Saving the foolish general, she accidentally becomes his favorite.

According to the plan, it is crucial to make the first move.

They agreed that they should be the first to take the initiative amidst the changing circumstances today, turning the tables and turning the tables!

Mo Chen led Ye Li to the center of the main hall in a grand manner, and the two of them respectfully performed a deep bow.

At this moment, the banquet has not yet started. According to custom, it is permissible to offer birthday greetings in advance if there are special circumstances, but few people would try to steal the limelight like this. After all, many wealthy families receive so many gifts at the birthday banquet that they forget about the initial gifts as the celebration progresses.

At this moment, the retired emperor sat in the chief seat, while the emperor and empress sat on the left, exuding solemnity and dignity.

The Emperor Emeritus was in a good mood today. Being old, seeing so many young people filled him with emotion. He suddenly noticed that Mo Chen had arrived first, even before the banquet had begun, and smiled.

After Mo Chen stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the Emperor Emeritus, he said:

"Your humble servant has taken the liberty of offering a birthday gift to the Emperor Emeritus, wishing him boundless blessings and a long life as long as the heavens!"

The Emperor Emeritus couldn't stop smiling. Thinking that he was the first to offer birthday wishes, he wondered what this kid was up to today. He asked curiously, "Good, good, good, you've really thought of this. Mo Chen has grown up. You said you would personally present me with a birthday gift. Where is this gift?"

Mo Chen, feigning mystery, cast a hook: "I will continue to deliver birthday gifts all day long, not just one, not just one place, not just one day..."

"Oh? Not just one, not just one place, not just one day?" The Emperor Emeritus laughed heartily upon hearing this. "Interesting, very interesting indeed! Just for your audacity, whatever you send me today will be rewarded!"

Everyone in the hall was quite surprised. After all, this was the renowned retired emperor, the retired emperor who was originally the God of Longevity. At this moment, he was so happy that he had already thought about Mo Chen's reward. It was hard to believe that he would favor a general so much.

Everyone immediately regretted not rushing to offer their congratulations first, thus missing out on the rewards.

What was even more unbelievable to the officials present was that this "living Yama," who was rumored to have fought bloody battles, was actually quite adept at using the practice of giving gifts in official circles, a tactic that military generals had always disdained.

Some of the envoys watched this scene with great interest. All sorts of eyes in the hall were focused on the two of them. The noble ladies were full of curiosity, while the envoys were secretly on guard after their initial surprise. The person who felt like he was sitting on pins and needles in the hall was Xuan Yuanming, who was sitting to the left of the retired emperor. His face had been displeased ever since Mo Chen stepped forward.

After keeping everyone in suspense, Mo Chen pulled a small black top hat from his sleeve and held it up for the Emperor Emeritus and the crowd to see: "Thank you for your patience. I'll perform a magic trick first, please excuse my poor performance."

Then he said loudly, "This was originally an empty hat, but the Emperor Emeritus is blessed with great fortune. Now, ten thousand birds have come to congratulate him, wishing him a long and healthy life!" As soon as he finished speaking, he magically produced many doves from the hat. The white doves flew nimbly and scattered around the hall, as if dancing gracefully.

In ancient times, there were no magic shows, and folk magic tricks were mostly physical labor. So this unexpected performance was truly eye-opening and won applause from everyone in the hall. Everyone praised the general for not only being brave and resourceful, but also for being willing to perform magic tricks for the Emperor Emeritus. It was a skill that appealed to both the refined and the common people.

Seeing the crowd's praise and amazement, Ye Li slowly breathed a sigh of relief. This was a simplified version of a modern magic trick she had made on the spot. Fortunately, Mo Chen had some basic skills, and the ancient sleeves were large enough, so this magic trick opening went smoothly.

Mo Chen then turned around and signaled the palace servants to bring up the congratulatory gift. A huge object covered with a red cloth was dragged into the hall by four people. Its enormous size immediately caught everyone's attention. The scene of the bird flying out just now amazed the Emperor Emeritus. I wonder what kind of scene this red cloth covered now will be.

Mo Chen and Ye Li walked to the object and pulled the red cloth open completely, revealing a very exquisite three-dimensional painted screen.

"This landscape and river scroll is presented to the Emperor Emeritus, wishing him a long and healthy life!" Mo Chen read aloud the festive birthday greetings, then walked to the screen and turned each of the five panels. As a result, all five panels began to rotate, truly symbolizing the turning of fortune!

The landscape depicted on this screen was reimagined by Ye Li based on the map in Mo Chen's study. It not only features pavilions, palaces, temples, mountains, and lakes, but also has trees and birds carved with lifelike detail. What's even more ingenious is that each panel of the screen can rotate. Ye Li added a small wind chime to the upper part of each panel, and as it rotates, each chime emits a soft sound, like birdsong in a forest. The entire work is visually three-dimensional, highly interactive, and even has its own sound system, creating a vibrant and lively scene!

This was also hastily made for the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet. Ye Li doesn't know anything about needlework, but she's amazing at painting. She wanted to make a grand spectacle at the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet, so she quickly made this 3D stereoscopic painting screen.

Ancient screens were made of wood, a thin layer, but Ye Li used the principles of perspective to create a three-dimensional space from a flat surface. Moreover, she did not use traditional flat materials such as paper or silk. Instead, she used sugar painting to create a carving in the middle, layering three-dimensional effects to ultimately create this masterpiece of relief screen.

Both the name and the exquisite craftsmanship of the gift itself surpass the understanding and aesthetics of this era, leaving many people in awe.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! I love this gift! Hahaha!" The Emperor Emeritus admired the landscape screen very much and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Which master craftsman made this screen? It must have taken at least half a year to make, right?"

Mo Chen calmly explained, "This was specially made by my wife for the Emperor Emeritus's birthday, hoping to bring a smile to his face!"

Upon hearing that it was made by Ye Li herself, the Emperor Emeritus laughed even louder. His relaxed brows resembled a seaweed that had been nourished, and his joyful laughter carried even further.

"Very well, Madam General, you're so kind! Someone, bring a seat!"

Everyone was stunned again. Giving a seat to a mute person?!

This is the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet. How many people can truly be valued by the birthday celebrant?

For a moment, in the main hall, there were envious, jealous, and indignant gazes... all eyes gathered and finally converged on Ye Li.

Ye Li bowed slightly, then walked forward with her head held high and sat down steadily.

The royal ladies and court wives were stunned once again. She didn't even refuse? Nor did she express her gratitude and kowtow to the Emperor Emeritus?

I sat down right away!