At the same time, in the Imperial Palace, Qionghua Palace.
Concubine Xie was reclining on the couch, just about to take a nap, when Crown Prince Chu Lang came hurriedly, his robe blowing in the wind.
When he entered the palace, he didn't even finish his formalities, and he said in a hurry: "Mother! Chu Qingluan actually wants to hold a piano banquet at Wangyue Lake to select a prince consort. This must not happen!"
When Concubine Xie saw how anxious he was, she sighed and instantly lost her sleepiness.
"What are you panicking about?"
"Those who accomplish things should be modest and prudent. Have you forgotten what I warned you about before?"
Chu Lang's head shrank after being scolded, but he still said unwillingly: "I know I am wrong, but what Chu Qingluan did is really too shocking. Mother, how can she, a woman, have no sense of shame?
I beg you, mother, to explain the pros and cons to father and stop her absurd behavior."
Concubine Xie sneered and said, "Do you think your father doesn't know about this?
If I am not mistaken, this matter may be the work of your father."
Chu Lang was shocked, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Father? Why did he..."
Halfway through his words, Chu Lang suddenly got stuck.
Because he suddenly remembered that his father had long intended to make Chu Qingluan the Crown Princess, and this time he tacitly allowed her to hold a banquet in the capital and invite all the men from noble families and noble ladies of marriageable age. Firstly, he could win over a group of court officials, and secondly, he could use these noble ladies and young men to test and see which of them could be used by him.
Suddenly, Chu Lang seemed to have glimpsed the truth of the matter, and an epiphany suddenly struck him.
"Mother! How could she do that? What should we do now?"
Chu Lang was so anxious that he paced back and forth in front of the hall, like an ant on a hot pan.
If Chu Qingluan really succeeded, wouldn't she be able to easily win over the sons of important officials just by relying on her beauty?
"Why are you in such a hurry? I have already made plans for you."
As Concubine Xie spoke, she picked up a booklet on the desk and threw it to Chu Lang.
Chu Lang hurriedly took it with both hands, opened it and saw that it was actually a list. On it were the children of officials of the third rank and above in the capital, as well as daughters of wealthy families.
"Mother, this is..."
"I have already screened the people on this list. Please take a closer look."
Chu Lang lowered his head, looked carefully, and then his brows gradually relaxed.
The candidates on this list are either illegitimate sons of the family who have no power, or they are cowardly and unlikely to achieve anything, or even worse, they are pawns secretly controlled by the Xie family.
"What about these ones with clean family backgrounds..." The prince was still worried and pointed at the sons of several important officials and asked.
Concubine Xie chuckled and took a sip of tea. "The son of the Minister of Rites will suddenly fall ill that day, and the younger brother of the Marquis of Zhenbei will 'accidentally' fall off his horse. In short, none of them will be able to attend the piano party."
She had put a lot of effort into making this list, and of course it couldn't be made up entirely of sciones of noble families who were not presentable enough. But those few who had good family backgrounds and good looks must not be allowed to arrive smoothly. If they were chosen by Chu Qingluan and taken into the princess's mansion, wouldn't all her efforts be in vain?
"Also, your cousin is on the invitation list this time. I have already told her to pay attention to Chu Qingluan's every move on that day. If necessary, she will step in to stop Chu Qingluan."
The prince's expression finally brightened, and he looked at Concubine Xie with admiration: "Mother is really thoughtful. This way, all those who enter the venue will be ugly, which is like picking the tallest among the short ones. Humph, I have to see how she chooses when the time comes."
It will be difficult to get off the tiger.
"Do you think this is all I have done?"
A cold light flashed across Concubine Xie's eyes.
"It's not enough to just stop them. The spit in the capital is more powerful than swords."
"She can flaunt her status as a princess and win over court officials. I can destroy her reputation."
As early as three days ago, Concubine Xie had ordered people to spread the news in the capital, saying that Princess Zhaoyang was no longer a virgin, and had an affair with Qi Che in Jiangnan and almost gave birth to a child. After returning to the capital, she still did not know how to behave and secretly kept a lover. Now she held this piano concert just to take the opportunity to harm the good son of an honest family...
Concubine Xie picked up the teacup and gently scraped the foam in the water. "As long as her reputation is ruined, who would dare to marry her? Even if she really wants to be an empress, she will be drowned in this dirty water!"
Chu Lang's eyes showed a crazy look, and suddenly he had an idea, "Mother, this plan is really brilliant! In this way, even if someone comes, they will never dare to let Chu Qingluan choose!"
Those noble families valued reputation the most. If their legitimate son was chosen by a "fallen and withered" princess, wouldn't it be a great shame?
——
The court officials had mixed attitudes towards this matter, and undercurrents were surging for a while.
An old and conservative minister said, "The princess's behavior is inappropriate! Since ancient times, women should strictly abide by the three obediences and four virtues. How can she hold a banquet to choose a husband? Not to mention the idea of having a concubine, it is really against morals!"
Officials from the Xie Party behind him echoed his opinion, and the censors from the Censorate jointly wrote a letter to the emperor, impeaching the princess for "extremely licentious and humiliating the dignity of the royal family" word by word.
The reformists, led by Duke Dingguo, argued in the court: "The world is about to change. The princess is recruiting talents through the zither club. This can not only stabilize the court through marriage, but also select talents in an unconventional way. This is a feat that women are no less capable than men!"
"If we stick to the old ways and stick to etiquette, won't we be hindering the great cause of the country?"
Some families of military generals were quite enthusiastic about this. For example, if there were several sons in the family, they would send one to the princess's mansion to try his luck. At worst, if he fell in love with other noble ladies at the piano competition, it would also be a great gain.
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