Water Margin people

Chapter 1674 Banquet
A spring ploughing ceremony brought joy to the emperor and the people, and after the ceremony a grand banquet was held to celebrate.

Mrs. Gu asked people to set the banquet, and the farmers all looked expectant. Life was better now and eating meat was no longer a rare thing, but the banquet hosted by the emperor was definitely not ordinary.

"Sister-in-law, today's feast can't be bad!"

Lu Zhishen said with a smile while holding the jar of wine.

"Look at what the master said, it will naturally satisfy everyone!"

Mrs. Gu smiled and said that after the Spring Ploughing Ceremony, the people would start busy ploughing, so today’s feast would definitely be the best.

"That's good. I'm going to drink as much as I want today!"

Lu Zhishen laughed out loud. So many people had come today, and he would toast each table later.

The dishes were served, simple dishes that were neither delicate nor exquisite, including chicken, duck, goose, pork, beef, lamb, and various kinds of fish and shrimp. The main focus was on eating meat, and it would be a shame to eat some vegetables today.

The people were very satisfied. They never lacked vegetables to eat. They preferred meat, and greasy fat meat was their favorite. It made them full and strong. Unlike vegetables, eating too much of them would make them feel weak and tired.

"I'm sure everyone is hungry, so I won't say any more. I'll leave this year's farm work to you all. Today, there's plenty of wine and meat. Feel free to drink as much as you want and eat as much meat as you want. Let's feast!"

Sun Lei knew that the people didn't want to hear any long speeches, and now the only thing on everyone's mind was to start the feast.

"Long live your Majesty!"

The people shouted in unison.

The people also liked the emperor's friendly and casual personality, which made them feel closer to him.

"Began to eat!"

Sun Lei picked up a piece of meat and started eating.

When the people saw the emperor picking up his chopsticks, they also picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

Sun Lei naturally sat at the same table with Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Xiao Jiasui, Wen Huanzhang and others.

Sun Lei ate quickly, which made Lu Zhishen beside him very unhappy, because he wanted to kill everyone.

"Eat something first to fill your stomach. You'll have something to drink later. Be alert and don't embarrass yourself in front of the people!"

Sun Lei glanced at Lu Zhishen. He hadn't changed at all over the years. He knew they were going to have a drinking contest, but he didn't even eat something to fill his stomach. Didn't he know that it's easiest to get drunk on an empty stomach?

Lu Zhishen was so provoked that he dared not do anything. He could let other things go, but not drink. How could he lose face in front of the people? He immediately took off his shirt to expose his tattoo and had a big fight.

"Master, my brother is right. We should eat something first. How can we drink with an empty stomach?"

Sun Xin put down a plate of food and advised with a smile.

Only then did Lu Zhishen calm down, grabbed a roasted lamb leg with one hand and started to bite it.

When everyone had almost finished eating, Sun Lei led all the officials to the common people. They began to drink and chat. The common people were very happy and spoke their minds while drinking.

Some elderly people expressed their concerns that young people, after reading books and seeing the world, want to go out and explore the world and are no longer willing to live on a small piece of land.

"If they want to make a living, let them go out and make a living. They can't get rich just by living on the land."

Sun Lei looked at the people who were expectant and said, he knew that these people were uneasy. They had lived on the land all their lives and knew nothing about the outside world. They could not help and did not know whether it was a blessing or a curse. The wisest and most knowledgeable person they knew was the emperor, so they wanted to ask the emperor. "Don't worry, going out may not be a bad thing. The outside world is big and there are many opportunities. If they really can't do it, they can come back to farm."

Seeing that the people were still somewhat uneasy, Sun Lei smiled and said that what they were most worried about was the retreat and what would happen if the children could not get out.

After hearing what the emperor said, the people were finally relieved. Land was now distributed based on the number of people, and buying and selling was not allowed. As long as the emperor was willing to give them land, they would not starve.

The people, feeling reassured, were so happy that they wanted to toast the emperor to express their gratitude.

There were thousands of people coming, and Sun Lei definitely couldn't go up to drink. If he did, the wine jar would overturn.

Lu Zhishen and others stood up to help Sun Lei block the drinking. They could drink a lot and there were quite a few of them, so they were just enough to block the enthusiastic people.

Sun Lei also had a drink, but soon left the party. The literati on the other side were lifeless, in stark contrast to the ruler and the people here.

"What's wrong? The food doesn't suit your taste? Are you not used to it yet?"

Sun Lei looked at the group of literati and laughed. These people were definitely not used to these rough dishes, but they would be fine after a while. When they were tired, they would not be so picky.

"Your Majesty, we already know we were wrong!"

Kong Ruiyou apologized directly. The corvée labor during this period had made those who wanted to resist give up. They were all spoiled, so who could endure such hardship?
"No, how can you admit your mistake so soon? Spring ploughing has begun, and there is still a lot of work waiting for you to do!"

Sun Lei smiled and said that it was too late to admit the mistake now, and the punishment must be carried out thoroughly.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to write a letter to apologize and announce to the world that we will respect Your Majesty."

Kong Ruiyou was panicking. The hard work during this period had already cost them their lives. They had never experienced such hardship before. If they continued, the older ones might not be able to hold on.

"I am the supreme ruler of the world. It seems that your previous crimes were too light!"

Sun Lei glared at Kong Ruiyou. This guy looked gentle and refined, but why was he so careless with his words? If he were a little more violent and started a literary inquisition, Kong Ruiyou would be chopped to pieces on the spot.

"I wait……"

Kong Ruiyou found that everything he said seemed to be wrong, and he knew very well that this was due to the emperor's disgust. When one person disgusts another, everything that person says and does is wrong.

Kong Ruiyou felt bitter. The literati behind him had vowed to purge the emperor's side and rectify the country's affairs. They used justice to coerce him to come to Liangshan City, but they angered the emperor. All of them were punished, and the worst offenders even had their entire clans punished.

This scared their family, and during this period of time, family members asked people to come and persuade them to calm down and not to drag down the family or increase the burden on the elderly and children who cannot bear the labor.

These people are now neither accepted by the emperor nor by others. Their families are eager to cut off ties with them, and the people despise them. Their glorious reputation has completely become a joke.

"You should reform yourself and eat more. You can't have a banquet like this every day!"

Sun Lei pointed at the banquet and spoke.

"Does your majesty really want us to die?"

Someone plucked up the courage to ask.

"If I wanted you to die, I would just drag you out and chop you up. Why would I keep you alive? You made a mistake, so you should honestly accept the punishment. You don't think you are innocent, do you? You know what you did and what you wanted to do, and I know it too."

Sun Lei looked at those literati and sneered. They were trying to use soft tactics when hard tactics didn't work, but unfortunately he was a person who would not respond to soft tactics.

(End of this chapter)