Amidst the assembly of civil and military officials, not a single soul seed capable of amusing the young ones. Gu Lan shook his head. It appeared that to bring joy to his beloved daughter, he must undertake the task himself.
Raising his hand, a carved shadow stone materialized in his grasp. As he beheld the intricately etched patterns within, an involuntary smile graced his countenance.
The contents engraved within this stone had demanded considerable ti and effort from him.
After all, it was to be his daughter's first official birthday gift; anything less than wholehearted effort would not suffice.
...
"Your Highness, does the Mirrors of the Myriad Realms please you?"
"If it does, why not co and claim it?"
"This is a gift specially bestowed upon you by the entire Jixia Literary Academy for your birthday!"
Beside the long table, Master Zhang Qingwei persisted in engaging Simu with his words.
Holding aloft the palm-sized Mirrors of the Myriad Realms, he wore a constant expression of geniality, regardless of whether Simu comprehended him.
For Little Princess had indeed begun to crawl in his direction.
"Little Princess, look over here. This is the Fla-Spouting Lion! A type capable of breathing fire. Isn't the depiction splendid?"
"My treatises on governance also feature the Ice Fox with Three Tails, the Golden Monkey with Four Eyes... So many delightful creatures. If ever you desire the real ones, I could venture into the Demon Realm to procure so for you..."
anwhile, Grand Tutor Su Hua refused to yield. Zhang Feng discreetly wound the music box, and the lody of "Feng Qiu Huang" slowly filled the air.
Sima Qin looked at his intricately crafted Seven Wonders Puzzle Ball, shaking his head in resignation. He couldn't possibly teach Little Princess how to solve it on the spot...
Nevertheless, Simu continued to crawl towards the Mirrors of the Myriad Realms, undeterred by any distractions.
Observing Little Princess drawing nearer to the kaleidoscope, Zhang Qingwei's aged face had long since blossod into the joy of early autumn chrysanthemums.
To be the favored ntor of the Jing Nation's Little Princess was a source of imnse pleasure, even for one as indifferent to fa and fortune as he.
As Little Princess approached the kaleidoscope, Zhang Qingwei's expression beca determined.
"Truly, Young Princess Yong Le possesses exceptional talent, discerning treasures at such a tender age!"
"If I could be Little Princess's tutor, when the ti cos for her adulthood, the genuine treasure, the Mirrors of the Myriad Realms of Jixia Literary Academy, shall be bestowed upon her as her coming-of-age gift!"
With a stroke of his beard, Zhang Qingwei made a weighty promise!
To actually gift the genuine Mirrors of the Myriad Realms to Little Princess, Master Zhang's generosity knew no bounds!
The court officials were all astonished by Zhang Qingwei's audacity. Even Mu Yuyan's face betrayed a hint of surprise.
Grand Tutor Su Hua, however, remained unsurprised. To gift a child a precious national treasure as a first birthday gift was indeed extravagant...
Yet for Gu Lan and the Empress's child, Jixia Literary Academy's gift of the Mirrors of the Myriad Realms was a surefire investnt!
"Elder Brother, this ti I concede!"
Zhang Qingwei bowed to Grand Tutor Su Hua, abandoning his previous mischievous deanor for a humble Confucian posture.
"I only hope that Elder Brother won't retract the offer of those national strategy paintings. They are intended for the little princess; after all, she is your niece, is she not?"
"Hmph!"
Su Hua snorted, turning his head aside and placing the governance treatise on the table in silence.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing his own senior brother looking like a loser, Zhang Qingwei laughed heartily, a rare victory over his senior brother after so many years, and such a thorough one at that.
"No need to be sad, senior brother. Even if you cannot be Little Princess's tutor, I, your junior, will often bring Little Princess to your residence for learning. After all, when it cos to governing and imperial tactics, I am far inferior to you."
"Hmm! Brother, why the laughter amidst sorrow? Take care of yourself. You're getting older; you can't afford to be so despondent."
Observing his senior brother's facial expressions while fully utilizing his scholar's skill at jesting, Zhang Qingwei relished this rare victory.
Finally winning for once, he had to relish this mont. Putting aside the bitterness of losing at chess every year and even being mocked by Su Hua for ranking third on the Heavenly Secrets Board so many tis!
But as he spoke, he suddenly realized sothing was amiss!
His senior brother's smile, why did it seem less like laughter amid sorrow and more like mockery toward himself?
Zhang Qingwei's heart sank as he looked down at the tabletop.
The little babe, who had been just within reach of the kaleidoscope, hadn't even glanced at it and continued crawling forward...
Crawling away?
Just like that?
Zhang Qingwei felt as if struck by lightning, frozen in shock on the spot. Little Princess hadn't co for the kaleidoscope; what had attracted her?
In this assembly, was there any item for the Zhuazhou ceremony that could rival the imitation kaleidoscope in his hand?
"Brother!"
"Spirit Fruit!"
At this mont, Simu, who had crawled around the long table, emitted a crisp, milky voice.
Blinking her big, innocent eyes, she looked up at one person.
That person was naturally Gu Lan.
It turned out that Little Princess, after waking up from her nap, was hungry again and wanted to find Gu Lan for so Immortal Fruit!
She didn't dislike the Zhuazhou ceremony items prepared for her at all!
Seeing this scene, all the court officials instantly felt that the items they prepared for the Zhuazhou ceremony were adequate.
Grand Tutor Su Hua was the sa. He quickly opened his governance treatise and flipped to his favorite illustration.
Zhang Qingwei also ca to his senses and quickly controlled the kaleidoscope to display different, new images.
Inside were fish playing in water, blooming flowers... all extrely beautiful scenes.
Everyone felt they still had a chance.
Only Gu Lan was at a loss. He held the carved shadow stone in his hand.
"Mumu, let's not eat Spirit Fruit for now. Look at the gift Daddy prepared for you, okay?"
"Spirit Fruit... Spirit Fruit!"
When Simu heard that there was no Spirit Fruit to eat, she imdiately pursed her lips, her eyes turning red, tears welling up in her long eyelashes.
That pitiful look would soften even the hardest hearts in the world.
Seeing Simu's pitiful expression, the hearts of the court officials were all breaking.
At this mont, if it weren't for the consideration of Prince Jingyang's status, they would have wanted to rush up and grab Gu Lan's collar, demanding he hand over the Spirit Fruit.
"Alright, alright, I'll give you Spirit Fruit."
Gu Lan couldn't bear this anymore and quickly took out a piece of Immortal Fruit. Its sweet fragrance imdiately filled the grand hall.
Seeing the Spirit Fruit, Simu instantly stopped crying. Her eyes sparkled as she reached out for the Spirit Fruit.
Simu was confident in her technique of grabbing the Spirit Fruit. In the past, whenever she reached out, she always succeeded, even if her mother, who didn't like eating Spirit Fruit, couldn't escape.
But this ti, she grabbed at thin air.
"Spirit Fruit?"
Simu stared blankly at her empty, tender hand.
"Mumu, Daddy will give you Spirit Fruit."
"But, before eating Spirit Fruit, why don't you look at this first?"
Gu Lan held up the Spirit Fruit in one hand and the carved shadow stone in the other, shaking the shadow stone intentionally to catch Simu's attention.
"Spirit Fruit!"
Simu's attention was solely on the Spirit Fruit, completely ignoring the shadow stone.
Seeing the Spirit Fruit, she reached for it again.
The golden dragon and phoenix shadows flickered in her eyes, this ti even faster.
However, she missed again...
Gu Lan held the Spirit Fruit up high, his eyes showing so surprise.
Because just now, he had felt a hint of innate qi, a pure essence that no cultivator, no matter how many years they practiced, could match...
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