Chapter 61 – Entering the Palace for a Banquet

Zhang smiled and said, “I heard you’ve been quite honest lately.”

“I’ve always been honest.”

Zhang then said, “Really no trouble?”

Zhang Anshi said, “Sister, I am watched over daily, what can I cause trouble.”

Zhang Anshi knew that if he said that he hadn’t caused any trouble, his sister wouldn’t be at ease, but if he said that he was being watched, so he couldn’t cause any trouble, his sister would believe him.

Sure enough, Zhang revealed a smile and said, “You ah you, I don’t know when you can grow up. Today into the palace to go to the banquet, you can be careful, do not cause trouble, father’s temper is not good, once the anger, have your good fruit to eat.”

Zhang Anshi said, “Don’t worry, Sister, I will definitely cope.”

Zhang was still worried and frowned, “But the news I pried from the palace said that someone will deliberately try to make things difficult for you, so you must be careful.”

Zhang Anshi was full of concern and said, “Sister, stop rambling.”

Zhang Anshi felt that Zhang’s rambling was like his closest relatives in his previous life, as if he was always an overgrown child in their eyes.

Zhang’s eyes then began to redden, “You are always like this, you refuse to listen to anything you say, when you suffer a loss, what to do is good. Hey …… father in heaven ……”

Speaking of this, Zhu Zhanji, who was on the side, carefully tugged on Zhang’s skirt and said in a milky voice, “Mother consort, mother consort, don’t cry, I’ll protect A-Uncle.”

Zhang Anshi: “……”

Packing up, it was time to depart after all.

Zhu Gaoqi personally carried Zhu Zhanji on the warm sedan chair, the rest of the people will need to ride into the palace.

Zhu Di is a horse to get the world’s people, not accustomed to the royal relatives to take the sedan chair, the so-called good, the next will be effective, so in addition to the civil servants, almost everyone riding a horse.

But Zhang Anshi was not good at riding horses, and this journey was heart-breaking.

It was hard to get to the noon gate, after entering the palace, Zhu Gaoqi first held Zhu Zhanji into the inner sanctum, Zhang Anshi is temporarily arranged in the Wenhua Hall aside the Wen Lou.

At this time, here has come a lot of imperial relatives, Zhang Anshi even saw Zhang Fu, Zhang family also has a female family married into the palace, is the emperor’s noble consort.

As for the others, Zhang Anshi did not recognize much, Zhu Gaoqi protected Zhang Anshi too well, the relationship between the royal relatives was very delicate and treacherous, he was not willing to let Zhang Anshi overdo it and deal too much with the royal relatives.

Zhang Anshi was not very conspicuous among the people.

Has been here until the evening, there is a eunuch into the Xuan De Hall, read the emperor’s oracle: “His Majesty has Oracle: all the royal relatives here first into the feast, after the feast into the Wen Hua Hall to see the driver.”

So the royal relatives have taken their seats, the general procedures are clear, dozens of hundreds of royal relatives, but also divided into near and far affinity, but also have seniority.

Some close relatives such as the Crown Prince and the King of Han, or the older brothers of the Emperor’s side by the side of a team, or the brothers of Empress Xu, went to the Wenhua Hall to enter the banquet, while other distant relatives or descendants went to pay their respects to the birthday after giving a banquet at the Xuande Hall.

Zhang Anshi took his seat, he was the youngest, so he could only be in an inconspicuous position.

Everyone in the palace, are rules and regulations, who do not dare to clamor, this banquet does not have a bit of lively atmosphere, a person …… is like a dead mother.

Zhang Anshi lamented in his heart, is this the Hongmen Banquet?

The eunuchs served the dishes and drinks, and with the sound of bells and drums, the royal relatives finally began to move their chopsticks.

In fact, people dare not drink too much liquor for fear of losing their manners in front of the king when the time comes.

Of course …… there are many people who can be reserved at first, and when they later realize that this banquet is really boring, they simply start drinking.

Slowly, the ones who drank, had a drink, talked more, and everyone began to greet each other warmly, and even began to push the glass.

Zhang Anshi was young and unattended, naturally he was still small and transparent in general, he ate some dishes to pad his stomach, there were also people on the side who started to persuade him to drink.

Zhang Anshi took a few small sips.

At this time, there was a snap, and a Han man who was at the same table as Zhang Anshi clapped his hands.

He was drunk, with a drunken look in his eyes, and his body staggered as if he were going to fall all at once, and then, immediately afterward, the man began to sob and cry.

The man on the side then advised, “What’s going on here?”

“I am bitter ah ……” The man covered his heart, as if his heart was so painful that he could not breathe, he was thirty or forty years old, tears have dripped down like broken beads, with a sobbing voice: “You say, you say. Is there any justice in the world?”

His voice was high pitched from his drunkenness.

When the others saw him lose his temper, they all fell silent in fear.

Even the eunuchs were a bit disoriented.

This person then accused: “This full of the world, who do not know, if not for me, how His Majesty can be successful in pacification, and how to kill the city of Nanjing? Hey …… if on the first success of the pacification, who else can I be? I bitter ah, I’m so big credit, now but repeatedly impeached, I …… I …… my heart a hundred bitter pain, with whom to say to ……”

He said, tears spilling down his face and whimpering.

When Zhang Anshi saw him crying sadly, and as if he had suffered a great deal, he could not help but ask in a low voice toward his side, “Who is this male?”

The man glanced at Zhang Anshi and said with an air of Zhang Anshi’s insularity, “Duke Cao, you don’t recognize him either?”

Cao Guo Gong ……

Hearing those three words, Zhang Anshi’s body shook.

Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao, how come he doesn’t recognize him?

This brother …… when the Yan King Zhu Di Jingwu, was awarded the general by the Jianwen Emperor, commanding the three armies, claiming 500,000 soldiers and horses, besieging the city of Beiping, and finally being routed by Zhu Di at the rate of his troops.

Thereafter, this brother again led 600,000 troops and horses, arrayed in Baigou River, the results again by Zhu Di to the widow, continue to be routed, the loss of hundreds of thousands of men and horses not to mention the loss of countless grain and supply wagons.

The most amazing thing is that when Zhu Di led his army across the Yangtze River and pushed straight to Nanjing City. At that time, Li Jinglong, without being told, directly opened the Jinchuan Gate and surrendered with the door open.

This guy really did not brag, if there is no him, whether the Jingdan can be successful or not is still a toss-up, this is definitely the piggyback of the Emperor Jianwen, is a big contributor to the Jingdan.

Roughly the equivalent of a latter-day Italy, it’s one of those talents that can always pummel a teammate at the right time.

After Li Jinglong surrendered, Zhu Di treated him fairly well, but the man’s character was so crummy that those old Jianwen ministers regarded him as a crumb of the earth, while the meritorious ministers of pacification regarded him as a drunkard.

And lately, many have impeached him.

I didn’t expect him to take advantage of today’s All Saints’ Day to cry about what happened to him.

There are eunuchs see so not quite like, hastily assisted Li Jinglong leave the table.

With such a small episode, the crowd became even more embarrassed, and each of them silently bowed their heads and ate their food.

Zhang Fu was sitting not far from Zhang Anshi, he had a stern, meticulous face, and when his eyes glanced at Zhang Anshi, he always carried an indescribable disdain for him.

He was Zhang Yoking’s older brother, and it would be strange for him to be able to look good to Zhang Anshi.

When Zhang Anshi saw him glaring at himself, he was really embarrassed, so he stepped forward and whispered, “World brother ……”

“How is my brother doing in prison?” Zhang Fu looked calm and breezy.

Zhang Anshi looked embarrassed, “Lately I’ve been studying, I didn’t know ah.”

“Hmph!”

Zhang Fu turned his face away and stopped paying attention to Zhang Anshi.

Zhang Anshi was embarrassed again.

It was only when Zhang Fu had drunk his wine that he suddenly glanced at Zhang Anshi and whispered to him meaningfully, “When you meet the driver later, you need to be careful and mindful.”

Zhang Anshi raised his head and looked at Zhang Fu strangely.

Zhang Fu said again in a very soft voice: ”If His Majesty is moved to anger and obediently admits his mistake and asks for forgiveness, nothing will go wrong. You bastard boy, don’t you know how sinister people’s hearts are? How many people are looking forward to your bad luck.”

He said that without waiting for Zhang Anshi to respond, but he ignored Zhang Anshi again.

Tonight on the shelves, after twelve o’clock at night to start storming, at least twelve thousand words a day to hit the bottom, and strive to be able to do fifteen thousand words a day.