TICIEC Chapter 64.1

A young official stepped forward and recited a birthday poem written for His Majesty.

Helian Qi was overjoyed and bestowed generous rewards upon him.

This drew the attention of many people.

“Master, this is Song Jieyu’s elder brother, the newly appointed third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations this year. He has done many tasks for His Majesty and is highly valued by him!”

Xiao Guizi, always quick-witted, had already gathered a lot of intelligence and whispered.

“Song Jieyu was only able to rise to the rank of Jieyu because she had a good older brother and a good father. The last time His Majesty promoted her to Jieyu, it just so happened that this Scholar Song had just solved a major case! His Majesty was very pleased and rewarded him handsomely! He also promoted Song Jieyu to the rank of Jieyu!”

Lian Rui asked softly, “Then who is the new top scholar? Why did His Majesty only praise the third-ranked scholar? The top scholar’s poem should be better than the third-ranked scholar’s, right?”

“The new top scholar’s ​​poem was just recited, but His Majesty didn’t reward him with this much!” Xiao Guizi said.

Ning Wanyin knew this in her heart.

The Emperor was not looking to promote the most talented among the newly appointed scholars, but rather those who could be of use to him.

As long as Song’s father and brothers remain in power, Song Jieyu will rise through the ranks without having to do much.

The imperial court and the harem have always been one entity.

Ning Wanyin glanced around casually and was suddenly surprised to find that Scholar Song was actually looking at her.

When their eyes met, the other person immediately lowered his head, his gaze darting away, his cheeks flushed red.

Ning Wanyin frowned.

Staring at the woman with such lewd and shameless behavior showed that the Song family’s upbringing was truly lacking.

The concubines in the imperial harem successively presented gifts to offer their congratulations.

Shu Fei presented a handwritten Buddhist scripture, while Zhuang Fei presented a precious sword.

Both concubines from the Xue and Cen families offered valuable items.

Many concubines also performed to celebrate the birthday, each displaying their unique talents in a dazzling and captivating display.

On the surface, His Majesty’s harem also appeared to be a harmonious place.

“I have composed a piece for Your Majesty to congratulate you.” Song Qingzhi said, blushing slightly as she stepped forward with her zither.

She originally intended to write poetry.

But fearing she would be outshone by Ying Meiren, she switched to playing the zither.

As expected of a renowned and talented woman in the capital, her zither performance was exceptionally outstanding among the concubines who were presenting their talents.

Helian Qi rewarded her handsomely, just as he had treated her older brother.

When it was Ying Meiren’s turn to present her gift, many of the concubines were very excited. But…

“I personally painted a birthday greeting picture to wish Your Majesty a long and healthy life.” Wei Yingya said perfunctorily, not even bothering to think of a few words for the greeting.

The Emperor glanced at her painting, his expression indifferent, showing little interest.

The concubines’ expressions varied.

Wasn’t Wei Yingya usually very good at winning favor?

Has she run out of ideas?

Song Qingzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief. She’d heard that Ning Wanyin had already sent her congratulatory gift, so the only one who could steal her thunder at the banquet was Wei Yingya.

She never expected her to give me such an ordinary painting.

This made it easy for her to win.

She felt even better.

Wei Yingya didn’t care about the stares of others and calmly sat back down in her seat, continuing to eat.

“Your Majesty, I wish you a long life. On Your Majesty’s birthday, the pond is full of blooming lotuses, and the lotuses themselves are celebrating Your Majesty’s birthday. I have specially presented Your Majesty with the ‘Summer Lotus Painting’ from my family’s collection as a congratulatory gift.”

Wei Meiren presented a scroll painting.

This painting, ‘Summer Lotus’, was created by a renowned artist of the Great Yan Dynasty.

When His Majesty was still a prince, this painting was as famous as His Majesty’s ‘Winter Plum Blossom Painting’. They were known as masterpieces of both winter and summer.

His Majesty also praised the painting ‘Summer Lotus’.

The painting ‘Summer Lotus’ is priceless and extremely rare. The fact that the Wei family managed to acquire this masterpiece showed that they spent a fortune to cater to his tastes.

 

 

 

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