No one mentioned the Crown Prince's birthday banquet during the morning court session on the ninth. Some didn't dare to bring it up, while Baili Yuanlong purposely didn't mention it.
The focus of the morning court session was still on the Northern Li snowstorm, as well as the revision of the tax uniform. The impact of the tax system was widespread and involved the interests of all parties.
Long Feiye wasn't in a rush to change the rules, but simply tossed a rock onto the surface of the lake to test its depth.
After the morning court session, Long Fei Ye returned to the imperial study as usual.
The so-called morning court session was just the ministers bringing up the matters they wanted to report, the Emperor bringing up the matters he wanted to do, and everyone discussed it. The real place to make decisions wasn't the Crape Myrtle Hall, but the imperial study.
As soon as Long Fei Ye arrived at the imperial study, a group of ministers followed him and asked for an audience.
When Long Fei Ye returned to the imperial study, Han Yunxi and Rui 'er had just woken up.
Rui 'er and Tang Tang got along very well on the way back from the No. 7 Teahouse. Although Rui' er didn't pay much attention to others, the two could still stay in the same place and play on their own.
After handing the children over to the servants, Han Yunxi and Ning Jing began their inspection.
In order to prepare for the birthday banquet, Han Yunxi had been secretly busy for a few days. Last night, she and Ning Jing worked until very late before going to bed.
Ever since she put on the Empress' phoenix coronet, she still hadn't put on the airs that an Empress should have. Since the people below didn't like her so much, she naturally had to take this opportunity to show them that she, Han Yunxi, wasn't qualified to be the empress of the Great Qin!
The birthday banquet was held in the Great Qian Hall on the west side of the imperial residence. Apart from the Crape Myrtle Hall, the Great Qian Hall was the largest hall in the imperial residence.
The hall was circular and open on all four sides. It could accommodate a hundred people.
When Han Yunxi and Ning Jing arrived at the Great Qian Hall, the servants had already set up the venue.
The hall was circular, and the seats were arranged in a rectangular arrangement. The east side was the main seat, and behind the main seat was a large screen. On the left and right sides of the main seat were several separate secondary seats. Next to the secondary seats were rows of seats. There were three rows on the left and right, and each row could accommodate ten people.
Other than that, there were no other special decorations in the hall.
Ning Jing deliberately counted and whispered, "Seven secondary seats. What kind of rule is this?"
Most banquets were very particular about the seating arrangements, not to mention the Crown Prince's first birthday banquet. Those who could sit in the second seat had to be of high rank. Even she and Tang Li didn't have the qualifications to do so.
Han Yunxi turned around and said, "Long Fei Ye."
Ning Jing didn't react for a moment. She didn't understand until Han Yunxi dragged her to the kitchen.
Han Yunxi meant that Long Fei Ye was the rule!
In the kitchen, all the delicacies were prepared. Han Yunxi opened a lid and took a look. She immediately closed it and revealed a satisfied smile.
She instructed, "Serve the dishes according to the order I listed. Don't make any mistakes."
The steward eunuch quickly nodded, "Rest assured, Your Highness the Empress. This old servant understands!"
The two most important things in a banquet were the venue and the dishes. After Han Yunxi looked through them, there were no problems.
She found Zhao mama and asked in a low voice, "How's the matter? Don't make a mistake. "
"Rest assured, Your Highness the Empress. This old servant is the best at this kind of thing. When that girl came over, this old servant knew that there was something wrong with her!" Zhao mama smiled treacherously.
Ning Jing watched Zhao mama's sinister expression from the sidelines and mused to herself, Heaven knows how bad an old court lady like Zhao mama would be if she hooked up with a bad master!
If Han Yunxi handed all the palace maids over to her, she would definitely be able to sit back and relax!
The first birthday banquet was set to start in the evening. After dark, those who were invited all entered the palace. Who dared to be late for a banquet held by the emperor and empress?
Although there were many people who objected to the empress holding a grand banquet, most of the people who came brought big gifts.
As the time for the banquet approached, most of the seats were filled. The main hall was bustling with noise and excitement. The invited officials, madams, and young misses were all chatting in groups of three to five.
Even so, everyone was still thinking about the seven empty seats below the main seat.
According to the rules, the emperor and empress were first, followed by the imperial relatives and nobles with titles, and then the ministers.
There were only five types of titles in the Great Qin Empire: Wang, Gong, Hou, Bo, and Nan. Those who were qualified to be invited to the palace were only "Wang" and "Gong".
The "Wang" titles were further divided into Qinwang and Junwang. Qinwang was also known as Wang. Generally, they were the emperor's blood brothers. Junwang were mostly Wang of the opposite sex. Those who had made great contributions were qualified to be conferred the title.
The "Duke" titles were also divided into two types: Guogong and Junwang. They were also used to confer titles to those who had made great contributions.
In terms of status and nobility, Qinwang was higher than Junwang, Junwang was higher than Guogong, and Guogong was higher than Junwang.
Generally speaking, those with truly noble status were Qinwang. Even some Junwang might not be able to sit on the secondary seat, let alone Guogong and Junwang.
However, the situation in the Great Qin Empire was different!
In the Great Qin Empire, only Gu held the title of Wang. He was Qinwang Yu. The title of Junwang was vacant.
As such, those who held the title of Wang appeared to have a much more noble status.
The Great Qin Empire had four Guogong. They were Guogong Baili Yuanlong, Guogong Cheng Xiao An, Guogong Zhou Qi Chu, and Guogong Ding Ke Lin.
Among them, apart from Baili Yuanlong who held the position of military commander in the central region, the other three did not hold any positions in the imperial court. However, their influence was great.
Xiao An was none other than Jiangnan's Xiao Family's Patriarch, Xiao Dong's uncle. He had contributed a lot of provisions and provisions to the army in the central region. During the plague in Northern Li, he had contributed the most provisions.
Guogong Zhou Qi Chu was originally a Marquis of Western Zhou. Because he had led the soldiers and civilians to surrender, he was exempted from the battle in Western Zhou and was thus given the title of Wang.
As for Guogong Ding Ke Lin, he was the owner of a large grassland in Northern Li and controlled the best grassland in Northern Li. During the chaos of the plague, he had voluntarily surrendered and saved the victims. As a result, he was given the title of Wang.
The title of Wang wasn't given to a single person. It was a glory and status bestowed upon a family by the emperor. The matter of Wang was not only a reward based on merit, but it was also a form of appeasement, roping, and exploitation.
For example, although Long Fei Ye wanted to get rid of the Xiao Family, he had to give the title of Wang first. At the very least, he had to appease the Xiao Family and stabilize the Jiangnan region.
According to the rules, the secondary seat below the main seat was given to those with titles. Thus, according to the Great Qin's system of Wang, apart from Gu, the four Guogong all had the right to sit there.
However, Baili Yuanlong and the other Dukedoms were arranged to sit behind the secondary seats.
At this moment, Baili Yuanlong and Xiao An were both staring at the seven empty seats, their displeasure written all over their faces.
"Tang Clan Master, Madam Jing has arrived!"
Suddenly, a eunuch's loud voice rang out, causing everyone to fall silent.
The Tang Clan could be said to be a very special existence. The members of the Tang Clan didn't have titles or official positions. Even if they controlled weapons, they didn't have military ranks.
The status of being a member of the Tang Clan was actually quite awkward. Moreover, when Long Fei Ye paid respects to his ancestors, he didn't confer his mother the title of Empress Dowager. Consort Wan could only be considered Consort Dowager.
The Tang Clan was Consort Dowager's maternal family, so this status really didn't count for much.
Not to mention others, even Baili Yuanlong looked down on the Tang Clan.
Everyone was silent as Tang Li's family of three walked into the main hall under everyone's watchful eyes. Tang Li actually held Ning Jing's hand in one hand and little Tang Tang's in the other. Quite a few elders furrowed their brows and secretly cursed him for being unruly!
Tang Li led Ning Jing and little Tang Tang to the secondary seats in a carefree manner. Now the hall was even quieter. Everyone exchanged glances, and quite a few people looked towards the four Guogong.
Tang Li's family of three sitting in the secondary seats was clearly looking down on the four Guogong's status!
Baili Yuanlong wasn't calm at all. He was about to stand up when Baili Lixiang, who was sitting behind him, quickly held him back and whispered, "Father, don't be impatient. Look at Clan Head Xiao."
Only then did Baili Yuanlong sit back down and ask politely, "Tang Clan Head, why don't I see your father?"
Tang Li was playing with his daughter when he looked over and feigned ignorance. "Official Baili, what business do you have with my father?"
"Heheh, Old Man saw that His Majesty left a seat for the Imperial Uncle, so he thought he'd come!" Baili Yuanlong laughed.
As soon as Baili Yuanlong mentioned "Imperial Uncle," many people laughed.
At this moment, Xiao Dong, who was sitting across from them, looked at Lord Chen, the Minister of Appointments, and smiled. "Lord Chen, when did we get a first-rank official? Why didn't you announce it? It's not good to hide something like this from everyone! "
Imperial Uncle was both a form of address and a first-rank official's title.
In terms of title, Tang Zijin was Long Fei Ye's uncle, so naturally he could be the Imperial Uncle. But in terms of titles, Long Fei Ye hadn't given Tang Zijin a first-rank official's title, so Tang Zijin couldn't be called the Imperial Uncle.
Baili Yuanlong's words were mocking Tang Li for not having the right to sit in that position!
If Tang Zijin was sitting here today, he'd definitely take these words as a form of humiliation. But to Tang Li's ears, they were trying to drive a wedge between them.
His big brother had only given Gu Qishao the title of qinwang while leaving the title of junwang empty. There had to be a reason why he'd demoted Baili Yuanlong and the rest to the rank of guogong.
There had to be a reason why he hadn't given any titles to the Tang Sect!
Although he didn't know why, he had to believe in his older brother!
Ning Jing was inwardly furious, but she didn't say anything. Firstly, it wasn't convenient for her to say anything due to her background in the Ning Clan. Secondly, as a woman, it wasn't appropriate for her to speak up in this kind of setting.
Although Tang Li could see that these people were trying to sow discord, he couldn't find the words to refute Baili Yuanlong's words. He couldn't say that his father hadn't been invited, could he?
No matter how much internal strife there was in the Tang Sect, it was still a family matter. When faced with an external enemy, they had to be united! Tang Li wasn't stupid enough to trick his father in front of outsiders.
The Minister of Personnel, Lord Chen, didn't dare to say anything. Baili Yuanlong laughed loudly, "Aiyo, it looks like the Imperial Uncle won't be coming. Old Man was planning to have a drink with him, hehe!"
Xiao Dong immediately echoed, "General Baili, it looks like you're wrong. His Majesty's position isn't reserved for the Imperial Uncle!"
After all, Tang Li had never had a direct confrontation with this group of scheming and calculating people. He was quite angry and was about to explode.
At this moment, the eunuch's loud voice came from outside the door.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
"His Highness Prince Yu has arrived!"
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