If Li Yi's memory served him right, it had only been a few days since the old Emperor held a banquet for the officials in the palace.
The banquet for civil and military officials was naturally of a high standard. The King of Shu, who was petty and narrow-minded, could not be compared with it. No matter how rich the national treasury was, it would not be so wasteful.
Even if it was to slap the faces of the ambassadors of the Qi Kingdom and stab them in the chest, couldn't it be done in a simpler and more violent way?
For example, throw a few "Heavenly Punishment" at the place where they lived?
The cost of such a banquet was much lower than that of a banquet. It was totally worth considering.
"Can I not go?" Li Yi looked at MIngzhu and asked.
He had caused a lot of trouble when he attended the banquet of the King of Shu yesterday. If he messed up the banquet of the old Emperor, he would have nowhere to run in the heavily guarded palace.
"Of course you can, but you have to tell my father yourself." MIngzhu glanced at him and said.
Li Yi thought to himself that it was better to forget it. As the saying went, being in the king's company was like being with a tiger. Although this tiger was quite docile when he saw it, who knew when it would show its fangs?
A tiger was a tiger after all. It was okay to look at it through the fence in the zoo. Only a fool would jump into the tiger mountain to look at it twice a day.
Anyway, the main purpose of this visit had been achieved. It was time to discuss with Ruyi about going on a honeymoon. As for what would happen in the capital, whether the King of Shu would become the Crown Prince or not, and what conditions the ambassadors of the Qi Kingdom would put forward, who cared!
…
…
"What, an invitation from the Empress?" Li Yi looked at the invitation in Ruyi's hand and was a little surprised.
The old Emperor was holding a party in Yonghe Palace and the officials were invited. The Empress was also holding a banquet in Phoenix Cry Hall. Of course, the guests were all the ladies of the capital and the wives of the officials. Normally, a county magistrate's wife was not qualified to attend, but Ruyi was also invited. At this time, she was holding the invitation and asking for Li Yi's opinion.
"Since it's the Empress' invitation, I'd better go." Li Yi thought it would be good for Ruyi to visit the palace. After all, there were not many opportunities like this. Moreover, this was the first time the Empress had invited him. As the tigress with the highest status in the Jing Kingdom, it would not be good to reject her.
Li Yi didn't care about the banquet. He put it aside for the time being and whispered to Ruyi, "How's the preparation for that matter?"
Ruyi was startled, then realized what he was talking about, she said in a low voice, "We are leaving, but we don't tell Ruyi and Xiao Huan, this is not good …"
"We're only going out for a while. It's not like we're not coming back." Li Yi shook his head, which husband and wife would bring along their sister-in-law on their honeymoon, it was even more inappropriate to bring Xiao Huan but not her, so he decided not to bring any of them and sneaked off at night. When they found out, the two of them were already holding hands and standing at the bow of the ship watching the sunrise.
"Then, then okay …" Ruyi lowered her head and whispered.
She never had any different opinions about Li Yi's suggestions. Even if she did, in the end, she would still be persuaded by him.
When Xiao Huan walked into Li Yi's room with a pile of washed clothes in her arms, she looked suspiciously at the son-in-law and the young lady in the yard. A trace of vigilance appeared on her little face. These days, the young lady and son-in-law were very strange. Something that she didn't know was going to happen. She felt that she also needed to talk to the second young lady. The son-in-law and the young lady were now sleeping in the same room. In the whole family, only the second young lady was her strongest ally.
…
…
After the hundreds of officials left the court and returned home, the news that General Xu had returned to the capital and that His Majesty was going to hold a banquet tonight quickly spread throughout the capital.
Everyone knew that the envoy of the Qi Kingdom had arrived in the capital for several days, but His Majesty had not yet summoned him. Now that His Majesty was holding such a grand celebration banquet for General Xu, there was no doubt that it was to embarrass the envoy of the Qi Kingdom. After all, the entire Jing Kingdom, whether it was the monarch or the ministers, had accumulated too much resentment over the years.
The officials or dignitaries who were not of high rank but were lucky enough to be invited were naturally happy. They could boast about being able to attend the banquet tonight. Those who were not invited sighed in their hearts. It was such a pity that they could not witness such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with their own eyes.
However, some people were happy while others were sad. Some people's minds were not on the banquet.
Since last night, the servants of the King of Shu's Mansion had been trembling with fear and trepidation in everything they did. They were even walking at a slower pace.
Just this morning, His Highness had broken several teacups. When a servant was cleaning up the broken pieces, he accidentally made a little too much noise and was scolded by His Highness. He was so frightened that he even knocked his head on the ground.
They were just servants of the King's Mansion. They knew nothing except that several officials had come to the mansion to look for His Highness this morning. After they left, His Highness's mood became even worse.
They just thought to themselves that they had to be more careful in their work and must not anger His Highness again …
Compared with the King of Shu's Mansion, the atmosphere in the Qin's Mansion was not much better.
After leaving the court, many officials did not even return to their own homes. About an hour after Prime Minister Qin returned to the mansion, they secretly changed into plain clothes and paid a visit.
However, these people, including Prime Minister Qin's students, were all stopped outside by the gatekeeper. The reason was that Prime Minister Qin was not feeling well and they could talk about anything in a few days.
Everyone returned in disappointment. Those in the Qin's Mansion who knew the inside story were also worried.
"Father, what does His Majesty mean? Why was Eldest Brother suddenly transferred from the Secretariat?"
"There are several other edicts. They are simply aimed at Father and the Qin Family!"
"Those officials are waiting outside. Father, do you want to meet them?"
…
…
Everyone came forward to ask. The old man sitting on the chair frowned and said, "There is no need to talk about this. How can we talk about His Majesty's thoughts? I am loyal to His Majesty and the Jing Kingdom. The sun, the moon, and the heaven and earth can prove it. Things are not what you think."
Prime Minister Qin took a sip of tea. After he calmed down, he frowned slightly again.
His Majesty's action this morning was beyond his expectation. Although it was a spring breeze and rain, there was a thunder hidden in the dark. He did not think that he had done anything wrong to His Majesty. Everything he did was for the sake of the Jing Kingdom and the people. Why did His Majesty do this?
Was it because of the King of Shu?
No matter from which point of view, the King of Shu was the only candidate to inherit the throne. Even His Majesty could not change this. Otherwise, there would be great turmoil in the court. He believed that His Majesty himself did not want to see such a scene.
He looked up and saw a person in the hall with a white cloth wrapped around his neck. He frowned again and looked at the young man and asked, "What's going on?"
"It's a small matter." Qin Yu twitched the corner of his mouth and said indifferently.
"These days, you'd better be more stable. Don't go to the King of Shu so often." Although he was extremely disappointed with this grandson, he was the only direct descendant after all. So, Prime Minister Qin could not help but exhort him.
Qin Yu did not answer. The expression on his face did not change at all. It was unknown whether he had heard it or not.
Prime Minister Qin looked a little thoughtful and said, "His Majesty is holding a banquet in the palace tonight. You and I will go together."
Tonight's banquet was not limited to the officials. For people like them, it was normal to bring a member of the younger generation to show his face in front of everyone.
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