"All of you, rise."
A flat, emotionless voice rang out, followed by people sitting down, exchanging pleasantries, and pleasantries.
During this time, Jiang Sheng secretly raised her head and glanced at him. She felt that the man on the dragon throne was unremarkable. He had neither outstanding looks nor unparalleled domineering aura. Instead, he looked a bit like an uncle selling vegetables in the neighboring village.
That uncle didn't have much ambition; he only thought about making money to support himself, saving up a dowry for his daughter, sending his son to school, and buying clothes for his wife.
He always said, "It's good enough to be alive. Don't have too many extravagant desires. Thinking too much will only make you feel exhausted."
Jiang Sheng deeply understood these words.
In the past, it was enough to just have enough to eat. Later, we had to work hard to earn money. Now it's even harder; we have to outsmart and outmaneuver others.
The little girl rested her chin on her hand, watching the food flow onto the table, seeing the flowers and beautiful women surrounding her, and listening to congratulatory messages from all sides. But what she was thinking about was two beggars fighting tooth and nail over half a bun.
The villagers of Shilipu Village can only eat a couple of bites of meat during the Spring Festival, and they have to savor it slowly on their tongues until it melts in their mouths before they will swallow it.
I think of the wisps of smoke rising from chimneys in the mundane world, and the unrestrained conversations between siblings during their joyful gatherings.
Unlike now, everyone is so dignified, and they have to "report to the Emperor" before they can even speak, being careful with their words and actions for fear of being caught doing something wrong.
That saying is indeed true: a person's childhood determines their thoughts for half their life.
Jiang Sheng lowered her eyes, looking at the braised pork knuckle that had clearly cooled down, and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Yu, no one has touched these dishes. What will happen after the banquet?"
“It will be thrown away.” Jiang Chengyu paused slightly, somewhat uncertain. “It might be given to the palace maids and eunuchs, or thrown to the beggars outside the city.”
The last sentence sounded like a word of comfort.
Jiang Sheng smiled, feeling sorry for the pork knuckle, even more sorry for the hungry beggars, and even more sorry for the people who couldn't afford meat.
But she is no longer the little girl who first arrived in Fengjing.
In the past, when she looked at the imperial city, she would marvel at its vast size, think of allocating it to beggars, and consider it a waste of space.
That's because Jiang Sheng was at the bottom of society, only experiencing the hardships of ordinary people, but unaware of the suffering of those at the top.
No matter how spacious the imperial city is, it cannot be allocated to beggars. Only with enough money and status can one create nobility. Only when the imperial family's position is secure can the Great Yu Dynasty be stable.
Just like how it's a pity to throw away these meats, but distributing them to ordinary people will only attract countless lazy people who want to eat and do nothing. Everyone will be waiting to pick up the delicacies, so who will bother to work hard?
In the end, it still affected the very foundation of the entire dynasty.
Some things happen because they are necessary.
The existence of something proves that it has a reason.
However, if waste can be reduced, the benefits will ultimately outweigh the drawbacks.
Jiang Sheng was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't see Uncle Jiang in front of her, who hesitated to speak and turned his head several times.
"Husband, what's wrong?" the second wife asked in a low voice. "You have acne on your buttocks?"
The fact that she was able to raise two unruly children shows that Madam Jiang was quite a remarkable person.
Jiang Jizong, usually so composed, blushed slightly. After confirming that no one else had heard, he gritted his teeth and said, "Madam, this is a palace banquet."
"You still know it's a palace banquet." Madam Jiang sat up straight.
Jiang Jizong shut his mouth. Of course he knew about the palace banquet. It was at the palace banquet that he was able to put down his official tablet and see the true face of the Fifth Prince.
You won't believe it until you see it, and what you find will shock you.
The Fifth Prince, who had returned from recuperating from his illness, had a somewhat familiar face, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.
If it were someone else, they wouldn't remember, so it's fine.
Unfortunately, the Jiang family all knew that Xiao Jiang Sheng's older brother had gone missing and they were searching for him in great distress.
Connecting the two, Jiang Jizong couldn't help but have doubts. He looked back several times, wondering whether he should remind his niece.
Before he could make a decision, the emperor on the dragon throne coughed twice, bringing the banquet to the main topic, "This time, we are able to hold the Spring Appreciation Banquet thanks to... thanks to several of my beloved ministers."
The Fang family patriarch's smile faded as he awaited praise.
Chang Yan slowly opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"Your Excellencies have generously donated money and made outstanding contributions to driving out the Tartars from the frontier. Therefore, we are holding this Spring Festival banquet to honor you." The Emperor smiled.
He keeps talking about his "beloved ministers," but never names them.
The Fang family head and the Zhu family head looked at each other, hesitating whether they should step forward and claim the credit.
Chang Yan squinted, ready to get up at any moment.
He could not prevent the Spring Festival banquet from taking place, nor could he stop the imperial family from raising money for the frontier soldiers, but he could do his best to prevent the Fang family from profiting and preparing for the spread of cheating in the imperial examinations.
Of course, it would be far better if other prominent families could step forward than if he did it himself.
Chang Yan glanced casually, intending to spy on his younger sister, but unexpectedly fell into Jiang Jizong's deep eyes.
A book filled with inquiry.
A silent response.
Given how often the Fifth Younger Brother makes public appearances, not many members of the Fengjing aristocratic family would recognize him. If he insists on denying it, there's nothing anyone can do about it.
But considering Jiang Sheng's relationship with the Jiang family, Chang Yan still smiled in response.
It's both a gesture of goodwill and a response.
Regardless of whether the Jiang family seizes the throne or not, they will not tolerate the Fang family becoming too powerful.
There's only so much meat to eat in officialdom. If the Fang family eats too much, other powerful families will naturally have to give it up.
A struggle for interests can happen in an instant.
Jiang Jizong had a thought, then cupped his hands and stood up. “Your Majesty, I was deeply moved by the Fifth Prince’s advice that day, so I am donating 20,000 taels of silver. I hope Your Majesty will not find it offensive.”
Both the Fang family and the Fifth Prince mentioned it, but after these words were spoken, it seemed that all the credit went to the Fifth Prince alone.
Some people were surprised, some grimaced, and some were puzzled.
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