Chapter 134: The Empress Dowager's Birthday Celebration

The Empress Dowager’s birthday had arrived.

Her sixtieth birthday was naturally an affair of great pomp and circumstance. Not only were all the concubines of the inner palace in attendance with their gifts, but a great number of high-ranking court officials and their families had also been invited to the banquet.

Guli made her entrance alongside the Empress. Once they had received the obeisance of the civil and military officials, she took her seat directly beside the Empress Dowager.

Jun’an was also present today. She sat in the furthest corner with the younger princes and princesses. Having not seen her for quite some time, Guli noticed she looked much thinner and lacked her usual vitality; her beautiful eyes drifted aimlessly, filled with poignant longing and sorrow.

Guli only had to glance at her once to understand the source of her melancholy. Since Lie Chang’an had returned from Lihuai County, they likely had not had a chance to meet. It was said that although he had reported for duty a few days prior, he had been swamped with official business, and the Emperor, mindful of his exhaustion, had not required him to enter the palace.

Guli cast a look toward the hall below. As a second-rank general, Lie Chang’an was seated in one of the prominent positions on the right side of the main hall. He wore a moon-white brocade robe patterned with fine silver threads, with large, subtle lotus motifs shimmering across the white fabric. His hair was half-pulled back and secured with a deep blue silk ribbon, cascading down his back. He was currently raising a cup, listening to a nearby official. Seeming to sense her gaze, Lie Chang’an looked up. As his eyes met hers, a faint smile graced his elegant, handsome face; his dark, starry eyes, framed by willow-leaf brows, were as deep and impenetrable as a pool of ink.

Guli felt inexplicably singed by his gentle smile, as if her heart had been brushed by a flame, and she quickly averted her gaze.

The birthday banquet began amidst the laughter and well-wishes of the palace concubines. The Empress Dowager smiled as she instructed her attendants to accept each gift, offering a polite "You are most thoughtful" in response to every one.

Once the concubines had presented their offerings, it was the turn of the descendants. The Emperor presented a pair of sacred jade and pearl necklaces, crafted from the finest gems gathered from across the land, symbolizing longevity and health—a true treasure of the palace that clearly showed his devotion, much to the Empress Dowager’s delight.

The Crown Prince gifted a pair of white jade pillows, fashioned in the shape of winter plum blossoms. These pillows, prized for staying warm in winter and cool in summer, were a rare treasure he had gone to great lengths to acquire from a collector. The Empress Dowager was even more pleased, exclaiming, "My grandson is truly thoughtful."

Next came the gifts from the other children, all exquisite items worthy of the occasion. The Empress Dowager had her attendants accept them one by one, her joy evident.

When the gift-giving concluded, the Emperor turned his gaze to Guli, who was sitting beside the Empress Dowager, and asked with a chuckle, "And what of Princess Danqing? What have you brought?"

Guli had known her Imperial Father would ask. She pouted her delicate lips and replied, "I already gave my birthday gift to Grandmother."

"Oh?"

The Emperor laughed heartily, intrigued, and asked with great curiosity, "What is it? Let me have a look."

Guli frowned in mock annoyance. "This is for Grandmother; how can I show it to you?"

"Why shouldn't you show it to your father?" The Emperor laughed again. "Could it be that you’re ashamed of your gift?"

"That is enough, Your Majesty."

Knowing the Emperor was merely teasing his daughter, the Empress Dowager quickly patted the back of Guli’s hand with a smile. "Princess Danqing’s gift to me this year is the most thoughtful of all. She hand-copied a volume of Buddhist scriptures for me, bound with exquisite gold leaf and gold thread. It is truly a labor of love."

"Is that so?"

The Emperor was genuinely surprised. He knew Guli possessed a beautiful hand, but in the past, whether it was for his birthday, the Empress’s, or the Empress Dowager’s, she had always relied on her talent to dash off a few casual scrolls of calligraphy as a perfunctory gift. He had never expected her to put such effort into hand-copying an entire volume of scriptures for the Empress Dowager.