pdf-ebookys Chapter 332 Palace Banquet 1
Chapter 332 Palace Banquet 1
Finally, some high-ranking and powerful officials and the current Grand Tutor Mu Yun also came.
Although Grand Tutor Mu was the head of all officials, he was not the same dignified and upright court official that Jiang Yue had imagined.
He had a smile on his face. When he entered, he saw all the officials bowing to him and greeting him, and he bowed back one by one.
Finally, he looked at Jiang Yue and bowed to greet her.
Jiang Yue listened to everyone's greetings and also stood up and clasped his fists. He was very thorough and no one could find any fault with him.
Gradually, the court officials took their seats.
Li Zhao was sitting next to Jiang Yue.
"Are there enough food for the soldiers?"
"It's enough for now. Please take care of me, Lord Li." Jiang Yue had just finished speaking when the eunuch said,
"Your Majesty is here!"
His Majesty Zhao Chongxiu and his three younger brothers visited at the same time.
Then, the three princes sat on Zhao Chongxiu's left and right without any prior arrangement.
No matter how high their status is, they are just a foil today.
When His Majesty arrived, all the court officials and attendants stood up, knelt down and saluted, shouting "Long live the emperor".
The shaman envoys also followed the proper etiquette of their country.
Zhao Chongxiu lifted his court robe, waved his sleeves and sat down:
"Flat body."
He looked around, and then the palace maids began to file in, carrying delicious food.
There is a wide variety of delicious food, including pork tenderloin, braised shark fin...
There are also various soups, cakes and fruits.
Poor Wu Fei and Xue Wen, they could smell the delicious food but could only look at it but not eat it.
They have never seen such beautifully shaped food in their entire lives.
Not only that, they also have to pretend to be solemn and dignified, which is really annoying.
Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhao Chongxiu looked down at the court officials below him. His gaze stayed on Jiang Yue for a moment, and finally fell on the envoy from the Great Jin Dynasty.
I thought to myself: Everything that should come and shouldn’t come has come.
"Today's palace banquet is a celebration banquet for General Jiang. You don't need to restrain yourself, just enjoy yourself."
After that, with the sound of melodious music, a group of prostitutes came in one after another and began to dance in the center of the hall.
The palace banquet began. The court officials only started to eat when they saw Zhao Chongxiu picking up his chopsticks.
His Majesty had said that everyone could enjoy the meal to their heart's content, and those attending the palace banquet no longer restrained themselves, and people began to talk one after another and drink from their glasses.
They enjoyed the meal to the fullest. All the court officials praised Jiang Yue. Jiang Yue simply listened. She could not be complacent because she knew a person's appearance but not his heart.
"I've heard that the young general has made great military achievements. Do you know what contributions he has made?" the shaman asked curiously.
Before Jiang Yue could reply, Master Mu, who was standing on her other side with a smile on his face, replied for her:
"General Jiang personally killed the Northern Yan crown prince. He is very young and has great potential. It's a pity that I don't have a daughter."
"But has the Northern Yan army been defeated?" Tuoman asked again.
Jiang Yue simply replied: "It's all thanks to the soldiers."
"Isn't it General Ling's credit?" The defending general Chen Yuan said with a wry smile.
But because His Majesty was also there, he dared not speak loudly and just looked at Jiang Yue provocatively.
"General Jiang, General Ling has been working hard at the border, but you are here to take his place and attend the banquet with peace of mind. Isn't that a bit unworthy of your position?"
After he finished speaking, many fence-sitters actually felt that what he said made sense.
Li Zhao's face turned ugly.
"Be careful!"
Before Jiang Yue could say anything, Wu Fei and Xue Wen behind her were so angry that smoke came out of their heads.
Under normal circumstances, with Xue Wen's temper, he would have fought back long ago, but now that he was in the hall, he could only endure it.
"General Ling's military achievements are outstanding. Everyone knows about it!" Jiang Yue echoed Chen Yuan's words.
Then she looked around and everyone nodded.
Li Zhao wanted to help, but he saw that Master Mu stood up first:
"General Chen, although General Ling had fought hard at the border before, this battle was won by General Jiang leading his soldiers in a bloody battle. There is no doubt about that."
Mu Yun looked calm, and after he finished speaking, he glanced at Jiang Yue with a smile.
Among the princes, the fourth prince followed suit and said:
"How can this be called a replacement's merit? The credit for victory never belongs to one person alone."
No matter what, they couldn't let the envoys of the Great Jin make a fool of themselves by coming to the east.
While the second prince and the third prince were drinking, their eyes did not forget to fall on Jiang Yue.
The two of them loved to recite poems and show off their talent. They rarely interacted with military generals and disdained to get involved in meaningless verbal disputes.
General Chen's lips stiffened. He wanted to say more, but since the Fourth Prince had spoken, he had to shut up.
Jiang Yue stood up, clasped his fists and said solemnly:
"In this battle, General Ling was the commander-in-chief, and we were just following his orders. The reason why we won the battle was because of General Ling's proper command. I, Jiang Yue, was just fighting bravely and charging into the battle."
She agreed with the Fourth Prince's reply, but Grand Tutor Mu's reply implied that all the credit was hers alone, which directly pushed her to the forefront.
Mu Yun listened, glanced at Jiang Yue secretly, and agreed with a smile.
"General Jiang is absolutely right."
The Jin envoy who brought up the topic, Tuo Man, couldn't help but interrupt and said:
"The young general is indeed very capable, but I heard that Northern Yan has been eyeing your border covetously. I wonder how the young general responded to the enemy at that time?"
"If an enemy comes, we will fight him; if a flood comes, we will block it with earth. My soldiers from Donglin are indestructible!" Jiang Yue's words were firm, revealing an unquestionable strength.
Wu Fei and Xue Wen's hearts fluctuated as the crowd talked.
"How do you know that I have not given any reward to General Ling?" At this time, Zhao Chongxiu, who had been silent all the time, spoke.
He thought, as Jiang Yue suggested, since they were going to deliver the supplies, they might as well send them together.
Listening to the words of His Highness Jiang Yue, he glanced at Chen Yuan secretly, nodded and continued:
"General Ling and General Jiang each have their own strengths. The roles played by the general and the commander are naturally different. I believe in the ability of General Jiang."
After Zhao Chongxiu finished speaking, the atmosphere became slightly tense. Li Zhao and some other court officials nodded secretly, and the others also stopped talking one by one.
But Jiang Yue knew clearly that beneath this seemingly calm surface there were undercurrents.
She guessed that this palace banquet was both a reward for her and a deliberate act by His Majesty.
Your Majesty wants to use this palace banquet to find each other's flaws, and I think it is also to find the contact person of the Northern Yan spies.
She must remain vigilant at all times. After all, the stability of the border and her own safety depend on her words and actions.
Zhao Chongxiu looked at Jiang Yue with a smile and raised his glass himself.
"General Jiang, I salute you!"
It was an honor to receive a toast from His Majesty in person, and the court officials looked at Jiang Yue with respect.
This made Wu Fei and Xue Wen, who were standing behind Jiang Yue, also want to drink together. They really wanted to drink. When they went to General Yue's house tonight, they would definitely drink to their heart's content.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Jiang Yue stood up, raised the glass with both hands, clinked glasses with Zhao Chongxiu across the air, and drank it all in one gulp.