Chapter 8: Pot of Heaven Slowness (VIII)
"Have you finished looking over there?"
"After the review, the ladies in the Xuan Temple have selected a few, please ask the Royal Concubine and the Crown Princess to review them."
Concubine Zhou sighed, half complaining, half boasting, and said, "Your Majesty is too kind to Huan'er. The Crown Prince only sent over a hundred people to the palace for his selection of concubines, yet Your Majesty actually picked three hundred... There are so many books just based on family background and appearance. I can only ask the elders to help with the selection."
The emperor spent a lot of thought on the marriage of the crown prince, and worked hard on the number of people and scope. It was obvious that he referred to the standards that King Hui Zhu Shuyuan used to choose a husband. The increase in the number of people was one thing, and the identity was not limited to the rank. Clerks and some low-level officials were under consideration. The household registration was also relaxed a lot. Not only civilian households, but also military households were within the selection scope.
Initially, about 600 people were selected, with the main selection areas being the two Zhili provinces, Shandong, Shaanxi, Henan, etc. The basic information was reviewed two or three times by the eunuchs and female officials, and only then were 300 people selected. They were then handed over to the harem for selection by Concubine Zhou and the Crown Princess.
According to the emperor's wishes, these 300 men were first handed over to the Imperial Stables to temporarily form a guard team, and then they would be thoroughly examined by the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables and the officials of the Imperial Household Department of the Eastern Palace. It was not that these people had to be both civil and military, but that they must not have any serious defects in their most basic qualities.
At least there should be room for re-education.
In fact, Concubine He Hui and others were all over seventy years old, so how could they read any books? They just listened to the palace servants read them and gave a few simple recommendations.
It is not easy for them to get involved in such a big event casually.
After saying this, Concubine Zhou said with some regret, "It's a pity that the children of those noble families have already married early, otherwise I don't know how much better they would be than these chosen from the common people."
The Crown Princess said from the side, "His Majesty summoned the Crown Prince and me a while ago to give him a lecture, saying that he must have the Crown Prince review all the candidates he has selected. The most important thing is that they are compatible."
Concubine Zhou waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Your Majesty has long ago told me that there must be no negligence in the bedside. He also said that the rules of the former Princess's Mansion must be followed. The Crown Prince and the future prince cannot spend the night together casually." She sighed and said, "I think Your Majesty is overthinking it. The Crown Prince is the source of wealth and glory. Who dares to disrespect him?"
The Crown Princess didn't know what to say, so she just said, "Have the Crown Prince and Mother mentioned any candidates they prefer? I see she's been very busy lately, and her mind isn't on choosing a husband."
"I asked a few questions, and His Majesty assigned her an errand. He told her to go to Henan to meet with Prince Luo and inquire about Luo rice. He heard there was a cross-cropping method that he wanted to apply to Liaodong... In short, it was good for farming, so she went there without stopping, also to pay her respects to Concubine Xian." After that, Concubine Zhou gave her a sidelong glance and said, "Even though the Crown Prince has moved to the Crown Prince's Palace, you, as his mother, can't just ignore him. After all, the Crown Prince has married a man, and I don't know if he can manage the palace. As a mother, you have to pay more attention to him."
The Crown Princess actually knew about this matter a long time ago, and she said this just to change the subject, so she didn't say much.
After a round of screening of the former and harems, it was already July before Zhu Youhuan returned from Henan.
In addition to inquiring about the rice issue this time, Zhu Youhuan also inspected and questioned local officials on behalf of the emperor, and strictly investigated whether there was any corruption or other cases of deceiving superiors and subordinates.
As soon as Zhu Youhuan entered the palace, before he went to pay his respects to the emperor, he saw the eunuchs around the emperor coming towards him.
The eunuch greeted him with a smile, then said, "Your Highness, the Holy Mother asks you to go to the Imperial Stables. The eligible men are all training there. Your Highness, please take a look and see if there are any that you like."
Zhu Youhuan understood and said, "Let's go."
She had heard a little about choosing a husband for herself in Henan, but she was busy with government affairs at the time and didn't take it seriously. Now the emperor specially sent someone to come, obviously to remind her.
"yes."
Along the way, the eunuch was very enthusiastic and explained in detail the process of selecting a husband for the Crown Prince. Then he said, "The Holy Mother has instructed that those who are not selected will remain in the capital and undergo a simple assessment. They will be appointed as clerks or sent to the Crown Prince's front guard. If the young prince is not useful, there will be another choice." He added, "These people have all been examined by the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital. They are afraid that some symptoms may not be detected by the Imperial Hospital, and even Empress Xu may not be able to detect them. The Holy Mother is afraid that the Crown Prince will be wronged."
Zhu Youhuan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, and then said, "I understand what grandma means."
What the emperor meant was that if this person was in poor health and could not help the royal family to have children, he could be replaced directly.
Of course, it is impossible to let these people remain single and childless for their entire lives, but it is still possible to "find out the truth" within three or four years.
For the current Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the most important thing is whether he has the ability to control the situation.
In the Imperial Stables, the men who were selected were divided into two teams for training. Compared with military training, these people's training was much easier and it was over in just half an incense stick of time.
Seeing Zhu Youhuan frown slightly, the eunuch explained, "This is to test their physical strength. The Holy Mother said that they are worried that some of them are weak and are just pretending to hold on. Besides, we will select some of them to join the palace guard later, so they cannot be in poor health."
"The Palace Guards will also be going to the battlefield. With the kind of training they're getting, I'm afraid they'll be scared back if they actually go on the battlefield." Zhu Youhuan glanced around from a distance and said, "What are the ages of the candidates here?"
"Replying to the Crown Prince, they are all around your age. Most are the same age as the Crown Prince, and some are two or three years younger."
Zhu Youhuan glanced around and saw that the others had gone to rest or were talking privately. Only one person was still standing there practicing, and he did not look very smart.
The most important thing for her to get married was to give birth to a child as soon as possible. As for the father of the child, there was no need to even add icing on the cake. As long as he looked decent and had no obvious physical defects or mental problems, it would be fine. Those who were able to enter the palace for selection basically met this condition.
"What is that?"
"I will send someone to ask right away."
Zhu Youhuan waved his hand and said, "No need." She thought for a moment and said, "Grandmother once said that she would take great-grandmother out for another outing, and the reserve military officer of the martial arts school will be present..."
The eunuch understood Zhu Youhuan's meaning and said hurriedly, "This servant will remember this and report back to His Majesty later."
Empress Dowager Hu Shanxiang is now 83 years old. As early as the 33rd year of Yuanguang, when Hu Shanxiang celebrated her 80th birthday, the emperor added the two characters "Kangning" to her title, bringing the empress dowager's title to twelve characters. This shows that the emperor had a close relationship with his mother.
After all, the Empress Dowager was over eighty years old, and it was inevitable that she had some minor illnesses and pains, and her spirit was not as good as before. Therefore, in recent years, if the Emperor had free time, he would take the Empress Dowager out for a walk in the spring when the flowers were blooming or in the autumn when the weather was clear and crisp, so that this old woman who had been trapped in the palace for nearly seventy years could have a chance to relax.
Zhu Youhuan, the great-granddaughter, was naturally also by her side, serving her great-grandmother wholeheartedly. It was a rare occasion that she did not accompany the emperor.
The emperor is now 65 years old, but he is still energetic and has bright eyes. He can still bend the bow and shoot arrows, which is enough to show that he is still in good health.
The Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen, the current Prime Minister Song Cuilian, and the uncle and nephew Zhang Mao and Zhang Jie of the Duke of Ying were accompanying him. When they saw the emperor hit the prey, they all praised him.
There had been rumors that the emperor was in poor health, and he went out frequently to prove that his health was normal.
"Go, tell the polo guys to get ready."
"yes."
According to the emperor's order, the candidate for the husband of the crown prince competed in polo with the students of the Imperial Academy's martial arts school on a field that had been prepared long ago. In terms of skills, the martial arts students were definitely better, but everyone could see that this was a test for another group of people, and they all watched the game tacitly.
They were all a little curious about who the emperor and the crown prince would bring into their fold given their personalities.
Considering that the opponent might be the future husband of the crown prince, the martial artists were very cautious during the competition, trying their best to make the opponent lose in a decent manner, which could also make the competition more exciting.
The reserve team obviously realized this and quickly elected one of them as the commander, carrying out defense and moderate counterattacks in an orderly manner. In addition, with the opponent's slacking, they at least did not lose too badly.
After the two polo teams received their rewards and left, the emperor called the crown prince forward and asked, "Which one do you think is better?"
When everyone saw the Crown Prince step forward, they naturally understood that the Emperor was asking for his opinion. They only regretted that their ears were not sharp enough and they could not hear a single word.
When King Hui was choosing a husband before, they had already seen the emperor's selection criteria once, but now they were choosing a husband for the future emperor, could it be the same?
Zhu Youhuan first bowed politely, then said, "Huan'er dare not take the initiative, please give me some guidance, grandmother."
The emperor smiled and said, "In my opinion, the one in charge is quite good. I remember his name is Lu Congbai."
The eunuch beside him responded, "Yes, this person is from Nanzhili, born into a common family in Wu County. He is quite educated and has a gentle temperament. He is quite well-liked by others."
The emperor nodded slightly, then looked at Zhu Youhuan and said, "What do you think, Crown Prince?"
"What do you think of this person, Huan'er?"
"Lu Congbai does have some talent, but Huan'er thinks the other one is better."
The emperor raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who?"
Zhu Youhuan spoke calmly, "Lu Congbai has a man who follows him around and serves him faithfully. While he may not command the troops as gloriously as Lu Congbai, he is superior in obeying orders and charging into battle. Huan'er believes that such qualities are the proper virtues of a loyal and patriotic person."
The emperor's smile widened, and he said, "Okay, okay." She looked at the eunuch beside her and said, "I remember this person's surname is Zhao..."
The eunuch immediately replied, "Your Majesty, Zhao Jiazhi is from Baoding Prefecture. His family is a military household. He has a straightforward personality and doesn't have many good friends among his peers."
"That's right. Let him stay with the Crown Prince, along with the other students."
"yes."
When everyone heard the news, they already knew everything.
If nothing unexpected happens, this ordinary Zhao Jiazhi is the Crown Prince's man.
On February 15th of the 38th year of Yuanguang, the Crown Prince Zhu Youhuan officially got married. The emperor issued an edict to confer the title of Xiaowang on the Crown Prince's husband Zhao Jiazhi, who enjoyed the treatment of a prince but had no mansion or fiefdom.
On September 27, the 39th year of Yuanguang, the eldest daughter of the Crown Prince was born and was named "Hou Shuo" according to her generation.
The Empress Dowager's health had been deteriorating day by day. She was still fine when the Crown Prince got married, but after Zhu Youhuan gave birth, her condition worsened and she became extremely ill.
The emperor was worried about the imperial physician who had been reliable in recent years, so he called back Xu Wangzhi, who had been raised in exile for many years. He finally concluded that the empress dowager was about to die and that it was better to treat her normally.
Zhu Youhuan didn't know what the emperor's mood was. He only knew that the emperor was unusually lazy and stayed with the empress dowager for several days. It was not until the empress dowager persuaded him that the emperor returned to his usual state.
However, the emperor issued several urgent reports in succession, making a rare large-scale mobilization of manpower, and ordered Prince Ji to return to Beijing as soon as possible, obviously worried that his mother would not be able to see her youngest daughter before she died.
Fortunately, the weather was good along the way, and Jinan was not too far from the capital. Prince Ji considered that his mother could not wait for anyone, so he left her husband and children halfway and hurried back to the capital with his men, and finally arrived in time.
"Mom, Tongtong is back."
Hu Shanxiang glanced at her two daughters reluctantly, and finally said softly, "I'm sorry..." Her voice was a little hoarse, and for a moment people couldn't understand what she meant.
The palace maids standing by were a little confused about what he meant, but Prince Ji couldn't hold back any longer and leaned over the bed, crying bitterly.
In recent years, the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and Prince Ji's mother and daughter have all lived extremely smoothly, and everyone has long forgotten the situation they were in. Only Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Youtong understand what the word "I'm sorry" really means.
Their mother is always like this. Even if she doesn't show it on the surface, she feels secretly guilty in her heart.
The emperor patted his sister's back and shook his head gently at his mother.
Hu Shanxiang's eyes gradually blurred, her neck became stiff, and she finally uttered the last word: "Let's go..."
Silence fell in Shouning Palace. The emperor gently touched his mother's cheek and said, "The Empress Dowager has passed away."
Everyone knelt down and cried bitterly, but the emperor took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. After a long time, he ordered the people around him: "Help the empress dowager calm down."
The emperor, who had experienced countless hardships, had a rare tremor in her voice at this moment, but it was only for that moment, and she seemed to have forced herself to hold it back, as if nothing had happened.
Zhu Youhuan noticed that his grandmother was trying hard to control her emotions at that moment, and he couldn't help feeling sad.
She knew very well that her grandmother was a very restrained person, but now that her mother had passed away, her grandmother was still so reserved...
On the first day of November in the thirty-ninth year of Yuanguang, the Empress Dowager Hu Shanxiang was given the posthumous title of "Empress Xiaode Zhuangjing Wencheng Renci Bitian Yishengzhang".
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
