100 Chapter 100

◎The End◎

When Li Cheng first ascended the throne, a minister wrote to him asking him to select beautiful women to fill the harem, but Li Cheng refused because it would not waste money and resources. After Huiyin gave birth to a boy, the ministers began to realize that the emperor was unwilling to take a concubine because of the empress, and they said all kinds of things. The Empress Dowager couldn't help but say some weird things, but Huiyin just ignored them.

Afterwards, Li Cheng started to check the land. His subjects were busy competing with him, some of them wished he would die.

Now the selection of beauties is all for choosing a wife for the prince. Huiyin understands this very well. She has been loved wholeheartedly by her husband, so she does not add a concubine to her son before marriage, so that her daughter-in-law will also be happy. However, she will not interfere with how they live after they get married.

This time, Li Cheng meant that Huiyin could choose, but Huiyin said to him and his son, "I have an idea. We are not choosing an ordinary daughter-in-law, but the Crown Princess, the future queen mother. If we were just choosing an ordinary woman, it would be easy. The Crown Princess must be recognized by all three of us. If one of us disagrees, then we can call it quits."

Jing Er quickly stood up and said, "Mother, since ancient times, parents' orders and matchmakers' words have always been the final word. This matter is up to you and father to decide."

Huiyin shook her head: "You are talking nonsense, who are we choosing for? Not for you. First of all, you must agree. If you don't agree, what's the point of marrying her off as parents? Also, it won't work if only you are satisfied. You young people only care about the appearance, but don't consider the character and talent. If only you choose, we will not feel at ease. So what I said is that the three of us choose together, so that no one will blame anyone in the future."

"That's a good idea." Li Cheng was the first to agree. He didn't want his son and daughter-in-law to become a couple of enemies, but he was also afraid that his son was too young and the person he chose would not be good enough.

After the three of them had agreed, they began to select talents. Li Cheng circled three places, Wujun, Xuzhou and the capital. Wujun was the former fief of King Wu. Needless to say, Xuzhou was the place where the rebellion started. As for the capital, it was an important place where many high-ranking officials gathered.

Of course, not every woman could be chosen. She had to be a third-rank official or above, between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. It was forbidden to pass off a concubine as a legitimate wife, or a woman with a disability or a remarried woman. If found out, she would be severely punished.

The ladies in the capital were certainly more confident. Jiang Bibo bought a lot of clothes for his daughter and had already asked a doctor to help her with her treatment: "I heard there are three stages in total. The first stage is to see if the name is in line with reality. The second stage is to live in the palace for two months to prepare for the selection of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and women's needlework. The third stage is the final selection, which is the final selection of the masters."

Shi Jie'er usually puts on a show in front of others, but behind others she lies down on the couch, feeling tired: "According to my daughter, there is nothing interesting in the palace. Are we animals? Let them choose."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I have raised you to be so ignorant." Jiang Bibo also felt a little regretful. She was born in a merchant family, and she had been trembling with fear as Guo Zhao's status rose. So she didn't want her daughter to be like her. She raised her as a daughter of a noble family, and let her study, go out to socialize, and be the head of the family from a young age. Unexpectedly, she didn't raise a noble lady, but instead raised a celebrity who was unruly and uninhibited.

Shi Jie'er felt sorry for her mother in her heart, but she admitted her mistake on a surface. She also knew that her mother's life was not easy.

But she didn't care in her heart. Life in the palace was not that simple. Everyone thought that the emperor doted on the queen, even my mother thought so, so she always thought that marrying the prince would not only give her the noble status of the crown princess, but also gain the love of the supreme ruler. If the queen was really good, the grand empress dowager was suppressed like that. Every time Sister Xun came home, she didn't say much, but she expressed that meaning.

Even the elder sister of the Pei family seemed to disapprove of the Xun family.

It is very likely that the Empress is only good to her own son, but not necessarily to her daughter-in-law. The palace is like a cage. I heard from Old Madam Zheng that the Empress loved playing polo when she was at her natal home, but after coming to the palace, she never organized any polo games. Her mother even invited the Empress to the polo field she opened, but the Empress did not come.

Compared to Sister Shi's self-abandonment, Sister Xian was well prepared. She often went to the palace to meet the Empress and her aunt, and knew the preferences of the people in the palace better.

But she had many competitors. Xin counted on her fingers and said, "The granddaughter of Prime Minister Jian, the youngest daughter of Grand Marshal Xie, the most beautiful woman in Wu County, the most talented woman in Xuzhou. Although these people may not be as high-ranking as our sister Xian, there is no guarantee that the prince will like them."

Pei Shuo smiled and shook his head: "On these matters, the queen told me that even the dynasties that can last more than 300 years are rare, let alone the descendants to preserve the wealth and prosperity."

"My uncle is right. But we don't rely entirely on the queen. We also rely on the empire you have fought for. So what if our children enjoy wealth and prosperity?" Xin complained that the queen was unwilling to give her family any benefits. She was really cruel.

If it were in the past, Pei Shuo would probably have been too eager to do so, but now he heard that what Huiyin said made sense. Nothing can stop a capable person in the world. If one's virtue is not worthy of his position, there will be disaster. The Zheng family and the Pei family, one is a duke and the other is an earl, they are already extremely rich, but they are still greedy, which is too much.

Pei Shuo never dared to disobey his sister, because what she said and did was absolutely right. Her position in the palace has remained unshakable for so many years. The emperor's trust in the prince is the best thing for the Zheng and Pei families.

The higher the position, the more restrained one must be. This is what his sister told him.

Of course, it would be good if the daughter could be selected. If not, she could use her sister's words to encourage herself. Otherwise, she would easily become anxious and worried.

As the couple was talking, they saw Dong holding a pearl crown. The pearls on it were round and fine, and the workmanship was exquisite. It was obvious that it was not an ordinary thing. She smiled and said, "Originally, I wanted to give this crown to our eldest daughter to add to her makeup, but now the selection is a big deal, so I asked someone to take it out. If grandma doesn't mind, it will be her good fortune."

Seeing her being so understanding, Xin couldn't help but flatter her, "My dear sister, I've always said you're good, but they didn't believe me. I'll call Xianjie'er to kowtow to you. Can you please do it for her as well?"

Mrs. Dong said hurriedly, "Grandma, you are embarrassing me."

No matter what the three of them do on normal days, now they all hope that Sister Xian can be chosen as the Crown Princess, which is the supreme honor for the Pei family.

Not to mention these three people, even Ji and Cui Yuehuan came over and gave her many headgear and fashionable satins, which made Xin's face sore from smiling.

However, many people were screened out in the first round of screening. Some pretended to be their own daughters, but were actually adopted daughters. There were also girls who were 18 or 19 pretending to be 16 years old. Even more secretive were those who had already lost their virginity but still sent themselves in.

Li Cheng was so angry: "These people are so bold."

"With all the wealth and power in the world, no wonder people say that we are trying to get chestnuts out of the fire." Huiyin shook her head, but she added: "What these people did was a bit excessive, but if they really exiled us, it would not be worth it."

Li Cheng snorted coldly: "You don't even ask for mercy for the crime of deceiving the emperor. I was just worried that some people hid their tails so deeply that they are exposed now. Those who concealed their age will be demoted, but those who pretended to be someone else to confuse their bloodline will be dismissed and their family will not be allowed to take the imperial examination for ten years..."

Huiyin stood up and said, "Okay, you are the emperor. They dare to do this because of you. You are a wise ruler. So what if someone else killed them?" In fact, she saw that although Li Cheng was angry, he still knew his limits.

Many people were screened in the first round. Sister Xian and Sister Shi were of course successfully selected. They originally thought highly of themselves, but when they saw that Lu Yuan of Wu County was extremely beautiful, Liu Qi of Xuzhou was extremely talented, the prime minister's granddaughter Jian Xiwei was even more dignified and beautiful, and the daughter of Duke Chen was enthusiastic and generous, they thought they should not be underestimated.

Since they lived together, Xian Jie'er said to Shi Jie'er, "I originally thought I was a pretty good person, but I never expected that there are always people who are better than you."

Sister Shi was initially very resistant to entering the palace, but after actually entering, she inexplicably began to make comparisons.

Especially since the re-election was led by the Empress, she was the biological mother of the Crown Prince and the Emperor's beloved queen, so her weight was the most important. Shi Jie'er said, "Yesterday, Lu Yuan went to see the Empress, and the Empress asked her to play a piece of Farewell My Concubine, and she was very impressed. She said that she would give her a few female officials so that she could study and paint together and not be restrained."

"That's great." Xian Jie'er originally thought that the Queen was her aunt and had more privileges than others, so she looked down on other people's actions. However, the Queen has always been selfless. If she chose Lu Yuan, she would be laughed at.

These teenage girls are all top students from all over the country. Today Huiyin invites one to play the piano and appreciate things, tomorrow she invites another to have dinner with the Empress Dowager, and the day after tomorrow she asks them to compose some poems to suit the occasion.

Among this group of people, Xun Jiying was not so outstanding. Li Cheng also read the poems they wrote and said: "This Xun family girl's poetry is not good, and her handwriting is also average. The Jian family girl has good handwriting, but I heard you say that her temperament is too dull."

"Yes, it's too formal. I think it doesn't get along well with our family. But since the second level is about talent, we'll talk about it in the last level." Huiyin has her own way of thinking.

At the beginning of the second level, some people started to build bridges and stir up trouble, some people were able to escape unscathed, some people used others to kill others, and some people wanted to make a big fuss. In the end, it turned out to be Lu Yuan from Wu County, the granddaughter of Prime Minister Jian, and Sister Xian, who stayed in the third level specifically for Huiyin's sake.

But no one was dissatisfied. Xun Jiying was not good at writing poetry, but Xian Jie'er always asked the heavens to distinguish between loyalty and treachery in an attempt to make a big deal out of it. Not to mention Shi Jie'er, who was good at needlework, but she seemed to be humble on the surface, but in fact she was just trying to stir up trouble. She was not worth playing with.

This was a big blow to Sister Shi. She thought she was capable enough, but in fact she didn't want to. Unexpectedly, she couldn't even pass the last level.

The Pei family had high hopes for Sister Xian, but they did not expect that the two choices for the empress would be Lu Yuan from Wu County.

This girl was extremely beautiful and had her own ideas. She was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Huiyin even asked the imperial physician to check their pulses. The girl's pulse was as strong as a cow's.

Her father was the governor of Wu County and devoted all his efforts to the implementation of the New Deal. Her grandfather was the Minister of Rites. She was really good at everything.

Jing'er was obviously very satisfied.

Soon, the Qintianjian calculated an auspicious day. The prince's wedding had been prepared for a long time and was very grand. Seeing that it was late at night, Huiyin and Li Cheng also returned to the Linde Hall.

Huiyin smiled and said, "Today is our son's wedding. Time flies."

"Yes, I feel like we just got married yesterday." Li Cheng was also very emotional.

Huiyin joked, "What did you whisper to Jing'er yesterday? You didn't tell me yet. But even if you didn't tell me, I know your secret."

"What do you know? How can you know what I'm talking about?"

It's a sleight of hand, absolutely a sleight of hand.

Huiyin said calmly: "I was surprised. You said you didn't have a concubine to observe mourning, but you were an experienced person when you married me. It turns out that you have read hundreds of pornographic books of all kinds...haha..."

At the end, Li Cheng hurried forward to soothe her itch. Huiyin couldn't stop laughing, but she was really happy today because the mystery that had been lingering in her mind was finally solved by her.

——End of the article

【Author’s words】

The main text ends here, and the extra chapters will be updated as usual tomorrow. This book has a fast pace from the beginning, and you can see that it is written completely according to my idea. The heroine of this book is strategic, restrained, and has means. The biggest advantage is that she has a very strong character. In fact, I occasionally write a sentence or two about Huiyin’s predicament, but her core is too stable, so some people may say that the heroine is too smooth throughout the book. In fact, it is not, because I set up this person, and her development is her own independent personality. I fell in love with her in the end. Finally, thank you all for following here. The extra chapters will write a lot of details about past lives and present lives, as well as the stories of other people in the book. If you are interested, please continue reading.

Finally, the next book is "Little Maid in the Northern Song Dynasty". It is very important to pre-collect new books. If you like it, you must collect it. When writing "Little Maid in the Northern Song Dynasty", I wanted to write a long and comfortable novel. In the warm winter, this book can also accompany everyone, with food, family, struggle, and warmth.