In order to persuade the emperor to accept the harem in order for the courtiers to persuade the emperor, the queen made a fuss, and she also turned her face with the queen mother and the Jiang family. Even if the emperor said that she would not accept a concubine, she still kept doing it. Now he will actually "virtuously" choose candidates for the emperor's harem?

Zhao Xiu couldn't believe it.

If the queen tolerates the emperor's concubine, what will she make trouble before? If you really want to pick out one or two obedient candidates to occupy the position of the concubine before the courtiers send the palace of the daughters, so that the courtiers can no longer blame her for being jealous and unvirtuous, then you should also pick some people who can really control it. The girls in the Xie family are a choice, a beautiful woman from a small family with no power background is a choice, and it is also possible to choose someone from the palace maids. But she didn't pick anyone, and she refused the family's arrangement, but chose Qiu Yuan, who was not related to her!

Qiu Yuan was born in Bofu, and after being a nobleman, she is not an ordinary lady. Once this kind of identity enters the palace, the status cannot be low. If it weren't for the fact that her eldest brother Qiu Huiquan was no longer on an errand in front of the emperor, she would almost have an arm by the emperor's side. The Qiu family is not a good person, even if Qiu Yuan is currying favor with the queen everywhere now, who knows that she will be favored and give birth to a prince in the future, will she have no thoughts? How sure can the queen be able to hold Qiu Yuan? Her mother's Qushui Bofu has no real power, and it is half a catty and eight taels with Meishan Bofu, and her mother's family alone is not an absolute advantage. If the queen really wants to choose an honest concubine, she shouldn't choose Qiu Yuan!

Zhao Xiu was really puzzled, how did the queen come up with such an idea? Although I have long heard that Qiu Yuan has blue eyes and often goes to the palace, it is just because Qiu Yuan flatters well, right? It is enough for the queen to summon her a few more times, to reward her more, or to point out a good family affair for her, how can she take a fancy to her as a concubine? It wouldn't be Qiu Yuan who took the initiative to say, "I'm willing to serve the emperor", right? If she really said that, the queen's most likely reaction would probably be to go up directly with a big ear scraper. Even though the queen asked Qiu Yuan tentatively: "Are you willing to be a concubine for the emperor?" "If Qiu Yuan shows a hint of happiness, the queen may turn her face. So how did this happen?

Zhao Xiu couldn't understand the queen's brain circuit, and couldn't help but ask Fang Renzhu again: "Are you sure?" Does the queen really have such thoughts? ”

Fang Renzhu smiled bitterly: "How dare I believe it? Sister Jiang said this in the letter. I thought she was dreaming. But she is the niece of the Queen Mother, and she is better informed than us. If it weren't for the evidence, I wouldn't have said that. She also lamented that the queen's move was unwise, if she really intended to choose a harem for the emperor. You should also let Qu Shuibofu help you look at each other outside the palace first. If you are not willing to let the daughter of the Xie family into the palace, it is a big deal to choose another candidate. It turned out that he took a fancy to Miss Qiu...... If the queen mother was because she liked Miss Qiu's temperament, then now that the ugly things of the Qiu family have been leaked, even if the queen mother said something unfair because she hated our Fang family. When choosing someone to enter the palace, it should also be reconsidered. The Qiu family is so upbred, how can the daughter of the Qiu family enter the palace as a concubine? For the sake of the emperor and the princes, the selection of people should also choose women with both talent and virtue. All the officials in the court thought so, but they were afraid that as soon as the will came out, the imperial historians would write a book to reject it. ”

Zhao Xiu frowned: "If the imperial historians reject it in a letter, they may not consider the queen's face again, and most of them will have to publicize the matter of your sister and Qiu Huiyou again." After all, from this incident, it can be proved that the Qiu family's family style is not right, and this is used as a reason. It shows that Qiu Yuan is not qualified to be a palace concubine, which is the easiest way. ”

Fang Renzhu nodded: "My father also thought of this, so I discussed it with my mother in the family letter." If my sister's body can support it, it is better to leave the capital and come to Jining as soon as possible. If there is a controversy between the DPRK and China, the Qiu family will enter the palace for the Baoqiu girl, and they don't know how to pour sewage on my sister's head. Before my sister got married, it wasn't that she didn't make small mistakes, if she was used as a handle by the Qiu family and publicized it everywhere, my sister really didn't have to be a person. ”

Zhao Xiu thinks about it. Not to mention anything else, just Fang Huizhu violated her mother's order and went out to have a private meeting with her fiancé without authorization, which was enough for her to drink a pot. I remember when the Qiu family was forced to marry. Let's take this article and talk about things. Although Mrs. Fang's intention to withdraw from the marriage at that time was not widely known, it was not a big deal for Fang Huizhu and Qiu Huiyou's fiancée to meet in public. But the Qiu family acted viciously, in case they made up something unwarranted to slander Fang Huizhu, such as her misconduct before marriage, seducing her fiancé and the like. How can Fang Huizhu refute it?

Zhao Xiu sighed: "It's good to come up with a way to deal with it, what's the use of just hiding?" You guys aren't in the capital, maybe they don't have any fears, anyway, there is no insider to defend your sister. The best thing to do is not to let the palace make this will. If there is no will, rumors are always rumors, and no matter how much everyone's brain makes up, it is just speculation. ”

Fang Renzhu smiled bitterly: "How can we have this ability? What does the queen want to do, how can we stop it? ”

Zhao Xiu blinked: "Who said the queen?" I'm talking about the emperor, of course! If the emperor doesn't have the heart to take a concubine, it is useless for the queen to fancy anyone. I remember that the emperor once said that he would keep filial piety for the first emperor for three years, so as to reject the courtiers' persuasion of him to take a concubine. Now that the three-year filial piety period has not passed...... "Huh? Slowly, if it is calculated according to twenty-seven months, it seems that the three-year filial piety period should almost be timed......

Zhao Xiu opened his mouth and closed it again.

Fang Renzhu's face was full of wry smiles: "Our family has thought about this for a long time. It's just that the filial piety period is approaching, and even if it is counted as three years, there is only half a year left. Jingzhong has long been discussing this matter again. Now it can't be compared to more than two years ago, when the emperor and queen were harmonious, and the royal family was peaceful, and now it ......" She sighed, lowered her voice and said to Zhao Xiu: "I won't hide it from you, my mother also mentioned it in my letter, and someone in the clan mentioned this matter again, and my mother suppressed it." The cousin of the Shang family also warned her mother, saying that the emperor has his own holy judgment, and others must not be smart. Therefore, no one in the Fang family dares to mention sending women into the palace now. What's more, there are not a few suitable candidates to pick out now. ”

The school-age daughter of the Fang family, Zhao Xiu has almost seen it, and I really can't pick out any good candidates when I think about it. Fang Huizhu has been married once, and Fang Renzhu is married; Fang 2 Fang Si's father was a rebellious criminal officer; Fang Sanye still has a daughter of Xingliu, but unfortunately she is too young, and she has a sister who almost became the Marquis of Shanyin; The rest of the Fang family's side daughters are either from a poor background, or have an ordinary appearance, or are not of the right age. If the Fang family really wants to pick someone to send to the palace, they can only choose someone with a middle or upper appearance, or choose from their granddaughter. But what's the use?

Zhao Xiu's brows furrowed tightly, and he always felt that it would be difficult for the Fang family to survive this catastrophe easily. If the Qiu family intends to send a woman to the palace, it will definitely not give the imperial history the opportunity to trample on the soles of their own reputation. Then it is inevitable that the Fang family will be involved. Will the imperial history not participate in the Qiu family? Even if there is no matter of Qiu Yuan entering the palace, they will participate. Besides, among the courtiers, how many people dream of following the old path of the Zhu family and sending women to the palace to compete for favor. The queen actually only picked one Qiu Yuan. Naturally, they were going to have their sights on it.

Seriously, the queen just revealed a little bit of wind, and the city was already full of wind and rain. Zhao Xiu always had a feeling that the queen didn't really value Qiu Yuan, and she didn't care much about her and her family's reputation. When he previously rewarded Qiu Huiyou's concubine. The indirect slap in the face of Mrs. Meishan Bo is a clear example. Now she has never given Qiu Yuan a name, and she has never had a quasi-word, so she has become the target of public criticism first. What if the Qiu family can't resist it, and Qiu Yuan can't enter the palace? The queen is not painful, and she can pick another person. The Qiu family is going to steal chickens and rice, as for Qiu Yuan? Whether you can marry someone else again is unknown.

Could it be a delusion?

Zhao Xiu tilted his head and thought about it, and felt that he seemed to be thinking too much.

She and Fang Renzhu had been worried for a long time, and she couldn't think of a way to deal with it. Now it can only be up to the emperor to see what the emperor wants. If the emperor doesn't let the queen come. That matter can naturally be solved smoothly. If the emperor connived at the empress's decree, then the Fang family could only avoid it. Although it is self-deception to cover one's ears and steal the bell, at least it can avoid the limelight for the time being. When Fang Chongshan returned to Beijing after his term of office, the matter had already passed. Fang Huizhu can also marry in other places and never enter the capital again.

The emperor doesn't value the Qiu family very much, and Qiu Yuan herself is not a peerless beauty, so the emperor shouldn't look down on her, right? The emperor is not a womanizer, he has been married for more than ten years, and there is only one queen Xie. Now that Xie is too good, he can't live a good life. If the emperor really wants to take a concubine. Presumably the requirements will not be too low, it must be in line with his wishes, how can it be arranged casually by the queen?

Zhao Xiu thought about it for a long time, and then told Fang Renzhu about his experience after saying goodbye. When it comes to translating Western maps and books, Fang Renzhu admires: "This is beyond my reach." Good sister, I have long thought that you are an extraordinary person, but you are humble by nature and refuse to show it in front of others. Now you have done such a great thing, thanks to the imperial court. can be immortal again, how can my sister not be impressed? ”

Zhao Xiu was a little embarrassed by her praise: "I just turned over a little thing, and nothing has been done yet, don't praise me so high." He was a little curious: "How do you know that what I translate is useful?" My grandmother also thought that Western writing was only a hobby, and that it was not very useful. It was King Guangping who praised me, and she faced it squarely. I thought you'd think it was just a trail too. ”

Fang Renzhu said with a smile: "The Four Books and the Five Classics are certainly the right path, but the other paths may not be beneficial to the country. Cousin Shang once mentioned in a letter that although many of the goods from the West were meaningless luxuries, there were also many useful items, such as telescopes and spectacle lenses, and there were also Western merchants who paid tribute to the globe, which made people realize that there was such a big thing in the world. The merchants of our country can go to the far west or to the South Seas, where there are large tracts of fertile land, and they can grow grain twice a year or three times a year, and there is no fear of famine at all. Since the turn of spring and summer this year, there have been people in Beijing who have been selling rice from the South Seas. Since then, I have learned that foreign merchant ships do not only bring expensive and impractical things. ”

Zhao Xiu knew that this was the result of the cooperation between Little Wells and the Internal Affairs Office, so he just made fun of Fang Renzhu: "Yo, your cousin Shang said these things in the letter?" ”

Fang Renzhu's cheeks turned red, and he said angrily: "I'm going back!" ”

Zhao Xiu covered his mouth and laughed for a while, before he said to Fang Renzhu: "Don't worry, I'm just joking." It's hard to get together, and I don't know when I'll see you again. ”

Fang Renzhu blushed and said, "I know, where am I really annoyed with you?" It's just that it's getting late, I have to go back, and I'll come back tomorrow. ”

Seeing Fang Renzhu away, Zhao Xiu sat in the room and thought about it, and saw that Zhang was still asleep in the room, so he wrote a letter summarizing the news from Beijing mentioned by Fang Renzhu, and then ordered someone to send it to Gao Zhen on the ship.

Although the emperor has nothing to do with whether he accepts a concubine or not, it is a matter of the royal family, and she thinks that King Guangping still knows about it. (To be continued.) )