Entering the Liangyi Hall, the officials had been waiting for a long time.
Before he came, the palace was very lively, with high-ranking officials from three provinces and six ministries gathered together. Even those who usually had a break could still chat with each other with a smile.
What's more, in the early days of the Tang Dynasty, there weren't so many bullshit things, and everyone's interests were not deeply entangled, so they could talk more casually.
You can talk about major events in the court, and those who have better friendships can also talk about the gossip in Chang'an. Of course, the courtiers respect their status, and the gossip they tell is naturally not just gossip.
For example, Su Dan, the Minister of Household Affairs, was secretly talking to Yu Chixin, the Minister of War, and Lu Xiangjun, a famous prostitute from Caiyufang, climbed into Mrs. Chengguo's house, which made the Chen family's prodigal suffer.
Moving to the capital is not far away either.
Yu Chixin replied with great interest, "Well, we have to go and have a look, otherwise we won't be able to see it when it is brought into the house one day."
The two of them met in Luoyang, went to Hebei to suppress bandits together, and then went to Yunnei together. Over the years, they formed a deep friendship. They spoke without any scruples. They laughed a few times from time to time and talked to others. The atmosphere was
Very happy.
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As soon as the emperor arrived, everyone stood up and saluted.
When they saw Feng Deyi following the emperor, everyone felt a little uncomfortable, and most of them wanted to say "old fox" secretly.
Li Po took his seat directly, pressed his hands and said with a smile, "Everyone, please sit down."
When the ministers were seated, Li Po said again: "Today is a festive day, so I invite you to come and get together. We have been busy for more than half a year. Today we want to relax. We, the monarchs and ministers, only have a drink and don't talk about government affairs. Everyone."
What do you think?"
Everyone felt relaxed for a while. Although the year was not over yet, it really made people feel exhausted.
After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it took just over two years to completely end the separation of feudal lords, and saw the birth of another unified dynasty after the Sui Dynasty.
This should have been an exciting thing, but in fact it was not. After the short-term joy, everyone was faced with the aftermath.
In fact, from the beginning of the Great Cause, Yang Guang's abuse of people's power has caused more and more serious consequences, shaking the foundation of the Sui Dynasty's rule, and ultimately leading to the bitter consequences of the war in the late Sui Dynasty.
More than twenty years have passed since then. This can be said to be an unprecedented catastrophe, which seriously damaged the social structure of the Central Plains, even as much as the war in the late Han Dynasty.
When the world was once again unified, what they faced was a mess. The courtiers had not even tasted the wonderful taste of reunifying the world. They were already buried in the complicated affairs of post-war reconstruction under the emperor's urging.
.
There were too many things going on in the third year of Yuanzhen of the Tang Dynasty. At the beginning of the year, the main focus of the court was on the battle in Hebei. Waiting for the battle in Hebei, the next few months would be about the imperial examination selection system and the battle with the Turks.
Meeting alliances, revising Sui history, establishing Tang canons, etc.
So many major events were coming one after another, and the important ministers in the court were so busy that they rarely went home. The political affairs were so heavy, and the military was not neglected. They suppressed rebellions everywhere, attacked Tibet in the west, and competed with the Turks in the north.
In addition, the changes in personnel matters are also drastic. The princes have sent people to the court one after another, which has aggravated the situation. With the rewards coming at the end of the year, the changes in personnel matters will undoubtedly reach their climax.
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It’s time to take a breath, this is the thought of most people in the palace, except for a few workaholics.
The autumn harvest is coming to an end, and once the first snow falls in winter, the miscellaneous matters in the court will be reduced a lot. Tonight, the emperor invited everyone to the Liangyi Palace to give a banquet, probably with the intention of repaying everyone for their hard work.
Li Po did not end in just a few sentences like before. He started from his achievements in wiping out the princes in the past two years, and continued to talk about restoring the affairs of the world after the princes were destroyed.
It can be said that he talks endlessly, and everyone is not impatient at all. They all listen with their ears pricked up. The emperor has always been pragmatic and hard-working, and rarely boasts about his achievements. This will be good material for flattery in the future. Please listen carefully.
After talking too much, Li Po felt a little thirsty, so he took a sip of tea soup and continued.
He first nodded to Wen Yanbo, "Nowadays, there are many talents in the court, and it has shown its political clarity. Wen Dalin met me in Youzhou. He is well-read, elegant and good at literature. He is both my teacher and a good assistant.
He has been in charge of government for more than ten years. He has made detailed reports, paid cashiers but only obeyed orders, mastered machine affairs, made up for political affairs, and knows everything about the interests of the country. Zhang Liang of the Han Dynasty did nothing more than this."
Wen Yanbo stood up in panic at this time. This surprise was a bit sudden. He first saluted Li Po, and then bowed to everyone else. When he sat down again, the fear was gone, and he was grateful and quite contented.
In fact, these words alone easily established his position as the chief assistant of the emperor, and were undoubtedly the emperor's reward for his achievements over the years.
Even considering his personality and the city's government, he couldn't help but say to himself at this time, the Mid-Autumn Festival is really a good day.
Others were envious, and Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi felt somewhat bitter in their hearts. The three of them were all serious prime ministers in the court, and now they were vying for the position of chief minister.
Now Wen Yanbo is undoubtedly one step ahead. Alas, who is the old man from Jinyang? They came a little later, so they are lagging behind others.
Next, Li Po called the names one by one in one breath, and his words were naturally filled with compliments. Even Yun Dingxing, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, gave a few words and asked him to accompany him to the last seat. He was laughed out loud by almost no one.
The pleats on it are all gone.
Everyone's interest was also aroused by the emperor's comments. Since ancient times, the emperor has rarely been so public, and so formal, and carefully commented on the courtiers and recounted each person's achievements.
After this, not only will it be recorded in official records such as daily records, but it will also be spread among the government and the public. Even after everyone dies, what today's emperor said may be added to the posthumous comments.
How important do you think this is to officials? If you get even one less comment than others, you will feel a bit of pain. Even if some people think this is inappropriate, they still hope that the emperor can praise him a few more words.
Li Po has never taken fairness seriously, and he likes to keep things separate from each other when doing things.
Those who have been with him for a long time, such as Wen Yanbo, Su Quan, Yu Chixin and others, have received much more praise than others. For example, Du Chuke, who has only been promoted to minister in the sect for a few days, will pass after just a few comments. Are you angry?
Annoying?
After counting the circle, Li Po said: "All the virtuous ministers are all heroes among men. From now on, they should have the common people in their hearts and serve the public... Everyone is of one heart and one mind, helping me to manage this country better, and I will do the same."
There is no need for future generations to talk about the prosperous age of Yuan Zhen, as long as we don’t compare myself with Yang Guangzhi’s exile.”
Everyone laughed and tried to persuade the emperor to rest assured. No matter how bad he did, he could not compare to Yang Guang's prodigal son? They didn't believe it.
Of course, they never expected that many people would later try to overturn Yang Guang's case and only use the Grand Canal as an example, ignoring the rest. On the contrary, in their eyes, those ancient wise rulers had many flaws. What do you mean by the human heart?
Isn’t it interesting?
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After Li Po finished speaking, the atmosphere was heightened. He decisively waved his hand and said: "Come here, pass on the banquet."
The banquet in the palace was still the same, more than exquisite but not rich enough. The nouveau riche would definitely feel stingy when they saw it, but the important officials in the court, most of whom came from aristocratic families, appreciated it very much.
In fact, there is nothing we can do about it. Our family is too poor to be wealthy. The food and clothing in the palace have always been worse than those of some of the great nobles of Chang'an.
On the surface, it was said that the emperor wanted to show frugality to the world, but in fact, it was impossible not to be frugal.
It must be said that the warehouses in the palace have become somewhat full recently, partly as a result of Li Po's hard work, and also because Li Xiuning, the wife of the State of Chu, quietly moved some of the things in the palace and sent them to the palace.
When Li Po went to visit, he apologized to him and said that the mansion had not had much income and there were still many people, so he had to leave some to support the family.
In fact, he just gave back the things that Li Yuan had moved to her house, and kept some of them in his hands. He also complained to the emperor that he was poor because he had no income. He was not very poor.
Li Poze felt as if he had a mirror in his mind. This woman was very cunning and would not let go of the hawk when she saw the rabbit. Now that she was about to give birth to a child, she felt a little confident, but she was afraid of unintended consequences.
Where were those things given to him? It was simply a matter of paying money to buy peace. As for who to buy them from, do you even need to ask?
So what everyone is drinking today is aged wine. As soon as it is served, the aroma of the wine overflows, which is very coveted by wine lovers.
The wine and food were fragrant, and Li Po was the first to raise his glass, "I have been on the throne for more than two years, and I rely on the assistance of all your ministers for everything. Come on, I will have a drink with you first. I hope that all the people in the world can rejoice with me."
Everyone raised their glasses to congratulate each other, and Yun Dingxing at the end of the hall said loudly: "The Supreme Being never forgets the world, and he is a truly wise king."
Well, this sycophant can always flick his tail from time to time. Now everyone has become accustomed to it. They just pretended to be unheard. After drinking a glass, seeing the emperor starting to move his chopsticks, they also moved their hands in awe of the wine, and the banquet officially began.
Before the singing and dancing started, everyone toasted to the emperor one after another according to their rank. Everyone had already thought of the toasts. Everyone almost opened their mouths and came. As the party progressed, the atmosphere of the banquet relaxed.
In fact, speaking of it, palace banquets are not very interesting. Most of the emperor and his ministers will not be dissolute. No matter how happy they are, they are still serious.
Of course, for the ministers, eating and drinking are secondary. The main thing is the banquet given by the emperor, which is a rare honor for them.
Sometimes it can be more exciting, the emperor and his ministers, and the ministers will quarrel with each other, occasionally bickering, slapping the table, and rolling up their sleeves.
The emperor's temperament also determined the entertainment and extent of the palace banquet.
For example, Li Yuan is very good at this aspect. He likes to invite some people into the palace from time to time to drink, talk and laugh with him. The atmosphere is very relaxed. He comes from a noble family and he also knows how to entertain guests well. At that time, it was spread all over the world.
The reputation of being fair and kind is not without reason.