The battle in the Western Regions is unknown, the battle report has not yet been delivered, and Li Xiaofei's fleet in the east has only been out to sea for half a year, and the city of Luoyang is still peaceful.

After Emperor Liu Jian summoned Wang Fu, he successively summoned Xiao Xian, Yuan Xiuwen, Chen Yu, Pei Tanzhi, Xie Yunzhi, Lu Anzhi, Zhao Chong and other ministers and heads of the family.

The emperor wanted to choose a concubine for the crown prince and the king of Jin at the same time, and the ministers and families were confused.

According to the usual practice, it should be the crown prince who chooses a concubine first, and then it is the turn of King Jin after three years.

Now that the two princes are choosing concubines at the same time, could it be that the emperor intends to change the crown prince, Xiao Xian and others guessed.

But after thinking about it, if you want to abolish the establishment, you have to wait for the prince to have obvious immorality, and if anyone like this now wants to discuss the abolition of the establishment, he will definitely be attacked by the crowd who support the prince.

Thinking about it, it was just an old trick of the emperor, deliberately putting the king of Jin on top of the same treatment as the crown prince, letting the ministers speculate on the fight, and playing with the courtiers and the family.

The emperor wants to play with the ministers, and the ministers also have their own countermeasures, which is nothing more than to choose two women to sacrifice in the end, and bet on both ends to deal with errands, no matter who becomes the emperor between the prince and the king of Jin in the future, he will not lose power.

However, the primary selection of women before the selection of concubines was to be presented by the civil and military ministers and families above the fourth rank in the capital to dedicate their own or their own women, and the quota was one person, and the officials above the fifth rank in various places in Daliang could also dedicate their own women.

The civil and military officials and families in the capital did not have an advantage, and they did their best to make up 300 people, and there were 800 women from all over the Liang Kingdom.

Since the edict of the crown prince and the king of Jin to choose a concubine has reached the locality, officials above the fifth grade have racked their brains to try to climb the dragon and attach the phoenix.

If there is no daughter in the family, they will temporarily inherit one from the family, and even buy one back as a gift.

"As soon as you enter the palace gate, it is as deep as the sea, what do you think is a good thing for you to enter the palace? This companion is like a tiger, following the prince or threatening the prince, it is like walking on thin ice in the abyss, and your father does not allow you to mix blindly! ”

Xiao Cong'er wanted to participate in the selection of concubines, Xiao Xian reprimanded with a straight face, this was the first time Xiao Cong'er was reprimanded by her father since she was a child.

"If you don't go, you won't go! Why is Dad angry? I'm just asking! As far as you are resourceful and far-sighted for a day, your daughter does not marry the prince, and you and I can't look down on you and me, do you have to let your daughter die alone? ”

Xiao Xian was choked and coughed, "Ahem, you, your father is all for your good, your father is already a very human minister, and it makes no sense to cling to and get married, it is impossible to be prosperous again, but if you don't get it right, you will lose everything." Well, the family pays attention to the right family, in fact, in my father's opinion, as long as Cong'er can live well in the future, why do you have to marry the royal family or the family? ”

"Dad means let me marry an ordinary person casually? So I have been learning piano, chess, calligraphy and painting day after day since I was a child, and I am also learning swordsmanship, riding and archery, for what? ”

Xiao Xian touched Xiao Cong'er's forehead, "Alas, it's a pity that you are a daughter, if it weren't for the fact that your brothers couldn't do anything, how could I be?"

"Isn't Brother Sheng very talented? Isn't he your son? ”

Xiao Xian was a little stunned, and paused for a while, "Your brother has been weak since he was a child, and he is indeed a genius in business, but he has no interest in being an official and in politics. Even for the Xiao family's large and small industries, he shows no ambition, and he is respectful to your other brothers. I sometimes wonder if he's pretending."

"Daddy is busy with intrigues in the court all day long, and he has brought this mind to the family, Brother Sheng is not that kind of person"

Xiao Xian smiled slightly, "You are still young, you don't understand many things, and the most worrying thing in this family is you and your brother Sheng." I'm afraid that you are too kind and simple, and you will be bullied by your brothers in the future. Second, I am afraid that this sound is deliberately endured by one

Cut, then your other brothers will be in danger in the future! ”

"Okay, okay, my brothers are spending all day drinking and not doing their jobs, but they all love my sister, so don't be suspicious! Anyway, I'm going hunting! ”

Before Xiao Xian could continue to speak, Xiao Cong'er had already gone out.

Before the women from all over the country had time to enter Beijing, it was the twenty-fourth day of February in the spring of the following year.

The peony flowers inside and outside Luoyang City already have small bones, but there are more than ten days to leave the flowers, and on the day of the Shangsi Festival on the third day of the first month of March, according to the edict, all the women must rush to the pavilion post in the gold market in Luoyang City before this day to report, and the types of clothing specified in the edict are properly purchased.

This year's gold market was particularly lively, and the last time it was so lively was probably more than a hundred years ago.

There were also some caravans that came with this convoy of women who entered Beijing, and took this opportunity to bring goods from all over the world to the gold market.

For the first time, the people of Luoyang City felt that the capital had begun to prosper, and some strange things that the old people talked about were finally seen.

The team that stepped on stilts and spit fire in their mouths, commanded monkeys and dogs, and played with shadow puppets came, attracting many onlookers.

Not to be outdone, the juggling of the big change of living people swallowing swords and taking things from the air, and the dwarfs who deliberately wrestle and show their ugliness make the laughter in the city come and go.

Baoyu Liangma in the Western Regions, cheese in Mobei, pearl ginseng in Liaodong, coral herbs in the South China Sea, sea bass and lettuce silk in the south of the Yangtze River, mountain goods in Yizhou, wood ware in Jizhou, etc. are all full of gold market, and some late arrivals can only set up stalls in Yongmen.

Those who came to the capital with the prosperity of these people and people, as well as the messenger of the left three phases and the remnants of the Changping Metropolitan Protectorate.

On one side is the expression written by the third minister on the left, and on the other side is the complaint of the Changping Protectorate.

After Xie Hengzhi, the secretary of the military department, received the report of merit, before he could go out, more than a dozen remnants of the Changping Metropolitan Protectorate knelt in front of the door with a complaint and cried.

Xie Hengzhi was at a loss with two documents, but Chao Lun, the head of the Ministry of War, hurriedly ordered someone to take the remnants of the army down to be closely guarded.

"Lord Xie, this matter is very important, you must not leak the news, you have to personally enter the palace to present these two documents to Your Majesty!"

Xie Hengzhi trembled a little: "This, this, this, you still do this for me!" You know the military well, you"

Chao Lun attached to Xie Hengzhi's ear, "My lord, I am just a director of the military department, and there are also squires and you and the general, if a director enters the palace with such a document, what will the emperor think?" Doesn't that mean that too many people know about it? ”

Xie Hengzhi sighed helplessly, "Alas, it is inevitable that I will be reprimanded by the emperor again!" Didn't you report this to the general? ”

"My lord is confused, if the general knows, this matter will be put on the court for public discussion, and when the time comes, the crime of the left three phases will force the opposition to the left three phases, and the crime of the left three phases is not determined, I am afraid that other border garrison generals will follow his example to replace the general sent by the imperial court. This matter can only be decided by the emperor! ”

Chao Lun resealed the two documents and handed them to Xie Hengzhi, and Xie Hengzhi had to rush to the palace in a hurry.

After Emperor Liu Jian read the two documents, he asked lightly, "Hengzhi, who knows about this?" Where is the person who sent the letter? ”

Xie Hengzhi didn't dare to hide it, so he honestly reported the details to the emperor.

The emperor smiled, "This chief under your hand is not bad, but even he has to be taken care of, well, Chief Zhao Agui, you take a few Jin Liangwei to bring the chief officer named Chao Lun to me." As for the matter of the left three phases, Hengzhi, your handwriting is good, stay and draw up the decree for me, build the Xidu Protectorate of An, seal the left three phases as the protector of the capital, and the rest of the generals will be promoted to three levels! He was ordered to be stationed in Gaochang, the superintendent of Luntai, and the soldiers under his command were rotated after three years. As for the pension of the fallen soldiers of the Changping Metropolitan Protectorate, the Ministry of War will double the preferential treatment! Those who sue the left three phases

Deserters, all handed over to Jin Liangwei to bring back for disposal! ”

Xie Hengzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief, he was not asked, and kowtowed again and again to thank him.

"Remember, this edict was sealed and sealed by the celebrant and handed over to the messenger of the left three phases, and it was not to be publicized. At present, there is a major matter to be done to choose a concubine, and the overall situation must not be affected because of these border disputes. Draw up another decree, and order the generals on all sides not to start wars lightly, be greedy for merit and force, and deal with disputes with other countries and other parts in peace! ”

However, some of the remnants of the Changping Protectorate still ran to Wang Fu's Mansion to avenge his grievances, and Wang Fu was about to meet the emperor, but was stopped by Qian Jingzhi.

"General, even you know, will the emperor be kept in the dark? The emperor's Jin Liangwei is all over the world, and there must be more than a few defeated soldiers in this Changping Protectorate, most of them have already gone to the military department! Do you want to go to the emperor now, do you want to avenge Yu Wanli or ask Ying to go to the Western Regions to arrest Zuo Sanxiang? ”

Wang Fuyi touched the back of his head, "Fortunately, Mr. is bored, otherwise it would be boring to ask for yourself, so these soldiers who came to me?" ”

"Ahem, the general has to put down the butcher knife now?" Qian Jingzhi smiled and turned to leave

The first hurdle after entering Beijing was the internal supervisors sent by the emperor to screen the appearance, and the internal supervisors who did this errand were all temporarily appointed by the emperor. After the women of each family gathered in the Haolong Garden in the northwest corner of the capital, the inner supervisors took the picture album and standards given by the emperor to select people.

At this level, it is difficult to bribe, some of the inner prisoners sent are planting flowers in the imperial garden, some are raising horses in the horse prison, and there are also various palaces and prisons such as the imperial dining room, the Huanyi Courtyard, the pharmacy, and the East Palace.

The inner eunuchs don't know each other, and they serve different princes and concubines, so they have a very strict grasp of this first level.

In the first level, those who had moles on their faces, scars on their hands, walked one deep and one shallow, had large and small eyes, had black and yellow faces, and their hair was not black enough, and there were 643 people who were eliminated in this round.

The remaining 657 people came to the second level to appreciate it, and this time those with too big eyes, too small eyes, short hands, short legs, obesity, etc., were eliminated again, and only 320 people remained.

By the third level, all the people who came for the inspection were replaced by female officials in the palace, because the third level was a naked inspection.

The most important thing in this naked examination is to check whether she is a virgin, whether she has hemorrhoids, and even whether there is any abnormality in the hidden places such as the navel and anus, and also to smell whether there is any peculiar smell on these women's bodies.

The third level was inspected, and there were 285 people left.

The fourth level is to test the temperament, and this level is to check the doctor of the Guozijian and the imperial doctor in the palace, for half a month.

In the past half a month, the doctors have let these young girls who are not deeply involved in the world know what it means to be unprovoked and not angry, not to be surprised, and to be virtuous and virtuous.

Sudden screaming and banging of gongs in the middle of the night, sudden knocking out of the rice bowl while eating, cold water that caught you off guard, etc., etc.

The most frightening thing is that the doctors falsely claimed to have found some incurable disease, which scared dozens of women.

After the inspection in the past half a month, there are only sixty-three people left, half of these sixty-three people are the daughters of eunuchs and families in the capital, and the other half are selected from the states and garrisons of the Liang State.

The fifth level is to test the talents of piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, embroidery, etc., and there are still ten women left in this round.

The sixth level is the fate selection, ten women blindfolded, on the table to touch ten tokens, four of which are painted with auspicious characters, and the other six are painted with gui characters.

Only those who touch the auspicious character are qualified to meet the emperor, the crown prince, and the king of Jin, and finally leave the two candidates as the crown princess and the princess of Jin.

The fate of the change was held at Hong Lim Court, which coincided with the 15th of April, and the warm sun was shining, and the women were finally able to wear thinner skirts.