"Yes, Your Majesty. I have heard that the daughter of the Cai family is virtuous and learned. If she were to enter the palace as a concubine, it would be convenient for her to teach the princes and princesses their studies, wouldn't it?"
Seeing her husband's unusual expression, Song Yue quickly brought up the topic of the princes and princesses' studies.
"About this matter..."
Liu Hong hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "This is a good idea, but we should still ask Lord Cai and the daughter of the Cai family what they think."
After all, Lord Cai is a renowned scholar, and we cannot afford to be negligent towards him..."
Although Liu Hong could have directly issued an edict to bring Cai Yan into the palace, he did not intend to do so.
Having reigned for many years, he increasingly felt what it meant to be a lonely figure, and naturally became more demanding when it came to relationships.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will ask my mother to inquire about this matter, and I will certainly not cause any trouble for the Cai family!"
Seeing that Liu Hong had agreed, Song Yue smiled and made a promise.
"I trust the Empress to handle things," Liu Hong smiled, then reached for Song Yue's waist. "It's getting late, it's time to rest..."
"Your Majesty!" Song Yue grabbed Liu Hong's restless hand. "Since Your Majesty has agreed to take a concubine, you naturally cannot only take one from the Cai family. I am thinking of bringing some women from the common people into the palace to show the closeness between the royal family and the common people!"
"Yes, the Empress shall handle this matter!"
Liu Hong immediately nodded in agreement to Song Yue's suggestion.
He also knew that as the emperor of the Han Dynasty, it was impossible for his harem to consist of only a few women. Given the current political climate, choosing a woman from the common people was undoubtedly the most appropriate option.
...
The next morning, not long after Liu Hong left Weiyang Palace, the Empress sent someone to invite Lady Song into the palace.
After learning that the emperor had relented, Lady Song left the palace and rushed home, sending Song Feng to the Cai residence in person.
Upon learning that Song Feng had come to visit, Cai Yong put aside his work and personally went out to greet him.
After the two men took their seats in the living room, Song Feng said with a smile, "Lord Cai, my wife entered the palace yesterday. The Empress is currently handling the selection of concubines for His Majesty. The Empress heard that Lord Cai has a daughter who is virtuous, kind, and exceptionally talented. She specifically asked me to come and inquire whether Lord Cai is interested in having his daughter enter the palace."
Song Feng didn't mince words and directly stated the purpose of his visit.
"It is my daughter's good fortune to be able to enter the palace and serve His Majesty!"
Cai Yong, who was worrying about how to get his daughter into the palace, immediately expressed his opinion upon hearing this.
The current emperor is different from the previous emperors; he is extremely strict in controlling the families of his concubines. Cai Yong is not worried that anyone will say he sold his daughters for personal gain.
"Haha~, in that case, I shall take my leave now. Lord Cai, please wait patiently, the Empress's decree will arrive soon!"
Seeing that Cai Yong had agreed, Song Feng smiled happily.
After Song Feng took his leave, Cai Yong also told Cai Yan the news.
Upon learning that she could enter the palace, Cai Yan couldn't help but feel excited and thrilled.
On the other hand, after confirming that the Cai family agreed to send their daughter to the palace, Song Yue immediately sent someone to the Cai family in the name of the Empress, bringing with her an imperial edict and gifts for the marriage proposal.
However, by sheer coincidence, Wei Zhongdao, who had been lingering near the Cai residence, also happened to see the imperial messenger who had come to deliver the imperial decree.
At this point, Wei Zhongdao finally understood the identity of the person from yesterday, and the reason why Cai Yong had rejected him.
Watching the messenger's departing figure, Wei Zhongdao sighed inwardly, completely losing all other thoughts.
He didn't have the guts to compete with the emperor for a woman.
Of course, this has nothing to do with the emperor's power. It's just that the current emperor's prestige is so terrifying that if people knew that he was competing with the emperor for a woman, the emperor wouldn't even need to say anything. Those fanatical new scholars alone could crush him and the Wei family to dust.
Shortly after the messenger left, the Ministry of Rites also received an imperial edict from Weiyang Palace.
The imperial edict stated that, in order to demonstrate the emperor and the royal family's closeness to the people, the imperial harem decided to select one hundred women from respectable families across the Han Dynasty to serve in the palace.
Upon receiving the imperial decree, the officials of the Ministry of Rites immediately got to work.
Selecting concubines from among the common people is not without precedent, but selecting from the entire Han Dynasty is unprecedented.
Soon, the news spread, and the emperor's selection of a concubine quickly became a topic of conversation among the people of Luoyang.
Although Cai Yan was not very famous among the common people at this time, Cai Yong was quite well-known.
Therefore, in the eyes of the common people, Cai Yong's daughter must have been quite beautiful and worthy of their emperor.
Of course, what attracted the most attention from the people was the announcement issued by the Ministry of Rites to select women from ordinary families to enter the palace as concubines.
For ordinary people, if their daughters could enter the palace to serve the emperor, it would be an incredibly auspicious event, like a blessing from heaven.
People with daughters of marriageable age also inquired about the news and thought about sending their daughters to the palace.
Officials at all levels and local governments were extremely attentive, personally visiting people's homes to select suitable women for the emperor.
...
Nanyang Prefecture, Wan County.
A middle-aged man dressed in an official robe, accompanied by several constables, arrived in front of a residence in the east of the city.
A constable stepped forward and said, "Lord, this is the place!"
The magistrate grunted in agreement, then gestured for the bailiffs to come forward and knock on the door.
The constable immediately arrived at the house and knocked on the gate: "Butcher He, are you home?"
"Hey~, here it comes!!"
A slightly rough voice rang out from inside the courtyard.
Soon, the courtyard gate opened, and a burly man with a full beard walked out of the courtyard.
Upon seeing the county magistrate standing at the gate, the burly man was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to bow: "This humble man is He Jin, greetings to Your Excellency!"
"Are you He Jin?"
Seeing He Jin's appearance, the county magistrate frowned and asked.
"In reply to the magistrate, I do indeed have a younger sister, who is fourteen years old and of marriageable age!"
"Your sister...?"
The man in front of me, He Jin, was not ugly, but he was far from handsome, and he didn't look like he had a beautiful sister at all.
Seeing the magistrate's displeasure, the bailiff quickly stepped forward to explain, "Your Honor, this He Jin and his sister are half-sisters, and she is indeed a beauty rarely seen in the surrounding area..."
"I see!"
The magistrate suddenly realized, then looked at He Jin and said with a smile, "Her Majesty the Empress has decreed that some women from respectable families and of good character be selected from among the common people to serve His Majesty in the palace."
"I've heard that your He family has a daughter, so I've come to see her today. If she is indeed exceptional, then I will recommend her to the imperial court!"
"Ah, thank you so much, Your Excellency, for your great kindness!!"
Upon hearing the magistrate's words, He Jin was overjoyed and quickly bowed again.
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