After the court, the second important part of the festival is the "Great Banquet".

As the name suggests, the emperor will hold a banquet in the palace to entertain civil and military officials and foreign envoys who come to congratulate him.

There are three levels of banquets: large, medium and small, and each banquet corresponds to different dishes.

Because the apocalypse reduced the expenses in advance, it reluctantly set up a Chinese banquet, and it was opposed by many people at the beginning, and they all played to use the specifications of the big banquet, and try to do it according to the highest standard.

Because it was not held last year, and there were more foreign envoys in the court this year, if the banquet was too small, it would not be able to highlight the majesty of the Ming Emperor, let alone the status of the "Heavenly Empire".

However, the apocalypse still tried his best to resist public opinion, insisting on not making a big deal, and the banquet was enough.

As a later generation, he knows very well what the Ming Dynasty has become today, and he still does this kind of superficial work.

I really have to wait until more than ten years later, let alone the face of the "Heavenly Empire", even the inside is gone.

After the banquet, the civil and military officials should still go to congratulate the crown prince, but since the apocalypse has no heirs, let alone the crown prince, this link is naturally saved.

In this way, the first day of the new year was spent in the morning and banquet.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, hundreds of officials will enter the palace to congratulate the prince and other relatives in Beijing, and then the officials will "pay New Year's greetings" to each other.

Under normal circumstances, the host only needs to place pen, ink, paper and inkstone on the table at home, and after the guest arrives, write his name in the book to pay New Year's greetings.

Since the owner himself has to go out to greet others and is not at home, there is no welcome gift.

But with the quiet rise of extravagance in the past few decades, the taste of New Year's greetings has also changed, and many people no longer go out empty-handed, and they have big bags every time they go out.

Each exquisite gift box has its name written on it, leaving a gift, and the host will naturally know that you have been there.

The huge Beijing Division, the most endless, is naturally the mansions of the Wei Mansion and Kebaba.

With their current status, there are not many people who can let them go to pay New Year's greetings in person, so they almost don't go out or show up, and they can receive a mountain of New Year's greetings.

However, there have been some changes in the situation this year, Wei Zhongxian thought about it, and still went out to personally pay homage to several princes in Beijing, especially Zhu Youzhen, the king of letters.

Zhu Youzhen was not stunned, although he didn't like this eunuch very much in his heart, he didn't show it on his face, and he was treated well in the Xinwang Mansion.

The two of them had a good meal, but Zhu Youzhen was too tender after all, and now he couldn't form much of an advantage in identity, so he was naturally not Wei Zhongxian's opponent.

Wei Zhongxian confirmed that King Xin's dislike of himself has not changed, so the existence of King Xin is still a big threat to himself.

As a female streamer, there is no need to greet others.

Under normal circumstances, others don't need to greet her, but she can't stand her special status, if she says bad things in front of Banzai or Chitose Lord, no one can bear it.

Therefore, those who worship Wei Zhongxian for the New Year, as long as their brains are not missing, will come to her to pay New Year's greetings again, and this gift is naturally indispensable.

Kebaba has been waiting for this day for a long time, so naturally he will not be soft, and others will at least pretend to be pretending to be themselves, and let the subordinates of the family be responsible for receiving gifts.

But she sat directly in the main hall, still playing with a few beautiful items in her hands.

After the visitor saw it, he naturally praised it, and she also unceremoniously said: "This is the thing that the red ghost and the foreign envoy gave to Banzai yesterday, it is rare, and Banzai pity Mrs. Ben for serving for many years, and specially reward it." ”

"To be able to get such grace from Banzai, Mrs. Ben's life is worth it."

Hearing this, everyone naturally complimented them again, and Kebaba's purpose was achieved.

On the one hand, she wants to tell the visitor that Banzai is still good to her; On the other hand, he hinted to the other party that even Banzai gave me such a valuable thing, if you are too shabby, don't take it out, the old lady can't look down on it.

These people who can drill the camp naturally understand, and many people also understand the meaning.

Some felt that their gifts were light, and they went back to prepare well, and then came to worship for the second time, and the guest Baba naturally did not refuse to come, and smiled from ear to ear.

A rough count at night, I am afraid that it can be worth tens of thousands of taels, and some rare things are even more valuable.

This is a wealth that ordinary people can't earn in a few lifetimes, and she can easily get it by just sitting at home for a day without moving, this is the benefit of power.

And that's just the beginning, because the last thing in the New Year is the festival.

Next, there are the beginning of spring, the seventh day of the first month, the Shangyuan Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, the Yanjiu Festival on the nineteenth day of the first month, and the warehouse filling festival on the twenty-fifth day of the first month, so this year basically has to pass the entire first month.

Although these remaining festivals are not as grand as the Zhengdan Festival, there will still be some income, especially the Shangyuan Festival and the Yanjiu Festival.

The Shangyuan Festival is the Lantern Festival, which is understandably valued, and the so-called Yanjiu Festival has rarely been heard of by later generations.

The Yanjiu Festival is to commemorate the Quanzhen Sect's head of Qiu Chuji, because Qiu Chuji's birthday is the nineteenth day of the first month.

Legend has it that during the cultivation of Qiangxi and Longmen, Qiu Chuji carried out self-castration in order to get rid of the demons in his heart and refine his heart and desires.

Because of this, Yan Jiujie is also called "Eunuch Jiujie", so it is highly sought after by the eunuchs, and most of the eunuchs in the Ming and Qing dynasties are also the ancestors of Qiu Chuji.

If you want to be a eunuch, you will also try to choose castration on this day.

Therefore, every year on the Yanjiu Festival, the eunuchs attach great importance to it, and as the most powerful eunuch today, Wei Zhongxian is naturally no exception.

This day can be described as the most huge festival of the eunuch party, which is more than the Zhengdan Festival, and the powerful doctors who want to tie them up will also rack their brains on this day.

And Kebaba, who is Wei Zhongxian's wife, will naturally get a piece of the pie.

After the hustle and bustle of the Lantern Festival of the Shangyuan Festival, the atmosphere of the New Year was finally reduced, and four days later, the Yanjiu Festival finally came.

Wei Zhongxian got up early in the morning, because on the day of the Yanjiu Festival, everyone would rush to the Baiyun Temple in the southwest of Beijing to worship.

The Baiyun Temple was once in charge of the Changchun Zhenren (Qiu Chuji) and buried his bones, so it is fitting to commemorate the real person here.

Therefore, since the birth of the Yanjiu Festival, Baiyun Temple is the best place to pay tribute, and this day is also the most lively.

After hundreds of years of development, the Yanjiu Festival has long become a secular festival, not only eunuchs, but also emperors and commoners.

Because it is rumored that real people will inevitably appear in Baiyun Temple on this day, or incarnate as gentry, or incarnate as beautiful women, or even beggars.

If anyone is lucky enough to see it, they can drive away all diseases and prolong their lives.

According to the custom, Tianqi also sent several eunuchs to Baiyunguan on his behalf, and after serving Tianbaba, he left the palace and went straight to Baiyunguan outside the city with a few domestic servants.