My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

Simu's speed was astonishing! Were it not for Gu Lan's preparedness, there was a real possibility that the little one might have succeeded in seizing the prize.

"Father—Spirit Fruit—" Unable to snatch it by force, Simu once again displayed a pitiful expression, quick to change tactics. Such talent was extraordinary!

Gu Lan's lips curved slightly upwards as she ceased the mental tug-of-war with Simu, handing over the Spirit Fruit.

Simultaneously, she activated the shadow-carving stone in her hand.

"Hulu Brothers, Hulu Brothers, seven flowers on a vine!"

"Unafraid of wind and rain, la la la la..."

"Ding dang dong dong, Hulu Brothers..."

Just as Simu was about to grab the Spirit Fruit and bring it to her lips, she heard a strange melody...

Then, she saw a projection emanating from her father's shadow-carving stone. In the projection were seven peculiar figures, some capable of size-shifting, others of spewing water or fire...

These seven odd beings were transformed from what seemed to be gourds!? Truly bizarre!

Simu nibbled on the Spirit Fruit while fixedly observing the images projected by the shadow-carving stone, not blinking once.

At this moment, the entire court, including officials and military personnel, was petrified.

They couldn't comprehend the scenes depicted in Prince Jingyang's shadow-carving stone, but they could vaguely discern it was a fantastical tale.

However, whether one liked such tales or not, all fell silent... For the protagonists appeared to be seven gourd-transformed beings, engaging in battles against other supernatural entities...

This narrative was simply excessively dull! Yet, why did it captivate the little princess so?

Was it the peculiar attire and abilities of these gourd beings? But why did these gourd beings address a human as their grandfather?

Simply because this human watered them? The officials and military personnel were utterly perplexed and somewhat embarrassed...

However, in the presence of Gu Lan and the Empress, they dared not show it, only able to stare at the images with a "face full of curiosity and astonishment"!

Damn, they had never seen such childish artwork and strange tales before. How did Prince Jingyang manage to record these images into the shadow-carving stone?

At that moment, everyone was filled with questions. But now was the little princess's Zhuazhou ceremony, and she was watching so earnestly, how could they dare to disturb her?

Even if their scalps were tingling with discomfort, they could only grit their teeth and continue watching.

On the sidelines, Mu Yuyan also watched the projected images from the shadow-carving stone attentively. In her eyes, there was both confusion and surprise.

She knew Gu Lan had prepared a birthday gift for Simu, but she never expected it to be... so unique.

The shadow-carving stone could capture and reproduce scenes and sounds from reality. Yet the images in Gu Lan's shadow-carving stone clearly weren't captured from real-life scenes.

Those images resembled the work of a painter, meticulously crafted and then assembled one after another, transitioning seamlessly to form lifelike scenes.

To achieve such images, undoubtedly, required immense effort and dedication. Thinking of this, Mu Yuyan was deeply moved.

Her husband had already worked so hard to deal with the Yu Nation and the Joyful Hall, yet he still managed to spare energy to prepare such a thoughtful gift for Simu.

Such sentiment was truly touching. Mu Yuyan glanced towards Gu Lan. Coincidentally, Gu Lan's gaze also met hers.

"Husband, thank you."

"Mere verbal thanks won't suffice, I wish to express my gratitude through actions..."

"..."

It was unwise to communicate with this individual at such a moment... Mu Yuyan turned away, a faint blush creeping onto her delicate cheeks.

Fortunately, everyone's attention was fixated on those peculiar gourd siblings, and no one noticed the Empress's subtle change in demeanor.

As they watched the animation, time flew by swiftly. Finally, one episode of the "Hulu Brothers" concluded, and the shadow-carving stone lost its radiance.

"Huh! What happened? Can Big Brother save Grandpa?"

"Big Brother possesses boundless strength and extraordinary powers, he will surely rescue Grandpa!"

"You're right! Those demons are no match for the Hulu Brothers!"

"I want to see Big Brother punch the scorpion spirit and stomp on the snake demon! Leave no demons alive!"

"Psst, aren't the Hulu Brothers demons themselves?"

As the images disappeared, many military officials remained immersed in the animated story, some even started arguing about it. In contrast, the civil officials breathed a collective sigh of relief, some even massaging their foreheads with a sigh...

The artistic style of those gourd siblings was just too peculiar and crude for their tastes... They truly couldn't appreciate it.

However, since it was something presented by Prince Jingyang and the little princess liked it so much, they couldn't afford to lag behind the military officials who couldn't even recognize a single character!

"Prince Jingyang's story of the Hulu Brothers is truly remarkable."

"Even the humblest gourd demons display a courageous spirit, defying the demon king for the sake of our human race's nurturing, it's truly inspiring, we..."

Suddenly, a civil official began quoting scriptures and praising excessively. Seeing this, the other civil officials couldn't help but inwardly mock.

But as soon as that official finished, another one started, praising even more extravagantly. It was almost as if they were comparing the Hulu Brothers to divine beings, the guardian beasts of the Jing Nation.

Gu Lan felt a chill run down her spine, quickly interrupting the civil official who seemed eager to continue praising.

"Gentlemen, this is merely an animated story, there's no need to elevate it to such lofty patriotic heights..."

"This story is simple, and its artistic style is appealing, suitable for children's enjoyment."

"This is the first time I've made such a little trinket through the shadow-carving stone, the story of the Hulu Brothers is Mumu's birthday gift from me..."

"Starting today."

"The Gu's Teahouse will broadcast animated stories daily, in addition to the Hulu Brothers, there will be other animated tales. These shadow-carving stones can also be mass-produced in the royal industry of the Jing Nation, so this is also a gift from me and Her Majesty to the children of the Jing Nation."

Gu Lan bowed to the civil and military officials present, despite her high position, she remained humble and graceful, like a refreshing breeze.

This animation had long been on her mind. For both others and herself, it was a rare form of entertainment.

If the cultural heritage of the previous life could be disseminated, perhaps the people of the Jing Nation could create even better cultural derivatives. The seeds had been sown, now it was just a matter of waiting for them to sprout.

Just then, as Simu, who had just finished watching the animation, came back to her senses, she raised her little hand and pointed at Grand Tutor Su Hua, shouting, "Grandpa! Grandpa!"

All the officials in the court turned to look. Each of them couldn't help but smile. It turned out that Grand Tutor Su Hua's bearded appearance resembled the old grandpa from the animated story.

Seeing this, Grand Tutor Su Hua smiled gently. Just as he was about to politely decline out of propriety, Mu Yuyan's gentle voice came, "Teacher is respected and esteemed, having served as the Imperial Tutor for three dynasties, he deserves to be called Mumu's grandpa."

The officials nodded in agreement, indeed, Su Hua had the qualifications. Su Hua had no choice but to accept it.@@novelbin@@

But at this moment, Simu turned her little hand and pointed at Zhang Qingwei, continuing to shout, "Grandpa! Grandpa!"

Everyone saw this and looked over. This time, everyone burst into laughter. It turned out that Master Zhang Qingwei and Grand Tutor Su Hua had the same bearded appearance.

Thinking of the two of them quarreling over this little guy in recent days... Even some Imperial Censors who rarely smiled couldn't help but smile at this moment.

The little prince had been causing trouble since he was young, it seemed he hadn't changed as he grew up!