late night song

Chapter 55 Ancient Relics
Ten days later, Emperor Ming celebrated his sixtieth birthday, and all officials congratulated him.The palace is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the ever-burning lamps are swaying and twinkling.

King Qin took the princess and two concubines into the palace to celebrate his birthday.

The birthday banquet was arranged in the Yongzhou Palace, a huge palace with a total of 260 and six seats. The emperor's relatives, diplomatic missions from other countries, and officials of fourth rank and above were all lucky enough to attend.

The sons of Emperor Ming, except for Prince Rong who was forbidden to stay in the palace, all came to the banquet with their families.

Emperor Ming, who is sitting on the throne of the world, is wearing a dragon robe, with beads hanging from his crown. He is looking at his children and grandchildren in harmony, and his ministers are all in uniform. He is in a particularly good mood. Even though the case of the Glazed Golden Pagoda is still unsolved, it does not affect his current day at all. of joy.

At the beginning of the banquet, Concubine Xian Shu played the harp and Lan Zhaoyi, and Chang'e danced towards the moon. Emperor Ming was so pleased that he gave Lin Zixian a gilded phoenix-melon guqin, and even made Lan Zhaoyi his concubine in public.

The queen was by her side and showed no reaction at all, but Zhang Mengyi's unhappiness was clearly written on her face.

After that, the songs and dances presented by the Yuefu singers and dancers began in sequence, with slender jade shadows, colorful satin, interlocking silk and bamboo, and constant laughter.

The ministers kept raising glasses to wish Emperor Ming a prosperous sun and moon, a prosperous spring and a prosperous spring, a prosperous country and a strong army, and peace and prosperity for the people.

Emperor Ming's face was filled with joy and he drank freely.

After the maiko sang and danced, most of the candles were extinguished, and a large curtain was set up under the main hall. The craftsmen hid behind the curtain and propped up life-size shadow puppets.

Everyone was amazed and opened their eyes to see what new thing it was. King Qin drank indifferently and didn't care at all.

These shadow puppets are large and small, with characters and scenery, majestic palaces, lively markets, and dangerous battlefields. They praise Emperor Ming's civil and military skills, and the prosperity and power of Dongqi.

Emperor Ming applauded!The ministers agreed!
The Holy One’s virtue spreads across the world and benefits all people!
The craftsman came forward to kowtow to Emperor Ming, and Emperor Ming looked at the rewards one after another.

"Who is offering this gift?" Then, the birthday boy on the throne asked with a smile while stroking his beard.

"Your Majesty, the common people were entrusted by King Rong half a year ago to create this huge shadow puppet for His Majesty's birthday, in order to wish His Majesty a long and healthy life." The craftsman replied respectfully.

"Your Majesty, King Rong is respectful, virtuous and filial. This gift is a tribute that I have put all my effort into."

Shangshu Hubu took the opportunity to say good things for Prince Rong, but Emperor Ming, who was still smiling, his eyes froze for two seconds, and his smile faded by half.

"Your Majesty, although Nan'er is trapped in the house, he is thinking about his father all the time. I hope the Holy See will allow him to visit the palace from time to time for the sake of his filial piety." The queen saw that Emperor Ming was not very disgusted, so she He took this opportunity to intercede for King Rong.

Emperor Ming thought about it for a while, but in fact he was as clear as a mirror. His little legitimate son was cowardly and naughty by nature and had no independent opinion. Even if someone reminded him of such a series of schemes, he would not be able to think of it, let alone have the courage to do it. Therefore, the Glazed Golden Pagoda He was probably framed in this case, but in order to lure out the person who set up the trap, he had to resort to tricks, which also wronged him.

"In order to forgive the Queen's love for her son, before the case is closed in Dali Temple, Prince Rong is allowed to visit the palace on the first and fifteenth day of every month." Under the attention of everyone, Emperor Ming immediately agreed to the Queen's request.

"I, my concubine, thank God for his kindness."

After receiving the grace, the queen breathed a sigh of relief. Before the case was settled, Emperor Ming could be so forgiving to Qi Jinnan, which actually showed that he had no doubts about his son.

She drank a glass of fruit wine by herself, looked down at Prince Ning at the table, and decided in her heart that she would repay the person who framed him a hundredfold.

After the shadow puppet show came to an end, the deputy envoy of Yingzhou presented the congratulatory gift from the king of Yingzhou. On a golden tray, a crystal clear jade cong was placed, with patterns of earth, fire and flying dragons engraved on it.

"Could this be...a jade cong made by Emperor Yao himself?" Emperor Ming stood up in surprise and said hesitantly and firmly.

According to legend, Emperor Yao made two jade congs, one large and one small, from the sky-mending stone left by the ancient Nuwa. The larger one was placed on the top of Mount Tai for Emperor Yao to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, and the other smaller one was placed in Emperor Yao's palace.Emperor Yao visited Xu You and presented him with a jade cong, wishing to bless the world, but Xu You was indifferent to fame and fortune and refused directly. Emperor Yao felt deeply guilty for saving others by himself, so he abandoned him in Yingshui, and his whereabouts are unknown ever since.

"The Holy One has a sharp eye. This square jade cong was discovered at the fishermen's market in a coastal town in Japan. Fortunately, it was handed over to the owner of our country. The owner of our country felt deeply that this jade was extraordinary, so he ordered people to search through ancient books to find out its origin. Who knows? I was overjoyed to find that it was the gift of Emperor Yao. However, our country is small and if we insist on worshiping it, we may not be able to comfort Emperor Yao's holy spirit. Only the prosperous Dynasty of Dongqi can inherit this ancient legacy. Therefore, the king of our country ordered his ministers to travel thousands of miles to cross the border. Tianshui, offer this vessel to the Holy One for the good of the two countries."

The newly sent envoys from Japan made the origin of this jade cong very legendary, so as to show their country's loyalty and sincerity to Dong Qi.

"Okay!" Emperor Ming was overjoyed and very satisfied with this birthday gift.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, for receiving this sacred instrument. God bless me to prosper and prosper the Eastern Qi." The Minister of Rites immediately complimented, and then all the ministers agreed. Emperor Ming's heart was happy and he couldn't restrain his joy.

"Hurry up and let all your beloved ministers take a look at this ancient relic." Emperor Ming was in high spirits, and the Chief Supervisor received the imperial order. He carefully held the jade cong and went down to the chairman to circle around the seats in the hall so that everyone at the banquet could take a good look at it. Admire this treasure.

The ministers all nodded and praised the exquisiteness and pricelessness of this sacred instrument.

"What is this?" The Minister of Dali Temple had sharp eyes and saw that there seemed to be something else in the hollow of the jade cong. He thought that this sacred instrument had another mystery, so he quickly shouted out, causing the officials and guests around the table to stretch their necks to find out. .

"Like a piece of silk."

Someone said this, which made Gu Yuchu, who was originally absent-minded, instantly alert.

"Bring it up quickly." Emperor Ming was also curious.

"Your Majesty, just in case, please ask your servants to investigate on your behalf." Zhang Defang, who was not welcomed by Emperor Ming because of his daughter's scandal with Prince Rong, seized this opportunity to please Emperor Ming.

Hearing what he said, Emperor Ming also became wary, worried that there was a hidden weapon inside, so he nodded in agreement.

"Then let Zhang Aiqing do it for you."

All the ministers and envoys from Yingzhou held their breath and were worried.

The queen was cautious, so she was even more nervous. After all, this piece of Defang belonged to her. If this silk was an ordinary object, and if someone else pointed it out, then she might not be able to escape the suspicion of Emperor Ming.

Under the table, Zhang Defang adjusted his breathing and carefully pulled out the silk from the jade cong, but there was no accident as he thought. It was just an ordinary piece of silk.

He carefully inspected the object and did not find any hidden weapons mixed in it. In this way, everyone breathed a big sigh of relief. Everyone stretched their necks to observe the silk carefully. They felt that its texture was of excellent quality, just like the ones in the palace. The object is embroidered with a pattern of plum blossoms.

When Qi Jian saw the silk, he couldn't help clenching his fists, and Gu Yuchu began to feel uneasy.

"What is it?" Emperor Ming asked anxiously.

Zhang Defang then unfolded the silk and was shocked when he saw the content on it. He was so panicked that he didn't know how to answer.

"Speak quickly!" Emperor Ming, who was originally in a good mood, became impatient at this time.

"Back to the Holy One, it's... it's... a letter written by the late Concubine Yi to... the traitor Qi Sheng."

He stumbled back.He thought to himself, it's over now. He was originally thinking of trying to save some face in front of Emperor Ming, but he didn't know that it would involve him and Dong Qi's most secretive matter. But even so, he didn't dare to call Concubine Yi by her name, let alone address her. As a sinner, I was worried that King Qin would be unhappy.

"Bold!" Emperor Ming was furious, his eyes bulging with anger.

Zhang Defang was so frightened that he quickly knelt down, and the Japanese envoys also knelt down one after another. Everyone was shocked that the old events of 13 years ago were suddenly brought out again.

"Send it over!" Emperor Ming ordered the steward to bring the silk to see for himself.

The Chief Internal Supervisor obeyed the instructions tremblingly, while the Queen held on to her handkerchief tightly and stared at what the Internal Supervisor presented to her.

Emperor Ming plucked the silk and looked at it carefully.

This plum blossom was drawn by Chang Xinyi himself, and he ordered someone to make the letterhead and silk specially for her for her use only. If all this is not enough to prove whether it is true or false, then what is Chang Xinyi's letter in this letter about? How to explain Xinyi's identical handwriting? !
After looking at it, Emperor Ming's eyes turned red and his hands trembled slightly.He closed his eyes tightly, thinking, and suddenly opened them again.

Judging from the content of this letter, it was just some common greetings and did not involve conspiracy or conspiracy to cause rebellion. However, even so, Emperor Ming's face gradually showed an angry look. His veins were bulging and his face was like a sinister bird of prey. After that, He casually mentioned the red gold wine bottle on the case and smashed it out.

The entire hall only heard the sound of metal hitting gold bricks, and everyone's hearts rose and fell with the clanking sound.

"Who is it?!" Emperor Ming roared with red eyes.

Seeing his anger, all the ministers and concubines were so frightened that they all knelt down silently, not daring to express their anger.

There was a crowd of people under the banquet. King Ning was gloating about his misfortune and the queen was uneasy. Only King Qin sat quietly on the table. Gu Yuchu knelt down and glanced at him secretly. He saw that his body was shaking slightly, but he did not look at it. Looking at Emperor Ming, he just stared straight ahead, the restrained expression on his face was still ferocious and terrifying.

Emperor Ming didn't care about King Qin's treasonous act. He turned around and walked away, leaving only the officials looking at each other in confusion.

The red candles were extinguished, the music and drums were muted, and such a joyful birthday feast came to an end in a hurry.

The smoke of gunfire 15 years ago seems to have enveloped Qidu again, causing people to panic and make people feel anxious.

(End of this chapter)