The Second Master of the Red Chamber

The arrival of the Empress in the Imperial Garden signifies the imminent start of the birthday banquet.

Xia Shouzhong, the chief eunuch of the six palaces, selected a batch of the best gifts from among the many congratulatory presents and carried them to the pavilion to display to the Empress.

This was an eye-opening moment, and all the noble ladies and noblewomen who were originally strolling in the Imperial Garden gathered to watch the spectacle.

They displayed a series of rare and precious items, which drew praise from many people.

Although the Empress occasionally offered praise, Xia Shouzhong could tell from her indifferent expression that she wasn't very interested in this part of the event.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Shouzhong gestured to the eunuch beside him. The eunuch then walked to the side and solemnly brought over an exquisite paper box.

Xia Shouzhong presented it and smiled at the Empress, saying, "Your Majesty, you may guess what this is."

The Empress glanced at it, but wasn't disappointed, and asked cooperatively, "Could it be calligraphy or painting?"

"Your Majesty guessed correctly right away. Why don't you guess again who sent this to Your Majesty?"

The Empress grew impatient: "Just tell me who sent it; how could I possibly guess?"

Xia Shouzhong quickly smiled and said, "This is a congratulatory gift prepared by the Duke of Rong for Your Highness. Would Your Highness like to take a look?"

Upon hearing that it was a gift from Jia Lian, the Empress became somewhat interested and nodded, saying, "Open it and take a look."

Xia Shouzhong then took out the scroll from the paper box and handed the other end to a eunuch. The two of them worked together to slowly unroll the scroll in front of the Empress and others.

The scroll is about half a zhang long, and inside are jade palaces and pavilions, with celestial birds and mythical beasts soaring.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a painting depicting the "Queen Mother of the West's Birthday Banquet".

In the scroll, apart from the Queen Mother, the most prominent and detailed figures are not the various immortal beings.

Instead, it was the two deities, Fu and Shou, who presented peaches to the Queen Mother.

Beside it is a beautifully written cloud in regular script:

"The blue phoenix carries longevity across the nine regions; the white deer carries blessings to the three mountains."

Because of its vibrant colors and vast size, the painting is truly eye-catching.

Even the Empress couldn't help but stand up and examine him closely.

The Empress quickly noticed that the paper was newly cut and the ink was just starting to dry, and asked, "This painting doesn't look old. Could it be a new painting?"

Xia Shouzhong smiled and said, "Your Majesty has discerning eyes. It is said that this painting was personally created by the Duke of Rongguo to celebrate Your Majesty's birthday, and it took him half a month to complete."

It symbolizes the goddess's long life and eternal youth.

Upon hearing this, the Empress examined the contents of the painting even more closely.

The novel layout, exquisite depiction of figures, birds, and beasts, and meticulous coloring reveal the artist's dedication during the painting process.

If the court painters had spent half a month creating such a painting, the empress would have remained unmoved.

But if this painting were by Jia Lian, its significance would be entirely different.

The painting's meaning was simple and straightforward, and the more the empress looked at it, the more she liked it, and she couldn't help but reach out and touch it.

Xia Shouzhong then realized he had succeeded in pleasing the Empress and continued to explain the meaning of the painting to her.

Other influential people also offered their congratulations.

It is said that Jia Lian, despite his heavy official duties as the military governor of the capital, still managed to find time to prepare such a thoughtful gift for the empress, which shows his sincerity.

When Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang saw that Jia Lian's congratulatory gift had pleased the Empress, they quickly joined in the chorus of praise.

It is said that for the past half month, Jia Lian has been staying in his study every day after returning from the yamen, and has not gone out without fail.

They were initially puzzled, but they never expected that it was actually a gift prepared for the Empress.

The Empress was even happier upon hearing this.

The Empress had the painting carefully accepted, and glancing at it, she spotted Daiyu and Baochai standing behind Grandmother Jia.

Although she had long admired Jia Lian's discerning eye, the Empress still couldn't help but feel amazed when she saw Daiyu and Baochai.

These two exceptionally beautiful women would stand out even in today's setting.

Those princesses, county princesses, and noble ladies who she usually thought were quite impressive were all outshone by them today.

It is clear that Jia Lian is indeed a lucky man, as he was able to find such a pair of women for himself.

Ignoring the envious glances of others, he summoned the two women again and showered them with concern.

They seemed to have completely forgotten that there was another batch of congratulatory gifts waiting for Xia Shouzhong to introduce.

"Your Majesty has arrived."

Upon hearing the announcement, the concubines and noblewomen inside and outside Qianqiu Pavilion were all startled.

They all knew that the emperor was ill.

Otherwise, the Empress's fiftieth birthday celebration would never have been so simple.

Everyone was surprised that the emperor would come in person, and they all rushed out of the pavilion to greet him.

Soon, they saw Emperor Ningkang slowly walking towards them, surrounded by a group of eunuchs, princes, and princesses.

After the ceremony, the Empress stepped forward to support Emperor Ningkang and scolded him, "I have said long ago that the birthday banquet this year can be cancelled."

His Majesty was adamant in refusing, and now he has come in person.

If this were to harm Your Majesty's health, how could I possibly bear it?

Emperor Ningkang laughed and said, "Why go to such lengths?"

With that, he took the Empress's hand and led her toward the pavilion.

After helping Emperor Ningkang to sit down, the Empress noticed that Jia Lian was among his entourage, and a slight surprise flashed through her mind.

Before they could exchange words, following an instruction from Emperor Ningkang, Dai Quan stepped forward and announced, "All princes and princesses, present your birthday gifts!"

Following Dai Quan's voice, the fourth prince stepped forward first, kowtowed to the empress, and said with a smile, "Your subject has prepared a golden Buddha for Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty boundless happiness and longevity."

Beside him, a eunuch from the Crown Prince's residence presented a golden Buddha covered with red silk, which the Fourth Prince himself unveiled.

The Empress glanced at it only once and smiled, "Your Highness is so thoughtful. Please get up."

The fourth prince stood up, scratched his head, unsure whether the empress meant it or not.

However, he was too embarrassed to ask directly, because his older and younger siblings were going to present gifts later.

The Fifth Prince's congratulatory gift was the same as Jia Lian's; it was also a painting he had painted himself.

It is a classic birthday greeting picture.

Although it is far inferior to Jia Lian's painting in terms of length, ingenious structure, and complexity of illustrations.

However, because the Fifth Prince was young, his gift seemed particularly thoughtful, which earned him a few words of encouragement from the Empress.

Next came the congratulatory gifts from Princess Zhaoyang and the Fourth Princess.

After their gifts were presented, everyone thought the ceremony of the princes and princesses presenting their gifts individually was over.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Ningkang suddenly frowned and looked at Jia Lian with displeasure: "Didn't I remind you to prepare a congratulatory gift for the Empress? Have you forgotten?"

Emperor Ningkang's sudden attack left not only Jia Lian bewildered, but also the others somewhat puzzled.

Fortunately, Jia Lian reacted quickly and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, I did prepare a special gift for the Empress, but I handed it in when I entered the palace..."

Emperor Ningkang turned to look at the Empress.

The Empress smiled and said, "Your Majesty has indeed misunderstood the child. He did prepare a congratulatory gift for me."

It's a painting with a very auspicious meaning. I heard that it took him a full half month to paint this picture.

"I have already seen the painting, and I like it very much."

Emperor Ningkang's brows relaxed, but he still scoffed at Jia Lian, saying, "I didn't expect you could paint."

Jia Lian's lips twitched; it seemed that Emperor Ningkang's condition was improving.

They've all got the energy to glare at people again.

However, today was the Empress's birthday, and Jia Lian didn't want that unlucky Emperor Ningkang to spoil everyone's mood. So he pretended not to notice Emperor Ningkang's sarcasm and generously replied, "Your Majesty, I am indeed not very good at painting."

However, both of my wives are talented women.

Seeing that I was so anxious and worried every day about preparing a gift for the Empress, they felt sorry for me and offered me some advice.

Therefore, rather than saying that the birthday celebration painting was painted by me, it would be more accurate to say that it was painted by me and my two wives together.

Because I alone could never have created such a good work.

Jia Lian's constant use of the term "wife" is absolutely inappropriate.

But neither the emperor nor the empress reprimanded him.

Seeing Jia Lian speaking eloquently before the Emperor and Empress, some people who had never seen him before couldn't help but feel surprised and jealous.

For most of the people present, they didn't dare to speak loudly in front of the Empress, let alone in front of the Emperor.

Thus, one can understand why the court and the public alike say that Jia Lian's favor with the emperor is unprecedented in history.

Some even recalled a rumor that Jia Lian was not actually the grandson of the retired emperor, but the biological son of Emperor Ningkang.

After all, Emperor Ningkang might not have treated his own sons as well as he treated Jia Lian.

After the emperor appeared, Daiyu and Baochai automatically retreated behind Grandmother Jia and others. At this time, Jia Lian's sharing of credit and showing affection attracted envious glances from many people.

They didn't have Jia Lian's confidence and thick skin, so they couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Although Jia Lian confessed that the half-zhang-long scroll was not his work, the Empress was not displeased at all.

She even nodded in realization: "I was thinking earlier that if you were to say that you have hidden skills in painting, I could understand it."

However, I have personally witnessed how well you write your handwriting.

Putting everything else aside, the couplet on the painting is written in elegant characters with upright strokes, and it looks quite remarkable. It really doesn't seem like it was written by you.

The case has now been solved.

It must have been the work of one of those two girls.

The Empress smiled and glanced at Daiyu and Baochai.

Jia Lian feigned grievance: "If Your Majesty dislikes my handwriting, please just say so. There's no need for such euphemisms. I can bear it."

"Haha, I wouldn't call it ugly, it's just... not very good-looking, hehehe..."

The Empress rarely smiled so heartily.

Others who saw this couldn't help but feel envious.

At what should have been a grand Empress's birthday banquet, Jia Lian stole all the limelight.

Anyone who didn't know better would think Jia Lian was the Empress's legitimate son!
Just as the Empress was laughing uncontrollably at Jia Lian's antics, Emperor Ningkang made another move.

He turned and looked intently at the Empress, patted her hand, and asked:

"I see that the Empress is very fond of Jia Lian. How about I make the decision to have him adopted by the Empress as her heir?"

The Empress didn't hear clearly at first, and the smile on her face hadn't yet faded.

It wasn't until she noticed the sudden silence around her and the shocked and horrified expressions on some people's faces that she gradually came to her senses.

What did Your Majesty just say?

The empress's voice trembled slightly.

Holding the Empress's hand, Emperor Ningkang could naturally sense her nervousness and excitement, and thus repeated:
"I say that Jia Lian should be adopted by the Empress as her heir."

It just so happened that the Empress had no children, and Jia Lian's parents had died early.

What is the Empress's opinion?

Everyone heard Emperor Ningkang's words clearly, and everyone was shocked.

The Empress was extremely excited.

But after the initial excitement, she couldn't help but hesitate.

It should be noted that when she brought up this matter after the Iron Net Mountain incident last year, she was opposed by Emperor Ningkang.

Why is Emperor Ningkang bringing this up again now?

Furthermore, what does it mean to adopt her as an heir?
They were husband and wife as one, so if she were adopted, wouldn't that be the same as being adopted by Emperor Ningkang himself?
She had no children, but Emperor Ningkang did.

If one of Emperor Ningkang's children were adopted by her, there would be no problem.

There will be no legal issues whatsoever.

However, Jia Lian was not Emperor Ningkang's child.

Once adopted into her name, how should the relationship between Jia Lian and Emperor Ningkang be interpreted?
Emperor Ningkang had a throne to pass on.

At that time, will Jia Lian be qualified or not...?

She hadn't thought these questions through before she spoke rashly.

After figuring this out, I understood why Emperor Ningkang refused.

These problems haven't disappeared yet, so the Empress is hesitant to agree easily.

"Your Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated by me."

However, this matter is of great importance, and I urge Your Majesty to reconsider.

Emperor Ningkang was still very familiar with his first wife.

Knowing she had reservations, and having no intention of arguing with her, he turned to Jia Lian and said, "You should have heard what I just said clearly. What do you mean?"

Jia Lian knelt down with a thud and said, "Your Majesty the Empress is graceful and dignified, kind and compassionate, and a truly respectable elder."

It would be my honor to be able to recognize Her Majesty the Empress as my mother.

"But I fear that my dullness will displease Your Majesty..."

Jia Lian's idea was quite simple.

Since the emperor feigned illness last time and appointed him as the military governor of the capital, Jia Lian knew that he had passed the final test from Emperor Ningkang.

Since Emperor Ningkang no longer intends to kill him, what is there for him to worry about?
Naturally, one should try to get as close to the emperor as possible.

Moreover, Jia Lian knew that Emperor Ningkang was somewhat arrogant by nature.

What kind of adoption was given to the Empress?

The empress is his wife. If he adopts her, isn't that the same as adopting her to him?

In other words, this old man has taken a liking to me and wants me to be his son!
Although I don't know exactly what Emperor Ningkang was thinking, I don't think that no matter how perverted he is, he would lie to me first and then try to kill me.
As for recognizing the Empress as one's mother, one would not suffer any loss in this matter.

Although the Empress's family was not as powerful as the Empress Dowager's family, it was still a prominent family.

The Empress's cousin is now also a commander of a unit of the Imperial Guard.

In other words, once he becomes the empress's heir, the empress's power will also be considered his power.

Emperor Ningkang was very satisfied with Jia Lian's decisiveness and then looked at the Empress.

Seeing this, the Empress knew that Emperor Ningkang was not joking, so she smiled and said, "If Your Majesty is really willing to bestow him upon me as your heir, I will be eternally grateful."

only……"

Emperor Ningkang interrupted, saying, "If the Empress is willing, that's good."

After speaking, without giving the Empress a chance to speak, he slowly stood up and said, "Jia Lian, receive the imperial decree."

"Your subject, Jia Lian, receives the imperial decree."

"Jia Lian, the Duke of Rong, is loyal, filial, and exceptionally talented. From this day forward, he shall be included in the family genealogy and become the heir of the Empress. He shall also be granted the title of Prince of Pingliao."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor." (End of Chapter)