Chương 761: Zhaoji Pavilion Completed

In the 22nd year of Shenwu, in mid-June.

The temporary court assembly in Liangyi Hall had only been going on for a little over half an hour when the fragrance of flowers from outside drifted in through the window cracks, mingling with the sandalwood scent from the incense burner, making the eyelids of several military officers in the back row droop.

Summer days are long and the midday heat makes people prone to drowsiness, especially when listening to things like financial accounts or records that induce sleep.

Minister of Revenue Shen Wansan stood in the hall, holding an account book, meticulously reading out the tax revenue, grain transport surplus, and industrial output value for the first half of the year.

The numbers came one after another, like chanting a mantra, making one drowsy...

He read aloud with perfect pronunciation and great care, but the audience below was already mostly asleep.

Yuchi Gong stood at the back of the military officers' ranks, standing ramrod straight, his armor neatly worn, looking quite respectable.

In reality, his eyes were half-closed, and his mind was already far away.

He was wondering to himself: Would the imperial kitchen send over braised pork hock for lunch? The last braised pork hock was so tender and fragrant; he wondered if they still had it today.

It would be best to add some garlic sauce; dipping it in it makes it even more flavorful...

As he thought about it, his mouth watered, so he quickly swallowed, afraid that someone would see it.

It wasn't until Qin Qiong nudged his elbow hard that he jolted awake, instinctively straightening his chest and raising his head, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Your subordinate is here!"

His shout was as loud as a bell, making the beams of the palace vibrate.

The group, who had been drowsy, instantly perked up and turned to look at him, their eyes screaming, "Are you crazy?"

Several civil officials in the front row secretly turned around, trying to suppress their laughter. Their shoulders twitched, and they almost couldn't hold it in.

Even Shen Wansan stopped, looking at Yuchi Gong with a blank expression, wondering which of his words had offended him.

Yuchi Gong also realized what was happening, and his old face turned red, a deep red like a ripe mulberry.

He quickly shut up, stood up straight, looked straight ahead, and pretended nothing had happened, but inside he was so embarrassed that he was digging his toes into the ground, almost digging a basement out of there.

Qin Qiong stood to the side, rubbing her forehead, pretending not to recognize him, turning her face to the side, silently thinking: I don't know this guy, I don't know him.

Liu Ce, who was on the dragon throne, was flipping through memorials when he was almost amused by him. He quickly coughed to suppress his laughter.

That Yuchi Gong is a real character; he can always get into some kind of trouble.

He waved his hand, signaling Shen Wansan to continue reading and ignore this matter.

Shen Wansan nodded, cleared his throat, and continued reading the accounts. The people below seemed much more alert, and no one dozed off anymore.

In fact, Liu Ce's mind wasn't entirely focused on money and supplies.

The construction of the Zhaoji Pavilion has been underway for almost a year. According to the progress report submitted by the Ministry of Works last month, it should be completed in about ten days.

He was pondering whether he should send someone to the construction site after the court session to inquire, just in case something went wrong and delayed the construction schedule.

Just then, I heard hurried footsteps outside the hall, as if they were riding on wheels of fire.

Immediately afterwards, a eunuch announced in a high-pitched voice, his tone filled with joy:

"Your Majesty, Minister of Works Song Yingxing requests an audience, saying he has important matters to report."

Everyone in the hall instantly perked up.

Everyone turned to look at the palace entrance, even the half-asleep Yuchi Gong stared wide-eyed, all sleepiness gone.

Minister Song came personally, and it was extremely urgent, so it must be something important!

Has something happened somewhere? Or has there been some new invention?

Minister of Works Song Yingxing strode in, his face flushed and his head covered in sweat, which he didn't bother to wipe away, clearly having run all the way here.

He bowed deeply to the throne, his voice trembling with barely suppressed excitement:

"Your Majesty! Great news! Zhaoji Pavilion... Zhaoji Pavilion is completed!"

All the work was finished, everything was cleaned up, the paintings were completely dry, and even the copper bells on the eaves were tested and sounded very clearly!

We await His Majesty's inspection!

"Wow!" Liu Ce slammed the memorial shut, stood up abruptly, his eyes lighting up.

"So fast? Is it really all finished? You didn't cut corners, did you?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you!" Minister Song, having caught his breath, stood ramrod straight and patted his chest in assurance.

"The main pavilion, platform, square, and side halls are all finished. The beams and pillars are all made of century-old nanmu wood, the glazed tiles are all made in the official kiln, and the paintings are all done by the best painters."

I personally supervised the construction and inspected every step of the process. It is absolutely sturdy and guaranteed to last for hundreds of years without any problems!

"Good! Good! Good!" Liu Ce exclaimed three times, full of enthusiasm, and waved his hand.

"Don't just stand there, come with me out of the palace! I want to see what kind of treasure your Ministry of Works has built after a year of hard work."

"Let's go now! Let's postpone the temporary court assembly until we've seen everything!"

His Highness and his ministers were taken aback at first, then erupted into a commotion.

No one expected that they could leave the palace to visit the Hall of Meritorious Officials halfway through the court session. Everyone was surprised and delighted, as if they had suddenly been given a holiday.

Everyone quickly straightened their clothes and followed the imperial carriage southwards, forming a very long procession.

On the imperial road, where people usually behaved themselves and dared not speak when they went out to inspect the palace, today they were gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves, with a constant buzzing sound.

"Old Song is really something. He says one year and he does it exactly the same time, not a day off."

"How could he refuse? His Majesty asks about the progress every few days. How could he dare to slack off? He'd lose his job."

"I heard it's built to be very grand, much bigger than the Qilin Pavilion. I wonder what it's like inside."

The group of military officers was the most lively, like a bunch of children just out of school.

Zhang Fei huddled close to Guan Yu, his booming voice impossible to suppress, spittle flying everywhere:

"Second brother, second brother, do you think we'll be in the first batch of portraits once this pavilion is built?"

I was thinking, we've been following our elder brother since the uprising in Zhuo County, fighting in the north and south without missing a single hard battle, so surely we should be one of them, right?

When the time comes to paint my portrait, I need to ask the artist to make my eighteen-foot spear look more imposing, not too short, otherwise it will look less powerful!

And my beard needs to be drawn thicker, to look imposing!

Guan Yu glanced at him sideways, slowly stroking his long beard, his tone calm yet tinged with arrogance:

"Think back to when you were drunk and missed your shift a few months ago. You were lucky you weren't punished by your elder brother. You were even thinking of being among the first to join the cabinet."

If you're selected, it'll be based on your war merits, not on how long your beard is.

Zhang Fei immediately became anxious, his eyes widening: "That was an accident! I just had a couple more drinks. Besides, my brother already fined me three months' salary. Do you think he'd bring up old grievances?"

Merits and demerits can offset each other! All my military achievements can't even outweigh one missed shift?

Xu Da, who was in front, heard this, turned around, and added with a smile, speaking slowly:

"Entry into the cabinet is based on accumulated merits, but even more so on dignified conduct. If you dare to storm into the military camp and cause trouble while drunk, forget about getting into the cabinet; your portrait might even be hung on the city gate tower as a negative example."

This serves as a warning to future generations; in a way, it's contributing something in the long run.

"Hey Tiande, why are you teasing me too!" Zhang Fei grumbled, clearly annoyed.

"I changed a long time ago, I hardly drink anymore! You can ask my second brother if you don't believe me!"

Guan Yu ignored him, staring straight ahead, as if to say, "I don't know this guy."

Zhang Fei chuckled, scratched his head, and remained silent, but the anticipation in his eyes was impossible to hide. His steps were lighter than usual, as if he were walking on clouds.