. Haha, he was not short of money. Some things were more important than money. Besides, when there was too much money, it was just a number.
"Prince Heng is very thoughtful. I like it very much. Reward—"
"Grandmother, I am just trying to be filial to you, but I don't deserve your reward."
This statement really stepped on Prince Duan's feet. After all, he had just accepted the Queen Mother's reward generously.
At this moment, many people unconsciously turned their eyes to Prince Duan. Although he was blind, he was not deaf. Hearing the discussions of others, he naturally knew what Prince Heng had sent. It could be said that his limelight was completely suppressed. However, Prince Heng calmly picked up the wine glass at hand, took a sip, and his expression did not change at all.
—His good younger brother, relying on his mother's high position and favor, his in-laws' power, the support of ministers, and a lot of money, can be said to be very proud and glorious. However, there is a saying that goes "too much is as bad as too little."
When countless people were marveling at his generosity and other princes were jealous to the point of tears, there were some ministers whose faces clearly showed something was wrong, not to mention those whose expressions were not obvious.
Prince Heng glanced at his father cautiously, but didn't see anything, and he had never spoken before. He was a little unsure for a moment, and hesitated whether to present the second birthday gift. However, many people knew before that he had prepared two gifts, and it was obviously not possible to temporarily remove one. However, the second gift was not out of the ordinary, so it should not matter.
This second birthday gift was placed in a long brocade box.
When it was opened, it turned out to be a painting, but with the Jade Guanyin as a backdrop, no one could easily draw a conclusion.
King Heng ordered someone to open the painting, which was more than ten feet wide and nearly two feet long.
"Grandmother, this painting is called Jinxiu Mountain..." He. Prince Heng turned around while speaking, and the last word was stuck in his throat. The blood on his face faded a lot. His mind was blank for a moment, and then he turned around hurriedly, "Grandmother, Father..."
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Beautiful Mountains and Rivers? The name is indeed worthy of its name. However, what do I need this thing for? Your Majesty, please keep it." She didn't seem to care too much.
Emperor Xuanren also nodded with a smile, "In that case, I won't be polite." He waved his hand and asked the servant beside him to put it away.
Prince Heng stammered, not quite sure what his father was thinking.
The hand hidden in the sleeve clenched unconsciously. How could the painting be replaced? This one now is more like a map of the Qi Dynasty than a word. Kou asked the painter to make it in a different way, referring to many maps, and even using the connections of Wanbao Pavilion, secretly sending people to many places, and spending a lot of effort to get the final product, which can be said to be quite shocking. Originally, Prince Heng planned to take it out on the 50th birthday of Emperor Xuanren. The birthday gift prepared for the empress dowager was indeed "Splendid Mountains and Rivers", but it was a sunrise mountain scenery, and it was also a magnificent painting. What went wrong
For these grandchildren, the essential purpose of pleasing the empress dowager is to please their father. However, when this "map" came out, the obscure things were laid out in the open. Not to mention the Empress Dowager Tai'an, she would most likely be annoyed.
Not only that, if he could please his father, even if the queen mother was angry, it would not matter. However, this map was too shocking, and it was inevitable that people would think too much. If his father suspected that he coveted the throne... Although, there was probably no brother who did not want the throne, but doing it in private was one thing, and doing it too obviously was another. According to his plan, before presenting this "map", he needed to do some preparation to make the appearance of this map more reasonable and not arouse his father's suspicion. Now it was simply...
The more Prince Heng thought about it, the more panicked he became. He was already hot, and now he couldn't stop sweating.
"Prince Heng is really thoughtful. He deserves a big reward. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Xuanren nodded, "It is indeed a reward. Since this 'Splendid Mountains and Rivers' belongs to me, I will also give you a share of this reward."
At this moment, King Heng didn't dare to be humble and pull anyone down anymore. He hurriedly accepted it, thanked for the reward, and left.
The brothers who were originally jealous said, "The emperor's brother (brother) is so generous, the brothers are ashamed of themselves", but their expressions were full of gloating. First he stole the limelight, and then he made trouble for himself. Where can you find such fun, haha...
Because of their positions, the people at the bottom naturally couldn't see it, however, the important officials at the middle stage saw it all. Those who supported Prince Heng all had black faces and felt dizzy.
The previous Jade Guanyin was already a bit too much, and King Heng was not a fool. And from his expression, one could tell that this was not the painting he had originally prepared. So, was he actually being tricked
However, this was not the time for King Heng to do anything. In his opinion, he was being plotted against, and the most likely culprit was this group of brothers. He swept them with eyes like knives. However, few of the older ones were afraid of him. Instead, the mocking look in their eyes became stronger. King Heng sat down angrily, trying his best to control his emotions.
Such an episode did not have much impact, at least for now, and birthday gifts continued to be presented.
Their birthday gifts were far inferior to those of Prince Heng, but no one cared at the moment. What's more, every birthday gift after Prince Heng was given a "good" grade and a reward, even the princes who were not later crowned as kings and established their own palaces were not an exception.
Princesses who had not yet married did not present birthday gifts on this occasion. However, those princesses who were married had their husbands or sons present birthday gifts to them, which was quite proper.
If we talk about something that is both peculiar and shabby, it must be Young Master Fan Wuguo.
Young Master Fan was carrying a basket, which was casually covered with a piece of cloth, and he carried it up carelessly.
Perhaps because it looks so shabby, I can't help but be curious about what it is.
Fan Wuguo did not hide it and opened it directly. It was a plate of white peaches with red tips, which did not look very beautiful. Without asking for permission from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, he took the basket and walked up to the table in front of the Empress Dowager. Compared with other people, he was really bold and unrefined.
"What's so special about your birthday peach?" Emperor Xuanren asked first. His first reaction was not disgust, but curiosity.
Just from this, we can know what kind of status Fan Wuguo holds in Emperor Xuanren's heart. This is really what makes many people envy, jealous and hate him. But there is nothing to be done. This little bully is used to pretending to be obedient and pitiful when facing others, but he is not polite at all to them. Among all the princes, the one who has the closest relationship with him is probably the blind Prince Duan.
There was also curiosity in the Queen Mother's eyes.
"If you want to talk about how exquisite this is, it's probably something I did myself."
"You did it? With your own hands?" This was really unexpected.
"Of course I am," Young Master Fan puffed out his chest with pride, "I have spent a long time learning how to do this, from kneading the dough to making it and finally putting it in the steamer. The servants just helped to lower the fire. I got up early in the morning and made a big pot of it. I picked and chose and chose these few that are presentable. - Your Majesty, I tell you, it has been very hard work. Look, my hands are burned." He stretched out his hand aggrievedly.
"Let me take a look?" The Queen Mother took his hand. "Oh, you are really hurt. Don't do it again in the future. Our little filial piety is enough." The Queen Mother looked at him with real heartache.
"Your grandmother is right." Emperor Xuanren picked up the chopsticks, "But since it's ready, let me try it too."
The eunuchs didn't even need to do anything, Fan Wuguo helped to pick them up, and then picked one up for the empress dowager.
The two most distinguished people in the Qi Dynasty tasted it and ate it all out of courtesy.
Young Master Fan looked at them eagerly, with a bit of hope in his eyes. When the two said "not bad", he gave them the affirmation and immediately smiled triumphantly, "Of course it must be good. Look who made it." If there was a tail, it would have been sticking up to the sky.
Emperor Xuanren and the Queen Mother both laughed, and the Queen Mother nodded at him faintly, "You naughty boy."
Emperor Xuanren looked at the veil on his face and asked, "What happened today? Why are you like this?"
In fact, Fan Wuguo also wore a mask in some important occasions. However, the mask was only half-covering, only half of the nose and lips. The color of the mask was also closer to the skin color. From a distance, there was basically nothing unusual to see.
Fan Wuguo reached out and touched it. "It's not convenient to wear a mask today. Wait for more than a month, and then give the Queen Mother and the Emperor a big surprise."
"Oh, we'll have to wait and see."
Fan Wuguo chuckled twice, "Queen Mother, should I be rewarded as well?"
"You only have a few dough balls, do you still want a reward?"