The emperor's birthday gift is indeed a headache, if it is in previous years, it is just that, there are many rare treasures in the palace treasury. But this year, Ji Sihong is working hard to win the first place, if he really wants to compare, it is inevitable that he will have to use the topic to play.

Zhu Ling held the roster and read it, and the girls on the ground carefully picked it up one by one to give Bai Yanran a look, but none of them satisfied her.

There is more luxury, but it is inevitably lacking in novelty.

I heard that a bloody horse was found in the palace of King Jian, which is a good horse for thousands of miles. Ji Sihong personally tamed it and prepared to present it to the emperor as a congratulatory gift.

The Prince's Mansion collected the "Splendid Picture of Mountains and Rivers", which is said to be the favorite painting of the ancestors, and then it was never heard from when the palace changed and flowed into the people.

After thinking about it, Bai Yanran thought of a person, calculating the time, that person should also enter Beijing in the next two days.

It's cold, and the incense in Anhua Temple is also a lot colder.

Bai Yanran explained to the host that she wanted to live in the temple and chant and pray for blessings, praying for the emperor's dragon body and health, and the peace of the people of Dali country. Now that he is devout to the Buddha, the host will naturally agree.

Bai Yanran only brought Su Xin and Zhu Ling with her, and this stay was seven days, and she finally returned home when Ji Lingyun couldn't hold it back. However, when people returned, they bathed in incense and copied Buddhist scriptures with their own hands.

The lady is so filial, His Royal Highness King An can only be vegetarian for half a month.

For seven days and seven nights, Bai Yanran finally finished copying the Buddhist scriptures a hundred times on the eve of the Wanshou Festival. However, looking at Bai Yanran with a tired face, Ji Lingyun could only grit his teeth and endure it, holding his mother and sleeping with a quilt.

Su Xin saw that there was no sound in the bed curtain, and gently went over and blew out the candle. Zhu Ling packed up the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone outside, and retreated with Su Xin.

Su Xin asked, "Can the Buddhist scriptures be put away?" ”

Zhu Ling replied: "According to the princess's instructions, everything has been settled, the stakes are very high, and nothing can go wrong." ”

The two of them walked away as they spoke, and a corner of their clothes flashed around the corner behind them.

The people celebrate the birthday festival together, although there is still goose feather snow in the sky, the whole capital is immersed in a joyful atmosphere. When I entered the palace, there were objects that fit the situation everywhere, which shows that the queen mother has put a lot of thought into it.

In the early dynasty, the emperor had already accepted the gifts of hundreds of officials in the Ninghui Palace, so this was a family banquet. Everyone gathered in the Lingxiao Pavilion, and the earth dragon in the hall was burning, and the wind and snow outside seemed to be two worlds.

The emperor sits alone in a high position, with the queen Tong on the right and Lan Guifei on the left.

Concubine Lan also had Concubine Shu at the bottom, and the two aunts beside her were holding the six princes and the four princesses, one on the left and one on the right. At the age of more than a year, they are all little dolls carved from ice and jade, which are really cute and tight.

I don't know if it's intentional or not, the queen mother and Lan Guifei gave wolf skins, which are the most suitable things for the current season. It's just that Concubine Lan has received a lot of rewards, but the queen only has a faint sentence of "hard work", and she has an immediate opinion.

Concubine Shu was ingenious and presented a picture of a hundred longevity, two of which were accidentally neatly written by the six princes and the fourth princess. Sure enough, he won the joy of the dragon's face, and simply let people take the six princes and the four princesses to their side to tease.

The woman in the goose-yellow palace dress next to Concubine Shu timidly got up and said a congratulatory message, and the palace people on the side presented a handmade undershirt, which was an ordinary congratulatory gift, which was the biological mother of the fourth prince Ji Yuren, such as a nobleman.

This is the first time Bai Yanran has seen a nobleman, although she is not as dignified and elegant as Tong's, not as glamorous as Concubine Lan, and not as beautiful as Concubine Shu, but she has the softness and beauty of a Jiangnan woman.

The two princesses had already discussed, one gave sheepskin boots and the other mink hat, both of which were intentions. When it came to the prince's side, the meaning changed.

As soon as the prince's "Splendid Picture of Mountains and Rivers" was presented, Emperor Yuan He was overjoyed. It's too. Zu's most proud collection of paintings once joked that he would be buried with him. I didn't want to lose it when the palace changed, and it became a heart disease of Emperor Yuan He.

Now that it has been lost, Emperor Yuan He can't help but be overjoyed. Ji Sihong saw that the momentum was not right, and he was busy offering a good horse.

Yuan and Emperor Tai. Zu was eager to fight on the battlefield in his early years, and once mentioned to Concubine Lan that Ji Sihong was instructed to find a good horse.

It is indeed a sweaty BMW, and Emperor Yuan He is itchy and can't bear to take a closer look. Ji Sihong is on the side of the straight road, and he will be able to hunt in the spring of next year. Cheng paddock, coaxing Yuan and Emperor Lang laughed.

Concubine Lan smiled with Emperor Yuanhe at the right time: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Hong'er's congratulatory gifts are so thoughtful, His Royal Highness King An has always been the most thoughtful, I don't know what kind of congratulatory gift to prepare?" ”

Emperor Yuanhe didn't care much and said: "The queen has already told me that Princess An went to Anhua Temple to pray for blessings for seven days, and copied Buddhist scriptures a hundred times by hand, which is indeed very filial." ”

Concubine Lan covered her lips and chuckled, and said with bad intentions: "Although it is a piece of filial piety, today is the emperor's fiftieth birthday. Such a completely uninspired birthday gift must have taken no thought, and it is inevitable that people will think that it is perfunctory. ”

This was too straightforward, and the atmosphere was a little awkward for a while. Gu Yueyao, who was beside the queen, had the heart to argue, but she felt that she really had no position.

Ji Lingyun didn't feel embarrassed, got up and saluted and said, "Concubine Lan is too anxious, and I haven't seen the fourth brother's congratulatory gift." ”

Ji Yuren has never been conspicuous, and it is common for him to be ignored. The congratulatory gift is also a decent jade carving Maitreya Buddha, implying longevity. 12345

In this way, it was Ji Lingyun's turn, Bai Yanran was also helped up by Zhu Ling, and the two got up together and said the same congratulatory message, and then a palace maid stepped forward with a tray.

Emperor Yuanhe opened the red silk with great interest, but saw that the red silk was empty, which immediately aroused a lot of discussions, and even the Tong family was unexpected.

Seeing that everyone's eyes had seen it, Bai Yanran was not panicked, and after glancing at Ji Lingyun, he said: "The hundred volumes of Buddhist scriptures have been sent to Anhua Temple to preside over the worship of the Buddha, so as to show piety."

Lan Guifei Niangniang said well, if it is just a hand-copied Buddhist scripture, it will inevitably make people think that there is no sincerity. This is not a birthday gift, but a piece of filial piety between the retainer and the prince. ”

Emperor Yuanhe was interested and asked, "In that case, what is your birthday gift for me?" ”

Bai Yanran said mysteriously: "This birthday gift of the son is not elegant, but the father must like it." ”

As he was talking, Su Xin, who had not seen anyone since entering the palace, came in a hurry, also holding a tray in his hand, and there was faintly hot food. The soaring aroma came.

De'an was ordered to step forward and hand the tray to Emperor Yuanhe, who was whetted and unveiled the red silk, but inside was a simple plate of longevity cakes, without even a little extra tricks.

Bai Yanran bowed and said: "Time is urgent, I can only make this most ordinary birthday cake in time, and I ask my father not to dislike it." ”

Seeing that Yuan and Emperor were disappointed, Tong Shi hurriedly said: "It turns out that as soon as you came, you borrowed the imperial kitchen from me to make longevity cakes, but it is difficult for you to be filial piety." ”

Concubine Lan sneered unabashedly on the side: "It's really embarrassing for Princess An, a plate of ordinary birthday cakes is embarrassed to be used as a birthday gift for the Halloween, which is too shabby to put it in ordinary people's homes." ”

Seeing that Emperor Yuan and Emperor were said to be so happy that he didn't even have the heart to taste it, Bai Yanran said again: "This longevity cake is naturally not an ordinary longevity cake, and I also ask my father to taste it, but I think there is a difference." ”

Ji Sihong also spoke: "Even if you blow into the sky, what tricks can you eat with a plate of birthday cakes?" ”

Having said that, Bai Yanran has already reached this point, how can Emperor Yuan He have to taste it. He just tasted it and put it down, his eyes were already a little more displeased, and he said lightly: "The taste is acceptable, and you will know that it is the craftsmanship of the imperial dining room when you taste it." ”

The implication is that it is no different from ordinary birthday cakes, and the look on Lan Guifei's face is no longer hidden. However, Bai Yanran smiled when she heard this, and said very happily: "Since even my father thinks that this birthday cake is no different from ordinary birthday cakes, it is enough to see that there is no difference between this winter wheat and spring wheat." ”

As soon as these words came out, the audience was shocked.

Emperor Yuanhe quickly put away his astonishment and asked, "What do you mean by winter wheat?" ”

Bai Yanran looked at Ji Lingyun, and Ji Lingyun replied: "Nowadays, the wheat cultivated by private tenants is planted in spring and harvested in autumn, so it is called spring wheat. But now the plate of longevity cakes in front of my father is winter wheat that was planted in winter and harvested in summer, and harvested in the summer of last year. ”

Emperor Yuanhe came back to his senses, and couldn't help but pick up the longevity cake again and taste it carefully, only to feel that it was no different from the cake he ate on weekdays, and he couldn't help but be a little incredulous.

"King An, what you said is true?"

Ji Lingyun said: "The stakes are very high, and Erchen doesn't dare to lie." If the father does not believe it, he can call a person for questioning, and he will know as soon as he asks. ”

"Who?"

Bai Yanran replied: "This person is the former Ji'an master bookkeeper - Zhang Mu.

A few days ago, when the minister went to Anhua Temple to worship the Buddha, this person was borrowing Anhua Temple, and then heard the host inadvertently mention that he was originally entering Beijing to face the saint, but he suffered from no way and spent all the money, so he had to borrow Anhua Temple.

Erchen wanted to summon him as soon as he did a good deed, but he didn't want Zhang Mu to tell him about Dongmai. Erchen didn't believe it either, but he sent someone to Ji'an to inquire and learned from the farmers around Zhang Mu Zutian that there was really such a thing. ”

Emperor Yuanhe nodded and said, "Since this is the case, then pass on the chapter to Mu to see." ”

When Zhang Mu entered the hall, he saw that it was a black and thin man who was close to his age, and he was in good spirits. The clothes are pulp and the shampoo is old, but the body is straight, and he is neither humble nor arrogant.

Emperor Yuanhe asked about the winter wheat, Zhang Mu's eyes were blazing, and he said carefully.

"There is a lot of drought in Ji'an, but there is a rainy season in summer, and the wheat seedlings are most afraid of flooding, so the wheat yield in Ji'an is unsatisfactory every year. Wechen thought that if he could avoid the rainy season, he could solve this problem.

Later, Weichen consulted the classics and tried to grow winter wheat. At first, I didn't know the essentials, but after three years of trying, I finally got winter wheat with a higher yield, and I was able to plant another crop of chestnut rice after the wheat harvest. ”

Song Shiyang also got up and echoed: "Emperor Qiqi, when Weichen went to Ji'an to fight the flood, he worked with Master Zhang. This person has an excellent reputation among the local people, and he is a good official who asks for the people's life, and Weichen feels that what he says is credible.

And Ji'an has no harvest due to flooding, and now it is all dependent on the relief of the imperial court, which is a drop in the bucket. If we can harvest one season earlier, we can solve the urgent need and save thousands of people, and Weichen thinks that he can give it a try. ”

Emperor Yuan He was also moved, but the matter was big, and he didn't agree, so he only asked Zhang Mu to be taken down to settle down first. At this moment, he looked at the ordinary birthday cake in front of him, but it was the best birthday gift he had received this year.

Emperor Yuanhe was in a good mood, and praised with a smile: "Lingyun, you are a good princess, very good." ”