My father is Jiajing

Chapter 195: Bet in advance?

The delicacies and wines at the banquet seemed to be inexhaustible. Whenever a dish was about to be finished, it would be replaced by a new one, so that the dish would always remain in a state of abundance.

The same was true for the fine wine on every table. Whenever the wine in the jug began to run low, it would be refilled by the palace maids and eunuchs serving at the banquet, making it seem as if there was no end to the wine.

But even so, not many people really dare to eat it freely.

After all, this was a banquet of the highest standard granted by the emperor, and there were also princes accompanying them. Who would dare to eat and drink as casually as if they were at home? Therefore, at this banquet, there was always more waste than actual consumption.

While everyone was enjoying the banquet, their eyes would vaguely look towards the main table, watching Prince Yu Zhu Zaigui, who was toasting and chatting happily with the ministers at the main table.

Zhu Zaigui ate the meal very naturally, without any restraint. He ate and drank as he should, and did not miss a single glass of wine.

The reason why Zhu Zaigui was so calm was because of his status. No matter if he was pretending or was really natural, he could not show any fear or nervousness, because at this time he represented not only his own face, but also the face of the emperor and the royal family.

However, when it comes to the taste of these food and wine, Zhu Zaigui is not sure what to comment on.

There was really nothing much to say about the dishes. They were all made with top-quality ingredients and tasted excellent. They were on par with the small kitchen that Meng Chong opened in Prince Yu's mansion. But even so, there were problems.

That is, there seemed to be no deliberate attention paid to the combination of meat and vegetables in the dishes. There were only a few purely vegetarian dishes in the entire banquet. Even if there were, they were just used as embellishments and could not serve as the main course.

Seeing this situation, Zhu Zaigui didn't know how to comment.

But the wine is still good. In addition to the common Shaoxing rice wine, there are also some local specialty wines and some fruit wines suitable for high-end banquets. As for high-strength liquor, sorry, in the current Han Chinese drinking culture, it is a low-end product that is not worthy of being on the table.

Moreover, the banquets given by the emperor were mainly for celebration, so how could they possibly serve strong alcohol?
If someone gets drunk and starts acting crazy on the spot, the consequences will be no joke.

Therefore, no matter what the considerations are, the alcohol issue is strictly controlled, and people will never be allowed to drink too much and cause misconduct.

The meritorious ministers sitting at the second seats were also secretly glancing at Prince Yu sitting at the main table. Wang Ruxiao and Luo Xihan did not sit together. Wang Ruxiao sat at a table occupied by the six ministries and nine officials. He sat in the main seat, with the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Personnel sitting on his left and right.

Of course, such a ranking does not really honor Wang Ruxiao much. After all, as the Chief Censor, Wang Ruxiao's official rank is the same as the six ministers. It's just that when ranking them, everyone likes to say the six ministries first, then the Censorate, and then the Supreme Court, the Minister of Public Security, and so on.

Therefore, as one of the protagonists of meritorious officials this time, Wang Ruxiao naturally took the first seat which was usually only occupied by the Minister of Rites or the Minister of Personnel. This feeling was really refreshing.

However, this might be the only highlight moment in his life. After all, the rules must be followed. He was a meritorious official this time, so he was promoted to the top. Unless he can continue to advance in the future and transfer from the Censorate to the Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Personnel and other powerful government offices among the six ministries,

Otherwise, even if he survived, at most he would be posthumously awarded the title of Three Dukes, which would be the highest. Another person who had the same honor was Luo Xihan, the general of Jizhen. He was at the table of the Five Military Commandery, and the commanders and deputy commanders of the Five Military Commandery who held idle positions in Beijing also sat beside him.

To put it bluntly, under normal circumstances, Luo Xihan would not even have the chance to sit at the main table, because those who could hold such idle positions as the governor of the Five Military Commanderies and the deputy governor in the capital were almost all hereditary nobles such as dukes, marquises and earls.

The level of these people may not be that good, but their ancestors have worked hard, so as long as their descendants do not make trouble, do not take sides, and do not participate in politics, they can be rich and prosperous for a long time until the end of their country.

Therefore, don't even think about expecting the enthusiasm of these rich second generations to be servants. So even if Luo Xihan sat with these people, at most he would say nice words and drink wine more naturally. Unlike the table of six ministries and nine officials, they acted very pretentiously, as if everyone owed them money.

Zhu Zaiqi drank two cups with the ministers on the chair, and after exchanging a few words, he stood up, picked up the wine glass, and congratulated: "Please raise your glasses and congratulate His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty together! I have been staying in the capital for these days and have heard a lot of heroic deeds in the defense of the suburbs of the capital. I know about the Marquis of Guanjun, the Four Guard Battalions, the Gubeikou Defense Army, and the officials and people in the capital who shared the same hatred and fought against the bandits. You are all loyal subjects of His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty. I would like to invite you all to drink a cup!"

After Zhu Zaigui finished speaking, he drank the wine in his cup in one gulp. Everyone in front of the Wuying Palace stood up and raised their glasses together, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Then Zhu Zaigui also left the table and went to the table of the six ministries and nine ministers. He said to Wang Ruxiao, who was sitting on the main seat: "I admire Wang Yushi for his bravery in patrolling Gubeikou and sharing life and death with the officers and soldiers guarding the Great Wall! Your Majesty ordered me to host this banquet for meritorious officials. I am also terrified, fearing that I will not be able to satisfy Wang Yushi and other meritorious officials of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, I can only offer this glass of wine as a tribute to Wang Yushi and all the meritorious soldiers. I hope they will continue to work hard and create great achievements for Your Majesty, and jointly create the prosperous Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty!"

Wang Ruxiao quickly picked up the cup and stood up. The moment he saw Zhu Zaigui up close, his heart was suddenly shocked!
Prince Yu sounded like General Zhu Sanda who had come to inspect their camp. Although General Zhu Sanda was wearing a black iron mask at that time, the voice was very similar.

For a moment, Wang Ruxiao had the illusion that the shining star-like Guanjun Hou had come back to life.

But Wang Ruxiao quickly threw away this absurd idea in his head. This was impossible!

Prince Yu is a descendant of a royal family and is naturally delicate. How could he be the murderous, decisive and brave General Zhu?

Obviously this is just an illusion.

After Wang Ruxiao came to his senses, he bowed to Prince Yu again, "I am terrified. This is all thanks to the Champion Marquis Zhu Wuyi. I just followed the Champion Marquis and gained some small achievements. I don't dare to accept such praise from the prince."

Zhu Zaigui said, "Censor Wang, what are you talking about? The Marquis of Guanjun has his own merits, and Censor Wang also has his own merits. If it weren't for Censor Wang and General Luo fighting with the bandits in Gubeikou and Pigeon Cave, attracting their attention, how could we have such a great victory today? And in the final battle of expulsion, Censor Wang and General Luo led the way, wearing armor and chasing the Tatar bandits to kill them. How many people in the Nine Frontiers can compare with such heroism? Come, please drink this glass of wine!"

Zhu Zaigui raised the wine glass and said something to Wang Ruxiao, and Wang Ruxiao excitedly tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass.

Just as Zhu Zaigui and the heroes were toasting, Yan Song at the main table quietly shifted his gaze to Zhu Zaigui. At this moment, he was constantly thinking about a question in his mind.

Does His Majesty really want to make Prince Yu the heir? But this does not seem to be in line with His Majesty's current interests. Shouldn't His Majesty be thinking of using the excuse of "fighting for the heir" to further consolidate power? If you make a heir at this time, won't it ruin Your Majesty's plan?
So for a moment, Yan Song couldn't understand why His Majesty the Emperor would let Prince Yu come out to preside over the Banquet for Meritorious Officials in the Wuying Hall at such an important time. Could there really be some changes?

Yan Song couldn't help but imagine all kinds of possibilities in his mind, and his eyes never left Zhu Zaigui. He also wanted to see what was so special about this Prince Yu and whether it was worth him placing a bet in advance!
(End of this chapter)