Chapter 726: Chapter 726 Completely Finished
The Emperor sat upon his throne, receiving tributes and birthday greetings from princes and officials. The military generals from the Ministry of War were the most concise in their congratulatory speeches, often finishing in just a sentence or two, with the most commonly heard phrase being, “Wishing our Emperor immortality,” which greatly pleased the Emperor’s heart.
As for the rest of the civil officials, whether to showcase their literary talents or for some other reason, they would always give lengthy, lavish speeches that went on and on. They started with claims that their achievements surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and ended with tales of how their benevolence blessed the common people. A quarter of an hour would pass by, and if it were any other day, the Emperor would have grown impatient and interrupted, but today, he simply couldn’t.
When he truly could no longer bear it and saw no end to their droning, the Emperor had to tacitly signal them by picking up his teacup. The courtier in charge of the ceremony would understand that it was time for the next in line. Thus, he would loudly summarize the previous speech, recite the list of gifts, and present the offerings for the Emperor’s brief inspection. The Emperor would then offer a few words of encouragement, bestow some rewards, and move on to the next person.
The birthday gifts from princes and officials mostly featured auspicious themes that emphasized luck, longevity, good fortune, national peace, and order, and all things propitious. Among the presents were ruyi scepters, ornamental pots, and calligraphy and paintings depicting the character for longevity.
In the midst of all the jubilation, Xue Ping followed along, standing and kneeling with the crowd, his face downturned to the ground, a picture of misery and utter defeat.
From the moment he learned that the Imperial Heir was unharmed, he knew that the Xue Family was finished, utterly ruined.
All his scheming and machinations had been in vain. Not only was the Imperial Heir unscathed, but the Xu Family was also still intact. Xu Hu, during his birthday well-wishes, boomed like a bell, his face flushed with health, while those in Xue Ping’s faction were executed, imprisoned, or betrayed, crumbling to pieces without a stance to hold.
Not only that, but noble families became wary of one another, attacking and denouncing each other, exposing one another’s crimes. Many within their ranks were diminished, and all these losses would be blamed on the Xue Family. He feared that many people would bear a grudge against him, waiting to strike him down…
The tide had turned against him, the tide had truly turned!
He knew he would be held to account come autumn, based on his actions, Yuchi Zhao would never let him off the hook, especially the warning to not meddle in the Harem – those words were directed at him, each one delineating Yuchi Zhao’s bottom line.
Keeping the wellbeing of the Imperial Heir a tightly held secret, Yuchi Zhao chose this day to reveal it to all, leading Xue Ping to bitterly realize that the events of recent days were but a settling of dust, meant to provide an explanation to the court officials and serve as a warning to the world. From now on, before anyone dared to harm the Imperial Heir, they needed to measure their ability against Yuchi Zhao’s. With Yuchi Zhao’s scrutiny, no scheme or conspiracy could remain hidden, and whether successful or not, the fate of everyone involved would be the same as Zhao Zhong’s – total extermination.
What a masterful counterplot, such depth in Yuchi Zhao’s maneuvers. He, Xue Ping, was thoroughly defeated…
Having realized these critical points, Xue Ping’s face turned ashen. When his turn to offer birthday wishes arrived, he moved forward and knelt mechanically, his expression blank, like a walking corpse, reciting the congratulatory words before retreating.
The Emperor watched him meaningfully, then, with a grand wave of his hand, directly awarded him a piece of calligraphy by a famous artist, inscribed with the words “Loyalty and Righteousness.” This reward was different from those given to all other court officials, and to the others, it seemed like an added favor, another affirmation of Xue Ping’s deference to the title of Duke of Loyalty and Righteousness.
Only a few observant individuals saw the significance, their eyes shining with understanding as they kept silent.
Xue Ping accepted the gift and expressed his gratitude, his complexion even more desolate, his steps faltering, barely able to maintain his balance.
At that moment, he finally understood why the title of Earl he was granted had specifically been Duke of Loyalty and Righteousness; just like the present piece of calligraphy, it was all ironic – mocking him for his lack of loyalty and righteousness.
He belatedly thought that his actions might have been transparent to Yuchi Zhao for a long time, that the lack of reaction was only because it hadn’t been the right time yet. If only…
Having invested so much effort over half a lifetime, he, Xue Ping, had ultimately led the Xue Family to an irreversible doom…
Above in the Imperial Hall, the birthday greetings from princes, nobles, and civil and military officials were underway.
Outside the Imperial City, the common people who had received Longevity Happiness Cakes were over the moon with joy.
One Longevity Happiness Cake was given to each person, on a first-come, first-served basis, until all were distributed.
Initially, the Emperor had merely seen that many of the folks were barely getting by with their daily meals. In a move to share his joy with the people, he decided to slash the government’s extravagant spending for the Longevity Festival and redirected it towards the cakes, offering a bit of genuine benefit to the public. This move proved to be immensely popular with the people.
Nowadays, the folks are basically well-fed and don’t rely on the Longevity Happiness Cakes to fill their stomachs. Instead, they see it as an honor of celebration, a touch of joy, and it’s the moment they feel closest to the Son of Heaven.
Families with numerous members rise early to queue up, even three-year-olds know the cakes are a treat.
After receiving the cakes, they certainly reserve one for their ancestors, and the rest is shared and eaten with great satisfaction among the family.
Old Lady Wu, Elder Sister-in-law, and Er Ya, a trio, got there early enough to proudly receive three cakes. Elder Sister-in-law immediately tucked Er Ya’s cake away securely, advising Old Lady Wu to do the same promptly, as thieves nowadays were less interested in stealing silver, preferring the cakes. If stolen, there was no way to justify the claim to the authorities, since no one could prove whose cake it was.
Once the cakes were safely hidden, the three cheerfully started to stroll through the market.
In the Southern City, under a dim oil lamp, two figures sat quietly.
One could not help but ask, “When do we leave?”
The other replied in a low voice, “The time has not yet come, young master. Be patient.”
The impatient one pressed on, “It’s quiet around here already; people must have gone out. It’s at its liveliest in the Capital now, how can it still ‘not be the time’?”
The other opened his eyes and said directly, “Young master, at this moment, the gates of the Capital City are teeming with people flooding in, very few are leaving. Most folks are coming from outside the city heading towards the Imperial City. Leaving now would be too conspicuous.”
What they were waiting for was not the Capital’s most lively moment, but the busiest time for exiting the city: when streams of people from all directions flood the gates, to later ebb away like the tide.
Guo Neng stopped talking and simply lay down again to rest with his eyes closed.
Near Qianqiu Hall.
Lian Hua paced, chin in hand, beside two individuals, while Xiao Jizi, Xiao Qing, and Xiao Linzi stood with fierce eyes and a menacing stance.
This was Lian Hua’s first time at the top of the pecking order, and she was inexperienced. As a child, her code was simple: treat others as they treated her. But now with Shaded Eyes and Daying Jia resorting to a war of words, what should she do? She wasn’t skilled in that sort of combat.
Forget it—every debt has its debtor. It might as well be Xiao Yinyi who deals with it.
She pondered for a moment and decided it was feasible, turning directly to Kong Yinyin, “In the past this Shaded…”
“Cough cough cough cough…” Xiao Jizi started coughing loudly beside her.
“Oh…” She forgot she shouldn’t address someone like that in their presence.
Reminded, Lian Hua then changed her approach, “In the past this… Eh, what’s your name again?”
She had just forgotten after mentioning it.
Cui Laner replied nervously, “To Beauty Lian, this concubine’s surname is Cui, given name Laner, with the rank of Talented Lady…”
“Oh my, enough already.” Lian Hua waved her hand to interrupt: “You’ve just mentioned, you are out of the palace now, so these ranks don’t relate to you anymore. When stating your house, there’s no need to mention the Talented Lady rank. Xiao Linzi, I didn’t speak wrongly, did I?”