395, welcoming banquet
395, welcoming banquet
As night fell, there was a constant stream of carriages and horses coming and going outside the gate of Prince Ding's Mansion, and people entering the mansion.
This was the first time in all those years that the entrance to Prince Ding's mansion had been so bustling. All the civil and military officials in the court had been invited to attend Prince Ding's welcoming banquet.
Although everyone is still unsure about the father-son relationship between Prince Ding and the Regent, and unsure whether the Regent is willing to give up power, and whether there will be a conflict between the father and son over the imperial power, which side should these people stand on and who should they support.
However, when they saw Prince Ding and the Prince Regent appear together in public, talking and laughing, they knew that the relationship between the father and son was not as tense as they had imagined.
As for the question of which side they should stand on, it is not possible to make a decision in the short term, so we should wait and see.
They also did not miss the eldest son Zhao who was standing on the other side of Prince Ding. It was said that this eldest son was the son of Prince Ding's favorite concubine and grew up by their prince's side since childhood, and was very much loved by their prince.
If their prince became emperor, it would be hard to say who would inherit the throne in the future.
However, since ancient times, how could a son become an emperor and his father become a prince?
Today, Prince Ding stood before the crowd with a look of high spirits. He held a wine glass in his hand and said to everyone, "This prince has not returned to Kyoto for many years. Seeing you all today, I am even more delighted. Let us raise our glasses and have a drink together."
"Your humble servant respects His Majesty."
"Respectfully, Your Majesty."
The officials below all raised their glasses to toast Prince Ding.
Zhao Lang stood beside his father with an expressionless face.
But Zhao Rui was very happy, with a bright smile on his face, which formed a sharp contrast with the expressions on the two brothers' faces.
But these officials in the court are not stupid. They will not get close to anyone who smiles nicely.
At this time, Lu Mingfei was also standing in the crowd, holding a glass of wine in his hand. He raised his glass as everyone else did. Meeting Zhao Lang's gaze, he smiled, raised his glass to signal Zhao Lang, and drank the wine in the glass.
When Zhao Lang saw Lord Lu not far away, the lines on his face softened a little. He raised the wine in his glass to toast Lord Lu, then tilted his head back and drank the wine.
"Your Highness, you just returned from Beijun. Could you tell us about the situation at the border?"
"Yes, Your Highness, I heard that the Hu people are planning to withdraw their troops? Is this true?"
“…”
After drinking the first glass of wine, the civil and military officials in the court came forward and surrounded their prince and the regent, father and son.
But Zhao Rui was squeezed out of the crowd.
Looking at Zhao Lang who was surrounded by the crowd, his face turned ashen and looked quite ugly.
Obviously, no one is optimistic about this Young Master Zhao.
Seeing this scene, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but turn around and smile.
Fu Lianxin was standing next to Lu Mingfei. Seeing Lu Mingfei smile, he also started to smile. He came closer to Lu Mingfei and whispered to him, "Our Young Master Zhao doesn't seem very smart."
"I'm not afraid of stupid people, I'm afraid of people who are both stupid and bad." Lu Mingfei also replied in a low voice.
Hearing this, Fu Lianxin laughed so hard that his shoulders were shaking.
There were too many people on Prince Ding and Zhao Lang's side, so the two of them walked a little further away and stood in a deserted part of the corridor to talk, chatting about some arrangements and plans within the Ministry of Rites.
Earlier this year, Lu Mingfei transferred Fu Lianxin from the Hanlin Academy to the Ministry of Rites. Previously, the Ministry of Rites had been under the control of Prime Minister Wan, but now that Prime Minister Wan was imprisoned and had not yet been released, the Ministry of Rites was gradually being taken over by their people.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the imperial court would have held a special imperial examination this year. With the successive emperors of the past few years, the triennial special imperial examination had been repeatedly postponed. This year, they felt they couldn't postpone it any further.
According to their plan, if they controlled the government and Zhao Lang became emperor, this year's imperial examination would have to be reopened. This way, they could also attract scholars from the various vassal states back to the court.
At the same time, they can also reserve a group of talents for themselves.
If his plan is to be implemented, the court will need a large number of people to rebuild the political system.
Therefore, controlling the Ministry of Rites is also a crucial link for them. Now that Prime Minister Wan is no longer stirring up trouble, there will be fewer obstacles in implementing some of their plans.
Just as the two of them were talking about something, Zhao Rui's voice interrupted.
"Oh, isn't this our Lord Lu? Why don't you go and curry favor with my good second brother?" Zhao Rui looked at Lu Mingfei with eyes like two knives, wishing he could stab Lu Mingfei to death.
"General Zhao keeps talking about His Royal Highness the Regent all the time. If you don't know, you might think that General Zhao and His Royal Highness the Regent are brothers." Lu Mingfei said sarcastically.
"That's natural. Don't you want to have a close brotherly relationship with me, your elder brother, but with you, Lord Lu?" Zhao Rui glanced at the young official standing next to Lu Mingfei. Seeing that he was someone he didn't know, his gaze swept across the other person and returned to Lu Mingfei's face.
"I heard that Lord Lu is the lover of my good second brother. I wonder if this rumor is true or not?"
"I didn't expect that General Zhao would be like those women on the streets, believing whatever people say and taking it seriously. Looking at General Zhao, he doesn't look like a fool." Lu Mingfei was not surprised that Zhao Rui had heard these rumors about him and Zhao Lang after just half a day in Kyoto Prefecture.
These rumors were previously spread by Prime Minister Wan in order to deal with Zhao Lang and him. He deliberately had people spread rumors about the two of them.
However, rumors would naturally fade away if ignored. As long as he and Zhao Lang were not caught naked in bed together, such rumors would remain just rumors.
"You! Lu Mingfei, don't think I dare not kill you!" This was not the first time that Lu Mingfei called him a fool. Zhao Rui was provoked by Lu Mingfei again and again, and he was so angry that he wanted to strangle this sharp-tongued guy to death.
Fu Lianxin, who was ignored by Zhao Rui, was not angry. He stood aside and watched Lu Mingfei's quarrel with Zhao Rui, and he was enjoying it. It was the first time he knew that the words coming out of Lu Mingfei's mouth could make people angry to death.
Seeing that Young Master Zhao was so angry at Lu Mingfei that he wanted to kill someone, he stood up and blocked Lu Mingfei's way. He said to Zhao Rui directly, "Young General Zhao, a gentleman should use words, not fists. You are still a military general. It would be beneath your dignity to attack a civilian official."
"Who are you? How dare you talk to me like that!" Zhao Rui was just worried about not being able to vent his anger on anyone, and then someone bumped into him and ignited his anger. He couldn't deal with Lu Mingfei, so could he not deal with a minor official he had never met before?
Fu Lianxin was a young master from the Taifu Mansion. He had been taught the etiquette of aristocratic families since he was young. How could he quarrel with others? He was blocked by Zhao Rui's words and didn't know how to respond.
Lu Mingfei pulled Fu Lianxin behind him and looked behind Zhao Rui, where His Royal Highness the Regent was walking towards them.
Zhao Lang came over and happened to hear Zhao Rui's last words. Seeing his good brother acting arrogantly in front of his Lord Lu, he looked at Zhao Rui with a serious look and asked, "Why, in your eyes, an official appointed by the court is just a piece of shit?"
"So, who are you then?"
When Zhao Rui heard the voice, his body stiffened. He turned around and saw that it was his good second brother standing behind him. His face changed.
Fu Lianxin was stunned for a moment, then bowed to their Highness the Regent, "Your humble servant greets the Regent."
Lu Mingfei stood still, his eyes meeting Zhao Lang's gaze.
"No need to be so polite." Zhao Lang's gaze fell on his Lord Lu holding someone else's hand, and his brows frowned slightly.
Noticing Zhao Lang's gaze on him, Lu Mingfei realized that his hand was still holding Fu Lianxin's arm, so he quickly withdrew it.
Zhao Lang took two steps forward, looked down at Zhao Rui, and warned him, "I advise you to get out of here before I lose my temper and punish you!"
"You!" Zhao Rui's face suddenly turned ashen.
Especially with so many outsiders here, Zhao Lang just didn't give him, his brother, any face. This made him feel like his face had been ripped off by Zhao Lang and thrown to the ground and stepped on.
"Zhao Lang, don't forget, I am your brother!"
"Are you worthy enough?" Zhao Lang looked at Zhao Rui from head to toe and from toe to head with contempt.
This time, Zhao Rui couldn't bear it anymore, he clenched his fist and hit Zhao Lang in the face.
Zhao Lang was not the kind of person who would just stand there and let others hit him. He raised his hand and grabbed Zhao Rui's wrist, using the force to pull him back, and kicked Zhao Rui directly into the pool.
“Bang—”
There was a loud thud, and Zhao Rui fell into the water, making a huge splash.
Zhao Rui, who grew up in the north, is a landlubber and can't swim at all. Once he falls into the water, he will struggle and shout for help.
"Help, save me... I can't swim..." Zhao Rui shouted while struggling in the water.
"Zhao, Zhao Lang..."
The soldiers on the side wanted to jump into the water to save him, but they were stopped by a look from their Royal Highness the Regent, so they could only watch their master fall into the water and struggle in the water.
Zhao Lang looked coldly at the person struggling in the water, with no intention of rescuing him immediately.
Lu Mingfei walked over to Zhao Lang, looked at Young Master Zhao struggling in the water, and asked worriedly, "Will he drown?"
Sensing a familiar aura approaching him, Zhao Lang turned his head to glance at Lord Lu who was approaching. He reached out from the front and held the young man's hand, "You won't die."
Fu Lianxin, who was standing nearby, saw their Regent Prince reaching out to grab Lu Mingfei's hand. He glanced at him and turned his eyes away, pretending not to see it.
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