99. Face the problem squarely, humbly accept advice, and resolutely refuse to change.
Stepping out of the main hall, Lord Zhao stroked his beard smugly: "Gentlemen, if you have any women of marriageable age, please send them to my residence for selection."
Lord Wang snorted coldly: "Lord Zhao, don't be too smug!"
"Lord Wang, what do you mean by this?" Lord Zhao asked knowingly. "Why are you opposing me at every turn?"
"Lord Zhao, you are mistaken!" Lord Wang sneered. "This old minister was merely fulfilling his duty..."
"To be loyal to one's duty?" Lord Zhao scoffed. "Isn't it more about securing a future for one's granddaughter?"
"You!" Lord Wang trembled with rage.
"My lords, please calm down," Lord Zhang stepped forward to mediate. "How about this, let's each take a step back..."
"Lord Zhang!" Lord Li suddenly interjected, "Are you trying to reap the benefits without lifting a finger?"
"Lord Li, you are mistaken!" Lord Zhang's expression changed.
"Enough!" Lord Zhou roared. "What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket in front of the palace gates!"
The officials then dispersed reluctantly, but secretly they were all plotting how to send their own daughters into the palace.
-
The Imperial Study.
"Does Your Majesty really intend to select a concubine?" Qu Zijin asked bluntly, his brows furrowed.
Wei Xiuming did not answer, but smiled and said, "What do you think, Minister Qu?"
"In my opinion..." Qu Zijin pondered for a moment, "it is indeed the right choice."
After all, now the emperor's harem is only occupied by Consort Xian, and he has only one son and one daughter as his offspring.
From any perspective, it is indeed necessary to fill the harem and continue the family line.
Wei Xiuming smiled without saying a word, then turned his gaze to Xie Wenling, who had been standing quietly to the side: "What does Minister Xie think?"
Xie Wenling was also in the court at the time, but like Qu Zijin, he remained silent and did not participate in the dispute.
After arriving at the Imperial Study, he stood quietly to the side without saying a word.
He was wearing an official robe today, and the jade belt around his waist accentuated his slender figure.
Her eyebrows resembled distant mountains, her eyes shone like cold stars, her nose was high and straight, and her thin lips were slightly pursed. Her whole person was as exquisite as a finely crafted painting.
"Your Majesty has already made up your mind," Xie Wenling began.
Wei Xiuming raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"
Xie Wenling cut to the chase: "If His Majesty truly wanted to select a consort, he wouldn't have let the ministers argue in the hall just now, and in the end, he chose the most talkative and incompetent Minister Zhao to be in charge."
Qu Zijin was taken aback upon hearing this, then suddenly realized: "So that's how it is! I've also heard that Lord Zhao is ambitious and procrastinates, and that the imperial concubine selection fell into his hands..."
Wei Xiuming chuckled, a hint of approval in his eyes: "Minister Xie certainly has a discerning eye."
He changed the subject: "But I am curious, with Xie Qing's looks and character, why is he still unmarried? Is it because his standards are too high?"
Xie Wenling said calmly, "Your humble servant is devoted to serving the country and has no intention of starting a family for the time being. However..."
Xie Wenling raised his eyes and changed the subject: "Why is Your Majesty unwilling to hold a selection of concubines?"
"I find the infighting in the harem too troublesome," Wei Xiuming answered the question frankly and honestly. "Besides, we already have princes and princesses, so the throne has a successor. Why must we take in more concubines?"
Qu Zijin couldn't help but want to speak.
Although the young Grand Tutor was only in his early twenties, he already had the air of a mature and prudent man: "Your Majesty, the continuation of the imperial line is the foundation of the empire."
He paused, cleared his throat, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply, saying solemnly, "Your Majesty, I dare to offer another word. The Book of Rites, in the chapter on Marriage, states: 'The Son of Heaven establishes six palaces, three consorts, nine concubines, twenty-seven ladies-in-waiting, and eighty-one imperial wives, so as to demonstrate the obedience of women, thus ensuring harmony within the realm and order in the household.' This is the law of our ancestors, and it must be heeded!"
Wei Xiuming rested his chin on his hand, looking at him with a half-smile: "Minister Qu, you are a few years younger than me, so why do you talk like a seventy-year-old scholar?"
Qu Zijin remained unmoved and continued to quote classical texts: "The Book of Songs, in the Greater Odes, says: 'Da Si inherited the beautiful sound, and then a hundred sons followed.' King Wen of Zhou had many sons and many blessings, which enabled him to establish an empire for eight hundred years. Your Majesty now has few offspring, which is not a blessing for the country."
Xie Wenling stood aside, watching Qu Zijin's earnest admonition, and simply couldn't understand it.
He couldn't understand why there were always loyal ministers who would go against the emperor and do these thankless tasks.
"Furthermore," Qu Zijin, unaware of his thoughts, spoke with increasing enthusiasm, "the *Da Ren Yao Dian* records: 'Yao's two daughters descended from the Gui River and became concubines in Yu.' This shows that even the ancient sage kings valued the rites of marriage. If Your Majesty insists on not selecting a concubine, I fear..."
"Minister Qu," Wei Xiuming said, no longer wanting to listen, rejecting his advice and threatening, "if you keep nagging like this, I will issue an edict to bestow upon you a beauty and make you bear ten children within three years, how about that?"
"...Huh?" Qu Zijin, who had been all righteous and willing to sacrifice himself for the dynasty, suddenly went blank for a moment after hearing Wei Xiuming's full threat.
He shut up.
Although he was willing to sacrifice himself, it wasn't this kind of "sacrifice".
This kind of "sacrifice" is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable!
A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated!
Upon seeing this, Xie Wenling's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty's actions today are quite brilliant."
"Oh?" Wei Xiuming rarely managed to leave Qu Zijin speechless, and he felt a strange sense of accomplishment.
I feel like I've got his weakness figured out.
Hearing Xie Wenling speak, he looked at him with great interest.
“Lord Zhao is always slow in his work. If the selection of officials falls into his hands, it will take at least half a year to prepare,” Xie Wenling said unhurriedly. “If His Majesty has other orders or the Ministry of War has some work to do, it will be delayed again and again. In addition, His Majesty will bypass the Ministry of Rites and select him directly, which will inevitably cause dissatisfaction in the Ministry of Rites and other officials, who will try to trip him up... This matter is going to be a long way off.”
Wei Xiuming burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, Xie Qing understands me best."
Qu Zijin suddenly realized: "So His Majesty had planned this all along!"
But then he frowned: "However... toying with the ministers is ultimately inappropriate..."
“Lord Qu is overthinking it,” Xie Wenling said. “How could this be considered a mockery of the court?”
"This is just playing with the court officials," Qu Zijin said with certainty.
"No. His Majesty faces the problem squarely and humbly accepts advice, but..." Xie Wenling couldn't help but laugh as he spoke, "...he just resolutely refuses to change it."
Face the problem squarely, humbly accept advice, but resolutely refuse to change.
Qu Zijin paused for a moment.
Uh... these three short four-character phrases were arranged in a combination he had never imagined.
"Hahahahahahahaha!" Wei Xiuming, who was at the head of the table, laughed heartily without any restraint.
He laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears welling up in his eyes. Between laughs, he slapped the table and exclaimed, "Minister Xie, you're truly a talent! I'm starting to like you!"
Of course, this "liking" is not the same as that "liking," it is simply pure appreciation.
"Your Majesty flatters me." Xie Wenling nodded with a smile.
His gaze was gentle and smiling, his brows and eyes slightly relaxed, making him even more handsome than when he wasn't smiling.
Truly, he is exceptionally handsome, unparalleled in the world.
However, both men present were straight men, especially Qu Zijin, the old-fashioned one, whose mind was completely on what he was saying. After a long pause, he immediately retorted, "Since you are willing to accept advice, how can you refuse to change? Wouldn't that discourage the ministers?"
“Grand Tutor Qu is mistaken,” Xie Wenling argued back. “Of those ministers who are vying to recommend their own daughters, how many of them are truly thinking of the country and its people?”
Qu Zijin fell silent again.
It seems that everyone is thinking about climbing the social ladder and currying favor with the powerful. There are some who truly care about the country, but not many.
Furthermore, they wouldn't go to great lengths to recommend girls from their own family.
---
Mini-theater:
Minister 1: Choose my daughter! My daughter is wonderful!
Minister 2: My daughter is the best!
Minister 3: My daughter is virtuous and capable enough to be empress!
Minister 4: Move aside, move aside, everyone move aside! You have to choose my house!
Minister 5: Oh, stop arguing! Everyone has a chance, it all depends on His Majesty's decision.
Wei Xiuming: I was just kidding. You won't have a chance because I don't plan to choose any of them, hehe.
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