Chapter 413: The Young Emperor's Birthday
On the young Emperor's birthday, officials of the fifth rank and above attended the palace banquet with their female family members.
Yun Chu arrived with her three children only after all the guests had gathered in the banquet hall.
By the twelfth lunar month, Jue Ge'er had reached eighteen months old and had begun speaking, though his words came out in fragments of two or three syllables, still unclear and indistinct.
The little one grew excited at the sight of so many people, clapping his hands enthusiastically. Yun Chu instructed the wet nurse and palace maids to keep close watch, ensuring the toddler wouldn't cause any mischief.
As the youngest prince in the history of the Great Jin Dynasty, the palace staff dared not be negligent. Seven or eight matrons and maids surrounded him, carefully guarding his every move.
When the banquet officially commenced, Regent Chu Rui stood up first, leading all officials in toasting the young Emperor: "We wish Your Majesty boundless longevity! May the Emperor live ten thousand years!"
Chu Hongyu also rose, raising a cup filled with tea as he declared loudly, "We thank our devoted ministers. Come, let Us drink with you all."
After the collective toast, the meal began, accompanied by a continuous stream of birthday tributes.
The nobility presented conventional gifts like writing brushes, inksticks, paper, and inkstones.
Only Marquis Pingjin, expressing gratitude for the recent preservation of his title, had gone through great efforts to acquire a luminous pearl, which he presented to the young Emperor.
Chu Hongyu's eyes lit up at the sight of the night-luminescent pearl. Imagining it crafted into a hairpin adorning Changsheng's tresses, he thought how exquisite it would look.
He immediately smiled and said, "Marquis Pingjin has been most thoughtful. We are quite fond of this gift."
Seated nearby, Chu Rui grew distracted upon seeing the luminous pearl.
He remembered this pearl had been Su Ziyue's most valuable dowry item. To help him forge ties with the Bowyuan Marquis household, she had gifted this very pearl to the Bowyuan Marquis's wife.
Unexpectedly, the Bowyuan Marquis turned out to be a woman, leading to the household's complete collapse.
This luminous pearl must have been pawned by the Bowyuan family, eventually falling into Marquis Pingjin's possession, who now presented it as a birthday tribute to the young Emperor.
Thoughts of Su Ziyue naturally led to concerns about the child she carried in her womb, casting a prolonged shadow over Chu Rui's expression.
Court officials continued presenting their gifts one by one.
Finally, Chu Rui stood and addressed the assembly: "In this harsh winter, besides plum blossoms, no other flowers can be admired. I specially had a hundred potted fresh flowers transported from the south as a birthday gift, placed in the Warm Pavilion of the Imperial Garden. Your Majesty, would you care to view them?"
The palace maintained a Warm Pavilion specifically for nurturing delicate flowers.
The guests, having sat through the banquet with little activity, grew curious about these southern blossoms.
Chu Hongyu accommodated their interest by rising: "Very well, let all our ministers accompany Us to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers."
The banquet hall stood not far from the Imperial Garden, just a short walk down a palace pathway.
The garden's plum trees were in full bloom, their crimson blossoms dusted with white snow creating a breathtaking scene that made visitors pause in admiration.
Upon entering the Warm Pavilion, a wave of fragrance greeted them.
Yun Chu observed flowers of various colors, all perfectly preserved without the slightest damage to their petals—testament to the immense human effort, resources, and expenses required to transport them from south to north.
Noblewomen and young misses expressed their astonishment:
"How exquisite! These are flowers never before seen in the capital."
"The Regent has been most considerate, allowing us to feast our eyes on such beauty."
"..."
While the women admired the blossoms inside the Warm Pavilion, the men composed poetry inspired by the snow-adorned red plum blossoms outside, creating a wonderfully harmonious atmosphere.At that moment, someone exclaimed in alarm.
"Look over there! What's that?"
Everyone turned to look in the direction the person was pointing.
There stood the Moon-Reaching Pavilion, the tallest palace in the imperial compound with a full nine stories. It could be seen from anywhere within the palace grounds.
Right at that moment, there was actually someone on the ninth-floor windowsill of the Moon-Reaching Pavilion. The person was sitting on the railing, their figure swaying back and forth, making onlookers' hearts race with fear.
"Who's up there? It's extremely dangerous! If they fall..."
"Judging by the clothing, it looks like Junior Tutor Lord Nie. Why would Lord Nie climb up to the Moon-Reaching Pavilion?"
"From the start of the birthday banquet until now, I haven't actually seen Lord Nie. Perhaps he went to the wrong place."
"I think I see Lord Nie holding a wine pot and drinking. Could he have had too much at the banquet and wandered to the wrong place?"
"..."
Hearing the discussion outside, Yun Chu immediately stepped out of the Warm Pavilion.
From this angle in the Imperial Garden, the windowsill of the Moon-Reaching Pavilion was clearly visible. There was indeed someone sitting on the railing, and judging by both clothing and figure, it was unmistakably Nie Zhou.
However, just yesterday Nie Zhou had specifically come to the palace to apologize, saying his elderly mother had suddenly become critically ill. He needed to remain at her bedside to accompany her on her final journey, so he would be absent from today's birthday banquet. He begged forgiveness from her and the Emperor. Naturally, she wouldn't blame Nie Zhou - filial piety comes first among all virtues. She deeply respected anyone who prioritized their elderly mother, and had even specially arranged for two imperial physicians to accompany him for treatment.
Something was wrong about this situation.
She immediately instructed Qiutong: "Go quickly to the Moon-Reaching Pavilion and see what's happening."
Qiutong nodded, turned and hurried away.
Yun Chu kept her eyes fixed on Nie Zhou. She saw him suddenly raise the wine pot in his hand and pour wine into his mouth.
Then, Nie Zhou's body tilted sideways. Fortunately, he didn't fall outward but collapsed below the windowsill. The lower part was blocked by the wall, so the specific situation couldn't be seen.
But at least he was no longer sitting in that high position, and Yun Chu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, right at that moment.
The person who had just fallen suddenly got up, leaped over the railing, and fell from the nine-story height.
Though they were far away and couldn't hear the thud of impact, the ladies and young misses present couldn't help but scream in terror.
"Heavens..."
"Lord Nie... he, he actually jumped."
"Falling from such height, he's certainly dead."
"Why would this happen..."
Yun Chu's mind went blank for a moment.
Then she immediately snapped back to attention and quickly strode toward the Moon-Reaching Pavilion.
She walked rapidly, almost at a run, holding up her skirt, not caring about her dignity, not daring to delay for even a moment.
The officials and their family members who had witnessed the entire incident followed Yun Chu toward the Moon-Reaching Pavilion.
Although the Moon-Reaching Pavilion was clearly visible from the Imperial Garden, the two buildings were actually quite far apart. It took a quarter-hour of fast walking to reach it.
The entrance to the Moon-Reaching Pavilion had already been secured by Qiutong, who was allowing no one to enter.
Seeing Yun Chu and the young Emperor arriving with their retinue, she came forward to report: "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, when your subordinate arrived, Lord Nie was just falling from the building. There simply wasn't enough time... I've examined him. Lord Nie no longer has any breath."
Her voice was full of regret - if only she had arrived just a little earlier, she could certainly have saved Lord Nie...
The Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stepped forward: "Allow your subject to examine the scene and determine what happened."Yun Chu reached out to stop the Chief of the Court of Judicial Review: "No need. This grieving one will go see."
She understood clearly that the Chief of the Court of Judicial Review was personally promoted by Chu Rui—trusting anyone would be better than trusting him.
She took the lead and walked inside.
Step by step, she approached the person lying on the ground.
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