Chapter 1170: 1171 Etiquette at banquets
The Tang Empire was almost out of this war. At the palace dance, the new aristocrats of the Tang Empire gathered together, drinking rare good wine, and discussing which projects they could earn more by investing in.
In a short period of time, many multi-million dollar projects were negotiated, and such a huge amount of money is just a small amount of money here that can barely make everyone talk about it.
There are not many opportunities to eat, drink and have fun in the Forbidden City, especially...this time, in addition to His Majesty the Emperor, there were also several of his princes present at the banquet.
The eldest prince Tang Yu is now in primary school. He studied at the Royal Noble School in Chang'an, where he also met many classmates.
The younger second prince Tang Xuan also went to school, so he was also allowed to attend the banquet. In order to allow his children to meet the two princes and connect with each other, the most powerful minister of the Tang Empire and The nobles all paid expensive "ticket fees".
Just kidding, how can these classmates get along with each other if they can't attend the banquet attended by the princes and royal highnesses? If the princes meet other **** or other **** at the banquet, what chance will their children have?
There is no hope for His Majesty the Emperor. None of the five imperial concubines have a strong background and cannot be offended. If his daughter is sent to die, there is a high probability that the family will be harmed.
Princess Youlin has known His Majesty relatively early. She is one of those "wives of wretchedness" who started from a humble background. Her salary is generous, and she holds the most powerful position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Princess Alice was the "Finance Minister" of the Tang Empire, and could even exert influence on the industrial sector. Such a ruthless person should never be offended.
Le'er seems to be easier to talk to, but the problem is...the orcs have become very popular with His Majesty the Emperor recently, and have contributed hundreds of thousands of workers to the empire.
There is no need to mention Princess Yingyue. She is a serious imperial princess. In the past, she was supposed to be the mother of a country. Now it is already very wronged to be a humble child, okay?
Well, there is only one Princess Yilin, who is backed by the Yangmu Empire. Although it is relatively far away... but no matter how far away she is, she is still an empire princess. Things that affect the empire's diplomacy... it's best not to do it, right?
So everyone has their own thoughts on the princes: How did they rise? Isn’t it just that I followed His Majesty the Emperor and got all the way to where I am now?
Corruption has no courage, and speculators have long looked down on the little money. In this life, isn't the only thing left to worry about the future for the family and the younger generations?
Since I followed His Majesty the Emperor to fight all the way here, wouldn't it be natural for my children to **** the Emperor and Princes of the Empire?
So, as long as they were of sufficient rank and had juniors of the right age at home, all the nouveau riche in the empire tried their best to get invitations.
The pretty little girls and the energetic little boys became the beautiful scenery of the entire banquet.
I didn't pay attention to the children's affairs. Tang Yu and Tang Xuan were the kings of children in school. With them, the children could basically find some fun.
So Tang Mo was sitting in his seat at this time, talking with Lu Fu, Chu Muzhou and others about the war on the island.
Yes, among the top brass of the Tang Dynasty, the war against the Mirage Kingdom has become a "main island war." This war is a war between orcs and goblins, and the Tang Empire is just exporting weapons.
It's just that the transaction is not money, but slaves.
"The battle to secure the city is not over yet. Although the orcs have begun to take the initiative, there is still no mountain fortification area capable of encircling the goblins." Loew knew Tang Mo's habits. He was often left in the Forbidden City to eat with Tang Mo. So I talked while eating, very free and easy.
Comparatively speaking, Chu Muzhou felt uncomfortable. His previous habits did not allow him to do such an arrogant thing in front of His Majesty the Emperor: joking, talking loudly while eating at the Emperor's banquet? Are you still shameless?
In fact, he had seen other ministers discussing issues while eating in front of the emperor with fear before, and the emperor had never blamed him.
But as a "surrendered minister", Chu Muzhou felt that he should abide by etiquette, or at least... should contribute his own strength to the re-emphasis on court etiquette.
As the deputy prime minister of the empire, he believed that he should practice it personally and awaken everyone's sense of etiquette to ensure the majesty and absolute status of the royal family.
He fully expected that at a palace banquet that was almost as high as a state banquet, everyone would exercise some restraint and at least maintain basic decency.
Regrettably, he saw that everyone was getting more serious and no one took the so-called banquet etiquette seriously. This kind of performance even made Chu Muzhou think that the barbarians in the Eastern Continent all gathered like this.
But... why, why did Chu Muzhou himself feel a kind of warmth and heroism in such a rude state?
"I've said it before, Vice Prime Minister Chu, you don't need to be so formal. Don't you think that cutting beef on our dining table in the Tang Empire gives you the pleasure of cutting someone else's territory?" Nangong Hong beside him particularly understood Chu Muzhou's feelings. , said with a smile to the old man who took his place. It wasn’t because he was kind-hearted, but because Tang Mo drew a big cake for Nangong Hong during a private meeting, and he enjoyed the cake very much—that’s all.
He had previously suggested that the Tang Empire should pay attention to court etiquette in order to maintain the dignity of the royal family. However, Tang Mo refused this request. He said bluntly: If the empire declines, no matter how strict the etiquette is, it will not save the royal family. If the empire flourishes, then what is the use of setting up a set of etiquette to separate everyone?
In short, the Tang Empire still has the rough and unrestrained atmosphere that it had when it started in a hurry. This is the atmosphere deliberately created by Tang Mo, and so far the effect is pretty good.
He can eat barbecue with the ministers, laugh, talk about each other's children, and give them ideas for making money - this is a blessing.
The Imperial Security Bureau and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Tang Empire ruthlessly reviewed and monitored officials' discipline and efficiency - this was a threat.
By applying both kindness and power, the Tang Empire could be humane and avoid rapid corruption; while everyone was restricted by high-intensity work and strict management, it could still have a little warmth.
Chu Muzhou was originally reluctant to speak, but at the same time, he was not willing to ignore the imperial foreign minister when he was talking to him.
So, in the awkward situation, he could only bite the bullet and respond to Nangong Hong's kindness in the simplest words: "I'm used to it, I'm sorry."
Like Chu Muzhou, there are Jiang Run, Chen Jing, and Wang Yucai. The three of them also eat with trepidation, walking on thin ice.
However, after seeing the dishes in front of them, they all felt the friendship that came from the majesty of the royal family: His Majesty the Emperor actually carefully prepared the dishes they liked.
They all have different tastes, and the dishes they serve are also different for everyone: some like fish, some like shrimp, some like meat, and some like vegetarian food. These ministers all saw their favorite delicacies in front of them.
Even people who like to eat fish find that the fish has been picked with bones, and after the fish bones are removed, the fish meat is still lumpy and does not fall apart.
People who like to eat shrimp also find that their shrimps are always in the shelled state, so that they do not have to give up this delicacy because they need to maintain their appearance when eating.
Chu Muzhou had egg custard and shrimp and fish sliders in front of him. Each dish was very soft and glutinous. This was a recipe deliberately chosen to take care of him, an old man with bad teeth.
The royal chef team in the Forbidden City that Tang Mo spent a lot of money to support did not receive sky-high wages for nothing. Each of them has unique skills, and their cooking skills are truly as good as those of the Eight Immortals.
The emperor of the Tang Empire was not only a technical genius, he was also a gourmet. His Majesty the Emperor would often propose a new dish, describe it in words, and then let the imperial kitchen try it out... Without two brushes, these chefs would really not dare to apply for jobs in the Forbidden City.
“The orc troops in the north of the island attacked very smoothly. They advanced about 110 kilometers northeast and stopped when they encountered some goblin tanks.” At this time, Loew was still talking about the war on the island.
The orc troops attacking northeastward have actually fought very hard, but because their supply lines are relatively far away, they are unable to continue launching a large-scale attack.
This gave the Mirage troops some time to prepare. They were organizing defenses on some favorable terrain, and saw that the front lines of both sides were about to be fixed again.
"Don't they have anti-tank rocket launchers? Why were they blocked by tanks?" Tang Mo saw that many people were waiting for Loew's answer, so he asked for the ministers who did not dare to speak while eating at the banquet.
Loew laughed awkwardly and explained: "Your Majesty, when you encounter tanks when attacking, it is actually very difficult for infantry to get close. The opponent has a large number of infantry covering the front, with tanks as a support point, and it is very advantageous in the defensive state."
Tang Mo nodded, accepting this explanation, and then helped a group of curious and ignorant ministers by asking a question: "Then why don't their air force continue to bomb the enemy's defense lines?" , to open the way for the troops?"
Loew became even more embarrassed. He continued to explain: "Your Majesty, the number of the Orc Air Force is limited. They are focusing on attacking Dingcheng, so there are not many troops to support the northern front."
“How much of the 2nd Armored Division equipment we provided them has been delivered?” Tang Mo asked another question that interested him.
This time Loew was finally not embarrassed: "About one-fifth of the equipment we sent to the island has arrived there!"