Having dinner with your boss has always been a very boring thing, and the process has always been pretty much the same.
It's pretty much the same as the annual meetings in later generations.
Let Prime Minister Du Yuheng first give a summary of the major events that have occurred this year.
Then, they would flatter Xiao Yu, who was sitting on the dragon throne, and say pleasantries about the peace and prosperity of the world.
Then Xiao Yu would reward the officials who had worked hard all year.
The reward, whether gold or silver or some utensils, is more symbolic than valuable in itself.
Every official who received the reward was moved to tears.
The imperial banquet alone took nearly half an hour to complete with such scenes and flattering words.
The temperature inside the main hall was still maintained at a level that was acceptable to everyone.
The officials outside the main hall were not so lucky.
The weather today is not bad, with the sun shining brightly, but even so, the cold wind outside the palace is still biting.
Even though each table is equipped with a charcoal brazier, the heat will be quickly dissipated by the cold wind outdoors.
Mu Zian had excellent eyesight and could already see through the palace gates that some officials outside had started to shiver.
For some reason, Mu Zian suddenly remembered the Thousand Elders Banquet held by Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty, which was recorded in history.
To be honest, Kang Mazi was truly wicked to the core.
To put it nicely, it's a banquet for the elderly; to put it bluntly, isn't it just a death warrant?
It's exhausting to send those elderly people all the way to Beijing, braving wind and snow to eat cold meals in the freezing cold.
Many of the elderly who went to the banquet for the last thousand elders never returned; even those who did return home passed away one after another.
It's outrageous that Dai Qing shamelessly held four such banquets.
Fortunately, Xiao Yu was somewhat restrained, and after nearly an hour of flattery, the imperial banquet finally began.
As one delicious dish after another was served, the atmosphere of the banquet began to liven up.
Inside the main hall, countless maids danced gracefully to the music.
Looking around at the cheerful atmosphere, it would have been a wonderful experience if it had ended like this.
But there are always people who like to force you to slap them when you're happiest.
Just as the atmosphere was getting heated, Prince Fuyang suddenly spoke up.
"Your Majesty, it is customary to paste couplets at the end of each year to ward off evil spirits."
"The banquet is in full swing today. Why don't we let the students from Li Zhao exchange couplets to enhance the friendship between our two countries?"
Mu Zian, who was drinking, paused in his actions, just as Mi Linglong had said.
The Zhao state's visit this time is clearly ill-intentioned.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu, seated on the dragon throne, laughed heartily.
"I have long heard that the Zhao state is renowned for its literary excellence, and today I would truly like to experience it for myself."
It is clear that the State of Zhao had made preparations in advance.
However, as the emperor of Dali, he could not back down in the face of provocations from other countries, otherwise he would lose face.
When Prince Fuyang proposed a duel at this time, it was an open and unsolvable scheme, and Xiao Yu had no choice but to agree.
As Xiao Yu finished speaking, Empress Shen Yunrong, who had been sitting to the side, suddenly spoke up.
"Since it's a banquet competition, there should be some prizes."
"I happen to have a gilded jade phoenix hairpin here; shall I give it to the winner as a prize?"
To outsiders, Xiao Yu and Shen Yunrong were a model couple.
Upon seeing this, Prince Fuyang was overjoyed and immediately cupped his hands in greeting.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Among the delegation from our Zhao state this time, there are indeed a few people of considerable talent."
After saying this, Prince Fuyang looked behind him and his gaze fell upon a handsome young man who stepped forward to the center of the hall and bowed.
"Student Li Shang of Zhao pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor."
Xiao Yu nodded, and Li Shang continued speaking.
"Today is a festive day, and I happen to have a first line of a couplet here."
"If that talented young man from the foreign land can come up with a matching couplet, I will not only concede defeat but also give him an extra hundred gold pieces."
These words caused an uproar in the hall.
This is no longer just a provocation; it is clearly an insult to all the scholars of the Great Li Kingdom.
The scholars in the Hanlin Academy were the first to be unable to resist.
As a place that gathers the most outstanding scholars in the entire Dali, although their official positions are not high, their arrogance is comparable to that of a prime minister.
Hearing Li Shang's arrogant attitude, the geniuses of the Hanlin Academy were naturally displeased.
"What an arrogant fool! Do you mean to assert that no one in our Great Li can answer your question?"
Li Shang laughed heartily upon hearing this.
As the saying goes, "In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second."
"I am not being arrogant, but I have prepared a pair of moves that can be considered an absolute masterpiece for all time!"
Arrogant! Absolutely outrageous!
If they weren't inside the main hall, given the hotheaded nature of these young men from the Hanlin Academy, they would have already started cursing.
Xiao Yu, seated on the dragon throne, coughed lightly, and the hall immediately fell silent.
"Li Shang, tell me, I am also curious about what kind of timeless couplet makes you so confident."
Xiao Yu was clearly also somewhat displeased at this moment.
Li Shang knew he couldn't keep up the act, so he looked at Song Min, who was sitting to the side.
Song Min nodded calmly, and Li Shang immediately smiled, then bowed to the four directions.
"The student's first line is extremely simple, consisting of only five characters."
Upon hearing this, the scholars of the Hanlin Academy expressed their dissatisfaction.
"Tell me quickly, I want to see what makes you so confident!"
"That's right! If it were bragging, wouldn't it make us a laughingstock?"
Hearing the mocking laughter beside him, Mu Zi'an, who was drinking, also sensed something was wrong.
As the saying goes, excessive joy can turn to sorrow; they were clearly well-prepared.
Just as laughter from the Hanlin Academy echoed throughout the hall, Li Shang cleared his throat and spoke slowly.
"My first line is: The three lights are the sun, the moon, and the stars."
As Li Shang's voice fell, the laughter in the hall suddenly stopped!
Without exception, all those who could enter the main hall were exceptionally talented.
However, upon hearing the first line of the couplet, their expressions all changed drastically.
In particular, Du Yuheng's expression froze slightly at this moment.
At this moment, the entire hall seemed to have been muted.
The scholars of the Hanlin Academy who had been jumping the loudest just now immediately fell silent.
They sat in their seats, looking at each other, as the small group of people with the highest level of culture in the Great Li Dynasty.
In an instant, they understood the power of the first line of the couplet; such a line was not something that ordinary people could match!
At this moment, all the Hanlin scholars cast angry glances at Li Shang in the center of the hall!
Even a fool could see that this was a blatant trap!
Li Shang remained calm at this moment. After looking around and seeing that no one was speaking, he continued to smile.
"If a hundred taels of gold is not enough, then whoever can provide the matching line, I am willing to pay a thousand taels of gold for it!"
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