The Banquet of Hundreds of Officials not only entertains all civil and military officials, but princes from various places will also return to the capital with their families and heirs on this day to pay New Year's greetings to the Emperor and the Queen Mother, participate in the Banquet of Hundreds of Officials, and briefly share family happiness with the royal family, the third He is about to set off back to the fiefdom in the next day.
Song Wanji still had feelings for several brothers, so on this day every year, he would hold a grand reception ceremony for several brothers through the Hundred Officials Banquet to give them face.
However, this year was different. Because of the rumors about Phoenix Ming's daughter, before the reception ceremony could begin, the officials, led by Prime Minister Meng, made a speech to the emperor, requesting him to grant a marriage to His Highness the Crown Prince and let Phoenix Ming's daughter take over as soon as possible. East Palace.
Faced with the unanimous advice of the ministers, Song Wanji became furious and had the biggest anger since he ascended the throne.
The news that was only received the night before spread throughout the capital overnight, and was even used to make a fuss by ministers with ulterior motives. This alone is enough to show that there is a spy around him, and that the spy can still come and go as he pleases. The people of Deden.
Who is so bold, spying on the emperor, spreading rumors, inciting ministers, and making a big fuss out of a specious horoscope, trying to achieve his ulterior motives
Is it the prince
While Song Wanji was angry at the officials, he quickly made a judgment in his mind. Could it be that when the prince and the queen went to the Qiande Hall last night, they already knew about the letter from Abbot Wuchen, so they repeatedly insisted that Xiuer be replaced. The Lord of Jinping County married into the East Palace
So, could it be because he didn't agree to the prince's request? The prince was afraid that Zhao Jingyu would get the daughter of Phoenix, so he made the matter public in a rage, hoping to use the power of public opinion to achieve his wish
If this is true, the prince is too bold. If he still fails to achieve his goal, should the next step be to force the palace to usurp the throne
Song Wanji's eyes passed over the faces of the courtiers kneeling at the foot of the steps, and finally stopped at Prime Minister Meng, letting out a contemptuous sneer.
I am afraid that such a big thing cannot be accomplished by the prince alone. The queen and her omnipotent father must be the most powerful promoters behind it.
Okay, very good. Judging from Prime Minister Meng's response, will the world in the Zhou Dynasty soon change their surname to Meng
"Your Majesty, please don't hesitate any longer. While the marriage between the Second Young Master Zhao and Miss Xiu'er has not yet been finalized, hurry up and issue an order to marry the prince. If it is too late, it will be too late." Supervising Censor Qian Renli He also spoke sincerely below.
"Yes, yes, if it's too late, it'll be too late..." All the officials below responded in agreement.
Prime Minister Meng looked at the Queen across the crowd, showing a confident smile.
The young Duke Su Xian was livid with anger, but he could not rashly raise objections. The title "Feng Ming's Daughter" was too sensitive. If he insisted on marrying the daughter of "the daughter of the Phoenix" to Zhao Jingyu, he would definitely be criticized by the Prime Minister. One party accused him of having treasonous intentions, and when the time comes, he won't be able to explain it even if he has a long tongue.
As his in-law, Marquis Dingyuan didn't come today, so he didn't even have anyone to discuss with, so he could only worry.
As for the colleagues he usually has good friends with, they also have the same taboos as him, and no one dares to openly stand up against the daughter of Phoenix Ming entering the East Palace.
Apart from this, there are only a few princes who can speak and are qualified to speak. However, these princes are not stupid. Although they are the emperor's brothers, they are the most taboo people for the emperor. If there is any slight change, The emperor will be suspicious of him, so he will never participate in such a sensitive topic at will.
The few accompanying princes showed great interest, but their fathers looked down upon them and did not allow them to make the slightest sound.
In this one-sided situation, Wu'an General Xie Zhanting suddenly stood out from the crowd and shouted: "Your Majesty, I have objections!"
The noisy voices quieted down, and everyone looked at him.
"General, please speak." Song Wanji didn't say another word after his initial outburst, and finally spoke with a calm face.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xie Zhanting bowed and said, "In my opinion, Master Qian's words are pure fart. Regarding the marriage, what he talked about was what his parents ordered a matchmaker to do. His parents also agreed, and the matchmaker also came to the door. The horoscopes are also After the marriage is completed, the betrothal gift will be given out soon. Why does Mr. Qian say that the decision has not been finalized? What is the difference between his behavior and bride-robbing? Is he a royal censor or a bandit? "
There are not many people who lead soldiers in the war who speak politely. Qian Renli was so angry that he jumped up and argued with Xie Zhanting: "General, please speak with more respect. I only spoke to the emperor for the sake of the imperial court and the country. Why did you get to this point?" Are you talking like a bandit?"
"Respect, do you deserve it?" Xie Zhanting sneered at him, "Although I am not a censor, I still know that the censor's duty is to rectify official corruption and correct discipline. People like you who form cliques for personal gain and take the lead in breaking laws and disciplines do not deserve it." Get my respect, bah!”
"You, you, you, you are so presumptuous!" Qian Renli was so angry that his beard was flying, "Xie Zhanting, why do you slander me? It is true that my parents ordered a matchmaker, but what we are discussing today is not the marriage of ordinary people. Miss Xiu'er is the daughter of Feng Ming personally approved by Abbot Wuchen. If such a woman doesn't marry the royal family, why should she marry a commoner? The Duke of Zhen is your brother-in-law, so if you talk to him, I think you are showing favoritism. The loving one.”
"You fart!" Xie Zhanting glared and said, "Has anyone ever taken such illusory things as fortune-telling seriously? I don't even believe it with half of my ears. If Abbot Wuchen says that your son is a lone star of evil spirits, then Do you have to kill your son quickly?"
"You..." Qian Renli, a person who relies on words, can't even compare to a military general. He was humiliated and ridiculed by Xie Zhanting one after another. He almost couldn't hold his breath and passed out. He really answered that sentence. When a scholar meets a soldier, he can't explain why. .
"The general is really arrogant..." Someone started to get ready to speak for Qian Renli. Xie Zhanting pointed his hand and said sternly, "I want to ask you, if your children are said by fortune tellers to be the reincarnation of a disaster star that will harm the country, Ke Liuqin, do you believe it or not, kill it or not?"
"..." There was a dead silence down there, and everyone shut up, not daring to argue with him anymore.
Soldiers are unreasonable, not to mention that the general has just won a battle and is in the spotlight. Not many people dare to confront him head-on. Look at him, he is determined to protect his brother-in-law in case he is really angered. It would be disgusting for him to randomly find a fortune teller to spread rumors about someone's children.
Seeing that it was a foregone conclusion, Queen Meng never expected that Xie Zhanting would suddenly come out from the middle, shock the whole audience with his own power, and turn the situation around.
Empress Meng was so angry that she gritted her teeth. However, Xie Zhanting was different from other officials. He did not form cliques or take sides. He held a large number of troops and had a transcendent status. He was loyal to the emperor wholeheartedly. If you wanted to find fault with him, you would have nowhere to blame him. Moreover, even if he were to become the crown prince in the future, After succeeding to the throne, you still have to rely on him to protect your family and country and fight on the battlefield. There is really no benefit in offending him.
In desperation, Queen Meng had no choice but to turn to her father for help.
Prime Minister Meng was also very angry and wanted to grab Xie Zhanting's collar and curse him on the spot.
It's a pity that he didn't dare.
Even if he is the Prime Minister, Xie Zhanting is not someone he can easily offend.
"Your Majesty..." He was about to step forward to argue with Song Wanji, but An Yizhi, the official minister who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke in front of him, "I would like to report to your Majesty. I also feel that the eight-character numerology theory cannot be fully trusted. Since you all have different opinions, in my opinion, it is better to put this matter aside for the time being. After the banquet is over, we can find a few more people who are proficient in numerology and work with Qin Tianjian to retest Miss Xiuer's horoscope. Your Majesty. What do you think?"
"..." The Minister of Civil Affairs has been in the court for nearly a year. He has also been alone and has no party affiliation. Now he suddenly stands on the opposite side of the Meng family without any warning, which really surprises all the officials.
Xie Zhanting couldn't afford to offend him because he had a lot of troops in his hands. What he held in his hands was their future, so he couldn't afford to offend him even more.
When Prime Minister Meng saw that even his own people were frightened into silence by An Yizhi, he frowned and said displeasedly: "Why is such a big thing not as important as having a banquet in the eyes of An Shangshu? How much life does An Shangshu have at home?" Struggle?"
The clear sarcasm caused a burst of snickering from below, but An Yizhi spread his arms, waved his sleeves and said calmly: "It is true that An has never seen such a sumptuous banquet, but I dare to ask the Prime Minister, how does the breeze on the sleeves look very good to you?" Is it a shameful act? If it is, An can only say regretfully that there is no mutual agreement."
"..." Prime Minister Meng had a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat, and his old face turned red from holding back.
He can't say that he can't lead the troops to fight, and he can't say that he can't hold the pen. This debate finally ended with the defeat of Meng's party. Song Wanji saw a complete silence, his dark face finally softened, he cleared his throat and said: " Since all of you have no objections, let’s follow An Shangshu’s suggestion and let’s start the banquet!”
Ministers: "..."
Queen Meng's face was so grim that she didn't even bother to show off, so she took the prince's hand and left the table angrily.
The princes and princes looked at each other and remained silent.
Song Wanji didn't say anything, and sat down alone at the table. He turned his head and told Si Fangzheng: "The Queen is feeling unwell. Please go to Jinghe Palace and ask Concubine Shu to accompany you."
Prime Minister Meng's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly complained that his daughter couldn't keep her temper and gave Concubine Shu a chance to show her face in public.
Queen Meng didn't expect this, so she rushed back to Kunning Palace angrily, smashed several valuable objects, and was only halfway through her sulking. She sat on a chair and cursed An Yizhi and Xie Zhanting.
Song Jingxing retreated from the crowd and sat quietly listening to her scolding. When she was finally tired of scolding, he asked: "Mother, what should we do next?"
"What should I do? What else can I do?" Empress Meng said bitterly, "Your father obviously doesn't want to take care of it, and your grandfather can't shake Xie Zhanting and An Yizhi, not to mention the difficult Marquis Dingyuan. Without a fight, we have almost no chance of winning."
His mother, who never gave up easily, lost her fighting spirit. Song Jingxing suddenly felt panic that the situation was over, and said gloomily: "Why does my father always favor that bastard Zhao Jingyu in everything? Am I not his biological child?"
"..." Queen Meng was shocked, stood up and slapped him, "What are you talking about?"
Song Jingxing's ears were ringing from the beating, and he covered his face and said aggrievedly: "I just said casually, could the Queen Mother do such a heavy hand?"
"Is this something that can be said casually? Do you know that walls have ears?" Empress Meng said sternly, "I'll hit you lightly this time. If I hear you talking nonsense again, I'll watch your skin carefully!"
"I know." Song Jingxing responded unconvinced, and then said, "Mother, I really can't swallow this breath."
"Then what do you want?" Queen Meng asked.
Song Jingxing adjusted his mood and said: "Didn't Xie Zhanting say that his parents ordered a matchmaker? After this incident, no one should dare to protect the Zhao and Su families. The only thing left is to find a way to let the Zhenguo Duke's office Relent and take the initiative to send your daughter in. "
"Then tell me, how can we make the Duke of Zhenguo take the initiative to relent?" Queen Meng sat back down and motioned for Song Jingxing to sit down as well.
Song Jingxing did not sit down, but leaned close to her ear and whispered something.
After hearing this, Queen Meng took a breath: "Are you crazy? That is the Duke of Zhenguo..."
"Mother, please keep your voice down." Song Jingxing quickly stopped her, "Mother, as long as we plan carefully, nothing will happen. You believe me."
Queen Meng hesitantly looked at her son in front of her, who had red eyes and an unwilling expression. Suddenly she was a little unsure whether what she did for him was right or wrong, whether she usually pushed him too hard and let him He has developed an extreme character of being competitive and willing to spend every penny. If he still fails to achieve his wish in the end, will he and Zhao Jingyu have a fight to the death
No, this is the son she has placed all her hopes on. She cannot just watch him ruin his great future for a bastard of unknown origin. No matter what method she uses, she must help her son fulfill his wish. The daughter of Phoenix must marry. Donggong, otherwise she will destroy her.
It is better to be broken into pieces than to be completely destroyed!
(End of chapter)