Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2676 Still Vigorous in Old Age 60.0
"An election year?" Merlin counted on his fingers and said, "It certainly should be an election. The last one was ten years ago. But will His Majesty agree? Hasn't he always been very resistant?"

"This election has nothing to do with His Majesty, so his opinion is naturally unimportant. It's enough that the Empress Dowager agrees."

"It has nothing to do with His Majesty? That's not true."

"What are you thinking about!" Shen Cha looked at Merlin's expression, chuckled, and said, "This election is for maids and female officials, not for imperial concubines, so His Majesty's opinion will naturally not count."

"Huh?" Merlin was taken aback. "I thought..."

“If it were a selection of imperial concubines, it wouldn’t be so quiet; it would require preparations many years in advance. However, His Majesty has also said that he won’t be selecting concubines so soon.” Shen Cha patted Mei Lin’s head. “So, don’t overthink it.” She paused for a moment, then continued, “Many of the female officials and maids in the palace and various princely residences have reached a certain age, but because they haven’t had the time, they’ve just been making do. When I was in the capital, I heard the Empress Dowager and Sister Jin Yu say that this can’t continue. They’ve been separated from their families for many years, and it’s time for them to reunite with their families. After all, some of them have been in the palace for over twenty years.”

“That’s true.” Merlin thought for a moment. “But not everyone wants to go home, right? When I was wandering around the palace before, I heard several maids say that when they reach a certain age, they don’t know where to go.”

"why?"

"They said that many of the palace maids were actually sold by their families to impersonate their masters' children and be sent into the palace, just like Consort Hui. If they were released when they reached the appropriate age, they could neither return to their original families nor to the families that bought them, and would basically be homeless. So, what should they do in this situation?"

"Indeed, this situation exists. The Empress Dowager and several imperial concubines have discussed it. If this is the case, they should be asked if they have someone they like. If so, the palace will be responsible for arranging their marriage. If not, and they want to establish their own household, the Inner Court will also be responsible for processing it for them. Of course, those who have family members but do not want to go home can also apply."

"So that's how it is." Merlin nodded. "That's still pretty good."

“At least they will have a place to settle down and make a living. After leaving the palace or the prince’s residence, they can also live on their own.” Shen Cha sighed and said, “However, once these people leave the palace or the prince’s residence, the vacant positions will still need to be filled. This selection is for filling these vacancies. There will be quite a few people to fill these vacancies, at least five or six hundred.”

"So many?" Merlin glanced at Eagle Leopard walking beside him. "There must be quite a few people from Jiangnan who were selected this time?"

"Yes, we heard from the Prince before we came that there are about three hundred people, but less than half of them will actually be sent to the palace." Eagle Leopard sighed, looked at Merlin, and then at Shen Cha. "Is the young master so worried about this selection because he thinks someone will try to take advantage of the situation?"

“Yes!” Shen Cha nodded. “The selection process, which takes place once every ten years, is a great opportunity for them, since we don’t know when the next selection will be. In addition, the age control for this selection is relatively lenient, between eight and ten years old, which is the perfect age to start.”

"Do they have the energy?" "I don't know, I'm just guessing." Shen Cha raised an eyebrow at Ying Bao. "After all, their most profitable business vanished overnight. They can't help but feel heartbroken and resentful towards us. But they know very well that something like Forget-Me-Not Powder would be shut down sooner or later, it's just a little faster than they expected. Moreover, their main target group for selling Forget-Me-Not Powder is the纨绔 (wan ku, spoiled brats) who hold idle positions and enjoy their family's wealth. They do business with these people partly for money and partly to gather information. When those纨绔 are carried away, they trick them into revealing information, and when they come to their senses, they don't even know what they said."

"That's the biggest loss."

“That’s right.” Shen Cha nodded. “So, money is important to them, but not that important. The destruction of their source of information is the real blow. So, if they want to continue causing trouble in Great Xia, they need to find another way to gather intelligence.”

"Weren't they preparing to open a dance studio? What else do they want to do?"

"The dance hall is one option. Such places of indulgence have always been the best places to gather information. But these places can only gather rumors from the common people. If they want to obtain information from the palace or the central government, they must send someone into the palace. But in the past ten years, no new people have entered the palace. They have no way to do so. Now the opportunity has been given to them. It remains to be seen whether they can seize it!"

"Boss, you mean they're going to arrange for someone to participate in this election?" Merlin exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't the palace dangerous?"

“It’s not dangerous. What danger could ten-year-old kids pose? Even if they pass on some information, they probably wouldn’t even know they’ve leaked secrets.” Eagle Leopard sneered, exchanged a glance with Shen Cha, and said, “Not knowing you’re an informant is the most perfect form of infiltration.”

“That’s right. That’s why we arranged for Xiao Yi to send Mianbai back. They were there to assist the Inner Court and the Music Bureau in secretly investigating the candidates this time. If anything unusual was found, they would all be dragged out and thrown into the Ministry of Justice prison. Anyone involved with these people would be dismissed from their posts, imprisoned, and await execution.”

"Execution?" Merlin sighed. "Is it that serious?"

“Some may not have been involved, but they will inevitably be guilty of oversight.” Eagle Leopard sighed. “But this kind of oversight is not an ordinary oversight. If nothing happens, they can get away with it, but once something happens in the palace or a prince’s mansion, they will not escape death.”

"That's true." Merlin sighed. "This election will probably be another bloody affair."

“Who says otherwise?” Eagle Leopard shrugged, his face full of helplessness, and said, “We didn’t want it to be like this either, but they were unwilling to accept defeat. So, for the sake of future stability and peace, we had no choice but to be so simple and brutal. If those who were implicated harbor resentment, then they had better hate these troublemakers. We are innocent, and we are also victims!”

"But, does the boss really trust Xiao Yi and Mianbai's judgment?"

“They come from humble backgrounds and have seen all sorts of people. Their eye for entertainment is much sharper than ours!” Shen Cha stretched. “Just wait and see, this year’s selection process will be full of fun!”