allonlinenovel Chapter 587 State Banquet (Part 1)
Chapter 587 State Banquet (Part 1)
Xie Buqi took out a gift list from his sleeve: "Mother, don't you trust your son to handle things?"
Jiang Li unfolded the package and saw: ten bolts of silk; ten boxes of luminous pearls; ten boxes of various gemstones; ten boxes of various precious medicinal herbs, including rare items such as thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, ginseng, and snow lotus; and ten boxes of Western trinkets, including exquisite music boxes, clocks, and Western musical instruments.
They were mostly obtained from the Tianji Camp and the Maritime Transport Bureau.
The silk, luminous pearls, various gemstones, and precious medicinal herbs were all obtained by Xie Buli and Xie Wuchou from the immortals of the Heavenly Mystery Camp.
Those ten boxes of exceptionally exquisite Western goods were a contribution from the Maritime Transport Bureau.
The Maritime Transport Department is also under the Ministry of Commerce. Xie Buqi is preparing birthday gifts for the Emperor, and he can choose any of these rare and exotic items brought from overseas.
"It's alright, nothing special," Jiang Li said with a smile.
Valuable and practical, the kind that is applicable everywhere.
It seems Nangong Qing and Bai were looking forward to it, but it's not as good as Coral, at least that's Jiang Li's "exclusive product".
Everyone knows that only Prince Jing'an could obtain such a rare coral, as tall as two people.
In fact, Nangong Qinghe only wanted the birthday gift that Jiang Li had carefully prepared for him. Whether it was expensive or not was not important; what mattered was the sentiment.
However, his little scheme was destined to fail.
“Isn’t it good to be perfect?” Xie Buqi chuckled.
No one in the entire capital knew that his mother was the Emperor's "white moonlight."
If his parents hadn't been so powerful, there might not be any of the four siblings!
Want the birthday gift his mother meticulously prepared? No way!
"Very good," Jiang Li said with a smile, then asked, "How did the procurement of medicinal herbs go?"
"Uncle Shen hasn't written yet and doesn't know exactly which medicinal herbs he needs, so I've increased the purchase of commonly used herbs by 30% and precious herbs by 10%, with 50% of those purchased from Longmen Pharmacy..."
When it came to serious matters, Xie Buqi put away his playful expression and gave a serious report.
"...Longmen Pharmacy is short of these medicinal herbs. I've instructed the eight major pharmaceutical merchants to send samples as soon as possible so we can purchase the best ones..."
"Very good." Jiang Li was very pleased.
It was only thanks to Xie Buqi that she was "rescued" from these tedious daily tasks!
"Given time, my son will be able to stand on his own."
Jiang Li patted his shoulder, "Keep up the good work, Mommy believes in you."
The annual Emperor's Birthday Festival has finally arrived.
Princes and dukes from various regions arrived in the capital early, and many foreign envoys also came.
The birthday celebration of the Emperor of Great Chu, though called a birthday banquet, was actually more like a state banquet.
Ten years ago, the birthday celebration of the Emperor of Chu was a time when "all nations came to pay tribute." As Chu grew stronger, the surrounding countries became "one of our own," and the number of envoys decreased while the number of princes increased.
From kings to princes, from the rulers of the kingdom to the common people, none of them felt ashamed but rather proud. This was mainly because the Great Chu had given them too much!
The Great Chu treated its "own people" extremely well. For example, regarding tariffs, if the tariff for friendly countries was 10%, then the tariff for vassal states would be 5%.
However, if one is allowed to join the Great Chu and become a part of it, the tariffs will be eliminated!
There are also various support policies. The Great Chu will pay for you to build bridges and roads, ports, markets, schools, and government offices. Those with exceptional talent or skills can also participate in the Great Chu's imperial examinations and become officials in the Great Chu!
Furthermore, taxes were reduced and levies were lightened, and children from poor families could attend school for free!
In less than a year, these new territories have been completely transformed, and the living standards of the people have improved significantly.
The king, who was initially forced to become a prince, eventually did the math and realized that the profits he made from the trade in various ports after joining the Great Chu were even more than the tax revenue of his original country!
No need to worry about national affairs or foreign invasion; just lie around counting money, eating, drinking, and having fun every day. That kind of life is much more comfortable than being the ruler of a country!
As soon as the news spread, all the vassal states cried out that they wanted to join the Great Chu.
We can't not join either. The people vote with their feet. Those who can leave have already fled to the Great Chu. If this continues, our country will become an empty shell!
The Great Chu doesn't just pick up any junk. They don't want land that has no value. Our Emperor isn't a living bodhisattva who saves people from suffering. He has no obligation to help the poor!
Many small states applied to join Chu, which gave Nangong Qinghe a major headache, mainly because the court officials were also overwhelmed!
Feng Wuhu has submitted his resignation several times!
Jiang Li then came up with an idea: to adopt an "admission system." Anyone who wanted to join the Great Chu would first submit an application, and only those who passed the Great Chu's review and met the requirements (i.e., those who had value) would be accepted.
However, there is a three-year "probationary period." If this place cannot generate revenue for the Great Chu within three years, its "admission" qualification will be revoked.
Therefore, on the annual Emperor's birthday, when these foreign princes and envoys met, their common greeting was:
"Your country has also submitted an application?"
"Have you passed your probation period?"
"Haha, our country has obtained the qualification!"
"What's there to be so smug about? There's still a three-year probationary period!"
The earliest members of the Great Chu, such as the King of Nanyue, the King of Nanlang, the King of Xichang, and the King of Dongying, became the envy of all the rulers.
On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The eunuchs from the Imperial Wardrobe, wearing palace boots, moved about in a dense throng, conducting a final inspection of the gilded tableware in the hall.
On the table, each gilded lacquer tray held nine exquisitely crafted candied fruits in nine different colors, symbolizing "the supreme ruler." A complete set of silver wine utensils was polished to a gleaming shine.
As the first bell tolled from the bell tower, an official holding a gilded token announced loudly, "The auspicious hour has arrived—Your Majesty, please ascend the throne!"
Amidst the resounding drums and music, the bright yellow imperial carriage slowly emerged from the rear palace. Nangong Qinghe, dressed in a dragon robe with twelve imperial symbols and a jade belt inlaid with pearls around his waist, stepped gracefully onto the imperial steps.
In an instant, all the civil and military officials and envoys from various countries below the imperial steps knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The sound waves caused the copper bells on the eaves to ring softly, and the musicians under the corridor immediately began to play "Qinglong Dance." The melodies of the pipa and the chime bells intertwined, pushing the lively atmosphere of the palace banquet to its first climax.
As soon as the emperor took his seat, the music in the hall suddenly changed, and twelve dancers dressed in light green palace gowns gracefully entered through the side doors on both sides.
The musicians then switched to the "Rainbow Feather Dance," the flute music melodious and graceful. The dancers, keeping time with the music, bent their knees, twirled, and tossed their sleeves, their flowing sleeves drawing beautiful arcs in the air, like a flock of cranes about to take flight.
The concubines and princesses of the harem followed Empress Zhang Wanwan and sat in the east side hall according to their rank.
The princes and members of the imperial clan were seated in the side hall on the west side.
The eldest prince, Nangong Yuanhong, and the second prince, Nangong Minghong, both looked towards the seats of the princes and ministers on both sides of the hall.
Jiang Li and Xie Chang'an's family of six were naturally the most dazzling.