“…”

“…”

The female relatives looked at each other with strange expressions, repeatedly savoring Shen Qianchen's words.

Whether she is a virtuous queen or not is not up to you to decide!

Whether to take a concubine or not is not up to you!

This must be what the Queen meant! Shen Zhi almost laughed out loud, secretly sighing that her daughter was always willing to take no losses. The key point was that this girl had enough confidence.

The ladies around gradually became agitated. Some seemed to be thinking about something; some did not comment; some frowned slightly in disapproval, thinking that the new queen's words were a little too frivolous.

The new queen and the new emperor got married only last year, and they have been married for just nine months, so they are still considered newlyweds. Newlyweds are naturally very sweet and loving, but as time goes by, the affection between husband and wife gradually fades. Every couple goes through this step by step.

All the ladies present were experienced people, they had experienced it themselves and had seen a lot.

To be realistic, if Gu Jue was still the Prince of Chen today, he and Shen Qianchen might be able to enjoy a sweeter time, but the reality is that Gu Jue has already ascended the throne and is the Emperor of Great Qi.

While thinking, some of the ladies from outside the court looked at Shen Qianchen with eyes filled with an indescribable look of sympathy, envy or sigh.

After all, the new queen is too young and too naive. She is probably so used to being the only one in power in the Prince Chen's Mansion that she has forgotten that times are different now.

As the emperor's woman, does she want to be the only one in the harem and not allow the new emperor to take concubines? ! She is not only naive, but also ridiculous and arrogant! "..." Princess Duan's face was stiff, and a hint of disapproval flashed across her eyes.

Concubine Li patted Princess Duan's hand in a soothing manner, and said with a friendly smile, "Whether she is a virtuous queen or not is indeed not up to us to decide. It should be decided by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."

As she spoke, Concubine Li looked meaningfully at Empress Dowager Yin, who was sitting at the top. Her smile deepened and her eyes became deep.

The queen didn't even think about it. The queen mother was still sitting here! The queen couldn't show off her power as the mistress of the six palaces in the harem!

Queen Mother Yin slowly used the tea lid to remove the foam floating on the tea. Her movements were graceful, unhurried, and her demeanor was noble and calm.

Everyone's eyes turned to Queen Mother Yin, with different expressions, waiting for the Queen Mother's response.

The wife of the Marquis of Anding had an expectant look on her face and a burning gaze. She hoped that Concubine Dowager Li and Princess Duan, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, could persuade the Empress Dowager to take a concubine for the new emperor today.

Their Anding Marquisate had been in a mediocre position in the imperial court for the past decade, and if it continued like this, it would become a low-ranking idle noble. However, if their daughter could enter the palace as a concubine and give birth to a prince, the Marquisate could change its declining fate and move to a higher level.

The wife of the Marquis of Anding swallowed her saliva and could not help but echoed: "What Concubine Li said is right. The Queen Mother is kind and generous, and her reputation is known all over the world. She is a role model for women all over the world."

Lady Mu, the Duke of Mu, felt increasingly nervous as she listened to every meaningful word these people said; their thoughts were clear to her.

Although the eldest daughter Shen Zhi has always said that she believes in Gu Jue as a son-in-law, Lady Mu Guogong always feels that her eldest daughter is too naive and that it is inevitable that Gu Jue will take a concubine.

Since it is inevitable, what they as the queen's family can do is to delay the matter of taking a concubine as much as possible and persuade the empress dowager to wait until the birth of Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen's eldest son before considering taking a concubine. This way, Shen Qianchen's interests can be protected to the greatest extent.

Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, pursed her lips, already thinking about how she should help her granddaughter deal with the situation if the Queen Mother expressed her opinion.

Under everyone's scorching gazes, Shen Qianchen smiled, her phoenix eyes sparkling, and turned to Queen Mother Yin and said with a sweet smile: "There have been many trivial matters in the palace recently, and it is also thanks to my mother who taught me."

Her eyes have a graceful arc and the corners of her eyes are slightly upturned. When she smiles, her eyes are lively and her smile is bright. She is so beautiful that all the beauties in the room are eclipsed and become her background.

Shen Qianchen praised the Queen Mother sincerely, but the speaker was unintentional while the listeners took it to heart. To the ears of Concubine Li, Princess Duan and others, they felt that she did not dare to offend the Queen Mother and could only flatter her to please the new emperor.

Very good, as long as the Queen Mother can suppress the new Queen!

Princess Duan and Concubine Li exchanged a glance silently, and then Princess Duan bowed to Queen Mother Yin and said humbly, "Don't blame me for being rude, Queen Mother. I was just worried about the emperor's offspring, so I said a few extra words. The emperor has already ascended the throne, and it's better to take concubines into the harem as soon as possible."

Princess Duan simply put it bluntly.

It was natural for the emperor to take concubines. She kindly reminded the empress, hoping that she would take the initiative to mention it to the new emperor. Wouldn't this also help the empress gain a reputation for being virtuous? ! Since the empress didn't appreciate her kindness, she didn't need to beat around the bush. Anyway, she had already offended the empress today, so she might as well try to please the empress dowager.

The person who wants to hold a grandson the most must be the empress dowager! Lady Andinghou hurriedly added: "The emperor's offspring are the foundation of the country. In the future, there will be more people in the palace, and the children will surround the empress dowager's lap, which will definitely be lively."

Several noble ladies also nodded frequently, feeling sympathetic.

Queen Mother Yin took a sip of hot tea, put down the teacup leisurely, and asked Princess Duan County inexplicably: "I remember that Prince Duan County is the second child in the family, right?"

Princess Duan quickly echoed, "The Queen Mother has a really good memory."

The current Prince Duan is Gu Jue's cousin, and the biological son of Gu Jue's third uncle and Concubine Li. Because the eldest son died young, the second son inherited the title.

"Has the crown prince been appointed?" Queen Mother Yin asked again.

Princess Duan was confused and answered obediently, "Yes, it is my eldest son Gu Luo."

Queen Mother Yin pointed to the wife of Marquis Anding who was not far away and asked: "Who is your family's prince?"

When the wife of the Marquis of Anding saw the empress dowager asking about her family, she stood up cheerfully and replied with a smile: "Your Majesty, he is my eldest son. He is currently serving in the Wucheng Military Department and is not very capable."

She said that her eldest son was a good-for-nothing, but there was a hint of pride in her description.

Everyone knows that Wucheng Bingmasi is the place where the playboys from royal families and noble families go, but Su Mubai previously was in charge of Wucheng Bingmasi, and now that Su Mubai's power has risen, the Wucheng Bingmasi seems to be "unusual".

Queen Mother Yin continued to ask: "How many concubines are there in the mansion?"

The wife of the Marquis of Anding replied: "Two legitimate sons and four illegitimate sons."

The wife of the Marquis of Anding was graceful and elegant in her conversation and laughter, and she considered herself to be a virtuous mother. She was unlike Madam Yun of the Marquis of Zhongyong who oppressed her illegitimate son. Their mansion had many descendants, and even her picky mother-in-law was very satisfied with it.

The next moment, Queen Mother Yin said something shocking with a calm expression: "Why not let the prince give the title to the bastard?"

Madam Andinghou: "!!!"

Princess Duan: "!!!"

Queen Dowager Yin did not mention any names, so no one could be sure whether the "crown prince" she was referring to referred only to the crown prince of Marquis Anding, or also included the crown prince of Prince Duan.

The wife of the Marquis of Anding got a little carried away and exclaimed, "How can this be? According to the rules of our ancestors, the title is passed down to the legitimate son and not to the illegitimate son, and to the eldest son and not to the most virtuous son."

In the Great Qi Dynasty, the inheritance system of titles had very detailed regulations, including that the inheritor of the title would inherit most of the family property. According to the rules, if a concubine's son inherited the title, the emperor had to grant additional permission. If the emperor was not happy, he could directly demote the title.

The wife of the Marquis of Anding was panicked. She said whatever came to her mind and talked about the ancestral etiquette and laws incoherently, for fear that the Queen Mother would really give the throne to her own illegitimate son.

"..." Princess Duan's face turned pale and blue, she didn't dare to respond, nor did she dare to look at Concubine Li. After all, to Concubine Li, a concubine's son was also her grandson, so it didn't matter who inherited the title.

Queen Mother Yin glanced at Princess Duan and the others calmly and said, "If that's the case, what's the use of a concubine's son?"

"If a bastard cannot inherit the title or the family property, what is the point of having a bastard?"

Everyone was silent, looking unhappy.

All the women who can appear here today have imperial decrees and are the mistresses of the family. No one would be willing to give away their property to a bastard for free.

Concubine Li pursed her slightly dry lips, her cloudy eyes were deep and dark, and when she was not smiling, her expression looked a little mean.

"Queen Mother," Concubine Dowager Li forced a smile, acting like a good sister-in-law, ignoring the unhappy expression of Princess Duan, "There are also many outstanding sons among the concubines. They are diligent and motivated, and they can make a name for themselves without relying on their family."

Although this statement is true, no one agrees with it. For these legitimate wives, unless they don't have legitimate sons, who can raise illegitimate sons as their own children!

The atmosphere froze slightly.

The ladies who were originally drinking tea no longer dared to drink it. They all sat upright for fear of making any unnecessary noise.

Queen Mother Yin seemed not to feel the subtle atmosphere at the moment. She stroked her sleeves casually, and her brand new clothes made her look extremely good.

"My sister-in-law is right." Queen Mother Yin nodded seriously.

Concubine Li was the original wife of Prince Xianduan. In fact, she was a generation older than Empress Dowager Yin and was already in her early fifties. At this moment, when Empress Dowager Yin, who looked to be in her early thirties, called Concubine Li "sister-in-law", it seemed a little awkward.

Queen Mother Yin continued, "There are also outstanding illegitimate sons, such as the loyal and brave Bo Yunzhan, who is a illegitimate son. He is very ambitious and went to the north to join the army and made great military achievements for our Great Qi."

Empress Dowager Yin praised Yunzhan with admiration, which made Concubine Li feel a little relieved and feel that there was a chance.

The faces of the wife of Marquis Anding and Princess Duan became even darker, and their mouths opened and closed, as if they were about to say something.

Queen Mother Yin didn't care about other people's expressions at all, and said to herself: "So, the emperor let Yunzhan inherit the title, and often praised Yunzhan in front of me. He is a good child. He can't be suppressed or his achievements erased just because he is a bastard."

"Since Third Sister-in-law is so touched, I think your illegitimate children must be quite outstanding. Bring all the children to me and the emperor next time. If they are really outstanding, I can make the decision on behalf of the emperor and choose the virtuous and capable ones regardless of whether they are legitimate or illegitimate."

Empress Dowager Yin spoke in a high-sounding manner, but Princess Duan was going crazy and quickly reached out from under the coffee table to pull Concubine Li's sleeve.

Concubine Li: "!!!"

Concubine Li did not dare to respond.

Although the half-brothers of Prince Duan are also her grandchildren, she has loved her eldest grandson the most since he was a child and has always treated him as the heir to the Prince's Mansion.

If she dared to agree today, the prince would definitely hate her as his grandmother, and their Duan County Prince's Mansion would become a family that did not distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate children. Which family would dare to marry into their family in the future? ! Queen Mother Yin pressed on, "What do you think, Third Brother's wife?"

Concubine Li: "!!!"

How can this be good!

Princess Duan was even more shocked and confused, and couldn't help but think of Yunzhan and Chu Yunyi.

The fact that Gu Jue let Yunzhan and Chu Yunyi inherit the title had long caused some people in the capital to speculate. Yunzhan was Gu Jue's confidant, and Chu Yunyi was Gu Jue's brother-in-law. Both of them were illegitimate sons, but they both inherited the title.

This makes people wonder if Gu Jue is hinting at something...

Especially now that the Queen Mother said so.

Not only the Princess of Duan County, but also the wives of the Marquis of Anding and other ladies of other noble families began to imagine and suspected that the Queen Mother said this because of Gu Jue's intention.

Does it mean that the inheritance of titles in the future will not be based on legitimate sons or daughters, or on seniority, but will be based on the most virtuous?

Thinking of this, the ladies outside the court could no longer maintain their dignified appearance. Their faces all changed, some showed surprise, some were terrified, and some were thoughtful.

This matter will undoubtedly infringe upon their interests as legitimate wives. If they do not distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate wives, then the family will be in chaos. If the illegitimate son inherits the title, then won't they have to live under the illegitimate son's will?

I heard that Yunzhan had already separated his biological father and stepmother from the family, which was no different from kicking people out of the house.

The more they thought about it, the more uneasy they became, and the more frightened they became.

Of course they would not agree, and they absolutely could not agree.

The wife of the Marquis of Changping cleared her throat and spoke first: "Since ancient times, according to the patriarchal system, the throne has always been passed down to the legitimate heir and not to the illegitimate child, and to the eldest son and not to the most virtuous."

"The clear distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is the foundation of a stable family. Using illegitimate children as legitimate children is the source of chaos in a family."

With Lady Changping taking the lead, it was much easier for the others to speak up. They spoke one after another:

"What Lady Changping said is correct. A legitimate son is a legitimate son, and a concubine is a concubine. A concubine's son should abide by the duties of a concubine's son and must not break the rules or mess up the hierarchy."

"Yes. The clan system has been passed down for thousands of years, and there must be a reason for it."

“…”

The women's voices of approval echoed in the hall one after another, as if everyone was united.

At this moment, everyone has the same idea, they just want to protect their own interests and status first.

After letting them chatter for a while, Queen Mother Yin took two sips of tea and then asked again, "So, what's the use of a concubine's son?"

It was the same question again, and even her tone was exactly the same, light and clear, as if she was just chatting with them about family matters.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Everyone was speechless, looking panicked, with this question filling their minds and unable to be shaken off.

What would they say?! Besides, it would be wrong to say that there were also wise men among the illegitimate sons, as that would just be going back to the topic.

These ladies exchanged glances secretly, not knowing what to say and not wanting to be the first to speak out.

As the saying goes, the first bird to stick its head out gets shot.

Don't let their daughters not enter the palace, but let the illegitimate sons climb on their heads, and let the concubines become noble because of their sons. Isn't that losing both the wife and the army? ! This is something they absolutely cannot tolerate.

The thoughts of these people were almost written on their faces, and the wife of Duke Mu could also see it.

Seeing the situation turn around and finally brighten up, Lady Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: Fortunately, the Queen Mother is a person with her own ideas, but she is not easily manipulated by these people! Everyone kept silent, but Queen Mother Yin would not let them get away with it so easily. She asked again: "Then, what is the use of a bastard?"

Her voice was not particularly loud, but it echoed throughout the main hall and was clearly heard by everyone.

Queen Mother Yin released a gentle pressure from her body, and Lady Anding Hou and others were so guilty that they dared not look her in the eye.

Everyone was speechless.

There was silence for a long while before a dry female voice said awkwardly, "The Queen Mother is right. A concubine's son is no match for a legitimate son. A legitimate son is naturally the most noble."

Queen Mother Yin looked around at everyone calmly, so calm that she didn't even blink, but there was a silent sharpness in her eyes, as if she saw through these female relatives inside and out.

She asked back: "If that's the case, then why do you still have to talk about offspring in front of me?"

The response from Queen Mother Yin was still silence.

Queen Mother Yin almost shut them up with just a few words.

Concubine Li and others were like dumb people. Some of them sat there stiffly with blank expressions, some felt uncomfortable as if they had stepped on dog shit, and some looked at each other, trying to see what others thought.

The wife of the Marquis of Anding felt a little breathless. She gritted her teeth and the veins in the corners of her eyes jumped. Finally, she admitted her mistake wisely: "The Queen Mother is wise. It is I who am stupid. I was distracted and didn't understand."

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, have just heard this, and it has suddenly become clear to me."

"The legitimate son is noble, and his status cannot be shaken."

When she spoke, Lady Marquis Anding's expression was so sincere and heartfelt.

She also figured it out. She had already displeased the Queen Mother and the Empress today. She couldn't do anything about it, so she might as well admit her mistake sooner rather than later, so that the Empress would think she was well-educated and sensible.

The other people around her were full of admiration for her and thought she was really able to humble herself.

The others lagged behind Lady Anding, but they also joined in praising the Queen Mother's wisdom, throwing out all kinds of gorgeous words.

Princess Duan's face darkened even more, and she clenched the handkerchief tightly in both hands.

The idea of ​​taking a concubine was not something Princess Duan had on a whim. They had discussed the matter at the Prince's Mansion last night. They thought that all aspects had been taken into consideration, but they did not expect that the Queen Mother would have this attitude.

Princess Duan was a little confused and unwilling to give up, but she couldn't think of any other reason to get the Queen Mother to come forward and facilitate the selection of a concubine.

Originally, the emperor's selection of concubines was either presided over by the empress or the queen mother. Now it seems that the empress is too young and can't tolerate anyone, and the queen mother has such an attitude. Could it be...

Is the Queen Mother not planning to choose a concubine for the new emperor? ! How is this possible! ! We can't really wait until the Queen gives birth to a legitimate son before considering choosing a concubine for the new emperor, right?

The Queen and the new Emperor have been married for more than nine months, but there is still no sign of pregnancy. It is obvious that it is not easy to have children. The new Emperor is almost in his twenties and still has no children.

How could an emperor's harem be empty, with no concubines except the queen? This is too absurd. Isn't the queen mother the biological mother of the new emperor? Why is she helping the queen? !

For a moment, Princess Duan almost suspected that Queen Mother Yin had been bewitched by the Queen.

Seeing this, the wife of Duke Mu's emotions, which had been fluctuating for several times, calmed down. She was finally completely relieved and her gaze turned to Shen Qianchen who was sitting below her.

Shen Qianchen smiled sweetly at Queen Mother Yin, his eyes and brows were as clear and bright as the crescent moon, making the viewers feel as if they were holding honey in their mouths.

Queen Mother Yin also smiled, a gentle smile that said everything.

Anyone can see that the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is very close.

The wife of Duke Mu raised the corners of her lips, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart: her granddaughter is really blessed. This marriage was not favored at first, but she insisted on taking a smooth path.

For her sake, the new emperor was willing to schedule the coronation ceremony and the empress enthronement ceremony on the same day and at the same time; the empress dowager was willing to protect her in front of so many princesses and ladies, which shows how much the new emperor and the empress dowager loved her.

No matter what happens in the future, the Queen Mother's willingness to help Shen Qianchen now can buy her a lot of time.

As long as Shen Qianchen can give birth to a prince, her life will not be difficult no matter what happens in the future.

(End of this chapter)