Emperor Hui looked at the Duke of Yingguo kneeling and begging for an imperial decree, and asked, "How old is Miss Li this year?"

"Your Majesty, my younger sister is nineteen years old this year (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning)." The Duke of Yingguo said somewhat ashamedly, "My sister was engaged to the Second Young Master Jiang, but our parents passed away one after another, and my sister was in mourning. The Second Young Master Jiang couldn't wait and married someone else..."

"I've heard that Miss Li and Xie Zhaozhao have a close relationship?"

The Duke of England, unaware of Emperor Hui's meaning, was filled with regret and could only resign himself to nodding, "Yes, they were indeed on good terms before."

Emperor Hui said after a long pause, "Jingchen's princess consort and concubine have not yet been decided. If you are interested, please send Miss Li's portrait to the palace eunuch department for selection."

The British Duke now feels an unspeakable shame.

Judging from His Majesty's words, neither the Princess Consort nor the Concubine intends to give it to his younger sister!

To become a noble concubine?

Even a lowly concubine?

The Duke of England returned to his residence in a daze. His wife greeted him and, seeing his grim expression, asked, "His Majesty has refused?"

The Duke of England repeated Emperor Hui's words.

The Duchess of England gritted her teeth and said, "My lord, don't accuse me of being heartless. My sister's marriage cannot be delayed any longer."

She quickly surveyed all the powerful and influential people in the capital, screened all the eligible men in the city, and then summoned a famous matchmaker to select a few suitable men for marriage.

The first choice is Gu Zheng, the Earl of Pingyang. Although his family background is not as good as that of the Duke of Yingguo, the relationships within the family are extremely simple. He was the mistress in the past and had raised Zhou Shaoyu. His future is full of possibilities.

The second choice is Liu Mingdong, the third son of the Liu family, a prominent clan. He is the younger brother of Zhang Yanyan's husband and currently serves as a military commander in the outskirts of the capital. He is Zhang Yanyan's sister-in-law and they support each other.

There was also Zhou Lingyin, the second grandson of Prince Jing, who was Li Yunmu's childhood friend.

No matter how good Li Ranran's conditions are, the fact that she is still unmarried at the age of nineteen is a major flaw.

The Duchess of England said to Li Ranran, "After careful consideration, your brother and I have selected these three candidates. We are a century-old Duke's mansion, and our eldest daughter would rather be a wife from a humble family than a concubine from a high-ranking one. Sister, you must understand your brother's good intentions."

Li Ranran wiped away her tears and said, "Zhaozhao is gone, I want to take care of Prince Heng."

“But they don’t need it!” the Duchess of England said cruelly. “Sister, Miss Xie and Prince Jingchen have a deep affection for each other. Their separation is out of necessity.”

Li Ranran looked at her, and her tears stopped.

"If His Highness Jingchen falls in love with someone else right away, how can you entrust your life to such a person? If he only has Miss Xie in his heart, you will only be a decoration if you marry him. Over time, you will definitely hate him."

Your relationship with Miss Xie will be ruined. You'll be criticized by others, accused of having designs on your best friend's man, and even worse things will be said. Sister, a woman's reputation is the most important thing in her life.

Li Ranran's tears flowed again, and she said, "Then let's choose the Earl of Pingyang!"

What she really wanted to say was that she genuinely liked Zhou Shaoyu, and she didn't care what others said...

Although Gu Zheng is an uncle, he is still born out of wedlock, so marrying Li Ranran is like a windfall.

The marriage was quickly arranged.

While the selection of concubines was in full swing in the palace, Zhou Shaoyu stayed at Qingpu Garden to recuperate from his injuries and raise his child, neither attending court nor going out.

Choosing a concubine?

What does this have to do with me?

Hua Zisheng, the chief eunuch, selected the candidates after two rounds of preliminary selection, organized them, and took Xiu Ning to Qingpu Garden.

When he left the palace, he said to Emperor Hui, "Your Majesty has done a good thing, but it is Your Highness who will be in charge of the daily life. The list of candidates for the imperial concubine selection must be reviewed by Your Highness personally."

Emperor Hui didn't care. He just wanted to send these women to Qingpu Garden as soon as possible. Women, once they're entangled, they won't be able to let go.

Once a woman makes Jingchen break his vow, Jingchen will overcome his inner hurdle and forget about Xie Shi, and things will be over soon.

Xiu Ning followed Hua Zisheng, and the two quietly arrived at Qingpu Garden.

Hua Zisheng whispered to him on the way, "When you get to His Highness, don't try to be clever. Choosing a concubine? What a load of rubbish! His Highness only has Miss Xie in his heart."

Xiu Ning was shocked and asked in a low voice, "What about His Majesty?"

"Just keep dragging it out!"

When the master and apprentice arrived at Qingpu Garden, they explained their purpose, and Nanxing welcomed them inside.

Zhou Shaoyu was holding Zhou Qiheng while reading.

Hua Zisheng wanted to laugh, but couldn't. How could he teach a baby who was less than two months old about governing the country?

Zhou Shaoyu told him to sit down, handed the child to Aunt Chai to take out, and asked with a smile, "What are your orders, Steward Hua?"

Hua Zisheng said with a smile, "The list of candidates for the imperial concubine selection has been compiled. I think they are all from noble families, so I wanted to tell Your Highness: these women are all here for Your Highness. Once they are selected, His Majesty will issue an imperial decree, and whether Your Highness accepts it or not, they will all be Your Highness's women. Even if you don't touch them, when the Princess returns, seeing these women will definitely cause her trouble!"

Xiu Ning listened without even lifting her eyelids, thinking to herself: Master, is this how you send the selection list to His Highness?

"Everything else is fine, but the choice of this princess is that she is Consort Jing's niece," Hua Zisheng reminded her.

"What Steward Hua says is true. I'll take a look at the list and go to the palace to express my gratitude in a couple of days."

Zhou Shaoyu's words reassured Hua Zisheng.

Back in the palace, Emperor Hui asked how it went, whether Jingchen liked the noble ladies.

Hua Zisheng said, "His Highness is very pleased. He will attend court these next few days to personally express his gratitude."

Emperor Hui snorted coldly, "What man doesn't like beautiful women?"

Even if you are not tempted by beauty, as long as the imperial decree grants you marriage and the principal wife and concubines are listed in the imperial register, they will be yours.

The next day, Nanxing and Dongyue carried Zhou Shaoyu to the imperial court.

Emperor Hui was discussing the escape of the Xie clan with his officials.

"Have the Xie family members been found?" Emperor Hui asked.

Leng Luo reported: "The Imperial City Guard has found out that on that night, someone witnessed a large number of carriages heading east overnight."

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