Chapter 154 The Feast at Hongmen
Inside Weizhou City, just as everyone was still reeling from the news that the Second Prince had shaved his head to become a monk, they suddenly heard that the Eldest Princess was going to hold a banquet at the government office, inviting all the local magnates, wealthy merchants, and local officials from Wei, De, and Luo prefectures to attend.
This news is truly shocking.
Everyone knows that the reason why the Second Prince was previously resistant to by the disaster victims was largely because of the rumors that he spent his days feasting and making merry with the local gentry and wealthy families, which made the disaster victims feel that he did not care about the lives of the people and lost their support.
Why is it that now that the eldest princess has arrived, she's doing the same thing?
Even the powerful local clans were somewhat baffled.
They secretly wondered if the princess was also after the grain in their hands.
But the eldest princess brought food with her, and now she distributes food every day to relieve the disaster, so the food shortage in the city has been resolved.
Or perhaps the eldest princess also understood the principle of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."
These powerful local clans have been rooted here for generations, and their influence extends far and wide; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them "local emperors."
As a newcomer, she needed to curry favor with these influential figures before she could get things done.
With this in mind, on the day of the banquet, almost every prominent clan leader, wealthy manager, and official at all levels from the three prefectures attended.
The banquet was far more extravagant than anyone had anticipated, almost on par with a royal banquet.
Along the passageway extending from the main gate to the main hall, vermilion palace lanterns hang high, their warm glow illuminating the night as if it were daytime.
A gilded canopy hung from the beams, swaying gently in the wind, its shimmering light appearing and disappearing.
Every few steps inside the hall, there was a pot of blooming peonies, their rich fragrance mingling with the elegant aroma of burning incense, permeating every corner.
Maids and servants, dressed in uniform blue satin gowns, moved among the guests, respectfully guiding them and providing attentive service.
The guests were all dressed in fine clothes, looking radiant and laughing.
The head of the Sun family, the largest aristocratic family in Weizhou, was Sun Tian, who wore a blue brocade robe with a jade belt around his waist and a fine Hetian jade pendant hanging from it.
He looked smug and was exchanging pleasantries with Pang Guang, the head of the Pang family who controlled half of the shops in the three states.
Several local officials in official robes surrounded them, offering obsequious flattery.
But after exchanging pleasantries for a short while, Sun Tian realized something was wrong.
When attending a banquet, even if the official start time hasn't arrived yet, seasonal fresh fruits, delicate tea snacks, and fruit wines should already be laid out on the table for guests to help themselves, so that all the distinguished guests don't have to sit there waiting idly.
Today, the pear wood tables in front of everyone were polished to a shine, but they were empty, without even a teacup.
Only a small bronze incense burner sat on the corner of the table, wisps of smoke rising from it.
"What's going on?" Sun Tian asked directly. "What kind of banquet doesn't even have some food to fill your stomach?"
Pang Guang frowned, his eyes full of doubt: "Yes, the Princess seemed quite thorough in her work before, how could she make a mistake on such a small matter?"
Sun Tian snorted coldly: "You don't even know the etiquette of entertaining guests. You're simply making a fool of yourself."
Pang Guang chimed in, "She's just a woman."
His dismissive tone prompted several officials around him to nod in agreement.
Just then, a servant at the door announced loudly, "The Princess has arrived!"
Everyone immediately fell silent and stood at attention, all looking towards the doorway.
They were far away and had only heard of the princess's reputation, but had never seen her in person. At this moment, they were curious and scrutinizing, wanting to see what this legendary princess, who was said to have wielded great power and was feared by the court officials, really looked like.
A tall figure walked slowly in from outside the door.
The woman wore a round-necked robe with a gilded red collar, her dark hair neatly tied up in a golden crown, the pearls on the crown swaying gently with her steps, sparkling brilliantly.
Her eyebrows were sharp and her eyes were cold and clear, exuding an innate nobility and aloofness.
The red light from the lanterns behind her gilded her sharply defined profile, making her look like a deity descending to earth.
The oppressive aura emanating from her caused everyone present to instinctively hold their breath, and no one dared to look her directly in the eye.
Behind her were several strikingly beautiful women and men.
A sharp-eyed merchant recognized one of them as Madam Xue, the owner of the Xue family grain shop.
How did she end up appearing with the eldest princess?
It wasn't until the princess was about to enter the main hall that everyone realized what was happening and hurriedly knelt down to kowtow.
Li Yuanzhao walked straight through the kneeling crowd without glancing to the side, and calmly took his seat in the main seat of the main hall.
After her gaze slowly swept across the entire room, she spoke calmly, "Everyone, please get up."
Only then did everyone dare to slowly stand up and return to their seats.
Sun Tian and Pang Guang exchanged a glance. It seemed that this eldest princess was indeed not to be underestimated compared to the second prince.
However, even after everyone had been seated for some time, no servants brought out the meal, and not even a cup of tea was served.
The guests looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering what the princess was up to.
Sun Tian considered himself the head of the Weizhou gentry, and even the Weizhou prefect usually gave him some leeway. So, he naturally took the initiative to speak on behalf of everyone.
"Your Highness's divine appearance and presence in Weizhou truly honor us. We should be the ones to do our duty as hosts and welcome Your Highness with a banquet, but instead, Your Highness has hosted us first. We are both ashamed and deeply honored."
Shen Churong, standing behind Li Yuanzhao, frowned upon hearing this.
That string of flattering words certainly sounded nice.
Li Yuanzhao's expression seemed quite gentle: "This must be Lord Sun?"
Sun Tian hadn't expected his name to reach the ears of the Princess, and a sense of pride rose within him. He straightened his back a bit and quickly cupped his hands in reply.
"That is indeed me. May I ask what Your Highness's purpose is in hosting this banquet for us today?"
Li Yuanzhao replied directly, "Indeed, I have given instructions."
Everyone was taken aback, not expecting the princess to be so direct and unceremonious.
Sun Tian reacted quickly, immediately bowing and replying, "How dare we disobey Your Highness's command? What does Your Highness need us to do? We will certainly do our utmost, even at the cost of our lives."
Li Yuanzhao did not answer him. Instead, he slowly swept his gaze over the crowd and asked, "Then what about you all? Are you also doing your utmost, even at the cost of your lives, just like Lord Sun?"
The people below immediately started making calculations in their minds.
With the eldest princess now wielding considerable power, and the second prince pulling this stunt, it's quite possible that the eldest princess will indeed ascend to that position in the future.
So they still have to curry favor with those they need to.
Moreover, they secretly speculated that the princess was only asking them to donate some grain and money, just like the second prince had done before, to embellish her political achievements; it wasn't a difficult matter.
They all rose and bowed, responding in unison, "We are willing to obey Your Highness's orders!"
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