Chapter 180: Competition and Dazzling

The light of the universe in the second year of Wanli seemed to be particularly short.

Big and small things happened, and in the blink of an eye, it’s the end of the year.

In April, Chang Ang of Doyanwei came to the capital to pay tribute and finalized the details of the Kuanhe trade, which put an end to the court's military operations.

Before Chang Ang left, the Ministry of Rites also invited him to observe the ceremony of Emperor Muzong Zhuang being enshrined in the Taimiao as a subordinate.

In May, the governor reported that the eight counties under the jurisdiction of Dongchang Prefecture in Shandong, namely Puzhou, Qiuxian, Shenxian, Chaocheng, Fanxian, Qingping and Guantao, were required to pay an annual corvée of 50 taels of silver each, totaling 400 taels, to help with the supply expenses of Guanxian, which was burdened with heavy taxes.

The emperor did not approve it and sent a letter to the Ministry of Revenue, ordering that in the future, if there were counties with heavy taxes that were difficult to pay, the inspector should go there in person to investigate, get to the bottom of it, list the reasons in detail, and report back one by one before discussing the issue of tax allocation or exemption.

In June, Xinjian Earl Wang Shouren was enshrined in the Confucius Temple.

In the same month, permission was granted to build Zuozhou and Xinningzhou, and each Confucian school had a principal. The natives were changed to officials, and the Xia people were used to transform the Yi people.

In July, the Hanlin Academy submitted "The Veritable Records of Emperor Muzong" and all officials celebrated in court robes.

The emperor personally examined the case and rated Zhang Juzheng, the chief recorder, and others as excellent.

In August, 211 female governors of the Wei Dynasty, including Haixi Zhela and Asibu, and 179 female governors of the Wei Dynasty, including Taluo and Longbu, paid tribute and were feasted and rewarded as usual.

An oral order was sent to the Haixi barbarian chieftain, Wang Tai, to arrest Jianzhou Jurchen Wang Gao and not to let him escape.

In September, there were continuous heavy rains and Emperor Muzong's Zhaoling Mausoleum was destroyed.

The Censorate, together with the Ministry of Works, investigated the internal and external management personnel of Zhaoling, including Yang Junqing, and their crimes.

Order the Ministry of Works to supervise the repairs.

In October, 472 officers and soldiers including Hu Shouren were promoted and rewarded for their meritorious services in Ji and Liao; 156 officers and soldiers including Wu Mengbao were promoted and rewarded for their meritorious services in Liaodong.

In the same month, the former Minister of War Yang Bo died. He was given a funeral and posthumous title of Taifu, and was given the posthumous title of Xiangyi.

Ma Ziqiang from the Ministry of Rites requested that Yang Bo be enshrined in the Weixin Pavilion, but the emperor did not agree.

In addition, there are also some rewards for the parents of the prime minister, debates on Confucian classics, etc.

……

Time staggers.

In the blink of an eye, it was November.

The second day of this month is the winter solstice again.

From early morning, heavy snow began to fall from the sky.

The Forbidden City was once again covered in silver.

Outside the palace, on the imperial road, and inside the pavilion, eunuchs and palace maids were working in groups of three or four, being ordered around by the chief eunuch and directed to clear the snow.

Of course, there are also places where snow removal is of no help, such as the several acres of farmland in Xiyuan.

The farmland was only reclaimed this year. It was land specially reserved by the emperor for the imperial concubines to encourage farming and mulberry cultivation and set an example for the world.

The main activity this year is planting potatoes.

At the turn of spring and summer, a round of planting had already been done. Many crops died of disease and not many survived. Even so, when the harvest came in the autumn, not only the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue sang praises, but people in the market and the countryside also spread the praises.

Of course, planting one season is already good. Now it is the winter solstice, and it is logically not appropriate to plant potatoes in the fields anymore.

However, since this is a farmland for experimentation, it still depends on what the nobles think.

and so.

This season's potatoes were completely wiped out.

The emperor and his concubine were wearing cloaks and squatting on the ground. The eunuchs were holding umbrellas beside them. Only a few snowflakes drifted onto their shoulders.

Zhu Yijun looked around and saw the patches of frozen potatoes, and he felt a toothache.

He turned his head and looked at Li Baiyang speechlessly: "Where did Concubine Li get the idea to plant potatoes in winter?"

Although potatoes were just introduced to the Ming Dynasty, people had already accumulated some experience with them.

When he sent people to purchase the original seeds, the farmers would more or less give him some instructions about pest control, ripening season, and soil environment.

At least it is said that it is impossible to grow crops in the capital city in winter.

But some people just don't believe it.

How could Zhu Yijun not feel sad when he saw that the seeds he had just grown in the fall were frozen to death in large numbers in the blink of an eye?

Li Baiyang pursed her lips and muttered aggrievedly, "Your Majesty said that we should breed first. Your Majesty only said to breed those that are big and mature quickly. I thought about picking some that can tolerate the cold."

She raised her head and added, not quite convinced, "I did everything according to what was written in Chen Xun's Agricultural Book."

Zhu Yijun choked.

Then he shook his head with amusement: "They grow leafy vegetables, but you changed it to potatoes, which is obvious that it won't work."

Li Baiyang dug out two frozen potatoes from the ground, poked them with a finger, and said nothing.

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun didn't want to put any more pressure on him.

He turned his face away and casually tried to smooth things over: "Well, well, I'll ask the Imperial Household Department to collect some more original seeds."

Li Baiyang finally found the steps. She dug the soil hole and buried the frozen potatoes again: "I still have a lot left from the batch planted in spring. You don't need to go outside the palace to harvest them for now."

Zhu Yijun did not respond after hearing this.

The palace is not short of this little money, but looking at Concubine Li's condition, we don't know how many people will have to be supported to death.

He simply skipped the topic, waved to the eunuch, took the hot towel that had been prepared, and cleaned the dirt off his hands.

He then turned the hot towel over and pulled Li Baiyang's hand over to wipe it twice: "Then let these potatoes rot in the ground. It will be a good opportunity to nourish the soil."

Li Baiyang hesitated for a moment and shook his head: "Your Majesty, I still don't want to."

Zhu Yijun looked at her in confusion.

"Your Majesty, last time you followed the method of making manure and manure fields in the Chen Fu Agricultural Book, and derived the pit composting method. I am still trying it out."

"I applied fertilizer to the two acres on the left, bird droppings to the two acres in the middle, and no fertilizer to the right."

“If we use potatoes to feed the land, it will be difficult to tell the difference and compare the effects.”

Zhu Yijun suddenly realized.

That’s true, but I didn’t pay enough attention to this and almost forgot to go.

However, I have to say that it is really difficult to have the same thoughts as others unless you are around them.

At least Lady Li accepted it very quickly, and this control experiment was a perfect success.

Zhu Yijun naturally had no reason to refuse this, so he simply nodded.

Then he could not help but remind her: "Don't do the shit yourself, otherwise people will say that I am bullying the harem."

It’s not that he thinks compost itself is dirty.

But if you let the harem do this kind of thing, there will always be people who think it is shameful.

Now is not the time to speak about what is right, and the less criticism the better.

After all, in the next few years, the emperor and his concubines will still have to endure the criticism of "the internal affairs are not prepared and the heirs are not numerous."

Upon hearing this, Li Baiyang responded obediently.

As a teenage girl, how could she not be averse to such a thing as collecting manure? It was just that the emperor raised the banner of encouraging farming, and it would not be good if it was handed over to others.

Now that the emperor has spoken, there is naturally no reason for her to pretend to be unwilling.

Zhu Yijun clapped his hands and pulled Li Xianshi up.

The two of them walked around the field again, summarizing their experiences and lessons.

While they were pacing and talking, Wei Chao came quickly from a distance.

He calmed down a little before walking behind the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the two Empress Dowagers ask you to go to the Cining Palace."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun turned his head and looked at Wei Chao: "Cining Palace? Have the two queens chosen the beauties?"

The two palaces would never get together unless necessary, and would certainly not go to the Cining Palace.

So as soon as Wei Chao opened his mouth, Zhu Yijun realized what was going on.

From the time people gathered in the capital in August to the second day of November, three months had passed, and it seemed that the choice had finally been made.

Wei Chao quickly replied, "In reply to Your Majesty, the two palaces have selected fifty people to stay in the palace, and are just about to have Your Majesty determine the ranks of the concubines."

The ranks and positions of the concubines in the harem are quite complicated.

There are Empress, Imperial Noble Consort, Noble Consort, Consort, Imperial Concubine, Imperial Concubine, Imperial Concubine, Zhaoyi, Noble Lady, Beautiful Lady, Zhaorong, Selected Concubine, and Fair Lady, which is no less than the sequence of official ranks.

Of course, although there are many ranks, the most important thing today is to select the queen and concubines.

Of course, not all of the fifty people selected by the two palaces in this beauty pageant will be given a place.

At best, only three or five people would be chosen and given titles - according to convention, the Ming Dynasty's selection of concubines usually only selected one empress and two concubines, and the number of places was extremely limited.

What about the remaining forty or so people?
Naturally, they served as palace maids, such as the attendants of the two palaces, the emperor's personal female officials, and the like.

This kind of palace maid is also the emperor's woman, and if he is aroused, he can have sex with her - just like the biological mother of Emperor Guangzong in history, who was selected as a beauty and became a palace maid to Empress Dowager Li. When Emperor Wanli paid his respects to his mother, he thought of something and became interested in her, and sent this palace maid away on the spot.

It was not uncommon for a woman to be canonized as a concubine after being favored.

However, this is not included in the grade classification today.

Zhu Yijun thought about it and did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked at Li Baiyang and asked, "Are you going, Li Xianshi?"

Li Xianshi lowered her head and shook it slightly.

Zhu Yijun did not hesitate. He asked the eunuchs and female officials to send him back to the palace, and then he turned around and led his men towards the Cining Palace.

……

Beauty pageants are held in the main hall of the imperial palace.

Because the Qianqing Palace was still under repair after a fire at the end of the year, and the redecoration of the Ciqiong Palace had not been completed, it was placed in the Cining Palace.

It was rare for the two palaces to be in the same room. Zhu Yijun had already imagined the scene of tit-for-tat and irreconcilable conflicts in the palace along the way.

But when Zhu Yijun entered the hall, he found that the two were safe and sound and the atmosphere was peaceful, and he couldn't help but be surprised.

He walked forward and bowed to the two palaces: "I pay my respects to my mother."

He deliberately blurred the distinction between the two concubines' stepmothers and biological mothers. Logically, they should be called differently, such as mother and sister. But now the power is in the hands of the emperor, and Zhu Yijun knows this stepmother well, so he will definitely not care. It is better to let Empress Dowager Li feel more comfortable.

As expected, Empress Dowager Li's originally peaceful expression immediately revealed a smile: "My son, get up quickly."

Zhu Yijun readily followed suit, stood up, took off his cloak and handed it to the eunuch beside him.

Empress Dowager Chen was not surprised by the emperor's scheming, so she just asked curiously, "Didn't Miss Li come with the emperor?"

Although she was the designated imperial concubine, she was selected at the same time as the formalities were in place, which was more in line with the emperor's meticulous style.

Zhu Yijun walked up to the two palaces and said casually, "Concubine Li has been digging the ground all morning and is a little tired. I asked her to go back and rest first."

He understood the little girl.

I guess he was thinking something like “I was here first” and he didn’t seem to be in a very good mood.

There is no need to force anyone to join the draft just to follow this process.

Empress Dowager Li was in no mood to chat about family matters at the moment. She pushed a book in front of the emperor impatiently and said, "This is the list of candidates for this year's beauty pageant."

"The above beauties' origins, ages, personalities, and my sister and I's comments are listed in order, a total of fifty people."

After saying this, he led the emperor to the side hall.

In addition to the roster, people can also be seen.

Since the ninth month concubine entered the palace, she has been serving in front of the two palaces and examining her character.

The emperor hasn't met yet.

The three of them came to the side hall, where there were three chairs with a screen across the front. This was a layout that prevented outsiders from seeing clearly, yet allowed vision to penetrate outside.

The beautiful ladies from the outer room stood inside the hall.

Zhu Yijun took a quick look.

All the seven or eight people he glanced at were slender and well-proportioned, with complexions like the morning glow reflected on snow. They were beautiful, gorgeous and graceful.

Zhu Yijun did not look at them carefully one by one, but quickly withdrew his gaze, sat down between the two palaces, and opened the roster.

Appearance is important, but some pretty looks are enough, and the most important thing is family background.

Zhu Yijun flipped through the book and asked casually, "Marriage is a big deal, and parents are always in charge. I'd better listen to my mother's choice first."

As soon as the words fell, Empress Dowager Li came closer and pointed into the hall: "This is Wang from Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan."

"My father and grandfather were businessmen, honest and dutiful. Wang herself is a beautiful woman, sophisticated and gentle, especially in appearance. As soon as you see her, you can tell that Wang's mother is virtuous."

As he spoke, a eunuch came out and brought the Wang that Empress Dowager Li mentioned closer so that the emperor could see her more clearly through the screen.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but scratch his toes.

The so-called strong maternal virtue means that one looks good at giving birth.

Sure enough, when he looked up, Wang had a plump figure with prominent breasts, exactly the look of a daughter-in-law that Empress Dowager Li would be pleased with.

This is what Zhu Yijun was afraid of.

He quickly interrupted Queen Mother Li, pointed to the family background on the roster, and said, "Mother, Wang has eighteen brothers, which shows that his father has many wives and concubines. I'm afraid he may not have been favored at home since he was a child."

"Besides, there are too many brothers, and rewards for relatives by marriage are also a problem."

Empress Dowager Li frowned and thought for a moment, then shook her head regretfully.

But what her son said made some sense and she couldn't refute it.

He had no choice but to wave his hand and let the eunuch take the person away and serve as a palace maid by his side - it seemed that he really liked her.

Empress Dowager Li quickly put Wang down and pointed at another person: "This one is Zhang from Yangzhou Prefecture, Zhili."

"My ancestors made great contributions during the Chenghua era, and my father inherited the title of Captain of the Imperial Guard. Zhang studied the classics, and is well-educated and considerate."

As soon as he finished speaking, before the eunuch brought the person up, the emperor had already shook his head.

"Li Xianshi is already from Yangzhou Prefecture in Southern Zhili. If the Queen chooses Yangzhou again, it will inevitably cause surprise inside and outside the palace."

It seems that he was rejected without even showing up.

As for the reason, Empress Dowager Li was also unable to refute it.

Seeing that her son had rejected candidates who were good at giving birth, as well as those who were considerate and polite, Empress Dowager Li had no choice but to withdraw her hand of advice.

Zhu Yijun turned his gaze to Empress Dowager Chen again.

Empress Dowager Chen pondered for a moment and then named her favorite candidate: "How about Wu from Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi?"

"She is from the north. Her father is a captain of the Jinyiwei. She is the only daughter. She looks OK."

Zhu Yijun found the corresponding person on the roster as Empress Dowager Chen said.

After taking a look at his family background, it was indeed as Empress Dowager Chen had said, he was a suitable match in every aspect.

He was a rare northerner with a clean family background. He had read the Four Books and Five Classics and knew some music and etiquette. He was not too young either, he would be sixteen in June.

While the emperor was thinking, the eunuch brought Wu closer to the screen.

Zhu Yijun raised his head and glanced casually.

I was stunned on the spot.

This... is a little too pretty.

He suddenly understood why Empress Dowager Chen liked this Wu. She was not just a pretty girl, she was clearly a beauty from heaven.

Her hair is like spring clouds, her eyes are like autumn waves, her mouth is like red cherry, her nose is like a hanging gallbladder, her teeth are white and fine...

Unfortunately, it’s not good even if it’s too beautiful. Zhu Yijun sighed softly.

Zhu Yijun was originally tempted, but after seeing the girl's appearance, he reluctantly rejected the idea.

It’s not that he doesn’t like beautiful girls.

Rather, it means that sometimes it is difficult for people to control themselves, especially when facing things they like very much.

If the harem selects such a girl who perfectly meets his aesthetic standards, it may not be a good thing for him as the emperor.

I had another birthday in August.

As I get older, I now toss and turn in a daze when I wake up in the morning.

In this case, if Wu was chosen as the queen, there would be no need to worry about "internal affairs not being prepared and the heirs not being numerous" in the next few years.

I'm afraid I have to think about the wedding ceremony every day.

It’s better to send it far away and talk about it in a few years.

As the emperor shook his head, the eunuch invited Wu to leave again.

The process of selecting a concubine was boring and devoid of any emotion.

Ningxia Ma family...

Guangdong Zhou Family...

One after another, they were rejected by the emperor due to reasons such as their impure family background and young age.

Especially the reason of being too young made the two palaces look at the emperor with unfriendly eyes - they even looked down on people of the same age and insisted on being fifteen or sixteen years old.

Zhu Yijun couldn't explain it either.

Just keep silent and continue screening.

Shandong Zhao Family...

The Lin family of Nanzhili...

Liu family of Hangzhou, Zhejiang...

Ok?
Wait, the Liu family from Hangzhou, Zhejiang?

Zhu Yijun turned back to the previous page.

Isn't this Concubine Liu Zhao who participated in the beauty pageant in the sixth year of Wanli in history?

Zhu Yijun thought he had seen it wrong, and looked back and forth for a long time, and it was indeed Concubine Liu Zhao.

Historically, she was selected as a concubine in the sixth year of Wanli's reign.

Most of that group of people are only ten years old now.

He thought he would not meet the concubine who should have been chosen, but he did not expect that a person named Liu would appear.

Zhu Yijun confirmed Liu's age again.

He is fourteen years old and his birthday is on the ninth day of the first lunar month, which means he will be fifteen in a month. This age is not too young.

The historical evaluation of this Liu is that he was a cautious and honest person.

Unlike Concubine Zheng, who was lively and often involved in major cases such as beating the prince and poisoning the emperor, Liu had no sense of presence in the 64 years she had been in the palace.

He was neither favored nor made any mistakes, and lived quietly until the 15th year of Chongzhen - if he lived two more years he could have passed the rope to Chongzhen.

If that's the case, he's definitely not a combative person.

It seemed to be exactly what Zhu Yijun needed.

He couldn't help but tap his knees with his fingers, lost in thought.

After a while, Zhu Yijun nodded on this name.

The eunuch beside him immediately understood and went out to bring Liu to the screen.

Zhu Yijun moved closer and gave him a scrutinizing look.

Well, she's pretty good-looking. Although not as stunning as the Wu lady just now, she also has a plump chin, broad forehead, and a graceful figure.

Seeing that the emperor looked thoughtful and undecided, Empress Dowager Chen comforted him softly, "Your Majesty, there is no need to rush. It would not hurt to choose a later date."

Zhu Yijun closed the list and turned to look at the two palaces: "Mother, has the Imperial Observatory arranged a date?"

The two palaces looked at each other, and Empress Dowager Chen nodded: "The Imperial Astronomical Bureau has determined that the crown will be on January 28th, the betrothal will be on February 3rd, the bed will be made on March 8th, the empress will have her face opened on the 15th, and the imperial seal will be bestowed on the 27th, and the couple will return to the palace to have the wedding ceremony."

Zhu Yijun nodded and said directly: "The sooner the child decides, the easier it will be for the inner court and the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the grand ceremony."

He paused and said seriously, "Mother, it's Liu from Hangzhou Prefecture."

(End of this chapter)