Song Gexing

Chapter 185 The First Court Meeting

Fan Zhongyan, as Zhao Zhen's most admired confidant, of course knew how special Yu was in the palace. Historically, not long after Zhao Zhen's death, Yu, who was in good health, missed him and passed away.

This is the reason why Zhao Fang dare not separate his parents. To Zhao Zhen, having many wives and concubines may not be a problem, but to Yu, Zhao Zhen is her childhood sweetheart's first love, and a lifelong love.

However, Zhao Zhen actually had a lot of affection for Mrs. Yu. This can be seen from the canonization of her. Mrs. Yu gave birth to two children in her life, both of whom died in infancy, but she was still canonized as a virtuous concubine.

"My lords, don't worry too much. In fact, the palace is very organized now. It's just that we lack some experience. A little more time will be fine."

When Zhao Fang saw Fan Zhongyan retreating, he quickly comforted everyone not to worry. The bad guy Sima Guang asked thoughtfully: "Who is in charge of your majesty's harem now? It seems that the queen of Chen Ji rarely managed the original East Palace."

"Yes, the queen is not good at management, but Concubine Xiao is an expert. With the help of Han Zhaoyi, the two complement each other very well."

Zhao Fang did not hide it, and this matter could not be hidden. The emperor had no selfish affairs, and the harem managed the same national affairs, which was related to the stability of the dynasty.

Sima Guang frowned and said, "Concubine Xiao is capable, but..."

Understanding what he didn't say later, Zhao Fang waved his hand and said, "You don't need to mind this. Concubine Xiao is not only talented, but also virtuous. She has understood how to abide by the three obedience and four virtues since she was a child, and will not go out of her way."

Bao Zheng glanced at Sima Guang, who was still about to speak, and spoke first: "Your Majesty and Concubine Xiao are childhood sweethearts. I believe in your Majesty's vision."

Sima Guang choked for a moment and did not refute again. Fu Bi said with a smile: "Actually, I am very curious about Concubine Xiao. Back then, the ministers who married the queen went to the Liao Kingdom. I heard that the current Emperor of Liao made many troubles because of this matter. It turns out that he had already I wanted to marry him as my wife, but our Majesty stopped me."

"Oh! In this way, if there was no marriage, then Concubine Xiao should be the Queen of Liao Kingdom today."

Wang Yaochen, who returned to the center, said cheerfully, but Fu Bi nodded seriously and said, "Indeed, this is also what I am worried about. The one who was supposed to be the queen has become my imperial concubine of the Song Dynasty. I am worried that she will not be reconciled."

Only then did Zhao Fang understand that this guy was retorting tactfully, so he had no choice but to smile helplessly: "Fu Qing is too worried. Do you know why she came to our Song Dynasty back then? As far as I know, Queen Xiao of the Holy Sect was originally He intended to marry her to Yelu Hongji, but her father objected."

"Oh! Why?"

Now the ministers were curious. Queen Xiao of Shengzong was Xiao Pingjin, the grandmother of Yelu Hongji. This was a powerful empress dowager.

"Because Xiao Xiaohui went to a fortune teller and said that her daughter is extremely valuable, but if she doesn't marry far away, it will bring disaster to her family in the future."

Zhao Fang didn't hide it, but secretly changed a bit of the fortune teller's words. Everyone was stunned and wanted to complain about Xiao Xiaohui's fuss.

But when I thought about it, I didn't dare to complain. After all, this was a major family matter. Normal people would rather believe it than wait for it. If it happens, no one can afford the consequences.

"Okay everyone, since Your Majesty believes in Concubine Xiao's character and has not found any fault with her in these years, let's put this matter aside. It is more important to talk about Your Majesty's choice of concubine."

Fan Zhongyan spoke. Seeing that everyone's topic was getting more and more deviant, he quickly pulled everyone back.

Ouyang Xiu nodded in agreement and said: "I have no objection to Your Majesty selecting the candidates from remote areas, but they can be divided into two batches to participate in the selection. The beautiful girls from nearby will go to the palace first, and those people's mouths will be blocked before talking."

This was a temporary measure, but it made sense and gained immediate support from most people.

Wang Anshi, who was participating in such a core meeting for the first time, frowned and said: "Will there be too many people in this way? According to the system, beautiful girls of the right age enter the palace every year. If we choose such a large range at once, then..." Zhao Fang waved his hand and said : "Change the rules. It doesn't matter. What do girls do every year? I don't need so many people to wait on me."

"This……"

Some people hesitated, but others supported it: "Your Majesty is considerate of me, and I support you in this matter!"

Bao Zheng also supports this matter. In fact, the annual draft is a waste of people and money, but this rule has been in place since the Han and Tang Dynasties, so it is really difficult to object.

But today it was the emperor himself who objected, so of course he supported it, because he said: "Then, has your Majesty thought about it, is it better to do it once every few years?"

Zhao Fang really never thought about it. Who has nothing to think about this matter that has nothing to do with the country? He used to be the prince and now he is the emperor, so he doesn't have the time to think about it.

But now that I asked, I had to think about it. He hesitated and said, "How about once every ten years?"

"ten years!"

The first one to quit was Sima Guang, who almost jumped up: "Even if your Majesty wants to change the ancestral system, you can't change it like this. If you change it for ten years in one year, it will be a joke if the palace is not in charge."

Zhao Fang initially thought he was talking nonsense, but as his words fell and Fan Zhongyan and others also agreed, he realized that this matter was not as simple as he thought.

In ancient times, when beautiful women entered the palace, they did not just accept as many as they came. Those selected through the preliminary selection had to receive education in royal etiquette in a specific area of ​​the palace.

Only those who pass the examination after one year will be assigned to the palace, and those who enter the palace will be divided into the East and West Yeting to receive them, and they will have to undergo re-education.

A normal show girl needs two to three years of royal education before she can actually take up her post and become a palace maid.

But not every palace maid stayed in the palace forever. When they reached a certain age, if they were not favored by the emperor or accepted as personal palace maids by the concubines, they would be sent home to get married.

It is not that all palace ladies cannot go back. This is the biggest misunderstanding of future generations about palace ladies. To put it bluntly, being a palace lady is actually a profession, and it is a profession that relies on youth.

Zhao Fang now understood that he had made a big mistake. If he had to choose once every ten years, the number of people serving in the palace would be stretched thin, and it would indeed be a joke.

If a foreign country discovered that the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty was so shabby, it would be looked down upon, and it would be a major diplomatic matter.

After understanding this, Zhao Fang had no choice but to admit his mistake in embarrassment and asked everyone tentatively, "How about five years?" These prime ministers and ministers felt both gratified and amused.

"Okay, since Your Majesty is not fond of beauty, then it will be held once every five years. However, for this first draft, I suggest that there should be more people and that all the people in the country should issue an edict."

The final word was of course Fan Zhongyan, and everyone was happy. Zhao Fang nodded his head in response, with a smile on his face.

It's not that he doesn't like this, but that this is the first time he has discussed important matters with his ministers as emperor, and his wishes have been recognized by everyone. This is the most important thing.

As for beauties, if he wants them, will he still be short of them? Besides, all of his lovely wives and concubines are still young and at their most beautiful, so there is no need to mess with them.

(End of this chapter)