In the following days, Shen Yue rarely returned to the Shen family.
Su Yuanzhou was like a hungry wolf that had tasted the sweetness of marrow, so much so that she had to lie down during the day to recuperate for several days.
On the sixth day of May, the Shen family welcomed Xie Huanci, the young lady of the Xie family, with great fanfare.
After a period of time, the capital returned to peace again.
In the blink of an eye, it was August, and Song Hongshen had been enthroned as the crown prince for more than half a year.
In the past six months, Song Hongshen has demonstrated extraordinary abilities, and several senior cabinet ministers have nodded in praise.
Three months ago, Emperor Xuande ordered the Crown Prince to assist in the administration of state affairs.
Song Hongshen's insights and methods on many matters made it impossible for Emperor Xuande and a group of veteran ministers to find fault with him.
But the more outstanding his abilities were, the more arguments there were in the court about the selection of a princess for the crown prince.
After all, no one can predict who the next queen will be, or which lady will be favored by the prince.
After all, as long as the prince chooses a concubine, everyone has a chance.
Just after August 15th, Minister of Works Rong Hai submitted a memorial to the court in the morning court.
"Your Majesty, the East Palace has been renovated. Everything has been arranged to suit the Crown Prince's preferences."
As soon as Rong Hai finished speaking, court officials came to the court one after another.
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not young anymore. Logically, he should have married by now. I believe it is time to choose a concubine for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Your Majesty, I second the motion. As the crown prince, His Royal Highness shoulders the heavy responsibility of expanding the royal family. Without selecting a concubine and filling the East Palace, how can the royal heirs continue?"
This kind of scene would be played out at court meetings every few days.
The previous several times were all rejected by Emperor Xuande.
He still remembered the conditions Song Hongshen had agreed to when he agreed to return to his ancestral home, one of which was that he was not allowed to interfere with his marriage, let alone send someone to his place in the name of expanding the royal family.
At that time, Song Hongshen was just a prince, not a crown prince. It was not a big deal for him not to take concubines or even have legitimate sons.
But now he is the crown prince, and these matters are both his personal affairs and state affairs.
The father and son had a quarrel in the imperial study yesterday about this matter.
When the court officials brought it up again today, Emperor Xuande did not defend Song Hongshen as he had done before.
Instead, he looked at him and said, "Now that the Eastern Palace has been renovated, it's time for the Crown Prince to move into the palace. It's not in accordance with etiquette to always live in the Zhongyi Prince's Mansion and the Gong Prince's Mansion."
In reality, Song Hongshen's Prince Gong's Mansion was just a decoration. Apart from supporting a few people, he himself rarely visited it.
Even after becoming the crown prince, he still lived in the outer courtyard of the Song family as before.
Hearing what Emperor Xuande said, Song Hongshen bowed and said, "Yes, I understand."
He also knew that it was not appropriate to live in the Prince of Loyalty's Palace forever.
Emperor Xuande added, "If you live in the Eastern Palace, you'll need someone to serve you. The Ministry of Rites should prepare to select a concubine for the Crown Prince. Everything should be done according to the ancestral rules."
Song Hongshen raised his eyelids slightly, thinking that his father was using the ancestral rules to pressure him.
They wanted to tell him that what they said before was invalid and they couldn't go against the ancestral rules.
The Minister of Rites glanced at the Crown Prince before saying, "Yes, I obey your order."
Ever since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince performed the enthronement ceremony, the Ministry of Rites has begun preparing for the selection of a concubine for the Crown Prince.
It is no exaggeration to say that when His Majesty said that the Ministry of Rites could come up with the rules and regulations for selecting a concubine for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince today, there would be absolutely no panic.
Song Hongshen knew that he couldn't avoid this matter. Now that he hadn't gotten married yet, all the contradictions still fell on him.
If he doesn't choose a concubine by the time he gets married, Su Zhilan will be under great pressure.
But he already had a plan in mind for this matter.
Not to mention the ancestral system, even if his ancestors got up, he would not compromise.
However, we must find a way to suppress these "covetous" court officials first.
Song Hongshen did not force his way into the matter with Emperor Xuande and his courtiers today. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You can choose someone, but I have the final say on how to choose."
Emperor Xuande naturally agreed and said, "Of course. When choosing someone for you, I have to choose someone you like."
The several ministers who made the proposal previously all had daughters of marriageable age.
Upon hearing this, he made another memorial, saying, "Your Majesty, although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is engaged, the fifth daughter of the Su family is still young and has not yet reached the age of marriage. In my opinion, it would be better to select someone to serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace first."
"We have to consider His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the royal family."
Many people present agreed with this statement.
It would be even better if the Crown Prince could give birth to an heir before the Crown Princess enters the palace.
When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, it is still unknown who will sit on the throne.
Song Hongshen looked at these people coldly, and only saw two words on their faces: greed.
Emperor Xuande looked at Song Hongshen, "What did the Crown Prince say?"
Song Hong thought deeply and said, "Why not have the wedding at the end of the year? However, we won't consummate the marriage until the Crown Princess reaches the age of marriage. As for the other concubines who enter the palace, they will need to wait until the Crown Princess reaches the age of marriage before they can serve me."
After saying these two sentences, Song Hongshen walked up to Su Chengxun and said, "This matter still depends on Master Su's opinion. If the Su family agrees, then we will do it."
Su Chengxun has been worried all day long these days. As long as his daughter doesn't get married, there will be many variables in this matter.
He was not thinking about the position of Crown Princess, but he was really afraid that the ghostly tricks in the capital would hurt his daughter.
So when the prince said this, Su Chengxun thought about it and nodded in agreement.
"I will obey His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
After half a year, the matter of selecting a concubine for the crown prince was finally settled.
Many people in the hall were thinking about how to send their daughters to the Eastern Palace.
The Minister of Rites stepped forward and said, "Then tomorrow I will select all the unmarried young ladies of marriageable age from each family and compile them into a list. It will take three rounds of screening..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Song Hongshen.
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