"Haha, Young Master Xie, you are truly thoughtful, so thoughtful," the Empress Dowager said twice, indicating her satisfaction with the ghost orchid Xie Yichuan had presented.
"Come, invite Young Master Xie to be seated."
Immediately, the Empress Dowager instructed a young eunuch to quickly lead Xie Yichuan to a nearby seat.
Following this, the princes and ministers present, along with the consorts and noble young ladies, successively presented their gifts to the Empress Dowager.
The gift from Prince Shou and his consort was a set of exquisitely crafted tea utensils.
The gift from the Cold King and his consort remained a secret for the time being, as the couple had not publicly disclosed it.
Prince Ning's gift was a brocade robe embroidered with a colorful phoenix embracing longevity. Princess Anle, Jun YanNan, Prince Ning's sister, presented a hairpin shaped like a begonia flower, her favorite.
Prince Qing gifted a jade and coral carving over a meter tall.
Prince An's gift was presented with the assistance of Prince Ji. Prince An offered a pair of porcelain figurines of a little old man and old woman, both roly-poly toys. Prince Ji presented a set of fingernail guards woven from gold threads and inlaid with pearls and gems.
Prince Xian's gift, however, was a pair of crickets. The Empress Dowager, being a benevolent soul, accepted them with pleasure, believing that as long as her descendants were well, any gift from her grandchildren would be cherished. However, Prince Xian's gift nearly caused the Emperor to spit out a mouthful of blood. Had it not been for the Empress Dowager's birthday, Prince Xian's posterior would have been in dire straits.
...
Following that, the ministers, consorts, and noble young ladies in the hall continued to present their gifts.
Duke Lin presented a statue of Guanyin carved from white jade.
...
Qin Xixue was the second to last person to present a gift to the Empress Dowager. She offered an embroidery of a hundred longevity characters, painstakingly created overnight with the help of her maids.
The gold threads she used for the Hundred Longevity Embroidery were exceptionally rare, as they possessed the ability to glow in the dark.
Consequently, the Hundred Longevity Embroidery, created with these luminous gold threads, could illuminate the night, with each character for "longevity" appearing embossed, a truly magical sight.
At that moment, after Qin Xixue and the others presenting gifts had quieted down, she quickly took out the birthday gift she had prepared for the Empress Dowager and opened it before the assembled crowd. The golden characters, shimmering brilliantly under the dim candlelight, were gently shaken by Qin Xixue's hand, causing each character to leap onto the ground, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
"Wow, Miss Qin, your Hundred Longevity Embroidery is truly magical!"
"Indeed, I've never seen embroidery that could print characters."
"..."
Everyone praised her.
Even the Emperor and the Empress Dowager cast unusual glances at the Hundred Longevity Embroidery.
"Miss Qin, could you tell us how these longevity characters are printed?" the Empress Dowager asked, also filled with curiosity.
"Replying to the Empress Dowager, the gold threads used by this humble daughter for embroidery were purchased at a great cost from a merchant the other day. This humble daughter heard from that merchant that these gold threads were extremely rare and would glow at night, so this humble daughter bought them to see. As it turned out, these gold threads did indeed glow. Thus, I had a sudden inspiration to embroider a Hundred Longevity picture for the Empress Dowager overnight, and later, this Hundred Longevity picture brought me a great surprise. As long as it is placed in a dimly lit area, the characters embroidered with gold threads will sparkle and shine, and when illuminated with dim light from above or below, the characters for longevity can be imprinted."
Qin Xixue said this with a smug air.
"Haha, Miss Qin is truly thoughtful. This gift of yours is very much to this empress's liking," the Empress Dowager said with a smile, looking at her.
"Empress Dowager, you are so fond of the Cold King's Consort. I wonder what gift she has given you today?" Qin Xixue asked intentionally.
Since everyone present had presented a birthday gift to the Empress Dowager, only the Cold King and his consort remained silent, making everyone quite curious.
"Haha, Han'er and Li'er often give gifts to this empress. We can never guess what gifts these two children and their spouse present," the Empress Dowager said with a chuckle.
Just as everyone's attention was captivated by Qin Xixue's Hundred Longevity Embroidery, this old woman noticed Li'er whispering to a young eunuch beside her. After a short conversation, the eunuch immediately left the hall. Therefore, she guessed that this young couple must have prepared a grand surprise for her. As for what mystery they intended to unfold, she could not guess.
"May I ask if the Cold King's Consort could tell everyone what birthday gift you have presented to the Empress Dowager?"
"Please wait a moment, Miss Qin and everyone!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the Cold King and his consort suddenly stood up and walked to the center of the hall.
"Imperial Grandmother, your granddaughter-in-law and the King have also prepared a unique birthday gift for you today."
"Ye Ying, Yin Chen, quickly bring the Empress Dowager's birthday gift."
As Leng Ruo Li's voice faded, Ye Ying and Yin Chen pushed a cart onto which was placed a magnificent six-tiered cake, diverse in shape, exquisite in design, and brightly colored. Accompanied by a rendition of "Happy Birthday," it slowly glided to the center of the hall.
This left everyone astonished, delighted, and utterly bewildered. What was this operation? However, the object on the cart looked very strange; what was its purpose?
"Li'er girl, what are you and your husband doing?" Both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager looked at Leng Ruo Li in utter confusion.
"Father Emperor, this is the birthday gift that the King and I have been preparing for Imperial Grandmother all night."
Leng Ruo Li looked at the Emperor and the Empress Dowager with eyes curved into crescents and a radiant smile.
"Li'er girl, this thing of yours, can it be eaten?"
The Empress Dowager looked at the layers upon layers on the cart, which were so beautifully made.
"Imperial Grandmother, this is a birthday cake, and of course, it can be eaten. However, Imperial Grandmother and Father Emperor, please come down first to perform a ceremony."
After speaking, Leng Ruo Li walked to the Empress Dowager and gently helped her up, guiding her to the birthday cake. The Emperor, out of curiosity, also descended from his dragon throne and stood beside the Empress Dowager, observing.
Everyone in the hall looked at Leng Ruo Li with great curiosity, eager to see what she would do.
Next, Leng Ruo Li instructed Jun Mo Han to use a lighter to ignite the small candles on the cake.
Leng Ruo Li taught everyone to sing "Happy Birthday."
"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you,
"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you!"
"..."
Leng Ruo Li only sang it once, and everyone enthusiastically joined in.
"Imperial Grandmother, close your eyes and make a wish!"
Leng Ruo Li demonstrated for the Empress Dowager.
Immediately, the Empress Dowager pretended to make a wish!
After the Empress Dowager finished her wish, Leng Ruo Li asked the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to blow out the small candles on the cake.
This was the first time the Empress Dowager had celebrated her birthday in such a manner. Her face was beaming with smiles throughout the entire process. Finally, she cut the first slice of cake, and Leng Ruo Li first served slices to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor for them to taste.
"Li'er girl, this cake you and Han'er made is fluffy, soft, and sweet, it's truly delicious. Hurry and have it distributed so that everyone present can have a taste."
The Empress Dowager laughed happily like a child.
"Yes, Mother, your son has never enjoyed sweets before, but now I find this sweet cake very delicious."
The Emperor echoed her sentiment, then he looked at Leng Ruo Li and said, "Li'er, cut me another slice of cake. I want to eat more."