Sitting at the very front on opposite sides, Prince Qi and Prince Ying exchanged a glance. The smiles on their faces were laced with fierce sparks, as if they had already clashed several times in the depths of each other's eyes.
Ye Liangyu and Fei Yanzhang exchanged a silent look, their unspoken words perfectly aligning. They went over the gift-presenting procedure, which they had already discussed numerous times, one more time in their minds.
"The presentation of gifts begins! All princes and princesses shall offer their congratulations to the Emperor—"
Prince Qi was the first to rise and walk to the center of the hall. Everyone's eyes focused on Xiao Rongche, curious to see what kind of birthday gift he would present to the Emperor.
Xiao Rongche clapped his hands, and eight attendants carried a scroll measuring dozens of feet long into the hall from outside.
As the scroll was slowly unrolled, Xiao Rongche bowed and cupped his hands toward the Emperor. "Your son respectfully presents the Panoramic Map of the Imperial Territories. This map was drawn to scale by thirty renowned masters who traveled across every inch of our Dongzhao Kingdom. Every mountain and river is depicted from actual scenery. With this map, your son wishes Imperial Father an eternal reign over these lands, and everlasting peace for the state."
Even before the scroll was completely unfurled, its majesty was already apparent. Once fully opened, it took up nearly a third of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Emperor Xiao Chengjing's gaze fell upon the scroll in a daze. This was the world in his hands; he was the monarch of this land.
"Good, good, good!" Saying the word "good" three times in a row was enough to represent Xiao Chengjing's delight with this birthday gift.
Seeing this, Prince Qi cast a smug glance at Prince Ying. Well? How could your longevity mountain jade carving possibly compare to this?
Prince Ying smiled faintly, appearing exceedingly calm and composed.
Just as the Emperor opened his mouth, wanting to continue offering a few more words of praise, Prince Ying lifted the hem of his robe and slowly walked until he was standing just three feet away from Prince Qi.
"I never expected that I would share such a telepathic connection with my royal brother. Imperial Father, your son has scoured ancient texts and personally painted a map to present to you. I invite Imperial Father and all the ministers to take a look."
The Hall of Supreme Harmony, which had just been filled with the mingling of wine cups, instantly fell into a dead silence. It was as if everyone had their throats gripped tight, unable to utter a single sound.
Rather than calling it a coincidence, it was more like a provocation.
Presenting the exact same birthday gift—whoever had the uglier one would be the one humiliated.
If Prince Qi Xiao Rongche's Panoramic Map of the Imperial Territories required a third of the Hall of Supreme Harmony to be laid out, then Prince Ying Xiao Rongyan's Complete Map of the Earth could cover more than half of the hall. It took the combined strength of over a dozen people to keep it from falling over.
Looking at the thousands of densely packed cities on the scroll, the boundary line in the middle was incredibly distinct. The map not only clearly recorded the magnificent mountains and rivers of the Dongzhao Kingdom, but even every city, every pool, and every single route of the Shuobei Kingdom was so clear that it seemed one could just reach out and strike directly at the enemy's heart, unifying the world.
Xiao Rongche's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched tightly into fists. His jaw was clamped so hard it felt as though his jawbone might shatter.
Xiao Rongyan had definitely planted spies around him. To find out what birthday gift he was going to give and deliberately pull this stunt to overshadow him was simply going too far.
Prince Ying took a large step forward, fell to both knees, cupped his hands, and declared loudly, "Under the whole heaven, every spot is the sovereign's ground; to the borders of the land, every individual is the sovereign's minister. With this map, your son wishes Imperial Father virtues that match heaven and earth, a mighty prestige that reaches the four seas, and the heavenly mandate to unify the world into one."
What emperor in this world had never harbored the grand ambition of unifying the realm? When Xiao Chengjing first ascended the throne, he too had thought of sweeping across Shuobei, but reality had dealt him a harsh slap in the face.
An empty national treasury, turbulent internal rebellions, and the extremely formidable combat power of Shuobei—all these complications made him unable to even ensure his own subjects were fed and clothed, let alone unify the world.
Having been on the throne for decades, seeing this Complete Map of the Earth now, and hearing Prince Ying painting such a grand illusion in his ears, that passionate ambition of Xiao Chengjing's youth seemed to be ignited once more from the bottom of his heart.
With a wave of Xiao Rongyan's small hand behind his back, the Prince Ying faction stepped forward one after another to offer their flattery: "Your Majesty's virtues match heaven and earth, and your mighty prestige reaches the four seas. Long live the Emperor, long live, long, long live!"
Anyway, the people of the Shuobei Kingdom were not present. As long as just saying it could coax the Emperor into a good mood, no one would take it seriously as long as troops were not actually deployed.
Emperor Xiao Chengjing walked down the white jade steps step by step. The thudding sound struck everyone's hearts, as if they were going to leap out of their chests.
He reached out and gently brushed over the mountains and cities on the map. His slightly trembling fingertips revealed the excitement in Xiao Chengjing's heart.
If only he could truly unify the world during his reign, leaving a legacy for countless generations, he would be the greatest emperor of all time!
