Wu Gan snorted coldly, knowing that the Empress was just being opportunistic or trying to save face.
"That's right, Lord Wu is right. Although the national treasury is tight right now, the selection of concubines must continue. Nothing is more important than producing offspring for the royal family."
"Indeed, Your Majesty, we beg your permission to select a concubine!"
This has caused quite a stir, as many ministers have brought up the old issue again, directly bringing up the matter of selecting imperial concubines once more.
Ministers with daughters of marriageable age were even more enthusiastic, while the young women here were all shyly bowing their heads, some even glancing secretly at the emperor on the high throne not far away.
Then they quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look openly; being able to steal a glance was already the limit.
The ladies there also looked uneasy. They didn't necessarily want their daughters to enter the palace as empress; they would be happy if their daughters could become concubines.
After all, there is only one empress, but there are many concubines.
As for the current Empress Han Luoxue, in their eyes, an empress without power or influence would certainly not live long in the palace, and might die at any time.
They pose no threat whatsoever to them.
As for the two children, that's even less of a concern. Without their mother's protection, how long can such infants survive? Isn't it all a matter of luck?
Hearing the chatter below, Han Luoxue suddenly realized that the palace in this imperial palace was completely different from what she had imagined.
She thought that palaces were very solemn places, with the emperor, empress, and empress dowager present, and everyone would be trembling with fear, not daring to even breathe loudly. However, the current situation was that these people were much more lively than she had imagined.
Han Luoxue wasn't in a hurry, and listened to their discussions below.
Ouyang Zhen turned his head, his eyes filled with doubt. He remembered that Han Luoxue had once said that if he dared to have another woman, she would quietly leave him and go somewhere he could not find her.
Why would Xue'er agree to let him take a concubine today?
"Xue'er, they can't do anything about that unless I agree!"
Ouyang Zhen explained in a low voice, and Han Luoxue smiled, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "If you don't agree, they can't do anything about it, but they'll still bring it up again and again to bother you, won't they?"
Ouyang Zhen did not refute this statement, because it was indeed the truth.
Even when he was still the crown prince, these people started plotting against him.
And not just one or two. Isn't it because his Xue'er has no powerful backing that they can bully her so brazenly? But they don't believe that Ouyang Zhen is Han Luoxue's backer. As long as he's around, no one can bully his woman.
"My rule can solve this problem once and for all!"
"It's not that we didn't give them a chance, it's that they couldn't seize it themselves, so we can't blame them for that, can we?"
Ouyang Zhen was still puzzled, but he believed that Han Luoxue was not someone who spoke without reason.
"Alright, go ahead and do whatever you want! Even if you cause a huge disaster, I'll protect you!"
Ouyang Zhen looked at her with doting eyes, which warmed Han Luoxue's heart. She winked playfully at Ouyang Zhen and asked, "Can you handle it?"
"Absolutely no problem!"
The Empress Dowager, seeing how well the two got along, was filled with joy.
Although she didn't understand what Han Luoxue had just said, her impression of Han Luoxue improved even more.
Not backing down when faced with challenges—that's an attitude that most people can't achieve.
She was even more curious about how to combine the national treasury and the selection of imperial concubines into a single solution.
She had just thought of everything, but it seemed she couldn't find a solution.
"Your Majesty, there is something I do not understand..."
At this moment, the girl in red stood up with a graceful smile on her face and her posture was extremely proper. It was clear that she was a very independent and well-mannered girl.
"you say?"
"You just mentioned that replenishing the national treasury and selecting imperial concubines could be combined to solve the problem. I am truly foolish and do not know Your Majesty's solution. May Your Majesty explain it to me?"
As expected, this was the question everyone was asking. Han Luoxue had been waiting for them to ask. Hearing this, she smiled slightly and said, "It's very simple. Since you all want to enter the palace as concubines and have children for the royal family, you must also want to help the Emperor solve his difficulties, right?"
"I believe it is my duty to produce heirs for the royal family. Of course, it is not enough for me to do it alone. I can make the decision to select consorts for the Emperor. However, there must be standards for selecting consorts. I do not know what the standards were in the past, but now, there is indeed one!"
Everyone was instantly excited when they heard that Han Luoxue was going to personally help the Emperor choose his concubines.
Especially the women of marriageable age, who were very attentive.
"Your Majesty, what are the standards?"
"It's very simple, it's about helping the Emperor solve the national treasury problem."
"Currently, the national treasury is short of money and food. Any kind of food can be counted. If you are planning to enter the palace as concubines, you can come here to register. The time limit is half a month. The assessment standard will be based on the money and food raised."
Han Luoxue revealed an extremely bright smile, which stunned all the women present.
What did they just hear? What did Her Majesty the Empress mean?
In the past, when a girl from a family entered the palace, her maternal clan would receive rewards, and those rewards were quite substantial.
But now? The Empress's idea is that they send their own girls of marriageable age into the palace, and they have to prepare their own money and provisions.
As for how much to prepare, the Empress did not say much.
However, the method of selecting concubines was still somewhat unacceptable to many people.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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