When he received the Emperor's calligraphy, Li Zhi was so moved that he burst into tears.
In the courtyard next to the Daqin Embassy, he kowtowed three times in the direction of the Imperial Palace, expressing his gratitude to the Daqin Emperor and requesting an audience with him as soon as possible. He could not wait to express his feelings to His Majesty the Emperor.
Xiao Ruxun saw Li Zhi's loyalty and was very "happy". Therefore, he announced that he would meet Li Zhi and invite him to a meal before his birthday to reminisce about the friendship between ruler and subject.
When Li Zhi learned that Xiao Ruxun wanted to invite him to a meal, he was overjoyed. He asked his attendants to boil water, take a bath, change his clothes, and dress neatly and formally before heading to the banquet.
Xiao Ruxun hosted a banquet to entertain Li Zhi in his imperial garden. Li Zhi followed the eunuchs to the imperial garden to meet Xiao Ruxun and formally greeted Xiao Ruxun with the etiquette of a ruler and subject.
"King Li Zhi of Korea pays respect to His Majesty the Daqin Emperor. Long live His Majesty the Emperor."
His etiquette was very thorough. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. The Korean officials behind him followed suit and kowtowed, saying, "Long live His Majesty the Emperor."
Xiao Ruxun chuckled and personally went forward to help Li Gui up.
"Minister Li, there is no need to be so polite. This is not a formal court meeting. This is just a meal for the two of us. There is no need to be so nervous."
Li Zhi hurriedly said, "This subject does not dare. This is the etiquette of a ruler and subject. Etiquette cannot be abolished."
"Hahahaha, very well. Since Minister Li insists, We will not say more. Come, Minister Li, take a seat!"
Xiao Ruxun pointed to the seats prepared for the Korean emperor and subjects.
Li Zhi sat down on the first seat on the left of Xiao Ruxun. On the first seat on the right was Wang Xijue, the Grand Secretary of the Daqin, who accompanied him, followed by some Korean officials and Daqin officials.
"The last time we parted was in the 21st year of the Wanli calendar of the former Ming Dynasty. It has been seven years since then. The blue sea has turned into mulberry fields, and everything has changed too much. Seeing Minister Li this time, We cannot help but sigh with emotion!"
Xiao Ruxun started talking.
Li Zhi hurriedly said, "It was all thanks to Your Majesty's help that Korea was in trouble twice. The gratitude of the people of Korea toward Your Majesty can be seen by the sun and the moon. Korea is willing to forever be a border country of Daqin, guarding the borders for Daqin."
These words were said with great skill. Anyway, Xiao Ruxun was quite happy to hear it.
"Hahahaha, with Minister Li in charge of North Korea, I can rest assured. How is North Korea recently?"
"Thanks to the blessings of Your Majesty, everything in North Korea is fine, and everything has been stabilized. Everything has been restored to the way it was before the war, and it is becoming more prosperous day by day. This is all thanks to Your Majesty."
"Hahaha, you, you."
Xiao Ruxun laughed and shook his head. "Don't put everything on This Emperor's head. This Emperor could not have done so many things by himself. This was all thanks to the lives of the soldiers. Now that the Jurchens in the north have been wiped out, and the Wo Nation across the sea has also been wiped out, the Daqin and North Korea are both at peace."
Li Zhi hurriedly said, "Yes, Your Majesty cares for North Korea, and everything you have done for North Korea is remembered by the people of North Korea. As a matter of fact, when this subject was in North Korea, there were many places that wanted to set up a shrine for Your Majesty. This subject agreed and asked them to set up a shrine for Your Majesty, and pray for Your Majesty's longevity every year."
Xiao Ruxun was full of smiles. He pointed at Li Zhi and said, "With such a virtuous ruler in North Korea, why should we worry about the country not being prosperous? Hahahahaha! "
Xiao Ruxun enjoyed the meal very much. As for whether Li Zhi and the others were happy, Xiao Ruxun did not know. These things were not discussed at the dining table. After the meal, when they took a walk to digest the food, Xiao Ruxun told Li Zhi some specific things.
"This Emperor heard that you are calling for the people to plant peanuts and soybeans in North Korea. This is very good, and this Emperor is very happy. The Daqin does not lack food, but these things that can be used to extract oil. However, other than the Daqin, there is not much planting in other places.
Therefore, this Emperor is very anxious. I want to buy, but there is no place to buy. Seeing the people eat dry food and become skinny, this Emperor is very anxious. With you and North Korea taking the lead, this Emperor is not afraid that no one will follow. You have done well, this Emperor and Daqin have to thank you. "
Xiao Ruxun said to Li Zhi.
Li Zhi, who was half a body's length behind Xiao Ruxun, hurriedly said, "This is what a subject should do. North Korea has been sheltered by the Daqin to tide over the crisis. The gratitude of the whole country to the Daqin can be seen by the sun and the moon. How can some soybeans and peanuts be a problem?"
"It's easier said than done. When I was a general, I didn't expect to become an emperor one day. When I was a general, I felt that being an emperor was a very comfortable thing. I had the wealth of the world, controlled everything, held the power of life and death in my hands, and my words were written into the constitution.
But now, he realized that being an Emperor is not like this at all. Every day, he gets up earlier than the chickens and sleeps later than the ghosts. The Palace of Heavenly Purity used to be the Emperor's bedroom, but when it came to this Emperor, it was directly changed into an administrative office.
The officials of various departments come here to set up an office and work directly under this Emperor's eyes, just to save some time. Not to mention eating here in the morning and noon, once they get busy, not to mention at night, they even have to eat at night.
Therefore, in this Imperial Kitchen, there are cooks on duty 24 hours a day. When it's busy, they work in shifts. 24 hours a day, there are three groups of people, one group every eight hours, to make food for the officials, so that they can fill their stomachs and continue to work.
As for this Emperor, when they sleep, this Emperor will review the memorials. When they wake up to work, this Emperor will review the memorials. Now, this Emperor really understands why the Emperor Taizu of the former Ming Dynasty said that the hundred officials are asleep, this Emperor is not asleep, and the hundred officials are not awake, this Emperor is awake first. Ah, it's so bitter! "
Xiao Ruxun had a wry smile on his face, looking really bitter.
"Now, this Emperor is really envious of those rich people in Jiangnan. They can sleep until they want to wake up, and they don't have to stay up late to eat and drink as they want. Unlike this Emperor, when I'm busy, eating and drinking have no taste."
Xiao Ruxun added another sentence.
However, not to mention the experienced Wang Xijue, any qualified Daqin official knew that the Emperor was showing off.
As someone who was also in a superior position, Li Gui could even more sense the feeling of pride and arrogance in his words.
"It's precisely because Your Majesty is so hardworking that the Daqin is as stable as Mount Tai, and the Daqin is so strong. When Your Majesty is tired, the people of the world will be relaxed."
Li Zhi didn't know where he learned the standard answer of the Daqin officials to the Emperor's pretentiousness.
Although he had heard it many times, Xiao Ruxun was still very happy. He laughed for a while and patted Li Zhi on the shoulder.
"You and I are both rulers of a country, and you can feel the pain. North Korea is a small China, and this Emperor has high expectations of North Korea. You have to do a good job, and don't let down this Emperor's expectations of you and North Korea."
Li Zhi was secretly happy and hurriedly agreed.
However, just as Li Zhi was rejoicing, Xiao Ruxun suddenly said, "This Emperor has heard that you have submitted a petition to the Daqin to confer the title of the second son, Guanghai Jun Li Hui, as the Crown Prince. Because of the busy war, I didn't have the energy to take care of it, so it has been put aside. Now that you are here, let's talk about this matter."
Li Zhi's heart thumped.
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