After sending Zhang Liang and the others away, it was almost the winter solstice.
Thinking about how many things have happened in the past year, every time I talk to the ministers in the court about political affairs, it is inevitable to have conflicts with some people. Moreover, since I came to Da Qin, I have not learned about the personal situation of these ministers in detail, so I decided to hold a palace banquet on the Winter Solstice.
When Ying Zheng was alive, he rarely held large-scale banquets. Except for the grand ceremonies stipulated by the court, there were basically no palace banquets like those in movies and TV dramas where people sing and dance all day long.
I ordered the young master Feng Si to prepare for the palace banquet, and separately notified Sangong and Jiuqing to take their families to Pingzhangtai to attend the palace banquet on the winter solstice. After receiving the news, several people were all flattered. If Ying Zheng was alive, how could he be so favored.
The winter solstice is here in a blink of an eye.
When I arrived at Pingzhangtai, everyone invited to the palace banquet had already arrived.
Looking at the people who were saluting in front of me, I smiled and said, "No courtesy. Today is not a court meeting. I feel that you have worked hard for the Qin Dynasty, so I specially organized this banquet to comfort you. There is no need to be formal."
Everyone thanked him and sat down.
I looked at the men, women, old and young in the hall, and I was filled with emotions for a moment.
He looked at Li Sid and said, "I rarely go out of the palace, and I am not familiar with the wives of the princes. Can you introduce them to me? Let's start with Prime Minister Li."
Li Si stood up quickly and said, "Your Majesty is kind."
Then he looked at the people around him and introduced them one by one: "Your Majesty, this is my wife, Mrs. Li, who has an ordinary background and cannot be described in words. My eldest son, Li You, is currently the governor of Sanchuan County, so I was unable to come. This is my wife. The second son, Li Jie, is currently the commander of the company's carriages; this is my daughter Li Shiyun, who is in her golden age. I am honored to be summoned by your majesty this time, and I am very grateful."
After speaking, several people saluted and thanked him together.
I nodded and said: "Well, that's right. Prime Minister Li worked tirelessly for the Qin Dynasty, and his children are also talented people. I received a report from Ge Yue yesterday. Li You was very careful in looking for graphite mines, and he has found them for our Qin Dynasty. There are two mineral deposits. Once the ore is officially produced, I will definitely reward you generously."
Li Si was overjoyed when he heard this and quickly bowed and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty. May your Majesty live forever!"
Then came Feng Quji.
Feng Quji himself had nothing to say. He only had one son, the imperial censor Feng Jie, so he only introduced his wife Bai Yunying.
But I paid special attention to this Bai Yunying! This woman is extraordinary!
Then Feng Jie stood up and said: "Your Majesty, this is my wife Feng Qi. The two sons are Feng De and Feng Shui, which means De Shui. They intend to serve our great Qin like De Shui."
After that, Jiu Qing introduced them one by one.
When it was Bai Tu's turn, Bai Tu stood up and said, "Your Majesty, my wife is no longer rich, and I only have one son, Bai Tai, who is over 20 years old. He is currently farming in Xi County and has never been an official in the court."
Bai Tu was not among the three nobles and nine ministers, but he still occupied an important position in the Qin Dynasty's army. Although the Qin Dynasty established Taiwei, no one has served since its establishment. Therefore, the three princes of the Qin Dynasty should have four people, but in fact there are only three.
Although no one holds the position of Taiwei, except for the deployment of troops, the power of the guard captain is no less than that of Taiwei. The power of being in charge of military affairs, commanding generals, and supervising military affairs is much greater than that of a lieutenant who only nominally manages the army.
Seeing that everyone had finished their introductions, I stood up and said, "Let's drink this cup together for my great Qin."
Everyone stood up and said in unison: "The Qin Dynasty will last ten thousand years, and your Majesty will last ten thousand years!"
Then the palace banquet officially began, and for a while the bells in the palace were ringing and the dishes were being eaten, and everyone was enjoying themselves.
When the palace lanterns first came on, the palace banquet gradually entered its ebb and flow.
I stood up with a smile on my face and said, "I'd like to thank you and your wives for attending the banquet today. I have ordered Feng Si to prepare the carriages and horses and send the ladies and children back to the mansion. I will chat with you about some men's matters."
Everyone smiled at first, then thanked him and left the palace.
The remaining ministers and I moved to Pingzhang Palace behind Pingzhang Terrace.
After everyone sat down, I smiled and said, "Are you satisfied with the palace banquet I arranged?"
Everyone said in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Then I started chatting with everyone, just nonsense about how my children were doing in school and whether the family was harmonious.
Seeing that everyone was a little drunk, I suddenly said: "I heard an anecdote a few days ago, and I told you to enjoy it."
Then I told the story of Sima Li’s family of four.
After I finished speaking, everyone was still a little drunk. The people who can sit here are all human beings. If you don’t even understand the purpose of telling this story, the head on the neck may have changed hands long ago.
Seeing that no one said anything, I chuckled: "It's just a story. Today is not a court meeting. You can speak freely, but I will not pursue it."
I glanced at Bai Tu and said, "Bai Tu, you are the captain guarding the army. This matter has something to do with the army. What do you think?"
A glimmer of light flashed in Bai Tu's eyes, and he replied: "Your Majesty, this is nonsense. Although our Qin Dynasty has no major wars, Beihu has repeatedly invaded and Baiyue has often caused chaos, not to mention Kuaiji and Surabaya after Your Majesty ascended the throne. Rebellion. If the military merit system is abolished, I am afraid that our Qin soldiers will be lazy in fighting. What should we do if there is another rebellion?"
I nodded noncommittally, his objection expected.
I asked Li Si again: "What does Mr. Li think?"
Li Si thought for a while and said, "I think your Majesty's worries are reasonable. I disagree with Bai Hujun's statement that the soldiers are lazy in fighting. If our soldiers in Qin are all fighting for money and fame, why does the imperial court need to pay military salaries? As long as we increase the number of kills, If the enemy rewards you, there will naturally be countless Guizhou leaders who fight bravely to kill the enemy."
Bai Tu didn't refute, and the others even pretended to be deaf and dumb.
I had to name him: "Prime Minister Feng?"
Feng Quji did not hesitate and replied: "Your Majesty, I think what Prime Minister Li said is right. However, what Bai Hujun said is also reasonable. I think this matter needs to be considered in the long term."
I cursed in my heart: 'You have said everything! If in the future, no matter what, I will find you a job as a construction site duster. It would be a pity not to go to the construction site with your mediocre skills! '
Seeing that no one dared to say anything about this, I laughed and said, "It's okay, I just heard that this is interesting. It's rare that I have free time today, and I don't care about political affairs. Let's drink this cup together."
Seeing that I didn't hold on, everyone felt relieved, and the palace gradually became more active.
But the atmosphere has become a little weird.
After holding on for a while, I saw that everyone had no intention of drinking anymore, so I ordered the banquet to end.
Watching Bai Tu walk out of Pingzhang Palace, my eyes narrowed slightly.
At Xu Shizhong, Xing Zhong's voice sounded in the empty Sihai Palace: "Your Majesty, there is news!"
I put down the pen in my hand.
"According to the investigation in the clean room, Bai Tu claimed to the outside world that his son Bai Tai only worked as a farmer in Xi County. In fact, he dominated the sky in Xi County, bullying men and women, and doing all kinds of evil."
"Bai Xiancheng, the patriarch of the Bai clan, is seventy years old this year and has been bedridden all year round. If Bai Tu's official position had not often required him to go to counties to supervise the army, Bai Tu would have been the patriarch of the Bai clan for a long time. Bai Tu is not in Xi County now. His son Bai Tai is actually equivalent to the patriarch."
"There is a list circulated in Xi County, which lists all the members of the Bai clan in detail. There are five to six hundred people in it. Almost every family in Xi County has a register, for fear of accidentally offending the Bai clan."
"There is also a saying..."
I said calmly: "Speak."
"In Xi County, you don't have to know who the emperor is, but you must not know who the leader of the Bai clan is."
After hearing what Xing Zhong said, I indicated that I already knew. When Bai Tu objected to my appointment of Zhang Han, I had already asked Xing Zhong to secretly investigate the details of the Bai family.
Now that I heard the report from Xingzhong, I thought of Feng Quji’s wife, Bai Yunying...
