In the Square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, His Majesty the Emperor led the harem concubines and princes and princesses to the table, and accepted the worship and congratulations of the ministers.
Later, another minister from the Ministry of Rites, besides Yu Zhangyuan, acted as the master of ceremonies, read the birthday speech, and went through some necessary royal etiquette.
Immediately, the sound of ritual music played in the Square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. On the stage in the center of the square, colorful ribbons fluttered. A group of graceful palace maidens appeared on the stage and danced gracefully on the dance floor, giving the scene a festive atmosphere of a banquet.
And just when everyone was waiting for the main banquet to start and enjoy the feast.
He Tian, the Minister of Household Affairs, suddenly stood up and bowed to Emperor Wu: "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
He Tian's actions immediately attracted the attention of the civil and military officials in the square. Emperor Wu also paused and said: "If you have anything to do with He Shangshu, just report it."
He Tian said seriously: "Your Majesty, I received a report today. It is said that someone in the imperial capital has spread rumors recently, saying that monsters and beasts are rampant in the coastal battlefield, causing instability in the South China Sea and causing heavy sacrifices for our troops.
I don’t know who spread these rumors, but these rumors have spread in the imperial capital, causing people to panic and discuss this matter.
I knew that this matter was of great importance, so I did not dare to delay and mentioned it at His Majesty's birthday banquet. I hope that Your Majesty will forgive me! "
As soon as He Tian said this, there was a burst of whispers in the square of the main hall.
Han Feng also asked Chu Baoyu with some doubts. He had been practicing in secret recently, so he didn't know much about what happened in the imperial capital.
Chu Baoyu whispered to Han Feng: "I don't know why, but there are indeed some unfavorable rumors about the coastal battlefield in the imperial capital recently, but whether the news is true or false has not been confirmed."
The rumors in the imperial capital were obviously no longer a secret, and many people present began to whisper about it.
When His Majesty Emperor Wu on the Dragon Throne heard this, he looked calm and turned to look at Xiong Tiangang, Minister of War.
"Xiong Shangshu, your Ministry of War is in charge of military affairs, so you must be clear about the coastal battlefield. What is the current situation on the coastal battlefield?"
Hearing this, Xiong Tiangang came out of the queue and paid homage: "Your Majesty, according to reports from the front, everything on the coastal battlefield is stable and nothing unusual happened.
After saying that, Xiong Tiangang paused for a moment, glanced at He Tian with a pair of sharp eyes, and said coldly: "Those who spread rumors will be punished!"
Faced with Xiong Tiangang's categorical rejection, He Tian immediately said: "Since Lord Xiong's words are conclusive, it seems that there are indeed intentional people spreading rumors in the imperial capital.
However, Your Majesty, I believe that whether the rumors are true or false, now that they have been spread, they will inevitably cause instability in the people's hearts. The court needs to appease the people's hearts as soon as possible to avoid being taken advantage of by traitors. "
When Emperor Wu heard this, he lowered his eyes slightly and said, "What Lord He said is true. According to what you said, how should the court appease the people?"
He Tian said bluntly: "I believe that the imperial court should send several highly respected imperial ministers to inspect the coastal battlefields to supervise the troops, confirm that the coastal battlefields are safe, and then inform the world to refute the rumors and calm the people."
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of several important civil and military officials in the square changed slightly.
But at this moment, before Emperor Wu could make a decision, Xiong Tiangang looked sideways at He Tian and said: "Master He, since the founding of the Qianlan Empire for thousands of years, we have always had civil servants manage the country and stabilize the country, and military generals expand the territory.
Now there are rumors in the imperial capital. You don't want to catch the traitor who spread the rumors, but instead want to interfere in the affairs of the military.
I would like to ask, what is Mr. He’s intention? Could it be that you don’t believe the reports from our Ministry of War and the front line? "
Xiong Tiangang's refutation was quite sharp, which made the atmosphere on the field become tense, and everyone also faintly smelled an unusual aura.
The highly respected Emperor Wu still looked calm and did not make a decision. He turned to look at Situ Ling, the leader of the civil service.
"Situ Xiangguo, what do you think of this matter?"
Upon receiving Emperor Wu's inquiry, Situ Ling stood up, saluted, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I think what the two gentlemen said is unreasonable, but both civil servants and military generals are your Majesty's ministers and serve the empire.
Now that such a turmoil has occurred, I believe that we should strictly investigate and deal with it to clear up the rumors, and at the same time send supervisory troops to inspect the front lines.
In this way, it not only gives an explanation to the court and the people, but also reflects His Majesty's concern for the people and his love for the soldiers on the front line. "
Hearing this, Emperor Wu nodded slightly and said: "It seems that Situ Xiangguo also believes that an imperial envoy should be sent, but the choice of this imperial envoy..."
Situ Ling continued calmly: "I am willing to share your Majesty's worries and recommend candidates for the Imperial Envoy!"
As soon as these words came out, the two generals and the commander of the Forbidden Army on the side of the general camp all looked at each other and wanted to give advice, but were suppressed by Xiong Tiangang's secret wink.
His Majesty Emperor Wu, who was on the high platform, pondered for a while and said: "Well, with the Prime Minister's words, I am relieved. However, the selection of the imperial envoy needs to be discussed slowly, and I am not in a hurry at this moment."
Hearing that Emperor Wu did not sit down to make a decision, the several ministers behind Situ Ling secretly exchanged glances and did not give advice. Situ Ling also hesitated for a while, bowed his head and retreated.
The "South China Sea issue" was interrupted. Emperor Wu looked at the court and said: "Since He Shangshu has made a start, there is still some time before the banquet. My dear friends, what else can I start with?"
When Emperor Wu spoke, everyone in the hall was silent.
After a while, the Minister of Rites, Feng Muyun, came out to pay homage and said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites received a document from the "Youtian Empire" messenger today. Before reporting it, I reported it to Your Majesty first.
Today, the Imperial Counselor of Youtian Empire, on behalf of Youtian Empire, wants to send an envoy to our court and come to see His Majesty in order to deepen the friendship between the two countries. "Hearing this, there was a burst of surprise in the square.
Chu Baoyu couldn't help but muttered: "It's weird. The Youtian Empire and my Qianlan Empire are facing each other in the north and south, hundreds of thousands of miles apart. No envoys have ever visited in the past years. Why did they suddenly send an envoy this year?"
In Lingwu Continent, under the Tianyuan Dynasty, the four great powers were Dayan, Qianlan, Youtian and Xingyue.
The four kingdoms were located in the "southeast, northwestern, and southeastern" directions of the Tianyuan Dynasty.
Among them, the Qianlan Empire and the two countries "Dayan" and "Xingyue" have some bordering territories. Regardless of whether the relationship between the two countries is good or bad, there are also envoys coming and going.
The "Youtian Empire" located in the northern part of the mainland is separated from the Qianlan Empire by the behemoth "Tianyuan Dynasty". The two sides are far apart and there has never been any messenger exchange between them.
This time the Youtian Empire suddenly sent Qian Lan as envoy, and it was the other party's national master who came in person, which was naturally surprising.
Emperor Wu's expression changed slightly when he heard this, and then he orally said: "Reply to Youtian Empire and welcome Youtian's ministers to visit. As for the reception of Youtian Empire's envoys, everything will be taken care of by the Ministry of Rites."
"According to the order!"
Feng Muyun accepted the order and retreated.
Afterwards, the atmosphere in the Hall of Supreme Harmony returned to normal, and His Majesty Emperor Wu personally announced the opening of the banquet.
Immediately, delicacies, delicacies, and delicacies were served one after another. Songs, dances, and music filled the square, and the aroma of fine wine and delicacies filled the square.
However, Han Feng at the table frowned slightly. He was a little worried about the "South China Sea Rumors".
After all, there are many of his friends and subordinates in the Ten Thousand Stars Sea, and his eldest brother is the commander-in-chief guarding the coastal battlefield. Naturally, he hopes that everything is just a rumor.
Knowing that worrying was useless, Han Feng had no choice but to bury everything in his heart for the time being and let everyone taste the taste of this royal feast.
There was no exaggerated singing of praises or flattery from the ministers in this birthday banquet. It was just like an ordinary royal dinner.
And at today's banquet, Emperor Wu also granted permission for officials to move freely in the Square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the royal gardens on both sides of the square.
As the atmosphere of the dinner became more intense, after three rounds of drinking, everyone no longer felt restrained. The crowd moved around during the dinner, and colleagues and friends began to exchange glasses and toast each other. The scene was full of joy and excitement.
After a while, the eighth prince Zhu Hongyi and Jun Beixuan also came to Han Feng's table. The four of them formed a small circle, talking, laughing, eating and drinking as usual, which was very harmonious.
But not long after, another figure suddenly appeared, breaking the originally pleasant atmosphere.
"Scholar Han, we meet again!"
The visitor was wearing a python robe and a jade belt, with a full wine glass in his hand. It was actually the prince "Li Hongyu" who came to meet him.
