The couple knelt and kowtowed once more, then received the Empress's decree.
The eunuch from Eternal Peace Palace delivered the Empress's decree, smiling as he presented a box with both hands and handed it to Su Ziji.
Though some were curious about what lay inside, none dared urge Su Ziji to open it and satisfy their curiosity.
Yet the items bestowed by the Emperor alone were enough to leave people astonished.
Strictly speaking, none of these things were particularly valuable. When certain court officials rendered meritorious service, it was common enough for the Emperor to reward them.
But one item among them drew the wonder of many: the pair of jade ruyi scepters bestowed upon the couple by the Emperor.
One had to know that when jade ruyi scepters were bestowed by the Emperor or Empress, their significance went far beyond their material worth. Even from the literal meaning of the words, one could tell that whoever received them must have earned the Emperor's satisfaction.
"Marquis of Dai must enjoy no small measure of imperial favor."
Of the several dozen people present, most naturally had not thought so deeply.
But several of them were unlike the other examinees. On the contrary, they were exceptionally perceptive, even deliberate in their calculations.
They had risked coming to the literary gathering hosted by the Marquis of Dai for no reason other than investment. They believed that with their foundations, backgrounds, and reputations, they could never win notice at Prince Qi's side. But here with the Marquis of Dai, they could receive due attention.
Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix—this described them exactly.
The representatives among them were Zhang Lan and He Bingzhi.
Before coming, He Bingzhi had even been urged otherwise. He himself had come