Seeing the atmosphere ease, Princess Yongjia calmed her mind, knowing it was now her turn.
She turned around to take a brocade box from her maid's hands, walked to the white jade steps, and knelt down. Raising the box above her head with both hands, she said, "This is the Boundless Longevity embroidery that I stitched myself. I wish Imperial Father fortune as vast as the Eastern Sea and a life as long as the Southern Mountains."
Facing his only daughter, Xiao Chengjing's attitude was incredibly tolerant and doting.
The embroidery was unrolled by the palace maids. It depicted lifelike immortal cranes and auspicious beasts, evergreen spiritual trees and immortal herbs. Natural landscapes and ethereal auspicious clouds intertwined, while a golden dragon coiled upon a pine tree, displaying the full majesty of the dragon. At a glance, it did not look like embroidery at all, but rather a living scene.
Unlike the strictness he showed toward his sons, Xiao Chengjing's face was now full of affection. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes seemed like melting snow in the spring.
"This piece is ingeniously conceived. The flora and fauna blend seamlessly into one entity; it is truly flawless. Look at your eyes, they are red from staying up late. This must have cost you a lot of time and energy. You must not do this next time. Even if you simply embroidered a few characters for longevity, I would still be delighted."
Princess Yongjia raised her chin with a hint of playfulness, her eyes full of deep adoration for the Emperor. "The birthday gift for Imperial Father naturally has to be the best. I am clumsy and only have this bit of craftsmanship to show. As long as Imperial Father likes it, that is all that matters."
Xiao Chengjing nodded repeatedly, grinning from ear to ear. "Imperial Father likes it very much."
Sitting cross-legged on their cushions, Prince Qi and Prince Ying exchanged glances, inevitably feeling a trace of unfairness in their hearts.
They had put in so much thought, yet they did not receive such praise from their father. It was just a piece of embroidery. Ultimately, their father did not favor them enough and was biased toward Princess Yongjia.
After the princes and princesses presented their gifts, it was the turn of the imperial clan and the ministers.
Shoushan stone carvings, longevity vases, ancient books and paintings, corals, and bright pearls—the variety was so vast that the registry in the hands of the Directorate of Ceremonial was almost running out of space.
When it was time for the Censorate to present their gifts, the first to rise was the head of the Censorate, Ye Liangyu.
He rose gracefully, cupped his hands, and bowed to the Son of Heaven, speaking with a righteous and earnest tone, "Someone has prepared a special birthday gift and entrusted me to present it to Your Majesty. I invite Your Majesty to have a taste."
Everyone looked at Ye Liangyu in astonishment. Who prepared the gift? How special was it?
To have a taste? Was it a local specialty presented by some regional official, or a rare famous tea?
"Oh? Who sent it?" Xiao Chengjing asked curiously.
Ye Liangyu smiled faintly and replied calmly, "Please allow me to keep it a secret for now. It will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty."
Xiao Chengjing's curiosity was thoroughly piqued. He rested his arm on the dragon head of his throne and said in a deep voice, "In that case, bring it up and let me have a look."
Sitting on his cushion, Prince Ying cast a dark, profound gaze at Ye Liangyu. Could it be Song Jinzhao?
Yunhe slowly walked in from outside the hall, carrying a tray.
Worried about dropping the item in his hands, he took every step with extreme steadiness.
In the middle of the tray sat a black clay pot, accompanied by a soup spoon and chopsticks.
Prime Minister Gu Qishan and the others raised their eyebrows in surprise. Served in a clay pot, could it be a dish?
An attendant immediately walked down the steps to take the tray. Before his hands even touched the clay pot, he could feel the scorching heat radiating from its walls, as if it had just been cooked.
After the item was taken away, Yunhe let out a deep breath and slowly retreated. He had waited for the right time to cook it fresh over a charcoal fire. If Lady Linghui had not prepared the ingredients and soup base in advance, he would have been terrified of ruining everything by cooking it wrong and ruining the flavor.
The attendant lifted the lid of the pot, and a blast of hot steam carrying a savory aroma wafted out. As the mist dispersed, noodle-like potato vermicelli came into view, glowing white. It was actually a bowl of longevity noodles.
Xiao Chengjing raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked at Ye Liangyu. "Beloved subject Ye, why are these noodles so thick?"
Ye Liangyu raised a hand to gesture. "Your Majesty, please have a taste first."
The attendant tested it for poison before handing the chopsticks to Xiao Chengjing.
With his first bite, his immediate impression was that it was delicious. The light broth was incredibly savory, better than what the imperial kitchens made.
The soft and tender texture of the noodles was like tofu, yet with an added hint of chewiness. They looked like noodles, but the texture was unlike any noodles.
"Beloved subject Ye, how are these noodles made? I have never eaten noodles like these before."
Ye Liangyu said, "Would Your Majesty care to guess what these noodles are made of?"
Xiao Chengjing glanced at the snow-white potato vermicelli in the clay pot. "They are not made of wheat flour?"
Ye Liangyu smiled and knelt. "To answer Your Majesty, they are not made of wheat flour, but of potato flour. This is the birthday gift that Lady Linghui brought all the way from Anyang Prefecture to the capital, entrusting me to present to Your Majesty—a type of food crop that no one present here has ever eaten before."
