Chapter 108: The Selection of the Crown Prince She worked overtime for three consecutive days...

She worked overtime for three consecutive days and arranged everything for the next half month. On the fourth day, she took Lingzhuzi to the current capital of Shang, Bi.

The 13th king of the Shang Dynasty, Zu Yi, was in power at this time. Since he came to power, he had moved the capital twice. Unfortunately, not long after each move, floods occurred in the area, forcing him to move the capital again.

But Zu Yi was actually a very capable king. After he came to power, he set about improving the official system and clarifying the responsibilities of officials at all levels so that they could not shirk their responsibilities.

From then on, as long as the monarch could remain stable, officials would perform their duties faithfully, which greatly improved administrative efficiency and strengthened centralization of power.

He also changed his emphasis on commerce and began to pay attention to agricultural development. He built water conservancy projects in various places and personally practiced and guided agricultural production.

The development of water conservancy projects inevitably requires the movement of water veins. Wherever he moved the capital, there were floods. This might not be because the large-scale development of water conservancy projects offended the water demon god.

Fu Li dared to do that in Shu because he had someone to rely on. Ji Meng, who was invited to preside over the incident, was the king among monsters. All water monsters, big and small, could only surrender at the sight of him. Who would dare to attack?

But Lingzhuzi doesn't care about all of the above.

Among Zu Yi's achievements, what impressed Lingzhuzi was that he vigorously restored the worship of the gods of mountains, rivers, and the country, and rebuilt the Nuwa Temple. He was very serious in the annual worship.

Because of this, Lingzhuzi beat up all the river spirits and water monsters around the shelter and warned them not to make things difficult for Zuyi again.

For those aquatic creatures, they were truly unlucky. They had been living peacefully until a human king altered the river courses. They had only retaliated slightly, and this evil spirit had been attracted.

While Lingzhuzi was dealing with the monsters in the water, Fuli was also secretly observing several direct descendants of Fuyue.

She secretly selected one first, but did not make a decision directly. Instead, she met with the current head of the Dai family and Xiang, whom she had her eyes on.

The Dai clan, descended from Fu Yue, had made their fortune through divination and was highly valued by Zu Yi. They had a portrait passed down from their ancestors, so upon seeing Fu Li, they bowed down and addressed him as "Lord."

Fu Li knew that they were doing well, so she didn't bother asking and just stated her purpose directly.

When the head of the Dai family learned that she wanted to choose a suitable child from her own family to be the crown prince of Shu, he felt so happy that he was almost incoherent. How could he not agree?

Not to mention Xiang who was selected.

Although the Dai family has always passed down the family lineage to women, after so many years of development in Da Shang, it was inevitably influenced by local customs and implemented the system of primogeniture.

Of course, in the matrilineal line, there is no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. For women, all children are their own, and with so many husbands, who can remember the dates of their intercourse?

Therefore, all the children in their family are legitimate. To be precise, their family practices the "eldest daughter inheritance system."

Xiang's mother had four sisters, and in her generation, there were already eight older sisters ahead of her. No matter how the throne was passed, the position of clan leader would never be hers.

No matter how talented she is, she can only be a minor official in the Imperial Observatory in the future and slowly gain experience.

Now there is an opportunity to make a fortune in front of her. If she says she is not tempted, she is fooling herself.

She agreed immediately, and only then did she remember to ask, "Why did the Lord choose me?"

Fu Li didn't keep the secret and gave a direct answer: "Because you are smart enough, honest enough, and know when to advance and when to retreat."

After saying that, he smiled faintly: "It's just that I'm young after all, and still a little unstable."

Seeing Xiang was eager to confess, Fu Li smiled and said soothingly: "But you are still young. After a few more years of training, you will naturally become more mature."

Xiang was slightly startled and laughed.

=====

After the heir was chosen, Fu Li and Ling Zhuzi did not delay and took Xiang back to Shu directly.

At that time, Xiang was fifteen years old. According to the marriage custom of the Shang nobles at that time, men married at thirty and women at twenty.

The marriage customs in Shu were set by Fu Li. According to the marriage law of the previous life, women should marry at the age of 20 and men at the age of 22.

The age at which the woman got married unexpectedly overlapped in Da Shang and Shu.

After Xiang entered Shu, Fu Li placed her in the court to adapt for three months, and sent out a signal to tell everyone inside and outside the court: This is the crown prince I have chosen for Shu.

Three months later, when everyone had gradually accepted it and Xiang had adapted to the political system of Shu, which was completely different from that of Shang, Fu Li ordered the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to choose an auspicious date, and the Ministry of Rites and the Taichang Temple to formulate etiquette. On the ninth day of the fifth month after Xiang entered Shu, she was officially established as the crown prince.

Now that this major matter has been settled, not only did Fu Li feel relieved, but Ling Zhuzi was also smiling happily. He sincerely hoped that Xiang would quickly learn how to govern so that Fu Li could be free.

Unexpectedly, Xiang fell ill within a few days. Fuli sent a medical officer to treat him, who said it was due to acclimatization.

"Uncomfortable with the climate?" Ling Zhuzi's voice almost broke. "She's been here for more than five months. How could she be uncomfortable with the climate now?"

What were you doing so far?

The doctor said, "Your Majesty, the disease has actually been there from the beginning. The prince has been holding on for the past few months, so it hasn't been exposed. Now that the disease has been relieved, the accumulated symptoms have suddenly erupted, which is why it looks so serious."

Lingzhuzi was speechless, but he already understood in his heart.

Although Fu Li had made it clear from the beginning that she wanted to make her the crown prince, she would not feel at ease until this was done.

Now that the dust has settled, she is of course relieved.

Fu Li walked over to him and, concealed by her sleeve, quietly pinched his fingers to comfort him. She asked the medical officer, "Does it just look serious?"

The doctor said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. His Royal Highness has practiced martial arts since childhood and is in good health. This illness is only temporary. Take the two doses of medicine on time and stabilize your sleep and rest schedule. He will recover soon."

Seeing Fu Li nod, the medical officer continued, "If we can ask a shaman to perform Nuo dance and pray for blessings, it will heal even faster."

Fu Li's eyebrows twitched, and she waved her hand, "Alright, alright, go and write the prescription."

What witch, what Nuo dance?

If she wanted to promote this, why would she have tried so hard to separate witches and doctors?

Seeing that she still hated witches so much, the medical officer did not feel disappointed. He smiled and bowed before taking his leave.

——The king has been disgusted with using witchcraft instead of medicine for a long time, but his ancestors practiced both witchcraft and medicine, and he has studied witchcraft quite a bit in recent years, so he wanted to give it a try when he got the chance.

But the king disagreed, and he had to suppress his thoughts.

Alas, it seems that the witchcraft of their family is about to be completely cut off.

Seeing Ling Zhuzi snorting, Fu Li smiled and cupped his cheeks, first kissing them, then gently pinching them, saying softly, "Okay, don't be angry. She's just a mortal, eating all kinds of grains, so how could she not get sick?"

Ling Zhuzi snorted and said, "She didn't get sick earlier or later, but she got sick right after becoming the crown prince. I always feel like we've been scammed."

Fu Li's eyes rolled, and his tone changed in an instant. He sat down beside Ling Zhuzi and said gloomily, "Speaking of this, I also find it infuriating. Fortunately, our Shu Kingdom is not as superstitious as the Shang Dynasty. Otherwise, if he fell ill right after ascending the throne, I'm afraid everyone in the court would be talking about it."

Seeing her like this, Ling Zhuzi no longer cared about being unhappy. He hugged her and coaxed her, "Didn't the doctor say that she has a good foundation and a strong body? She will be fine after taking two doses of medicine."

Fu Li snuggled in his arms and sighed. The two of them hugged each other quietly for a long time before Fu Li said, "Forget it. It's come to this. There's no point in thinking too much. Let's go see her, lest she get too carried away and become even worse off."

Lingzhuzi nodded and told the eunuchs to prepare the best medicinal herbs. The two of them went to the East Palace to visit Prince Xiang.

Xiang was young and new to the country, and all her family members were far away. She had no one to talk to when things happened, so she was terrified.

She was drinking medicine with the help of a temple servant when she suddenly saw Fu Li and Ling Zhuzi walking in together. She was so frightened that she hurriedly pushed away the temple servant who was feeding her the medicine and was about to jump off the couch to pay her respects.

Fu Li quickly rushed forward and pushed her back. "Hey, kid, why are you panicking? If you're sick, you need to take good care of yourself. Nothing is more important than your health."

Turning around, he saw that half a bowl of medicine had spilled all over the monk. He said softly, "Go down quickly and change your clothes. Have someone bring in another bowl of medicine."

Xiang was pressed down on the bed by her, and her body was subconsciously stiff.

Fu Li's soft, slender hands stroked her back, slowly calming her down before she spoke earnestly, "I know you're afraid, afraid that this illness will disappoint me. But there's no need to be like this."

You are just a mortal, unlike us cultivators. It is normal for you to get sick after suddenly being in a different place. Take good care of yourself. The doctor has said that it is not a serious illness and you will recover soon.

Lingzhuzi didn't like to speak softly to others, so he simply didn't step forward. He just signaled the temple servants to bring forward the boxes of medicinal herbs he had brought.

Fu Li said, "Here are all the finest tonics, and there's also a nourishing prescription, all prepared by the Queen herself for you. You'll understand over time, he just doesn't like to talk to people, but he has a very good heart."

Xiang looked up at Lingzhuzi, who nodded slightly. Although his face was still stern, the aura around him was very peaceful.

After being comforted, Xiang's anxiety disappeared, and she calmed down to rest well. After taking two doses of medicine, she felt much better.

When the prince appeared in the court again, the slight disturbance caused by his illness was immediately quelled.

Next is the time for the ministers to wait and see. They have to first weigh the importance of the prince to see if it is worth them taking sides in advance.

Xiang knew that she was not the king's biological daughter, and there must be many people who secretly disobeyed her.

Therefore, even though she officially became the crown prince, she was not eager to win over anyone. Instead, she calmed down and learned the emperor's mindset from the king, and learned government affairs from the court officials, and remained neither arrogant nor impatient.

For a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl to be able to do this was already quite good. Many of the ministers who were watching nodded silently, approving of the king's vision in selecting an heir.