So what if I traveled through time? I'll continue to roll in another place

At present, Chu Changning has the highest seniority among all the royal family members, so his birthday celebration is the most grand. Unexpectedly, the first part of the Thousand Years Old Chrysanthemum Viewing Banquet is to present birthday gifts.

The royal relatives and court officials who came to attend the birthday banquet prepared birthday gifts centered around themes such as happiness, longevity, and auspiciousness. Although the local officials from the nine prefectures and forty-eight states could not come in person, they also sent people to deliver gifts in advance to express their wishes.

The gift from Chu Changning's younger brother, Prince Yi, Chu Changyi, was the first to be carried up. Chu Changyi was the youngest and was born lame, so he had no hope of inheriting the throne from the beginning. Instead, he had a close relationship with his brothers and sisters, enjoyed the rare royal affection, and lived a leisurely life as a prince in wealth and luxury all his life.

This time he presented a box of nine gold filigree inlaid jasper ruyi, which was called "Long-lasting Ruyi". The box was also inlaid with gold and gems, and the gold thread and gems were used to create a shape of longevity and happiness. When the box was opened, the nine ruyis shone even more brilliantly, and Xiao Yueshan, who was sitting at the bottom, could see the golden light.

The maid who presented the treasure stood still, and Chu Changyi raised his wine glass to the upper seat and made a toast: "I wish that the moon is full and the sweet osmanthus flowers will last for seven days, and the daylilies in the garden will flourish for thousands of years."

Chu Changning looked at his younger brother with a faint smile, and raised his glass with Gao Wei.

The birthday gifts of the royal ministers were carried into the hall one by one. Most of the birthday gifts were exquisite objects such as ruyi, bonsai, screens, lacquerware, embroidery, etc. They can basically be summarized as "exquisite, precious, and rare". The contents of various birthday gifts are based on the themes of happiness, longevity, and auspiciousness. Both the patterns and shapes highlight the meaning of praying for blessings and birthdays. Each one is both exquisite and ingenious, which opened Xiao Yueshan and Zhou Yao's eyes.

The lower the rank of the officials who presented gifts, the faster the process went. After the royal family and the dukes had presented their gifts, other ministers toasted again, and Chu Changning no longer responded by toasting, but just nodded slightly in greeting.

The gifts Xiao Yueshan and Zhou Yao brought were a pair of embossed peach vases with gold-painted patterns on a dark brown background. Although not as precious as those given to the royal family, they were still appropriate and interesting.

Rare treasures passed by like flowing water, and the second part of the Thousand Years Old Chrysanthemum Viewing Banquet was the Grand Princess's speech.

Chu Changning first raised his glass to thank everyone for coming, said some polite words, and then mentioned the Yueyun earthquake.

"For this Yueyun earthquake, the court has ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds for disaster relief. But the people in the disaster-stricken areas still need your joint efforts to help them rebuild their homes." Chu Chang glanced at the entire audience, and everyone responded in unison.

Chu Changning nodded slightly and continued, "In addition, the disaster area is far away, and it is difficult to transport supplies. The people have a hard time living there. I hope that you can donate enthusiastically and contribute to the country. I will also convert the proceeds from this birthday banquet into silver and donate it to disaster relief."

As soon as these words came out, the people below began to whisper and discuss. Rongguogong Liu Chongshan was the first to stand up and said, "Your Highness, I am willing to donate 5 million taels of silver to help with the disaster."

Chu Changning showed a gratified smile, "Duke Rong is thoughtful. This is a righteous act. I am very pleased." Following this person's lead, other officials also expressed their willingness to donate money and property.

Xiao Yueshan and Zhou Yao looked at each other and thought secretly. Although they had some wealth, they were still too poor compared to the princes and generals present. They felt sorry for the inexplicable loss. However, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they could not refuse and had to express their willingness to donate.

I didn't expect that to attend an upper-class banquet, not only do I have to give expensive gifts, but I also have to spend a lot of money to contribute. I don't know how much of this money can actually be used for ordinary people.

Xu Rong brought a few young eunuchs to various seats to register the donations from each household. Chu Changning had shown enough of his love for the people before moving on to the third stage: appreciating chrysanthemums and composing poems.

After a series of twists and turns, the situation in the court became complicated, and everyone had just shed blood. Everyone was in low spirits. Even Gao Wei could see that everyone was unhappy, but Chu Changning was unaware of it. He was immersed in his supreme prestige and the support of everyone. Gao Wei looked at his wife with increasingly cold eyes, and just stood by her side silently.

"My dear ministers, as you all know, our Da Zhao has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. This autumn's lecture has ended, and I hope to see more young talents emerge. Here, I also hope that all ministers can pay more attention to the studies of their own children and nephews, and cultivate more pillars for the future of our Da Zhao." Chu Changning said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Chu Changning glanced at all the people in the palace, "Poetry is not elegant without wine, and wine is not fragrant without poetry. I wonder which lord would be in the mood to compose a poem on the spot to help with the drinking?" Her eyes stayed on Zhou Yao and Xiao Yueshan, hoping that the two people she wanted to promote would not be ungrateful.

Xiao Yueshan naturally understood Chu Changning's meaning, but how could Zhou Yao write poetry? Wouldn't it be embarrassing to rush up like this?

Zhou Yao was not that good at reading people's expressions. If his name was not called, it would have nothing to do with him. So he sat upright, neither slow nor hurried.

Chu Chang couldn't hold his temper any longer and was about to call out the name, "Master Zhou performed outstandingly in this autumn banquet lecture. How about..."

"Your Highness, Princess, I am willing to compose a poem!" A charming female voice interrupted Chu Changning.

She was wearing a gorgeous wide-sleeved Liuxian dress, which was as wide and flowing as clouds, and brightly colored, as if she was wearing the entire autumn scenery on her body. The neckline was inlaid with shining gems, which contrasted with her fair skin, making her look more elegant and luxurious. A wide belt was tied around her waist, inlaid with pearls and jade, outlining her slender waist. The long skirt dragged on the ground, like a blooming flower, swaying gently with her steps, exuding charming brilliance.

The woman stepped forward and bowed gracefully, "I, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue Meng Zhengcheng, Meng Yufu, pay my respects to the Grand Princess. I wish her a long life and a prosperous life!"

Oh! It's an old acquaintance again! Meng Yufu, the daughter of Minister Meng... Xiao Yueshan looked at this sister with a frown on her face, and saw her coming out to give herself away again...

Chu Changning just thought that the more people who join in the fun, the better. She was also happy to see Miss Meng volunteering to take the lead. "Okay, what's your masterpiece, Miss Meng?"

"I built my hut in a human world, yet there is no noise of carriages and horses. I ask you how you could do that? My heart is far away and the place is secluded. I pick chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely see the southern mountains. The mountain air is beautiful at dusk, and the birds fly back and forth. There is a true meaning in this, but I have forgotten the words when I want to explain it." Meng Yufu began to recite hurriedly with an exaggerated tone and affected gestures, which ran counter to the selfless state of the poem.

Uh…Does Tao Yuanming know that you are like this? Xiao Yueshan watched her performance with concern, thinking anxiously.

After reciting the poem, Chu Changning's face was gloomy, "Very good..." She raised her hand and was about to send Meng Yufu away.

"Thank you, Grand Princess, for your compliment. I have more. The autumn bushes around my house are like those of Tao's. The sun is setting over the fence. It's not that I prefer chrysanthemums among flowers, but when this flower blooms, there are no other flowers."

Meng Yufu often recited the chrysanthemum poem backwards as if she hadn't spoken for several lifetimes...

Xiao Yueshan's eyelids twitched as he watched. He could just recite the poem, but the style was so different that anyone with a discerning eye could tell it wasn't the same person's style. Tao Yuanming's poem was already outstanding enough, so he should stop while he was ahead....