The banquet was held at the Meridian Gate, with Shang Baosi in charge.
The emperor's wedding is no less than celebrating his birthday, and even worse.
The Jiaofang Department set up nine music and songs, Guanglu Temple set up wine in the west of the throne, set up meals in the east of the throne, and also set up a rare and delicious pavilion, and the ingredients were all rare treasures from all over the world;
Among them, many fresh ingredients are rushed through the inn and carefully cooked in the imperial kitchen. It is no exaggeration to call it the Ming Dynasty on the tip of the tongue.
This is just a wedding banquet. If all the expenses for the entire wedding process were added up, it would cost at least two million taels. It can be said that the ostentation has reached the extreme.
But no one thinks it's luxurious. As an emperor, that's how it should be.
As an emperor, I always treat my selfishness as the great public of the world; nothing more than this.
The emperor expected his ministers to be obedient, honest, and work sincerely; but he himself was often extravagant and extravagant, and even spent millions of taels every year on unnecessary expenses just for the sake of royal dignity.
But the problem is that no one feels that it is wrong. Whether it is bureaucrats or ordinary people, they all take it for granted. No one has an opinion or feels it is unfair.
Li Qing had opinions on this, but opinions were opinions, and he had no ability to change them.
Using the thoughts of one person to change the concepts of millions of people in the world is tantamount to fantasy and is simply unrealistic.
And he doesn’t dare!
If class struggle really breaks out, the world will be in chaos immediately, and it will even lead to a situation even more chaotic than during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
After all... Even in the post-modern era, Old Yuan Tou is still proclaimed emperor, let alone in this era.
Li Qing can only do his best to maintain stability as much as possible and strive to maximize benefits instead of going to extremes.
Advanced ideas that are too advanced will only lead to tragedy and tragedy.
During this wedding, the money Zhu Qiyu left for his nephew before leaving was completely spent.
As the old saying goes, Mr. Zaihua doesn’t care about money.
~
The emperor has not yet arrived, so the food will not be served. The ministers are drinking tea and chatting with their colleagues in a reserved manner.
Li Qing's table was filled with heavyweights, such as Yu Qian, Li Xian, Shi Heng, and the four ministers of Hu, Li, Xing, and Gong. The lineup was extremely luxurious.
They are all big guys. No matter how unhappy they are with Li Qing, they will not bring it to the table. On the surface, they are very polite to Li Qing.
"Yu Shangshu, is there any new news from the grassland?" Li Qing asked.
Everyone here is a big shot in the court, and they have nothing to hide. They also have a say in what decisions the court really wants to make.
"Not yet, but... the war is basically confirmed." Yu Qian put down his tea cup and said: "Even if we don't fight before the year, we will fight after the year."
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was startled, and then interjected: "The Ming Dynasty paid low taxes to support the people, and the emperor exempted some of it for two years after ascending the throne. For the time being, the Ministry of Revenue can not provide much military pay."
"Soldiers are also deadly weapons..." Yao Kui immediately expressed his opinion and continued in a long speech.
Li Qing was really annoyed and too lazy to continue. He just said: "They also celebrate the New Year. If a war is inevitable, it will basically take place during this short period of time."
After a pause, "After this battle, no matter who wins or loses, the grassland pattern will undergo huge changes, and we must also take contingency measures."
"I wonder what Marquis Yongqing has to say?" Yao Kui asked.
I don’t want to tell you if I have high opinions... Li Qing said lightly: "The situation is unknown. It is too early to say this now. I just asked casually."
Yao Kui stroked his beard, shook his head and said, "I have an idea."
"Oh? Do you have a plan too?"
"Why, Marquis Yongqing thinks that I can't have one?" Yao Kui was dissatisfied.
"It's nothing." Li Qing picked up the tea cup and sipped it. This contemptuous gesture made Yao Kui furious.
On the happy day, Yu Qian didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he quickly smoothed things over, "I wonder what Yao Shangshu has to say?"
Yao Kui glanced at Li Qing sideways, but he really didn't dare to do anything to him, so he got off the donkey along the slope and said: "I don't dare to take my high opinion seriously, it's just some superficial opinions;
I think that instead of spending a huge amount of money and letting our Ming soldiers bleed and die, it would be better to use it as a reward. "
He said contemptuously: "The prairie barbarians are not accustomed to education. If you give them some benefits, you will not worry about them not doing things according to Ming Dynasty's wishes. In the process, I, Ming Dynasty, will educate them again, so that we can have long-term peace and stability."
"Yao Shangshu has a great opinion." Lu Yu, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, highly agreed, "Surveying the city is the bottom priority, and attacking the heart is the top priority. This is the best choice for dealing with the grassland."
In fact, they want to do things, but when doing things, they will also take their own interests as the starting point.
As the war continues, military generals will develop and grow. This is the fundamental reason why they oppose the war.
The Ming Dynasty has been a country for a hundred years, and the time for civil servants to stand up is only a handful. They really don't want to be ridden by military generals anymore.
Based on this, infinitely reducing the role and influence of military generals has become the political stance of the vast majority of civilian officials.
For them, unless the enemy comes to their doorstep like in the last battle to defend the capital, it is better not to use troops if they can.
The mobilization of troops gave the generals political soil!
Although Shi Heng was stupid, he could tell that the two of them had not held it in well, and hummed: "The emperor has the final say whether to fight or not. Isn't it too early to say this now? Besides, the grassland barbarians have to fight. Rewarding them blindly will only make them emboldened;
Marquis Yongqing, what do you think? "
Li Qing just smiled: "The situation is still unclear. It doesn't mean much to talk about it now. By the way, it's time to start the banquet soon, right?"
Everyone: "..."
We are discussing national affairs, but you are focused on eating?
In fact, Li Qing did not want to fight. The Ming Dynasty would benefit the most if the grassland itself was in chaos. Otherwise, it would probably be dragged into the quagmire of war, and the civil strife in the grassland would also become peaceful.
The cost of sending troops is huge!
But that doesn't mean that Ming Dynasty will definitely not be able to send troops. It still depends on the outcome of this battle.
If Oara wins a great victory, we will not fight, but if Tatar wins a great victory, we must fight! Otherwise the grassland will be unified!
Another point is that since the Battle of Luchuan and the Battle of the Capital, the Ming Army has not fought again. It has been fifteen years ago. If there is another ten years of peace, once there is a fault in the army, the combat effectiveness of the Ming Army will be reduced. I don’t know how it will slide down.
Under certain conditions, Li Qing still wanted to maintain the Ming army's combat power. Of course, he could not deliberately launch a meaningless war just to ensure its combat power.
The degree of this must be well balanced.
Li Qing couldn't help but look up to the north and frowned slightly: I hope Vala won't disappoint me.
…
Near noon, the emperor and empress came hand in hand, and all the ministers paid homage to the young emperor and empress.
Then, the teacher played music and the banquet started. ΟиЪ.ōΓＧ
The banquet was extremely sumptuous, and there was no shortage of food. There were all kinds of rare delicacies, and it was extremely luxurious.
Anyway, not eating is a waste, but Li Qing doesn't care about that. Once the banquet starts, even Yu Qian can't give in. It's a pity... he can't sell food.
The emperor and the empress did not stay long, they only went through the formalities and then left, leaving the ministers to express themselves freely.
As soon as the two left, the banquet atmosphere reached its climax. Colleagues toasted each other, and lower-level officials flattered their superiors, demonstrating the official atmosphere to the fullest.
Li Qing's table was full of big shots, so he was naturally the hardest hit by the toasts, and Li Qing also drank a lot.
When you are in a temple, you can't be too unkind. In this kind of occasion, you still have to give each other some face, and a few glasses of wine won't affect him.
…
Li Qing still wasn't used to this kind of bureaucratic situation. After eating and drinking, he wiped his mouth and left the palace.
He got up in the middle of the night and has been busy until now. He has to go back to catch up on his sleep.
After arriving home, Li Qing did not forget the promise he made in the morning and practiced Tai Chi for his godson before he walked to the wing with satisfaction.
"Uncle Li, what does the queen look like?" Zhu Wanqing followed behind and asked loudly.
"I didn't pay attention. I couldn't see my real face before entering the palace, so I showed it during the banquet." Li Qing thought for a while and said, "But she looks pretty. How can the queen be ugly?"
"Is the meal delicious?"
"Well, it tastes good." Li Qing waved his hand, "Okay, Uncle Li is very tired after all this work. He needs to take a rest."
Zhu Wanqing said sadly: "Uncle Li, you are resting every day."
Li Qing paused, turned around and raised an eyebrow: "Do you have any objections?"
"How dare you?" Zhu Wanqing sneered.
"It's okay if you don't dare." Li Qing said calmly: "The royal affairs have nothing to do with you. Even if your title of princess is reinstated, it has nothing to do with you."
Zhu Wanqing looked hurt: "Uncle Li, you still hate me."
"Come on this."
"I'm really angry this time." Zhu Wanqing said angrily, "My niece is worried that if you stay away from government affairs for a long time, your power and status will decline, and your political enemies will take advantage of you."
Li Hong limped forward and said humbly: "Godfather, you are indeed too harsh on sister Wanqing."
"Okay, this time Uncle Li blamed you wrongly."
"Is it enough to just blame someone?" Zhu Wanqing snorted, "You know my weak heart..."
"Don't touch your nose or face."
"...The red envelope should be thicker." Zhu Wanqing said.
Li Qing nodded in amusement: "You are indispensable. It really is...In the future, we will have to hand over all the business to you two, but you are clinging to this small profit."
"Such a big family property belongs to Uncle Li, so the red envelope is yours." Zhu Wanqing said with a smile, and then asked worriedly, "Uncle Li, are you really okay if you continue to be so lazy?"
Li Hong also said: "The temple is dangerous. Once you lose power, political opponents may seize the opportunity and crack down wildly. The new emperor still favors his godfather, and you must give a positive response."
Li Qing smiled: "You two juniors have actually educated me. I have been an official for so long, and I don't need you to teach me."
"Uncle Li, eldest brother and I are also thinking about you." Zhu Wanqing muttered, "In the future... we will all be a family."
Li Qing smiled, his heart softening, it felt really good to be cared about by his younger generation.
"Don't worry, they don't have the courage, nor do they have the ability for the time being, and..." Li Qing breathed a sigh of relief, "I won't be free for long either;
The new year will be changed after the New Year. The new emperor will have the new year's name, so naturally he has to do something. The situation outside the customs has also reached the most critical moment. By then, I will be very busy. "
Li Qing stretched his limbs and said lazily: "These days are my last free time, don't bother me."
…
