A short night is hard to please! A stunningly handsome prince dotes on her exclusively.

"Mo'er, why is this boy staring at you?"

"Uncle, Zhaoyao is my friend."

"Oh?" Xie Cangming narrowed his eyes, carefully examined Yun Zhaoyao's face, and a meaningful smile slowly appeared on his lips.

Then, Yun Zhaoyao gave an order, and soon more than a dozen people carried three or four wooden boxes onto the stage. Most of them contained rare and precious treasures from within the Qiyun Kingdom. Among them, the most precious was a thousand-year-old ginseng with roots that were more than a meter long. Of course, all the tributes were personally reviewed by the Regent of Qiyun before they could be used as tributes.

Lord Yuan Huai offered a few polite compliments and then ordered someone to bring him a chair to sit down.

"The envoy from the Kingdom of Yelan has come to pay his respects."

Given that both countries had personally sent their crown princes, everyone was curious about the Night Emperor's envoy. After all, apart from the Night Emperor, there were no other royal relatives or nobles in the royal family. In fact, for many years, the Night Emperor had only sent court officials to pay tribute. It was unknown whether this year would be the same.

A moment later, two middle-aged men in scarlet official robes stepped forward. One had sideburns and was tall and imposing, while the other had a long beard and still retained his dignified bearing.

"At night, the Left Chancellor Qi Heng and the Right Chancellor Wu Su pay their respects to His Majesty Emperor Yuan." The two bowed politely, yet maintained the integrity of civil officials, showing no fear in the face of the powerful aura of a foreign monarch.

"You two may dispense with the formalities."

When everyone saw that it was the two prime ministers of Yelan, their expressions were completely as expected. After all, apart from the Prince of Ze who had been sent as an envoy to Yelan two years ago and had only seen the Night Emperor once, no one else, except for the Yelan royal palace and the entire court, had ever seen the Night Emperor's true face, let alone expected him to come to Yuanqi in person at this moment.

Of the three kingdoms, apart from Bai Qing who remained inactive, the other two kingdoms were visibly ambitious. At least the Regent of Qi Yun was openly attacking the border, while the Emperor of Ye Lan was capricious. When he was in a good mood, he would send envoys to exchange gifts and exchange information. When he was in a bad mood, he would secretly dispatch assassins to spy and kill. Even Yuan Huaijun often felt helpless about that man.

"Your Majesty, on behalf of all the subjects of Yelan Kingdom and our Emperor, we extend our sincerest congratulations to your esteemed country. May Yuanqi prosper and flourish forever, and may the friendship between Yelan and Yuanqi last forever."

"I agree. Guards, please offer me a seat."

The two prime ministers did not sit down immediately, but instead waved their hands outwards. Several guards in black then stepped forward carrying tribute.

"Your Majesty, my Yelan dwells deep in the cold wilderness, backed by towering mountains and deep forests. Although the Minghai region is connected to Baiqing and Yelan, the vast majority of the islands on the shore are under Yelan's jurisdiction. Baiqing's capture of the sea eagle of the ancient Cang Kingdom is truly admirable. Coincidentally, my Yelan's current court ceremony is also related to the Minghai."

Inside a transparent and exquisite glass pot, there seemed to be some yellowish-brown liquid, which kept shaking as the guards moved. Two other people carried on a wooden box inlaid with countless gemstones. When they opened it, a huge white stone was quietly placed inside.

"This crystal-clear glass pot contains the legendary mermaid oil. Once ignited, this oil will burn for a thousand years. In his desire to forge friendship, His Majesty has specially gifted Yuan Qi this mermaid oil, which has been treasured since the time of our ancestors..."

Before everyone could recover from their astonishment, the long-bearded envoy continued, "As for the contents of this box, Your Majesty will surely recognize them. This is top-grade ambergris. Two years ago, our fishermen accidentally found this giant ambergris. After some refining, we are now presenting it to Your Majesty. We hope Your Majesty will accept it with pleasure."

Xin Moyan stretched her neck forward. The oil looked similar to ordinary oil, and she couldn't tell the difference. She didn't know if it could really burn for a thousand years. However, she had heard of ambergris in modern times. A small piece was worth a thousand gold pieces, let alone this large piece in front of her. It must weigh at least several dozen kilograms. Emperor Yelan was really generous!

As she watched, she felt a chill run down her spine, as if something was staring at her. She turned her head, her gaze passing through the back of Xie Cangming's head and meeting his dark, slightly resentful eyes. She shuddered. Xuan Yuan... was angry!

Why is he angry? What is he angry about? That look in his eyes seems to be directed at her, but she hasn't done anything! From the moment she entered until now, she hasn't said a single word to Xuan Yuan!

"Yesterday I received a letter from the Night Emperor himself, in which Your Majesty also expressed your congratulations to Yuan Qi. I was deeply moved and wish Yuan Qi to maintain friendly relations with Ye Lan..."

Halfway through his speech, Yuan Huaijun suddenly stood up, took a big step forward, glanced down at the entire room, and spoke in a slightly cool but loud and powerful voice.

"Today, seeing the sincere congratulations from various countries, I am deeply moved by the friendship between these nations and Yuanqi. This is a great fortune for Yuanqi. Here, I also wish that the four nations will prosper and become strong together in the future!"

After he finished speaking, all the officials below immediately knelt down and shouted in unison.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Upon seeing this, Yuan Huaijun nodded slightly and said, "Tonight, I will host a banquet in the Chaoen Hall and have specially invited the envoys from the three kingdoms and all the ministers and their families to the palace. I hope that all the envoys will have a pleasant trip to the capital and return home satisfied."

After that, a large group of officials expressed their gratitude to the emperor for his great favor. This was the necessary procedure for the first day of the court assembly. In the morning, the envoys from various countries were received, and in the evening, a banquet was held for the guests and ministers. The time in between was for everyone to rest and prepare. The most lively events were the palace banquet that day and the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven the following day.

Before long, the court's homage ceremony was drawing to a close. Emperor Yuanhuai ordered Yuan Huaize, Yuan Huailie, and Lou Shenghan to escort the envoys of the three kingdoms to the royal post station, while the court and the imperial harem withdrew in turn to prepare for the state banquet that night.

“Yan’er, you haven’t lived in the palace for a long time. Since there’s a banquet tonight, why don’t you rest for a while in Xianhuan Palace, where you usually stay, and then attend the banquet in the evening? This will save you the trouble of going back and forth.”

Xin Moyan's eyes darted around, and she quickly smiled and said, "No need! Your Majesty, my brother is still waiting for me offstage. I'll go back to the manor with him first, and then go to the palace later."

Without waiting for his reply, Xin Moyan quickly bowed and turned to walk off the stage. As she passed Xuan Yuan, she seemed to hear a soft cough. She immediately quickened her pace, not daring to turn her head, still wondering why he was angry.

Yuan Huaijun stared at her hurried back and couldn't help but chuckle. He then got up and left.

"Yan'er".

"Brother, let's go back!"

She walked up to her brother and took his arm. Zhao Yao had already been sent back to the post station by the Prince Lie, so she didn't have a chance to ask. She should go back as soon as possible. Her brother would definitely ask about Zhao Yao later. She wondered if Buyu was at the Prince Xuan's residence.

Xin Moling didn't say much. After all, he had recognized Yun Zhaoyao's identity on the day he returned to the capital. He just didn't know what relationship Hua Buyu had with him. And the little prince seemed to be very dependent on Hua Buyu.