Upon hearing this, Zhao nodded, "Mother, don't worry, I'll stay in the village and won't cause trouble for Yan... the Emperor. I'll definitely behave myself."
An Shuyi glanced at her and nodded, "It would be best if it were like you said!" She turned to the other daughters-in-law, "Do you have anything to say?"
"Mother, I have nothing to say. I will return to the village after the Emperor ascends the throne."
“Going back to the village is good. There’s no fighting now. You can go to the frontier for a while. Wenshan will come to pick you up.”
"Yes, thank you, Mother!" Madam Su smiled, she also missed her husband quite a bit.
"Mother, can I also go to the civil service?" Wang asked.
She hadn't seen her husband for a long time; they usually corresponded by letter. In his letter, he said that he had gone to the border and was serving as a general there.
"Go ahead, but it's a bit far. Have him pick you up then."
"Thank you, Mother."
The other two daughters-in-law were not there either, and An Shuyi did not say anything more.
In four years, she gained two more grandsons, born to her fifth and sixth daughters-in-law. Unfortunately, she had no granddaughters, but two grandsons by her maternal grandchildren.
The next day was the day the emperor ascended the throne. Immediately after his ascension, he appointed An Shuyi and Xia Hua as Grand Empress Dowagers. Although there were two Grand Empress Dowagers at once, no one dared to object.
Emperor Wenyi is the retired emperor, and Lady Zhao is the empress dowager. Although they no longer need to live in the palace, they still need to make an appearance today.
After the coronation ceremony, An Shuyi and Xia Hua moved into the attic.
After dismissing the palace maids and eunuchs, An Shuyi said, "That boy Xiao Zili knows how to enjoy life. Could this place be a secret stash of mistresses?"
Everything inside was extremely luxurious; even the curtains were made of tribute silk, and the ornaments and other items were extraordinary.
The eight-immortal table, the grand master's chair, and the chaise lounge were all made of golden nanmu wood. She placed her hand on them, opened the trading system, and found that even the cheapest chair cost several thousand taels of silver.
Besides the expensive wood, the craftsmanship is also remarkable. The patterns and carvings are so lifelike that it's no wonder no one has lived here for four years.
“Whether it is or not, we’re the ones living here now. Since you like it so much, you can take these things with you when you leave,” Xia Hua said.
"No need for that. After we leave, we can let the little princess move in. That would be perfect."
"Don't get your hopes up too high. The Empress hasn't even appeared yet, and you're already thinking about the Princess."
An Shuyi pulled her to sit down. "Huahua, do you have any good candidates for the Empress?"
Even now, she still can't make up her mind about who the empress will be. To be honest, she's too busy to even consider this matter, and Yan Zhen has just ascended the throne, so there's no rush.
“No!” Xia Hua shook her head. “Let’s ask Yan Zhen’s opinion first. If he doesn’t agree either, then let the girls who are of suitable age enter the palace to participate in the selection of the empress. Only the empress will be selected, and the rest will not stay in the palace.”
"Once this news is released, there will definitely be a lot of people coming. However, those who are not selected may be disappointed, since there is only an empress and no other concubines."
"With only one empress, would Yan Zhen be happy?" An Shuyi asked.
"Of course I'd be happy to. Nobody wants to deal with so many women every day, and Yan Zhen isn't the kind of person who's lustful."
"Alright, I'll ask him what he thinks tonight."
When it got dark, the two of them didn't have a meal. Instead, they went directly to the palace where the emperor ate and had dinner with him.
Seeing Yan Zhen stand up, she told him not to be so polite. Looking at the dishes on the table, she thought they were quite good, but not too many. She then dismissed the maids and eunuchs and the two of them sat down.
"Grandma, is there something you need to say?" He still called her "Grandma," as calling anyone else felt too distant.
An Shuyi asked him to sit down. "Let's eat and chat. We're here to ask you what your thoughts are on the Empress. Your Grandma Xia and I can still help you with the affairs of the harem now, but it can't go on for too long."
"Don't count on your mother either. It's good enough if she doesn't cause chaos. How could she possibly let you manage the affairs of the harem? The harem can't be without a mistress. We can't expect those ministers to come and urge us!"
Yan Zhen nodded, "Grandson has no opinion, but I still want to ask, is it right to choose only the Empress?"
He didn't like having too many concubines. The Empress could handle the affairs of the harem on her own, so there was no need to select more concubines.
Xia Hua put down her chopsticks. "Besides the Empress, select a few more concubines. After all, it concerns the royal offspring, and we can't have just the Empress. Of course, if you'd like, you can find a few more."
"Grandma Xia, could it be just the Empress? I don't like having too many concubines in the palace. If we don't have any children for several years, then we can consider other options, okay?"
As long as there are no problems with his health and the Empress's health, they will have children. With other concubines, there is also the worry about whether the children can be saved.
An Shuyi laughed and said, "Your Grandma Xia is just joking with you. Don't worry, as long as you don't want other concubines, then there won't be any."
“You are the emperor. Neither we, nor your parents, nor anyone else can change your decision. Do what you feel is right.”
“We can’t just tell you what to do. Although this position was our decision and we didn’t ask you beforehand, which was wrong of us, from now on, whatever you do, you can decide for yourself.”
"Whether you want the Empress or not, it's up to you, but you'll have to handle those matters yourself."
Yan Zhen nodded, "I understand, Grandma. Then we'll choose an empress in two months. She doesn't have to be the daughter of a minister. As long as she's fifteen or sixteen years old and has no illnesses, she can participate."
“Okay, let us see what we’ve chosen. We’ll get to know each other first. You’re younger, so we don’t want you to go astray,” Xia Hua said.
"Thank you, Grandma, Grandma Xia!"
After finishing their meal, the two left and returned to the attic. They sat on the roof, each with a pot of wine in their hand, talking and taking sips from time to time.
"Huahua, if we travel back in time, will Xiao Yubai and Young Master Cheng travel to the same place as us?"
"I don't know, they should be in one place, otherwise how would we find them if they went somewhere else?"
"It's good to be in one place; I wonder if they'll become younger."
"What, you think she's old? She doesn't think you're old."
"It's not that, it's just that we're only twenty-one, while they'll be in their forties. By the time we're forty, they'll be sixty, so we won't have much time to spend together."
"There's nothing we can do about it, but maybe we'll be younger. After all, if we travel back in time, we'll also become younger."
"What about your little puppy?" Hua Hua was over there. She had just started dating a little puppy. During that team building trip, she took the opportunity to go out and have fun, and also find one for herself. She never expected to end up here.
"I'll dump him later." It's just a fling anyway; we didn't even hold hands, so breaking up won't be difficult.
"What a pity?"
Xia Tian took a sip of wine. "Don't let Young Master Xiao hear you say that. He's liked you since he was in his twenties, but he hasn't even glanced at you." It's a pity now.
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