Jingliu said softly:
"Have you forgotten?"
"Today is your birthday too."
"Happy birthday, my husband."
Xianyu instinctively raised a hand to touch the laurel leaves atop his head.
The scene before him overlapped with the one in his memories.
Everyone else joined Jingliu in offering their wishes.
Xianyu looked back at them and chuckled.
"Thank you. I love it."
Dan Feng slipped a hand into his sleeve and rummaged around.
The High Elder's sleeves were the widest, perfect for hiding things.
"Don't rush. There's more."
A moment later, he took out a small, exquisite gift box and held it out to Xianyu, saying rather smugly:
"Open it and see."
Xianyu untied the ribbon and opened the box.
Inside were dozens of letters.
Yingxing said wistfully:
"They wrote you so many letters."
Baiheng added:
"We spent ages picking them out with Daiyang, Guan Liang, and the others..."
The Foxian changed tack.
"Of course, Jingliu did most of the work."
Xianyu looked at Jingliu.
Under the warm, dim light, his beloved looked even more beautiful than usual.
Her lashes fluttered, as though she were shy.
"These are only a small portion of the letters. As for the other gifts..."
"You'll see them when you get home."
Xianyu's voice softened without him realizing.
"Thank you for all your effort."
Jingliu met his gaze, her eyes growing ever gentler.
Her husband deserved the finest things in the world.
After a thousand years, that belated love and respect had finally reached Xianyu.
Dan Feng had long since grown tired of hearing their conversations at the Academy. Now, their increasingly lovey-dovey atmosphere was more than he could bear.
The High Elder raised a hand, and a server appeared at just the right moment, holding a bottle of wine and showing everyone the label.
Dan Feng urged