"Today is the birthday of my youngest imperial son, Xin Yue. My esteemed ministers, please do not stand on ceremony and drink to your heart's content."
"Come, this cup is for the flourishing prosperity of our Yun Yue Kingdom!"
"To the flourishing prosperity of our Yun Yue Kingdom!" Many ministers raised their cups and drank with the Empress.
"This second cup is for the peace and tranquility of our Yun Yue Kingdom!"
"To the peace and tranquility of our Yun Yue Kingdom!"
"As for this third cup, it is naturally for my imperial son Xin Yue, wishing for a peaceful and long life!"
"To Princess Xin Yue's peaceful and long life!"
As she spoke, the Empress turned her wine cup towards Princess Xin Yue. The latter quickly raised her cup to return the toast to the Empress, and then to the assembled ministers.
After three cups of wine, the atmosphere in the hall significantly improved, shedding the earlier solemnity.
Setting down her cup, the Empress clapped her hands with a smile. Not far away, palace maids carrying trays approached Xin Yue.
"This is the birthday gift I have prepared for you. Open it and see if you like it."
Xin Yue, delighted, stood up and lifted the red cloth from the tray, revealing the object beneath.
It was an embroidery. Although only the size of a washbasin, as Princess Xin Yue unfurled it, a display of beautiful and captivating flowers of various colors could be seen.
The exquisite white cloth was embroidered with colorful blossoms, as if spring itself had burst forth in a riot of flowers. While not a masterpiece of divine craftsmanship, it was remarkably lifelike.
It was evident that as a birthday gift for her most beloved daughter, the Empress had put considerable thought into it.
"Thank you, Mother. Your daughter likes it very much!"
Xin Yue happily embraced the embroidery of a hundred flowers, her eyes sparkling like crescent moons.
The Empress's gift served as a signal, and the ministers below began to present their birthday gifts to Princess Xin Yue one after another.
"Prime Minister Chen Yuanliang presents a pair of jade Ruyi scepters to Princess Xin Yue!"
"Minister of Rites Wang He presents a pair of 'Double Ducks Playing' screens to Princess Xin Yue!"
"Head of the Guard Xue Yun presents a cloud-patterned gauze veil to Princess Xin Yue!"
"Minister of War's gift..."
As the ministers presented their gifts, which were then carried away, Princess Xin Yue watched with great happiness and contentment. At this moment, she was truly the center of attention in the Imperial Garden.
Just as the ministers had finished presenting their gifts and this part of the ceremony was nearing its end, a voice suddenly drew everyone's attention.
"Envoy Li Jun from the Great Chen Kingdom presents thirty bolts of Jing Xiu silk to Princess Xin Yue!"
An envoy from the Great Chen Kingdom? What was the purpose of their visit?
The assembled ministers were perplexed. They wondered why the Great Chen Kingdom, which had always been at odds with the Yun Yue Kingdom, would send someone to present a gift for Princess Xin Yue's birthday.
"Oh, since it is a visitor from a friendly nation, let him come forward and be seen."
The Empress harbored no fondness for the Great Chen Kingdom, but she was curious if their visit was truly as simple as delivering a gift.
In an instant, the ministers sat up straighter, their gazes fixed towards the rear of the banquet.
A tall, though not imposing, figure walked in the front, followed by several burly, muscular men. Each of the latter carried a tray as they approached.
In the center of the banquet, the envoy from the Great Chen Kingdom, Li Jun, smiled slightly. "Your humble servant Li Jun pays his respects to Your Majesty and all the Princesses."
"You are dismissed. Be seated."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Jun sat down without ceremony, then cupped his hands and said with a smile, "The Yun Yue Kingdom is powerful. Coincidentally, our nation learned of Your Highness Princess's birthday today. As it happens, our country has produced some valuable items, so we have dispatched your humble servant to foster goodwill with your esteemed nation and to learn from your country's might."
With that, he glanced towards where the birthday gifts were placed, then stood up and lifted the red cloth from the tray carried by his attendant, revealing a bolt of silk and unfurling a section.
"May I inquire if the gifts from my Chen Kingdom are worthy of Your Majesty, the Princesses, and the esteemed ministers?"
At this, the Empress and the ministers understood. The gift was merely a pretense; the true intention was to flaunt their nation's produce. This was practically a provocation.
Indeed, why else would the envoys from the Great Chen Kingdom, with whom they had a strained relationship, come to celebrate the Princess's birthday?
At this point, the Minister of Rites, responsible for receiving foreign guests and overseeing etiquette, stood up with a displeased expression and said, "Your nation's sentiments have been received by our Yun Yue Kingdom. However, why would you trouble yourself to travel such a distance to present a mere thirty bolts of silk? You have truly gone to great lengths. Please come and be seated, and let me share a few drinks with you."
While the Minister of Rites spoke courteously, he was inwardly cursing. When they had arrived earlier, they had not mentioned causing a scene at the birthday celebration. Had they known this would happen, they would never have allowed them to enter.
"Hahaha, Minister of Rites, are your eyes deceiving you? A mere thirty bolts of silk. Why not come forward and examine the exquisite qualities of this silk closely?"
Li Jun, who had come specifically to provoke, had no intention of sitting down obediently. Instead, he invited the minister forward. Furthermore, the burly men behind him stepped forward slightly, subtly exerting pressure.
"Hmph."
The Minister of Rites bowed to the Empress and then strode forward. He wanted to see what grounds this envoy had for causing trouble with just a few bolts of silk.
What country did not have silk? It was merely a matter of quantity and quality.
However, as the Minister of Rites approached, he discovered the unique characteristics of the silk. The fabric itself was very thin, with no loose threads around the edges, appearing as if naturally formed, and its colors were vibrant.
The Minister of Rites frowned. Upon touching it, he was immediately astonished.
The silk was incredibly smooth, with no rough texture, and it felt airy and cool to the touch.
"This..."
The envoy from the Chen Kingdom, seeing the Minister of Rites' shocked expression, became smug and said, "How is it? Does your Yun Yue Kingdom possess such silk?"
The Minister of Rites could not answer this question. Of course, the Yun Yue Kingdom had silk, but it truly lacked this quality and quantity.
Previously, the Yun Yue Kingdom had suffered from low grain yields, with little stored food, and its people were starving and cold. Apart from a small amount of fine cloth and silk in the palace, even wealthy commoners wore clothes made of slightly better fabric. Only the imperial family and ministers had a small number of silk garments.
However, the quality was far inferior, and judging by the amount they presented, their quantity was likely also insufficient.
A moment of silence fell upon the hall.
Chu Chen also noticed the Empress's displeased expression.
"It's just some silk, what's the big deal? Doesn't our Yun Yue Kingdom have it too?"
Princess Xin Yue, not understanding the implications, mumbled a few words and was about to stand up to argue.
Fortunately, Chu Chen quickly restrained Xin Yue and whispered to her, "Our common people couldn't even get enough to eat before. Where would they have the energy to produce such fine silk in large quantities? What they are showing off is not the silk itself, but the fact that the people of the Chen Kingdom have enough to eat, have surplus land to grow mulberry trees and raise silkworms, and possess more advanced weaving technology."
"So that's how it is."
Princess Xin Yue was rendered speechless. However, seeing the Chen envoy arguing with some indignant ministers, she still asked unhappily, "Are we just going to let them flaunt their arrogance like this?"