According to the arrangement of the banquet list, everyone quickly found their seats under the guidance of dozens of graceful and capable female stewards. The five three-story restaurants were full of seats.

The officials soon noticed that there was something strange about the feast. There was no food or wine on the table, and there was nothing on the huge table except for a cup of tea in front of each person.

Soon, however, they found a piece of paper densely covered with the names of the dishes and the names of the various drinks under the teacup in front of them. The officials were a little dazed and whispered in low voices.

"What? Is Prime Minister Lin's banquet to quench our thirst? Does looking at the names of these dishes and drinks mean eating a banquet? ”

"I'm afraid you're thinking too much, how could Lin Xiang tease us like this? I'm afraid it has a deep meaning. Isn't this tonight's menu? ”

"I'm afraid you're thinking too much, this adult, have you seen the dishes and drinks on it? There are a total of 228 hot and cold dishes and 37 kinds of drinks. We can eat so much for more than a dozen people at a table? Apparently unlikely. ”

"That's right. What kind of medicine is sold in the gourd? It's weird. ”

Everyone was talking about it, and the sun was setting outside, and the sky was getting dark. But there was clearly no sign of the feast beginting. I smell the smell of cooking, but there is no plate of food on the table. The officials were puzzled, but they were not in a hurry. Lord Lin has not yet arrived, and this banquet obviously cannot be held.

At this moment, there was a sound of horses' hooves on the street, and the officials near the window looked out of the window, but saw dozens of fast horses galloping on the street in the twilight, and it was the current prime minister and privy envoy Lin Jue, as well as the third envoy Yang Xiu, the chief officer of the forbidden army and other major civil and military officials of the imperial court arrived. Everyone left their seats and stood up without waiting to be reminded.

"Lord Lin has arrived!" A loud shout rang out, and everyone stood up, their eyes fixed on the staircase. Although Lord Lin may not come up from the staircase on his side, he does not dare to slack off.

Lin Jue smiled and strode over, followed by a cadre of important ministers from the central government and the senior generals of the Luoyan Army. All of them walked in the wind, in good spirits, and their faces were flushed.

Lin Jue and his entourage went up the stairs of the East Building and went straight to a circular pavilion suspended in the middle of the promenade bridge connecting the five buildings. It is the center of the intersection of the five buildings in the ring, similar to the intersection center of the sky overpass. In this location, almost everyone in the surrounding restaurants can see it. This is also the most expensive and unique box in Fan Lou. During the heyday of the Great Zhou Dynasty, when the business of Fan Lou was at its most prosperous, this box called 'Pavilion in the Sky' alone cost 1,000 taels of silver to get seated. Don't be too expensive, people who spend a lot of money to line up to eat here are flocking to it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Lin is too late to come and confess to you." Lin Jue stood in the hanging pavilion, bowing to the people in the surrounding buildings and speaking loudly.

"How dare you, Lord Lin is good! Hello Lord Lin! Thousands of officials returned the salute and shouted in unison.

The response from the officials was enthusiastic, but it was not entirely polite. In fact, the officials' feelings about Lin Jue were very complicated. You must know that Lin Jue's name has been thunderous from the beginning. In the past few years, Lin Jue has become a traitor to the court from the third envoy of the imperial court, and the process of degenerating into a mountain bandit in Funiu Mountain is embarrassing. Although Lin Jue's purpose in raising troops to rebel in Luoyan Valley was because of Guo Xu's atrocities in seizing the throne, he also provided a lot of money

and has been clarified and publicized all over the Great Zhou. However, for the vast majority of officials, Lin Jue's behavior was undoubtedly rebellion. No matter how Guo Xu won the throne, it was not the most important thing for officials at all levels. It doesn't matter who sits on that throne, what matters is whether he has the qualifications, whether he has the strength, and whether he has an impact on his own interests. The disputes within the Guo royal family are actually not their turn to think about it as courtiers. Lin Jue's move was obviously an overstep, or he was just uniting with the Liang Mansion to resist and seize the throne.

Therefore, for the change of Lin Jue's identity, many people have experienced an indescribable shock and indescribable taste in the past half a year. From a bandit and a rebel in the court to a savior who turned the tide of the Great Zhou, Lin Jue's identity has undergone a miraculous transformation, which has also made the people of the world from the beginning of disdain and regret to the later shock and worship, and the mood has also undergone a wonderful change.

When Da Zhou faced internal and external troubles and fell into the doom of the country, many people felt desperate and powerless. They can only watch the situation deteriorate, but there is no way to save it. Many people are pessimistic that no one can save Da Zhou this time, and Da Zhou will not escape the catastrophe of destruction. But at this time, the Luoyan Army led by Lin Jue came out of nowhere, quickly calmed down the situation, and completed what was impossible to accomplish, which made all the desperate people feel extremely shocked and surprised.

Because of this, many people felt deeply uneasy and guilty about their previous contempt and slander for Luo Yanjun and Lin Jue himself, and admired them for stepping forward to support the building at a critical time. For the vast majority of people, Lin Jue's previous betrayal of the imperial court could not be a stain, but became the most legendary aspect of his experience. Many times this is the case, when a person succeeds, some of his previous criticized behaviors have become a good story in his experience, and they have become something to talk about. For example, what kind of is to ask for illness, and such things as the humiliation of the crotch. The victors, the princes, the losers, the thieves, and the setbacks of the successful seem to have become the necessary conditions for his success.

Of course, some officials' views on Lin Jue have not changed, but this does not prevent them from showing respect for Lin Jue. The Great Zhou at this moment is the Great Zhou saved by Lin Jue and his Luoyan Army. Lin Jue is qualified to be respected by everyone, this is the basic consensus. Whether you hate him or like him.

"Thank you, please take a seat, please take a seat." Lin Jue said with a loud laugh.

When everyone heard this, they all sat down. Lin Jue laughed loudly: "You have come all the way to the capital by order, and I am deeply sorry that I have not been able to meet you one by one because of my busy official duties during this time." In addition, it coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the adults are in the capital, and they can't spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with their families, which makes me feel guilty. Therefore, I set up a banquet in Fanlou today, and we spent the Mid-Autumn Festival together, which can be regarded as a chat to express our hearts and make up for our guilt. ”

All the officials shouted one after another: "Lin Xiang has a heart, and I am grateful for it." Thank you Lin Xiang. ”

Lin Jue nodded and smiled: "One thing I want to explain to you is that the money spent on tonight's banquet is my private money, and it does not involve any public funds." Lin was born in a family of businessmen, and his family still has some savings. ”

The officials smiled and said: "That's natural, Lin Xiang is honest and honest, how can he use public funds." We all know that. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't say much, it's not too early, the moon will rise in a while, let's start the feast." Lin Jue smiled and bowed his hand, turned around and sat down.

Only then did everyone clean up their mood,

Sit down and wait for the dishes to be served. However, after a long time, no food and drinks were delivered. When the officials were wondering, they heard a person standing in the air pavilion opposite, laughing loudly.

"Oops, I almost forgot something. Your banquet dishes have not yet been decided. Lin Xiang asked me to convey to you that the dishes for today's banquet will be agreed upon by your Excellency. In the past, the guests changed with the host, and the guests arranged what dishes and what dishes the guests ate. But today is different, Lin Xiang said, to feel at home, the dishes are agreed upon by you. Each table has 20 dishes and three jars of wine, which dishes to eat and what wine to drink, you can decide for yourself. Fan Lou prepared more than 200 kinds of dishes today, dozens of kinds of wine, all listed on the list in front of you, but please discuss, don't worry that Fan Lou is not prepared. ”

It was Yang Xiu, the third envoy, who spoke, and when his words fell, everyone suddenly realized. It turned out that the wine and food had to be ordered by yourself, and the menus prepared on the table were all optional dishes, and Lin Xiang wanted everyone to eat comfortably, so let the people at the table agree on their own.

"Everyone, it's not too early, the dishes under Fan Lou's kitchen have already been prepared, you adults quickly agree, after a while, we have to enjoy the moon." The time limit for a stick of incense is limited, and the Fan Lou guy will go to collect the dishes agreed upon by everyone, and the kitchen will be cooked. Hold on to your lords. After Yang Xiu finished speaking, he turned around and sat down.

The officials were stunned for a long time, and at first they were a little reserved, but soon, some of the tables began to discuss. Some people began to discuss, and others quickly began to discuss, and for a time hundreds of seats were buzzing and noisy.

At the beginning, the officials at the table also wanted to make decisions based on the size of their ranks. There is nothing wrong with listening to the arrangements of the official office. But they soon found out that the banquet was arranged with great care. The officials in each seat have similar official positions, are of the same age, are mixed with civil and military affairs, and are geographically separated. It can be said that there is basically no distinction between high and low official positions, and because of different regions, the taste of food is very different. Because the official position is similar to the same age, there are not so many scruples, so they are no longer too humble and compromised. Some people want to compromise at first, but when they hear that other people order dishes and don't know what they like, they stop doing it, so they join in and express their opinions. For a while, the entire Fan Lou was like a fried pot, and all the seats began to argue over the menu.

Of the more than 200 dishes, only 20 plates were selected, and the officials had different tastes, and there was no official rank to control them, so it was conceivable how difficult it was to reach an agreement. In the midst of the quarrel and quarrel, time flies, and half of the incense stick quickly passes. Lin Xiang ordered someone to pass the word again, and if the dish has not been agreed upon after a stick of incense, it will not be able to serve wine and food for a while. Because of the difference of opinion, the kitchen could not serve the food. Please be sure to complete the selection of food and drinks within the time limit.

Hearing this, the officials quickly responded. Time was of the essence, and all learned to compromise. They soon found a compromise on their own, learning that sacrifice and humility were prerequisites for being able to serve. After a stick of incense burned out, each table drew up a list of dishes and drinks, which were collected by the Fan Lou guys. After all this argument and compromise, everyone got the one or two dishes they wanted, and the result was not bad. What's more, many people seem to have learned something from it.

The speed of Fan Lou is not covered, the menu is classified, more than a dozen stoves are started at the same time, and dozens of chefs are busy. The cart transporting vegetables shuttled back and forth, and the female guy who delivered the vegetables shuttled up and down like butterflies wearing flowers. Soon plates of exquisite dishes and jars of fine wine were served. In half an hour, the wine and food were ready, and the banquet was finally ready to start.