Chapter 222: Intentions at the Banquet

Next, Zhu Gaoxu began chatting about daily life with the group of officials.

For the most part, everyone was gathered around Zhu Gaoxu, doing the talking.

Finally, seeing that no one had any intention of leaving, Zhu Gaoxu simply had people prepare a dinner banquet and began eating and drinking with the group of ministers.

During the meal, ministers kept offering toasts to Zhu Gaoxu; at first, Zhu Gaoxu declined on the grounds that he was too young to drink.

But as more and more ministers offered toasts, Zhu Gaoxu eventually had no choice but to use tea in place of wine and drink with them.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhu Gaoxu said, seemingly unintentionally: "Grandfather is busy with affairs in Kyoto, and many ministers in the imperial court are working themselves to the bone to relieve his worries."

After saying this, Zhu Gaoxu picked up a piece of duck meat and put it into his mouth.

Zhu Gaoxu did not say this loudly, but everyone at the same table heard it perfectly clearly.

For a moment, they all stopped what they were doing, pondering the meaning of Zhu Gaoxu's words.

They were all old hands; if they truly thought Zhu Gaoxu had said this unintentionally, they would be too naive.

And people that naive, let alone sitting at this table to eat, probably wouldn't even be able to get through the door.

As for the people at the other tables who had been eating and drinking, seeing the main table suddenly go quiet, they also instantly fell silent.

This was the way of officialdom.

They did not know what had happened at the top, but that didn't matter; it was enough that someone knew.

They only needed to watch what those who knew did, and then follow suit.

And generally, this kind of situation is actually the safest.

What they feared most was those who knew pretending not to know, showing no reaction at all.

That would be a bad sign, indicating that this was not something you were supposed to know, and usually, that meant they were about to make an example of you.

In an instant, the originally lively banquet fell silent.

Everyone was very careful with their movements.

The eyes of the surrounding officials all looked toward the main table in a subtle manner.

Yet Zhu Gaoxu seemed not to notice this change at all, continuing to eat the food on the table.

The few high-ranking officials at the main table had now also reacted.

They had roughly guessed what Zhu Gaoxu meant.

It was very simple: no matter how much private intent there was, on the surface, one still had to use Lao Zhu's name.

Translated, Zhu Gaoxu's meaning was roughly asking whether these people had any intention of going to Jingcheng to serve as officials.

These words made everyone's eyes light up.

Did this even need thinking about? If you wanted real power, it had to be as a capital official.

No one was unwilling to go to Jingcheng.

As for what price they would have to pay to go to Jingcheng, the few of them thought for a moment, then exchanged glances, and roughly had the answer in their hearts.

It was rumored that Zhu Di was not having a smooth time in Jingcheng, and many civil officials were squeezing him out.

If it weren't for some military generals in the imperial court speaking up for him, he would probably have been driven back to his fiefdom by now.

And Zhu Gaoxu letting them know they could enter the capital was naturally to share Zhu Di's pressure.

Of course, ever since they decided to join Zhu Di's faction, they had already prepared themselves for this realization.

Especially those of them with high ranks; they had long since thought of this step.

After all, when it came to entering the capital, the only ones who could really have a say were the few of them at the third rank or above, who could barely get a word in.

After all, there were plenty of high-ranking officials of the first, second, and third ranks in Jingcheng.

But even so, they still hoped to be able to enter the capital.

For no other reason than that a capital official is half a rank higher.

Even some fourth or fifth-rank officials were people they had to be polite to and dared not offend when they met them.

Now that there was a chance to enter the capital, they naturally could not miss it.

After thinking it through, the few of them exchanged glances and said to Zhu Gaoxu: "The Prince is right; affairs in the capital are busy, but alas, we are far away in Kyoto and unable to relieve the Emperor's worries."

While speaking, the few of them even symbolically squeezed out a few tears.

The ministers at the other tables heard this, and seeing the performance at the main table, immediately understood what was going on.

One by one, they also became excited in their hearts.

Going to the capital certainly had nothing to do with them.

Even if they were allowed to go, they wouldn't be able to help with anything.

And with their current ranks, they wouldn't dare go to the capital either.

Fifth or sixth-rank local officials going to be capital officials?

That would just be pure cannon fodder; they would have to keep their tails tucked wherever they went, and if anything went wrong, they would lose their heads.

When both sides clashed, the first to suffer losses would be insignificant pawns like them.

How could it be as comfortable as staying in the provinces?

Although they were only fourth or fifth rank, at least they were free and unfettered, with no one to boss them around.

In their own little territory, they were the biggest, and didn't have to look at anyone else's face.

And the reason they were happy and excited was also very simple.

If these masters above them all left, wouldn't they have a chance at the vacated positions?

They were all officials of the same faction, and on top of that, they had Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu helping them out on the side.

If they had the ability to transfer local officials to the capital, they naturally had the ability to promote them.

By then, their old superiors would be officials of the same faction again.

They could just say a few good words, and at the very least, they wouldn't trip them up.

Furthermore, the mess they would be taking over wouldn't be too rotten; in any case, to sum it up in one sentence, the officials of a faction are easy to talk to.

Thinking this, everyone's breathing could not help but quicken.

No one had expected that the opportunity for promotion would come so quickly.