After hearing what the Minister of Rites said, Emperor Xuande subconsciously looked at Song Hongshen.
He also felt that this method was a bit perfunctory, but he was unwilling to refute Song Hongshen's opinion.
He loved this son from the bottom of his heart and wanted to pave the way for him and support him in becoming a great ruler.
So even though the father and son sometimes had some disputes in private, Emperor Xuande would give him enough face in front of the court officials.
Song Hongshen said nonchalantly, "Let's do it this way. The government is busy, so if we have the time, we might as well do something practical."
Anyone can see that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is choosing a concubine just to get things done.
But this is not important. What is important is that people can enter the East Palace smoothly.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuande said, "Then let's do as the Crown Prince wishes."
The Minister of Rites stood in the middle of the hall, holding the booklet. "Your Majesty, this is the booklet I prepared yesterday. It contains 132 people in total, each with a number."
"No one else has read this book except me."
All the court officials present felt that the Minister of Rites' explanation was a bit redundant.
This kind of booklet is useless to others and they have no say in the matter.
There is even no need for the Crown Prince to look at it. No one will say anything if these 132 people are sent to the Eastern Palace.
Then the Minister of Rites said, "Then please tell me your preferred number, Your Highness, and I will announce the candidate."
"To ensure fairness, I would like to ask Eunuch Hu to watch from the side."
Emperor Xuande felt that this was a safe approach and signaled Hu Lu to stand next to the Minister of Rites and watch.
After Hu Lu stood still, Song Hongshen said, "Number 28."
The Minister of Rites was a little nervous holding the booklet. He wondered which girl had flown onto a tree branch and turned into a phoenix.
All the court officials present held their breath, waiting for the Minister of Rites to reveal who this person was.
The entire Ganyang Palace suddenly became quiet.
When the Minister of Rites turned the pages, his hands were a little unsteady and were shaking slightly.
Hu Lu was so anxious that he cursed in his heart, saying that the old minister was too old and didn't take any responsibility at all.
After finally turning the page, the Minister of Rites spoke, "The third daughter of the General's Mansion, Zheng Nanqing."
General Zheng Jin, who served as the auxiliary general of the state, once guarded Liaodong together with the Marquis of Zhenbei.
This spring, after the second prince was beheaded, the General Fuguo rushed to Xijiang and is now a general of the second rank.
Song Hongshen spoke again: "Number 35."
The Minister of Rites turned to number 35 and said, "Jiang Shuyun, the daughter of Lord Jiang Rang, the Vice Minister of Revenue."
Jiang Rang is a relative of the Jiang family of Jingyuan Marquis Mansion, and Jiang Shuyun wants to call Concubine Chen Jiang Ziyan "Seventh Aunt".
Jiang Rang was overjoyed. He didn't expect that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would draw the daughter of the Jiang family.
In fact, he had not held out any hope before. Everyone knew that the Song family had never liked Concubine Chen because she looked very similar to the late queen.
But the prince actually drew his daughter, which made him sigh that some things are really beyond the control of God.
Perhaps the Jiang family has been lucky in recent years and may even have a daughter with the fate of a phoenix.
The Minister of Rites looked at Song Hongshen and said, "Your Highness, please continue."
Song Hong thought deeply and said, "Then let's go with number 68."
The Minister of Rites continued to flip through the pages, then raised his voice and said, "Li Lanruo, the daughter of Lord Li Zhiyong, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture."
Li Zhiyong was delighted to hear this, thinking that the Crown Prince's idea was indeed a good one. If the selection process continued as usual, given the Li family's background, his daughter's chances of being selected would be slim.
Song Hongshen spoke again, "The last one, number one hundred and twenty-three."
The Minister of Rites turned to number 123 and said, "The last lady is Shi Qingmei, the legitimate daughter of Lord Shi, the Vice Minister of War."
After the four names were announced, most people present looked disappointed.
After all, out of 132 people, only four were selected, which was as difficult as the imperial examination.
After that, the question of who would be the concubine and who would be the concubine was no longer arbitrary, but had to be determined according to family background.
In the end, the daughters of the Zheng and Jiang families were chosen as concubines, and the daughters of the Li and Shi families were chosen as concubines.
The prince's wedding was scheduled for the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, and these four people also entered the palace together.
Except for the General Auxiliary to the State who was not in the capital, the others all knelt down to express their gratitude.
After the court session, Emperor Xuande kept a few senior cabinet ministers to talk with the Crown Prince, while the rest filed out of the Ganyang Hall.
When Shi Chengyin, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, left the hall, he subconsciously glanced at Jiang Rang.
Jiang Rang nodded slightly, and then the two of them left the palace one after another.
In a private room of an inconspicuous restaurant in the East Market of Beijing, Jiang Rang and Shi Chengyin walked in one after another.
The East Market was bustling, but it was filled with ordinary people. If the two of them had something to discuss, they would usually come here.
After sitting down, Shi Chengyin poured Jiang Rang a cup of tea and whispered, "Brother Jiang, in your opinion, is there anything wrong with the Crown Prince's selection of a concubine today?"
Jiang Rang, still immersed in the joy of his daughter entering the palace, said, "What's wrong? What does Brother Shi mean?"
Shi Chengyin is cautious by nature and considers everything carefully.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Today, besides the daughter of Lord Li, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, there are our two families and the daughter of General Zheng."
"Could it be that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince knows what we did with General Zheng?"
Jiang Rang didn't take Shi Chengyin's words to heart. He smiled and said, "Brother Shi, you're worrying too much. It's just a coincidence."
"Who in the entire Ganyang Palace doesn't have some problems? Do you think those who weren't chosen don't have these problems?"
"Besides, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince just casually mentioned the number. I think it's just a coincidence."
Shi Chengyin thought about it and realized that this was the truth.
If the prince wanted to deal with them, there was no need to let several daughters enter the palace.
Jiang Rang added, "Brother Shi, don't you think that God is helping us?"
"My daughter is favored by the prince, so what we are doing is still a big deal."
Shi Chengyin's expression brightened when he heard this. If that's the case, then it really is an opportunity.
The two ordered a few dishes and drank a jar of wine. The more they talked, the more they felt that their luck was about to change.
This matter soon spread throughout the capital, and the eunuchs in the palace went to these families one by one to convey the imperial edict.
In this kind of situation, naturally some people are happy and some are sad.
The most worried family is the Wang family.
At this time, in Wang Jinyao's boudoir in the Wang family's inner residence.
The maids stood at the door, trembling with fear and not daring to make a sound.
Inside the house there were sounds of porcelain breaking and tables and chairs falling over.
When Mrs. Wang received the news, she hurried over.
"What's going on? You're all at the door, where's the lady?"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was another crisp sound in the house.
The maid at the door bowed and replied, "Madam, the young lady does not allow us to serve in the house. Just now, the young lady heard about the Crown Prince's selection of concubines at the morning court, and she got angry."
Mrs. Wang said coldly, "Open the door, I'll go in and take a look."
The person downstairs opened the door and Mrs. Wang walked in.
Wang Jinyao was wearing casual clothes, her hair was a little messy, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
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