Chapter 17: There are great scholars chatting and laughing among us, and there is no unlearned person among us! Hall of Wende Under the candlelight, the white jade floor shines with a warm glow. On the sandalwood eaves, a phoenix spreads its wings as if ready to fly. The green tile floating windows are majestic and grand. The plaque on the palace door is carved with lifelike dragon patterns, which complement the sandalwood eaves. Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhao Zhen, the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty who was in his prime years, looked quietly at several memorials on the imperial desk and slowly began to read them. When he saw one of the memorials, Zhao Zhen's calm face couldn't help but smile, and he nodded repeatedly with joy. "Han Qing has taken a liking to a young man. He will host a banquet for his friends in Beijing and a teacher-apprentice banquet in a month." Zhao Zhen looked at the memorial and felt unusually happy. There is competition between factions, but in fact they also maintain a balance implicitly. It is not a good thing if one side suddenly loses. The people on the Queen's side have gradually become stronger over the years. As the emperor, he is destined to be in a transcendent position and in charge of everything, so it is not easy for him to intervene personally. But if we just ignore it, it won't work.
The power of the Queen's faction is quite different from that of the ministers' factions. The Queen is the mother of the country. Compared with the ministers who only occupy half of the word "King", her power is much more difficult to deal with than that of the ministers' factions. Someone needs to check and balance the queen. And Han Zhang is the one he favors to be the next prime minister. Once Han Zhang comes to power, the Han faction will be able to balance the Queen's side. "Chu Hong? He is the scholar who stood in the snow at Han Men's Gate, was sincere in his desire to learn, and ranked second in the last exam, right?" As an emperor, Zhao Zhen was naturally very concerned about the developments in Bianliang. These things could reflect the public opinion of his subjects to a certain extent and had extremely high reference value. Of course, the main purpose is to relieve boredom and eat some melons! Therefore, Zhao Zhen had heard the name Chu Hong more than once during this period, and he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when he saw it again. "Your Majesty really has a good memory. This Chu Hong is the second place winner in this joint examination. He went to ask for advice from Prime Minister Han, who was fast asleep, so he waited patiently. 'When entering, half a finger of snow is in the snow; when exposed, it is three feet thick' is referring to this 'Jiangnan Phoenix'." The old eunuch who was standing at the bottom of the steps to the dragon throne had a very good memory and immediately agreed with Zhao Zhen's words. "Well, he is a good young man! I will definitely take a closer look at him during the palace examination." "Ha! I remember the last time all the civil officials above the fifth rank attended a banquet together was two years ago, right?" Zhao Zhen smiled casually and found that there seemed to be no such banquet in Bianjing for a long time. "The last banquet of this magnitude was held at the home of Mr. Fu. His concubine was pregnant, and Mr. Fu was so happy that he, who was always low-key, rarely hosted a banquet for the dignitaries of Bianjing." "Well, Fu Qing had no children in his life, so it's normal for him to be happy when his concubine, who is sixty, is pregnant. But it's a pity that it's a daughter!" Zhao Zhen sighed and shook his head. Who could have thought that the prime minister of the current dynasty would have no successor? Who would have thought that the current emperor would also have no descendants? After sighing a few times, Zhao Zhen's expression became unusually calm again. Fu Bi made his concubine pregnant at the age of sixty, so was there any hope for him too? Yes? There should be! I, Zhao Zhen, have been in charge of government for more than thirty years, the longest period of time among all the emperors in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty. There are also few emperors in history books who have been in charge of government for more than thirty years like me. This shows that God favors me. There is no reason for my throne to have no one to inherit it, right? Right, God? You had caused several princes to die young before. Were you joking with me?
After a few silent sighs, Zhao Zhen placed the memorial on the imperial desk. "Han Qing knows me! The dignitaries in Bianjing have been suppressed for a long time. Let them have a good gathering!" "Since we are going to hold a banquet, why not let it go completely and let Han Qing send some invitations to the palaces of princes, dukes, marquises, and earls!" "The young men and women in Bianjing need such an opportunity to get to know each other. I also want to know their opinions. Instead of letting them discuss it quietly, it is better to give them a chance." The old eunuch knew what the emperor was talking about, "they" were the top civil and military dignitaries, that is, the nobles who entered the Privy Council and the civil officials who entered the cabinet. As for the "opinion", it was naturally a matter of the emperor not having a prince at the age of knowing his destiny. "Speaking of which, this is a rare big happy event in Bianjing, so we must celebrate it with great fanfare. Let's ask the Imperial Kitchen to go over and help!" "Yes!" "I remember there is a Mingduan ink-colored folding fan in the palace. You can personally give it to the child on the day of the apprenticeship banquet!" "As for Han Qing..." Zhao Zhen picked up a piece of rice paper, picked up his brush and dipped it in ink, and then a few large characters appeared on the paper: He puts the world in a safe place like Mount Tai, and can be called a loyal minister of the country! "Let someone carve it with warm jade, and send it over when the time comes!" "Yes, Your Majesty!" The old eunuch looked at the words written by the emperor himself and was secretly horrified. What a great emphasis and love this is! Just based on this word, as long as Han Ge Lao's descendants do not do evil, every generation will produce a third-rank court official. Regardless of whether it is an honorary position or not, the third rank can be passed down continuously. As for the evaluation itself, it is even more amazing. With this evaluation, as long as Lord Han does not make a serious mistake, he will definitely be selected into the Cabinet of Famous Ministers, be worshipped by kings for generations, and be enshrined in the Royal Ancestral Temple. You know, during each reign of an emperor, only one or two people were allowed to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Even the prime minister might not be qualified to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple! Even Fan Wenzheng, the main figure in the party struggle and reform at that time, was not allowed to be enshrined in the imperial temple! In comparison, the sentence "Look more at the palace examination" that represents the number one scholar has been determined is not so conspicuous. The old eunuch didn't dare to think too much and immediately bowed respectfully in silence. …… Amid the clattering sound of firecrackers, Chu Hong accompanied Han Zhang in greeting people with a smile. He looked gentle, elegant, and very easy to get along with. "congratulations!" "It's really a happy event!" "Your Highness Prince Yan!" "Your Highness Prince Yong!" "Marquis Ningyuan!" "Lord Shen!" "British Duke!"
"Rich husband!?" When most of the distinguished guests had arrived, Han Zhang took Chu Hong to meet them. Each one of them was either a minister or a chancellor. Ordinary third-rank purple-robed officials would not even be considered good enough in such a gathering. When everyone had met each other, they officially began to become disciples. The etiquette was nothing special, except that it was more rigorous and solemn. A few breaths after Chu Hong offered the tea, a sharp and loud voice came into the mansion. "Angels are coming..." "Angel?" "hiss……" Many families of officials of the fourth and fifth ranks looked surprised. Some who had never seen the world before hesitated whether to kneel down. The families of cabinet ministers and prime ministers had undoubtedly seen the world and had expected that the emperor might bestow blessings, so they knelt down in preparation. Han Zhang also anticipated that the government might reward him, so he was well prepared. His servants skillfully placed the chopping board and incense burner on the table. As one of the protagonists of this apprenticeship banquet, Chu Hong followed his teacher Han Zhang and bowed in front of the incense burner. "In obedience to the will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Han Zhang, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, the Grand Secretary of the Zhaowen Hall, the Grand Master of Imperial Households, the Grand Secretary of the State…, is knowledgeable and sensible, noble yet frugal, diligent in following the rules, able to assist in the etiquette of the country, upright and harmonious, and harmonious and benevolent. He is hereby granted a warm jade plaque with the inscription [Putting the world in the peace of Mount Tai, he can be called a minister of the state] to express his loyalty and diligence. The Chu Hong family of Yangzhou comes from a scholarly family. They are well-versed in literature and science, studious and inquisitive, and have a sincere desire to learn. They are role models for students all over the world, and are specially awarded a pair of Mingduan ink-colored folding fans. Admire this! " "I thank your majesty!" ×2 Chu Hong and Han Zhang slowly stood up after expressing their gratitude, their eyes filled with surprise. Oh my god, this reward...hiss! The ministers who had been calm all along were horrified. They had given Han Zhang a promise, right? How could they give him such a thing? Is this the emperor trying to convey some political direction? The cabinet ministers were already feeling extremely upset, but their faces were full of congratulations and joy, as if they were happy that their friends had received a reward. After delivering the imperial eunuch, the old eunuch left tactfully. The Han Mansion's housekeeper went up to him with a smile and expressed his courtesy, and then gave him a small bag of silver. The old eunuch then left with a smile. In fact, at this point, the old eunuch no longer cared about a small bag of money. What he cared about was the meaning behind the prime minister and ministers giving him the silver. The prime minister and his ministers are willing to give him money, which means they will not mess with him, so he can stay in office longer. …… After the gifts were given, the banquet became more lively, and the female family members looked satisfied as if they had seen the world and had something to talk about. This banquet alone is enough to be a topic of conversation for the whole year and a half, and people will talk about it everywhere without getting tired of it. After all, a banquet of this level of grandeur, with court officials of varying ranks and gifts bestowed by the emperor, was extremely rare even in Bianliang, which was filled with dignitaries. There are not many people who are qualified to submit invitation letters to cabinet ministers and prime ministers, not to mention that this time it is a gathering of civil and military officials. After the angel left, Prince Yan and Prince Yong said goodbye one after another, leaving only their sons to represent them at the banquet. As the emperor gets older, the presence of these two people becomes more and more special. It is impossible for them to attend a banquet for a long time, which may make the emperor jealous and angry. Who could have thought that there really was no prince left alive in the current official family? The departure of Prince Yan and Prince Yong did not bring peace to the banquet, but instead made it more and more lively.
As one of the protagonists of the banquet, Chu Hong naturally got to know and interact with many young talents, including the eldest son of Prince Yan, the eldest son of Prince Yong, the grandson of Grand Tutor Yu, the grandson of Lord Shen, and the eldest son of Duke Ying, Zhang Ding. However, when there are too many people, there will be too many eyes and too many words will lead to mistakes. Everyone is very smart and the discussion is just about entertainment and fun. The younger generation interacts with each other, and the older generation naturally communicates with each other. After all, there are not many opportunities for such exchanges between civil and military dignitaries, and such a unique opportunity may not come around every few years. However, this time, the civil and military officials seemed to have reached a rare unanimous agreement, and the initiator was the current Prime Minister Fu Bi. The ladies also chatted and played, fishing, chuiwan, and polo. This banquet was indeed a banquet that all officials and families in Bianliang needed. A banquet of this level was no longer just a banquet for paying homage to a teacher. Women need a good opportunity to get together and chat and gossip, and the younger generation of men and women who want to get married need this good opportunity to get to know each other and see what the person they are going to marry is like... Everything is lively (End of this chapter)