In the eighteenth year of Hongwu of Ming Taizu, it was an afternoon in summer
Ningdu Lin'an Mansion, the imperial garden of the imperial palace
On the basis of the solid foundation established by Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, the entire Ming Dynasty gradually showed a grand occasion of cultural governance and martial arts.
On a summer afternoon in the eighteenth year of Hongwu, in the imperial garden of the palace of Lin'an Mansion, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to give a banquet to his ministers to show his recognition of their hard work.
On that day, the sun was shining, the breeze was cool, and the flowers in the Imperial Garden were full of flowers and fragrance. The courtiers wore silk robes and various flower tiaras, and each of them had a happy smile on their faces, and walked towards the banquet hall in the imperial garden.
Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the main seat, next to his eldest son and confidant ministers. One of the ministers is particularly eye-catching, that is Liu Bowen, who has both wisdom and strategy, and there is always a little calmness between his eyebrows.
At the beginning of the banquet, in the splendid banquet hall, four dishes and one soup were served. Normally, such a banquet should be sumptuous, but today's banquet is a little simpler. Four dishes and one soup are placed on the table, and it makes people feel extraordinary at first glance.
The four dishes are meaningful: one is steamed fish with the head facing Zhu Yuanzhang, which symbolizes the first place in Chinese tradition, and the second is braised pork, which is often festive in banquets, but the color is unusually pale.
The third is finch meat, but it looks unusually thin, and the fourth is roasted quail, but it is not feathered and its eyes are fixed on everyone. The final soup is even more mysterious, it is a bowl of seemingly ordinary chicken soup with a few cinnamon leaves floating on it.
刘伯温一看这桌菜色，顿时吓得脸色苍白。
He knew that this was not just a meal, but a secret test of the emperor. Liu Bowen saw many ministers flattering or flattering to taste the dishes, knowing that there must be a deep meaning behind this, he looked at each dish carefully, and gradually understood Zhu Yuanzhang's intentions in his heart.
First of all, the steamed fish is headed by the emperor, which is obviously a reminder to the ministers to always take the emperor as the leader, and there must be no two hearts.
Secondly, the braised pork is pale and bloodless, which is a warning to the ministers that even at the peak of power, they cannot forget the difficulties from the grassroots to the country, and they cannot lose their original intentions because of temporary wealth.
As for the thin finch meat, it symbolizes that no matter how high or low the official position is, you must not lose the big because of the small, and you must always be vigilant against the small risks around you.
The roasted quail is not dehaired, and the eyes look directly at the ministers, which means that the emperor's eyes are everywhere, and the ministers are everywhere under the emperor's supervision.
The laurel leaves floating on the last chicken soup are a warning to the ministers, just like this laurel leaf floating on the soup noodles, it seems to be relaxed, but in fact it is heavy, and the status and life of the ministers are the same, the surface is beautiful, but it implies a crisis.
After understanding Zhu Yuanzhang's deep meaning, Liu Bowen stood up and gave a solemn salute to Zhu Yuanzhang, and said softly: "Your Majesty is clever, and the ministers admire it." ”
When the other ministers saw Liu Bowen's actions, they became vigilant and began to examine the feast in front of them, trying to understand the meaning behind it.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw Liu Bowen's reaction and nodded secretly. In fact, he had already planned all this, and he knew that Liu Bowen was the only one who could see through this test, which was the real reason why he used this way to alert and test his courtiers.
At the end of the banquet, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say much, just smiled and retired. The ministers who walked out of the banquet hall were all preoccupied, and the undercurrents behind them were surging.
And Liu Bowen's face once again regained that calm expression like water, but no one knows how many warnings and deep affection have passed through the heart of this wise man.
This unusual banquet has become a good story in the imperial garden, and it also reminds every minister that within the walls of this palace, an invisible test is being experienced all the time.
And Liu Bowen, once again, used his wisdom to win Zhu Yuanzhang's trust and respect.
Zhu Yuanzhang's banquet was not only to test the ministers, but also to let them not forget their original intentions in the midst of wealth and be alert to the tests they may face at any time.
The story behind this feast is still praised by the world, and it has become a legend full of strategy and wisdom.