Diqin Designer

Chapter 197: Qin Palace Night Banquet
By the time the parade was over, it was already afternoon. Fan Zeng and his companions returned to the Qin Imperial Palace. Although they were a little tired physically, they were very excited mentally.

How many people don’t like the feeling of becoming famous overnight?
But their perception of the Qin Emperor has also become more complicated. From now on, if they say that they have no intention of boarding the "pirate ship" of the Qin Dynasty, who will believe them?
It is no longer possible to criticize and ridicule Qin as wantonly as before.

The Qin Emperor bestowed upon them favors, which they accepted, but they turned around and ridiculed and rebelled against Qin. Don't they make themselves ungrateful?
You will definitely be criticized by thousands of people and your reputation will be ruined!
For people of this era, reputation and face are of vital importance. They can lose their lives but cannot lose their reputation and face. Yan Zi was able to "kill three men with two peaches" by taking advantage of this point.

Although the Spring and Autumn Period has long gone and the Warring States Period has ended, this spirit still remains.

Once a person's reputation is ruined, he will be unable to move forward in the world and it will be difficult for him to achieve success again.

After returning to the Qin Emperor's Palace, Fan Zeng thought that the "parade on horseback" would be the last thing to do today and there should be nothing else. However, a eunuch came to announce that the Qin Emperor had set up a dinner.

Well, now it’s different. Not only do we wear the Qin Emperor’s clothes and take things from him, we also have to eat what he has.

If this continues, who can bear it?

It's not that I don't miss my homeland, it's just that the Qin Emperor was too cunning. His combination of punches after punches left them helpless.

To be honest, it feels great to be valued by the Emperor Qin.

Although there is no saying now "Learn literary and martial arts, and sell them to the emperor", this idea already exists, and most scholars of this era still hold the idea that "the king regards his subjects as his own hands and feet, and the subjects regard the king as their confidant" and "a scholar will die for his confidant".

Although they could not yet be called the Qin Emperor's "ministers", the Qin Emperor treated them in this way, and many of them had already put themselves in the position of "ministers" and "scholars".

How should a minister who is treated as a brother by the king repay the king? How should a scholar who is appreciated by the king repay the king?

Everyone has the answer in their hearts. The more favor they receive from Emperor Qin, the harder it is to repay him. And as long as they still care about their reputation and face, Emperor Qin's tricks are almost unsolvable.

Was this method of using morality and justice (universal values ​​at the time) as weapons something that Emperor Qin came up with himself, or was it Li Nian who proposed it to him?

If it is Li Nian, then this person is also very shrewd and resourceful, and should not be underestimated. We should treat him with caution.

It was another day when Li Nian's reputation was damaged. She was sitting in the palace, but the pot came from outside.

He did participate in the design of the Xianyang examination, but the awarding of medals, the horse-riding parade, and the banquet were all arranged by the First Emperor himself based on the imperial examinations of later generations.

Fan Zeng and his companions rested in the place arranged by the Emperor Qin until dusk, when the eunuch who had led them into the palace today appeared and said with a smile, "My dear sages, the banquet is ready, please leave."

According to the order of entering the palace to meet the Qin Emperor earlier, everyone lined up and came to a palace under the guidance of the eunuchs and guards.

This palace is quite large and shaped like a huge pavilion. It was built by Qin Shi Huang when he became emperor specifically for holding banquets in the palace. It can accommodate thousands of people at a time.

Although the place is large, the layout is not sloppy or casual. All the furnishings are carefully considered, making it large without appearing empty, and spacious without appearing vulgar.

When each candidate on the list entered, a eunuch would call out his or her name, making everyone feel a little ashamed but also very happy.

How many people in the world can be named in the Qin Imperial Palace?
When they entered the courtyard, the Emperor had not arrived yet, and the dishes had not been served, but the tables and chairs were ready. Each round table had been set with bowls, chopsticks, and dishes, and there was also a large wooden round plate on the table, which seemed to be used to place the dishes. Beside the round table stood a number of black chairs, and on each chair was a piece of wood hanging by a rope.

Instead of separate meals, they will eat with everyone else at this round table tonight?
Hey, there is a special thing on the table. Judging from its shape, it should be a wine cup, but its material is very special, it seems to be water jade. But how could the Qin Emperor have so many water jades?
Too luxurious, too extravagant, too wasteful!

This made some candidates shake their heads and they planned to advise the Emperor Qin about this matter when they met him later.

The First Emperor now has a good impression in their hearts and shows signs of becoming a sage and wise ruler. They must make him return to the right path and not follow the path of those foolish and tyrannical rulers.

Everyone saw some other things, such as the lighting lamps hanging in the courtyard. Just looking at them made them feel very festive. It was indeed a good idea to put the lights in these unique cages so that they could not be blown out by the wind.

But ordinary materials cannot be used, only things that can allow the light of the lamp to shine through can be used.

Under the guidance of the eunuchs and palace maids, everyone took their seats. At this time, they also knew the purpose of the wooden tablets hanging on the wooden chairs. It turned out that names were written on them, indicating that the seat was for the person with that name.

Not long after, a voice called "Your Majesty has arrived!" was heard. Everyone stood up and looked at the figure walking in front of the ministers. Just as they were about to pay their respects, they heard the Emperor Qin's voice: "No need to be polite!"

After the Emperor Qin sat in his seat, he said, "Please take a seat, everyone!" and everyone thanked him and sat down.

Looking at the more than 500 candidates who had passed the Xianyang exam gathered in the courtyard, Ying Zheng said, "You all have come from far away to take the exam in Xianyang."

"There are ups and downs in the sky and four directions on the earth. Foods in different places are different. I'm afraid you may not be used to the food in Xianyang."

"It's possible that the food is not good, and it will affect your answers on the day of the exam."

"Today, I am hosting a banquet in this garden to celebrate your excellent performance in the exam, to comfort you for your hard work, and to restore the reputation of Xianyang's food so that you won't say that Xianyang has no delicacies when you return."

Seeing that everyone was about to stand up and salute to express their gratitude, Ying Zheng raised his right hand, indicating that they did not need to stand up: "Today is a dinner tonight, everyone does not need to be so polite!"

Ying Zheng glanced at a eunuch who was serving beside him, and the eunuch immediately said, "Your Majesty has ordered the banquet to begin!"

One after another, eunuchs and palace maids came with trays, bringing up various dishes. Just looking at the color and smelling the aroma made one's mouth water.

These dishes include daily food from the Qin Imperial Palace, food selected from the city of Xianyang, and food from the other six countries.

Some people couldn't help crying when they saw that it was food from their hometown. They stood up excitedly and saluted the Emperor Qin: "Thank you, Emperor Qin! Thank you, Emperor Qin!"

The Qin Emperor was thoughtful. He knew where their hometown was, so he prepared these foods. This action touched them even more: since the Qin Emperor treated them so well, the worst that could happen was that they would sacrifice their lives.

If Ying Zheng could see the favorability and loyalty, he would see that these people's favorability was surging and their loyalty was also rising.

Even Fan Zeng couldn't help but have some favorable impression on Ying Zheng: How unkind is God to Chu? Why doesn't such a king belong to Chu?
The night banquet was what Ying Zheng wanted to hold, but it was Li Nian who suggested using food from the six kingdoms, and it seems to be working well so far.

(End of this chapter)