A royal dinner lasted more than an hour!
On Yan Liqiang's table were the most exquisite dishes made with the best ingredients by the best chefs in the world, but in Yan Liqiang's mouth, they tasted like chewing wax!
The emperor's attitude said it all. As a smart man, Yan Liqiang should have completely put an end to the thought in his mind. However, while eating the delicious food on the table and answering the emperor's questions, Yan Liqiang always felt that there was something across his chest, beating loudly. He couldn't remain silent unless he spoke it out.
No matter how smart a person is, he should make a stupid mistake at least once in his life!
"… This is the tribute of meat mushrooms from the northwest. I heard that this meat mushroom grows in the wilderness, buried deep underground. If there is a meat mushroom underground within a ten-mile radius, it will not grow anywhere else. The Shaofu has enclosed a piece of land in the northwest, which is where this meat mushroom grows. Apart from that piece of land, it does not grow anywhere else. Every year, the meat mushrooms found on that piece of land are sent to the palace, just a few dozen. The imperial physician in the palace said that meat mushrooms are one of the rare top-grade medicines, both medicine and food, and their efficacy is comparable to old mountain ginseng, but their nature is milder and they are great for replenishing qi and blood. Knowing that you are coming today, I asked the imperial kitchen to make a soup with this meat mushroom. Li Qiang, you try it. You are in the northwest, so you probably haven't eaten it before… "His Majesty the Emperor smiled and introduced a new delicacy to Yan Liqiang in a amiable manner. "I heard that there are some unique and high-quality medicinal and edible things in the Gulang grassland. When the Qiyun Protectorate was still there, I could see the tributes sent by the Qiyun Protectorate in the palace every year. However, since the seven Shatu tribes occupied the Gulang grassland, the tributes from the Gulang grassland have been cut off. The Shatu people are ambitious. I hope that in a few years, your Qiyun Protectorate will allow me to see the specialties of the Gulang grassland again. I am very pleased to hear that you destroyed the Tuli tribe and beheaded more than 10,000 people a few months ago. I feel that I did not make a mistake in choosing you!"
"I will work hard to recover the Ancient Wave Grassland as soon as possible and not let Your Majesty down!"
“Hahaha, drink this mushroom soup while it’s hot, drink it in one breath, don’t let it cool, otherwise the efficacy will be affected…” His Majesty the Emperor said, and demonstrated himself. He picked up a small bowl in front of him, took a spoon, and drank it slowly.
Yan Liqiang glanced at the Emperor, picked up the bowl directly, and without using a spoon, he tilted his neck back, opened his mouth, and drank the mushroom soup in two big gulps, then put the bowl on the table.
His Majesty the Emperor laughed and said, "Li Qiang, if you like, I will have someone send some meat mushrooms to Luyuan and ask the chefs there to make a few more meals for you!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!" Yan Liqiang smiled, but one of his hands under the table clenched his fist tightly. "Your Majesty has been very kind to me. I often think that I don't know how to repay your kindness to me..."
"Hahaha, if you can take the Gulang Grassland back from the Shatu people in the future, it will be the best reward for me!"
"Reclaiming the Gulang Grassland is not an overnight task. I will do my best. But right now, I still have something to say to Your Majesty. The millions of people in the capital are your subjects and the foundation of the Han Empire. If the catastrophe comes next year, Your Majesty will leave these millions of people in the capital, which is equivalent to cutting off their future livelihood. I beg Your Majesty to think twice and issue an order as soon as possible to organize the people in the capital to leave. The money and food needed along the way are not enough now, so you can order the wealthy families and officials in each state to donate. As long as the whole country is united, the Han Empire will definitely be able to survive this catastrophe..."
Yan Liqiang gritted his teeth and said what he had always wanted to say.
Originally, there was a smile on the emperor's face at the beginning, but after listening to what Yan Liqiang said, the smile on the emperor's face gradually disappeared, and finally became cold and hard, without any expression. He just stared at Yan Liqiang with sharp eyes. Yan Liqiang also calmly met the emperor's sharp gaze. There was silence in the Guanglu Hall, and the atmosphere seemed to be frozen.
"Whether the calamity will come or not is an ambiguous matter!" The Emperor's voice suddenly became cold, without any emotion or eroticism. "Li Qiang, are you trying to accuse me of being a tyrant who doesn't care about the lives of the people?"
"I dare not, I just want to share your Majesty's worries!" Yan Liqiang lowered his head.
"We have actually been asking the wealthy families and officials in each state to donate money and grain, but the effect is minimal. The amount of money and grain received by each state is not enough to force the people in the capital to migrate away on a large scale. Li Qiang, you must know that I am doing this for the sake of the Han Empire and the hundreds of millions of people in this world!"
"As long as Your Majesty gives me an army, it doesn't need to be too many, just 20,000 cavalry from the Imperial Cavalry and Infantry Department, and Your Majesty gives me the position of imperial envoy to supervise the amount of money and grain donated by the wealthy families and officials in each state and county, I will be able to find a way to make up for the shortfall of money and grain in each state and county within three months. If I fail to complete this task, I am willing to come to see Your Majesty with my head held high!" Yan Liqiang walked out from behind the desk, knelt on one knee in front of the Emperor in the hall, and said in a deep voice.
"Crash..."
A loud noise resounded throughout the Guanglu Hall...
In response to Yan Liqiang, the Emperor overturned the silver table and smashed the tableware.
His Majesty the Emperor stood up suddenly, his eyes gleaming, staring at Yan Liqiang who was kneeling in the hall.
Hearing the huge noise in the Guanglu Hall, hundreds of fully armed warriors on duty guarding outside the hall rushed in at once, and two old men in black also appeared in the hall like ghosts.
As soon as the warriors on duty rushed in, they aimed all kinds of swords, spears, axes and lances at Yan Liqiang who was kneeling on the ground. The two old men in black also stared at Yan Liqiang with their sinister eyes like needles, making Yan Liqiang feel uneasy...
At this moment, in the Guanglu Hall, one could almost hear a pin drop. Everyone seemed to be just waiting for a look or a signal from the Emperor to capture Yan Liqiang or chop him into pieces!
Yan Liqiang's eyes were still fixed on His Majesty the Emperor.
The emperor's chest rose and fell rapidly, and his eyes changed again and again when he looked at Yan Liqiang. The whole hall was silent for half a minute before the emperor's chest gradually calmed down. The look in his eyes when he was staring at Yan Liqiang also slowly lost its edge. Finally, the emperor spoke coldly, "Liqiang, your loyalty is commendable, but the affairs of the Han Empire are not as simple as you think. How can you act on impulse when it comes to national affairs..."
After saying this, the Emperor snorted, flicked his sleeves, no longer looked at the kneeling Yan Liqiang, and left Guanglu Hall directly...
(End of this chapter)