Chapter 296 Sitting on Lian
At the Minister's Mansion, the guests have arrived one after another.
Shen Qingzhou came to the door, handed in his name card, and was soon invited in, but was only allowed a seat near the corner.
Shen Qingzhou didn't care, he was just here to go through the motions.
After Shen Qingzhou sat down, he looked around. The seats on both sides were empty. Finally, someone sat next to him. Before the other person could even sit down, Shen Qingzhou, who had been holding back for a long time, started chatting.
"My dear brother, may I ask your name and where you work? I am Shen Qingzhou, an editor at the Imperial Academy. Our meeting is fate..."
"Meeting is fate! Brother Shen, I am Zhao Ming from the Ministry of Rites..."
Unexpectedly, Zhao Ming is also a chatterbox. He and Shen Qingzhou felt like they had met too late. After just a few words, they became brothers.
"Lord Zhang Lun, the Minister of Revenue, has arrived--" the welcoming person announced loudly.
When his immediate superior arrived, Minister Lu hurried out to greet him in person.
"Eunuch Li is here in front of the palace——"
Hearing the voice, Minister Zhang and Minister Lu, who had just walked in not far from the door, hurriedly turned around to greet them.
"Oh, it is my honor that Eunuch Li has come here today." Minister Lu smiled at Eunuch Li, and even Zhang Lun was polite to him.
Eunuch Li greeted Zhang Lun first, then smiled at Minister Lu and said, "It's not that we wanted to come, but the emperor loves and values Lord Lu."
After saying this, he waved his hand, and the eunuch behind him brought up a small box, inside of which was a glowing night pearl.
Minister Lu quickly kowtowed to thank the emperor for the reward.
After delivering the gifts, Eunuch Li did not leave, but followed Zhang Lun and the others to the banquet and sat in the seat closest to the door, facing Shen Qingzhou and Zhao Ming from a distance.
Zhao Ming beside Shen Qingzhou was a little surprised and whispered, "Why is Eunuch Li, a palace eunuch, attending the birthday banquet of the Minister of Revenue? Could it be that he has a relationship with Lord Lu?"
After saying that, he felt something was wrong, "But as the chief eunuch in front of the palace, even the minister should be polite to him, and he should sit in the seat of honor."
"Brother Zhao, is this your first time attending such an occasion?" Shen Qingzhou smiled mysteriously, lowering his voice a few notches, "Eunuch Li is not here for a banquet, it's called 'sitting on the curtain'."
"Zuolian?" Zhao Ming was also a newly-minted Jinshi who had just entered the officialdom. It was the first time he heard of this term.
"What do you think is the most taboo thing for an emperor? Ministers forming factions!" Shen Qingzhou pointed at the guests in the courtyard.
"In the previous dynasty, if a minister held such a grand banquet at home for officials, it would be a crime of treason with the nine generations of the family executed. However, our current emperor is kind and compassionate, and has abolished this law.
But you see - there are so many important officials in this courtyard. If they use the name of birthday celebration to send something that shouldn't be sent...right?"
Zhao Ming figured it out without Shen Qingzhou saying anything, "Brother Shen, are you saying that the eunuch Li was sent by the emperor to keep an eye on us?"
"Tsk, what you said is so harsh? If you say it, it's called 'sitting on the lian'!" Shen Qingzhou rolled his eyes at him, "Eunuch Li sits at the entrance. All the guests who come in and the gifts they send have to pass his inspection. This can prove that the person who hosts the banquet is fair and honest, so it is called 'sitting on the lian'."
Zhao Ming nodded repeatedly after hearing this.
Shen Qingzhou smiled coquettishly and said, "Did you see the night-shining pearl that the emperor just gave you? Although that thing is also a treasure, it is not priceless and worthy of the status of the Minister."
Zhao Ming asked: "Is there an explanation for this?"
"Smart." Shen Qingzhou raised his eyebrows, "You think, the emperor's reward is here, it is the finale. Even if the guests are full of gifts, who dares to give more expensive than this?"
Zhao Ming suddenly realized and praised the emperor for his wisdom.
"No wonder the gifts I saw from the adults just now were mostly silk, rare fruits, and even crabs."
Shen Qingzhou nodded and was about to say something when he suddenly heard some music, indicating that the birthday banquet had already begun.
At the same time, Xiao Wan was sitting with a group of officials from the Ministry of Finance. Everyone else had a look of joy on their faces, but Xiao Wan was a little absent-minded, glancing out the door from time to time.
During the meal, she found an excuse to get up and went to the Minister's residence, where she saw Qiao Youyou peeking around at the corner of the street.
Xiao Wan walked over and said that the banquet had already started and she could go in and prepare.
Qiao Youyou was holding a package in her arms, and was about to follow Xiao Wan into the Minister's Mansion, but was stopped at the door.
"What do you do?" Menzi looked at Qiao Youyou and asked.
Xiao Wan explained that this was a colleague from the Ministry of Revenue, who had also come to celebrate the Minister's birthday, but had arrived a little late due to some urgent matters.
But the doorman said that her rank was too low, and if she wanted to enter the Minister's Mansion, the head of the department must come in person to bring her in.
"What kind of rule is this? I'm wearing the official uniform of the Ministry of Revenue, don't you recognize it?" Qiao Youyou was a little angry.
Xiao Wan quickly pulled her and subconsciously looked at Eunuch Li who was sitting inside the gate.
Fortunately, although Eunuch Li glanced over here, he seemed not to see it. He was only concerned about who entered this door, and as for who didn't come in, it had nothing to do with him.
Qiao Youyou wanted to argue with Menzi, but Menzi insisted that not everyone could enter the Minister's Mansion, and insisted that Min Yuan be brought in, which made Qiao Youyou so angry that she stomped her feet.
She hid out in the afternoon because she was afraid that Min Yuan would cause trouble for her. If Min Yuan found her at this time, wouldn't that be throwing trouble into his face?
At this moment, a voice came from inside the door, "Is this Mr. Qiao from the Ministry of Finance?"
Qiao Youyou and Xiao Wan looked in the direction of the voice and recognized the person as the head of the Ministry of Revenue's Warehouse Department, and they quickly saluted.
The head of the Cangbu Division looked at Qiao Youyou, and the smile in his eyes could hardly be hidden. He said to the doorman, "This is someone from our Ministry of Revenue. Let her in."
Menzi knew that he was the head of the Cangbusi and hesitated, "But she said she was from the Duzhisi..."
"The head of their Duzhi Department is the head, but the words of me, the head of the Cangbu Department, are useless, right?"
“I dare not, I dare not.” The doorman made way for Qiao Youyou to walk in.
When they passed by Eunuch Li, the eunuch behind him stopped them, took a look at what Qiao Youyou was holding in her arms, turned around and whispered, "It's a costume."
Eunuch Li nodded slightly and let the three people in.
After entering the yard, Qiao Youyou hid behind Xiao Wan to avoid being seen by Min Yuan.
The head of the Cangbu Division noticed something and said with a smile that the Duzhi Division was full, so he told Qiao Youyou that she could sit with him at the Cangbu Division, though it would be farther away from the officials of the Duzhi Division.
"That's great!" Qiao Youyou thanked him immediately.
Then the head of Cangbu Si was kind enough to arrange for someone to help her find a place to change clothes.
How can we just not perform the show that Lord Min has carefully prepared?
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