Chapter 25: Before the Grand Birthday Offering

“So delicious! When today’s events are over, ask Aunt Sun to send me more—I love it.”

“Understood. Rest for a bit after eating; it won’t start until Chen hour.”

“Oh, why do I like listening to you so much, even though you’re younger than me?”

Xu Zaijing ignored him, leaning back on the palace chair, chewing dried meat while closing his eyes to rest.

“Hey! Say something!”

Seeing Xu Zaijing remain silent, Gu Tingye bit into the beef jerky himself, looking utterly enraptured.

About an hour passed.

Dong!

A great bell rang out,

the palace gates opened, and tribute gifts from outside were slowly carried inside.

Many residents of Bianjing gathered nearby, eager to witness the spectacle and catch a bit of the Emperor’s fortune.

Inside the palace, Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye had an excellent view; the performances had not yet begun, and Ministry of Rites officials were directing palace guards to maintain order.

The Emperor’s birthday banquet was set upon the square before the hall.

The Emperor sat calmly before the palace, flanked by his favored concubines and princesses.

On either side sat high-ranking civil and military officials, dukes, marquises, and noble aristocrats.

Below them, on either side, were court officials of lower rank—counts, viscounts, and the like.

One by one, auspicious rarities passed before the Emperor, announced by eunuchs; though the nobles and high officials had seen much, some of these items were entirely new to them.

Their presence often drew gasps and exclamations from the assembled guests.

Farther from the hall,

Gu Tingye, beside Xu Zaijing, leaned forward eagerly: “Third Young Master, Third Young Master, look! That strange beast’s neck is so long—wow, how did it grow like that!”

Xu Zaijing looked over and also showed surprise—he had not expected a vassal state to present a giraffe as a birthday gift in this Great Zhou dynasty.

The giraffe slowly approached the hall, prompting cries of astonishment from all.

Gu Yan Kai, seated near the Emperor, looked quite pleased, for this creature had been found for him by his father-in-law, Bai Wanshu, from a distant land.

The Duke of Ying, seated beside Gu Yan Kai, said: “Marquis Gu, I hear this strange beast was found by your household?”

Gu Yan Kai bowed and replied: “Your Grace, this is a strange beast from a distant grassland, where the locals call it ‘Jilin.’”

Nearby, the Marquis of Xiangyang slowly stroked his white beard: “Could this be the legendary qilin of foreign lands? Indeed, it is different. Good, good, good. Marquis Gu, you’ve truly gone to great lengths.”

“Thank you, Elder Brother! It is the duty of a subject.”

The Marquis of Xiangyang, over sixty, had once had a falling-out with the Ningyuan Marquis House over the adoption of an heir, and their clan genealogies no longer aligned.

Yet over generations, the Marquis of Xiangyang and Gu Yan Kai were of the same generation.

The Duke of Ying raised his wine cup beside him, gestured to Gu Yan Kai, and the two exchanged a smile before drinking.

Gu Yan Kai’s explanation naturally reached the ears of the palace ladies and eunuchs nearby, and soon the imperial concubines and princesses all learned of this strange beast called “Jilin,” which sounded like qilin.

Less than an hour passed, and the tribute animals and birds from foreign lands had mostly passed by.

Next came the birthday performances sent by officials and imperial clansmen from across Great Zhou.

From Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Jinling came slender-waisted dancers, their flowing sleeves swirling as they spun and leapt, their golden sleeves seeming alive.

Those accustomed to ordinary dances occasionally broke into applause.

These dancers had beautiful faces, flowing glances, slender waists and long legs—anyone who saw them was dazzled.

Especially the young noblemen, who exchanged glances among themselves, understanding everything without words.

When the dance ended, the dancers formed a giant “Shou” character with their golden sleeves.

Another round of cheers erupted.

From northwest officials came a waist-drum performance.

Dozens of men and women on the stage before the hall pounded their waist drums with fervor, unleashing a fierce vitality of the Loess Plateau.

The Emperor watched, visibly stirred, nodding repeatedly.

The Cao family, as imperial in-laws, sat near the Emperor; seeing his satisfaction, they felt their hearts ease.

The Prince of Yong, whose domain lay in the southwest, offered a mountain song from a local singer of the southwestern tribes.

The lyrics had already been delivered by palace ladies to the nobles seated.

Though many could not understand the words, they found the melody pleasing.

The next performance was a harvest rice song sent by an unknown imperial clansman from Yuzhou.

The song was simple and pure; since agriculture was the foundation of the state, the Emperor nodded, acknowledging the sender’s intent.

After a series of performances, time had quietly slipped into Si hour (around eleven o’clock).

The official announcing the acts called out: “Ningyuan Marquis House’s second legitimate son, Tingye, age eight, presents the Gu family spear technique.”

All seated turned to look at Gu Yan Kai; he rose and bowed to the Emperor, who waved him back to his seat.

Gu Yan Kai then raised his cup in salute, and others smiled in return.

Inside the palace, skilled eunuch musicians knew how to set the mood; as Gu Tingye walked onto the stage, the court musicians began playing a bold, martial tune.

Gu Tingye wore a silver-white arrow-sleeved long robe, held a red-jade spear with a golden head and red tassel, wore a brown hairband and white boots—strikingly elegant.

The drums thundered; Gu Tingye exhaled sharply.

His voice cut through the music to reach the Emperor’s ears, echoing with the spirit of a young tiger roaring in the valley.

He performed the Gu family spear technique with precision, even infusing several moves with battlefield ferocity.

The Duke of Ying, who understood martial arts, led the applause with a loud “Good!”

Gu Yan Kai smiled proudly, glancing around at his peers.

Seeing the Marquis of Zhongjing and General Zheng Lao, Gu Yan Kai quickly bowed.

In his final move, Gu Tingye hurled the spear forcefully forward—then suddenly reappeared behind it.

This move drew loud cheers from the crowd.

Gu Tingye sheathed his spear and stood at attention.

The musicians’ performance gradually faded.

Before Gu Tingye had held his pose for more than a few breaths, he dropped his spear and leapt off the stage, rushing to the officials’ tables.

Then he knelt before the Emperor and cried out: “Your Majesty, was my performance good? If so, may I be granted this spear? I find it very satisfying to wield!”

Gu Yan Kai’s expression darkened; he turned to the Emperor, about to rebuke him—but the Emperor waved him off.

“Minister, calm yourself.”

Then the Emperor spoke clearly:

“Good child, you’ve surely endured much hardship to prepare this gift for me?”

“Father said that offering you a birthday gift is something I should be glad to do.”

“Oh? And what do you think?”

The Emperor smiled, asking; Gu Yan Kai’s eyes grew anxious, but he could not speak before the Emperor.

“Glad.”

“Good. Then this spear is yours.”

“Thank Your Majesty!”

“Dong.”

Gu Tingye bowed his head and struck a solid kowtow before the Emperor.

His innocent demeanor set off a wave of laughter among those near the Emperor.

Amid the laughter and Gu Yan Kai’s furious glare, Gu Tingye clutched his new spear and scampered over to the Ningyuan Marquis House’s table.

He proudly offered the spear to Gu Tingyu, who stared at it with envy.

Behind the table, Gu Yan Kai muttered: “This little brat—I’ll beat him senseless when we get home.”

The Duke of Ying chuckled, shook his head, and patted Gu Yan Kai’s shoulder.

“It’s a good thing your son has such courage.”

While the Emperor was speaking to Gu Tingye, eunuchs had already directed young palace boys to set up a row of archery targets on the stage.

By the time Gu Tingye received his reward, the targets were fully arranged.

Far away, Xu Zaijing, with Qing Yun’s help, had donned a finely crafted white robe and golden armor.

The so-called golden armor was merely golden silk stitched into the shape of armor plates.

It looked like metal, but was extremely light.

After six or seven years of cultivation, Xu Zaijing’s hair had grown long enough to be tied into a topknot; he wore a leather helmet, its exterior shaped like metal, but made entirely of leather.

Two long pheasant feathers protruded from the helmet.

A eunuch nearby called out sharply: “Yongyi Marquis House’s third legitimate son, Zaijing, age seven, presents the piercing arrow technique.”

As the eunuch announced him, the crowd saw Xu Zaijing, clad in white robe and golden armor, his helmet adorned with twin pheasant plumes.

(End of chapter)