It was as if someone had thrown a handful of tempting fish food into the pond. Not only Marquis Anding, but many other officials also became agitated like fish attracted by the scent, and ripples appeared in the Golden Throne Hall.

In the court, civil and military officials had different thoughts, and nearly half of them were eager to try.

Especially those officials who had daughters of marriageable age could not suppress their anticipation. They were reluctant to send their eldest daughter into the palace, but they would still accept their second or youngest daughter. Even those officials who did not have daughters of marriageable age could not help wondering which concubine's daughter in their family was good-looking, and perhaps they could send that concubine's daughter into the palace, even if she had a lower rank at first. And those officials who did not have daughters could only regret it secretly. Of course, there were still some officials who stood there with their eyes straight ahead, turning a deaf ear to what Yang Xuanshan said, as these people just wanted to be loyal ministers.

Yang Xuanshan saw the commotion around him, but he remained calm and composed, and continued, "Your Majesty, after the new emperor ascends the throne, according to the custom of our dynasty, 20 women of appropriate age can be selected from the official families to enter the palace for selection, and then the empress dowager and the empress can select 10 people to fill the harem and continue the heirs."

Yang Xuanshan spoke calmly and freely, and just said what the rules were.

Anyway, the Yang family had no intention of sending their daughter to the palace. Firstly, it was to avoid suspicion so that others would not talk about the Yang family abusing their power for personal gain; secondly, it was because the Yang family was a scholarly family with several generations serving as officials and they had always been loyal ministers.

In comparison, the hearts of other officials were beating faster, and they were already wondering whether they could have a place in these 20 places.

So, everyone's eyes turned to Yang Xuanshan, and they planned to ask Yang Xuanshan some questions after the court session. He had an idea of ​​how the twenty households were distributed. There must be a certain proportion among civil officials, military generals and nobles. The royal family could not directly send the daughter of the Gu family into the palace, but they could help their in-laws to get a quota.

Thinking about it this way, everyone felt that these twenty places were too few.

The atmosphere in the palace had changed subtly. Some officials could not help but look at other officials around them, wondering if they were their competitors. They also thought about going home to ask their wives which family in the capital had a daughter of the right age...

At this moment, a cold male voice came from the front, like the gurgling sound of flowing water:

"I do not take concubines."

In Da Qi, in this Golden Palace, there is only one person who can call himself "I".

In an instant, everyone was shocked and looked towards Gu Jue in front of them.

Gu Jue was sitting on the high golden throne wearing a bright yellow dragon robe. He was not wearing a crown and without the swaying twelve tassels. His handsome face looked less aloof, his temperament was cold and his posture was calm, as if he was just narrating a trivial matter.

There was an expression of disbelief and shock on everyone's face, including those officials who originally thought it had nothing to do with them.

Although they had heard from their wives yesterday about what happened in Shouning Palace, and knew that Empress Dowager Yin had made it clear that she would not take a concubine for the new emperor, they only listened and did not take it too seriously. At most, they sighed to their wives: The Empress Dowager is so good to the Empress, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are just like real mother and daughter.

That's all.

We are all men and we know men's nature very well. No one thinks that Gu Jue will refuse to take a concubine.

It is natural for a man to have three wives and four concubines. From ancient times to the present, officials, gentry, and wealthy families have all had wives and concubines. Even ordinary people, as long as their families are a little wealthy and have no worries about food, clothing, and shelter, will take concubines after a few years of marriage.

Besides, emperors of every dynasty had three thousand beauties in their harems, some fat and some thin. This was a very normal thing. For the emperor, taking concubines would only bring benefits both in public and in private.

Especially, Gu Jue had just ascended the throne yesterday, and because of the grievances between him and the previous emperor Gu Lang, many people were a little unsure, and they were also afraid that Gu Jue would settle accounts with them after he ascended the throne. If at this time, Gu Jue was willing to pick a few families with no merits and marry their girls, it would be enough to reassure many court officials.

They also knew that the emperor and empress were newlyweds and had a deep affection for each other, and they could not tolerate any grain of sand in their eyes. But one thing is for sure, since Gu Jue has ascended the throne as emperor, he should shoulder his responsibilities as a monarch and consider the overall situation.

Yang Xuanshan had the same idea as everyone else, but he still clearly remembered how Gu Jue had insisted on holding the coronation ceremony and the empress enthronement ceremony at the same time.

He knew that Gu Jue was not someone who could be easily manipulated, so he couldn't figure out what to say for a moment.

Yang Xuanshan silently cast an inquiring look at Prime Minister Zhang, but Prime Minister Zhang stood with his sleeves rolled up and did not receive his gaze at all.

At this moment, the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy strode out with a righteous and awe-inspiring attitude.

"Your Majesty, the reproduction of your offspring is not only related to whether there will be successors for the ancestral temple sacrifices, but also to the stability and safety of the country."

"You are the emperor of the Great Qi. You shouldn't just care about your own preferences and ignore the overall situation for your own selfish reasons."

Although Academician Ye was old, over sixty years old, with a skinny and somewhat hunched body, he had a loud voice and spoke passionately.

Gu Jue looked down at Academician Ye with a faint smile, and asked in a voice that was neither too loud nor too low, "What if I only care about my own preferences?"

Sitting on the golden dragon throne, Gu Jue supported his cheek with one hand, looking casual.

The inner brilliance blooms from his eyes, like the cold moon in the night sky, noble, clear and bright, with boundless light.

Obviously, he didn't release any murderous aura, and his tone was calm, but there was a sense of omniscience and oppression lingering around him.

Obviously, he was only saying this to Academician Ye, but everyone else in the hall felt a chill in their hearts, with a creepy feeling crawling up their spines.

Everyone was completely intimidated by his aura.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Mr. Ye's wrinkled old face did not look good, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

He was a veteran of three dynasties and had been in the Hanlin Academy for decades. He was always known for his integrity and was highly respected. Even the capricious late emperor Gu Lang had never slapped him in the face in public like this.

Academician Ye's face flushed red, with shame and anger all over his face.

Gu Jue asked again with a faint smile: "What can you do to me?"

These five words were clearly a provocation to the officials of the court, and the target of his speech was not only Academician Ye, but also other officials.

All the officials were speechless, stunned once again, and completely stunned.

The atmosphere in the Golden Palace seemed a little depressing.

Some officials looked at each other in bewilderment. Some were shocked by Gu Jue's arrogance; some were overwhelmed by Gu Jue's aura and bowed their heads; some immediately knew the situation and gave up the idea of ​​sending their daughters to the palace; and a few felt that Gu Jue was too willful.

The Right Censor frowned tightly, and then stepped out to support Grand Secretary Ye: "Your Majesty, you are the ruler of a country, how can you say such rude words!"

"The matter of taking a concubine is not just your family affair, it is also related to the overall situation. Please don't lose the big picture for the small one."

The Right Censor-in-Chief spoke with great confidence, not only because the emperor really needed to take a concubine according to ritual system, but also because he wanted to use this matter to suppress the new emperor.

This was the first time since the new emperor ascended the throne that the emperor and his ministers had a dispute over something and each of them held an opinion.

To be honest, it is no big deal for the new emperor to take a concubine now or in three to five years. At this point, it is no longer just a matter of "taking a concubine", it is also a game between the monarch and his subjects.

When the ruler is strong, the ministers are weak.

If they, as ministers, lost to the new emperor this time and gave in, then in the future when the new emperor has different political views from them, can't he just throw the same two sentences at them again?

"What if I just care about my own preferences?"

"What can you do to me?"

Just thinking about these two sentences made everyone feel a little upset.

Gu Jue is too strong in his dealings with others. If they follow his wishes completely, they will have no other choice but to give in again and again and let Gu Jue do whatever he wants!

Then, these ministers will have even less say in the future.

This is what the Right Censor-in-Chief thought, and other officials also realized this in their hearts, so no one helped Gu Jue to refute the Right Censor-in-Chief and Academician Ye.

Everyone was nervous and worried. They were all watching and assessing the situation. They all wanted to see how Gu Jue would deal with all this in the end.

However, no matter how confidently the Right Censor-in-Chief spoke, Gu Jue remained as still as a mountain, with a calm and relaxed look, and a bit of unruly attitude that looked down on the world.

He sneered faintly and asked, "So, if I don't take a concubine, Da Qi will be destroyed?"

This one sentence made the already depressing atmosphere even more solemn.

"..." The Right Censor-in-Chief was choked by Gu Jue's words.

Someone laughed softly. His laughter was actually very light, but at this moment in the silent throne room it seemed to be magnified several times, making the laugh seem even more sarcastic and mocking.

Most officials subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound, including the Right Censor-in-Chief.

Among a group of officials with complicated expressions and stiff bodies, Duke Mu's smiling face made him stand out like a crane among chickens.

Duke Mu was used to big scenes, and he calmly let them watch, thinking: Who is not a veteran of three dynasties? Some people are so shameless to bully others here. Oh, who doesn't bully others by taking advantage of their power? Their Shen family is a family of scholars and officials! "I am terrified! That is not my intention!" The Right Censor-in-Chief turned pale, and maintained a bowing posture. He said this to Gu Jue.

The Right Censor-in-Chief thought that Duke Mu's idea was human nature, and he thought that the person who was inappropriate was the new emperor. This new emperor was really arrogant, not only refused to accept advice, but also suppressed his subjects with power, and did not have the demeanor of a wise ruler.

The eyes of the Right Censor-in-Chief were like the tide at dusk, with waves rising up layer by layer and piling up higher and higher.

Since the new emperor has even said "the country will be destroyed", it is not appropriate for me to comment on this topic anymore.

He calmly winked at his two colleagues, and two imperial censors stood out from the queue one after another, also expressing their opinions: "Your Majesty, the emperor has no private affairs. The heir of the royal family is of great importance, and we are not exaggerating."

"The rules set by our ancestors have their own reasons. Your Majesty, please respect the ancestral system and put the country first."

The two of them talked back and forth, with saliva flying all over the place.

It was clearly just a matter of taking a concubine, but to them, it was as if Gu Jue was going to do something that would bring harm to the country and the people.

The Right Censor-in-Chief curled his lips slightly and exchanged a few tacit glances with several other officials in the queue, including the Minister of Personnel.

The other officials present also noticed these undercurrents and knew exactly what these people were up to.

In the past, when the late Emperor Gu Lang was in power, apart from the lineage of Prince Chen's Mansion, there were two other factions in the court.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

One group is military; the other group is literary.

The military faction was headed by Kang Hongda; the civil officials faction was headed by the Minister of Rites Wei Jingze.

Kang Hongda brought his own death upon himself by instigating the late emperor to take action against Gu Jue, but he failed. Now Kang Hongda's lineage has been completely uprooted by Gu Jue's people.

However, the civil officials of Wei Jingze's faction did not participate in the abdication. They considered the situation and did not even enter the palace with Prime Minister Zhang and Prince Li on the day of the abdication, because they did not want to offend the late emperor.

From now on, it seems that Wei Jingze made the right move, so all the people in his faction are standing safely in the Golden Palace.

Many officials also admired Wei Jingze's courage, and only now did they come to their senses.

I see.

Wei Jingze clearly wanted to take advantage of the fact that the new emperor had not yet firmly established his throne to give him a warning and let him know that a ruler cannot do whatever he wants.

Several eyes were also turned towards Prime Minister Zhang, who was standing at the head of the civil officials team and remained silent, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Prime Minister Zhang has been an official in the court for many years. He is already sixty-five years old and his energy is running low. Everyone knows that he will not be able to hold this position for long. In fact, at the beginning of last year, he had asked the late emperor to resign and return home, but the late emperor tried his best to retain him, so he stayed in office.

Wei Jingze was the official in the Ministry of Personnel, responsible for the selection, appointment, promotion, transfer and assessment of officials. His power and status in the cabinet were second only to the prime minister.

Everyone knows that Wei Jingze wants to be the next Prime Minister, and he is determined to get it! And this time should be the first step taken by Wei Jingze.

If the new emperor gave in today, and Prime Minister Zhang retired in the future, Wei Jingze could use the same method to take the position of Prime Minister.

The atmosphere in the hall became increasingly weird. Except for the officials from Wei Jingze's faction, everyone else kept silent and held their breath.

Most people didn't want to get involved in this bloody storm without corpses and blood, but some people began to consider whether they should use this incident to show their goodwill to Wei Jingze.

The new emperor must rely on Wei Jingze. After all, Wei Jingze's faction is the most powerful among the civil officials, while the lineage of Prince Chen is all military generals. The new emperor can't rely on military generals to govern the country, right? ! To put it bluntly, this is Wei Jingze's confidence! Next, it depends on how the new emperor will respond.

Duke Mu could naturally see the interests involved, and a cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.

He regretted it.

He had long been thinking about finding an opportunity to have a good talk with Gu Jue about court affairs, and about the factions and interests that were going on under the surface. However, Gu Jue was too busy a while ago. Not only did he have to take back the imperial guards and the armies of the local garrisons, he also had to deal with court affairs. In addition, he had to pay some attention to the matters of ascending the throne.

Duke Mu was planning to talk about it in two days, but he didn't expect that on the first day of the morning court session, Wei Jingze would take advantage of the issue of selecting a concubine to make a move.

"Your Majesty, honest advice may be unpleasant to the ears but is beneficial to action. I hope Your Majesty will listen to what I have to say and accept our advice readily." After saying this, Censor Ji knelt directly on the gold brick floor, in a kneeling posture, with his forehead resting on the cold gold brick floor.

Ren Ji Yushi and his men spoke eloquently, challenging Gu Jue with every word, but Gu Jue did not even raise an eyebrow and listened to them calmly.

There was a gleam of light between his clear brows, making people dare not look directly at him.

In silence, everyone's thoughts had changed several times, and perhaps only Gu Jue was the most determined and calm one.

Gu Jue still supported his cheek with his fist and asked, "Why should I accept advice?" His voice was still cold.

Different from Gu Lang, who was obsessed with elixirs and died young due to physical weakness, Gu Jue was handsome but not thin. Since he had practiced martial arts since childhood and had been training for many years, his tall body was strong and thin, and the thin clothes could not hide the muscles underneath. Even though he was sitting lazily at this moment, his whole body exuded a sense of superiority and majesty that made people dare not act rashly.

Censor Ji had already marched south. He raised his head slightly from the ground and glanced at the expression of the Minister of Personnel Wei Jingze.

Wei Jingze brushed his sleeves casually.

Ji Yushi's pupils shrank slightly, and the cold sweat on his back soaked his shirt, but he still gritted his teeth, raised his chin resolutely, and said to Gu Jue in front of him: "If the emperor insists on doing it and refuses to accept advice, I will have no choice but to hit my head against the palace and die to preserve my reputation."

This sentence shocked all the civil and military officials in the court.

This move was too cruel. The new emperor forced court officials to die by hitting their heads against the pillar in the Golden Palace just after he ascended the throne. No matter what the reason was, outsiders would not care about the inside story. They would only see that the "upright" censor died by hitting his head against the pillar. So there must be some unspeakable secret.

In addition, Gu Jue's forcing the emperor to abdicate and the uncle usurping the throne from his nephew had already caused some people to question him, thinking that he was unorthodox and that he was the second Uhaduro.

If another censor dies by hitting his head against a pillar, Gu Jue's reputation will never be cleared, and he will probably be known as a tyrant in the future.

At this moment, even Duke Mu had a headache and regretted that he had not spoken up earlier to evade the topic.

The situation changed rapidly and he missed the best opportunity.

Under everyone's nervous gaze, Gu Jue smiled as if he had heard some funny joke, and then uttered two words: "Let's crash into each other."

After a pause, the corners of his lips curled higher, and even his eyes half-closed, with a gleam in his eyes, and he said with a smile: "If you want to hit it, don't hit it half to death. If you can hit it headfirst and die here, I will admire your courage."

"When the time comes, I will personally write a eulogy to praise your loyalty and bravery."

"Hit it."

The young man on the throne had such beautiful eyebrows and eyes, but the words he spoke were as sharp as the edge of a sword, with a bit of the momentum of a sword falling from the stars.

Ji Yushi: “…”

Ji Yushi wanted to look at Wei Jingze again, but he knew that everyone was looking at him, and even the smallest movement would not escape other people's eyes.

He had already placed himself on the blade. If he moved even the slightest, his neck would brush against the blade and blood would splatter on the spot.

The question is, does he have any other choice? Ji Yushi's hair was soaked with cold sweat and stuck to his cheeks. His cheeks were also pale and lifeless.

He kowtowed respectfully, gritted his teeth, staggered to his feet, and then resolutely rushed towards the nearest pillar.

“…”

“…”

“…”

All the civil and military officials in the court were unable to react to this scene. As for the Jinyiwei led by Pei Linye, they just watched coldly as Ji Yushi hit his head against the pillar.

“Boom!”

The sound of the skull hitting the pillar made all the ministers feel nervous. They saw with their own eyes that after Ji Yushi hit the pillar, he collapsed to the ground, motionless, and they didn't know whether he was alive or dead.

In fact, neither Wei Jingze nor the Right Censor-in-Chief expected that things would develop to this point, but since it has come to this, they can no longer retreat.

The Right Censor-in-Chief stepped out again, his eyes red and full of sorrow, and he said righteously, "Your Majesty is unwilling to accept advice and is stubborn in his own opinion. This is not the behavior of a wise ruler!"

Gu Jue smiled again. Even if someone died here on the spot, it seemed that it would not leave any trace in his heart.

He called Pei Linye over and asked casually, "Go and see if he's dead?"

Forgot to set the time.

(End of this chapter)