vrcanaries Chapter 798: Banquet for Envoys from Various Countries Begins
Chapter 798: Banquet for Envoys from Various Countries Begins
While the officials were talking, foreign envoys came in one after another.
To the north of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there are countries such as Silla and Lelang. The appearance and height of the people there are similar to those of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but their clothing is different.
The people of Silla, in particular, loved to wear white. In Silla, white was also a symbol of ability.
Unlike the bright yellow of the Zhou Dynasty, everyone in Silla, from the king to the common people, could wear white clothes.
Their status is mainly reflected in the size of the hat on their heads.
The bigger the white hat a person wears, the higher his status in Silla.
When the envoy from Silla entered the palace, he slapped the envoy from Lelang twice with his hat, causing the two sides to almost have a quarrel at the door. It was the officials from the Honglu Temple who stepped forward in time and led both parties to their respective seats.
The next people to enter were the Hu envoys.
Hu people is a general term for nomadic countries. In addition to the Xiongnu, nomadic countries such as the Arabs also sent envoys.
The Xiongnu envoy was tall and strong, with a broad face, prominent cheekbones, and slender and sharp eyes. He wore a short shirt with a round neck and narrow sleeves on his upper body, and tight-fitting trousers on his lower body. He walked in a very heroic manner.
The civil servant of the Great Zhou Dynasty commented quietly: "He looks like a capable fighter."
The military officer snorted when he heard this.
Look at the Arab envoy behind the Hun envoy.
Although he was tall, his facial contours and features were different from those of the Xiongnu envoys - he had a wheat-colored complexion, sword-like eyebrows and sharp eyes, and his facial features were three-dimensional and deep.
A trace of surprise flashed in the eyes of the officials: "Compared with the one just now, it seems that this one is not very capable of fighting."
In the impression of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the stronger and stronger the people in nomadic countries are, the better they can fight.
Although the Arab envoy was tall, he seemed a little thin compared to the Xiongnu envoy who was as strong as a mountain.
"His eyes are still blue."
"Like a gem."
"He wears a lot of earrings. Even our little girl doesn't wear as many as he does."
The Huns had some conflicts with the Great Zhou and the Arabs, so after the Hun envoy entered the hall, he didn't say a word, but started drinking with a stiff face, which gave people a bad impression.
The next person to enter the hall was the Japanese envoy.
The Japanese envoys were not tall, and could even be described as "short".
After entering the hall, he smiled as he took every step and sat down with extreme politeness.
--Pooh.
--hypocrite.
Thinking about the unscrupulous things Japan had done before, all the officials curled their lips in unison.
Someone whispered a reminder: "Great-country style."
The style of a great country?
After hearing this, Ji Benchang still curled his lips, and even turned his head and curled his lips fiercely at the Japanese envoy.
Then, two envoys from small countries came in and took their seats under the guidance of the palace servants.
The last person to enter the palace was the envoy from the Fulin Kingdom.
The Fulin Kingdom was located in the northern part of the Great Zhou Dynasty, adjacent to the Hu people's kingdom and tribe, but the appearance of the Fulin people was more refined than that of the Hu people.
This birthday banquet was the first time that the Great Zhou established diplomatic relations with Fulin.
Even the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple did not expect to receive a letter from the Fulin Kingdom last year. After all, the two countries were far apart, and in between were the ferocious and unreasonable Hu people.
The officials began to comment again.
"Blonds and blue eyes are better looking than the Hu people. I heard that 30% of the people in their country have blond hair and blue eyes."
"There are also blond and brown-eyed ones."
"I heard there are also blondes with red eyes."
"Can't you?"
"They said so themselves."
"I also heard that they brought valuable treasures with them when they came to congratulate us. The kind of treasures that we in the Great Zhou Dynasty cannot find even if we dig three feet underground."
"How is that possible! Our Great Zhou is vast and rich in resources. What do they have that we don't?"
"I also think it's impossible. We'll know after we see it later."
After the foreign envoys took their seats, the royal family slowly entered the hall, and the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly heated.
......
The auspicious time is approaching and the birthday banquet is about to begin.
At the back of the hall, the empress dowager's eyes were slightly red. The queen was supporting her and whispering something to comfort her. The emperor stood aside without saying a word, his brows furrowed.
Outside, Nanny Chang sighed and whispered to Eunuch Hong, "The time is coming."
Today is such a great day, but the Emperor, Empress and three of them are gathered together with red eyes. It is really inappropriate.
Eunuch Hong gritted his teeth, and stepped forward in small steps, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, the Queen, it's time..."
Tianzi interrupted him: "Is anyone outside talking about Shen Zheng?"
Eunuch Hong immediately shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, the adults are talking about the envoys from various countries, and the envoys from Fulin are the most talked about. I...have not heard any adults talking about Lord Shen yet."
All the officials present here are of the fifth rank and above. If we pick one of them out alone, who wouldn’t be a smart guy?
I originally wanted to talk to someone about Shen Zheng, but when I turned around, I saw that the faces of the people around me all had an "unspeakable" look, so I understood most of it.
The emperor asked again, "When did Prince Cheng'an enter the palace?"
Eunuch Hong thought for a moment and said, "A moment ago, Prince Cheng'an and Princess Roujia entered the palace together."
After saying this, Eunuch Hong lowered his head and thought -
Prince Cheng'an and Princess Jiarou are both sons of the late emperor, born to Concubine Jing, and are slightly younger than the emperor.
The two of them were just like their mother, they did not fight or compete with each other. When they were old enough, they moved out of the palace. They only received fiefs and rarely participated in state affairs, so they lived a comfortable life.
The emperor before him rarely asked about his younger brother, but for some reason today...
Eunuch Hong slowly widened his eyes.
Could it be...
Thinking of this, he immediately stopped thinking, not daring to think further, and just stood quietly aside.
The empress dowager touched her eyes with a handkerchief, and when she looked up again, she returned to her solemn appearance.
Supported by Nanny Chang, she walked slowly and steadily towards the front hall.
The emperor squeezed the queen's hand, took her hand and followed.
......
"The banquet begins——"
Following Eunuch Hong's shout, the musicians in the palace began to play music, and the sounds of stringed instruments were elegant and solemn.
The Queen Mother, the Emperor, and the Empress took their seats in turn. The Emperor looked around the hall and his eyes unconsciously fell on the sixth seat on the left.
The person sitting at the table was Ji Benchang.
Ji Benchang looked at the emperor unexpectedly, and before he started to smile, he realized that the emperor was not looking at him...
He looked down at the table in confusion, and an almost impossible thought emerged in his mind.
The sixth-rank official who was also the county magistrate sat in the front seats at the lower left of the palace banquet, next to the earl's seat...
Is this right?
If Shen... was really here, wouldn't I have to sit in the seventh seat?
Is this right? !
Ji Benchang felt sour and aggrieved, and then he heard the officials around him shouting, "Long live the emperor, long live the empress dowager, long live the queen."
After realizing what was happening, he shouted, "Congratulations to the Queen Mother on her birthday. May she live happily forever. May the Great Zhou Dynasty be forever strong and the world be at peace!"
Neat, right?
I have to practice it every year.