My Aloof Lord Ex-Husband Begs for Remarriage
Chapter 399: Disdain

Chapter 399: Chapter 399: Disdain

Sure enough, the Empress Dowager was not bothered by the gazes of others and was extremely satisfied with the birthday gift from Chu Nanli.

"Not bad, you have a heart, child."

Her praise for Chu Nanli made many people feel extremely indignant.

But those people were not fools and wouldn’t anger the Empress Dowager at such a time.

"This common girl boldly asks for a favor from the Empress Dowager."

No sooner had Chu Nanli spoken than the Empress Dowager guessed her intention.

"You would like Her Highness to bestow some gifts to those children, wouldn’t you?"

The Empress Dowager looked at her with a beaming smile, which to others, signified her special regard for Chu Nanli.

In fact, the Empress Dowager was well aware of Chu Nanli’s recent actions.

Especially the matter of Jici Academy.

Because of the divorce, she had many dissatisfactions with Chu Nanli.

No matter what Ye Yunting did wrong, he was her own grandson, and naturally, she would not be too harsh on him.

On the contrary, for Chu Nanli, whether she did something or not, it was actually always wrong.

"Well then, I’m getting on in years now, and it’s time for me to accumulate some blessings for myself."

"How about this, from now on, each year I will take a portion of my birthday gifts and turn them into silver coins to provide for the daily living of those children, what do you think?"

The reward given by the Empress Dowager was undoubtedly substantial.

Chu Nanli hadn’t expected the Empress Dowager to be so generous.

She had thought that if the Empress Dowager could bestow something like a plaque, it would mean that her Jici Academy was, in a way, connected to the Empress Dowager.

Now that the Empress Dowager had donated silver, other people in the capital, out of respect for her, would certainly rush to send silver coins.

Chu Nanli had already received the reward she wanted, so naturally, she did not care about the views of others.

The birthday gifts that followed hers, though valuable, were not as uniquely thoughtful as the one she had presented.

The expression on the Empress Dowager’s face was unenthusiastic throughout.

But soon, it was the turn for the Princes to present their birthday gifts.

The first to be presented was, of course, from the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince had prepared a complete set of openwork goldware, the delicate patterns forming the characters for fortune, prosperity, and longevity, glittering with gold, and exuding extravagance.

"Imperial Grandmother, your grandson specially invited skilled craftsmen from among the common folk, who have embedded every sentence of blessing into the surface of these gold pieces; if you look at each one individually, each sentence expresses your grandson’s filial piety!"

Ye Yunkuo rarely had such a chance to show off in front of the Emperor.

In order to maintain his position as the Crown Prince, he had to conceal his talents, presenting himself as a mild-mannered person on a daily basis.

However, in reality, his ambition was no smaller than Ye Yunting’s.

The birthday gift he had prepared today was the result of three months of meticulous planning, all to win the favor of the Empress Dowager on this day.

While the material used was somewhat common, the Empress Dowager, after a close examination, truly felt the intended sentiment expressed by the Crown Prince.

She nodded with a smile: "Hmm, not bad, the Crown Prince has put thought into this."

The Empress Dowager was actually quite satisfied with Ye Yunkuo, the Crown Prince.

Initially, it was she who had persuaded the Emperor to establish the Crown Prince directly.

After all, there were no current wars, and it was a time of peace; what the Imperial Court needed was a ruler to maintain the status quo.

Therefore, even though Ye Yunting outshone Ye Yunkuo in every regard, she was still more inclined to have the Emperor pass the throne to Ye Yunkuo.

"I only wish for my great-grandmother to live a long life of a hundred years; beyond that, I have no other desires,"

Even after receiving praise from the Empress Dowager, Ye Yunkuo remained neither arrogant nor restless, and did not become conceited.

"The gift prepared by eldest brother is indeed meticulous. I’m afraid that as his younger brother, I’ll also be overshadowed by him."

"However, since this younger brother has already prepared his gift, I can only present it, though it may appear somewhat lacking."

Ye Yunting might have said so, but upon seeing the Crown Prince’s birthday gift, he couldn’t help revealing a smug expression on his face.

He knew that no matter how perfect Ye Yunkuo’s item was, it could never surpass his!

"Great-grandmother, please also take a look at your grandchild’s birthday gift."

Ye Yunting wore a faint look of smugness on his face, and just as he had anticipated, his birthday gift caused quite a stir when presented, drawing gasps of astonishment from many.

The reason was simple: the raw material of the birthday gift was exceedingly rare.

A massive slab of Han Baiyu Wall, standing as tall as half a person, was carved with countless cranes poised to soar into the sky.

But such jade was rare in this world.

"By chance, your grandchild heard that such a large piece of jade had been discovered in the far north, so a team was sent half a year ago to search thoroughly. It was not easy to find this piece, which is just perfect as a birthday gift for my great-grandmother."

Ye Yunting didn’t even glance at Ye Yunkuo, yet his gift resulted in Ye Yunkuo’s face turning a mixture of green and white.

Just a while ago, to show his dedication, he had specially mentioned to the Empress Dowager that his preparation for the birthday gift took over three months.

Now, with Ye Yunting’s words, wasn’t this a blatant slap in his face?

Yet, in front of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and to maintain his image as the responsible elder brother, he couldn’t say anything.

Ye Yunting was confident that his congratulations present would surely be the most dazzling at today’s palace banquet.

Undoubtedly, others would not compare with him.

However, what he evidently hadn’t foreseen was that Ye Jiuxiao’s birthday gift hadn’t been presented yet.

"Xiaoxiao, what have you prepared for this one? Why hasn’t someone brought it up yet?"

As most of the birthday gifts had been presented, the Empress Dowager had still not seen Ye Jiuxiao’s.

She half-jokingly spoke up, "This one has been waiting a year for your birthday gift. Surely you wouldn’t make this one wait too long?"

"How could your son make mother wait too long."

Ye Jiuxiao slowly stood up and also had the Palace Attendants bring over the birthday gift he had carefully prepared.

Compared to the previous extravagant displays, Ye Jiuxiao’s gift seemed quite ordinary.

However, given his position as the Regent King, nobody dared to mock him the way they had with Chu Nanli.

Inside the wooden box, there was just one medicinal herb.

Yet those who recognized the value of the herb were all amazed at Ye Jiuxiao’s generosity.

When the former Emperor was alive, a Divine Doctor had presented a prescription, and according to that formula, a medicine made could bring back a person with just a breath left from the clutches of the King of Hell.

It was said to revive the dead and mend bones.

Unfortunately, due to the long history of transmission, one of the ingredients in the formula, already extremely rare, had been extinct for decades.

The time and effort Ye Jiuxiao put into finding this herb was undoubtedly immense.

The Empress Dowager placed her hand on the wooden box, her expression somewhat moved, "This one is old now; you should keep such precious things for yourself."

"For mother to live a long life of a hundred years is all your son wishes for."

Since Ye Jiuxiao had offered the item, he naturally did not begrudge it.

The herb was indeed priceless, but it had to be used where it was needed most.