Chapter 87 The one you like
The news that the Ming army successfully crossed the Lujiang River and captured the Luchuan camp soon reached the capital, followed by several reports of victory. Zhu Qizhen was overjoyed and immediately rewarded the generals' families in Beijing.
But when it came to Zhu Yuhuan, Zhu Qizhen couldn't think of any reward for a while.
Princess Shunde owned the imperial estate and various properties, and was not short of rewards. Zhu Qizhen simply rewarded her with imperial estates, silk, gold, silver, and banknotes. As for the title, Zhu Yuhuan was already the eldest princess and held the position of regent, which was unparalleled among the princesses of the dynasty, leaving no room for advancement.
Zhu Qizhen thought about it and heard that Zhu Yuhuan observed the celestial phenomena and calculated the wind speed, and a fire burned the camps in the southwest. So he simply added the six words "Zhi Xuan Ling Xu Qing Xiao" to Zhu Yuhuan's Taoist name, and conferred the title of Zhenren on him. At the same time, he gave the princess a Taoist temple, named Lingxu Temple.
Zhu Qizhen had originally considered expanding the princess's mansion, but the war was still going on and it was time to spend money, so naturally there was no money to expand the princess's mansion. Zhu Qizhen had to settle for the second best and instead gave the eldest princess a Taoist temple, which was designed and built by Ruan An after the eldest princess returned to Beijing.
Zhu Qizhen was naturally very satisfied with his reward. After the battle of Luchuan was over, Princess Shunde officially returned to Beijing. It was also time to wave away the princess's power to assist in the administration. Zhu Qizhen would certainly not be stingy in rewarding his sister.
There are still many rare treasures in the inner treasury, which would be perfect to reward the eldest princess.
Zhu Qizhen was in a good mood, and Wang Zhen was also in a very good mood, with a smile on his face every day.
The women who have recently participated in the selection of the queen have officially entered the palace and are being observed by female officials to see whether they will be retained. Once the future queen is selected from these people, the wedding can be formally prepared, which will also mark the beginning of the emperor's personal rule.
Once the emperor takes power, it is his time to show his abilities.
If the war wasn't still going on at the front, Wang Zhen would have wanted the emperor to choose a queen right now and have a formal wedding.
However, the selection of the queen was also very important to Wang Zhen, so Wang Zhen specifically sought out Empress Dowager Sun in private.
Who asked Empress Dowager Cihui to only be in charge of the education and learning of the selected ladies, but not have any close contact with these ladies? It can be seen that she did not want to interfere in the emperor's selection of the queen. As the emperor's biological mother second only to Empress Dowager Cihui, it was natural for Empress Dowager Sun to choose a wife for her son. Wang Zhen naturally chose to discuss it with Empress Dowager Sun.
Empress Dowager Sun looked at the booklet in her hand and frowned. She asked in dissatisfaction, "Why are there only fifty people? It's not like when Emperor Taizong sent people to search every household to select concubines for the late emperor, but there are only a few people. What will happen if the news gets out?"
According to Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Qizhen, the empress candidate was to be selected from the two capitals of Zhili. First, female officers were recommended for a preliminary examination. This round alone selected over a thousand candidates, who were then screened by dispatched eunuchs and female officials. Due to the distance to Southern Zhili, repeated screening was required before the final candidate was determined. In comparison, the selection process at the emperor's feet was more convenient.
After such layers of screening, only fifty candidates were finally able to enter the palace.
Wang Zhen couldn't say that this was the result of a discussion between the emperor and Hu Shanxiang, so he just said, "The emperor means to only enthrone one person as empress, and not to appoint other concubines."
Empress Dowager Sun became even more displeased upon hearing this. She snorted coldly, "It's all because of that Zhou Yingying again! I saw that girl's sweet words but treacherous heart, and I knew she had bad intentions. She seduced the emperor's soul in just a few moves." She looked at Ruilan beside her and said, "The emperor should be well-informed about human affairs before the wedding. After the New Year, choose someone from Shouning Palace and send her to the emperor."
Zhou Yingying was two years younger than the emperor. Although she had been in the palace for more than a year, she was still not allowed to serve the emperor in bed. Hu Shanxiang had no intention of recommending anyone close to her. Naturally, Empress Dowager Sun would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Ruilan quickly responded, "Yes."
The fifty ladies sent into the palace had daily observation records kept on file, which were then compiled by the female officials and presented to the two Empress Dowagers.
Empress Dowager Sun carefully selected from among them, naturally aiming for someone who could take away Zhou Yingying's favor.
Wang Zhen had already known about these candidates. When he heard that the candidates mentioned by Empress Dowager Sun all had similar personalities to Zhou Yingying, being lively and cheerful, he quickly advised, "Reconsider, old lady. The empress is the mother of a country. She should be virtuous and kind, only then can she rule the six palaces."
Empress Dowager Sun showed an unhappy look and asked, "What do you mean? What's wrong with the person I chose?"
If Wang Zhen had not come from Changde and had a close relationship with Empress Dowager Sun, and was now the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, I'm afraid Empress Dowager Sun would have been furious long ago.
Wang Zhen immediately realized that his words had inadvertently offended Empress Dowager Sun, and hurriedly said, "Old Empress, you know, if the Emperor is surrounded by people like Lady Zhou, I'm afraid he won't be able to concentrate on state affairs, and in the end, others will take advantage of him..."
Wang Zhen didn't finish his words, but both of them knew who the word "others" was referring to.
Empress Dowager Sun narrowed her eyes and asked, "Who do you think is more suitable?"
Wang Zhen also reviewed and inquired about the candidates for the queen in advance. The one he was most satisfied with was Qian, who was from Nanzhili. Qian was gentle, virtuous, and of dignified character, and was quite similar to the Empress Dowager Cihui in the palace.
The reason why Wang Zhen admired her was simple: he really didn't want another woman like the Empress Dowager or Princess Shunde to appear in the royal family.
Two emperors in a row passed away before they were fifty years old. If Zhu Qizhen followed suit, Wang Zhen would of course have to check the pulses of the empress and eldest son in advance to ensure his own power.
Of course, the most important thing is that Zhu Qizhen chose Qian as the future queen.
Wang Zhen immediately said, "Ms. Qian is from Haizhou, Huai'an Prefecture, Nanzhili. Her ancestors once followed Emperor Taizong in the Jingnan Rebellion. Her father, Qian Gui, also had some military achievements and served as a deputy commander. Ms. Qian has a gentle temperament. If she is allowed to enter the palace, she will definitely be kind to her superiors and lenient to her subordinates. There are many women like Ms. Zhou in the palace, which will only make women like Ms. Qian stand out. What do you think, Your Majesty? If you don't like her, Ms. Wei is also very good."
Empress Dowager Sun was indeed somewhat reluctant, but a kind queen should be more obedient to her, the emperor's biological mother. She would definitely be better than a concubine like Zhou Yingying who appeared respectful on the surface but actually only knew how to flatter the emperor.
Moreover, as Wang Zhen said, with Zhou Yingying as a comparison, Qian's personality may not be unable to attract the emperor. Just like Zhu Zhanji, the personalities of the concubines in Emperor Xuan's temple are varied and there are all kinds of them.
"Qian is better. Although she is from an army officer family, her family ranks higher, so she must be more refined. As for the concubines..." Empress Dowager Sun said unhappily, "We should choose a few more concubines to serve the emperor. Wang, Liu, and Gao in my palace are all very good. Let them serve the emperor closely."
If you can't drive Zhou Yingying away, it's always better to find a few more people to share your favor.
Wang Zhen naturally agreed to this.
Anyway, Zhu Qizhen only said that he didn't want to appoint concubines, but he didn't say that he didn't want people to serve him. The emperor still had to have concubines.
Empress Dowager Sun changed the subject and asked, "How is Princess Shunde?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
