The New Year's banquet has finally arrived, everything is ready, just waiting for the banquet to begin.
Rewards should be given according to merit. Those who deserve rewards have been rewarded, and those who need arrangements have been arranged. Today the officials are here to eat, drink, and receive New Year gifts.
Looking at the box which was obviously bigger than last year, everyone was full of anticipation.
The things Her Majesty the Empress makes may not be expensive, but they are definitely practical and novel. If the factory produces any new gadgets, they will definitely be given to them, the ministers, first, which makes people look forward to it.
Tang Shuyu asked Lin Yici beside him: "Do you know what the empress is preparing?"
Lin Yici was the Minister of Revenue, in charge of the empress's purse.
Lin Yici was speechless: "The box was packed by the Ministry of Rites. You should ask Lord Su. Even if the Ministry of Revenue paid, it was only a small part."
Tang Shuyu: "Then I'd rather not ask. Su Ziqi's mouth is tighter than a clam shell. If Your Majesty doesn't say anything, don't even think about getting a single word out of him. Anyway, we'll know what's inside once we get it."
Lin Yici: So what’s the point of you talking a bunch of nonsense?
He looked around and asked, "Hey, why hasn't Lord Su come yet?"
The Ministry of Rites is also responsible for the subsequent ceremony process today, so Su Ziqi should have arrived earlier.
"The envoy from Xiqi had an accident, and he went to see him."
The Minister of Justice Liu Yan walked out from the side, with a pair of stern eyes, looking very difficult to deal with.
In fact, Liu Yan was not someone to be trifled with. He was in charge of the Ministry of Justice and dealt with criminal law every day. The laws he formulated were enough to send chills down one's spine.
He is the type who usually doesn't say anything, but once he speaks, he will take your life.
Among the six ministries, the Minister of War Rong Qing is someone he cannot afford to offend, and the Minister of Justice Liu Yan is someone he dare not offend.
Even though they were of the same rank, Tang Shuyu and Lin Yici still showed a bit more respect to Liu Yan, a respect they kept at a distance.
Although Liu Yan is a low-key person, he is definitely the silent mad dog beside the empress.
He had given his all to take the exam at the Princess's Mansion, but his name was taken away by Lu Ling. He missed the chance to change his fate and even nearly lost his life.
It was the princess who was able to distinguish between loyalty and treachery. She not only saved his life and recognized his talent, but also taught him according to his aptitude and personally taught him for two days.
In Liu Yan's heart, the Empress was his savior, his mentor, and his teacher. Although he kept silent, everything he did was only to be loyal to the Empress and to listen to her words.
Especially when he formulated those punishments, he didn't care about the life and death of his colleagues and criminals. Anyone who dared to commit a crime or harm His Majesty's country would be killed!
Liu Yan has no friends. He doesn't care about friends at all. His spirit of being a lone minister makes people tremble with fear.
What's even more terrifying is that the empress admires him very much.
The laws set by Liu Yan were harsh, but the empress's generous rewards made all officials in the court behave themselves, creating an unprecedented clarity.
Tang Shuyu: "Thank you, Brother Liu, for letting me know."
Liu Yan hummed softly and stared at the two of them for a moment.
The two of them felt uneasy being stared at. Lin Yici asked with a stiff upper lip, "Master Liu, do you have anything else to say?"
Liu Yan pursed his lips and said, "The Ministry of Justice borrowed someone from you a while ago. Remember to return them."
Tang Shuyu and Lin Yici: ...How could they have deserved to have the Minister of Justice personally come to collect the debt?
"I'll pay it back tomorrow."
Actually, I didn't want to pay it back. Once the people from the Ministry of Justice came, they relieved a lot of pressure, and there were several capable people among them.
I don't want to pay it back at all, but I have to.
-----
When the banquet began, the position of Minister of Rites was still vacant. It was not until two rounds of drinks had passed that Su Ziqi finally arrived.
"Your Majesty, the Xiqi envoy has brought a prince from Xiqi."
Su Ziqi looked up, took a deep breath, and continued, "I refused entry to the palace to unidentified envoys. After negotiating with them, they claimed they came on the orders of the King of Xiqi, wanting the Prince of Xiqi to marry Your Majesty, thus establishing friendship between our two countries and making them equal."
As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes darted around.
Look at Prime Minister Song who is sitting at the head of all officials, look at Minister of War Rong Qing, Lou Yan next to him, and Feng Yin who is sitting a little behind him.
Your Majesty's close friends are all here, but they have not yet been given a title. The Prince of Xiqi wants to take the throne as soon as he arrives, and wants to maintain the friendship between the two countries, without distinguishing between them. What a big tone.
But no one said anything now, waiting to see the empress's attitude. The empress was not the kind of person who was easy to talk to.
Xiao Li raised his eyebrows, his expression interested: "Is this Prince Xiqi good-looking?"
Su Ziqi spoke frankly: "She is so beautiful that it's hard to tell whether she is a man or a woman."
Xiao Li was even more interested: "Call him up to have a look."
Everyone's eyes lit up.
Oh no, there’s something interesting to watch.
The four of them knew that His Majesty was just being playful and would never marry that prince, but the appearance of this person made them very uncomfortable.
The envoy from Xiqi was a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a strong waist. He had a smiling face and looked very kind.
But no one could see him, all attention was drawn to the person next to him.
A man dressed in exotic clothes, a sky blue robe inlaid with white fox fur, and his body was covered with decorations made of turquoise, beeswax and gold.
Of course, his clothes are secondary. The main thing is that he has a very fair and handsome face.
Her facial features are deep and three-dimensional, her skin is as white as jade, her peach blossom eyes are gentle and affectionate, and there is a faint smile on the corner of her lips. She doesn't look romantic, but she is alluring.
Young, energetic, beautiful, handsome, and with a bit of the grassland's elegance and heroism.
Su Ziqi's "outstanding appearance, difficult to tell whether she is male or female" is still too monotonous.
This is simply the reincarnation of a fox spirit.
If you want to find someone who can make the empress give up half of her kingdom, he must have this kind of appearance.
It’s not that the Prime Minister and others are not handsome enough, but this man is born with a temperament that makes people want to love and protect him.
Like a peerless jade, a beautiful flower, and a natural-born hero who will bring disaster to the country.
"Greetings to His Majesty Long Sheng."
Prince Xiqi saluted with a smile, unrestrained and uninhibited: "Zhatimo, I pay my respects to His Majesty Longsheng."
The voice is clear, mellow and gorgeous, with a strong exotic flavor.
Before meeting the person: Xiqi actually wanted his son to marry the empress, what a fantasy.
After seeing the person: Prime Minister, we are in danger.
Xiao Li looked at him and beckoned: "Come here."
Everyone's heart skipped a beat. It's over!
Although Your Majesty is not dissolute, he does seem to be a bit lustful.
Under everyone's gaze, Zhatimo walked to Xiao Li's desk, leaned forward, his eyes moving, and said in a charming and affectionate manner: "Your Majesty."
Xiao Li was not polite at all and went straight to work.
It feels warm to the touch and feels like flesh when you pinch it. Is this face real?
Zhatimo smiled and raised her hand to hold Xiao Li's hand: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will be yours from now on. Your Majesty can take your time to feel it."
Zhatimo shyly spoke in a fierce and aggressive manner, but Xiao Li was not moved at all. Even the amazement and amusement he had just felt disappeared. He only said coldly, "Lu Ling, what are you trying to do now?"
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