Inside the Yingchun Hall, after Cao Cao's embellishment, the emperor used plum blossoms to express his aspirations and praise everyone, which made everyone beam with joy.
"Haha~, what do you all think of this prodigy of the Cao family?"
Sitting in his seat, Cao Song was overjoyed to see his son steal the show at the banquet. He couldn't stop smiling as he boasted to everyone at the table.
"Hehe~, Cao's son is quite talented in literature. Although it's also flattery, he's much more skillful than our Grand Minister of Agriculture who only cares about money!"
While praising Cao Song with laughter, Xun Shuang, who was standing next to him, did not forget to make a sarcastic remark about him.
"Haha~, Ciming is right! The Cao family's son has indeed surpassed his master!"
Everyone burst into laughter and joined in.
The teasing from the crowd made Cao Song's face fall. However, praising one's son while criticizing one's father is a common practice throughout history, so Cao Song couldn't argue back.
At this moment, Liu Hong looked around at everyone and said loudly, "Grand Tutor, the Three Dukes, and all the learned scholars are all highly learned men. I think it would be better to ask them to compose a poem on the theme of plum blossoms. What do you all think?"
"Excellent! Your Majesty's idea is brilliant!"
Cao Song immediately stood up to agree, and the others also expressed their anticipation.
Liu Hong smiled, then looked at Chen Fan, "Then let the Grand Tutor start!"
"Then this old minister will make a fool of himself, and hopes that Your Majesty and everyone else will not laugh!"
When the emperor called upon his name, Chen Fan stepped forward without hesitation.
After bowing to Liu Hong and everyone present, Chen Fan closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before proclaiming in a loud voice:
"The cold wind is biting, all things wither and flourish, but what is thriving? Only the green onion."
The snow has just melted, and the world is shrouded in mist. What brings good news? A lone red blossom on a branch.
Early spring is approaching, swallows return and flowers bloom; what is the source of this labor? The fragrance is at its peak.
"Wonderful! Although the Grand Tutor's poem does not mention the word 'plum blossom' once, it is inseparable from the plum blossom in every line. It is truly a rare and excellent poem!"
"Yes, when everything else withers and turns yellow, only the plum branches remain green. Amidst the flying snow, plum blossoms herald spring, and the revival of all things is inseparable from the nourishment of plum blossoms!"
Everyone praised Chen Fan and his poems.
Following Chen Fan's lead, Hu Guang, Li Ying, Zheng Xuan, Cai Yong, and others also rose to compose poems, all of which highlighted the plum blossom's resilience, purity, humility, and noble character in the face of adversity.
The various displays of expertise by these renowned scholars drew cheers from the audience, and the atmosphere in the hall gradually became lively.
In the rear hall, Xiao Hong also reported the situation in the front hall to Dou Miao and Dong Shi.
When Liu Hong's two mothers heard that the emperor was using Song Yue's sachet as an excuse to make a fuss, they looked at Song Yue, who was sitting there quietly with her head down, and their joy in their eyes increased even more.
"It seems Hong'er understands the youngest daughter's thoughts quite well!"
Dou Miao glanced at Madam Dong beside her, and the two couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle.
"Gurgle~ gurgle~!"
Just as everyone was in high spirits, a rumbling sound from their stomachs reached Liu Hong's ears.
Liu Hong couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound, and saw Dian Wei sitting there with a red face and his head down, looking very reserved.
Liu Hong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Hehe~, is Dian Wei hungry??"
Dian Wei lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "Um... they all said that there would be a lot of delicious food at the banquet tonight, so I didn't eat lunch and have been saving my stomach for later..."
Dian Wei was also a little embarrassed, and his voice grew softer and softer. At the end, he didn't forget to look up and glare at Wen Chou.
"Hehe~ Alright, since Dian Wei is hungry, let's eat!"
Liu Hong chuckled softly, then turned to look at Zhang Rang beside him.
Zhang Rang understood, gave Dian Wei a deep look, and then shouted loudly:
"The banquet begins! Serve the food!"
With Zhang Rang's loud shout, the palace maids and eunuchs who had been waiting for a long time came into the main hall carrying plates of exquisite dishes.
"Is this... chives?"
"I think so? Doesn't this look like garlic sprouts?"
"Where did these things come from?"
The people in the hall stared wide-eyed at the green vegetables that were served. They had eaten these vegetables before, but this was the first time they had seen them in this season, so everyone was shocked.
"You all owe this feast to Marquis Moyang and the Grand Minister of Agriculture for the greenhouses they built. Without them, you wouldn't be enjoying this delicious food today!"
"There are plenty of these vegetables too. If you all want some in the future, you can ask the Grand Minister of Agriculture for them!"
Seeing the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, Liu Hong chuckled and explained the origins of the vegetables, while also subtly inserting a product placement advertisement.
For a moment, everyone looked at Mo Shang and Cao Song with a strange expression. They never expected that the two of them would have such abilities.
Many people sensed something was amiss. They naturally wanted to eat green vegetables more often, but seeing Cao Song sitting there so calmly, they couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Even if we manage to get vegetables from Cao Song, we should be prepared to be slaughtered.
At Liu Hong's signal, a large pot of stewed mutton was placed in front of Dian Wei, making Dian Wei's mouth water.
"Alright, everyone, please don't stand on ceremony, enjoy yourselves!"
Seeing this, Liu Hong stopped dawdling and invited everyone to start eating.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"
"Bring the wine!!"
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