Chapter 89

It turned out that the birthday gift presented by the Lame Prince was a close-fitting armor made of countless pieces of jade linked together.

As the saying goes, gold has a price, but jade is priceless. However, if it were just ordinary jade, no matter how valuable it might be, it would still only be an antique for play and appreciation. Compared to the four rare treasures presented by the Storage Prince earlier, it would be far less impressive.

However, it was clear that this jade armor was not so simple. The Empress only had to touch the armor lightly to immediately sense its extraordinary nature. She smiled and asked, "Eldest Son, is this jade armor made of Ice Glacier Cold Jade?"

The Lame Prince, with a hint of pride, nodded and said, "Mother, your insight is truly sharp. Yes, this jade armor is taken from the Great Snow Mountain in the northwest, from the endless ice glacier, at least three thousand feet deep underground. It is the purest and cleanest innate cold jade. When made into armor, it can resist blades and bullets, repel water and fire, and also dispel toxins and evil. It has some value. Please accept it, Mother."

The Empress chuckled, feeling quite satisfied with the gift. She praised it and accepted it.

After the Eldest and Second Princes presented their gifts, it was naturally the Third Prince's turn. The Scholar Prince stood up and smiled, "The gifts presented by my elder brothers are indeed very precious. I am a scholar, and scholars are usually poor. I cannot compare with my elder brothers. However, Mother, I recently obtained a rather rare item. Please take a look."

As he finished speaking, the Scholar Prince clapped his hands three times. But this time, the one who brought the gift was not a eunuch. Because this gift, as the name suggests, was indeed very heavy.

It was a huge stone, over two people tall and more than ten feet wide. It had to be placed on a specially made cart and pushed by two guards working together.

The two guards pushed the stone to the center of the hall. The Scholar Prince personally went forward, grabbed the cloth covering the stone, and pulled it down with force. The true appearance of the stone was immediately revealed.

In an instant, everyone in the hall could not help but exclaim in surprise. They cried out, "A good omen! This is a heavenly omen!"

It turned out that the huge stone presented by the Scholar Prince as a birthday gift had a smooth and glossy surface, shining like glass, a mirror, or a jade wall. It was indeed very rare.

But what was even rarer were the two natural patterns imprinted on the stone. The upper pattern, at first glance, seemed to be a lush tree. From the shape of the leaves, it appeared to be a holly tree.

The lower pattern, however, was a large mass of varying shades and depths. Upon closer inspection, it looked about eight or nine-tenths like a map of the entire territory of the Great Hao Dynasty.

As everyone knew, the Empress's maiden name was Qiang, and her given name was "Holly." At this moment, a naturally formed stone suddenly appeared, with a holly tree on top and a map of the Great Hao Dynasty below. What did this mean? What did it symbolize?

To say that the stone itself was not worth much would be an understatement. However, from another perspective, perhaps... the four rare treasures presented by the Storage Prince, plus the Ice Glacier Cold Jade armor presented by the Lame Prince, even multiplied by a thousand or ten thousand times, would still not match the value of the stone presented by the Scholar Prince. Therefore, there was no doubt that the Scholar Prince's birthday gift was extremely valuable, so much so that even the Empress felt a bit hesitant to accept it.

In an instant, everyone in the Golden Hall realized the seriousness of the situation. They all closed their mouths, not daring to say a single word. The expressions on their faces varied: some were angry, some were contemptuous, some were disdainful, some were enlightened, and some were excited, joyful, and relieved... a myriad of emotions.

The Empress, seated high above, saw all the reactions in the hall. She remained calm and smiled, "This stone... is quite interesting. Third Son, where did you get it?"

The Scholar Prince bowed slightly and respectfully replied, "Mother, this stone was obtained by one of my classmates in the southwest. After seeing the stone, he believed it to be a heavenly omen and sent it to me. To be honest, I am just passing it on, ha ha."

"Oh, your classmate. Is he a disciple of the Donglin Academy?" The Empress nodded slightly, feeling somewhat surprised and pleased. The Donglin Academy was a Confucian academy with considerable influence in the Great Hao Dynasty, and the Scholar Prince was a disciple of the academy's headmaster. Therefore, from another perspective, the Scholar Prince's birthday gift could also be seen as a gift from the Donglin Academy to the Empress.

For those in high positions, the most important thing was to be clear about rewards and punishments. Those who deserved rewards should be rewarded, and those who deserved punishment should be punished, to attract more talents to serve them. Since the Donglin Academy had sent the Scholar Prince as a representative to present this omen as a birthday gift, the Empress should naturally reciprocate.

In an instant, many names and positions flashed through the Empress's mind. How to match these names and positions was a great science. If the matching was not done well, there might be a huge upheaval in the court.

There was no doubt that the Empress was already quite skilled at playing this game. She quickly crossed out several names in her mind and replaced them with new names to match the positions—these new names all belonged to the Donglin Academy. Thus, the matter was settled. What remained was to go through the formalities and complete the necessary procedures to ensure that no one could find fault.

The Empress smiled again and said, "Third Son, you have put a lot of thought into this. Alright, I will accept this birthday gift. You may sit down."

The Scholar Prince bowed deeply and returned to his seat. From the joy on his face, it was clear that he was quite satisfied with what he had done.

The Empress then waved her hand and ordered, "This stone is indeed a rare and precious item. Someone, take it to the Yangxin Hall and let the Emperor enjoy it. I am sure the Emperor will be very pleased to see this stone."

The Yangxin Hall was where the Emperor Xuan was convalescing. By sending the omen stone to the Yangxin Hall, the Empress indicated that she personally did not accept the omen, indirectly showing that she had no intention of taking that step. This action was to reassure those loyal to the Xiao family of the Great Hao Dynasty.

Sure enough, as soon as the Empress gave this order, the tense atmosphere in the Golden Hall immediately eased.

The Storage Prince seized the opportunity to stand up, raise his wine glass, and say, "Mother and Father are truly a loving couple. I will toast to Mother again and also wish Father good health and a long life."

Since it was a toast to the current Emperor, who in the Golden Hall dared to remain seated? In an instant, everyone quickly stood up, raised their wine glasses, and said in unison, "We wish our Emperor good health and a long life." They drank to the bottom of their glasses.

After the toast, everyone returned to their seats. In the hall, only one imposing figure remained standing. It was the Fourth Prince, the Sword Prince Xiao Yu. He slowly walked out and stood in the center of the hall. He said solemnly, "Mother, I also have a birthday gift to present." He paused and then softly commanded, "Shanchuan, bring me my sword."

The Fourth Prince's personal sword boy, Zishanchuan, immediately left his seat, carrying the sword case that he never left his side. He asked, "Your Highness, which sword will you use today?"

Why did Zishanchuan ask this? The reason was simple.

The Sword Prince was obsessed with swords, loved them as if they were his life, and enjoyed collecting famous swords from all over the world. In his mansion, he had built a cellar called the "Sword Cellar." This cellar was filled with various precious swords collected by the Sword Prince. Each sword had its own origin and characteristics. When the Sword Prince had free time, he loved to enter the Sword Cellar and admire his swords.

However, the Sword Prince could not carry the Sword Cellar with him when he went out. Therefore, he kept his favorite few swords in a sword case, which was carried by the sword boy Zishanchuan, who never left his side.

This way, when the Sword Prince needed a sword, he could simply give an order and have it in his hand. Moreover, depending on the occasion and the person, the Sword Prince would choose different swords.

At this moment, hearing Zishanchuan's question, the Sword Prince did not hesitate and immediately said, "The sword to be used today is, of course, Juechen!"

"Yes, Your Highness. Juechen, out of the case!" Zishanchuan unfastened the sword case and struck it. In a flash, a clear and resonant dragon cry echoed through the Golden Hall. Then, a cold light shot out, flew out of the case, and radiated throughout the hall, stunning everyone! In an instant, the Sword Prince reached out and caught the sword, and the light disappeared. In his palm, he held a sword about four feet long, with a hilt carved in the shape of two dragons fighting over a pearl, radiating a cold and sharp light, a peerless divine blade.

"Juechen! This sword is one of the four eldest brother's favorite five famous swords," the Virtuous Prince whispered at the banquet. "This sword is made from ancient copper from Han Yin and fine steel, combined with two heavenly treasures, and tempered with heavy water from the Han Yuan. It took great effort to forge. It is said that when the sword was completed, a mighty and righteous aura shot up to the stars. When wielded, it can generate unparalleled righteous energy.

The fourth eldest brother has used this sword to execute countless corrupt officials. So some say: When Juechen is drawn, traitors and villains tremble. Today... on this great day, the fourth eldest brother actually takes out Juechen? What does he intend to do?"

Xiao Sheng smiled faintly and said, "I think the fourth eldest brother doesn't intend to do anything, but just to warn some people in the hall with Juechen. On such a great day, the fourth eldest brother certainly knows his limits and won't draw blood. Don't worry, eighth brother."

Pausing, Xiao Sheng asked, "By the way, you said Juechen is one of the fourth eldest brother's favorite five swords. What are the other four?"

The Virtuous Prince was fully focused on the Sword Prince in the center of the hall. He answered absentmindedly, "The other four swords are Wulang, Yan Yun, Fan Ri, and Gu Cang. All of them can cut hair, sever gold, and slice through iron like butter. They are all rare divine blades, at least of medium-grade magical artifacts. Hey, this fourth brother, I wonder where he found so many treasures."

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Today, I also have to deal with the family shop, so I can only update once. Please understand:)

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