...
Zhao Wujiang stepped into the banquet hall under the leadership of Liu Feng, and then Liu Feng retreated.
As soon as he stepped into the hall, Zhao Wujiang's arrival attracted the attention of many officials.
He was so different. His extraordinary handsomeness alone could surpass many officials. Except for a few people such as Dugu Yihe and Liu Zhe who could compare, the rest of the ministers couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.
Moreover, Zhao Wujiang is very young. Although there are also young officials, they are a little less calm than him. Zhao Wujiang is both young and elegant and gives people an extraordinarily calm feeling, and the integration of this feeling is particularly harmonious. There is no No sense of inconsistency at all.
Many courtiers paid tribute to Zhao Wujiang one after another, and many even sneered at Zhao Wujiang without any concealment. No matter how handsome he was, he was still an incomplete scoundrel.
Dugu Yihe nodded to Zhao Wujiang and motioned for Zhao Wujiang to sit next to him.
Zhao Wujiang walked towards Dugu Yihe gently, and sat down next to Dugu Yihe without being humble or arrogant.
The courtiers who were watching all around were filled with envy. Although there was no clear distinction between senior and inferior positions at the banquet, the courtiers knew it well. Different levels of power meant different positions. Now, although Zhao Wujiang was sitting in a very high position, no courtiers stood up. question.
After all, the head of the Dugu family personally invited him, who among the people here would say something disobedient?
Next to Zhao Wujiang was Li Chenxu, the minister of Honglu Temple. Li Chenxu also treated Zhao Wujiang as a peer.
...
At a quarter past noon, all the courtiers attending the banquet arrived, accounting for nearly 60% of the officials in the court. In other words, except for some minor officials who needed to be on duty and operate, the officials attending the banquet were basically all the officials in the court.
The lowest rank among the officials here is the eighth rank, and they are officials officially appointed by the imperial court. Although they can only sit at the end of the banquet hall, they all feel honored to be invited by Liu Zhe.
This was almost impossible in the past.
Who is Liu Zhe?
The elder of the three dynasties, the most powerful minister in the court, ranked in the Zhongshu Ling of the Zhongshu Province, and was a third-rank official. Although he was of the same rank as the six ministers, his actual power was more than half a rank higher than the six ministers, so he was called a second-rank official. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a truly powerful minister.
In the past, it would have been impossible for Liu Zhe to entertain these low-level officials of the sixth or seventh grade. Today, however, the banquet was very large. How could he not make the low-level officials feel honored?
Liu Zhe took the main seat and invited everyone to have a drink. Everyone complimented him respectfully, and the banquet was in a happy atmosphere.
After drinking for a while, the banquet atmosphere became joyful. Liu Zhe, Dugu Yihe and Zhao Wujiang looked at each other and had a small exchange of eyes.
Liu Zhe gently stroked his long snow-white beard, raised his glass to signal to everyone, and said with a chuckle:
"My colleagues, today's banquet is hosted by Mr. Zhao Wujiang, a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs."
The ministers were stunned and couldn't help but scream. Liu Zhe was entrusted by Zhao Wujiang to specially entertain the ministers. Why?
Zhao Wujiang filled the glass with wine, stood up, held the glass in both hands, and saluted the courtiers from all directions:
"My lords, I would like to propose a toast to you."
He drank it all in one gulp.
The ministers were silent, and many people became commotion, smelling something suspiciously unusual.
Zhao Wujiang drank the wine from the glass and said loudly:
"The former Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhang Tuizhi, was corrupt and misappropriated the state treasury to enrich himself. Recently, Liu Wanshan, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue, found out that the treasury is empty and needs to be filled urgently.
Today, I asked Master Liu to entertain all my colleagues. I want to ask for your colleagues' help to replenish the national treasury and stabilize the great Xia Dynasty! "
The ministers were silent. They had different thoughts and looked at Zhao Wujiang with twinkling eyes.
Some people ridiculed Zhao Wujiang in their hearts. Zhao Wujiang asked the ministers to pay for it themselves. It was simply an extremely naive idea. Who among you would take the initiative to pay for it?
If you pay too little, you will be stingy and lose face. If you pay too much, it will be distressing and of no benefit. Who will do it?
The emperor also discussed with them about filling the treasury, and they tacitly shied away from it. They took this into account, and if they paid too much, they would feel distressed and there would be no benefit. Once the emperor found out where so much money came from, it would be even more troublesome. , they will not be stupid enough to get themselves into trouble.
Many people looked at Zhao Wujiang with a hint of admiration in their eyes, admiring Zhao Wujiang's boldness, but they couldn't help but sigh at Zhao Wujiang's naivety. Nowadays, the great summer is in turmoil and the officialdom is in deep trouble. Most people just want to save themselves.
After Zhao Wujiang finished speaking, no one answered for a long time. The scene was a bit awkward for a while. The courtiers were eating wine and vegetables by themselves, and someone sneered and sarcastic from time to time.
Everyone is silent. Can you, Zhao Wujiang, force everyone to donate?
So many ministers in the court are not worried about this matter, but you, a small official, insist on drowning in muddy water, claiming to be a saint and thinking too highly of yourself?
What's the use of being young and energetic and having ideas to mend things and help the world?
Does being an official need to be so aloof? How long can you serve as an official if you do this? Hum, young...
The ministers kept laughing in their hearts. Due to the reputation of Dugu Yihe and Liu Zhe, they did not mock Zhao Wujiang in words, but their expressions and actions showed their disdain for Zhao Wujiang's words and actions.
