The emperor and empress took their seats. Li Po stretched out his hand and pressed the button, "Without courtesy, please sit down."
"The banquet..." The eunuch in charge of Liangyi Palace, who was also the head of the ceremony officials at this banquet, shouted in a long voice after receiving the emperor's signal.
Ashina Nishu finally sat down peacefully. He received an invitation to the palace for a banquet a few days ago, and he has not been idle these days. He goes to the Ministry of Etiquette to check in every day and learn various etiquette.
The reason is actually not to make a fool of yourself at the banquet today.
He had never been in good health and almost died of illness in Dunhuang when he fled eastward.
After staying in Chang'an for two years, I gradually got used to the life in Chang'an and didn't want to leave. No matter how good the life in the Western Regions is, it can't compare to Chang'an.
The only ones who are in mind are those who stayed in Zhangye.
At the beginning of last year, Ashina Tong'er wrote a letter saying that he was going to lead his troops to the highlands with the army, hoping to make military exploits, win the favor of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and help them return to the Western Regions to fight for the throne.
Ashina Nishu felt sad and remembered the honor he had in the Western Regions. Although life was definitely not as comfortable as Chang'an, Ashina's descendants were followed wherever they went.
It's not like in Chang'an, where no one regards him as a figure.
He had several thoughts of bidding farewell to the emperor and returning to his tribe in Zhangye, but he could not make up his mind. He was afraid that his body would not be able to bear it, and he was afraid that he would have to live the same miserable life in Dunhuang again.
Then he just comforted himself. Ashina Tong'er and a few others led the tribe, and he felt relieved.
Moreover, once he leaves Chang'an, the Turks in Zhangye will also lose contact with Chang'an, which will be detrimental to the situation.
Ashnarongzhen sisters are the daughters of Chuluo Khan. Nowadays, they are indifferent to the affairs of the Western Turks. Ashnarongzhen is better off in Chang'an. I can ask them for help if I need help.
If you go back to Zhangye and write a letter, they may throw it aside without even reading it. If you send someone back, they may not be able to see you.
So we finally came to the conclusion that for everyone's sake, he had to stay in Chang'an.
In more than two years, he also made friends with some people in Chang'an, mainly under the banner of noble concubine, so that others could look up to him.
The fact that he can sit in the palace now proves this point.
This opened up some situations, and then... He thought about seeking an official position, and he finally saw clearly that in a place like Chang'an, without an official position, no one would do it with just Ashina's surname.
Listen carefully to what you say.
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At this time, Ashina Nizi tilted his head and looked at the people sitting in front of him. He once again clearly felt that the Tang Dynasty was becoming more and more powerful. He didn't know what this place was like in the pre-Sui Dynasty, so he would have to ask him.
's father.
Now is the Tang Dynasty, and these people are here to meet the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Except for a few of the same clansmen who came from the Turkic royal court, the others... must have come from far away places.
He has heard of Su Bi, but Xiang Xiong is very unfamiliar with it. As for the Black Yak Tribe, what tribe is it?
However, he did know that last year, Ashina and Er led troops to join the Tang army to conquer Tubo. They defeated Tibet to a pulp and divided it into several parts like Turks.
In small countries like Tubo, the people are all dark, with a wild atmosphere that Ashina Nizu is very familiar with. Seeing them sitting there in a neat manner, Ashina Nizu couldn't help but smile a little on his face.
Shengyan means opening a banquet.
As soon as the sound came out, the palace people who were already prepared came in one after another with cups and plates, and spread the wine and food on the table in front of everyone.
The eunuchs who accompany everyone at the table will announce the names of the dishes attentively. If you show curiosity, they will explain to you in detail the origin of the allusions of these dishes and drinks.
This is a typical palace banquet. The food and wine do not need to be sumptuous, but only exquisite and delicious.
The first dish is mutton with garlic paste. Mutton is the main source of meat for the northern nobles. Many cattle and sheep are raised in each manor.
However, the dish of mutton with garlic paste was passed down from the palace. Minced garlic is mixed with mature vinegar, and the mutton is cut into lamb breasts. Once dipped in the dish, the smell of mutton will disappear when you enter the mouth, and the taste will be very delicious.
People said that this was caused by the emperor who was born in Jin Dynasty and was fond of vinegar.
Anyway, Li Po is a cunning person, and any food he invents is normal.
However, he didn't chant any spells in winter. The dishes were still mainly meat, supplemented by fresh fish, and there was no need to think about fruits and vegetables.
At this time, people ate whatever was in season. There was no mention of going out of season, and the emperor could not change this rule.
Drinks can be roughly divided into two types, one is shochu and rice wine made from grains, and the other is fruit wine brewed from various fruits.
Naturally, those who can win the palace banquet are the best wines. For example, the fruit wine I drank this time was not the grape wine from the Western Regions, but the monkey wine presented by Sichuan.
It's not brewed by monkeys, it's just named after it. The people who make wine in Sichuan take dozens of various mountain fruits, mix them in jars, and bury them in some places suitable for fermentation. After years of brewing, the taste is soft and long in the mouth.
It also has the fragrance of fruits and forest trees, which is very similar to the legendary monkey wine, hence its name.
In the fourth year of Yuanzhen's reign, he entered the palace and received unanimous praise from the nobles in the palace, so he became one of the tributes in Shu. Nowadays, most of them are monopolized by the Huang family, a big businessman in Shu.
The Huang family is actually a family that has been transformed into Chinese from a barbarian tribe. It is famous for its business in Shu. This time they got an advantage and are trying to change their surname. It is not easy to get the emperor to give a surname. It is definitely not possible with a monkey wine, so they actively lead
The barbarians in Shu came down the mountain.
Because he is very capable, he has become a guest of the Liangzhou Governor's Mansion.
These are all rural anecdotes, but those who are interested can see some of the general trends of the world from them.
In the years of war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the barbarians in central Shu and Lingnan saw opportunities, so they started to rebel one after another. However, their messy organizational form was inferior to that of the peasant armies in the Central Plains. They just took advantage of the geographical advantage.
Therefore, the barbarians everywhere have suffered heavy losses in the wars of more than ten years. People died in batches, but they were still a little confused. Many barbarians did not know who the enemy was until the end.
In fact, one of their most important enemies is their own race. During the war, some fools rush forward, while some smart ones hide behind.
Many times, when they win, they kill those of their own race who have exerted great effort but suffered heavy losses, and then take advantage of the victory. If they lose, they run the fastest and don't suffer much loss.
He is wild by nature, does not remember gratitude, only holds grudges, and will kill everyone except those in his own village. He is much more cruel and stupid than the peasant army.
When the world was in chaos, no one had the time to compete with them. After the Central Plains were unified, the barbarians suffered again. The Tang Dynasty never stopped using troops against the barbarians in these years.
When Li Jing was in Jiangyou, he sent troops into Lingnan four times, and he personally led the troops twice.
The military exploits that Yuwen Huo and Li Wu achieved in the past few years in Shu were all related to the annihilation of barbarian villages. Because of the strong pressure and strategic problems of the Tang Dynasty, barbarian traitors emerged one after another among the barbarians.
Huang is actually one of them.
There were already two barbarian armies of thousands of people in Chengdu. Under the leadership of Tang army officers, they traveled across the mountains and ridges to hunt down their fellow tribesmen. This was exactly the strategy adopted by Li Jing to quell the barbarians.
Li Jing is a treasure, whoever uses it will know...
Now that the barbarian troubles in Sichuan are gradually disappearing, many barbarian tribes have either disappeared or been driven deep into the mountains and forests. Many more have knelt down to ask for surrender and moved their villages down the mountains to live there.
The Tang Dynasty had no intention of setting up chieftains. It had such a huge advantage and allowed them to control themselves? What good thing could they think of?
All the barbarians who came down from the mountains were required to put down their weapons and kill those with gold. Then they moved scattered to the plains, where they farmed and built roads and water conservancy under the supervision of soldiers.
The treatment was actually similar to that of the captured Japanese, and they were equivalent to slaves of the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty, with Li Po in charge, lost some of its reputation for kindness and generosity, and was very harsh on foreigners...
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Of course, these outsiders who were hosted by him could not feel this. In their eyes, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was so graceful and luxurious, with such a dazzling aura that people dared not look directly at him.
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Li Po sat cross-legged. These days, there are tables and chairs, but people still prefer the traditional kneeling posture. Naturally, the emperor could not touch his knees on the ground, so he could only sit there cross-legged, with at least a small bump under his buttocks.
Anyway, the pressure on the knees is not small. People these days will falter when they are a little older. This is probably the reason.
After the food and wine were arranged, Li Po took the lead in raising his glass, followed by Queen Li Bi. His Royal Highnesses all held up the wine cups with both hands, level with their eyes, turned slightly sideways, and faced the palace, even the outsiders were no exception.
The first cup to the third cup must be greeted with great courtesy. It is the most important moment at the beginning of the banquet. The emperor will make an opening statement.
"Today is not the New Year's Day, so I have summoned all the ministers to gather here to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.
In the sixth year of Yuanzhen's reign, his outstanding achievements were not due to me, but to the efforts of all the ministers.
When I gain honor, all my ministers will also gain wealth and honor. As the saying goes, if there are talents above, there will be wise men gathered below. I am a promising king, and all the ministers will be the sages of the country. If I and all the ministers complement each other, the country will be prosperous.
Your Majesty and I have finished drinking this cup. I hope that you will continue to work hard in the future and add glory to our great Tang Dynasty. Come and drink victoriously."
Wen Yanbo, the leader of the ministers, immediately bowed and said: "I also wish your Majesty and the Queen good health and happiness to the country."
All the ministers lowered their hands, raised their wine cups, and said in unison: "I wish your Majesty and the Queen good health and happiness to the country."
Li Po laughed and said to himself that this was a good word, fresh and auspicious. Wen Yanbo seemed to have put his heart into it. He held the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
You can't eat anything yet, so he has to start the second cup. The world respects the number of thirty-nine, so he has to do the talking for the first three cups.
The palace servants came over to serve, and Li Po raised his glass again, "There are still distinguished guests in the palace today. I would like to have a drink with all the envoys. It is virtue for countries to be neighbors and not to be strong on each other. When neighbors have trouble, it is best to help each other and benevolence."
Each of you envoys came to the Tang Dynasty and became good friends with me. Although they all had their own reasons, in terms of the Tang Dynasty, the word benevolence cannot be escaped. I hope that when you go back, you can remember what I said, don't forget the benevolence of the Tang Dynasty, and do good to the Tang Dynasty.
If you are a good neighbor, you will definitely find peace."