Chapter 275 Eat and Cherish
Jiang Fulu glanced at Prime Minister Wei indifferently without any response.
He had already planned to have a full meal before the banquet started to conserve his energy.
It is too brain-consuming to fight wits and courage with the old fox Wei Shoufu. At this critical juncture, Jiang Fulu is unwilling to do such a thankless task.
"Master Jiang, today is a good day, the Lantern Festival. Even if you and I don't get along well on weekdays, we shouldn't make it too ugly in front of all the masters, right?"
Prime Minister Wei was humiliated and looked at Jiang Fulu harshly with a gleam in his eyes.
Normally, whenever the two met, they would fight fiercely, and it was clear who would win. Why did Jiang Fulu look so listless at the palace banquet today?
Could it be that...
There was a hint of calculation in the eyes of Wei Shoufu, and he said tentatively: "I found that Lord Jiang seemed a little abnormal."
The Xuan family's actions were extremely secretive. Could it be that Jiang Fulu got the news in advance?
Prime Minister Wei considered it over and over again and finally rejected this possibility.
Given Jiang Fulu's character, if he really knew that the Xuan family was plotting a rebellion, he would definitely claim to be sick and miss the palace banquet.
"well!"
When it came to the critical moment of life and death, Jiang Fulu had no intention of paying attention to Prime Minister Wei and sighed.
The Queen Mother is ruthless and cruel. Once she comes to power, the future of her faction will be in jeopardy. They will definitely be liquidated, and if things go wrong, their families will be wiped out and their property will be confiscated.
Fortunately, Jiang Yuzhu and Jiang Huaiqing are both in the north, so even if Jiang Fulu is imprisoned, the Jiang family's bloodline will not be cut off.
Jiang Fulu remained silent. Prime Minister Wei was embarrassed and was about to lose his temper when Censor Lu approached him and said with a smile, "Prime Minister Wei, you don't know that it is the New Year and Lord Jiang missed his beloved daughter, so he got angry and his throat was swollen and sore."
The implication is that Jiang Fulu did not intend to disrespect Prime Minister Wei while he was ill.
Yu Jijiu also laughed and said, "Master Wei is very generous. Today is a good day. I will toast to you later!"
"Prime Minister Wei has made great contributions, haha."
A tall man smiled innocently and laughed.
The Chief of the Guards glanced at the tall man and asked, "Who is this gentleman..."
He was wearing a brand new fifth-rank official uniform. Could he be an official who had been sent back from outside the city?
People of the fifth rank are not qualified to participate in the palace banquet. This person must have gotten in through the back door.
Wei Shoufu twitched his lips critically and said mercilessly: "He looks like a rickshaw driver, without any character of a scholar."
Imperial Censor Lu stepped forward to explain, "Master Wei, I really forgot to introduce you. This Master Li, Li De, is my brother-in-law. I brought him to the palace banquet to see the world."
"You are right. Lord Li is in charge of the carriages and horses, and his knowledge is very average. If he is lucky enough to receive some pointers from the Chief Minister of Wei, I think he will benefit greatly."
Faced with the humiliation, Censor Lu remained calm, making Prime Minister Wei seem petty-minded.
Wei Shoufu: “…”
He remembered!
Half a year ago, Li De was a minor official of the seventh rank. After he and Censor Lu joined forces with Jiang Fulu, he was promoted to the fifth rank within half a year.
Who would believe me if I said there is nothing fishy here?
Even if he works in a low-ranking government office, he is still a fifth-rank official!
Chief Minister Wei glanced at Jiang Fulu who was eating snacks secretly, and became even more angry.
Strangely enough, Jiang Fulu is now a major threat to Prime Minister Wei.
This guy jumped up and down and started cursing. The two of them were fighting to the death. Now Jiang Fulu pretended to be deep and dumb, instigating his followers to anger him. Wei Shoufu had no place to vent his anger and was furious.
"snort!"
Prime Minister Wei snorted coldly and left.
After taking two steps, he turned around, stared at Jiang Fulu meaningfully, and revealed a meaningful sneer.
"Brother, Prime Minister Wei is glaring at you."
Censor Lu took in Prime Minister Wei's expression and couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
Jiang Fulu grabbed a piece of dessert and stuffed it into his mouth, saying indistinctly, "Even if his eyes pop out, it won't cause any harm to his grandfather."
After saying that, Jiang Fulu stuffed some snacks into the two brothers' pockets, then raised his hand to touch the equipment inside their official uniforms.
Very good, I wore cloth armor under my clothes.
"It was made by Yuzhu and hidden inside. It can save your life at the critical moment."
Everyone around Jiang Fulu gained weight just because they were wearing heavy clothes.
Censor Lu and Yu Jijiu quickly echoed, "We are relying on our niece's help."
Jiang Fulu was very satisfied. He liked to hear people praising his daughter Jiang Yuzhu. It sounded pleasant to the ears.
About half a month after receiving the news, Jiang Fulu began to make arrangements in full swing.
Today I will find a way to use my connections to bring Li De into the palace, and have Li De drive the carriage when we escape.
After the palace coup, the capital was in chaos, so the group decided to avoid the spotlight and stay away from trouble for the time being.
At lighting time, the hall was brightly lit.
Seeing that the palace banquet was about to begin, Jiang Fulu came to the table and sat down.
Beautiful palace maids came in one after another, with trays filled with exquisite dishes and drinks.
Each table is also served with fried Yuanxiao (Chinese rice dumplings) to suit the occasion, and a bowl of glutinous rice balls arranged in the shape of flowers, topped with pink petals and emitting a faint floral scent.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
A young eunuch shouted at the top of his voice, and all the officials and their wives behind the curtains quickly stood up and knelt, shouting: "Long live the emperor!"
Xiao She was wearing a dragon robe and said gently, "My dear ministers, please stand up. There is no need to be polite."
The Queen Mother claimed to be ill and did not attend the Lantern Festival palace banquet.
There was no sign of anything unusual on Xiao She's face. He picked up the wine glass and took a sip.
Well, it's time to break up.
Soon, the sound of stringed instruments and orchestras rang out in the hall, and dancers in hot clothes bent down and danced with their long sleeves swinging.
As the drum beats became more and more frequent, the dancer stepped on the drum and bent her waist, her body was soft and nimble, charming the mind.
All the civil and military officials present seemed to be bewitched by the dancer. They even forgot to taste the wine at their lips and remained in the same posture.
Chief Minister Wei was very satisfied with this. He glanced at Jiang Fulu and frowned and asked, "Master Jiang, are you dissatisfied with the dancer?"
This group of dancers are all skinny girls from Jiangnan who have been trained for more than ten years.
The palace banquet not only performed songs and dances for the emperor and officials, but was also a beauty trap used by the Xuan family to win over the hearts of the people.
"Prime Minister Wei, what did you say?"
Jiang Fulu lowered his head and ate hard, pretending that his hearing was not good, and asked.
"I say, you are being very rude!"
Prime Minister Wei was most annoyed by Jiang Fulu's pretense of ignorance, and angrily said, "The emperor is enjoying the singing and dancing, and you keep moving your cheeks. Is this appropriate?"
After a quick look around, I saw that Jiang Fulu and his group were all eating, except for Censor Lu, Yu Jijiu and others who were not so obvious.
"You're not going to eat at the palace banquet, just to watch it?"
Jiang Fulu ignored Wei Shoufu's nagging and saw that the snacks on the tables of the adults nearby were untouched, so he took an oil paper bag and put it in his sleeve pocket.
The dim sum bestowed by the Emperor Gongzao is too difficult to make without any added ingredients.
I probably won’t be able to eat it for a while, so enjoy it while you can.
"Jiang Fulu, look at what you look like, it's very impolite!"
Seeing Jiang Fulu's appearance like a starving ghost, eating and taking things, Prime Minister Wei could no longer bear to watch.
At this moment, the drums have stopped and the dancer turns around, posing like a blooming flower.
Everyone in the hall was immersed in singing and dancing.
Jiang Fulu suddenly shouted at the top of his voice: "Minister Wei, why don't you let people eat the palace banquet given by the emperor? How have I offended you?"
Wei Shoufu: “…”
Who can drag this annoying idiot Jiang Fulu out? Didn’t he say his throat was swollen and he couldn’t speak?
Sensing that all the officials' eyes were on him, Prime Minister Wei's face turned red and he wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
He could no longer bear it and retorted: "Jiang Fulu, you should find the right occasion to slander me!"
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