Emperor Chen drew a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and picked up the next memorial. Suddenly, his gloomy expression began to thaw like ice and snow meeting sunlight. The corners of his lips rose involuntarily, finally giving way to heartfelt praise. "Good, good! Qingzhou has done splendidly!"
He tapped the memorial with a fingertip, a rare delight in his voice as he continued, "The Huai River burst its banks over a thousand miles, bringing a terrible disaster. Not only did he swiftly provide relief and rebuild the embankments, he even distributed all the grain seed for this autumn without missing the farming season by a moment. I... I am deeply gratified, deeply gratified..."
After a while, he raised his eyes to Zhao Delu, who stood waiting nearby, and his voice regained its imperial authority. "Delu, what important business brings you to the palace at this hour?"
Zhao Delu had already left his seat and knelt respectfully before the imperial couch. Holding a dark teal brocade box high in both hands, he cried out, his voice trembling slightly with excitement, "Your Majesty, Heaven has blessed Great Chen! Bi Yunfei has returned in triumph and successfully brought back the Forging Technique!"
A sharp light flashed in Emperor Chen's eyes. He took the brocade box, removed the antiquated booklet inside, and quickly opened it to read.
Moments later, hearty laughter broke the silence of the hall. "Good, good! Heaven has indeed blessed Great Chen! This young man is a rare talent!"
Greatly pleased, Emperor Chen reached into a drawer of the imperial desk and took out a dark red token. Its material was neither metal nor wood, and it was engraved with a dragon soaring through auspicious clouds, with faint gleams flowing across its surface.
He tossed the token to Zhao Delu and