Chapter 76: Banquet in the Palace The entire Cao Wei, from the imperial court to the local areas, had become accustomed to having the Xiahou Caos command the troops. A few months ago, nearly a year after the former Jingzhou governor Xiahou Shang returned to Luoyang due to illness, Cao Rui took advantage of Sun Quan's attack on Jiangxia and ordered Chen Qun to be the governor of all Jingzhou military affairs. This caused quite a bit of discussion in the court at the time. Chen Qun was not the first person from another family to be appointed as the governor of a region. The last person to be appointed as the governor of a region was Wu Zhi. But Wu Zhi was the governor of Hebei! Hebei had long been the stable rear base of Cao Wei, and it did not border Eastern Wu or Shu Han, so Wu Zhi could go there. Wu Zhi lived in Yecheng, and the foreign troops under his direct command only had about 10,000 soldiers in total. Can Jingzhou be the same as Hebei? Jingzhou was an important place in the Three Kingdoms war. Although Chen Qun was one of the four great ministers, there were still some discussions in the court about Chen Qun's military ability. But Cao Rui had no choice. Someone had to go to Jingzhou. Should Sima Yi go? It would be more reliable to use Chen Qun. Moreover, Chen Qun could be transferred away from the court, which was like killing two birds with one stone. …… That night, Luoyang, Beigong. The last time Cao Rui went to the Zhonglei Camp where General Cao Hong was, Cao Hong invited Cao Rui to his home for a banquet. Cao Rui refused for some reason at the time, but he kept thinking about it. And today just happened to be an opportunity to set up a banquet in Beigong to entertain these generals from the Cao and Xiahou families.
This was the second time Cao Rui held a banquet in the palace. The last time he held a banquet, he was with his relatives and friends in the East Palace and important officials in the inner court. At that time, Cao Rui wanted to reward some officials, and he encountered Sima Fu. The hall was brightly lit, with more than ten tables lined up on both sides. A large number of eunuchs and palace maids were moving between them, arranging and placing food or utensils. The emperor was the last to appear. Under the guidance of the eunuchs, the ministers of Cao and Xiahou arrived at the palace gate one after another, only to find that the person welcoming them was Guanqiu Jian. As for Guanqiu Jian, who in the entire Luoyang court didn't know that he was a literary minister when Your Majesty was in the Eastern Palace? Not long after Your Majesty ascended the throne, he appointed Guanqiu Jian as the 2,000-stone Yueqi Xiaowei, who was a favorite of Your Majesty. Guanqiu Jian stood straight at the door. When he saw a slightly plump, pale-faced man in his forties approaching, he quickly took two steps forward and bowed, "Is this Minister Xiahou?" Among the guests today, Xiahou Mao was the first one to arrive. Having not been in Luoyang for a long time, Xiahou Mao did not recognize Guanqiu Jian's face, but it did not prevent Xiahou Mao from knowing the importance of this person. Although he was puzzled and felt uncomfortable with the title of 'Xiahou Shangshu', he still smiled and bowed and replied: "I am Xiahou Mao." Guanqiu Jian smiled and said, "I have heard of the great name of Minister Xiahou for a long time. I am Guanqiu Jian, and I have been ordered to guide the guests today. Minister Xiahou, please come this way." Xiahou Mi nodded in agreement, then walked into the hall and sat down at his seat. The guests arrived one after another. Among Xiahou Mao's peers were Xiahou Yuan's sons Xiahou Ba and Xiahou Wei, Xiahou Xuan's cousin Xiahou Ru, and Cao Cao's adopted son Qin Lang. The next generation later included Xiahou Xian, grandson of Xiahou Dun, Cao Zhao, son of Cao Xiu, and Cao Shuang, son of Cao Zhen. The last two people to arrive were General Cao Zhen and General Cao Hong. Guanqiu Jian was standing at the entrance to the palace. When he saw Cao Zhen and Cao Hong approaching together, he quickly walked to the steps and saluted them: "Greetings, General Da and General Wei." Cao Zhen was very familiar with drinking parties. When he saw Guanqiu Jian, whose surname was neither Cao nor Xiahou, was there, he already knew that it was the emperor's arrangement. Cao Zhen smiled and said, "Why, did His Majesty order you to welcome the guests?" Guanqiu Jian said respectfully: "As the general said, your majesty has ordered me to welcome the guests today. I will bring the general and general Wei to the table right away." Cao Hong was of the same generation as Cao Cao, and was the oldest and most senior person at the banquet. He also knew that Guanqiu Jian was highly regarded by the emperor, so he patted Guanqiu Jian on the shoulder and said, "Are all the people here? If you are, don't stand there. Come in with us." Guanqiu Jian bowed and said, "I dare not. Please let the General and General Wei go first." The two men did not pretend and walked into the hall. Seeing that the two tables near the emperor's seat were empty, they sat down one after another. As Cao Zhen and Cao Hong walked into the hall, several musicians nearby began to play music of the Western Regions Hu people.
As the music began, Cao Rui walked in from the side door. When the ministers saw the emperor coming, they left their seats and walked into the hall to pay their respects to the emperor. Cao Rui walked and said with a smile: "Today is a family dinner, everyone sit down, no need to be polite." "Thank you, Your Majesty." After everyone paid their respects, they sat down at their seats and raised their heads to look in the direction of the emperor. Cao Rui did not hesitate, he directly picked up the wine cup on the table, smiled and said: "Today I am gathering with all the clan members, I have prepared a banquet, I will not leave until I am drunk." "You all should thank the general for being able to hear this song today. If it weren't for the general's military exploits in Liang Province, where he conquered the Western Regions with one battle and many countries came to pay tribute, how could you all hear this song in Luoyang?" Cao Zhen laughed loudly, holding up the wine cup and said: "I was able to pacify Liang Province because of the grace of the late emperor and the great fortune of the Wei Dynasty. How dare I take credit for it?" "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being so presumptuous, but could you make me the wine supervisor?" Cao Rui smiled and looked at everyone: "Is there anyone willing to compete with the general for this position?" Cao Zhen smiled and said, "If anyone thinks they can drink more than me, feel free to come and grab some." Cao Hong stroked his beard opposite Cao Zhen and said, "Zi Dan, who would compete with you?" Cao Rui also smiled and nodded: "Let the general supervise the bar." Cao Zhen raised the wine cup in his hands with both hands and said loudly: "Long live your majesty!" Everyone followed Cao Zhen's shout. Cao Rui looked at everyone, raised his wine cup to signal, and then drank it all with everyone. When the first glass of wine was finished, the palace maids serving on the side filled the wine cups one after another. Cao Zhen continued to raise the wine cup with both hands: "Long live the Great Wei!" After drinking it all, the third cup of wine was served: "Raise your hand to celebrate the prosperity of the country!" Everyone drank it all following Cao Zhen's shout. With three glasses of wine as the starting point, the banquet officially begins. Cao Rui smiled and said to everyone: "I have been reading the classics of the late emperor recently. There is something very interesting recorded in the classics of the late emperor." "Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou during the Western Han Dynasty, and his son Liu Biao were both fond of drinking when they were in Xiangyang, so they made three sizes of wine glasses." "The largest one is called Boya, and can hold seven liters of wine; the next largest one is called Zhongya, and can hold six liters of wine; the smallest one is called Jiya, and can hold five liters of wine." "The three yas contain a total of 18 liters of wine. At Liu Biao's banquet, one must drink three yas and 18 liters in succession to pass. How much can you all drink today?" Cao Hong patted his chest proudly and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Biao is just a mere Liu Biao. How can 18 liters be considered drinking? I can only drink one stone!" (End of this chapter)