The Qing court treasured several sets of ruyi scepters presented by regional officials in honor of imperial birthdays or other traditional festivals. Usually, each set has nine pieces in one box, conveying good wishes forever since "nine" is homophone with endless (jiu). As the largest single digit, nine was traditionally considered an auspicious number representing abundance. Nine and its multiples are the most "perfect" numbers in Chinese philosophy. In the Book of Change (Yi jing), nine also signifies the best. Therefore, to express their best wishes officials presented nine ruyi scepters in one set for an emperor or empress. Sometime, the emperor gave a set with various materials to cultivate officials' good will.