usatvline Chapter 716 New Year's Banquet Gift
Chapter 716 New Year's Banquet Gift
After the Fifth Prince, he never inquired about Song Jinyang's New Year's gifts again, and the New Year arrived amidst a sudden snowfall.
"Mother, please take a look. What do you think of using this coral tree as a New Year's gift?"
The coral, about half a person's height, stands on a base inlaid with numerous gemstones, making it exceptionally dazzling and beautiful.
"It is very valuable and very beautiful, but it is a bit too eye-catching."
The crown prince nodded, but he just wanted to give the best and most precious gift to his father, the emperor, since this might be the last New Year he would spend with him.
"So what if it's eye-catching? My title as the Crown Prince is already the most eye-catching thing, why would I be afraid of adding a coral tree?"
Mother, I've been pretending for too long and hiding for too long. It's time to expose some people's true colors.
Otherwise, they'll think we're easy to bully, someone who can be manipulated at will.
Even now, despite holding the title of Crown Prince, he is still not taken seriously by anyone.
But in the dead of winter, with the Emperor having cancelled the grand court assembly, I really didn't have much of a chance to stand in front of everyone.
He knew that his father had stopped holding the grand court assembly because of health reasons, but this also meant that he would not have the opportunity to participate in and observe politics in front of the officials.
Of course, there is even less opportunity to show my abilities, and most importantly, my image is still stuck in the "idiot" stage.
Some close officials, such as Minister Lin and several generals, knew about it, but the rest still held onto their old perspectives.
"Okay, let's give you this red coral tree. It's so festive and perfect for adding joy during the New Year."
The Empress was relieved; her son had indeed suffered a great injustice.
For nearly twenty years, I pretended to be stupid and let the rumors and strange looks be projected at me like needles.
Even though the culprit from back then is long dead, he still can't suppress his anger.
So many good years, how many decades or twenty years does one have in a lifetime?
His son Chang'er truly grew up in bitter and sour water, yet over the years, his son has still grown up so well.
This is fate; even Heaven couldn't stand it anymore and gave us compensation.
"I wonder what New Year's gifts the other imperial brothers have prepared. They must have racked their brains to come up with something."
"No matter what others do, your father will be the happiest about what you gave. You know that your father has always valued you the most since you were little."
After the empress finished speaking, she realized that she had said the wrong thing.
The emperor did indeed value the second prince the most, but only before the incident occurred.
Upon learning that his second son could no longer be cured and could not return to normal, the emperor still gave up on this son.
Although no one else has been appointed as crown prince, it is clear that he has given up on his second son.
After all, an emperor is first and foremost an emperor, and only secondly a father.
Even if you dote on your son, you can't joke about the people of the world and the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"Yes, Father has indeed always valued me the most. Otherwise, why would he have appointed me as the Crown Prince?"
"Yes, yes, it's good that you think that way. Your father was forced into it back then. We shouldn't hate him. He had a hard time too."
Even now, your father still has it hard. As a monarch, he rarely lived for himself, even at the very end of his life.
His heart held the vast land of China, his heart longed for the long-term peace and stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and his heart was filled with worry for the southern and northern barbarians on the borders. Perhaps, at the moment of his final moments, he would finally be himself.
The Crown Prince remained silent, not only lamenting his father's hardships but also for his own future.
When I sit on that supreme position, will I become like my father?
An emperor can only be an emperor; he must abandon his personal interests to achieve the greater good.
Just then, a palace maid rushed in to report: "Your Highness, the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince request an audience."
The crown prince paused for a moment, then said, "Let them in."
This was the first time a prince had come to visit since he was appointed crown prince. He wondered what the two young ones were up to.
When the sixth and seventh princes entered, they were surprised to find the empress there as well.
First, he respectfully bowed to the Empress and the Crown Prince, and then, upon seeing the red coral tree in the hall, he sighed in admiration.
"This coral tree is truly a rare treasure. Second Brother has excellent taste."
The sixth prince said with a smile, but a hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes.
The seventh prince chimed in, "Indeed, such a precious New Year's gift will surely please Father."
"However, only my second brother has the ability to produce such a New Year's gift. Compared to him, what we have prepared is simply not presentable."
The sixth prince prepared calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, which were very valuable, but compared to the half-person-high red coral, they inevitably seemed vulgar.
The Seventh Prince prepared a rare stone transported from the south, which actually clashed with the Crown Prince's New Year's gift. Besides, his stone was really just a bit unusual in shape; in terms of value, it was probably not even worth a branch of a coral tree.
The two circled the coral tree several times, praising it greatly, and felt incredibly envious.
Why do all the good things in the world belong to this second brother?
He was the only legitimate son, favored by his father who appointed him crown prince without consulting the court officials, and had a mother of noble birth and considerable wealth.
Sigh, it's so enviable. Luckily, my second brother isn't very bright. It's better to live under such an elder brother than under those who are all-knowing and all-seeing.
The seventh prince rolled his eyes and said, "Second brother, this coral tree is so precious that it really makes our New Year's gifts look too ordinary."
"Perhaps we can offer our less-than-impressive New Year's gifts at the annual banquet as a starting point, rather than having the truly excellent ones before us and then becoming mere spectators."
Before the Crown Prince could speak, the Empress responded to the two of them.
"Is this what you two think, or what everyone else thinks?"
"There's a proper order of seniority, and it should be your second brother who presents the gift first. But since you've made this request, I'm curious, is this the idea of both of you, or do the others share the same thought?"
"Well... Your Majesty, this is just our idea for now. After all, we haven't met the others yet, and we don't know what kind of New Year's gifts they have prepared."
"Oh? I see. I thought the princes had sent you two as their representatives to discuss this matter."
Since not everyone thinks this way, I cannot agree to this on behalf of the Crown Prince, after all, it is impossible to please everyone.
If you want to send them out first, what if others want to be the last ones to go? Wouldn't that make things even more chaotic?
It would be fairest and most reasonable to follow age, and the value of the gifts has never been your father's concern.
Your father only cares about the family having a happy New Year's Eve dinner together; these New Year's gifts are just an extra.