"Are you a concubine of Chuxiu Palace?" Xia Zhengqi looked a little surprised.
This woman dressed as a palace maid calls herself a concubine and says she is from Chuxiu Palace, so she is clearly a concubine.
In Daxia, a selection was held every three or six years, and those who were successfully selected were called Cai Nu.
Cai Nu was the lowest-ranking concubine.
They were arranged to live in Chuxiu Palace.
The emperor would recruit them based on his own preferences, and those who were recruited and won the emperor's favor would be promoted.
If she is not favored by the emperor, she will stay in Chuxiu Palace as a concubine until she dies of old age.
The reason why Xia Zhengqi was surprised was that he didn't remember there was such a concubine at all.
"I am Lin Qingqing, a concubine from Chuxiu Palace," the woman said softly.
[I see.] Xia Miaoyuan said with a look of sudden enlightenment.
[She must have lived in the Chuxiu Palace, unable to even see the Emperor. To try and win, she bribed the eunuchs in the Qianqing Palace and pulled off this act.]
[Ah! It's quite tragic to think about it. Since ancient times, throughout the dynasties, how many women have been selected to enter the palace, but they can't even see the emperor, and can only watch their faces age.]
[So what if she met the emperor? If she couldn't become his favorite concubine, she would still be a widow in her own palace.]
Xia Zhengqi felt his heart tighten.
I didn't expect that my precious daughter, who was like a fairy from heaven, had such profound ideas at such a young age.
As the emperor of Daxia, he just thought the selection was annoying, but he never thought about it from a woman's perspective.
"You go down first." Xia Zhengqi said lightly.
The courtesan named Lin Qingqing immediately retreated with her waist twisted.
The dumplings on the fifth night of the New Year were eaten like this.
The concubines greeted Xia Zhengqi and took their leave. The queen also wanted to take her daughter back to Kunning Palace, but Xia Zhengqi held her back.
"Ruoyu, wait a minute."
Xia Zhengqi pulled the queen and her daughter into the sedan chair and said, "I want you to accompany me to a place."
The sedan chair arrived at the gate of Chuxiu Palace and stopped.
The emperor and empress suddenly appeared in Chuxiu Palace with the little princess, which immediately caused a sensation in Chuxiu Palace.
Chuxiu Palace is like a collective dormitory, covering a large area and having many rooms.
There were more than thirty courtesans living there.
The court ladies put down what they were holding, came before the emperor and empress, and bowed respectfully.
"Wow, there are so many! There's a whole class!" Xia Miaoyuan looked at the kneeling courtesans curiously.
I saw that they were all young, most of them were no more than twenty years old, and all of them were as beautiful as flowers.
[They're all so beautiful. It's a shame to have them just stay here!]
[However, if the Emperor father is allowed to receive all the benefits, I’m afraid his body won’t be able to withstand it!] Xia Miaoyuan glanced at Xia Zhengqi worriedly.
Xia Zhengqi: ...
Queen: Do you think your mother isn't busy enough? If over thirty court ladies are appointed as concubines, I'll be too busy just trying to mediate the conflicts every day.
Xia Zhengqi ordered everyone to stand up and glanced around indifferently. He found that he had no impression of any of these concubines.
The Queen looked at Xia Zhengqi's expression and guessed something. She walked over to Xia Zhengqi and whispered, "It's normal that Your Majesty doesn't remember them. Most of them were selected two years ago."
"At that time, the Empress Dowager urged you to quickly marry them and expand Daxia's family lineage, but you said you had no interest in it and just kept giving her the cold shoulder..."
Xia Zhengqi slapped his head. That's right, I almost forgot.
More than thirty court ladies stared at Xia Zhengqi eagerly, as if they were looking at their own future.
The moment Xia Zhengqi met their gaze, he felt a chill on his back and quickly looked away.
The Queen smiled mischievously and said teasingly, "Look how pitiful they are. Why don't you choose one a day?"
Xia Zhengqi looked disgusted and said in a low voice: "I still want to live a few more years!"
That night, Xia Zhengqi issued an edict, abolishing the tradition of holding the imperial selection every three years. The specific time of the selection would be arranged by the emperor himself.
All the concubines in Chuxiu Palace were released from the palace, gained freedom and were allowed to marry on their own.
In addition, if the concubines in the harem who have no children wish, they can dissolve their marriage with the emperor and live outside the palace, and the emperor will no longer interfere.
As soon as this imperial edict came out, the concubines in Chuxiu Palace were in an uproar, and the entire palace was discussing Emperor Mingxi's enlightened approach.
…
Kunning Palace.
Xia Miaoyuan excitedly hugged Xiaojuzi and pulled Maomao to sit next to him, forcing them to listen to his stories.
She spoke in a baby voice, speaking long sentences with great effort.
I never thought learning to speak would be so difficult after being reborn as a human.
"But no matter how difficult it is, I have to practice. I have to master it as soon as possible, otherwise how can I tell Daddy and Mommy this important information?"
"Once upon a time, there was a princess. She was so beautiful..."
Little Orange struggled to free his claws from Xia Miaoyuan's arms and tried to struggle out.
"Listen carefully...this princess will tell you a story..." Xia Miaoyuan adjusted Little Orange's posture and said fiercely.
Maomao rolled his eyes helplessly and lay on the ground resignedly.
The queen looked at her daughter quietly and found it funny. She turned her head and glanced at Xia Zhengqi who was sitting on the armchair drinking tea, only to find that he looked sad.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" the Queen asked softly.
She found that ever since eating dumplings on the fifth day of the New Year, Xia Zhengqi always became dazed and depressed when he was alone.
"The concubines in Chuxiu Palace have been arranged, you don't have to worry anymore." The queen thought that Xia Zhengqi was worried about the concubines.
Xia Zhengqi shook his head: "I'm not worried about that matter, but..."
Xia Zhengqi glanced at his daughter and saw that Xia Miaoyuan was concentrating on playing with the pets. He pulled the queen to his side and whispered in her ear, "A few days ago, I sent secret guards to assassinate Liang Chaozong, but they failed. Could he really be the chosen one?"
The queen's eyes widened in shock.
Xia Zhengqi sighed: "I really can't figure it out!"
The queen immediately understood Xia Zhengqi's concerns.
"Why not ask the Imperial Master for advice?"
Xia Zhengqi's eyes lit up: "Ruoyu, do you also think we should consult the Imperial Master?"
The queen smiled sweetly and nodded.
The Empress knew Emperor Mingxi well. He was a soft-hearted man, often hesitant. In reality, he had already considered seeking the Imperial Preceptor, but was hesitant. Her suggestion to him was merely to help him make a decision.
That day, Xia Zhengqi sent someone out of the palace.
Before dawn the next day, the messenger drove a carriage and took the imperial teacher Bian Wuji, whose hair and beard were completely white, to the Qianqing Palace.
Bian Wuji’s long flowing white hair was now disheveled, and his originally elegant long runners were now wrinkled.
The old man looked down at his own miserable appearance and sighed helplessly.
"Oh my, every time you come to pick me up, you're always in a hurry. My image is about to be ruined."
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