"Father...Emperor, you want to find another mother, that's bad..."
The little boy, with a stern face and hands on his hips, glared at Chu Tianze. Despite his young age, he already had the air of a prince.
Chu Tianze was speechless. "You little devil! When did Father Emperor ever say he wanted to find another mother..."
"Father, you're so bad..."
Bai Chuxiao frowned, "Lanxiang, why would Little Baozi say such things..."
"Your Highness, no one has been teaching the young prince. He probably overheard us discussing the banquet arrangements and got the idea..."
"Yes, keep a close eye on him from now on, and don't let anyone with ulterior motives incite Baozi to say anything."
"yes!"
"You brat, if you keep talking nonsense, your father will send you to your second uncle's house," Chu Tianze said fiercely, lifting her up.
"Sister, I want to find my sister, Father, you're bad..." The Crown Prince thrashed his hands, trying to break free from his clutches.
Watching the father and son's daily routine, Bai Chuxiao suddenly gave up the idea of messing with those people. She thought it would be better to spend that time playing with Baozi. However, since she had already made the promise, she decided to let it go and find a gentler way to do it.
Three days passed slowly. The banquet was held in the outdoor imperial garden, but it was just a simple affair with a few tables and some snacks. After all, Bai Chuxiao didn't really intend to entertain these people.
After the palace servants led the ladies and young women of each household to their seats, Bai Chuxiao arrived late.
"Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty the Empress," and everyone bowed in unison.
"Get up!"
Some young girls cautiously raised their heads to look at the empress, who was said to be able to go to the battlefield...
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly, "Please sit down, everyone. You all know why I summoned you to the palace."
"Her Majesty the Empress is virtuous and generous, and a woman who is just as capable as any man. We women admire her."
Bai Chuxiao took a sip of tea and began to talk nonsense, "It is my duty to select consorts for His Majesty. I am very pleased with your cooperation. However, do you know why His Majesty was unwilling to fill the harem before?"
"Your Majesty, this..."
Bai Chuxiao continued, "Every family is so eager to send their daughters to the palace, which only makes His Majesty think they're not doing anything practical and are just trying to use their daughters to pave their way to official positions. You all know His Majesty's temperament, right? He hates this kind of thing the most, so..."
"Please show me the way, Your Majesty..."
Bai Chuxiao smiled, "So, I've come up with a plan. If someone is truly willing to have children for His Majesty, I'll naturally welcome them. However, there are two conditions."
The court ladies looked at each other in bewilderment. Some of the young girls who genuinely had feelings for Chu Tianze became quite enthusiastic, willing to agree to any condition as long as they could enter the palace.
Bai Chuxiao glanced around and smiled, “You may enter the palace, but your fathers and brothers must resign from their official posts, and your families are not allowed to serve as officials in the court for three generations.”
“What…this…”, the ladies-in-waiting were shocked.
"I believe that all of you ladies have come here today with the sincere desire to enter the palace and serve His Majesty, so I hope you will not mind this condition..."
"Your Majesty is joking..." The court ladies looked embarrassed and smiled awkwardly. Just as Bai Chuxiao said, they sent their daughters in here only to try to get a good future. If they couldn't become officials, why send them in at all?
"Could it be that all of you ladies brought your daughters here to emulate the families of empresses and concubines throughout history?" Bai Chuxiao asked with a half-smile.
"Your Majesty, you misunderstand. Your Majesty and His Majesty are a loving couple, how could we send our daughters in to disturb you? We came here today simply to bring our daughters to learn from Your Majesty's grace and demeanor," the group quickly changed their words.
"I see. That's a pity." Bai Chuxiao sighed slightly. Chu Tianze wasn't exactly a hot commodity. No one was willing to give up their official position to enter the palace. Wasn't her second condition just a waste of time?
Just as they finished thinking, someone tentatively asked, "Her Majesty the Empress mentioned having two conditions. What is the other one?"
Bai Chuxiao looked over in surprise, then raised an eyebrow and smiled, "The first one is that three generations of a person cannot serve as an official. As for the second one, after entering the palace, you must first serve as my servant for three years. Only when I feel that you understand the rules can you be granted a rank to serve His Majesty..."
Now, the clever young ladies all lowered their heads. Who would dare to come in under these conditions? You could die and no one would know. But if you say the Empress's conditions are harsh, then serving the Empress in the palace is the right thing to do, and no one can find fault with it.
Looking at the group of people who were speechless, Bai Chuxiao pursed her lips and smiled, "If any of you are interested in entering the palace to serve His Majesty, I can grant your request immediately. If you have only come to visit me, please leave."
"Well... we ladies will not disturb Your Majesty any longer..."
"This humble woman takes her leave!"
"This humble woman takes her leave!"
Everyone bowed in unison, wishing they had wheels on their feet to leave as quickly as possible. They finally understood that this Empress was not selecting concubines for His Majesty, but was merely taking the opportunity to warn them. If they didn't leave, their lives might be in danger.
"Since you are not interested, I will not force you. Qing Shuang, please see your guests out."
These two conditions were useless if she, as the Empress, only spoke them verbally, so Bai Chuxiao also asked Chu Tianze to bring out the imperial edict at the morning court the next day.
As expected, once the imperial edict was issued that daughters entering the palace would be barred from holding official positions for three generations, the ministers in the court never mentioned the selection of concubines again.
The empress is a capable and brave warrior, and the crown prince has been established. Their opposition to the imperial edict and their clamor for a selection of concubines only prove that they are officials who want to rise to power through their daughters without doing any real work.
With this matter resolved, the entire capital was filled with joy and harmony, and even the once arrogant young masters became more low-key.
However, after two years of continuous fighting, the vitality of various places in the Great Xia has not yet recovered, and Chu Tianze is not in a hurry to recover the Northwest.
And so, another two years passed.
Inside the Bixiao Palace, a little boy in a black brocade robe was arm wrestling with a little girl with two braids, which made Chu Tianze facepalm.
"Xiaoxiao, is it really appropriate to teach a five-year-old to arm wrestle?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "Do you understand entertainment games?"
Although Murong Changhuan was only a few months older than Chu Jingce, he was taller and stronger, so our Crown Prince lost the arm-wrestling competition!
“Baozi, you’re too weak,” Murong Changhuan shook his head.
"Sister, my name isn't Baozi, it's Jing Ce!" the sturdy little boy protested.
"You'll be called Baozi (steamed bun), no objections allowed, right, godfather and godmother?"
Chu Tianze waved to her and laughed, "Huanhuan is right!"
Chu Jingce, who was fair-skinned and chubby, felt wronged. "Mother, how does A-Ce look like a steamed bun?"
He knew what a steamed bun was; it was round and had filling inside…
Bai Chuxiao looked him over, momentarily at a loss for words of comfort. Jing Ce really did seem to have grown into a chubby little bun, what to do...
Chu Tianze saw through her thoughts and grinned, "Hey kid, come here."
His Highness the Crown Prince took a few steps back warily. Chu Tianze said coldly, "How old are you? And look at your weight, calling you a steamed bun is an understatement..."
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