Not long after, Xiao Shen sent someone to the front hall to inform Wei Chen about Ru Lan and Ming Lan's situation in the back house.
Hearing Xiao Shen say that Ru Lan and Ming Lan were like a fish in water among the female relatives in the back house, Wei Chen, who had been thinking about his beloved wife, finally felt relieved. He thanked Xiao Shen profusely, but he couldn't help being teased by Gu Tingye.
Gu Tingye took Wei Chen to the courtyard to throw pots, and happened to meet Shen Congxing, Duan Chengran and others here. Everyone was throwing pots for fun while reminiscing about old times, as if they had returned to the happy days in Yuzhou.
Near noon, when all the guests had arrived, the host Zhao Ceying ordered the banquet to begin, and Wei Chen and others also sat down one after another.
The spacious hall is already filled with tables of different sizes. The rules of the table where the guests sit represent the identity and status of the guests.
Among them, the most distinguished guests have one seat, the next-level guests have one seat for two or three people, and the ordinary guests have one seat for four people, which is also known as the Eight Immortals Table.
On each table, in addition to dried and fresh fruits and desserts and cakes, there are also various gorgeous decorations, such as clay figures, colorful silk landscapes, etc., decorated with gold and silver for guests to enjoy.
This is the so-called "big banquet for eating and watching", where you can both eat and watch. It is a luxurious banquet that only appears at important banquets and costs a lot of money.
Since Zhao Zongquan came to the throne, he has always advocated frugality. Even in Prince Huan's palace, banquets on weekdays rarely cost so much.
However, this hundred-day banquet was organized by the palace. Under Zhao Zongquan's instruction, all expenses for the banquet were spent from the royal treasury. In order to celebrate the birth of his eldest grandson, Zhao Zongquan also indulged in a rare luxury.
After the guests and hosts were seated, hot dishes were served in a stream. Not to mention the three soups and five portions and other conventional delicacies, there were also many delicacies such as leopard liver and bear paw.
These precious ingredients were carefully cooked by the royal chef, and they were extremely delicious and made everyone very satisfied.
After we had had enough wine and food, there were entertainment activities suitable for all ages such as reciting poems and writing poems, visiting gardens and admiring the scenery, singing and dancing, playing pot games, and other entertainment activities suitable for all ages. Only then did the banquet reach its climax.
It was not until the end of the day (three o'clock in the afternoon) that this lively and festive 100-day banquet gradually came to an end, and the guests left one after another.
Wei Chen also said goodbye, but was caught by Zhao Ceying before he expected it.
Wei Chen glanced at Zhao Ceying and immediately understood that the other party had something important to discuss with him, so he didn't ask any more questions. He just asked people to go to the back house to inform Ru Lan and Minglan, and then stood next to Zhao Ceying. Accompany him to see off guests.
After seeing off the last wave of guests, Zhao Ceying led Wei Chen to the study room and ordered people to have tea and sit down.
After the servants left, only Zhao Ceying and Wei Chen were left in the study. Wei Chen stood up and cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, King Huan, do you have anything to say to me?"
Zhao Ceying nodded: "It has been more than a year since my father took the throne, but the Queen Mother has still refused to remove the curtain. Han Daxi, British ministers and other important officials in the court have come forward several times to ask the Queen Mother to return the jade seal to my father, but all to no avail. .
I heard that my father was depressed because of this matter, his cough and asthma recurred, and he was accompanied by medicine and stones all day long. As a son of a human being, I felt so ashamed that I could not share my father's worries, so I boldly asked the teacher for advice."
Wei Chen nodded when he heard this: "It's naturally good for Your Highness to have such filial piety. But..."
Wei Chen changed the subject and continued: "According to my opinion, Your Highness does not need to worry too much. It is the general trend to withdraw the curtain and return to power. The people's will is that the jade seal will be returned to His Majesty sooner or later."
"Sooner or later, sooner or later, but after all, it's better to be earlier!"
Seeing Wei Chen's attitude, Zhao Ceying lost his temper.
"When I discussed this matter with Gu Hou a few days ago, he actually gave me an idea to outwit the jade seal. He would first earn the jade seal from the Queen Mother under the pretext of official duties, and then withhold the jade seal and refuse to return it. When the time comes, the jade seal will be with my father.
In the hands of the emperor, the emperor is in charge of the jade seal, which is what everyone expects, and the queen mother is helpless."
"What a wise man to outwit Yuxi!"
Wei Chen shook his head and smiled and said: "This method is full of market spirit, and it really looks like Gu Hou's style of conduct."
Zhao Ceying asked hurriedly: "Teacher, do you think Gu Hou's method is feasible?"
"No."
Wei Chen said without thinking: "Gu Hou's method is said to be clever, but in fact it is no different from taking it by force. It will only make the Queen Mother resentful. By then, I am afraid that the old gap between Your Majesty and the Queen Mother will not be closed, but a new gap will arise, which will delay the Queen Mother."
The process of withdrawing the curtain and returning power.”
Seeing that Zhao Ceying was deep in thought, Wei Chen continued: "Your Highness, with all due respect, you now have the emperor's eldest grandson. For you, retrieving the jade seal is not a top priority.
In my opinion, Your Highness only needs to concentrate on filial piety and support the three palaces (the Queen Mother, the Emperor, and the Empress). As for the rest, it is not what His Highness should think about or do!"
In front of the imperial power, there is never any family affection at all.
Not long after Zhao Zongquan came to the throne, the Spring and Autumn Period was at its peak. As the eldest son of the emperor, Zhao Ceying needed to be more cautious in his words and deeds. The safest way was, as Wei Chen said, to interfere as little as possible in government affairs and concentrate on filial piety.
The Great Zhou Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety. At present, the Empress Dowager Cao and Zhao Zongquan are at odds. What Zhao Ceying should do is not as a courtier to help Zhao Zongquan regain the jade seal from the Empress Dowager Cao, but as a descendant, she should stand up for her father in front of her grandmother.
Fulfill filial piety and try your best to bridge the gap between the two.
To put it bluntly, it is not important to Zhao Ceying whether he can seize this jade seal or not. How to position himself in the court is the key to determining the future direction of Zhao Ceying's life.
Should he be a capable minister and general who takes care of the monarch, or should he be a filial son and grandson of the Zhou royal family?
Although the former may win the favor of Zhao Zongquan in the short term, if it goes on for a long time, sooner or later he will be suspected, and the seeds of antagonism between father and son will be sown.
The latter is the long-lasting right path.
Zhao Ceying tried to figure out the deep meaning of Wei Chen's words and considered the stakes. She suddenly broke into a cold sweat and realized how wrong she had been before.
It can be said that Wei Chen's words today made Zhao Ceying see the blue sky through the clouds and understand how to take her future path.
Zhao Ceying bowed deeply to Wei Chen and said solemnly: "Thank you, Teacher, for your guidance. The teacher is so sincere to the students, and the students will never forget it!"
Looking at Zhao Ceying who was grateful to him in front of him, Wei Chen nodded happily.
Wei Chen is Zhao Ceying's teacher, and now he has become Zhan Shifu. The relationship between the two is here. Whether Wei Chen wants it or not, he has been firmly tied to Zhao Ceying's boat. Naturally, he has to do everything.
For Zhao Ceying's sake.
Of course, Wei Chen himself was willing to stand by Zhao Ceying and make suggestions for Zhao Ceying.
There is one thing that Wei Chen has always kept deep in his heart and has never told anyone, that is, in his eyes, Zhao Ceying is more in line with Mingzhu's standards than Zhao Zongquan.
That's why Wei Chen only accepted Zhao Ceying as his disciple when he was in Yuzhou, and vigorously cultivated Zhao Ceying's ability to act independently. This was actually Wei Chen preparing for the future.
Wei Chen knew very well that this preparation process might be very long and arduous, but for the sake of his big plan, he had the patience to wait. After all, he was young enough.