hsntnovel Chapter 2264 is luxury
Chapter 2264 is luxury
There are more and more people in the yard, and their levels are getting lower and lower.
"Wang De, how many people are here?" Li Shimin glanced at the people in the yard and asked in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, there are about one or two hundred people, which is probably enough." Wang De replied after a rough calculation.
"Then let's prepare the banquet." Hearing that it was almost done, Li Shimin gave the order.
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. There are too many people here and we don't have enough tables and chairs. I have already sent someone to notify Prince Ji's mansion and have them send tables and chairs over.
They'll probably be here soon." Wang De hurriedly explained that he hadn't expected so many people to come.
Some of these people are not included in the plan, although they do have a vested interest.
"Have the people from the noble families arrived?"
Li Shimin didn't care too much after hearing Wang De's explanation.
"Your Majesty, all the five great clans have arrived, as have the nobles from Guanzhong, Shandong, Jiangnan, and Jiannan.
"But the people from the princes of various places didn't come," Wang De replied quickly.
These people had just arrived, but were stopped outside because Li Shimin had to deal with these meritorious nobles first.
These people can be considered his direct descendants.
"The princes' people in Chang'an are not eligible to enter the nursing home. I will write to them later.
Humph, because of this rebellious son, I have lost all my face."
When this was mentioned, Li Shimin became furious. If it weren't for this rebellious son, how could he be so humble?
As a father, I have done my best.
At this time, the tables and chairs for Prince Ji's Mansion were also delivered, and they were delivered by Wang Hongfu himself.
Standing outside the courtyard, Wang Hongfu bowed and nodded to Wang De:
"Butler Wang, the tables and chairs have been delivered. They are all made of high-quality wood used in Prince Ji's mansion.
The ingredients that Wang Zongguan requested were all prepared, all of them were top-quality and fresh, freshly picked and slaughtered.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Manager Wang." Wang De thanked with a smile.
"Oh, Mr. Wang, you must be so embarrassed. This is what I should do.
If Steward Wang has any other instructions, please send someone to let me know and I will do it immediately."
Wang Hongfu quickly smiled and bowed flatteringly.
"Haha, that's good. You didn't lose face for His Majesty Prince Ji. Go ahead. If His Majesty needs anything, I will send someone to notify you."
Seeing Wang De like this, Wang De smiled and nodded.
"Thank you for your praise, Mr. Wang. I will take my leave now." After saying this, Wang De bowed and left with his men.
Being able to work for the emperor is something that many people dream of. If he were not the shopkeeper of Prince Ji's Mansion, he would probably never even see the emperor in his life.
Wang De walked into the yard and began to order his servants to prepare a banquet. The yard was very large, with a total of twenty or thirty tables.
Officials sat on both sides according to their rank.
The tableware used were all high-quality official kiln porcelain brought from Prince Ji's Palace. Even the chopsticks were not made of bamboo, but ceramic chopsticks with carved patterns on them.
It’s not that ceramic chopsticks are so good, it’s mainly because they are expensive, and both the materials and the workmanship are very troublesome.
A porcelain workshop needs to make a special set of molds, and ceramic chopsticks are particularly easy to break.
Overall, it is fancy and impractical, but high-end.
The utensils used to hold the dishes were all gold and silver utensils, such as the golden double-handled pot with auspicious cloud patterns carved on the pot body and smooth lines, which showed the royal dignity and grandeur.
The silver lotus bowl is as thin as a cicada's wing, yet sturdy and durable. The lotus petals bloom layer by layer, lifelike and exquisitely crafted.
There is also a silver wine pot inlaid with gold threads, the body of which is carved with exquisite auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes. The dragon head is raised high, the dragon scales are clearly visible, and the phoenix feathers are flowing, as if they will flap their wings and fly high at any time.
This wine pot was specially designed by Li Shen for Li Shimin's banquet.
It was the first time for most officials here to see such luxurious venues. In their eyes, these dishes were more than just containers.
They are more like precious ornaments, sparkling in the sun.
Let them feel what royal luxury and solemnity are.
Li Shimin sat in the main seat, looking at the shocked expressions of the officials, and felt extremely proud in his heart. Raise a son for a thousand days, and use him for a moment.
The role played by his son, who loves to enjoy life, at this moment is incomparable to that of others. He displays his nobility to the fullest.
Li Shimin felt even more so as he looked at the table filled with delicious food, including delicacies from land and sea.
Even the prince and others beside him couldn't help swallowing their saliva when they saw the food on the table.
There were only about twenty dishes on the table, nearly half of which were seafood, including big red shrimps, sea cucumbers, abalone, and some fish that were about two feet long and whose names could not be told.
Many of them were the first time these officials had seen them.
There are also soups made with old turtle, black chicken, deer antler, ginseng, etc.
Here, cattle and sheep, which should be considered high-quality, have become commonplace.
"Isn't this more sumptuous than the final meal?"
An inappropriate whisper to himself attracted everyone's attention.
The source of the voice was Cheng Yaojin, who was sitting at the first table among the generals. However, at this moment he was pretending to watch privately, as if he was looking for who had spoken.
Yuchi Jingde, who was sitting nearby, nodded in agreement.
Not only him, but everyone else secretly nodded in agreement with Cheng Yaojin's statement, saying that it was indeed too sumptuous.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty, but this is a bit extravagant." Ma Zhou stood up and saluted, implying that it was a bit wasteful.
Although he shouldn't spoil the fun on this occasion, as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, he had the duty to give advice, because the crown prince was still alive and he was afraid that the crown prince would follow suit.
"Yes, Your Majesty, we are grateful for your grace, but although the treasury is now well-off, we must be vigilant.
"Such a lavish banquet might spread among the people, sparking gossip and damaging your Majesty's reputation as a wise and wise man. Furthermore, if the Crown Prince fosters extravagant habits while he is here, it would be detrimental to both the country and the family."
At the same time, Tang Jian also stood up, speaking earnestly and with a firm look in his eyes.
He was in charge of the purse strings of the Tang Dynasty, and he never wanted to go back to those hard days.
It is so uncomfortable to have each department come to him for money every day as if they were debt collectors.
After hearing this, Li Shimin was silent for a long time. He looked around and saw the looks in the ministers' eyes. He suddenly frowned and said:
"My dear ministers, I'm sure you've misunderstood. Today's banquet was arranged by me at the last minute, and I don't know why it's so extravagant. Wang De, can you explain what's going on?"
Wang De understood and quickly bowed to Li Shimin, then replied:
"Ma Zhongshu, Tang Shangshu, and everyone else, you have misunderstood His Majesty. All expenses here, including the ingredients and even the chefs, are provided by Prince Ji's Mansion. Not a single cent has been spent from the national treasury."
"Humph, even if it's supplied by Prince Ji's Mansion, it can't be so extravagant."
Hearing this, Li Shimin snorted coldly with a blaming tone.
(A moment of springtime is worth a thousand gold, but a thousand gold cannot buy an instant of time.)