Chapter 300: The Winter Solstice Banquet

On the day of the winter solstice, the long-silent Bian Palace was rarely bustling with activity. In particular, in the main hall of the Han Palace, Chongyuan Hall, the palace eunuchs and attendants of the various bureaus within the palace were busy at work, making the final preparations and arrangements.

The Son of Heaven had long issued an edict, wishing to hold a palace banquet on the day of the winter solstice. The consorts of the harem, ministers and high officials, the commanders of the two armies, the noble and meritorious lords, as well as the military governors who had come to the capital for an audience, were all invited to attend.

This was, perhaps, the most "extravagant" event since Liu Chengyou had ascended the throne. Although he advocated frugality, with the nation's situation initially stabilized and a modest surplus remaining in the treasury, simply holding a grand gathering to foster connections and lift spirits was also quite necessary.

The founding of the Great Han had been fraught with turmoil, and Liu Chengyou's less than a year on the throne had also been full of hardships. The illusion of peace and prosperity sometimes needed to be maintained.

Liu Chengyou had previously stated that his aim was for the ruler and the people to rejoice together, so he issued an edict extending the curfew and market-closing time in the Eastern Capital to midnight (the hour of Zi), so that the citizens could enjoy themselves to the fullest. Kaifeng was still a long way from having markets open all night; although the ward-market system was gradually showing signs of breaking down, for the convenience of city management, it was still strictly enforced.

The enthusiasm of the people of the Eastern Capital for the festival far exceeded Liu Chengyou's imagination. Whether noble lords and officials, or ordinary wealthy households and the poor, all celebrated the festival joyfully, wearing new clothes and eating dumplings. The winter solstice was as important as the New Year.

North of the imperial city, beside Xuanwu Gate, lay a vast military camp. Drill grounds, barracks, mess halls, armories, and other buildings and facilities were clean and complete, garrisoned by heavy troops.

The newly organized Tieqi Army, with its two wings of over eight thousand cavalry under the Palace Command, was stationed here. Together with the Imperial Guard's Longjie Army to the northwest, they jointly protected the palace city.

Originally, the Tieqi Army's establishment was ten thousand cavalry, but due to shortages of officers, soldiers, and especially warhorses, and out of concern for dismantling the Imperial Guard's cavalry, the full quota could not ultimately be met. Even so, in terms of cavalry, the Tieqi Army was fully capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Longjie Army.

At this time, less than half of the soldiers remained in the camp. Except for officers on duty, single men, and soldiers whose families were not in the Eastern Capital, all had been granted leave to return home. Even so, the camp was decorated with colorful banners, and the usual solemn and stern atmosphere had been considerably diluted.

Cartload after cartload of wine and meat were delivered to the camp and piled up in the drill ground. Each unit stationed in the camp sent out personnel, who, under the leadership of their respective officers, collected their shares in an orderly manner. This was ordered by Liu Chengyou, funded from the treasury, to be distributed as rewards to the imperial army of the two commands—an unwavering effort to win over the soldiers' loyalty, aiming to achieve the effect of the ruler, ministers, and soldiers and civilians rejoicing together.

The reward supplies for the tens of thousands of soldiers in camp were another expenditure that would make State Finance Commissioner Wang Zhang's heart ache.

On the drill ground, although the atmosphere was lively, the orderly scene fully demonstrated the training quality of the newly organized Tieqi cavalrymen. Yang Ye, clad in a crisp military uniform, his armor polished to a bright shine, stood with his hand on his sword, personally supervising the distribution of the wine and meat. The efficiency was high—within just one hour, everything had been distributed.

Yang Ye had stepped down from his post at Tong'an Army and returned to the capital with Liu Chengyou. For his merits in garrisoning and suppressing rebellion, after the army reorganization he was appointed Chief Inspector of the Left Wing of the Tieqi Army and Prefect of Kuizhou, assisting Han Tong in managing the Left Wing cavalry of the Tieqi Army.

The reward supplies were clearly calculated by headcount. After the various armies and camps collected their shares, only a small portion of the carts remained. Seeing the mess left in the drill ground, Yang Ye immediately instructed his attendants: "Clean this up thoroughly. Record the remaining goods and supplies into the camp storehouse. Also, pass down the order: His Majesty is rewarding the three armies, and the soldiers may celebrate, but they must not forget themselves, violate discipline, or act improperly. Have the commanders of each unit supervise carefully."

"Yes!" The military clerk following beside him said with an admiring tone regarding Yang Ye's arrangements: "The Chief Inspector is loyal and devoted to his duties—your subordinates are truly in awe!"

Yang Ye did not even spare a second glance at the remaining half cart of goods. Given the prevailing military customs since the Three Dynasties, this was extremely rare.

Saying this, the clerk looked at Yang Ye curiously: "His Majesty is holding a banquet at Chongyuan Hall—why does the Chief Inspector not go?"

Among the senior officers of the Tieqi Army above the rank of Chief Inspector of both wings, Yang Ye was the only one remaining in camp.

Cupping his hands toward the palace city, Yang Ye said: "I am deeply grateful for His Majesty's grace. But the army cannot be left without someone in charge. Besides, being able to celebrate together with my brothers is enough!"

Glancing at the sky and hearing the festive clamor coming from the various camps, Yang Ye waved his hand: "Come, follow me to inspect the troops!"

The situation was much the same as with the Tieqi Army. Inside and outside Kaifeng, the camps of the Eastern Capital's imperial army were no less lively. One festival, one reward, was enough to continue to dissipate the tension and dissenting voices brought about by the army reorganization and division of power.

Inside the palace city, at Chongyuan Hall, before evening fell, it was already draped with colorful silks and adorned with candlelight. Inside and outside the palace, within and beyond the court, the generals and ministers invited to the banquet, along with their families, numbered over a thousand guests, who entered the palace early one after another.

The space of Chongyuan Hall was, of course, unable to accommodate so many people, so the two side halls were pressed into service, and a large area of temporary canopies was erected outside the hall. Even so, it still appeared crowded, but on the other hand, in the dead of winter, gathering together was a good way to keep warm.

Since Liu Chengyou had ascended the throne, the Han court's palace city had never been so noisy and lively as this.

Zhe Congruan also entered the palace early with his granddaughter to attend the banquet. Guided by an attendant, they took their seats—his seat was naturally inside the hall, and fairly close to the front. For this winter banquet, the eunuchs and palace maids of the Han palace were far from sufficient, so Liu Chengyou had also transferred a thousand palace guards specifically to attend to the guests.

"So this is the main hall of the imperial palace? How magnificent!" Zhe Saihua followed beside Zhe Congruan. This young lady from Fuzhou had already been dazzled by the splendor of the palace. Sweeping her gaze over the busy scene around her, she exclaimed in admiration: "How lively!"

"This is Kaifeng—the gathering place of all the finest things under heaven!" Zhe Congruan naturally remained composed, even though he had hardly ever experienced such a grand spectacle in his lifetime.

However, the young Lady Zhe couldn't help muttering under her breath: "Wasn't it said that the Son of Heaven advocates frugality and simplicity? How much money and grain must a banquet like this cost?"

Although the surroundings were noisy and Zhe Saihua's voice was soft, Zhe Congruan still heard her clearly. He quickly stopped his little granddaughter and admonished her that inside this palace, she must be careful with her words.

Zhe Congruan's seniority was considerable, but having grown up in Fuzhou, among the full hall of ministers, he knew few, and had even fewer with whom he had close relations. However, as he sat there, quite a number of people who knew him took the initiative to come forward and offer their greetings. After all, the Son of Heaven's regard for Grand Commandant Zhe had already spread far and wide.

As the day gradually grew late and more people arrived, the scene increasingly shifted toward the atmosphere of a palace night banquet. Seeing that the hour was about right and the guests had mostly arrived, Liu Chengyou, together with Empress Dowager Li and Empress Fu, entered the hall together. Noble Consort Gao was not among this final, most prominent group.

As the Emperor and the two empresses arrived, the originally boisterous atmosphere inside and outside the hall immediately quieted down, though the festive mood remained. Liu Chengyou merely swept a brief glance over the splendid scene in the hall—everything was in perfect order. This banquet had been entrusted to the preparation of his maternal uncle, Commissioner of the Southern Palace Gate, Li Ye. Liu Chengyou discovered that this young uncle of his seemed to have considerable talent in this regard.

Ascending the imperial steps and taking the dragon throne, together with the two empresses, he received the homage and congratulations of all the ministers inside and outside, officially beginning this imperial palace banquet.