"In the Duke Cheng's Mansion, there are five pairs of Mingyue Jue and ten strands of agate necklaces!"
"Ding Guo Gong's Mansion, a pair of jade Ruyi, ten jade pendants!"
"In the Duke of Wei's mansion, there are five sets of Yuhua stone carvings and hundreds of longan pearls!"
"The British government has ten corals from the East China Sea and ten pairs of chalcedony bracelets!"
...
On the high platform, the middle-aged eunuch just walked out, picked up the gift list from the tray on the side, stood in the middle of the stand, and began to read at the top of his lungs.
Chen Ziyu on the side clicked his tongue when he heard this!
These are all rare items, and I don’t even have many decent jade pendants at home.
Moreover, the level of craftsmanship in the Ming Dynasty at this time was not as machine-cut as in later generations, coupled with artificial synthesis, so the rare treasures of this era were completely natural and absolutely genuine!
Chen Ziyu thought to himself, not knowing what gift his father gave him!
As the saying goes, people become better with age. The Empress Dowager Zhou is used to seeing turbulent people. She doesn't need to give rare gifts, but the person who gives the gift must show the dignity of the person giving the gift.
After all, the world of Ming Dynasty must rely on these people to continue running.
That's why I ordered people to read out the gift list one by one.
Ordinary people just accept the gift, and accept it as soon as it is received. It is enough for the host family to remember this sentiment.
But the royal family is different. This kind of occasion is not only a congratulation to the Queen Mother, but also the best time for various families to compare themselves.
Although these things are nothing to the royal family, after all, the whole world belongs to his family, so no matter how precious things are, they are just ordinary things in the eyes of the Empress Dowager Zhou who has experienced four dynasties.
But rules are rules!
The noble officials under the stands have long been waiting for this scene with eager anticipation.
Every year on the birthdays of the emperor, empress, and empress dowager, these dignitaries would rack their brains and do their best to prepare gifts.
If you give me silver, I will give you gold; if you give me agate, I will give you emerald!
The gift you give is worth ten thousand taels, and the gift I give must be worth one hundred thousand taels!
Only in this way can you show your respect for the royal family and the solid foundation of your family!
What is meant by not exposing wealth is that in normal times, it is necessary to expose wealth at this time. Otherwise, how can we let those with low status clearly see the situation and choose a backer?
It took half an hour to read the gift list before it was finished. The main reason was that there were so many people giving gifts that I couldn't count them, but I couldn't ignore one thing and lose the other, so I had to read them all.
Empress Dowager Zhou had a warm smile on her face and glanced at everyone's faces one by one.
"The Ai family is now on the verge of decay, and all of you, dear ministers, have gone to great lengths to wish the Ai family a birthday. The Ai family is really touched! Everyone has also seen how much our Ming Dynasty ministers care about the Ai family. Emperor, you Woolen cloth?"
Emperor Hongzhi bowed slightly, nodded softly and said, "My grandson also saw it!"
"Okay, okay, then the Ai family can rest assured!"
Queen Mother Zhou nodded repeatedly.
Chen Ziyu listened thoughtfully to the conversation between the two, and couldn't help but feel that the Queen Mother seemed to be very old, but she was particularly thoughtful.
These words were obviously meant for the civil and military officials and nobles present.
The meaning is also very obvious. Don't worry, everyone, the emperor already knows your thoughts. When the time comes, wait for the emperor to reward you!
At this time, Queen Mother Zhou looked at the descendants of the old Zhu family on both sides in an amiable manner, and said to the eunuch beside her: "Little Li, please also remember the gifts sent by the descendants of the Ai family!"
"Yes, I obey your order!"
The middle-aged eunuch known as Xiao Lizi quickly nodded in agreement.
After all, after reading the gifts from outsiders, it was time for family members to present their gifts.
If there is still a hint of human sophistication in it for outsiders, then these princes present now are all his grandchildren.
It is only natural for younger generations to give birthday gifts to their elders.
Chen Ziyu immediately sat up straight, pricked up his ears and listened. Thanks to Zhu Xiurong's blessing, he could be considered a descendant of the Empress Dowager.
"Prince Qi's Mansion, ten roots of century-old ginseng, and a pair of exquisite jade stones!"
"Prince Heng's Mansion, a pair of white cranes, five pairs of flawless crystals!"
"Prince Yi's Mansion, there are hundreds of brocade feathers and satin, and ten fire jade unicorns!"
...
After listening for a long time, Chen Ziyu didn't hear what Prince Xing's Mansion had given him. However, judging from the current situation, the things given by these princes were quite practical. Whether it was ginseng or Jinxiu, they could be used on a daily basis.
As for the white crane, in Chen Ziyu's eyes, it is most likely the red-crowned crane.
But this Prince Heng is really awesome. Being able to bring the red-crowned crane to the capital and still survive is a miracle.
You must know that this animal is very afraid of the cold, and will die of cold if you are not careful!
At this moment, Eunuch Li slowly uttered a few words in his mouth, and they all reached Chen Ziyu's ears without missing a word.
"Prince Xing's Mansion contains a hundred pearls, a thousand taels of gold, and a hand-written scripture by the crown prince Zhu Houcong! A pair of couplets!"
"Princess Mansion, ten soaps and ten bottles of perfume!"
"Zhan Shifu, ten bottles of cod liver oil, a ten thousand shroud! A cart of fresh vegetables!"
After saying that, Eunuch Li immediately closed his mouth, bowed and stepped aside.
There was a commotion in the crowd. It was easy to understand that other people's gifts were nothing more than priceless treasures.
It's just that the things the prince and princess gave away, except for a handful of insiders, really puzzled everyone present!
I have never heard of cod liver oil or soap!
As for fresh vegetables?
Everyone showed an understanding smile.
It's nothing more than a pig covered with gold foil, and an auspicious unicorn emerges!
Sure enough, the little Taoist priest on the side suddenly said, "Your Highness, I am stupid, I don't know what this cod liver oil is?"
Zhu Houzhao turned his face to one side and was too lazy to pay attention to Zhu Houcong.
But he found that Chen Ziyu was blinking at him desperately. Zhu Houzhao frowned and didn't understand what he meant. However, the next second he saw Chen Ziyu lip-syncing "transfer money" and immediately understood!
This guy asked me to take this opportunity to introduce cod liver oil!
So Zhu Houzhao cleared his throat, forced out a smile and looked at the little Taoist priest, and said in a pretentious manner:
"Young brother, I don't know. This cod liver oil is a great tonic that I and my brother-in-law jointly developed to prolong life, cure illnesses, and replenish the body!"
"That's it!" The little Taoist priest nodded, with a look of disbelief on his face, and then said: "Then what's going on with these fresh vegetables? As far as my brother knows, the weather in the capital is cold, and there is no need for it at this moment. I can’t grow any crops, I don’t know…”
Before the little Taoist priest could finish speaking, Zhu Houzhao immediately stood up and interrupted him, and continued with his hands behind his back:
"Hey~ Brother Gen has lived in Anlu for a long time, so naturally he doesn't know what power is!"
"Power? What power!" The little Taoist priest looked puzzled.
"The power of knowledge!"
...
Chen Ziyu on the side couldn't help but give Zhu Houzhao a thumbs up in his heart!
Look at this pretense!
One word!
Absolutely!
