You have to know that the old prime minister has seen the world. During the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, this guy was the emperor's uncle, and his elder sister was Empress Xiao. He had seen all kinds of scenes. Later, he became the prime minister of Li Yuan, and all the civil and military officials in the court had seen it. No one felt this nervous.
But at this moment, thinking about his upcoming meeting with Li Xiang, the old prime minister felt a little nervous.
The last time the two met was because of the matter of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu. Li Xiang had originally tried to persuade them kindly, hoping that they would not get involved, but he did not expect that the old prime minister was full of ambition at the time and wanted to take advantage of the momentum of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu to allow their Lanling Xiao family to make a qualitative leap.
But unexpectedly, this time the leap was not successful, and he fell from a high altitude, and the fall was very serious. Everyone from top to bottom was very dissatisfied with him as the head of the family. You should lead us to glory, but now there is no glory. Instead, you have tortured us. If it were not for our strong family background, we would not be able to get up after falling this time.
The old prime minister had seen many dangers in his life, but he had never seen such a danger. The last time it was not serious for the entire family and they could still recover, but the last time the plan came from the hands of a child.
The old prime minister had seen many young talents, but compared with Li Xiang, they all seemed unqualified. Li Xiang either didn't make a move, or when he did, he would hit you directly on the weak spot.
Speaking of which, Li Xiang still saved some face. According to him, the Lanling Xiao family made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty and was not as arrogant as other aristocratic families, so we have to let in the money that should flow in. Who knows if we will be able to ask them for help in the future?
"Oh my, it's really our fault, father and I. There are so many things going on in the court, and we have kept the old prime minister waiting for so long."
When facing Xiao Yu, even Li Chengqian had to speak nicely. After all, he was the prime minister of the previous generation of the Tang Dynasty. Although he had a bad relationship with Li Shimin, he still held a high position. Moreover, as the head of the Lanling Xiao family, Li Chengqian had to be more humble.
As for Li Xiang, he had to follow Li Chengqian obediently at this moment. Since Li Chengqian didn't mention the state etiquette, Li Xiang had no right to say it.
"Your Highness, what are you talking about? National affairs are of course important. Your Highness, the Crown Prince, and Your Highness, the Crown Prince, are the backbone of the Tang Dynasty. They work really hard every day. I am just a leisurely person at home. It's okay to wait for a while."
When the old prime minister said this, he felt a little sad in his heart. People outside called him the old prime minister. Is he really old? Calculating his age, he is still much younger than some of the old men in the court, but they can sit in the court honestly, while we can only drink tea at home.
The two sides bowed to each other, which is also a style of the Tang Dynasty. If you two have a good relationship, whether it is a royal family or a meritorious family, it is basically done like this. Salute is only performed in some formal occasions.
Of course, if you two are not getting along, then the royal family members must stand up straight, and you must salute obediently no matter what the occasion. If you stand still, you will be held accountable.
At the very least, it's your own problem, and you may be fined some of your salary. At the most serious level, it's because your family didn't provide you with good education, and everyone including your father and grandfather may be held accountable.
Therefore, when it comes to etiquette, it is better to be a little excessive than to be too arrogant because of the relationship between the two parties. Once someone catches you in the act, no one will say anything if you are on the rise now, but if you fail in the future, this act may result in the execution of your entire family.
After both parties sat down as host and guest, Li Chengqian did not ask anyone to serve tea. The father and son had already been drinking tea here all morning. If you still asked them to drink tea, they would probably go back with a belly full of tea.
"I know your Highnesses are busy, but the princess has already prepared wine and food. I happen to be idle at home, so I'm here to personally invite your Highnesses to the banquet."
This is the second most important place in the Eastern Palace after Li Shimin, so it is not easy to talk about other things here. It is not allowed for a prince to make friends with ministers, but it is not so strict now.
It is understandable that the old prime minister put the blame on Princess Xiangcheng. No one can say that a younger brother cannot go to his sister's house for dinner. No matter how strict the court's requirements are, this one is understandable.
What's more, this matter had been agreed upon long ago in front of Li Shimin. Even if someone sued Li Shimin, Li Xiang and his son had nothing to fear.
"We should be hosting a banquet for my sister first, but all this stuff at court is making me feel a bit dizzy. Since the old Prime Minister is here in person today, my father and I have to go over and ask for his help."
What Li Chengqian said was definitely not an excuse. Since Li Chengqian regained power, Li Shimin began to enjoy himself. Except for some military and national affairs, Li Shimin sent all these things to the Eastern Palace. This could be regarded as his pursuit of psychological balance.
At that time, Li Shimin was still angry with Li Xiang. "Aren't you going to make me angry?" Then I will make your father busy. There are dozens of memorials of all sizes every day. Li Chengqian was very interested at first. After all, he had been idle for so many years. This is also a symbol of power.
But after being busy for a month or two, Li Chengqian felt like he was about to faint. There were so many things to do in a country every day. Even if he was only in charge of major affairs, there would be at least fifty or sixty things to do a day.
So it was a rare day for Li Chengqian to have some free time, and being able to go out for the banquet today could be considered as giving his brain a break, not to mention that Li Shimin also knew about this matter.
"Then I will go ahead and wait for the two of you at home."
Xiao Yu was very satisfied with this result. After Li Chengqian regained power, banquets were held in large numbers in every household in the court, and everyone wanted Li Chengqian to have dinner at their homes. However, except for Changsun Wuji and Cheng Yaojin, Li Chengqian had never visited anyone else at their homes.
Changsun Wuji is Li Chengqian's uncle, so it is normal for him to go there for dinner, and he must go there during the holidays.
Cheng Yaojin is Li Chengqian's relative, which is understandable. Xiao Yu can be ranked third, which is also a great honor.