As soon as the decree was issued, the former Minister of Personnel Li Wei was already paralyzed on the ground, and it was too late to regret.
The few ministers who had just followed the trend and proposed the selection of beauties now fell silent and dared not speak out again.
The position of the Minister of Personnel is a third-rank official, a powerful position in charge of official assessment and promotion. Even such a minister was dismissed by the emperor, which shows how dissatisfied the emperor was with the selection of talents.
Prince Ning heaved a sigh of relief, and looking at Li Ruo's tearful face, he suddenly became energetic.
"Hey, Lord Li, why do you look so unhappy? The emperor is considerate of your young children and has specially allowed you to return home and have children. Instead of thanking the emperor for his wisdom, why do you look so reluctant?"
When Li Ruo heard this, he was afraid of being charged with disrespect again, so he could only pull the corners of his mouth with difficulty and kowtow to express his gratitude.
When Prince Ning saw that he was half crying, he felt relieved. But he still felt it was not enough and continued to argue.
"The late emperor's body is still warm, and you are urging His Majesty to select the best. Isn't this putting His Majesty in an unfilial position?"
His Highness's ministers all twitched their lips.
This is ridiculous. The late emperor has passed away half a year ago, and his body is still warm. According to the rules, Your Majesty can choose a concubine three months after the late emperor's death.
But Prince Ning was so strict about filial piety that they really didn't know what to say.
Prince Ning glared at the few people who had just stepped out and said with a sneer,
"What about those gentlemen who just proposed the selection? Since they are so concerned about the affairs of the harem, why don't they resign and go home to have children, so that His Majesty won't have to reward them one by one?"
Those ministers all pretended to be dead, but they were suffering in their hearts.
They thought that His Majesty would follow the custom and take a concubine, but he did not bring it up because of the Ning Wangfu. They also wanted to share the worries of His Majesty, so they took the initiative to present the matter of selecting a concubine.
Unexpectedly, not only did he displease the emperor, but he also offended the troublemaker Prince Ning.
Some ministers who were not happy with this group of people who wanted to rise to power through nepotism were actually gloating over their misfortune.
As long as Prince Ning is not criticizing himself, others still feel good when they hear him speak.
This first-rank prince who holds a large number of troops speaks with a strong voice, and he is also the father-in-law of the emperor. Who told them to try to steal his daughter? Now they can only listen to the whims of Prince Ning.
However, the ministers with discerning eyes buried their heads even lower.
The emperor is probably not unwilling to select beauties at this moment, but simply does not want anyone to enter his harem.
Moreover, if I remember correctly, the Minister of Personnel who was acting as the Shangshu was promoted by the emperor himself after he ascended the throne...
King Ning here outputted a burst of energy and instantly felt refreshed.
After he felt comfortable, he leaned over to apologize to Su Bi, "I was disrespectful in front of the palace and said a few extra words. Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Su Bi sat up straight and raised her hand to ask him to stand up.
"That's fine. Prince Ning is right."
After saying this, he glanced around seriously.
"Are there any of you who would like to resign early?"
Your Highness was silent.
Su Bi smiled gently at Prince Ning, then spoke,
"Very good, since no one brings it up again, let's adjourn the court."
From beginning to end, he never expressed any opinion on the selection of candidates, neither expressing support nor strong opposition. It was as if no court official had ever mentioned the matter and he completely ignored it.
However, he dismissed the person who proposed it, and the reason was also a gift rather than a punishment. This made those who wanted to meddle in the affairs of the harem feel like they had hit a cotton ball with a punch, and they could only wait and see for a while.
After the court session, Su Bi went straight to the bedroom.
It didn't take long for Ning Xihua to learn that a minister had nominated a talented person at the court meeting.
The young eunuch under Chang Yi ran much faster than Su Bi who rushed over.
Song Yi beside her looked worried, but Ning Xihua was still cracking melon seeds calmly.
"Madam, aren't you worried at all?"
Ning Xihua said as she threw the melon seed shells in her hand.
"Is my worry useful?"
If a man changes his mind, ten oxen can't pull him back.
Besides, Su Bi only promised her. Even if a man's promise is worthless, it shouldn't break after just one year, right?
She thought to herself that she wasn't that bad, right? There was no need to lose confidence in the two of them.
When Su Bi saw Ning Xihua, she was lying on the couch, spitting out melon seed shells with a relaxed look on her face, without showing anything unusual.
He also squeezed onto the couch, hugged her waist tightly, and pressed his whole body against her.
"Not angry?"
Ning Xihua glanced at him, stuffed the uncracked melon seeds in her hand into his palm, and raised her chin to signal him to help peel them.
"Why should I be angry? It's you who are under a lot of pressure."
Su Bi peeled the melon seeds for her seriously, and didn't think there was anything wrong with an emperor being ordered to do such trivial serving tasks.
"Thanks to my father-in-law's help, I didn't let those old guys bully me."
He said this as if he was dismissed from his position because of a disagreement.
Although Ning Xihua knew that he was being naughty, she was still a little hesitant.
"Would it be better to have a child..."
If he had a child, those ministers would not use the issue of offspring to put pressure on him.
Su Bi put the peeled melon seeds in her hand and bent down to kiss her cheek.
"Don't think too much. I promised you. And I really don't want another kid to snatch you from me now."
Ning Xihua was reminded of the time when they got married when she heard this.
She was only 18 years old, which was just an adult in modern society. She felt that she had not grown up yet, and she could not accept that she had suddenly become a mother and had to raise a new life.
So she tried to discuss with Su Bi that she didn't want to have children for two or three years, and she wanted to be well prepared before getting pregnant.
Ning Xihua knew that this was somewhat unorthodox for people in the feudal dynasty who attached great importance to offspring, not to mention that her husband was born into the royal family, so offspring were even more important.
But she somehow felt that Su Bi would understand her, understand her fears and worries.
Sure enough, Su Bi agreed immediately.
When she asked him if he thought she was selfish, Su Bi said,
"I am the selfish one."
At that time he looked into her eyes seriously and sighed.
"Giving birth to a woman is like stepping into the gates of hell. I don't want you to take any risks. I also don't want your attention to be diverted by anyone. I want you to only look at me."
Ning Xihua was still immersed in her memories. Su Bi saw her in a daze and did not disturb her. She just lowered her head and said softly,
"If I didn't want to deprive you of your right to be a mother, I would like to spend the rest of my life with just the two of us."
The sound is as light as catkins, drifting away in the wind.
But Ning Xihua was brought back to her senses by these words.
"What about offspring? You are an emperor, you cannot be without offspring."
Su Bi, however, disagreed.
"To be honest, I don't care much about offspring, and I don't care who the throne is passed on to after I die, as long as it's not a stupid person."
He pondered for a moment, looked up at her, and said seriously,
"We can choose a child from the royal family to raise, if you are not particularly interested in getting pregnant."
Ning Xihua was stunned for a while, and she suddenly realized that Su Bi was really seriously considering the situation if she didn't want to have children in her life.
Moreover, it seemed that he really didn't want her to risk her life just to give him a biological child.
It seemed as if so-called offspring were not even one ten-thousandth as important as her.
Ning Xihua suddenly rushed towards him.
She pressed him under her body, hugged his neck, and the light in her eyes was bright and dazzling.
All kinds of complicated emotions surged in my heart, and in the end, all I could say became just a childish sentence.
"You are so nice, sir!"
She even laughed after she finished speaking.
Su Bi held her waist with one hand to prevent her from falling, and touched her forehead with the other hand.
"You."
The ending tone is soft and gentle, and the love immersed in the doting tone is hidden nowhere.
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