Now, all the major events in the Tang Dynasty were basically discussed in the court by Wu Zetian after Wang Zheng and Li Zhi reached a preliminary consensus in their daily conversations.
Of course, the final decision lies in Li Zhi's hands, and Wang Zheng is only responsible for making some suggestions and finding and filling in the gaps.
The path to the throne between the brothers Li Xian and Li Xian was decided with just a few words. This was a tactic Li Zhi often used. Only by allowing as many factions as possible to form in the court and let them compete with each other could he, as the emperor, have more choices.
The biggest benefit of doing this is that it makes the imperial power more stable.
Li Zhi looked at Li Dan and Xiao Taiping playing in the distance, then looked at Li Xian and Wang Ping'an chatting on the side, smacked his lips and said, "Today is Laba Festival, why don't you ask Wu Yi and the others to come over and celebrate the festival together?"
Wang Zheng smiled and shook his head, saying, "If they knew that His Majesty was coming, they wouldn't come?"
"Why is that?" Li Zhi raised his eyebrows and continued, "Don't they want to have a meal with me?"
"I need to find a reason to avoid those imperial censors accusing me of wasting money."
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Then Li Zhi shouted with full energy, "Someone come here."
Li Zhi pondered for a moment, then continued, "Well, so all the court officials who work will attend the banquet, and the Taoist temples, medical clinics, colleges, and the Imperial Academy will be given some quotas in proportion. Let the Queen and the Crown Prince decide on the specific matters."
When Wang Zheng was about to have dinner, Wu Zetian and Li Xian arrived. After some greetings, Wu Zetian complained cheerfully, "Your Majesty and the chief steward are in a good mood and are planning to hold a banquet. This has exhausted me and the crown prince. It took more than an hour just to finalize the list."
Wang Zheng smiled without commenting.
Li Zhi nodded, agreeing with what Wang Zheng said. After thinking for a while, he suggested, "Life has been a bit dull in the past two years. Why don't I arrange a big banquet for us to have fun together?
Although Qibi Ming was surprised, he immediately agreed. His Majesty's life was indeed dull, and now that he had such a hobby, it was naturally a good thing.
It’s a good time to have some fun during the holidays.”
Li Xian smiled and said, "My disciple is unfortunately suffering, but it is indeed a good thing to be able to eat the food prepared by the master himself."
When the emperor gave an order, someone would naturally go to work. Nowadays, the Tang Dynasty was rich in supplies, and holding a high-standard banquet with a large number of people was not a big expense. The regular supplies in the palace were enough.
Wang Zheng could only smile bitterly.
Li Zhi's excuse was quite good, and his last sentence also had some basis. After all, although the people of Yuzhou have not entered the court, their influence in other aspects of the Tang Dynasty is still considerable.
"Haha, it's been a long time since I've eaten the food cooked by the steward."
If a person's days are always repetitive, he will feel very depressed, and the more depressed he is, the greater the final backlash will be. That's why there is a saying that a good person can become bad overnight, and a bad person can become a Buddha instantly.
Qibi Ming hurried in and saw Li Zhi and Wang Zheng sitting happily beside the stone table. He was obviously relieved and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Li Zhi seems to be getting extremely bored.
If those censors dared to comment on this matter, there might not be much reaction in the court, but public opinion would definitely be directed against them. A person cannot live only in the court, and all aspects of life will definitely be affected by the public.
Wang Zheng looked at the sky and then said with a smile, "It's still not too late at this point. We can have someone prepare now. After dinner, we can have a good feast."
Wang Zheng smiled and said, "That's impossible. The reason they didn't come is that they don't want to disturb Your Majesty. Also, they may not want me to be too tired. After all, this courtyard is not big. It's okay for a few people, but it's not so convenient to cook a big pot."
Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Haha, are you feeling bored too? That 's right. When you were in Yuzhou, you would have dinner with your disciples from time to time. After coming to Chang'an, your life has become more and more dull."
The so-called going to work refers to people who have a position in the court. This is also the origin of the terms "in the immortal class", "in the court class", "not enough class", and "ranking by seniority".
Human beings are very strange creatures. Except for the situation of survival, no matter how good the days are, if they are always repetitive, they will definitely become boring. Therefore, life needs ups and downs, and life needs surprises.
Li Zhi thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Let's just say that we are celebrating the King of Ying's safe return to the court. This should be enough of an excuse. I don't think those guys would dare to offend both me and the chief steward at the same time."
"If your majesty wants to have some fun, that's great."
"Your Majesty, I accept your order. Do you need a reason?"
"Make arrangements. A grand banquet will be held in Daming Palace tonight for all the ministers."
Dinner was divided into two tables. Li Zhi, Wu Zetian, Li Xian, Li Xian, Wang Zheng, Luo Xiaomei, and Wang Ping'an sat together, while Xiao Yuehua and a few of her friends sat at one table with Li Dan and Xiao Taiping.
Li Zhi would not be wrong, so Wang Zheng had no choice but to bow to Wu Zetian and say, "Your Majesty and the Crown Prince have worked hard. I have cooked a lot of dishes. Your Majesty and the Crown Prince, please eat more later."
Although Zhang Xin and other girls had met Li Zhi twice, they still felt a little uncomfortable because not only were Wu Zetian and Li Xian present, but they were also having dinner together.
Especially people like Chen He who have been a little inferior since childhood, and Zhang Xin who know the importance of things are even more reserved.
Wang Min and Liu Hui, on the other hand, felt a little more at ease. Perhaps in their hearts, there was no difference between the emperor and the county magistrate. After all, they were both people they had to look up to before, but now with their status, they no longer needed to be servile to the county magistrate.
Xiao Taiping sat between Xiao Yuehua and Li Dan, and would clamor for this and that from time to time. Whenever Xiao Yuehua showed an impatient expression, Xiao Taiping would look at her pitifully and call her "Senior Sister", which would immediately make Xiao Yuehua lose her temper.
Li Dan couldn't help laughing, and Wu Zetian also found it funny. She joked across the table, "Ling Yue learned many of her skills from you. You have to bear with it now. From now on, I will let her come over for a few days every month. Just bear with it."