“The more you try to hide it, the more people will want to see. He is Princess Jiahe’s husband, my brother-in-law. If he’s open and honest, the officials won’t dare to say anything. If they do, I’ll just submit a memorial to His Majesty,” Yan Nangui said.

The Empress Dowager was speechless, only frowning.

"If Mother has nothing else, I'll head back now. I still have a lot to do. It's been windy these past few days, so please take care and wear an extra layer when you go out."

Before the Empress Dowager could react, the Empress had already left some kind words, curtsied, and taken her leave.

"Look at Yan Shi! Look at her! Does she even have any respect for me?" the Empress Dowager roared.

Granny Fei sighed, "Her Majesty the Empress is right. If you are upright, you have nothing to fear. What can outsiders say? You shouldn't worry about these things; they're not important."

The Empress Dowager retorted, "With such an attitude towards me, how can she possibly handle important matters? She doesn't respect me at all!"

Speechless, Granny Fei said, "Then... how about we invite His Majesty down?"

The Empress Dowager fell silent.

What good is it to ask Your Majesty? Your Majesty will side with the Empress.

The Empress Dowager had mentioned this matter before, and His Majesty indeed brought it up again when he came tonight.

He didn't say anything directly, but you could tell he was unhappy.

It's not a nose, and it's not an eye.

Yan Nangui was quite intrigued. After dismissing the servants, she asked, "Today, the Empress Dowager summoned me. She said I shouldn't have invited Princess Jiahe's husband to the palace, saying it wasn't a pleasant thing to say. I told the Empress Dowager that since this is my first private audience since becoming Empress, it wouldn't be appropriate to only see Princess Jiahe."

"Now that Your Majesty is acting this way, I have to tell you the truth. I just wanted to see how that person is doing these days, just for a bit of fun. Judging from Your Majesty's reaction... no way? Jealous?"

"Get out of here. I have so many important matters to worry about every day, how can I care about something as trivial as this?" Shu Chengfeng refused to admit it.

“Your Majesty’s words make a lot of sense.” Yan Nangui nodded and sat on his lap. “I’ve been arranging the imperial concubine selection for you while also worrying about many other things. Finding some amusement shouldn’t be a big deal. I think Your Majesty shouldn’t be angry.”

Shu Chengfeng paused, "Is this for selecting concubines for me? Or isn't it for the imperial family? Isn't it for you?"

If it weren't for the need to establish an empress to maintain a good reputation, who would be chosen this year?

"That's still for you, after all, it's your pleasure to have beautiful women in the palace. If you were to send them to serve me in bed, I..."

Yan Nangui's beak was covered by Shu Chengfeng.

Shu Chengfeng's expression was strange: "Yan Shi, if you say that again, I will believe you."

Yan Nangui's eyes crinkled with laughter, and he nodded to indicate that he would not say anything more.

Shu Chengfeng released her and clicked his tongue: "I think you are... really different from other women. So I believe some of what you say, but don't say anything you shouldn't."

Yan Nangui laughed: "Okay, I'll be careful."

Shu Chengfeng still seemed dissatisfied, so he pulled her inside.

I've been busy lately. Although His Majesty comes often, he hasn't done much.

It's best to do something today.

The Tuotuo people and the officials in charge of trade in Dayan had almost finished their discussions and returned home at the end of February.

Before leaving, Shu Chengfeng asked the princes to accompany him and set out another banquet.

After the Tuotuo people left, the capital city was not deserted at all, because the young ladies from all over the country had gathered there, and they were bound to buy some things.

Shops everywhere were bustling with activity.

Especially those shops selling rouge and face powder, clothing stores, and those selling all kinds of jewelry.

Among the young ladies selected for the imperial harem were many of outstanding status, and it was inevitable that they would acquire a few novel items.

Or perhaps they come from average-income families and dare not buy too much locally, fearing they will fall behind the latest trends in Beijing.

So they came to the capital to make purchases.

After all, Beijing is always the most fashionable city.

In a shop, a shopkeeper was introducing the hairpin: "The style of this hairpin is the same as the one used by the Empress in the palace. Of course, it is not as exquisite as the Empress's. Ours can't match the craftsmanship of the imperial workshops, but it is already very similar."

One of the ladies asked, "How do you know that the Empress's things are like this?"

"Hey, we're not destined to go to the palace, but we have a relative who's a minor official, so we have a chance, don't we?"

Some people believed it, and some people didn't.

One of the young women looked at the hairpin, smiled, and then took her wet nurse and left.

"Miss, the things in this shop are quite nice, didn't you like them?" the nanny asked.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. What kind of official could possibly meet the Empress? If there were such a high-ranking official, would his relative still need to do this kind of business? Besides, the Empress comes from a family of military generals; why would she like something like that?" The hairpin the shopkeeper just introduced was truly exquisite.

But it's too fragmented.

"Besides, if you go to the palace for the imperial concubine selection and wear the same thing as the Empress, are you trying to curry favor or court death?"

The wet nurse was taken aback, then nodded: "You are absolutely right."

This is the legitimate daughter of the governor of Xianyu Prefecture in the southwest.

When the southern border was in turmoil, Xianyu Prefecture suffered. Later, after His Majesty led troops to quell the rebellion, all the officials of Xianyu Prefecture were replaced, and Governor Hua was one of them. He was a loyalist of His Majesty.

Hua Mingzhu was only seventeen years old, with a beautiful face and great intelligence.

On the first day of the month, the young women entered the palace and were selected by the palace matrons. They were then housed in a pavilion between the Longevity Palace and the Ruining Palace.

After ten days, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the first and second-rank imperial concubines will review the documents together.

His Majesty didn't come today, saying he had something to attend to. And indeed, he did have something to attend to.

Therefore, the Empress Dowager presided over the ceremony.

The young women came in groups, introducing their family backgrounds and observing their appearance and demeanor.

Seeing the Empress Dowager's restless hand, Yan Nangui quickly spoke up: "His Majesty has said that the best ones should be kept for this year, and marriages will be bestowed upon the late Emperor's sons. As for His Majesty himself, he has said that only three should be selected to enter the palace."

The Empress Dowager's enthusiasm was dampened.

She didn't care about being the late emperor's son, so she lost interest.

Because the selection is for the late emperor's sons, Consort Fang and Consort Xu are also present today.

Yan Nangui selected two suitable candidates and inquired about their qualifications. Both were officials from other regions, one a third-rank official and the other a fourth-rank official. They were also quite handsome.

Consort Fang and Consort Xu were very satisfied. Yan Nangui then selected two beautiful girls from families without official positions to be the wives of the two princes.

Furthermore, none of His Majesty's three princes have official wives. Yan Nangui considered them, consulted the Empress Dowager, and since the Empress Dowager had no objections, she selected one for each of them.

As for those to remain in the harem, His Majesty would have to issue a decree personally, and the Empress would simply select a range.

However, Yan Nangui was allowed to choose whatever his relatives needed.

What she said was reasonable and well-founded, and no one below disagreed. As for the Empress Dowager, she didn't have much to say anyway.

This reading session ended smoothly.

The next day, based on the list left the day before, His Majesty officially issued an edict to bestow marriages upon his two younger brothers.