In the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, the palace held a special palace banquet, and hundreds of officials entered the palace to congratulate the emperor and the empress dowager, and each family prepared a grand ceremony; in previous years, only the Chinese New Year's Eve palace banquet would feast the courtiers.

"Why do you want to hold a Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet?

"Because Your Majesty is short of silver, wait for hundreds of officials to give gifts and filial piety. ”

"Your Majesty will also be short of silver?"

"yes. In previous years, it was okay, this year our doctor Gu made business reform and rectification, in order to enrich the treasury, all aspects have shrunk, hundreds of officials can not engage in business, dare not take bribes, the court has to give the moon to Feng, the palace department also has to get money to help the disaster, the emperor to show benevolence and righteousness, but also made a blood capital, this is not wool out of the sheep, the moon Feng has risen, this 'filial piety' is more. ”

"Then how much 'hair' are you going to pluck for Your Majesty?"

"A dime. ”

"Your Majesty knows that you are poor, so let you be free?"

"No, Your Majesty knows that I have a fierce wife in my family, and I am in charge of money...... That's what I told him...... anyway."

"Okay, you!" Qian Yu immediately stretched out his hand and waved it at him, "Say I'm a fierce wife, I'll let you taste the power of a fierce wife!"

Qiao Huaian hurriedly ran away with his head in his hands, begging for mercy as he fled: "Madam, I was wrong!

At the gate of the mansion, he was about to get into the carriage and go to the palace for a banquet, when Qian Yu, who was pregnant with Liujia, sent him out. The people seemed to be surprised, and only laughed and watched the play on the sidelines.

"Qiao Huai'an, you stop for me!"

He hid behind the carriage, using the carriage as a cover, to avoid her 'pursuit', jumped a few times, heard her roar, he still honestly got out of the back of the carriage, hung his head and returned to her.

"Madame, spare me. I'm just an official, you know that officials like to talk nonsense, and none of them are reliable. Don't be angry, scare the child......"

He blushed, smiled, and reached out to touch her bulging belly with a flattering look.

Qian Yu still had a straight face and glared at him angrily, so he had to consciously stick his head over, "Madam, is it okay to start lightly this time?" I still have to enter the palace, it doesn't look good when I hang the color, and I have to explain to others, it's very annoying......

Qian Yu was amused by him instead, pushed him, and helped him take care of the collar of his official uniform: "Get out of the palace, my Lord Guofu!"

"Okay!

……

Qiao Huai'an went to the palace, saw Qin Yongnian at the gate of the palace, and learned that he was waiting for him, so he walked with him.

Qin Yongnian was overjoyed, and when he saw Qiao Huai'an, he couldn't stop laughing, until the two walked together, and when there was no one around, Qiao Huai'an asked him, and he took Qiao Huai'an's hand and said: "Master Qiao, your prediction is right, not long after Ji Zhi entered Dali Temple, Gu Qinghuan recommended him to be the servant of the ministry! And Doctor Gu also nodded. Master Qiao, Brother Qiao Xian, you are really a god! I just withdrew a fold for Fang Liang and gave him a little advice, this reward is so rich, I really thank you, my Lord Qiao!"

"So that's the case, hey, when I saw that excerpt and knew that Fang Shilang was coming to you, I had a little crooked thought, and just like that, I just guessed their thoughts, how can you be so divine as Old Qin think?" Qiao Huai'an waved his hand and smiled.

Qin Yongnian looked at him, no longer just snickering, his old face showed a special appreciation, even admiration.

Qiao Huai'an continued: "Since it really happened, it is really a great thing." However, as I said before, Ling Lang holding these two positions is actually a bit disadvantageous, but you can only stabilize the Gu family first, so that they don't treat Ling Lang as a threat, Qin Lao, you still have to let Ling Lang be stable, some things can't be rushed, and sometimes you have to suffer a little loss to be safe. ”

At this point, Qin Yongnian was also moved, and nodded in response: "Yes, yes, Brother Qiao Xian, you are right." Rest assured, we are not Yang Longxing, we are self-aware, we are not greedy, and he will not do stupid things. When I got to the wolf's mouth, I went to pull the wolf's whiskers, which was looking for death......"

glanced at each other, and didn't say anything more, the colleagues behind followed up, Qin Yongnian changed the topic and asked, "Mrs. Zun is about to give birth, right?"

Qiao Huai'an felt that he was overwhelmed by the speed at which he changed the topic, and couldn't help laughing, nodding and saying, "Yes, yes, it should be this month......"

A group of people passed by them, it was the Gu family who carried the salute into the palace, and three visits came from behind, led by Gu Qingxuan, and exchanged salutes with them.

As they walked away, they looked at each other again.

"The wolves are growing, and we are avoiding ......them," Qin Yongnian quipped.

He answered, "Yes, big ......."

……

The three Gu brought gifts into the palace together, walked a while on the palace road, and had to disperse to greet their colleagues in their respective departments.

Although it was the Mid-Autumn Festival Palace banquet today, they still went to the office, and only after they finished their official business did they change their clothes and rush into the palace. Especially Gu Qinghuan is very busy today, Fang Liang has already gone to the Ministry of Rites, and the affairs of the Ministry of Rites are all pressed on him, how can he not be tired, but he is tired and tired, and there is finally no Fang Liang in front of him......

The Mid-Autumn Festival Palace Banquet was organized by the Palace Department and the Ministry of Rites, so Fang Liang also did some serious things as soon as he took office, and it was rare to be busy for a while, and what made people feel even more amazing was that he did a really good job, more reliable than Yu Hongzhi's Shangshu, and he held this palace banquet in a good way, showing a big face in front of the emperor.

The sound of gold is out, the ceremonial music is opened, the ceremonial team enters the hall with the palace eunuch like a long dragon, everyone enters the main hall in order according to the order in front of the palace, the king of Jin is in the front, followed by the nine princes and other royal relatives, and then the hundreds of officials, Gu Qingxuanqian let go of the back, let Qin Yongnian and several old bachelors in front, all the officials are courteous, Dong Yehong Du gradually faded around him, and he invited Qiao Huai'an, who retreated behind, side by side with Qiao Huai'an, four people in front, and marched into the hall side by side, and each person's relatives followed.

After entering the palace, the three Gu sat in a row, with Gu Qingxuan down, followed by Gu Qinghuan and Gu Qingning, on the right side of the throne, this is the position specially arranged by the emperor for them, and on the left side of the throne on the opposite side is a group of royal families headed by King Jin.

On the side of the throne, a special phoenix seat, a round of ceremonial music, a hundred people made a big ceremony, three calls, the emperor helped the Empress Dowager Wei to attend, and again and again, and finally sat down according to the personal name. There is no need for a famous reminder on the seat, these positions are prepared by the Ministry of Rites and the Palace Division, and given to the emperor Longmu Imperial Review, and then the book prepared by the celebrant eunuch will be sent to each person in advance, and everyone will remember their position, and they will look for everyone when they are present, step by step, so as not to be confused.

The banquet was held by the emperor, and everyone saluted and congratulated alternately according to the number of seats, and the king and princess of Jin came out first, followed by the three looks, and then the nine princes, in turn......

After congratulating for half an hour, the Ninth Prince was about to fall asleep, until he heard another heavy and loud sound, which startled him awake, which meant that the banquet was officially opened, the wine and food would be served, and the singing and dancing were waiting to be heard......

The palace maid with a beautiful and dignified posture, wearing a crescent moon pigment brocade silk dress, entering the palace with a jade pot, a pot of wine on the case, this round is over, the palace maid owes her body and retreats, the next round holds the delicacies and continues, the temple dances Ji Man dance, the music of the temple horn gradually rises, making people dizzy, mouth and ear to taste fresh, how gorgeous, how atmospheric......

How expensive it is......

Gu Qingxuan swallowed a sip of wine, silently calculated in his heart, and glanced at Cheng Wei, the household servant, sympathetically.

Gu Qinghuan was thinking about the same thing, because he was about to enter the household department.

The palace maid waiting next to him poured him wine, and he raised a glass with everyone and bowed to thank the emperor and the queen mother.

The wine is really extraordinary, worthy of being a palace wine, making people not drunk and drunk, hearty, and endless.

But after drinking, after a while, he began to panic, his back was cold, his body was hot and his chest was blocked, and it was difficult to breathe for a while, he tried to adjust his breathing, and felt a little better, but his tongue was numb......

Gu Qingxuan drank a few sips of wine, and his face changed, and before he could react, he suddenly turned his head to look at him, and even waved his hand at him disrespectfully, signaling him not to drink this wine......

However, it was too late, and Gu Qinghuan had already drunk a lot.

The hall was staggered, full of joy, few people noticed Gu Qinghuan's strange appearance, and in the back corner, Fang Liang kept looking at Gu Qinghuan's back, and happily shook the sweet pear wine in the silver cup.

He has been with Gu Qinghuan for so long, and he has had many banquets with him, how could he not know Gu Qinghuan's taboo - he can't touch pears, not at all.

At this moment, Gu Qinghuan's face and neck quickly turned red, his limbs became more and more numb, and when he returned to his colleagues, he could hardly speak, nor dared to really drink, Gu Qingxuan and Gu Qingning were so anxious for him.

At this time, remembering that he still had the small jade bottle on his body, he hurriedly poured out a few pills and took them, which made it slightly better.

But after all, it is not a life-saving elixir, he knows that if he stays a little longer, he will inevitably have a mess, not to mention his physical injury for the time being, if he loses his temper and faints in the temple, it will be a big deal......

After the toast, Gu Qingxuan and Gu Qingning both helped him stop him, barely coping with the past, and halfway through the banquet, the emperor and the queen mother in the high position would come down to inspect the wine, that is, as the master of the palace to entertain the courtesy, and make cordial respects with the high-ranking people present, and greet each other in turn, so as to show the royal demeanor and show the royal family and the people.

King Jin respected, and then there were three visits.

Gu Qingxuan and Gu Qinghuan glanced at each other, gave him a look, signaled him to steady, and when the emperor and queen mother came, they took the lead in getting up, Gu Qingning followed, Gu Qinghuan bit his lip and lowered his head at the end.

They saluted, the queen mother and the emperor both raised their glasses, they naturally wanted to drink it all, this time they couldn't fake it, but if this cup went down, Gu Qinghuan would definitely not be able to support it. After Gu Qingxuan saluted the emperor and the queen mother a few times, he threw another color at him and motioned for him to step forward.

Gu Qinghuan was a little puzzled, but he still obeyed, and took a breath to salute the emperor and the queen mother, making a very hoarse voice, but he finally endured the discomfort of his whole body, and said the simple words without being rude.

And his hoarse voice and flushed face naturally attracted the attention of the emperor and the queen mother. Empress Dowager Wei asked, "Is Gu Shangshu unwell?"

He couldn't speak at this time, but fortunately, Gu Qingxuan answered quickly, and said with a stern smile: "Thank you Queen Mother for your concern, the dog is fine, but he has never been strong enough to drink, and he is a scholar, his body is weaker, so that the Queen Mother, Your Majesty will laugh." ”

"Isn't it difficult for Gu Qing to gather for a banquet with his colleagues?" the emperor said with a smile.

Gu Qingxuan said: "Thank you Your Majesty for your concern, it is naturally difficult for dogs to socialize if they don't drink, and they are busy with things, so they rarely drink and feast, so they are afraid of getting drunk and making mistakes." ”

"It's okay, I heard that our Daqi officials are corrupt and have an unbearable style in private, and I don't want to have a young official like Gu Qing who is clean and self-focused on official affairs, your Gu family is really a clear stream of officialdom, and I am the mainstay of the Daqi court. The emperor did not hesitate to praise, and ordered the reward, and thanked him three times.

The Queen Mother glanced at Gu Qingning, Gu Qingning didn't dare to touch her gaze, and blushed inexplicably, but fortunately she quickly looked away, looked at Gu Qinghuan, and her smile became kind and friendly: "Gu Shangshu looks like he needs to sober up a little, he might as well rest in the side hall of the palace people, and then continue to drink and feast when he is better, so as not to get drunk and lose his temper." ”

At this time, his consciousness was blurred, and the figures in front of him were like being in the fog, but when he heard this sentence from the mouth of the Queen Mother, he could still hear the words clearly, as if he had been pardoned by a great grace.

The emperor also agreed, and instructed the palace people on the side to serve Gu Qinghuan.

He hurriedly knelt down and bowed to retire, and so did his father and sister, when he kowtowed to thank him, the beads of sweat of the bean fell to the ground, gritted his teeth, held his last breath, and made a voice from his swollen and sore throat: "Weichen thank the emperor for his holy grace, thank the queen mother for his grace, and be forgiven by the emperor." Wechen temporarily retired. Loyal to our emperor, God bless the Great Qi!"

After thanking him, he went with the palace people, and almost couldn't stand up when he got up, but fortunately, the palace people had the vision to see and helped him after he stood up.

Gu Qingxuan and Gu Qingning both breathed a sigh of relief, Gu Qingning wanted to take care of her together, but she didn't want the Queen Mother to notice her and let her accompany her on the wine tour, she had to follow the Queen Mother behind, and she was careful all the way, the Queen Mother showed her kindness, so that everyone present could see that everyone had different thoughts in their hearts.

Gu Qinghuan walked through the main hall where the guests gathered, reluctantly bowed all the way with people, finally got out of the palace gate, stepped out of the threshold, stumbled, and fainted before turning into the side hall. Several palace people who served him were all senior palace people, so they didn't panic, handled it properly, helped him to the side hall where no one was, placed him, and immediately asked the imperial doctor to treat him.

The palace people led by the palace invited the imperial doctor, and after figuring out Gu Qinghuan's situation, they were ready to go back to the main hall to tell the emperor, but as soon as they walked into the main hall, they walked along the palace wall, but before they entered the banquet in the hall, they saw Gu Qingxuan already walking towards him, he was busy saluting, Gu Qingxuan only asked Gu Qinghuan if he could be properly placed, he replied yes, Gu Qingxuan thanked him, he hurriedly said that he didn't dare, Gu Qingxuan politely helped him, and stuffed a roll of silver tickets into his cuffs, he knew it in his heart, found an excuse to stay in the main hall for a while, and went away without incident, and continued to go to the side hall to take care of Gu Qinghuan。

The main hall of the Ming Hall is still singing and dancing, peaceful and lively, all officials have their own entertainment, be careful, few people find that Gu Qinghuan is gone.

There was only one person who witnessed the whole process and felt quite disappointed.

……

In a half-dazed dream, he vaguely felt that someone took his pulse, someone put a wet hand towel on him, someone took water and put it into his mouth, and someone fed him bitter medicine, and then he fell asleep, and he didn't know how long he slept, or because he couldn't be solid in this situation, he couldn't sleep for long, and when he regained consciousness, he could still hear the sound of ritual music in the main hall, indicating that the palace banquet was not dispersed.

And the place where I am is is very quiet and empty......

In his blurred vision, the root palace pillars were shaking and rotating, and the palace lamps were connected one by one, like a fire......

"Are you awake, are you feeling better?"

He heard someone ask him, and it was hoarse than his previous voice, but it was not unpleasant, but it was gentle and kind.

He didn't have time to think about it, he just felt that there was no depression in his heart, rubbed his eyes, and replied: "It's much better, my throat is not sore, and my tongue is not swollen, I should be fine......

The dense fog in front of Gu Qinghuan's eyes receded, and everything he saw became clear, revealing the whole picture.

But the man wasn't.

Her face was obscured by a white mask, revealing only a pair of eyes, lips and chin, and a red plum extending down her forehead.