Seeing Him Off

"Does Dongfang Shuo get along with everyone?"

The banquet that opened Rong Tianding's eyes was nothing out of the ordinary in the eyes of the emperor.

The banquet arranged by Princess Yangxin and others was indeed very large, but with Sima Tan, the Grand Historian, accompanying them, the banquet could only be described as conventional.

Those extravagant banquets hosted by high-ranking officials are far more than just eating and drinking.

The new emperor, uninterested in the banquet held to clear the Marquis of Pingyang of the charge of poisoning court officials, only showed a hint of interest when his gaze swept over Zhang Xuezhou and Sima Tan.

Sima Tan was known for keeping a ledger to record other people's bad deeds. Nobody liked to associate with such a person, so he was notoriously unpopular. People could only deal with him in a businesslike manner, and few interacted with him privately. Even when they did communicate, their words were brief and to the point, and they would leave immediately afterward.

Sima Tan kept an eye on everyone during the first half of the banquet, but during the second half, he stayed with Zhang Xuezhou and the others, never separating from them.

This surprised the new emperor.

But it's a good thing that the ministers can get along, especially with Sima Tan.

The new emperor was unsure whether Sima Tan would see through Guo Sheren's trick of switching swords out of thin air, but as long as someone distracted Sima Tan, or if Sima Tan said a few words when Guo Sheren was about to switch swords, Guo Sheren's operation would surely succeed.

It was a good thing that someone could talk to Sima Yi and they got along well; it even made the new emperor very happy.

"Dongfang Shuo and Sima Tan felt an instant connection upon first meeting, as if they were long-lost friends. Arrange for their carriages to be together so they can get to know each other better!"

The new emperor summoned Wei Qing and asked Wei Qing to make arrangements.

This prompted Wei Qing to quickly nod in agreement.

"Is this singer your sister?"

The itinerary had been arranged in such detail that the new emperor thought there was nothing extra he needed to pay attention to, so he casually chatted with Wei Qing to pass the time.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is my third sister's husband!"

Wei Qing respectfully accepted.

"Ouzhe" refers to female singers who make a living by their singing voices when they were young.

While Wei Zifu's singing skills weren't top-notch, the poems she sang were carefully selected, which suited the new emperor's tastes and provided him with amusement for passing the time at banquets.

"Let her come here!"

The new emperor beckoned and gave the order. Wei Zifu, who was reciting poetry as usual, immediately bowed gracefully and then stepped forward with small, quick steps.

Although the new emperor's harem was limited, there were countless palace maids and concubines, each one chosen from among thousands or even tens of thousands.

When he looked at Wei Zifu from afar, he only thought that her singing voice was excellent and her appearance was ordinary. But when he got closer, he felt a sense of amazement and comfort.

Unless one's appearance is exceptionally outstanding, one's appearance will not create a sharp sense of conflict.

Wei Zifu's face undoubtedly possessed a gentle and warm quality, making her extremely pleasing to the eye.

The new emperor glanced at Wei Qing, then compared him to Wei Zifu, and felt that he was simply indulging in favor of Wei Zifu because he loved her so much. It's natural for one's own people to find another person more agreeable.

He teased Wei Qing a couple of times, then rewarded Wei Zifu with a cup of wine before letting him leave.

"Your Majesty, Zifu is the best singer here. Although she can't compare to the top singers in Chang'an City, she has some special talents that are quite remarkable," Princess Yangxin chuckled.

"Oh, let her perform!" the new emperor said with interest.

"With the Grand Astrologer here, this performance is inconvenient," Princess Yangxin said, glancing into the distance. "If His Majesty is interested, after the banquet, I will have Zifu take a carriage to His Majesty's lodging to perform specially, so as to avoid gossip."

"Alright!"

Since Princess Yangxin believed that enjoying happiness alone was better than sharing it with others, the new emperor did not insist that she continue the practice.

He nodded to indicate that there were no problems with the itinerary, but couldn't help but ask again whether the sword forged by Princess Yangxin had arrived.

"Your Majesty can enjoy the music while practicing your swordplay; it would be a wonderful thing," Princess Yangxin said, pursing her lips.

That's exactly what I was thinking!

The new emperor nodded, extremely satisfied with Princess Yangxin's arrangements.

If there is anyone in the world whom the new emperor can completely trust, besides the Empress Dowager, it is only Princess Yangxin.

The three of them were bound together by a shared destiny, with blood ties and interests almost completely intertwined. Consequently, there were few gaps between them, and they would try their best to meet each other's reasonable needs.

Princess Yangxin will try her best to help according to the new emperor's requests, and the new emperor will accept her good intentions.

The two raised their glasses to each other, but this time the Marquis of Pingyang remained quiet and didn't say anything more to join in the fun.

The banquet was perfectly proper; even if ten imperial astronomers stood here nitpicking, they couldn't find anything wrong with it.

It was an ordinary banquet for high-ranking officials, and everyone was being polite. Everyone knew that they were there to testify that the Marquis of Pingyang had not poisoned any ministers close to the king.

Zhang Xuezhou is perfectly fine now, able to attend banquets normally, and walks with a composed demeanor, so the blame cannot be placed on Marquis Pingyang.

That was the original intention of the banquet. Those who understood the theme of the banquet either glanced at Zhang Xuezhou and raised their glasses to drink, or casually exchanged a few polite words.

Once Sima Tan, that plague god, sat down next to Zhang Xuezhou, everyone went about their own business, feeling that the banquet was coming to an end.

No matter how much they prove, it's not as good as Sima Tan's personal verification.

The verification results at this point were excellent; at least Sima Tan recognized the true nature of the person, and there was no longer any possibility of him writing nonsense.

"Your Majesty will depart tomorrow to pay homage to your ancestors. We wish Your Majesty a safe journey and that you will receive the protection of the ancestral emperor!"

As the banquet was drawing to a close, Princess Yangxin announced some news, which caused everyone to exclaim in unison.

"So this was a farewell banquet. If that's the case, there's nothing more to write about!"

Sima Tan pondered for a while, and when everyone stood up to congratulate him, he involuntarily followed suit, only to realize that the object of his congratulations was actually his own group.

This brought Sima Tan back to his senses quickly.

He glanced at the banquet and felt that after the previous grand banquet, Marquis Pingyang had become more restrained, showing that he knew how to behave appropriately and be frugal. Sima Tan even felt that the other party's banquet this time was a bit too frugal.

If the higher-ups do not live extravagantly or extort or oppress the people, the people will be able to live a good life.

Sima Tan felt that the Marquis of Pingyang was somewhat decent for recognizing his mistakes and correcting them, which gave him a slightly better impression.

For many high-ranking individuals, Sima Tan's slight good impression is quite important, and when the other party records the relevant information, they will most likely just give a brief description and move on.

For example, King Ying of Qin's achievements can be said to be the greatest in hundreds of years, but even this emperor could not escape the criticism of these historians. Even though he can be called the strongest emperor in the Southern Jambudvipa Continent in modern times, the final result in the history books is mixed, with neither praise nor criticism.

If even the most powerful emperors are like this, then it goes without saying that everyone else is too.

Most people don't ask the Grand Historian to record their proudest moments; they just hope that the official won't scrutinize every little flaw they have, so that future generations won't gossip about them for centuries.

The banquet intended to clear the Marquis of Pingyang of suspicion and charges turned into a farewell banquet for the new emperor's departure, indicating that the Marquis of Pingyang had clearly passed the test.