"Speaking of which, your Yan family doesn't have any girls of marriageable age, does it?" Shu Chengfeng said.
"What else could we send in? To be your concubine or your son's wife?" Yan Nangui rolled her eyes at him: "You really have nothing better to do than the Empress Dowager, just like you."
They're definitely mother and daughter.
Shu Chengfeng shook his head; he no longer had any temper with Yan Nangui.
The main reason is that over the years, he has been very satisfied with Yan Nangui's ability to manage the harem.
He felt comfortable with her decisive personality and straightforwardness.
"If your family has a suitable wife, she will naturally be the principal wife of the princes. What kind of talk is that?" Shu Chengfeng said again.
"No, I won't do it, don't even think about it." Yan Nangui rolled his eyes.
Shu Chengfeng shook his head: "Fine, fine, if I don't want to do it, I won't."
"Since you're not going to do it, you should keep an eye out for suitable girls from certain families."
"Okay, I'll keep an eye out." Yan Nangui tossed aside what she was holding, told someone to tidy up, and stood up: "It's time to wash up."
Shu Chengfeng stood up and picked her up in his arms: "Let's wash up together."
"Your Majesty is really energetic, aren't you tired?" Yan Nangui was exhausted.
Shu Chengfeng didn't say anything, and simply carried her to the bathroom.
The maids have already prepared water for washing, as it is still not very warm today.
"This year, I will give you a proper birthday celebration. What else do you want?" Shu Chengfeng asked.
“This year, my parents are coming back, and I want to go home to visit them,” Yan Nangui said.
"You call this a requirement?"
"If you think of anything you want, just tell me anytime. Why do you have to say it now? Does that mean I can't say it now if I miss today?" Yan Nangui finished washing up and stood up.
Shu Chengfeng remained silent; that made sense.
After getting into bed, there was quite a bit of fuss. Now that His Majesty is here, he doesn't do this every day anymore, but only because he's sometimes tired.
In reality, he still had interest in Consort Chen.
The next day, His Majesty went to court, and Yan Nangui slept until his usual time to get up.
While she was combing her hair, Shuanzi came in and said, "Your Majesty, the topic of establishing a crown prince came up again during the morning court session this day. These days, the court officials bring it up every day, and His Majesty is getting tired of it."
Yan Nangui looked at herself in the mirror, combed her hair little by little, and put on her jewelry one piece at a time.
"It is time to establish a crown prince."
"Your Majesty, who do you favor? These days, the princes... all have to curry favor with us. The concubines who have princes are all very polite." It's not like it used to be.
If you can't win the Emperor's favor, you can at least please Consort Chen. After all, the Yan family holds military power, and supporting their son would be a great advantage.
“According to the rules, it should naturally be the eldest prince. However, I think the third prince would be quite good,” Yan Nangui said.
“This… the Third Prince’s mother has quite a mind of her own, what will happen in the future…” Shuanzi worried.
"Which prince's mother is so petty?" Yan Nangui sneered. "They're obedient now, but once the prince ascends the throne and they become empress dowagers, do you think they'll still respect me, a mere concubine?"
“As long as the Yan family remains the same, it’s not impossible,” Jiang Xiang said.
"Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. With a new emperor on the throne, the harem is empty. Without civil officials in the previous dynasty, the Yan family can never be what it is today." Unless some major upheaval occurs, as Yan Lingyun ages, the Yan family is bound to face that day.
"Your Majesty is thinking that way, but... we need to find a way, otherwise you won't be able to control her in the future." Since Jiangxiang left the palace and stayed permanently, she has become more and more straightforward in her speech.
“You’re right. I need to think of a relatively safe approach. Not to mention me, even His Majesty currently favors the First Prince and the Third Prince.”
The princes behind him were either very young or physically weak.
"Speaking of which, Consort Xiangxian went to great lengths to get a prince, so His Majesty hardly ever visits anymore. On the other hand, the Eighth Prince... sigh, I heard that he's still the same, and he can't even eat properly." Jiangxiang shook her head.
Yes, the Eighth Prince seems promising, but unfortunately... he's a bit slow-witted.
The imperial physician examined the child and said his intelligence was fine. The rest of the conversation was between Yan Nangui and Imperial Physician Huang. Imperial Physician Huang meant that the child was rather slow-witted…
They can be described as extremely stupid; there's really no need to say anything more.
Consort Xiang was angry at his lack of ambition, but unfortunately she dared not do anything about it and could only try her best to teach him.
The sixth prince, like his mother, was without desires or ambitions...
The Ninth Prince is still young, and it's impossible to tell what his talents are.
The candidates to be made crown prince are the eldest prince, the second prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince.
The most popular choices are the eldest prince and the third prince.
"What do you think of their personalities?" Yan Nangui asked.
"To be honest, neither of them are very good," Jiangxiang said. "The eldest prince is hypocritical, and the third prince is treacherous. They put on a very good act, and when facing foreign officials, they are tolerant, magnanimous, and virtuous. It's just a pity that they are not like that inside."
Yan Nangui suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost fell over.
"I haven't given birth yet. If I had given birth to a son, wouldn't you all dislike them even more?"
Jiangxiang smiled sheepishly: "I was too blunt."
"My father and the others will be returning to the capital soon, and then it will be time to discuss the matter of establishing a crown prince."
"However, since the court is pressing for it, I might as well add fuel to the fire. The eldest granddaughter of Lord Xu is about the same age as the First Prince, isn't she?"
The Master Xu she was referring to was naturally the Grand Secretary, Master Xu.
"Indeed, Lord Xu's eldest granddaughter is fifteen years old this year, the same age as the eldest prince."
"And also, the youngest daughter of Minister Yan of the Ministry of Revenue. And the daughter of Minister Ding of the Ministry of War." Minister Ding of the Ministry of War is none other than Ding Min, the former imperial bodyguard.
After Lord Cao retired, he became the Minister of War.
"Go and spread the word to the families of these three men that the seventh day is an auspicious day. I will be hosting a flower-viewing banquet and inviting the ladies of these men's households to enjoy the flowers. Please also bring your daughters to keep the Seventh Princess company."
"Yes, this servant will go right away." Jiangxiang went out.
Soon, these families received the news and began to speculate. Although there was no Empress, and the princes' marriages should perhaps be decided by the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager's relationship with the Emperor was not particularly close, so this matter was not a secret.
Especially since the eldest prince was born to Consort Ning...
Therefore, it is not surprising that the imperial concubine, who had no children, was in charge of the affairs.
What daughter wouldn't want to marry a prince? Especially one who might become the crown prince.
So, on the seventh day, they all arrived early. After paying their respects to the Empress Dowager, they came to Zhaochun Palace.
Yan Nangui simply ordered the Imperial Garden to be sealed off, allowing the women to enjoy the flowers.
"It shouldn't be so ostentatious. If it were an ordinary family, it would be fine for boys and girls to sit together. But this is the palace after all. If anything goes wrong, it will make things difficult for you young ladies. You are all delicate flowers, and I can't bear to see you suffer."
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