Chu Tianze smiled. "Doesn't Madam know?"
Bai Chuxiao stood up and hooked his chin, "Your Majesty has become obsessed with women so soon after ascending the throne, you might get a report from the censor."
Chu Tianze grasped her hand, lowered his head and murmured, "How could Madam think I would keep those pedantic scholars around to cause myself trouble?"
"Oh? My husband means we're going to be a pair of tyrannical tyrants and wicked empresses?"
"Why not!"
"Is Your Majesty satisfied?"
“Very satisfied, Your Majesty the Demon Queen has decided to favor you today…” Bai Chuxiao smiled wickedly.
"It is my great honor..."
"..."
The Bixiao Palace was very quiet. In the huge sleeping chamber, the bed curtains hung down, creating a romantic atmosphere.
Everything changed naturally after he became emperor. Chu Tianze postponed the morning court session, but it was still early for Bai Chuxiao. By the time Bai Chuxiao got up, Chu Tianze was long gone.
The new emperor's first morning court session was naturally a time to re-reward meritorious officials. Murong Yuan was granted the title of Duke of E, the Song family was given the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Valor, while Chu Tianze of the Shen family was not granted a title yet. As for the young military generals, such as Murong Xuan, Yu Fengyang, and Cui Hao, they were all granted formal official positions.
As for the civil service, things seemed to have declined somewhat. Chu Tianze directly cut many useless official positions that only required writing classical Chinese phrases, and didn't bestow many titles. However, there were still a few notable ones. For example, the young Fan Ziming was promoted to Minister of Personnel, the Minister of Rites was still Kong Yuan, and Murong Cheng was promoted to Prime Minister.
Chu Tianze was not an emperor who was easy to talk to. He simply beheaded any old ministers who kept making noise and objections. This actually intimidated many people, and for a while, no one dared to say anything more.
However, the Murong family was the most prominent, with almost everyone holding official positions. People attributed this to the presence of Empress Bai Chuxiao, so many families began to consider sending their daughters to the palace.
Another morning court session.
"Your Majesty, for the sake of the Great Xia dynasty's succession, we urge Your Majesty to hold a selection of consorts as soon as possible to enrich the harem..."
"Your Majesty, please hold a selection of candidates as soon as possible!"
"..."
Chu Tianze, seated at the head of the table, calmly watched the ministers who kept stepping forward. Once the chorus of agreement subsided, he spoke with a cold smile.
"It seems that abolishing the censors is not enough. They do nothing of substance and only know how to keep an eye on my harem. In that case, you are no longer fit to be officials. Guards, drag these people out."
"Your Majesty, how can you act so arbitrarily..."
"You tyrant..."
The ministers who came out to report had all agreed in advance. There was strength in numbers, and Chu Tianze couldn't possibly kill them all, could he? No emperor in history would do that. But unexpectedly, Chu Tianze actually dismissed them from their posts.
"If you continue to roar in the court, it won't be as simple as just losing your position. Take him away," Chu Tianze said, waving his hand.
The ministers silently lowered their heads. They had finally seen through him: this former Prince of Yan was indeed not someone to be trifled with. But while he might be incompetent, the entire Great Xia Dynasty was well-organized and its army was strong and well-equipped…
Chu Tianze glanced around and continued, "However, the inheritance of this empire cannot be taken lightly. Mo Yannian, please do it!"
Mo Yan, dressed in black, stood to the side, his face blank. Although he wasn't a eunuch, the work he was doing now was no different from what the emperor and the former chief eunuch had done. "My goodness, Your Highness, couldn't you find someone else to do this job...?"
"The Emperor decrees... that the eldest prince, Chu Jingce, be appointed as the Crown Prince... This is the imperial decree!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
The former confidants of the Prince of Yan's mansion immediately echoed his sentiments, and those ministers who still wanted to say "absolutely not" could only shut their mouths.
"Court adjourned!"
Inside the Bixiao Palace, Bai Chuxiao listened to Cui Hao's report and raised an eyebrow, "Oh? So many people have designs on this..."
"Master, how about I take some men to ransack their house..." Cui Hao said expressionlessly, making a snap gesture.
Bai Chuxiao wasn't used to being addressed as "Empress" or "Princess Consort," and it wasn't appropriate for people to call her that anymore, so she simply changed the title to "Master."
Bai Chuxiao rolled her eyes. "How have I always taught you? To be gentle in your actions, don't you understand..."
Cui Hao remained silent. He remembered that the princess had only taught them how to kill, never mentioning gentleness, and he clearly sensed murderous intent in the word "gentleness"...
As expected, Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly and said, "Spread the word that I intend to select candidates for His Majesty. Any interested families should send their invitations within half a month. Those who miss the deadline will not be accepted..."
Cui Hao shuddered; he knew the princess would never let those people off so easily.
"Every household in the capital must be notified, understand?" Bai Chuxiao smiled even more. It was better to catch them all in one fell swoop than to keep causing her trouble.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll go right away!"
Cui Hao was extremely efficient. In less than half a day, the capital was in an uproar. The families who had been carefully hiding their thoughts were now bustling with activity again. That's how it should be. In all dynasties, there has never been a harem with only one person. Has this empress finally lost her temper and decided to protect her reputation?
However, those families who were close to the Princess Consort of the Prince of Yan in the past knew that these people were likely to suffer a terrible fate. Of course, there were also some clever families who remembered the bold words the Princess Consort of Yan had made when she was not yet a princess consort. She dared to kill and beat people who wanted to marry the Prince of Yan in the palace when she was the daughter of a minister. Would she be generous enough to select candidates for the Prince of Yan? It was clearly a trap.
After finishing his official business and returning to Bixiao Palace, Chu Tianze said with a half-smile, "I heard that Madam is going to hold a selection of concubines for her husband?"
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow, "Is my husband happy? The harem is about to become lively..."
Chu Tianze rolled his eyes. "Why bother with all this trouble? Just kill the person who found out..."
Bai Chuxiao shrugged. "Just bored. It's lonely in the deep palace. My husband, do you remember to come and support me?"
Chu Tianze held her hand, helplessly saying, "You, if you're so bored, we can leave the palace."
Sure enough, quite a few families have sent out invitations in the past two weeks. Bai Chuxiao held up a book of invitations and turned her head to say, "My husband's charm hasn't diminished at all. Look..."
Chu Tianze took the visiting card from her hand and tossed it aside. "Xiaoxiao, this is just for fun. Seriously though, how about we bring Huanhuan to live in the palace..."
"What are you thinking? Your second brother will fight you to the death," Bai Chuxiao said, giving him a disgruntled look.
“Okay…” Chu Tianze shook his head dejectedly.
Bai Chuxiao then instructed, "Qingshuang, go and deliver the imperial decree. The families who have sent out invitations are to bring their daughters to the palace in three days to attend the banquet."
"yes"
"Mommy~", the little dumpling stumbled into the front hall and went straight to Bai Chuxiao, asking for a hug.
But Chu Tianze twisted him around, saying, "You brat, you still can't call me Father..."
"Father...Emperor...bad!" The little bun reached out his little hand and patted him.
Bai Chuxiao and Chu Tianze's faces lit up with surprise, "Baozi finally called you."
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