[under editing]Transmigration : Wake Up as an Annoying Concubine

10 - Banquet

The banquet that will be held the next day is only an inner-palace banquet. Meaning, only the royal family and highest-ranking officials are invited.

Xiu Ying is clueless about what he should do because he came from the future and he can't recall anything about a banquet in his memories. But for someone with a smart brain, it's not that hard to get the clue in a short time.

Turning to his servant, Xiu Ying asked Jing Yi what he should do. Too many on his need-to-do list, Xiu Ying started the day at 5 am.

Starting from sending an invitation to the guests, deciding on the dishes that will be served, the entertainment and also the decoration of the venue. Empress Dowager Wu Jiaying already sent him around 40 servants to assist him.

Firstly, the guests that will be invited are the Six Ministries which are the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Works. The lords from three departments; the Department of The Palace, Department of Secret Books, and Department of Service are also invited. Li Shizen as the Prime Minister also will attend the banquet.

Next, for the menu, Xiu Ying asked the kitchen to prepare the "Eight Land Delicacies" which includes several precious fowls and mushrooms, the "Eight Sea Delicacies" includes dried sea cucumbers, shark's fin soup, bird's nest and also few other side dishes. The dishes need to be sampled and tested by Xiu Ying before it passes and proceed to be served during the banquet.

Xiu Ying also sent an invitation from a famous troop in the capital to make a performance during the banquet. Other than that, an eye-opener for the perverted old ministers, which is a dancing performance by gisaengs also will be included because Xiu Ying knows well what those ministers desired. The last performance is a sword dance by the military members.

The decoration is not too grand like a wedding banquet but also not too simple. With the help of the eunuchs, Xiu Ying feels better. He doesn't want to mess up anything especially with seating arrangements. One tiny mistake could lead to a bigger problem, not only for him but for his father too.

Running here and there might be normal for Mo Xiu Ying as he used to pull a night shifter when he worked at the hospital but his current body is now a bit weaker than his old body, so he feels quite exhausted. The only thing that kept him going strong is to see the disappointment in the emperor's face when he managed to do an excellent job.

Looking from aside, Wu Zhang Wei's lips curve upwards. Chief of Eunuch, Qiu Li Jie, frowns when he sees the emperor leisurely walking around the palace but more like....follow around Xiu Ying.

Li Jie thought the emperor just wanted to supervise the progress of the preparation but Wu Zhang Wei only watched from afar then smiled to himself.

Xiu Ying got to eat at dinner after his first meal during 5 am breakfast. He didn't even have time for lunch. After a refreshing soak in a warm bath, Xiu Ying quickly finished his dinner then directly turned in for the night as he got an earlier start tomorrow.

.....

The banquet that is held in the main hall goes on from afternoon until evening. It is divided into two parts. During the afternoon, it is more like a formal dining banquet, meanwhile for the evening until early night part, it is more relaxed and informal.

The ministers started to come one after another. They happily greet each other even though sarcasm never left in every word they spit out. Those ministers were led by the servants to their arranged seatings.

When all the ministers have arrived, it's time for the empress dowager and Princes Wu Xiao Qing to enter the main hall, followed by Noble Consort Yu Li Na, Consort Lin Hui Yin, Concubine Wen Qian and lastly, Concubine Li Xiu Ying. All of the ministers stand and greet them.