At this banquet, Liu Hong specially arranged for Liu Bei and Sun Jian to sit beside him.
The officials couldn't help but secretly speculate about the emperor's intentions.
"The New Year's Eve banquet begins!!"
With a loud shout from the eunuch on duty, countless palace maids and eunuchs entered from the rear hall carrying plates of exquisite dishes.
Each round table was set with eighteen dishes, including green, yellow, red, and white dishes, as well as chicken, duck, fish, and meat—a complete selection that made everyone's mouths water.
You should know that a meal like this would cost at least 50,000 coins in a royal restaurant. If you add in the several jugs of imperial wine, the total value of the meal would be unimaginable.
As the last dish was served, Liu Hong picked up a cup of tea and stood up.
Upon seeing this, everyone in the hall hurriedly stood up and looked at Liu Hong.
Liu Hong, holding a teacup, glanced around the hall and said, "In the second year of Jianning, thanks to everyone's concerted efforts, our Great Han Dynasty has become prosperous and our people have lived in peace and happiness. I hereby offer you all a toast with tea instead of wine!"
"Respectfully, Your Majesty!!"
The officials also rose one after another, raised their wine cups, and drank them down in one gulp.
After a toast, the banquet officially began, and the Royal Opera House, led by Cai Yong, had prepared a number of performances to entertain everyone.
In addition to song and dance, the Royal Opera House also created opera, drama and other performance forms according to Liu Hong's instructions.
Although the rehearsal period was short, their performance was quite impressive.
Watching those fresh and beautiful performances, everyone couldn't help but praise them.
During the performance, many well-known historical stories were presented, such as: the surprise attack on Longcheng, the sealing of the wolf's lair, Su Wu herding sheep, Zhang Qian's mission to the emperor, and so on.
The sight stirred the emotions of the crowd, who felt immense pride as they witnessed the past glory of the Han Dynasty.
Meanwhile, throughout the Han Dynasty, people from every household gathered together to prepare for the arrival of the New Year.
In a residential area south of Luoyang, Li Si, a worker at an ironworks, sat around a table with his wife, son, and parents—all five of them dressed in new clothes.
On the table were a large pot of rice, a pot of stewed meat, and several plates of vegetables.
Due to the large-scale increase in greenhouses this year, vegetables that were originally only popular among the wealthy and powerful have also spread to the general public.
Although the price was quite high, Li Si had earned a good amount of money this year, so he gritted his teeth and bought some to try.
Li Si's elderly father gently stroked his new clothes, looked at the sumptuous food on the table, and tears streamed down his face.
Three years ago, his family was struggling to make ends meet and their clothes were tattered. Now they can live such a life. How can one not be moved?
Seeing this, Li Si couldn't help but ask, "Father, today is New Year's Eve, we should be happy, why are you like this?"
Father Li wiped away his tears: "I am so happy. On my way to the grave, I can still wear new clothes and have enough to eat. I am content!"
Li Si laughed and said, "Father, what are you saying? Our lives will only get better and better. You should enjoy yourself for a few more years!"
Mr. Li was greatly relieved: “My son is right, let’s eat!”
As he spoke, Li's father picked up a large piece of fatty meat and put it into his grandson's bowl.
The little guy pouted and said, "Grandpa, I don't want to eat fatty meat anymore, it's too greasy!"
Seeing this, Li Si glared at him and said, "You brat, when I was your age, we couldn't even afford bran to eat every day. Now that life is better, you've had meat a few times and you've become a picky eater? Give me some!"
"Eat it!!"
Seeing his father get angry, the little guy shrank his neck, picked up the fatty meat in the bowl, and swallowed it in one gulp.
"Oh, my good grandson, have another one!"
Seeing this, Li's father immediately picked up an even larger piece of fatty meat and put it into the little guy's bowl, as if afraid that his grandson would go hungry.
"Slurp!"
The little guy swallowed it in one gulp, oil splattering all over his face, making the whole family burst into laughter.
Nowadays, scenes like those in Li Si's home are very common in Luoyang.
The people of Sili, Liangzhou, Bingzhou, Youzhou and other places have seen a significant improvement in their lives thanks to the reform policies implemented over the past two years.
Especially in the Sili region, due to the development of numerous factories, workshops, and various projects, the working people and laborers had considerable savings.
Although the food wasn't particularly lavish, there was still a fair amount of meat.
On New Year's Eve, while the people who had benefited from the reforms were feasting and drinking, they felt even more reverence and respect for the emperor, the court, and the government.
Meanwhile, the garrisons throughout the Han Dynasty also took off their armor, which they had worn for a year, and gathered together to drink and celebrate.
This year, military funding is sufficient, and all soldiers have received their full pay and rations. Many veterans who have served for more than five years have also received a reward called the "Loyalty Award," which is worth as much as 20,000 coins.
When they learned that the Emperor had specially allocated the funds from the Imperial Treasury to commend the veterans for their loyalty and dedication to the country, all the soldiers were deeply moved.
Having served as common soldiers their entire lives, this was the first time they had encountered an emperor who cared for and loved them so much. From this point on, the emperor's prestige in the army reached its zenith.
Meanwhile, General Dou Wu's reward team, carrying a large amount of supplies, celebrated lavishly with the Han army stationed in Puyang.
As the generous rewards were distributed, all the soldiers who had participated in suppressing the rebellion raised their wine bowls and respectfully bowed towards Luoyang.
While everyone from Liu Hong and his officials to soldiers and ordinary people were celebrating the New Year, the Kong family in Lu County was also bustling with activity.
Kong Bao, the then head of the Kong family, sat in the main seat, smiling as he watched the Kong family members drinking and composing essays at the banquet, creating quite a lively scene.
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