If it weren't for Consort Hui and Consort Rong thinking that Dai Jia's face could be put to good use, given Dai Jia's flamboyant personality, she would have been brought down by Tong Tongyue. After all, she was a woman raised by the Emperor's maternal clan. Although Tong Tongyue was young, her methods were much better than Dai Jia's!
The second round of selection came quickly, and quite a few people kept their names this time. Tong Tongyue and Dai Jiashi both kept their names smoothly! The two were very happy! But then nothing happened, and they were sent back without any mention of being registered!
Neither of them knew at first that they had been selected in this talent show. They were both quite disheartened. Even if they were given a name tag, their future would only be to marry into the royal family!
Although it is still prestigious, it is not in line with my initial wishes, so I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable!
The day after they got home, they learned that not a single girl had been officially registered in the selection process! This was a huge shock!
What's going on? What is the Emperor trying to do? Not a single woman is being registered for the imperial harem this year?
This alarmed the court officials! They all submitted memorials saying that this was against the rules!
Yinzhen wasn't surprised to see the piles of memorials, but he was still annoyed. These people were just making trouble for no reason. No one could force him to do things he didn't want to do!
Since they made him unhappy, then Yinzhen decided to make them unhappy too!
Yinzhen summoned several of the more troublesome people, among whom the most troublesome were the Tong family, while Mingzhu and the Hesheli family were also taking advantage of the situation!
As soon as the group arrived, they knelt down and refused to get up. Yinzhen offered them seats, but no one paid any attention. Yinzhen thought to himself, "Since they are willing to kneel, then let them kneel. As long as my knees don't hurt!"
Yinzhen said with a stern face, "I have read all your memorials. What? Do you think my family has not handled this matter well again?"
The crowd chorused, "We are terrified! We dare not!"
Yinzhen: "Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do? I'm not blind! I can see what's written in those memorials! What? You think I should expand my harem? I've never heard of a loyal minister in any dynasty encouraging the emperor to expand his harem! What are you all up to?"
Because of his daughter's incident, Tong Guogang knew what was going on and understood how much it would affect his daughter. So, even though his daughter wasn't involved this time, he stepped forward first!
Tong Guogang: "Your Majesty, the imperial lineage is dwindling. This servant does not wish for Your Majesty to expand your harem, but only hopes that Your Majesty can consider the future of your offspring!"
The others echoed, "Lord Tong is right!"
"It is indeed time to consider the royal offspring!"
Some even said, "A country without a crown prince is detrimental to its stability! We urge Your Majesty to reconsider! You should give this matter much thought!"
...
Yinzhen: "The harem is not short of people, and I am still young! What, are you already thinking about the crown prince?"
The crowd chorused, "We are terrified! We dare not!"
Yinzhen said angrily, "I see you dare to do this! I heard that several ministers have been quite strapped for cash lately, and have borrowed a lot of money from the national treasury. There are also quite a few people in the harem now, and I am not very well off either. Why don't you all reduce the number of concubines you keep at home, pay back the money, and I will consider whether I can select two people to enter the harem in the next term?"
After Yinzhen said this, no one spoke!
Although the silver they received was borrowed, no one thought about repaying it! They all assumed that the emperor would be too embarrassed to ask for the silver back, so they simply treated the national treasury as another silver bag!
They never expected the Emperor to be so shameless as to bring this up! This was completely unexpected! They had no way to respond to that!
If they really say they can pay it back, wouldn't that prove they're not poor? If they're not poor, why would they borrow money? That's a crime of deceiving the emperor! This cannot be admitted!
If they can't repay the debt, and the Emperor says he can't afford to support so many women, they can't very well tell them they absolutely must, right? That's against the rules, and they don't have the guts to do it!
Yinzhen snorted coldly and said, "Why is everyone silent? Have the officials raised by the national treasury forgotten how to speak?"
Yinzhen's words were sarcastic, and they all blushed with embarrassment upon hearing them!
Yinzhen: "Since you have nothing more to say, then go back! We can consider this matter again when the national treasury is full and I can afford to support you!"
Although these ministers had been ridiculed by the Emperor, they had all become quite thick-skinned from years of navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom! Naturally, they were unwilling to go back when Yinzhen asked them to!
Tong Guogang said, "Your Majesty, before her death, the Empress summoned my wife and siblings. Her greatest wish was to see Your Majesty have a son soon so that the family line could continue. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider, so as to comfort the Empress's spirit in heaven!"
This is using her nominal mother as a raft!
Yinzhen immediately thought of the Tong family's actions that had harmed the Empress Dowager! He felt even worse. He already thought the Tong family was brainless and thoughtless, and now they were even trying to show off their presence. Who gave them the courage!
Just as Yinzhen was about to say something, Liang Jiugong suddenly came over with a happy expression. While serving tea, he whispered in Yinzhen's ear, "Your Majesty, news has come from Yongshou Palace. After examining the Empress's pulse today, the imperial physician said that the Empress is pregnant!"
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen's face lit up with joy, and he waved for Liang Jiugong to leave. Then he said, "My late mother and grandmother wished most for my family to be prosperous and flourishing. Just now, I received news from the Empress that she is pregnant. So, I don't need you ministers to worry about this matter anymore!"
This news was truly "surprising"! They had just expressed their hope that the Emperor would consider the issue of having an heir, and then the Empress became pregnant—what a coincidence! There was nothing they could do but accept it, otherwise they'd have to pay back the national treasury!
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