Chapter 154 – Ten Thousand Longevity

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month in the thirty-year reign of Yuanhui, the Silla envoy met with the emperor to seek aid. In just a few days, the Japanese forces had swiftly advanced, and four of Silla’s eight provinces had fallen. This matter did not particularly attract the attention of the court, after all, the Ten Thousand Longevity Festival was approaching, and the small movements of a distant vassal state did not garner much concern. Only the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of War took notice, both submitting memorial after memorial.

The Ministry of War naturally requested that His Majesty dispatch troops to aid Korea. “Their wolfish ambition is clear for all to see. If given a few years, they will surely become a great threat to our dynasty. We cannot afford to ignore them.”

However, the Grand Secretariat had some dissenting voices, believing that sending troops on a long march would consume resources and rations, resulting in a loss that outweighed the gains.

On the fourteenth, the Crown Prince of Guangyuan submitted a memorial, requesting to lead the vanguard against Japan. The lengthy memorial was filled with elegant prose, brimming with literary flair: “Your humble servant requests to take up arms and lead the way for Your Majesty, offering the enemy’s head as a birthday gift. May Your Majesty rest assured in the depths of the palace, overseeing all things, may your health be robust, and your longevity boundless.”

The emperor was overjoyed, granting the Crown Prince of Guangyuan, Nong Sijie, the title of Pacifying Rebel General, bestowing upon him the position of Commander of Fujian Province, a dragon robe, and ordering him to lead the Fujian naval forces against Japan.

Another decree was issued, appointing the Viceroy of Zhejiang and Fujian, Fang Zijing, as the supreme commander, leading troops from land and sea to invade Japan. The commanders of Fujian and Jinhai, Nong Sijie and Qin Yi, were to follow his orders. The customs offices of Jinhai, Zhejiang, and Fujian were ordered to immediately mobilize and procure food and military provisions.

This matter became a topic of heated discussion throughout the court.

Meanwhile, the resident envoy of Yizhou in the capital, Ding Zhen, a senior official, was shocked when he met with Nong Sijie. “Your Highness, how could you act so rashly without the king’s consent? The king will never agree to send troops!”

Nong Sijie smiled slightly. “I am serving the court loyally, why would my father object? I have always taken pride in being a man, and it is my duty to establish my career. If Father were here, he would also agree. As for sending troops, the might of the court is unpredictable. There are already soldiers and warships at their disposal, why would we need to contribute? I’m merely taking on a nominal role, serving the emperor, and also accumulating some achievements and reputation for our Yizhou.”

The envoys, excluding Nong Sijie’s own strategists and household guards, looked at each other speechlessly. They could do nothing but hurriedly send messages back home. However, by the time the messages reached Yizhou, Nong Sijie would have already left for Fujian. Clearly, there was no way to stop this, and given Nong Sijie’s high status, the envoys could only acquiesce.

==

As dusk approached, there had been a brief snow flurry during the day, followed by a reappearance of the sun. The evening sky was graced with a rare display of rosy clouds, foretelling good weather for tomorrow’s Ten Thousand Longevity Festival.

Xu Chun stepped down from the carriage and turned to order the guards to carefully unload a large box from the vehicle. Su Huai came out to greet him, smiling. “What’s in this box, Your Highness?”

Xu Chun whispered, “Quietly, Lord Su, it’s a birthday gift for the emperor. Find a place to put it for now, I’ll surprise the emperor later.”

Su Huai whispered back, “Then let’s put it in the West Pavilion. When the time comes, we’ll deliver it ourselves.”

Xu Chun said, “Alright, what is Ninth Brother busy with?”

Su Huai chuckled quietly. “He’s reading. Yesterday, he thought you would come to the palace and waited for a long time.”

Xu Chun: “…” He felt a slight heat on his face and whispered, “Didn’t I say that there were some family matters to attend to, and I wouldn’t come in the evening? Didn’t Lord Su remind him?” He felt very guilty inside.

Su Huai replied, “It wasn’t because of the incident in Silla. The emperor knew you were concerned about it and assumed you would come to the palace to discuss it with him.” He really hadn’t come yesterday, and today, he stretched until evening before entering the palace, making the emperor wait anxiously.

Xu Chun felt even more guilty and whispered, “There was something wrong with the birthday gift, and I wanted to fix it properly before bringing it in today.”

Su Huai whispered, “When you come in later, you should comfort the emperor well. Tomorrow is the Ten Thousand Longevity Festival. Over the years, the emperor has practiced frugality, not caring about his personal belongings, antiques, or utensils. He hasn’t celebrated the festival with grand ceremonies every year. It’s only now that he’s with you that he seems to have found some joy.”

Xu Chun said, “Okay.”

He tiptoed inside and saw that Xie Yi was indeed lounging in the warm room, engrossed in a book. He quietly sat beside him, noticing that Xie Yi didn’t even lift an eyelid, and whispered with a smile, “Is Ninth Brother angry with me?”

Xie Yi glanced at him. “Why would I be angry with you?”

Xu Chun leaned close with a full smile on his face and whispered, “Ninth Brother, please don’t blame me. Tomorrow is Ninth Brother’s birthday, and I felt that the birthday gift I prepared for you wasn’t good enough, so I arranged for people to carefully work on it again. I was afraid the servants wouldn’t be meticulous, so I personally supervised it. I couldn’t accompany you last night, but I’ll make up for it tonight. Tomorrow, the people will celebrate your holy birthday, so tonight, I’ll congratulate you on your birthday first.”

Xie Yi said, “Sweet-talking, you’ve only been back in the capital for a few days. Your company is the best birthday gift for me; there’s no need for such effort.”

Xu Chun held onto his arm and boasted, “It took half a year, and Ninth Brother will know once he sees it.”

Xie Yi looked at Xu Chun’s bright eyes, filled with anticipation and pride, and reluctantly said, “Well then, I’ll have to see what gift you’ve prepared for me that required so much effort.”

Xu Chun’s face lit up with excitement. “It’s in the West Pavilion.”

Xie Yi got up, and the two walked side by side toward the West Pavilion. Inside, they found that Su Huai had already ordered lanterns to be lit, illuminating the area brightly. On a table sat a square box covered with a velvet red cloth.

Xu Chun gently nudged Xie Yi’s arm. “Ninth Brother, take a look.”

Xie Yi went over and lifted the velvet red cloth, revealing a glass case containing a globe. The rivers, lakes, and seas were depicted in turquoise blue, the mountains and valleys in verdant green, and the gray meridians and parallels intricately ran through the globe. The base was made of rosewood, with dragon heads embedded at the eight corners.

He was somewhat surprised. “Is this a globe? The Astronomical Bureau also has one, but it’s not as detailed as this one.”

Xu Chun laughed. “It took quite a bit of effort.” He then lifted the outermost layer of glass covering and proudly showed it off to Xie Yi.

Xie Yi leaned closer to examine it and praised, “It must not have been easy to make this glass sphere, and to fit it perfectly around the outside.”

Xu Chun elaborated with great detail, “We started with a wooden inner ball and then meticulously painted the patterns of the globe, including the sea charts, islands, and continents. We gathered the most accurate nautical maps from Europe and the South Seas to recreate the design, which was the most laborious step. After finalizing the sea chart draft, we commissioned the best embroiderers to determine the colors and carefully embroider it, covering the inner core. Then, we placed the finished glass sphere over it and mounted it on the wooden stand.”

Xie Yi nodded slightly. “You’ve put a lot of thought into it.”

Xu Chun looked at Xie Yi with bright eyes. “This embroidered sea chart will grace your desk, allowing you to play with it and admire it daily. The four seas and nine regions, the entire world, will be within your grasp. Does Ninth Brother like it?”

Xie Yi said, “Yes.”

Xu Chun stared at him. “Just like that?”

Xie Yi finally couldn’t hold back his laughter. “What else? Should I grant you the title of Pacifying Rebel General as well? You could have come last night, and now, regardless of what you bring me, it’s too late.”

Xu Chun threw himself into his arms and laughed. “I know that Ninth Brother has already arranged everything for me, and I’m not doing this for a title. Just seeing Ninth Brother smile makes everything worth it.”

Xie Yi held him close, filled with tenderness, and lowered his head to gently kiss his lips.

Xu Chun opened his mouth to meet his kiss, his face flushed, and his eyes were dazed. They embraced for a while, both panting slightly, before Xie Yi whispered, “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

Xu Chun’s face was bright red, and he whispered, “Not hungry. Let me serve Ninth Brother first… Ninth Brother, reward me first.”

Xie Yi said, “You said you didn’t care about my rewards.”

Xu Chun pushed Xie Yi to sit on the couch, knelt on the soft wool carpet, and smiled as he held his knee. “How could I not care? Crown Prince Nong received a dragon robe, and he was so proud that he wore it right away. Ninth Brother should also bestow one upon me.”

Xie Yi thought of the smoky chiffon nightwear delivered yesterday and said meaningfully, “Compared to that, what’s a dragon robe? After bathing tonight, I’ll also bestow upon you a piece of clothing specially made for you, tailored to fit you perfectly, complementing you the most.”

Su Huai, standing outside the West Warm Pavilion, listened to the two of them talking. Most of it was Xu Chun’s laughter, and as their playful banter faded, he quickly ordered someone to prepare hot water.

It was completely dark outside when Xie Yi finally ordered hot water to be brought in. A short while later, the two of them came out to call for dinner.

After dinner, they went to the warm pool for a bath. It was then that Xu Chun saw the smoky chiffon “bestowed clothing,” soft and sheer like a wisp of gossamer.

He picked it up and coughed twice. “Ninth Brother… wearing this in such cold weather…”

Xie Yi said, “You said you wanted to celebrate my birthday, but it seems you weren’t sincere. Not wearing the bestowed clothing is a crime of criticizing the emperor.”

Xu Chun: “…”

He didn’t say anything else, putting on the clothes. Xie Yi watched him dress while lazily soaking in the hot spring.

Under the dim candlelight, the faint crimson glow cast a hazy and mysterious light, reflecting the shimmering pearls on the gauzy fabric. The young man’s smooth and taut skin, illuminated by the candlelight, was enveloped in a soft crimson mist, revealing a vibrant hue through the sheer chiffon.

The loosely draped chiffon robe revealed almost all of his long, muscular legs, and his slender waist and back seemed to emit a faint glow under the candlelight, as if he were a luminous pearl of crystal.

Xu Chun lowered his head to fasten his belt, only to find that the sash of the nightgown was a long string of jade beads. After wrapping it around twice, the wide collar hung loosely, still exposing a large portion of his chest.

He coughed lightly, knowing that the purpose of wearing this outfit was for Ninth Brother to take it off personally. Still, it was inevitable that he would feel a flush on his face.

He turned to look at Xie Yi, who had also dressed. He wore a nightgown of the same material, but in a deep green color. The red coral bead chain around his waist matched Xu Chun’s, and together, they stood before the dressing mirror, a harmonious pair of red and green.

Xie Yi reached out to embrace his waist. “It’s time to celebrate my birthday, isn’t it?”

Xu Chun turned and threw himself into his arms, laughing. “Ninth Brother, happy birthday.”

A night of intimacy ensued, with the room filled with a faint fragrance.

==

December sixteenth, the Ten Thousand Longevity Festival.

Scholars and warriors from across the empire, along with envoys from foreign lands, gathered in the imperial capital. The emperor held a grand banquet in the Hall of Heavenly Blessings for all his ministers.

Amidst the solemn and melodious music of the imperial wind, the ministers performed the court congratulatory ceremony in the Hall of Heavenly Blessings, bowing thirty-three times to the emperor. The Chief Cabinet Minister, Ouyang Shen, raised a cup to wish the emperor ten thousand years of life.

Xie Yi sat high on his throne, looking down at the ministers kneeling below. He knew that Xu Chun should be leading the envoys of the Four Barbarians somewhere in a corner, paying homage.

But it didn’t matter, knowing he was there was enough. Eventually, you will walk up from below into this bright hall and rule the world together with me.