Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

Side hall of the Liangshan Gathering Hall.

It's very lively here today; dozens of large banquet tables have already been set up!

As the commander in charge of provisions, Song Wan was also in charge of arranging the banquet, and his voice echoed throughout the hall:

“Every table must be covered with a red cloth! The bowls must also be red! It must be festive!”

"Where's the wine? Bring two jugs to each table first, good things come in pairs! Don't just bring one jug!"

"Hey you, go ask the kitchen how the food is going. We don't want people to arrive and there's no food yet, or serve cold dishes first if there aren't any hot ones!"

……

"Commander, this isn't a wedding banquet, why does everything have to be red?"

As the junior officer was making arrangements, he smiled and asked Song Wan a question.

"You don't understand. This is the banquet following the first imperial examination in our Dayi County. In the past, what was it called again? The Qionglin Banquet!"

Song Wan answered with a smile.

"Let me put it this way, it's just that my brother told us not to go overboard with the fancy stuff, otherwise I would have already sent someone to hire a few chefs who specialize in fine cuisine to make some really nice dishes!"

"Commander, our Dayi banquets prioritize quantity over presentation, so you can't afford to make a mistake!"

Everyone was making fun of Song Wan.

"Hey, you guys are making fun of me? Have you finished your work yet? You think I won't dock your pay?"

Song Wan was very approachable, so he got along well with his subordinates, and they all felt comfortable joking with him.

"Commander, you wouldn't dare do that! Commander Pei said he'd arrest anyone who did it!"

"Get to work! Anyone who dawdles will be sent to Pei Xuan's office. Let's see if he'll give you a chance to slack off!"

Song Wan and his subordinates were laughing and joking as they hurried to set up the table and chairs. It has to be said that they were quite efficient. Just as they were about to finish setting up the table and chairs, several figures carrying large lanterns arrived with a "huffing and puffing" sound.

"Old Hei? Old Shan? What's going on here?"

Song Wan recognized that the lantern bearers were Mi Sheng and Shan Shiqi. He was a little surprised. What were these two generals doing here?

“Brother Song Wan, the strategist said that tonight’s banquet should be more grand, so he asked us to bring these lanterns.”

Mi Sheng was too busy carrying the lamp to answer, so Shan Shiqi had to explain.

"Brother Song Wan, look, doesn't this lantern look like a carp leaping over the dragon gate?"

Only after carrying the lantern to its destination did Mi Sheng put down the load on his shoulder and begin to speak.

"It really is... Old Black, where did this thing come from?"

"They said Hou Jian was in charge of leading the men to do it, just to deal with what was that again? Right, the carp leaping over the dragon gate!"

"Old Hei, this is called the Dragon Leap Banquet. Tonight, these 108 successful candidates will all take on important grassroots management positions in our Dayi in the future. Isn't that like transforming into a dragon?"

San Shiqi also spoke from the side.

"Lao Shan, I have one thing I'm worried about right now."

Mi Sheng rarely switched to a serious expression.

"Back in the Song Dynasty, almost every official was a bastard. Do you think some of the people here tonight might become like them in the future?"

"Seriously? Are you Old Black? Whoever you are, get off my brother right now!"

Shan Shiqi and Song Wan were surprised that Mi Sheng could ask such a question, and then they started joking.

"I'm not making this up. I'm genuinely worried. We worked so hard to help our brother conquer the country, and all we wanted was for the people to live a good life. But what if these people turn out to be just like those corrupt officials? Then all our efforts would have been for nothing!"

Mi Sheng may seem simple-minded, but he's not stupid!

"This is not a problem for us to worry about, but as my brother said, corrupt officials can never be completely eliminated. Throughout history, a new batch has always emerged after each one is killed."

Shan Shiqi reminisced as he spoke.

"However, we will reduce the number of corrupt officials to the lowest level ever! My brother has put Pei Xuan and his brothers, Master Guanghui and Shi Qian in charge of supervising and monitoring officials, and allowing the people to evaluate the behavior of local officials. If the evaluation is too low, they will be dismissed and investigated."

"As expected of my brother, he's so thoughtful!"

After hearing this, Mi Sheng felt relieved and started dressing up. It made sense; although they couldn't kill them all, if they could reduce the number to a minimum, it would be acceptable!

"Alright, let's talk about the future later. Let's make it lively today!"

Song Wan said that even if one or two of these people become corrupt in the future, they deserve to celebrate today!

……

As night approached, the kitchen was ready, and the 108 students arrived one after another, taking their seats under the guidance of the soldiers. Whether they knew each other or not, being at the same table felt like fate, and everyone began to chat, making the atmosphere in the hall lively.

"The prince is here!"

After chatting for a while, Ren Yuan arrived with several strategists from the mountain stronghold. When the students saw Ren Yuan, they all stood up and bowed to him.

Of course, some were willing, while others were unwilling, like Zong Ze. But since the top ten were all seated at one table, and at the very front table, it would be too conspicuous for Zong Ze not to stand up in such a situation.

Left with no other choice, he could only stand up and pretend for a moment.

"Sit! Everyone, please sit! I have nothing much to say. Tonight's banquet is to celebrate everyone! You have all passed the imperial examinations of my Great Yi Dynasty to be sitting here, and you all possess the talent to save the world. I welcome you all!"

Ren Yuan nodded to everyone, then poured himself a bowl of wine and raised it high in front of everyone!

"I hope that wherever you are or what position you hold in the future, you will remember today! Remember your original aspirations!"

"May the civil officials of my Great Yi not be afraid of death, nor only seek promotion and wealth!"

May everyone in the future be as powerful as a dragon!

After Ren Yuan finished speaking, he first drank a bowl of wine, then poured another bowl full, and raised it high again to everyone!

"Dry!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Qin Hui and other quick-witted individuals were the first to react, quickly pouring wine into their glasses and raising them in response to Ren Yuan.

With one person taking the lead, the others naturally followed suit, raising their glasses to Ren Yuan! Although the scene was a little chaotic, it was truly lively.

"Haha, great! Then let's have another bowl!"

Ren Yuan naturally noticed that some people were in a flustered state, and the wine glasses were not yet ready. He didn't say anything, poured another bowl, and waited for everyone.

Beside him, Xiao Jiasui, Li Zhu, Zhu Wu, and others also raised their wine bowls, preparing to toast the first successful candidate in the imperial examination with Ren Yuan.

"Respect, Da Yi!"

Ren Yuan shouted loudly.

"Respect to the Prince! Respect to Dayi!"

This time, led by a few people, the 108 students responded in a relatively unified manner, then raised their glasses and drank the wine in their bowls in one gulp!

After finishing the third bowl of wine, Ren Yuan stopped talking and waved his hand to signal that the dishes should be served!

"Fellow students, tonight, there's plenty of food and drink! Don't be shy! Eat to your heart's content!"

With Ren Yuan's words, everyone relaxed and started eating as soon as the fragrant chicken legs, pork knuckles, and big pieces of meat were served. Even a teenager like Cao Xun, who was only a teenager, immediately started eating!

Anyway, since my father, Cao Zu, isn't sitting with me, I don't have to worry about being judged on my table manners!

However, once the banquet began, some subtle details became apparent.

For example, at the first table closest to Ren Yuan and the others, sat the top ten. Qin Hui, who was sixth in the table, picked up his wine glass and stood up, clinking glasses with everyone at the table as if he were the host.

Qi Shu and the others, who had come from Liangshan University, had never seen such a scene before. When they saw Qin Hui approaching with a wine cup, they politely raised their cups in response.

However, compared to Qin Hui, who had a whole repertoire of toasts, Qi Shu and the others were clearly not as eloquent and soon couldn't keep up.

Qin Hui was also very measured in his actions. Seeing that they couldn't hold out any longer, he immediately stopped them with a smile and then turned to the others.

"You two seniors are my role models. I heard of your great names back when I was at the Imperial Academy. I never thought I would be able to sit with you two today. I am overjoyed. I'll drink this cup! Please, make yourselves at home!"

"Hmph, if you truly took me and Lord Zhang as your role models, why would you be here? You should be by the Emperor's side!"

Zong Ze couldn't stand Qin Hui's behavior and couldn't help but speak up.

"Rulin, today is a good day, let's not talk about those things."

After hearing Zong Ze's words, Zhang Shangying quickly stepped in to smooth things over:

"You've chosen to come here, so settle down and do your job properly. This prince is different from others. In my opinion, he values ​​the officials' performance towards the people more than anything else."

"What Senior Zhang said is true, Qin Hui will remember it."

Qin Hui knew that Zhang Shangying had once been the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, so he did not dare to be arrogant in front of him. Who knows if Da Yi, which was currently lacking civil officials, would suddenly give Zhang Shangying an important position?

As for Zong Ze... although I don't know him very well, he ranks higher than Zhang Shangying, so he might be a hidden talent. We can't afford to offend someone like him right now.

"Brother Changqing, I find this person rather unpleasant."

“Brother Deyuan is right, I feel the same way.”

Zhang Jun and Chen Kangbo were also discussing this, and it was clear that they had both noticed Qin Hui's behavior just now.

"Hmph, opportunists, how boring."

Lu, who came in second, was known for his sharp tongue, and this time he directly made a judgment about Qin Hui.

However, their voices were relatively soft, and the surrounding environment was quite noisy, so Qin Hui did not hear them. After thanking Zhang Shangying and Zong Ze in a proper manner, he also came over with his wine glass.

Ren Yuan and the others witnessed all of this. Ren Yuan turned to Xiao Jiahui and said:

"Old Xiao, Qin Hui is certainly a man of many schemes. What does he remind you of?"

"Brother, what does it look like?"

"I think he's just a social butterfly."

"Although I don't know exactly what you mean, brother, it's clearly not a good word. Sigh, this person is smart, but I just don't know if they can use it for good."

Xiao Jiahui nodded first, then shook her head.

"In the Song Dynasty, you could get an official position by drinking and networking, but that won't work here!"

"That's right, so let's send this kid to the army. I want to see what kind of trouble he can cause under my junior brother's command!"

……