Song Gexing

Chapter 184 Of course, being an emperor requires a wife
On the second day of July in the fourth year of Jiayou's reign, the world was auspicious. Zhao Fang's succession ceremony was held as scheduled. Zhao Zhen successfully abdicated the throne and was honored as the Supreme Emperor. He took his concubines and unmarried princesses to Jinming Pool.

Originally, the Supreme Emperor should also live in the palace, but the palace in the Northern Song Dynasty was the shabbiest in the history of the dynasty. Not only was it not exquisite, but most importantly, it was too small.

For this reason, the officials were worried for many days. Zhao Zhen himself took the initiative to move to Jinmingchi, but it was outside the city.

Jinmingchi is very famous as a royal garden in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was built in the Later Zhou Dynasty and was initially used as a base for training navy troops.

Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty transformed this garden into a royal garden and opened it to the common people for one month every year. This was also the only time in the history of the dynasty that the emperor and the people enjoyed themselves together.

The emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty often went to Jinmingchi, even on open days, so people did not need to be taboo about the emperor's presence here when visiting the park.

There were many poems describing Jinming Pool in the Song Dynasty. Mei Yaochen, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang and others all wrote about the grand occasion of Jinming Pool.

Every year from the first day of March to the eighth day of April, it is the season when spring flowers are in full bloom. Jinmingchi opens entertainment programs, sets up colorful sheds on the shore, and holds all-night spring outings.

Zhao Fang naturally didn't care about this, and he was eager to move there, but after all, it was Zhao Zhen who was moving, so he still had to think carefully.

Therefore, the Tianwu Army was ordered to change their locations and all be stationed around Jinming Pool. The Imperial City Division set up a special team to be responsible for the internal guard of Jinming Pool.

On the third day of the lunar month, the title was given to Queen Cao as the Queen Mother, and the Yu family, Miao family and Zhu family were the Crown Princess. Zhao Xin was renamed King of Chu and Zhao Xin was King of Wu.

Immediately afterwards, a general amnesty was issued, and Meng Xin was canonized as queen and Xiao Guanyin as noble concubine. According to the suggestions of his wives, the fourth concubine was vacant.

Han Xue was canonized as Zhaoyi, Zhao Paner as Zhaorong, Song Yinzhang as Zhaoyuan, Cao Minghui as Xiuyi, Murong Shuanghua as Xiurong, and Li Yuhu as Xiuyuan.

The six girls were ranked as the ninth concubine, and Xiao Momo, Xiao Lingge, Wang Fangji, and Jin Shanji were conferred as Jieyu.

Then go down one level and canonize Li Qingyu, Li Hongyu and Li Yuluo as beauties, and finally go down one level and canonize Miao, Mei and Yan as talents.

All of Zhao Fang's women, including the four great dancers of the year, were all canonized. Only then did the ministers realize that something was wrong. How could the emperor only have these few women?

Moreover, Song people are still in the minority among these women. Doesn't this bring shame to the Song Dynasty?

There were seven Song people and eleven foreign girls, and even Miao Niang and the other three were Orchid girls from the Western Regions. Now the ministers couldn't sit still.

"Absurd! How can we, the great Song Dynasty, have such a weak harem?"

"Yes! The official family is already 22 years old, and they only have so many wives and concubines. What are the prime ministers and assistants doing!"

……

The first to get angry were the imperial students, who jointly wrote a letter to reprimand the ministers for their inaction, and then the censors questioned the ministers for mistreating the emperor.

The prime ministers who were shot while lying down did not dare to refute, and wrote letters to plead guilty. Zhao Fang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he had to issue an edict to clarify for the prime ministers.

But choosing a concubine was unavoidable. The prime ministers and ministers gathered in Chongzheng Hall to discuss how to choose a wife for Zhao Fang.

Zhao Fang had a headache for the first time. It was not because he was pretending to be noble, but because he was worried that when there were more people in the harem, there would be more moths.

The key to his harem being so harmonious is that the number of people in it is small, and they all came together when they were young and have a good relationship with each other.If the number of people is increased, and he has just ascended the throne, and is looking for an opportunity to show his strength, and implement all the things that he has thought about before, but has never dared to implement, how can he have the energy to take care of the harmony of the wives and concubines in the harem.

"Your Majesty's concerns are indeed correct, but your Majesty has had no heirs in these years. It is impossible not to expand the harem. If someone catches this, he will be even more passive."

Zhao Fang did not hide everyone's own thoughts, but Fan Zhongyan's reason for persuasion was fatal. Now it was the prime minister's inaction that was being impeached, but if he was found out that he had no son, it would be a big deal.

"Okay, then let's issue an edict for the draft!"

Zhao Fang reluctantly compromised, rubbed his brows and spoke again: "Choose from a place farther away, Fujian Road, Guangnan Road, or Shuzhong."

Everyone was stunned, and Ouyang Xiu immediately objected: "That's inappropriate! Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, we have set the standard for beautiful girls to enter the palace as being from an official family. Only three roads cannot guarantee enough people of the right age. Moreover, we have always selected concubines from the capital. There are three ways to choose from Jingdong, Jingdong, and Jingxi, and there is never a certain rule for selecting a concubine."

Zhao Fang had another headache. It didn't matter that he was the king of Wei back then, but the emperors of the Song Dynasty had many rules for selecting concubines. The Northern Song Dynasty was the only ancient dynasty where the concubines were of high moral character.

This is not without reason, but is related to the concubine selection system. The Northern Song Dynasty prohibited the daughters of common people from entering the palace. The emperor must choose his concubines from the children of relatives and officials.

Those concubines who were born as common people had only one origin, and that was when the emperor was still a prince. For example, Liu E was the concubine of Zhao Huan when he was conferred by King Xiang.

That was very early. Zhao Huan later changed the title of King of Shou, and finally the crown prince. But once he ascended the throne, the person he chose must follow the rules.

Moreover, there were regional restrictions on the selection of concubines in the Song Dynasty. Although this was not expressly stipulated, it was established by convention.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, it was rare for women from the south to enter the palace. It was precisely for this reason that almost all women from Henan and Hebei entered the palace.

In fact, this was also the case when Zhao Fang selected the princess. Although Meng Xin was originally from Sichuan, she had settled in Henan since her great-grandfather.

Murong Shuanghua and Cao Minghui were both from Hebei. Han Xue, who was his first concubine, was also from Hebei. The others were not considered his concubines at the beginning.

"Ouyang Qing, please listen to me. It's not that I don't know the rules, but I want to delay the time for the beautiful women to enter the palace and give the harem time to prepare. After all, the queen and the others are managing the harem for the first time, so they have no experience."

He had no choice but to discuss it with Ouyang Xiu in a good voice. After thinking about it, everyone was right and began to hesitate.

Fan Zhongyan pondered for a moment and asked: "Who is in charge of your Majesty's harem now? How about inviting Concubine Yu back to the palace to teach the queen?"

Zhao Fang gave him a big look and said, "My Lord Fan Xiang! You still don't know about my mother's relationship with my father. If you let her enter the palace without accompanying my father, do you think my life will be easy?"

Fan Zhongyan couldn't help being speechless, shook his head helplessly and retreated.

Everyone knows that Zhao Zhen loves Concubine Zhang the most, but few people know that he has a deep relationship with the Yu family. The only person in Zhao Zhen's harem who has ever intervened in government affairs is not Empress Cao, but the Yu family.

It is for the reason mentioned above that Yu entered the palace at the age of eight, grew up and studied with the princesses, and knew more about the palace and the previous dynasty than other concubines.

Therefore, sometimes when Zhao Zhen was hesitant, he would ask her for advice on how to handle matters, and she would give good suggestions after careful consideration.

(End of this chapter)