"I wonder what Young Master Huo intends to give me?" Emperor Mingde asked. In a flash, he had already decided to wait and see. All he wanted was the Huo family's reputation; he could choose other ministers who would actually do the work.
Huo Baichuan smiled and said, "This gift is still being prepared. There are still some parts that I haven't found. Once I have them all, I will present them to Your Majesty the Emperor."
Throughout the entire land, in the imperial court, only Zhao Shu and Huo Baichuan dared to speak to Emperor Mingde in such a manner, along with His Highness Prince Yong.
When talented people refuse to serve in the court and reject Emperor Mingde, they will pretend to be profound and say things that ordinary people cannot understand. Everyone can understand Huo Baichuan's meaning, but only Zhao Shu understands his true intention.
He once said, "I will go to the palace when I see the prescription, I will be cured when I start working for the emperor."
Emperor Mingde smiled magnanimously, "Then I will wait for Young Master Huo."
He had already met Yan Shiren last night. In order to show that he treated everyone equally, the Emperor's younger brother, Prince Yong, personally went to invite the young man Huo Baichuan. So he sent Qiu Chengshi to go out of the city ten miles to welcome the older man Yan Shiren.
Having said that, the next step was to bestow official titles. Qiu Cheng stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Emperor Mingde knew what it was about, and said, "Bring it here."
Before Qiu Tang could speak, Liu Huan hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have important matters to report."
Emperor Mingde glanced at Qiu Tangshi, who shook his head slightly, unaware of Liu Huan's intentions.
However, Liu Huan looked anxious, so Emperor Mingde had no choice but to ask, "What do you want to report, Minister Liu?"
Liu Huan breathed a sigh of relief, knelt on the ground, and held up his jade tablet, saying, "Your Majesty, since the time of Emperor Taizu, our dynasty has governed with ease, and the people live in peace and prosperity. Since ancient times, it has been said that 'when a new emperor is made king and peace is achieved, he must perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai and the Liangfu ceremony, and be appointed king by Heaven to govern all living beings, to announce the peace to Heaven, and to repay the merits of the gods.' This humble subject believes that Your Majesty should announce the peace to Heaven and repay the merits of the gods." After saying this, he raised the memorial in his hand.
The ministers looked at each other in dismay after hearing his words. Sun Ganzheng almost snorted coldly. He used to think that Wei Tingsi was a treacherous minister, but it turned out that Liu Huan was the real treacherous minister. Humph, the Fengshan ceremony was a waste of resources and manpower. He really wanted to stand up and rebuke him and demand that the court be cleansed of its corrupt officials!
Xie Yun and Qiu Tangshi exchanged a glance, which Sun Ganzheng saw, making him grit his teeth in anger. In the past, when faced with such problems, Xie Yun, that old scoundrel, would discuss them with him, but now he was actually speaking with Qiu Tangshi in unison!
The ministers looked at each other, none of them daring to step forward. Suddenly, the entire court fell silent. There are three essential elements to the Fengshan ceremony: first, the emperor must be in power during a time of peace and prosperity.
Secondly, auspicious omens descended from the heavens.
Thirdly, the emperor was wise and virtuous, and the people praised him.
This suggests that Emperor De was wise and capable, which is understandable, as the emperors of Dayong for several generations were diligent in governing and caring for the people.
As for auspicious omens from the sky, everyone knows they are all deceptions used to fool the people. Emperor Mingde is not shameless enough to fabricate auspicious omens from the sky.
Finally, let's talk about a peaceful and prosperous era. It can barely be considered a peaceful and prosperous era. Since the founding of the Dayong Kingdom, there have been no major wars, but constant small-scale battles, and the people have not been displaced.
It seemed that performing the Fengshan ceremony was not impossible, but everyone secretly felt that Emperor Mingde was not qualified to perform it, so Liu Huan became the number one treacherous minister at this time.
Huo Baichuan seemed to understand something and chuckled. Everyone looked at him as they came to their senses. Emperor Mingde was somewhat annoyed. This Huo Baichuan was too audacious. Just because the Huo family was powerful, he didn't take him, the emperor, seriously!
"I wonder why Young Master Huo is laughing?" Sun Ganzheng couldn't help but ask first. He was looking forward to Huo Baichuan making a fool of Liu Huan in his youthful arrogance, and he would definitely agree.
However, Huo Baichuan looked at Emperor Mingde and said, "The world is at peace and the people are living in contentment. Your Majesty has made great contributions. You should follow the example of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and ascend to the sacred site to repay the gods for your merits."
These words pleased Emperor Mingde greatly. He almost laughed out loud. Looking at Huo Baichuan from any angle, he felt that this young man had a bright future and was very much to his liking.
Liu Huan had already prepared himself to be attacked by the crowd, but he never expected that his younger cousin would actually speak up for him.
The matter was of great importance, so Qiu Tang remained silent, as did Xie Yun, and the rest of the people waited for each other to offer advice.
Emperor Mingde was uneasy. He was somewhat embarrassed to nod in agreement to the Fengshan ceremony without the request of his ministers. However, as an emperor, the Fengshan ceremony represented his lasting fame and status as a great emperor. How could he bear to refuse?
Everyone fell silent. Emperor Mingde's heart grew colder and colder. Huo Baichuan glanced at Liu Huan. His cousin did not have the potential to be a treacherous minister. Thinking of this, he pretended to accidentally bump into Liu Huan, and the memorial in Liu Huan's hand fell to the ground.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." He bowed to help Liu Huan pick up the memorial, glanced at it casually, and already knew what Liu Huan was planning.
He placed the memorial back in Liu Huan's hands, stood up, and said, "Oh my, esteemed officials, I never expected you to be so humble. It's truly admirable. I had no idea you were so modest when I was in Bianzhou."
"What do you mean by what Young Master Huo said?" Prince Yong listened from the side, but he didn't really understand. He rarely participated in court affairs, and he was even more confused at this moment. However, even if he didn't understand, he knew the meaning of Liu Huan's proposal and said, "I think the Fengshan ceremony is very reasonable. Your subject agrees."
Thus, for the first time in his life, Prince Yong seriously seconded Liu Huan's proposal.
The courtiers, upon hearing this, thought, "The Emperor is your own brother, so naturally you find it reasonable."
Huo Baichuan nodded, as if playing around, and walked among the officials, saying to Xie Yun, "The Fengshan ceremony signifies that all of you are virtuous and capable ministers. Do you all think that you are too incompetent to assist His Majesty in governing the country well? Then what is the point of having you all? Speaking of you, Lord Xie, what is the purpose of your high position? Don't you have even a little bit of desire to be remembered for eternity, besides for the sake of the common people?"
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