The next day, Guan Zhiyue received an unbelievable imperial edict as soon as she woke up, ordering the holding of an annual banquet to reward all officials.
In reality, the monetization comes from the children showcasing their talents and martial arts skills. Daughters would perform things like playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, and dancing, while boys would demonstrate martial arts. Basically, the elders watch the show, and the younger generation performs.
"Sigh, do you have nothing better to do all day? Or do you have too much money to burn? Why do you want to hold this ridiculous reward banquet?" Guan Zhiyue looked at the bright yellow imperial edict in her hand.
"Your Majesty, which palace in the palace would you like to hold this event in?"
Guan Zhiyue thought for a moment and said, "Where were these palace banquets usually held? And what rank or higher were the officials invited?"
"Are all those attending court officials of the fifth rank or above?"
Liu Debao thought for a moment about previous years and then said, "Your Majesty, in previous years, when the Palace held a reward banquet, it was always held in Changlan Hall because the terrain there is more open and the place is also larger."
"As for officials, they must be officials of the fifth rank or above, and only two people can enter the palace: one is the principal wife, and the other is the principal son/daughter."
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue realized that there were still limitations.
"Has the Music Ensemble had any performances rehearsed?"
"Yes, but it's always the same old stuff, there's no innovative programming, so..."
"This is another event where talented men and women compete against each other. If the music troupe does the same thing as usual this year, then that's not my style, Guan Zhiyue. There are still seven days to prepare for the banquet. Go and call the manager of the music troupe here."
"This year, the banquet will be moved to the Wuqin Hall. Officials of the fifth rank and above are allowed to attend, while only officials of the third rank and above may bring their families, and only their principal wives, sons, and daughters may enter the palace."
"Ah, Your Majesty, this is unprecedented! In the past, only officials of the fifth rank or above were allowed to bring their families, but now..."
"What? Is there something wrong?"
“Isn’t this the usual practice? If someone were to go and inform them, wouldn’t those officials of the fifth rank scold Your Majesty?” Liu Debao said.
Guan Zhiyue thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I have another method!"
Liu Debao said, "Your Majesty, please give your orders!"
Guan Zhiyue laughed and said, "Then let's reward them according to their contributions!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Debao's lips twitched. Compared to the previous one, this was simpler and more convenient. If this were to be used to reward merit, wouldn't it mean that even low-ranking officials who had never been to the palace could enter?
"Hehe, this servant still thinks Your Majesty's suggestion was better. Officials of the fifth rank should not bring their families when they pay their respects, while officials of the third rank should bring their families."
Guan Zhiyue took a deep breath and said, "Go and inform the concubines in each palace to share this heavy responsibility with me. If we don't use these women now, when will we?"
"By the way, have Xiao Dezi go and report to the Emperor and ask him if my suggestion is feasible, so that we don't have time to make adjustments if he says it's not feasible later."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will take care of it right away!"
After Liu Debao left, Guan Zhiyue called Bilian over.
"Bilian, take a few people and come with me to the Wuqin Palace." Guan Zhiyue played with the imperial edict in her hand, already having a rough plan in mind.
"Master, are you about to unleash your full potential? Awesome, awesome!" Little Tuantuan floated listlessly in the air, her tiny arms and legs making her look like a baby.
"Otherwise what? I didn't want to either, but this matter has come to me, and if I don't take action, the Emperor will probably be furious."
"Oh, what a miserable life!"
Little Tuantuan shook her head, looking on with amusement.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Bilian arrived at the gate of Guan Zhiyue's courtyard with seven or eight maids and servants, standing respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the person has arrived."
As soon as Guan Zhiyue stepped outside and saw the group of people in the courtyard, she exclaimed in surprise, "Holy crap, you've brought so many people to fight?"
"Your Highness, I heard that Wuqin Palace hasn't been used for a long time. I was thinking of bringing more people over so we can get it ready as soon as possible," Bilian said.
Guan Zhiyue nodded and said, "Alright! Let's go then. I'll also go see where this Wuqin Palace is, and see if it's big enough to make a grand display."
"yes."
So Guan Zhiyue led a large group of people toward the Wuqin Palace!
——
Wuqin Hall.
"Wow, this palace hasn't been used in ages, there are even spider webs everywhere!" Guan Zhiyue exclaimed, looking at the plaque above the main entrance of the Wuqin Palace.
As soon as you push open the gate, you see a very spacious open space with a large stone slab in the middle that looks like a turntable. It is painted with floral patterns and looks quite nice at first glance, but there are many fallen leaves in the middle of the open space.
After climbing five more stone steps, you'll reach the Wuqin Palace. Opening the six large doors, you're immediately hit with a musty smell, the kind that hasn't been cleaned in a long time.
"This Wuqin Palace is much larger than that Changlan Palace. Why haven't we used this palace much before?"
"Your Majesty, the name 'Wuqin Palace' sounds somewhat ruthless, so this palace is rarely used," Shiliu said.
Guan Zhiyue nodded, then looked around and saw that the house was indeed spacious. Not only was the open space outside, but the room inside was also spacious and bright. It was once magnificent, but now it was covered in a layer of dust, and the tables and chairs were all overturned and messy.
"Where are the palace servants responsible for cleaning this palace? Summon them here!"
Bilian gave a look to a young eunuch, and soon the young eunuch came over with four palace servants.
An older eunuch, who was about fifty years old, and three palace maids in their thirties came out.
"This servant greets Your Majesty the Empress!" The four only slightly bent their bodies and squatted down, without performing the kneeling ceremony.
"How dare you! Why don't you kneel before Her Majesty?" Bilian shouted.
The old eunuch replied, "This old servant is not in good health and is not able to kneel!"
"We servants have lived in this palace for most of our lives. We're afraid Your Highness can't bear to see us kneeling!" the palace maid said in an arrogant tone.
Guan Zhiyue sneered at their words, "Heh, is that so? Then I shall receive your homage today."
"Guards! Beat him up!"
The eunuchs and maids behind them rushed forward and kicked the four old men to the ground.
The young eunuchs and palace maids all came from the Cold Palace. They worked in the back mountains every day, wielding hoes to dig and shovel soil. They were already quite strong, and dealing with these old bones was a piece of cake for them.
"Sigh, where did your arrogance go? Didn't you refuse to kneel before me?" Guan Zhiyue laughed.
The four people, forced to kneel on the ground, looked at each other with dissatisfaction and twisted their bodies as they said, "Your Majesty, you can't treat us like this. We are veterans of the previous dynasty, and even the Emperor never laid a hand on us."
“Oh, it’s an old relic from the previous dynasty, tsk tsk tsk, I wonder if it can still eat now? And what kind of food is it eating?” Guan Zhiyue said.
The four were a little confused, not knowing what the empress meant. They couldn't understand it, but that didn't stop them from cursing loudly!
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