The eunuch stood in front of the crowd.
"Your Majesty is hosting a banquet in Chengyun Palace. Please follow me."
Have a banquet
Not only Lu Liangsheng was confused, but the other Jinshi also looked confused. After the palace examination, shouldn't the emperor select the top three
The eunuch walking in front seemed to understand their confusion and turned around and said with a smile:
"Your Majesty likes to host banquets for all the ministers. You are all rare young talents, and you are all proficient in poetry, prose, and songs. Naturally, you should be entertained. Even the civil and military officials are here."
After saying this, they arrived at Chengyun Hall. Lu Liangsheng walked among the eighteen people, his face calm but also a little nervous. After entering, the lights were on even though it was daytime. Chengyun Hall was spacious, with civil and military officials sitting on both sides. The Minister of Personnel Min Changwen was also among them, sitting on the left with a solemn expression.
The sounds of chimes and stringed instruments were gentle, and the green smoke of sandalwood curled up. After Lu Liangsheng and others walked through the middle and stood in front of the dragon table, the emperor raised his sleeves and waved.
Several women with long sleeves dancing bowed and slowly retreated.
After the group of beautiful women left, Lu Liangsheng's vision became clear. Under the large cattail leaf fan with interwoven gold edges, Chen Shubao was wearing a dragon robe. He looked to be in his early thirties with a handsome appearance. However, there were two women sitting on his left and right. One of them was wearing a bright red peony dress and a black hairpin with a crystal flower inserted in it, which added to her beauty. It was stunning and she looked familiar.
"He Jingqiu?"
When Lu Liangsheng whispered, the woman seemed to notice the scholar in the crowd. Her beautiful eyes widened for no reason and her small red lips slightly opened.
"Mr. Lu..."
Chen Shubao, who was talking to another concubine, turned his head.
"What did my beloved say?"
"Your Highness, I heard that all the successful candidates this year are so young."
Sitting on the dragon throne, Chen Shubao looked at Zhang Lihua over there, curled the corners of his mouth, sat up straight, put his hands on the armrests, looked forward, and spoke slowly.
"Yes, they are all my future loyal subjects. Look, my beloved concubine, many of them are really young, handsome and elegant... I can't compare to them."
Although the above words were only spoken between the two of them, Lu Liangsheng could hear them and frowned.
… Why does this sound a bit sour
"After the palace examination, I will not announce the top three for now."
At this time, the emperor on the Dragon Court stood up, his voice was slow and moderate, but then he chuckled.
"You are all outstanding men of the Chen Dynasty. I like you very much. All the civil and military officials in this palace know that I have a habit of inviting my concubines to sit with me every time I hold a banquet. You will soon be my subjects, so I invite you to come and get used to it."
The words that followed became a little frivolous. Min Changwen, who was sitting on the left, couldn't help but want to speak, but the emperor was speaking at the moment, and if he interrupted, it would affect the harmony between the monarch and his subjects, so he had to continue listening.
Chen Shubao ordered people to fill 19 new seats. After the 18 Jinshi expressed their gratitude, they exchanged pleasantries with each other.
"Brother Chang, please."
"I'd rather go with Brother Zhou."
"Let's go together."
They went over and took their seats one by one. Someone turned around and saw Lu Liangsheng standing there alone.
"Brother Lu, please take a seat."
Lu Liangsheng smiled at him, bowed politely, then looked at the emperor who turned around and sat back on the dragon throne, feeling half nervous and half expectant. Although it was a bit abrupt, it was the best opportunity.
He took a deep breath, spread his sleeves and bowed towards the imperial steps.
"Your Majesty, the newly admitted Jinshi Lu Liangsheng has something to report to you."
The voices on both sides gradually became quieter. The civil and military officials at the banquet looked at each other, and were curious about what the young man in the middle would say.
"oh?"
Chen Shubao rested his elbow on the armrest, rubbed his fingertips, and looked at the elegant scholar standing in the hall with a smile.
"you say."
Below, many thoughts flashed through Lu Liangsheng's mind like lightning, and he quickly organized the words he wanted to say in his mind.
"Your Majesty, I went to Heliang Prefecture last year. At that time, drought was raging everywhere, and victims were everywhere. Starving people could be seen everywhere. The granaries in various cities had to pay taxes to the court, so it was difficult to store grain for relief..."
Hearing this, Chen Shubao felt a pain in his head and waved his hand to interrupt the other person.
"Isn't it raining? We will have a good harvest this year."
"But your majesty, the taxes will still make them breathless..."
Lu Liangsheng wanted to say something, but the emperor lowered his hands, looked at him, and leaned forward slightly: "Lu Liangsheng, you are not an official yet."
In Chengyun Hall, Lu Liangsheng's face and neck turned red from this remark. The civil and military officials on both sides, as well as the 18 newly seated Jinshi scholars, all fell silent.
After a moment, his fingers slowly curled up inside his trembling cuffs and clenched into fists.
"Your Majesty..."
Lu Liangsheng's voice rang out again in the hall, and he said softly, "In the first exam of the imperial examination, I wrote that a country is a huge tree, and the people are the roots of the tree. Only when the roots can firmly hold the ground can the tree not fall. Heliang Province is poor, and thousands of lives are struggling between your Majesty's thoughts. If one piece of land is damaged, the foundation of the country will be damaged..."
"alright."
Chen Shubao leaned back in his chair, looked away from the civil and military officials, and snorted coldly.
"The Chen Dynasty was rich, and the rice and millet warehouses were full. It was just that those border officials were acting anxious and falsely claimed a disaster. The border residents just cooperated in order to get more money and food. What do you, a mere scholar, know?!"
The emperor looked at the dazed expression of the scholar below with great satisfaction, feeling a kind of pleasure in venting the jealousy in his heart.
"Your Majesty!" Lu Liangsheng shouted again.
"Don't say any more... By the way, I do have something I want to ask you."
Sitting on the dragon throne, Chen Shubao turned his head slightly and glanced at Zhang Lihua who was sitting not far away. Thinking of the jade pendant lying on the table in the study, the corners of his mouth curled up, he chuckled, and turned around.
"I heard you can do some street tricks."
With his elbows resting on the armrests, he looked at Lu Liangsheng below with a teasing look and raised his chin.
"Come, show me a trick."
"His Majesty!"
Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials were stunned, and many of them stood up. Min Changwen even cupped his hands towards the emperor. Scholars care about their reputation, especially those who practice Taoism. Even Zhang Lihua, who was sitting on the side of the imperial steps, frowned and turned to look at the emperor.
"Your Majesty, you..."
All around, the palace guards subconsciously grasped the hilts of their swords and stared intently at the center of the hall.
Jugglery…
Lu Liangsheng stood there, looking at the dragon throne above him, closed his eyes for a while, and unclenched his fists.
“Your Majesty, you just thought I was a magician? After four years of studying hard, Your Majesty thought I was here to perform magic in the Golden Throne Hall… Hehe… Okay, then Lu Liangsheng will perform for Your Majesty once.”
He clenched his teeth, his fists clenched in his sleeves, and they were shaking.
"Hurry up and make one for me to see. If you can't, beat him with sticks--" the words came.
The scholar flicked his wide sleeves, turned around and walked away. The moment he stepped out of the palace gate, guards came to stop him. In the sight of the emperor and the civil and military officials, his figure became blurred and then disappeared in the sunlight.
Outside, there were sounds coming from far away.
"Lu Liangsheng from Qixia Mountain, goodbye!"
There was an uproar in the hall, and everyone stood up to look around, some were afraid, some were curious.
"Oh my, this Lu Liangsheng really knows magic."
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid Lu Liangsheng's skills are more than just street tricks!"
"That's right, that's right. Your Majesty, why did you humiliate him alone? Lu Liangsheng is a humble gentleman..."
Min Changwen walked out of his seat and chased after him a few steps, but the figure had already disappeared. He stared blankly at the bright sunshine outside, beating his chest and stamping his feet in anger.
"Your Majesty, our Chen Dynasty has lost a pillar."
"What pillar?!"
Chen Shubao returned to the dragon throne, feeling pleased, and waved his sleeves in a heroic manner: "Let the banquet begin!"
…
The sunlight outside reflected on people's faces, which was somewhat dazzling. Lu Liangsheng walked through the deserted long street in a daze, with a look of extreme disappointment and dejection between his brows.
"Heh... It turned out to be this kind of emperor... This kind of emperor... He ignored the millions of people in Heliangzhou..."
Bathing in the sunshine, closing his eyes, not to mention being humiliated for no reason, the behavior of the man on the dragon throne was not at all like what an emperor should do.
"Indulging in alcohol and sex, believing in evildoers, and having no compassion for the people... hehe..."
Not far away, outside a tavern, a waiter yawned out of boredom. Suddenly, he saw the scholar walking by and hurried over to greet him.
"Come, come, come, sir. The drinks in our store are delicious. You seem to be worried. Why don't you come in and have a few drinks? Maybe your worries will be solved."
Lu Liangsheng stopped and smelled the aroma of wine wafting from the store. He turned around and followed the waiter in.
Soon, the waiter ran up to the second floor excitedly with a few jugs of warm wine for the guest.
"Sir, you ordered Lihua wine and Huangxing wine. Oh, and you may also order some snacks..."
Before he could finish his words, Lu Liangsheng, who was sitting at the opposite table, reached out and grabbed the wine jug and poured it into his mouth.
cough
Ahem—
Putting down the wine jug, Lu Liangsheng was almost choked by the spicy taste and stared at the pen and ink on the table with slightly red eyes. He reached out and grabbed it, holding it tightly.
After four years of hard study, Heliangzhou was starving... Suddenly, he just wanted to get drunk.