Chapter 126 The Empress's Admonition: My Sister Must Not Be Wronged
Yu'er's heart trembled slightly, her lips moving silently. It wasn't that she didn't understand, but with red eyes, she hugged Yuan Yan's knees tightly and murmured softly, "Never again."
He's sincere. If he can't do it, then let Yuan Yan kill him.
...
The rivalry between Lu Lingyue and Yu'er for the emperor's favor was neither a major nor a minor matter. Although Yuan Yan acted decisively and suppressed the affair, it naturally couldn't be kept secret from others in the palace where eyes were everywhere.
Upon learning of this, Yang Lingyi summoned the two to her palace and reprimanded them.
"His Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state, working tirelessly day and night for the sake of the country. Minister Lu, you two, as ministers of the inner palace, are fortunate to serve His Majesty, yet instead of thinking of relieving His Majesty's worries and fatigue, you bother His Majesty with trivial matters of jealousy and rivalry among men."
"You two are so disrespectful and lack any semblance of decorum as palace ladies. How can you be worthy of serving His Majesty?" Yang Lingyi stared at the two kneeling figures, displeased, and her tone turned cold.
"Your subject knows his mistake and is willing to accept punishment." Lu Lingyue did not argue and bowed his head to accept the punishment.
Yu'er was originally resentful of Yang Lingyi and unwilling to accept that he could be Yuan Yan's concubine, harboring jealousy in her heart.
However, knowing he had done something wrong and had not yet received Yuan Yan's forgiveness, he dared not speak out as harshly as he had in the past. He could only suppress his temper and reluctantly follow behind.
"Then you two will be punished by copying the 'Rules for Men,' 'Admonitions for Men,' and 'Inner Instructions.' Before you finish copying, you will reflect on your actions in the palace, learn from the exemplary women in the inner quarters, improve your conduct, and fulfill your duties as servants."
Yang Lingyi showed no mercy to the two men who had drained Yuan Yan's energy, and made a decisive decision.
The "Rules for Men" and "Admonitions for Men" are essential texts for men to study in their boudoirs. They are voluminous, with the "Rules for Men" alone comprising more than a dozen volumes.
These books were written by virtuous men from all dynasties.
"Admonitions for Men" is the first treatise on male virtues. It was written by Ban Zhao, a renowned scholar and talented man of a certain dynasty.
This scholar emphasizes in his book that men are inherently inferior to women and should regard themselves as weak, regarding their wives as their heaven and earth, and wholeheartedly assisting them. They must be gentle and humble towards their wives, absolutely obedient, chaste to the death, and respectful to their parents-in-law. They should serve and please their wives' entire family as if they were serving their wives.
"The Rules for Men" was written by Feng Qing, the founding emperor of the previous dynasty. He felt that although Ban Zhao's book was good, it was not comprehensive enough, so he personally wrote more than ten volumes to supplement it into a separate book.
Legend has it that after writing this book, the famous and virtuous Feng Qing hung it on his desk and read it every day for self-discipline, constantly reminding himself not to have male diseases or engage in male prostitution, to abide by male virtues, and to serve his wife wholeheartedly...
So much text. If we were to copy it word for word, it would take forever.
Yu'er hadn't read those "Rules and Precepts for Men" much, and didn't know how long they were. Upon hearing this, she secretly curled her lip, showing a hint of disdain.
Lu Lingyue, however, was familiar with these books and understood that Yang Lingyi was making an example of them to set an example for the other women in the harem. She did not object and silently accepted the situation.
“Your Majesty’s punishment is justified. Your servant will certainly study diligently and reflect on my mistakes.” Lu Lingyue bowed her head.
...
After punishing the two men, Yang Lingyi was still pondering.
Because he had not been able to have a daughter with Sister Yan for so long, he still inevitably felt guilty about it, even with Sister Yan's comfort.
He was already somewhat uneasy, and the fact that Yuan Yan had been showing favoritism to Yu'er a few days ago made him even more nervous.
My sister is the ruler of a country; she can have any kind of man she desires.
No matter what, Yu'er is a Wu Kingdom person, and it's always unsettling to show favoritism towards her.
“No, His Majesty still has too few servants around him; it looks really inappropriate.” Yang Lingyi pondered for a long time, and couldn’t help but worry.
Before him, in the vast harem, apart from him and Consort Lian, there were hardly any suitable servants.
Among the men in the harem today, there are either men like Hejia, who are plain-looking and have no imperial favor, or men like Tuoba Yuer, who rely on their favor and are ignorant of the bigger picture. How can such men serve His Majesty?
Although Yang Lingyi would get jealous when his sister favored other men, he knew his duty as a man and wouldn't cause trouble for his sister over trivial matters like jealousy between men.
In comparison, Yu'er and the others were rather immature.
Xue Ji saw through Yang Lingyi's thoughts, and the irrepressible urge made him restless. He leaned closer and said, "Master, that Yu Shiqing is indeed unruly. Does Master want to select a new person in the palace to serve His Majesty and curb his arrogance?"
Yang Lingyi glanced at Xue Ji, who couldn't hide his excitement, and didn't say yes or no, only that he wanted to find someone to help him and see what Xue Ji really wanted to say.
"Master's idea is correct. However, the choice of this person needs to be made carefully. It would be best to find someone we know well and can trust."
Xueji had always admired His Majesty, and now that he saw an opportunity, he was even more eager to recommend himself.
He said he was a newcomer, but his words were full of subtle hints that Yang Lingyi should choose him.
Qinglan, who was listening nearby, was also somewhat moved and echoed Xueji's words.
These two male servants who accompanied the young master had waited long enough. From the time he married into the royal household until now, they had never had the chance to serve their mistress. Now they only hoped that Yang Lingyi would think of them and give them a chance.
In Xueji's mind, both he and Qinglan were chosen by the eldest prince for the young master, and none of the men outside could compare to them in terms of trustworthiness. Therefore, if Yang Lingyi were to find someone to share the emperor's favor and serve him, this task would most likely fall to the two of them.
Xueji was overjoyed; the thought of gaining His Majesty's favor warmed her heart.
Unexpectedly, Yang Lingyi never considered promoting the two male servants from beginning to end.
My elder sister possesses the Phoenix Kingdom, which is rich beyond measure. Only men of exceptional virtue and appearance are qualified to serve her.
Men like Qinglan and Xueji lacked virtue, appearance, and talent. Yang Lingyi, however, preferred women who were both beautiful and talented, and found Qinglan and Xueji to be vulgar and obsequious; she was not satisfied with either of them.
He would never selfishly give the two people to Yuan Yan just because they were easy to control.
Otherwise, my sister is already very busy with court affairs every day, and the people serving her in bed are all stupid and incompetent, unable to understand the emperor's wishes and relieve her fatigue. Wouldn't that be too unfair to my sister?
"It seems we really need to speed things up with the talent show," Yang Lingyi thought to herself.
...
So when Yuan Yan returned to the palace after court, he saw Yang Lingyi sitting at her desk, carefully looking through a list of names.
When Yuan Yan approached from behind, Yang Lingyi was so focused on watching that she didn't even notice what was happening.
Yang Lingyi was slightly surprised and came back to her senses only when Yuan Yan hugged her from behind and his smiling voice rang in her ears.
"What are you looking at, Yi'er? Why are you frowning?" Yuan Yan looked at the lingering troubled expression on Yi'er's face and chuckled as he reached out and pinched the soft flesh of his cheek.
"Be careful not to frown too much, or you'll really turn into an old man one day," Yuan Yan joked, intentionally teasing him.
Yang Lingyi's heart tightened when she heard that he had become an old man. She subconsciously glanced at herself in the mirror and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there was no mark between her eyebrows. With a hint of reproach in her eyes, she turned away and refused to let Yuan Yan hug her.
"Your Majesty, it's only been a short time, and you already think I'm old?" Yang Lingyi's tone contained a hint of unconscious coquetry.
"How could that be? Even if Yi'er becomes an old man, he will still be the one I love most in my heart."
Yuan Yan smiled, ignoring Yang Lingyi's objections, and gently lifted him up, placing him on his lap.
Yang Lingyi's cheeks flushed red from her words, but the next moment her body felt light, and before she could react, she found herself sitting on Yuan Yan's lap in a position as if leaning against him.
His body swayed, and he was suddenly suspended in mid-air, protesting softly, "Sister!"
"You're looking at it so intently, let me take a look too." Yuan Yan rested his chin on Yang Lingyi's shoulder and lazily looked at what he was holding.
What Yang Lingyi was holding was the list of male contestants for this talent show.
The selection process in the Phoenix Kingdom mainly involves choosing suitable candidates from respectable families, official families, and noble families to fill the imperial harem. It is generally divided into preliminary selection and secondary selection stages.
As this was the first general election since Yuan Yan ascended the throne, it was unprecedented in scale and ceremony, and all eligible officials and men actively participated.
Even those powerful families who had a lukewarm response to Emperor Ruizong's selection of concubines back then, knowing that Emperor Yuan Yan was a wise and powerful ruler with consolidated imperial power, and considering that Emperor Yuan Yan had no daughters at the time, all changed their arrogant attitude and tried their best to send eligible men from their families to the palace.
Due to the large number of applicants, the Ministry of Rites raised the standards during the selection process, making it extremely rigorous, and focusing on selecting only virtuous men who excelled in both appearance and speech.
The general election had progressed to the stage of the second round of selection, and the candidates had already passed the initial screening. A group of candidates with poor qualifications were eliminated by the Ministry of Rites, leaving only outstanding young men who met the requirements in terms of family background, appearance, and manners.
"Sister, stop fooling around. I'm busy picking out the best men for the talent show." Yang Lingyi felt a slight tickle from the strands of hair brushing against her temples and couldn't help but smile and dodge away.
A shallow dimple appeared on his cheek as he gently patted Yuan Yan's hand.
That gentle force was less like patting her and more like her actively offering her hand to Yuan Yan.
Yuan Yan took Yi'er's hand and gently turned a few pages with her.
Her gaze swept briefly over the roster, and she grunted upon seeing the names. Given Yuan Yan's familiarity with the court, she could almost immediately tell at a glance which families most of the candidates came from.
Anyway, we'll see them in a few days, so there's nothing interesting about this roster.
Yuan Yan had no interest in continuing, so he lazily let go of her hand and instead hugged Yang Lingyi even tighter from behind.
Yang Lingyi felt Yuan Yan's hand as if it were a hot fire, igniting his body. The soft flesh on his waist was being touched, tickling him and making it impossible for him to concentrate. His attention was completely drawn to the hand below, and his breathing became slightly disordered.
He had originally planned to help Yuan Yan select a few suitable candidates, but now he had completely lost interest.
"If you can't concentrate on reading, then don't. Yi'er hasn't talked to me in a long time."
Why bother reading pamphlets when I finally have some free time? Just look at her.
Yuan Yan closed the register, tossed it aside, turned and found Yang Lingyi's lips, pecking at them with a kiss that was as beautiful as a flower.
Yang Lingyi was caught off guard when her sister kissed her and pinned her to the table. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the palace servants quietly retreating from the hall.
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