The weather in early spring is still a bit chilly.
But some people in the capital have already been restless.
The position of the Princess of the Eastern Palace remains vacant.
I don’t know how many pairs of eyes are staring at that location.
However, let’s talk about it in detail.
Although the final candidate has not yet been decided, the two whose family backgrounds are worthy of becoming the Crown Princess are: first, Shen Hean, the son of the General Guarding the Nation; second, Si Jiangzhi, the youngest son of the Duke of Liang; and third, Pei Jiusheng, the second legitimate son of the Minister of Personnel.
Shen Hean's mother, the Great General who defended the country, had spent her entire life in the military. But now she is old. Although she still retains the title of a first-rank general, she has long since stopped caring about military affairs and has been recuperating in the capital for many years.
There is a saying that goes "When people leave, the tea gets cold." If one only relied on the prestige of the Great General in the army in the past, Shen Hean's identity would not be able to support the position of the Princess.
But his elder sister, now serving as a second-rank general of chariots and cavalry, is a young talent. In time, she will surely surpass her mother's former glorious military achievements and reach new heights.
Shen Hean was not a son of a general in the traditional sense. His father, Li, was born into a scholarly family in Jiangnan. Therefore, he was brought up to be gentle and virtuous.
Li helped her son straighten his smoky blue undershirt. He grabbed the two ends of the plain satin ribbon with each hand and pulled it hard in opposite directions.
Shen Hean felt like his waist was about to be broken. He frowned and said, "Father, please loosen this corset. I can't breathe."
Li, however, was unconcerned. He fastened the buttons on his corset and said, "The corsets I wore when I was young were countless times more important than the one you're wearing today. Back then, your mother gave up so many famous and noble men in the capital to marry me. What do you think she saw in me? Could it be my humble family background?"
I was able to marry your mother because of her slender waist. It's just that I'm old now, and no matter how I dress up, I can't compare to a young woman in her twenties. You are different. You are in your prime, the age when it is most appropriate to dress up."
Footsteps stopped at the door, and the attendant's crisp voice rang out, "My dear wife, Third Young Master, the carriage is ready. If you are dressed, please get in quickly. You must not miss the time to enter the palace."
Li held Shen Hean's hand and solemnly warned him, "You must remember what your father told you. You must leave a good impression in front of the Lord and the Queen and Her Highness. The selection in late March is not important. The candidates selected at that time are just the lower-ranking servants of the Lord.
The Crown Princess and the Crown Princess Consort were decided before the official selection.
Your only rivals are Si Jiangzhi, the youngest son of the Duke of Liang, and Pei Jiusheng, the son of the Minister of Personnel. You don't need to take anyone else seriously."
Shen Hean knelt slightly and saluted Li, "Yes, father, your son has taken note of it."
Li was still worried. "I can't find out what kind of clothes or colors Her Highness likes. But the Queen prefers dignified and quiet men.
If you really don't know how to please Her Royal Highness, then just serve Her Royal Highness well. Even if you can't become the Princess Royal, the position of Princess Consort is barely acceptable.
But if you end up being reduced to the position of a Third Rank Fourth Lord, that would be a real disgrace. You can just wait to be trampled under the feet of Si Jiangzhi and Pei Jiusheng for the rest of your life."
Shen Hean raised his head, which had been lowered. His hands, hidden under his sleeves, subconsciously clenched into fists. "Father, I will try my best to do my best."
Li squeezed his wrist tightly, "It's not about trying your best, it's about having to."
The servant standing at the door urged again.
Chen Hean turned around and walked with grace and elegance. As he walked, the hairpin on his head stood steady and even. From a distance, the tassels hanging down did not sway even the slightest.
The Eastern Palace has one Princess Consort and two Concubines, under whom are four virtuous and kind Princesses, six noble attendants, and an unlimited number of regular attendants and minor attendants.
Shangguan Xu of the Xuanyou Empire is now ranked as a side lord and has already occupied a position.
He, Si Jiangzhi and Pei Jiusheng were canonized, and their positions could only be the Princess Lord, the Concubine Lord and the Good Lord among the Four Lords respectively. However, their family backgrounds were comparable. As his father said, whoever could only be reduced to the position of the Good Lord would not only be despised, but his family would also be inferior to the other two.
Isn't that extremely embarrassing?
Chen He'an stepped on the back of the kneeling servant and got into the carriage. The heavy carriage curtain was lowered and there was no one else in the carriage. The dignified expression that Chen He'an had maintained all along relaxed, and only then did he hear his own heartbeat, which was beating like a drum.
He was really nervous.
The attendant Tingyu held the bronze mirror in front of him and said, "Young Master, you are dressed very beautifully today. Her Highness will surely be delighted to see you."
Chen Hean looked at himself in the mirror, feeling even more uneasy.
His appearance was considered superior among all the princes and kings in the capital, but if compared with the eldest princess Jun Fu Yichen, he would be asking for trouble.
When his father, Li, was young, he was the best in music, chess, calligraphy and painting in his hometown Jiangliu Town, and was also well-known in the capital. He learned all his talents and poetry from his father. Others could praise him for being proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but he knew his own strengths and weaknesses. It was impossible for him to be the best among the talented people in Kyoto.
Compared with family background, the Duke of Liang's Mansion is a title inherited from ancestors and has more heritage than the General's Mansion.
The Minister of Personnel is also known as the "Tianguan" and his status in the court is no less than that of the Prime Minister.
If his mother still held power, he would be able to suppress the other two young masters.
But everyone knew that others still called his mother "the great general who protects the country", which was just a respectful title for her past achievements.
The so-called three families are equally matched, and the future achievements of his sister Shen Ci are also taken into account.
His mother and father had too high expectations of him.
His mother asked him to spend all his time learning the eight arts for men except for eating and sleeping.
He is not a genius, he is almost driven crazy.
My father used to wear a corset and caught my mother's eye with his frail figure.
So, his father tied his waist to the smallest possible size.
My father thought that in this way, he would be able to win the favor of Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess.
But how could the royal family be the same as ordinary people like them?
He had seen Xue Wu, known as "the most beautiful woman in Zhongdu", at the Qianqiu Festival. She was truly as light as a swallow and full of charm.
But his beauty is just superficial and accumulated through artificial means.
The more Shen Hean thought about it, the more annoyed he became, but he had to control himself and restore his best expression.
Because the carriage has arrived.
…
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