The Beloved Imperial Consort

Chapter 43

Chapter 43

It turned out that there was a deeper meaning behind the tree locations. This first location was Empress Dowager's childhood hometown. All of the memories of her mother remained there. The second location was her maternal grandparents' place where Empress Dowager went to live after the death of her mother. There, she met Gaozu Emperor who was on his excursion to the south. Henceforth, their fates have been tied for a lifetime. The third location was where she accompanied Gaozu Emperor as his step Empress to Mt Tai offering sacrifices to the ancestral mausoleum. It was also Gaozu Emperor's last toured place.

After learning about the secret behind, people present on banquet all have praised the sixth prince for his diligence and filial piety. They secretly reckoned inwardly that this sixth prince's congratulatory gift was probably most to Empress Dowager's like.

Zhong Zheng Lin's ingeniousness made the rest of the imperial princes depressed. The crown prince was particularly resentful. He believed that Zhong Zheng Lin, who belonged to crown prince's faction on the surface, clearly had a draft worked out in his mind early on, yet he hadn't notified him a tiny bit about it. He went as far as to directly climb over him and put himself into the limelight before the Empress Dowager and Emperor. He obviously harbored evil intentions.

Precisely because of the constant strife at this banquet and the grim face the crown prince cast Zhong Zheng Lin due to his evident dislike of him made Yuancheng Emperor be increasingly disappointed in the crown prince.

Zhong Zheng Lin didn't bother to pay attention to what the crown prince thought. He was as solemn and upright as usual. After paying respect he returned to his seat, sitting straight as a ramrod. However, inside he was quite curious about the item the little woman had worked on and then concealed in the Huizhou.

Mu Xi Yao was very surprised when she saw Zhong Zheng Lin's present. She didn't expect they would think alike. Both of them played emotional cards. Their hearts indeed beat in unison. She turned her head to throw him a crafty smile and then waited for her grand present to go on stage.

The gifts from the womenfolk were mostly hand-copied Buddhist texts or needlecraft and embroidery. The only ones that were a little more special were the crown princess who has presented a unique copy of《Vimalakirti Sutra》and the fifth princess consort's double-sided embroidery of a boy offering birthday congratulations which was accomplished by her in person. Both of them were praised greatly.

When it was Mu Xi Yao's turn to present a birthday gift, they saw two little eunuchs carry an object that was as tall as a person, covered by a dark green silk fabric. Like this, it was carried forward.

Everyone joked that the two deserved to be called a family as even the way her present appeared on the stage resembled so much that of the sixth prince Zhong Zheng Lin.

After the two eunuchs stood still they cautiously unveiled the cover simultaneously from both sides. As soon as the silk fabric fell, it instantly invoked an exclamations from the audience.

They saw a screen like decoration standing at the center of the hall. Its body was actually a colorless glass they've never seen before. It was wholly transparent, arranged in a yellow rosewood frame with decorative carvings. Two enlarged Vanda orchids were inlaid in the middle. Its flowers were light purple while the branches and tendrils were in dark green color.

The whole Vanda orchid, whether it was its petals or vine, glittered with splendor, giving off an aura of great opulence. The flower's shape was uniquely charming, elegant and refined.

A closer look has revealed that the enlarged Vanda orchids were actually made of countless of small flowers and vines. These little flowers and vines were all made out of real Vanda orchids' fresh flowers, branches, and leaves. Their surface was coated and sealed up by a crystal. Through the crystal, people could see that each flower and piece of the leaf had distinct arteries and veins, which appeared vivid and lifelike, as if there was truly a breeze that has brushed them, making them sway elegantly. All of the flowers that have been sealed up by the crystal have maintained the beautiful form from their fresh times, remarkably true to life, so beautiful it dazzled people.