Chapter 402 I Want to Go to the Palace to Take a Look (4200 words)
Reality: The Zhou Dynasty Imperial Palace.
Xiao Mo lay on the bed seemingly asleep, but in reality, he was experiencing life in the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes.
"Your Majesty. Your Majesty"
Not long after, Wei Xun's voice came from outside the door.
"Come in."
Xiao Mo's consciousness detached from the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes, and he slowly opened his eyes, getting up and sitting on the bed.
Wei Xun hurriedly walked to Xiao Mo's side and knelt on the ground in fear: "This old servant deserves to die. I have disturbed Your Majesty's rest. Please punish me!"
"Alright, alright, you old man, stop putting on an act for me." Xiao Mo rubbed his eyes, sat down in a chair, and poured himself a cup of tea. "So, what's up so early in the morning?"
Xiao Mo's tone was indeed somewhat impatient.
Although the experience of the fifth life was isolated from reality, Xiao Mo forgot everything in the Hundred Lifetimes Book after he came out.
But Xiao Mo still had a feeling that this experience of life was about to end, and that he still had very important things to do in the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes.
"Report to Your Majesty"
Wei Xun organized his thoughts and began to speak.
"The Minister of Rites wishes to see you after the morning court session to discuss the upcoming wedding ceremony and the titles bestowed upon the two imperial consorts."
Now that the morning court session has ended, Minister Yan of the Ministry of Rites is already waiting for you in the Imperial Study.
In addition, the palaces of the two empresses have been arranged. Your Majesty may need to take a look and see if any adjustments are needed to avoid any problems.
Finally, the time for selecting palace maids, which happens every four years, is approaching. The Empress Dowager has invited you to the palace to discuss this matter with you.
"I understand." Xiao Mo nodded. "Go change your clothes."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wei Xun quickly got up and beckoned the maids guarding the door to come in and help His Majesty change his clothes.
After changing his clothes and washing up, Xiao Mo walked out of the room and stretched.
A gust of winter wind blew by, the biting cold seeping into his collar and instantly waking Xiao Mo up.
"Let's go, we can't keep my father-in-law waiting too long."
Xiao Mo patted the hem of his clothes and strode forward.
Wei Xun kept his head down, two steps behind Xiao Mo, and followed closely.
Wei Xun wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
He always felt that his emperor had recently developed a military aura, and that even a single glance from the emperor could make him tremble.
His Majesty seemed like a general who had fought countless battles and crawled out of piles of corpses.
However, on the other hand, ever since His Majesty began cultivating Taoism, his initial demeanor resembled that of a swordsman.
Later, he resembled a refined scholar.
Later on, he became like a ruthless killer.
Now he resembles a martial arts general.
He just doesn't look like a Taoist priest.
That's a bit strange.
However, Wei Xun dared not ask anything or say anything.
About fifteen minutes later, when Xiao Mo arrived at the door of the Imperial Study, he saw a man standing straight inside.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting, Lord Yan. Please don't take offense."
Xiao Mo walked into the study with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of joke and intimacy.
"Yan Zhen from the Ministry of Rites greets Your Majesty." Upon hearing Xiao Mo's voice, Yan Zhen quickly turned around and bowed. "Your Majesty, please don't say such things. It was I who disturbed Your Majesty's rest. Please forgive me!"
"Haha, we're all family, no need for formalities. Your daughter will be entering the palace soon, then we'll all be family." Xiao Mo sat down on the soft couch, then scolded Wei Xun, "You old fool, don't you have any sense? Why don't you bring a chair over for Minister Yan?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Wei Xun nodded hurriedly, slapping himself twice. "This old servant really has no sense at all. This old servant will go and get a chair for the Minister right away."
Soon, Wei Xun moved a chair from behind the screen and placed it behind Yan Zhen.
"Thank you for offering me a seat, Your Majesty."
Yan Zhen bowed in gratitude, brushed his robes aside, and sat down in a chair.
Looking at Xiao Mo, Yan Zhen felt that His Majesty's temperament seemed different than before.
"I wonder what business Minister Yan has with me?" Xiao Mo went straight to the point.
"Your Majesty, in two months, Princess Qin Mujiu of Qin and my daughter Yan Ruxue will be entering the palace. However, since the founding of our Great Zhou, there has indeed been no precedent for bringing two women into the palace without establishing an empress. We are unsure how to determine the proper etiquette for this."
After much discussion with my colleagues in the Ministry of Rites and other relevant departments, and drawing on the rites and laws of various countries throughout history, I have devised a wedding ceremony that is second only to the empress but surpasses that of a noble consort.
It also includes information about the titles bestowed upon the two imperial consorts.
I hope Your Majesty will also take a look.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Zhen took out a memorial from his sleeve.
Wei Xun quickly took the memorial and handed it to Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo carefully read through the memorials.
It is truly rare in the world for Xiao Mo to take concubines without establishing an empress, and even to take two princesses at the same time.
Therefore, the Ministry of Rites had to formulate new rites and laws.
This new ceremony must have ancient rites to follow and recent examples to refer to.
Therefore, Yan Zhen did indeed put a lot of thought into it.
The final new gift was also quite good.
As for their titles...
Nowadays, most dynasties with a unified rule of law have four imperial concubines and nine concubines, with the Noble Consort ranking first among the four, second only to the Empress.
However, neither Yan Ruxue nor Qin Mujiu is suitable to be the Imperial Concubine.
Instead of doing so, the Ministry of Rites simply proposed to bestow the title of Imperial Concubine upon both of them, and in order to distinguish them, according to the Zhou Dynasty's rites and laws, to take one character from each of them: Yan Ruxue would be named Concubine Xue, and Qin Mujiu would be named Concubine Mu.
"Let's proceed this way. Once the Empress is established, we can hold a formal inauguration ceremony." After reading the memorial, Xiao Mo put it aside. "Thank you for your hard work, Minister Yan, during this time."
"Your Majesty, you flatter us. This is simply what the Ministry of Rites should do. Moreover, since we have Your Majesty's approval, it is only right that we are tired."
Yan Zhen stood up and bowed.
"If Your Majesty has no other instructions, then I will prepare according to the proposed rites."
“No problem.” Xiao Mo nodded. “By the way, this year is the Year of the Snake, and I happen to have a jade snake pendant here, which I will give to your daughter.”
Xiao Mo took a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen quickly stepped forward, flattered, and accepted the greeting: "Your Majesty, I thank you on behalf of Ru Xue."
After exchanging a few more polite words, Yan Zhen left the Imperial Study.
After Yan Zhen walked away, Xiao Mo looked at his retreating figure and asked Wei Xun, "What do you think of this Minister Yan?"
"Ah?" Wei Xun was taken aback for a moment, then quickly stepped forward, bowed his head, and said, "The Minister of Rites is meticulous in his work, exceptionally talented, and well-versed in etiquette."
"Hmm?" Just as Wei Xun was praising Yan Zhen, Xiao Mo turned his head and glanced at him.
Wei Xun was taken aback for a moment, then immediately closed the door to the Imperial Study and walked to Xiao Mo's side, saying softly, "Although Minister Yan is a member of the Yan clan, he did indeed pass the imperial examination through proper means and was the top scholar. His talent is genuine."
Moreover, it is said that Minister Yan had the ideal of "cultivating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world" in his early years. In his years as an official, although he often made friends and attended banquets, most of his expenses came from his clan or from the money he earned by selling his calligraphy.
"Oh, Minister Yan's payment for calligraphy shouldn't be suspected of embezzlement. He was a renowned calligrapher, and many people couldn't buy his works even with exorbitant sums."
"Then tell me, would someone like that have any designs on the position of Prime Minister or the position of Clan Chief of the Yan Clan?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile.
"This..." Cold sweat had already broken out on Wei Xun's forehead.
How could he not know His Majesty's thoughts?
Your Majesty, do you want to
"Why are you so nervous? I was just saying it casually." Xiao Mo smiled, as if he really was just saying it offhand. "Let's go and take a look at the palaces of the two future imperial concubines."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wei Xun dared not say anything more and quickly followed in His Majesty's footsteps.
Before long, Xiao Mo arrived at the palace where Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu would live in the future.
Upon arrival, Xiao Mo discovered that Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu's palaces were very close to his, only a quarter of an hour's walk away.
The interior was fully furnished and equipped with all the necessary household items; there was practically nothing missing.
As for the palace maids, they have all been assigned to their respective positions.
However, there were no eunuchs in the harem of the Zhou royal palace.
Eunuchs were only allowed to move around in the front hall of the palace.
The so-called front hall includes the main hall for holding court, the imperial study, and the area where ministers and envoys could enter and exit, such as the imperial guard camp.
Therefore, the entire harem was staffed by maids.
As for personal eunuchs like Wei Xun, they also lived in the front hall. If he wanted to enter the inner palace, he had to stay by Xiao Mo's side and could not move around on his own.
The reason Wei Xun was summoned to Lingxin Palace by the Empress Dowager was because there were indeed no concubines living in the harem, and the Empress Dowager wanted to know about Xiao Mo's current situation.
But after Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu moved in, Empress Dowager Yan was unable to even summon Wei Xun.
However, Xiao Mo felt that Empress Dowager Yan wasn't in a hurry.
Although she couldn't summon Wei Xun, Yan Ruxue came instead, who could act as her eyes and ears, and whom she trusted even more.
"Your Majesty, are there any aspects of these two palaces that need improvement?" Wei Xun asked.
“No need, it’s fine, but why are these two palaces symmetrical to my Hall of Mental Cultivation?” Xiao Mo frowned.
Xiao Mo's Hall of Mental Cultivation was right in the middle of their palaces, as if separating them, and the distance from their respective Halls of Mental Cultivation was exactly the same.
Wei Xun smiled and said, "Isn't this to avoid offending either side?"
"."
Xiao Mo was speechless for a moment, and sighed inwardly.
Judging from this layout, it has a certain air of "dividing the harem equally".
I hope my future will be more stable.
After seeing the palace where Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu would live in the future, it was already close to noon. Xiao Mo set off for Lingxin Palace to see his mother.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
Upon entering Lingxin Palace, Xiao Mo bowed to Empress Dowager Yan.
"Your Majesty has arrived." Empress Dowager Yan walked up to Xiao Mo with a joyful expression and took his hand. "Since Your Majesty began cultivating Taoism, your complexion has become better and you look more handsome."
"Thank you for your praise, Mother. After all, I have been cultivating my mind and body every day and have made some progress," Xiao Mo said with a smile. "However, compared to me, Mother looks younger and younger. If you were to travel with a young woman in her late teens, no one would be able to tell the difference."
"Hehehe, Your Majesty, when did you become so eloquent? I am already over forty years old, I am old," Empress Dowager Yan said with a smile, holding a handkerchief. Although she said she was old, her beaming smile showed that she still appreciated Xiao Mo's words.
"Let's not talk about that. The reason I summoned Your Majesty today is about the palace maids. After Ruxue and the others enter the palace, it will be time to select women of marriageable age to enter the palace. In our Zhou Kingdom, the selection of palace maids is handled by the Empress. Now that the position of Empress is vacant, I will make the decision on behalf of Your Majesty. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"Of course, there is no problem. Everything is up to Mother Empress. I will trouble Mother Empress to take good care of things."
What opinions could Xiao Mo possibly have? Even if he did have an opinion, he wouldn't have one.
Furthermore, according to etiquette, when a woman entered the palace, she was indeed examined and selected by the empress and palace maids.
Since she hasn't established an empress herself, it's normal for Empress Dowager Yan to lead her maids in selecting women to enter the palace.
However, Xiao Mo also knew that in order to increase Yan Ruxue's competitiveness, Empress Dowager Yan would definitely not choose overly beautiful women to enter the palace, so as to avoid the situation of "the concubine not being pregnant, but the palace maid being pregnant first".
However, Xiao Mo didn't care.
He was already having a headache dealing with two concubines, let alone finding a palace maid.
Seeing Xiao Mo's straightforward manner, Empress Dowager Yan blinked.
She had thought that with the Qin princess entering the palace, Xiao Mo would have other ideas and would resist her.
But seeing that Xiao Mo was still as obedient as ever, Empress Dowager Yan was even more delighted, and even felt that she might have been too harsh on the child.
After all, he lost his biological parents at a young age and was later adopted into the palace, where he suffered all sorts of restrictions; he was quite pitiful.
But soon, Empress Dowager Yan suppressed her sympathy.
The best course of action now is to ensure that Ruxue ascends to the position of Empress; this is not the time for sympathy.
Empress Dowager Yan chatted with Xiao Mo for a while longer and then had lunch together.
In the afternoon, Empress Dowager Yan issued an edict throughout the Zhou Kingdom, ordering the selection of women of impeccable character to enter the palace.
And that was the day after the imperial edict was issued.
In front of the notice board in the capital of Zhou, a woman with a light veil on her face looked at it again and again.
Finally, the woman turned and went back into the courtyard.
"Forget Heart." The woman pushed open the courtyard gate, removed the light veil, and said happily.
"What's wrong with Sister Si Li?"
Wang Xin turned around, and Hun Dun, who was lying on the table, ate the pastry in the hostess's hand in one gulp.
"Didn't we previously confirm through the magic array that Xiao Mo's reincarnation was very likely in the palace?"
"That's right, but the problem is, doesn't Sister Si Li not know how to get in?" Wang Xin asked, puzzled.
The magic array pointed towards the Zhou Kingdom's royal palace. The Zhou Kingdom's ruler was also named Xiao Mo. Wang Xin and Si Li both felt that there might really be such a coincidence in the world—the Zhou Kingdom's ruler might be the reincarnation of Xiao Mo.
However, the Zhou Kingdom's palace has a magic array, and if they sneak in, they will be discovered.
Leiming Temple also has a rule that monks are not allowed to enter the imperial palace of mortal dynasties, because the imperial palace is a place where the dragon's fortune and karma gather, and Buddhist disciples are most easily influenced.
As a monk of Leiming Temple, Wangxin naturally had to abide by the rules.
Therefore, she could not meet with the King of Zhou and could only wait until he left the palace.
Not to mention that determining a person's reincarnation takes time, and Wangxin couldn't possibly stay in the harem for an extended period.
Therefore, the two of them have been somewhat at a loss recently.
“I know now,” Si Li smiled. “I just saw that the Queen Dowager of Zhou was selecting palace maids.”
"So, what does Sister Si Li want to do?"
"That's right, I want to enter the palace as a maid and see what it's like!"
(End of this chapter)
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