The throne of the master of the horse, the Song family doesn't want to miss it like this.

When there are only four daughters today, the first two are already married, the third princess Shengning has just reached the marriageable age, and the youngest fourth princess An Ning is only eight years old. If you don't seize this opportunity in Shengning, the Song family's dream of raising the court with the royal family will be completely ruined!

The Song family originally thought that Cao Yingze, the so-called carefree son, would not accept the court's solicitation, and would offend Emperor Hongyuan at that time, and ruin the matter of recruiting him as a concubine. Unexpectedly, Cao Yingze would accept the fourth-grade official position of Shilang in the Ministry of War, and go to the Ministry of War on the second day to take up his post, which simply made the Song family fall through the glasses. Even so, the Song family had to use the forces on both sides of the previous dynasty and the harem to rectify him, and he had to spoil his impression in the emperor's mind before he could give up.

Concubine Song Hui seized the opportunity to instigate everyone in the harem to slander Emperor Hongyuan and go forward, and said that Cao Yingze's name of "the first merry boy in Changxing" was particularly unbearable, and even the so-called "romantic affair" between him and Su Yuming in Jingnan Road was dug up and made up with added fuel and vinegar. Cao Yingze's romantic reputation is outside, and Emperor Hongyuan also knows it, but the romance is not obscene after all, and there are no rumors that he is addicted to wine, but it is an indisputable fact that Cao Yingze and his people often go in and out of Flower Street and Willow Lane, so Emperor Hongyuan's remarks to the people in the harem will inevitably be suspicious.

On this day, Emperor Hongyuan listened to the rain pavilion, but when he arrived at the palace gate, he was empty, it turned out that Miao Cai went to the main hall of Ningde Palace, and it happened that Emperor Hongyuan also wanted to see Concubine Xiao Ya, so he went straight to the main hall. Miao Cairen was chatting with Concubine Xiao Ya, as soon as Emperor Hongyuan arrived, everyone hurriedly got up and saluted, and Emperor Hongyuan smiled at Miao Cairen after taking his seat, "It seems that the two of you really voted for the deed, no wonder Concubine Ya fell in love with Xiao Miaozi at a glance when she was selected, and she chose you."

"Your Majesty laughed, how can such a qualification as a concubine be compared with Concubine Ya's mother, it's just that she is bored for a long time, and she comes to disturb her sister."

"That being the case, I also came to disturb Concubine Ya and chat together, would Concubine Ya be willing?"

"Your Majesty, at this time, the service period of the sun wheel has passed, it is difficult for Your Majesty to remember the concubine, but the concubine is flattered. An'er, go to the Shangshi Bureau and pass some snacks over, now that the autumn wind is rising, don't want those cold ones, and pick a few more warm and sweet osmanthus cakes. ”

An'er agreed to go, and everyone couldn't help but smile when they lowered their mouths, who didn't know that the threshold of Ningde Palace was about to be broken by Tianziyi, and Concubine Xiao Ya's words were just resentment between husband and wife. Emperor Hongyuan didn't care about others, just looked at Concubine Xiao and smiled, Concubine Yafei brought the tea cup to him before she came back to her senses, "Don't be in a hurry to drink tea, there is time." Don't you like sweets, how do you deliberately pass on osmanthus cake? ”

"I don't know if it's fate, Miao Cairen also has a preference with Your Majesty, like osmanthus cake, since Your Majesty is here, I will pass on a few more pieces and eat them together."

"Oh, I thought it was specially passed on by me, but it turned out that it wasn't", so he turned his head to Miao Cairen and said, "You are really blessed, you have to be so cared for by Concubine Ya, you can serve Concubine Ya well in the future." ”

Miao Cairen hurriedly got up and agreed, "Concubine Ya Niangniang really loves the concubine, knowing that the concubine is from the south, she likes to eat rice, and specially asked the Shang Food Bureau to use the method of Ningde Palace to make osmanthus cake, I heard that this method is specially developed by Concubine Ya for His Majesty, so the concubine also followed and learned, the sticky rice flour is steamed, kneaded into a ball, sprinkled with freshly picked osmanthus flowers, and then the steamer, it is very fragrant and delicious, and it is better than what is made in the hometown." ”

Emperor Hongyuan nodded, "The method of this osmanthus cake varies from place to place, and I also like the practice in the south, you seem to be ...... People from Jingnan Province? ”

"Exactly, the concubine is from Duanzhou in Jingnan Province, but her father is an official in Binzhou, so she has lived in Binzhou with her father since she was a child."

"Hmm, Binzhou...... Binzhou is a great place. Your father seems to be ......."

"The concubine's father is Miao Yinian, a doctor of economics in Binzhou Prefecture."

"Oh, yes, Miao Yinian. Look at my memory, hehe......"

Concubine Xiao Ya hurriedly comforted, "There are so many things in the previous dynasty, Your Majesty is too busy to be busy, and it is common for you to not be able to remember the family affairs in the harem for a while, and Miao Cai people will not mind." ”

"What Concubine Ya Niangniang said is, don't talk about the previous dynasty, even a small Binzhou Mansion has a lot of complicated things, and the local parents and officials may not be able to sort it out, let alone His Majesty's court."

"Oh? It sounds like there are some stories in Binzhou, pick a few interesting things to tell me, stay in this deep palace for a long time, the more difficult it is to understand the people's livelihood and suffering, this is not the way of the benevolent monarch, if you learn about some folk things from the new palace people or family letters, just tell me. ”

Miao Cairen smiled, "There is nothing new, but a few days ago, my father came to Feng Jiashu, saying that before Jingyang Hou Cao Lord was in Binzhou to search for and rescue his son Cao Yingze and he got acquainted with him, Jingyang Hou knew that he was a little good at chopping the piano and begged him to find a good pipa for Cao Gongzi, and now the pipa has been sent to Beijing, and by the way, the person who sent the pipa brought some dried fruits from his hometown to the concubine, which is not now also sent to the concubine to taste, a fresh." Cao Shizi is also a new thing, Jingyang Hou said that his son is a piano idiot, especially like pipa, in the early years in order to find a pipa master with excellent skills, he traveled all over the world, any poor alley, Qinlou Chu Pavilion, to find a place, just to run into the Qinlou Chu Pavilion and fell into the nickname of 'Changxing's first merry son'. Jingyang Hou was also worried that no good girl would be willing to marry him in the future because of this nickname, so he sighed. A good son-in-law, for the sake of a pipa, even his own reputation has been put into it, Your Majesty, do you say it's ridiculous? ”

"I can't imagine that there is such a story behind Cao Yingze's name, but if a person is really addicted to something, it is really difficult to control himself, how many young talents have been lost in the words 'plaything and demoralization' since ancient and modern times, fortunately, his hobby is quite elegant, and the piano idiot is the piano idiot, it is better than really indulging in wine or not doing business."

Concubine Xiao Yafei seemed to be relieved when she saw Emperor Hongyuan, so she hurriedly struck the iron while it was hot, and said to Emperor Hongyuan, "Speaking of this Gongzi Cao, it is said that he has also been in the military department for a period of time, how does Your Majesty look at it?" But is he more motivated than Xiu'er? ”

Emperor Hongyuan nodded, picked up the dried fruits on the case and tasted them before saying, "If you talk about courage and bearing, Cao Yingze is still slightly inferior to Xiao Tingxiu, but when it comes to strategizing, Xiao Tingxiu is indeed inferior to him." The two of them are one writer, one martial arts, one singing and one harmonious, but they take care of the military department decently. ”

As he was talking, An'er led the palace people of the Shangshi Bureau to serve a few snacks one after another, and Concubine Xiao Yafei specially put the hot osmanthus cake in front of Emperor Hongyuan, and personally made a pot of Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Robe for him, which was very comfortable to eat in the slightly cool weather of early autumn. Emperor Hongyuan spent an afternoon with the two of them in Ningde Palace, and when the chamberlain of the palace bureau came to ask where to go in the evening, he was lazy and stayed directly in Ningde Palace.

In the next two or three days, Emperor Hongyuan set up to listen to the rain pavilion, saying that he had tasted Lingnan dried fruits and osmanthus cakes, and Zhang Meiren, who had been favored for a few days, pounced in the Yechen Palace for several days, and was very resentful, but helpless. Zhang Meiren is also a master with seven tricks, thinking that she listened to Concubine Song Hui's arrangement a few days ago and constantly blew the pillow wind to Emperor Hongyuan and said that Cao Yingze was not, I don't know if these gods and gods left a bad impression on Emperor Hongyuan, and thinking of this kind of offending people, Concubine Song Huifei never did it herself, but changed the law to encourage others to do it, and she picked up a ready-made cheap to leave the emperor with the impression of a good person, and it was these little minions who were bitter, and her heart became more and more unfair.

Emperor Hongyuan, a family affair in Shengning, was a little undecided, so he put it on hold for the time being, and after a few days, the princess in the palace was a little sick, and it happened that Concubine Zhu also had a headache and brain fever, and Emperor Hongyuan was busy visiting in turns, so he couldn't care about this matter, whether it was Cao Yingze or Song Zhenyuan, he had to rein in it first.

These two concubines are both old, and they are both widowed, and Emperor Hongyuan has to serve more and more diligently, so as not to end up with an unfilial mouth. Zhu Concubine was not seriously ill, but somehow it suddenly worsened, the disease came urgently, three or two days can not get out of bed, Yi'an then asked to stay in the palace to serve, after all, it is old, everyone knows this situation, Emperor Hongyuan not only sent twenty or thirty experienced grandmothers to serve in Yining Palace, but also ordered the harem to be fasted in all plain clothes, and prayed for the two concubines.

However, Concubine Zhu's condition is still gradually getting worse, Emperor Hongyuan can't, so he has to move the last trick, although he is very reluctant to Princess Shengning, but Concubine Zhu has already reached this situation, and he is really worried that he will not be able to block the mouth of the historian if he does not do something according to the ancestral system, so he also made up his mind to choose one person among Cao Yingze and Song Zhenyuan as Princess Shengning's concubine.

The atmosphere of praising Song Zhenyuan in the harem became more and more intense, in this environment, Emperor Hongyuan summoned Song Zhenyuan in the imperial study more than once, and his grandfather Song Yaozhi and his aunt Song Huifei always accompanied him under pretenses, so Song Zhenyuan behaved quite calmly. Emperor Hongyuan saw that although he was not as clever and fluent as Cao Yingze in the answers, he was humble and polite in his attitude, and he had a bit of the legacy of a Confucian family, so his good impression of him gradually increased.

Just when Emperor Hongyuan was about to issue an edict to marry Shengning and Song Zhenyuan, Luoan reported that Song Zhenyuan had an affair with a dusty woman from Zuichun Garden, and the woman was also pregnant with Song Zhenyuan's child. The Song family covered this matter tightly, Emperor Hongyuan didn't know about it, but he heard that Yuge had a few new palace maids selected by Jingnan Dao, I don't know if he didn't understand the rules of the palace, and he chewed his tongue in Yuge, but unfortunately he was heard by Emperor Hongyuan who was passing by. Such an absurd and brutal thing happened to Song Zhenyuan, who seemed to be polite and humble on the surface, Emperor Hongyuan was immediately furious, and bluntly said that the Song family was bullying the king, and immediately sent Xue Peiqi, the young secretary of Dali Temple, to Luo'an to investigate the matter.