In the 23rd year of Yongping, the emperor died and passed the throne to his eldest daughter Jiang Cenyun. The following year, the new emperor ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Tianxiang.
In the first year of Tianxiang, the new emperor granted amnesty to the entire nation, reducing taxes and levies. Peace reigned supreme, and the people praised him. Memorials praising his achievements poured in like snowflakes, but there was also an equally abundant number of memorials...
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Urge again! What kind of marriage are you urging!" Jiang Cenyun pushed the pile of memorials on the desk, and the memorials fell to the ground. The palace servants also knelt on the ground. Only Taifu Yao Yi had a natural expression and a steady voice.
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself and do not be angry. Your Majesty's family affairs are also state affairs, and it is the duty of a minister to offer advice."
"It's their duty? Do you dare to say that they have no selfish motives? They are all eager to send their own sons of marriageable age to my bedside." Jiang Cenyun said angrily.
Yao Yi covered her lips with her hands and chuckled. "Didn't Your Majesty, while in the palace, say that he wanted to taste the lips of every noble family member? Now you have finally gotten your wish."
"You're the only one who always makes fun of me." Jiang Cenyun picked up a memorial and tapped Yao Yi's palm. "Forget it, sticking your head out is a knife, and hiding your head is also a knife. Go and tell the Ministry of Rites."
"Yes."
The emperor relented, and the Ministry of Rites immediately set to work. Soon, the preliminary list of candidates for the selection was presented to the emperor. Jiang Cenyun summoned Yao Yi to join the selection process.
"Why did Zheng Sese send her youngest son in? Don't think I don't know that her youngest son is not good at music, chess, calligraphy and painting." Jiang Cenyun took out a piece of paper and threw it aside.
Yao Yi explained, "Her eldest son got married last year, so the only child of marriageable age is his youngest."
"Chu Yinglian... a descendant of the Pingyang Chu family? His portrait is quite attractive, but I've heard that his male descendants have always had short lives, unable to lift or carry anything."
"They are all rumors. The old man of the Chu family is eighty years old this year, and he still curses fiercely in the streets."
"Oh, that's because of bad upbringing. Never mind." Jiang Cenyun pulled out another piece of paper.
The papers she held dwindled, while those carelessly thrown on the ground piled up. Yao Yi frowned, unable to resist saying, "Your Majesty, in previous years, during the emperor's first selections, dozens of good girls entered the palace. If you continue to be so picky, you won't even have enough people to play mahjong with you."
"Alright, alright, then let them all... Hey?" Jiang Cenyun lowered his head and leaned closer to the paper. "Am I seeing this right? Zhuo Huanqing? That fake girl from the Zhuo family who only knows how to wield swords and clubs and still hasn't married yet, even though she's over 20?"
"Ah, how did he get in here? I'll help you get him out."
Yao Yi reached out his hand, but Jiang Cenyun stopped him. "Hey, wait. I want to see what kind of trouble he can stir up if he enters the palace."
"He doesn't know the rules, I'm afraid he might offend you."
"Rules? When have you ever seen me follow the rules? I like people who are unconventional the most." Jiang Cenyun smiled and turned over the paper, looked at the one below, and let out a "hiss".
"Is the Left Prime Minister crazy?"
"What?" Yao Yi leaned forward and exclaimed softly, "He-he presented his own portrait?"
Jiang Cenyun pinched the portrait between his thumb and index finger, held it upright, and examined it carefully in the sunlight. "Am I seeing things? Is it really him?"
Yao Yi pointed with a trembling finger at the small characters below. "Yes, it's written right here. Li Xiwei of the Ruzhou Li family, nicknamed Zhaiyue. It's the Left Prime Minister, no doubt."
"He's my most trusted minister, the only male official in the court. If he were to enter the harem, wouldn't I be drowned in the spit of those censors? No way."
"Then why are you still holding on to the portrait?"
"Old Li has never submitted a portrait of himself. Look at how well he's portrayed his features. They look like they were copied from his face. Maybe he painted it himself. The calligraphy of the most talented man in the Great Zhou is a rare treasure. I must keep it."
"As long as you are happy."
"Old Yao, don't you think the clothes in his portrait look familiar?"
Yao Yi narrowed his eyes, examined it carefully, and shook his head after a moment. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I simply cannot recall."
"He was wearing this flirty purple shirt when he first met me! He had a plain gauze coat over it, and the jade hairpin on his head was a phoenix hairpin, and the phoenix was holding a purple jade bead in its mouth. This fox really pays attention to matching."
"Do you remember what the first words he said to you were?" Yao Yi asked.
"I remember." Jiang Cenyun said with a beaming smile, "Your Highness, Li Xiwei, wishes you well, Princess."
"I have no recollection of what you said."
"You were clearly there! You were teaching me the Book of Songs, and the line I was learning was 'There is a gentleman who is as sharp as a knife, as polished as a jade'. How could you not remember it?" Jiang Cenyun said, pulling Yao Yi's sleeve.
Yao Yi tapped her brow lightly. "That was just an ordinary day for me, nothing to worry about. Your Majesty, it's incredible that you've remembered it for so many years, not missing a single detail. In my opinion, there's no need to hold this selection."
"Um?"
"Just prepare for the coronation ceremony."
"What queen?" Jiang Cenyun asked puzzledly.
"Of course, you'll make Zuo Xiang your empress. Your feelings for him are self-evident; heaven and earth can bear witness to them."
"Nonsense! The Left Prime Minister is my right-hand man, as close as a sister. How could I fall in love with my own sister?"
"Do you still remember our first meeting?"
"I remember," Jiang Cenyun said lazily, his voice drawn out. "The Queen Mother took my hand and placed it in your palm. She told me this was my teacher and told me to study hard under her and not to slack off. You held my hand and said thank you for your majesty's love and respect, and that you would live up to your mission."
"What is the minister wearing?"
"What you were wearing...what you were wearing..." Jiang Cenyun's eyes rolled around for a long time before he said dejectedly, "Okay, I really can't remember. It was too long ago."
"I and Zuo Xiang entered the Eastern Palace in the same year." Yao Yi said expressionlessly.
Jiang Cenyun stood up. "Alright, alright, let them all enter the palace. It's just a preliminary selection, and they won't all stay. I'll review them one by one and then make a decision."
March 18th is a good day for marriages. On this day, the Qianyuan Gate is opened wide, and young men from all families dress up in their finery, competing with each other for beauty and elegance as they enter the palace. Among them, two are particularly eye-catching.
One is Zhuo Huanqing, who has a look on his face that says "I've been unlucky for 800 years to be sent to this place", and the other is Li Xiwei, the left prime minister, who walks leisurely and looks graceful, as if he has become the master of the harem.
The two were old acquaintances, so it was natural for them to come together. Zhuo Huanqing blocked out the sunlight with his hand, a look of sympathy on his face. "Zhaiyue, you were also forced to come here by your family, right? I'd say the Li family is short-sighted. The Great Zhou only has one male minister every eight hundred years, and he holds the position of prime minister. This is a matter of honor for the family, isn't it better than being a concubine?"
"It wasn't forced by the Li family."
"Ah? That's..."
"I want to enter the palace myself."
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