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Some things may seem insignificant, but they actually concern status and power.

In the past, Empress Dowager Zheng had the final say in the harem, and no one dared to disobey her. Now that Jiang Shaohua has ascended the throne and become the emperor, Empress Dowager Zheng has to make some concessions in the court, not to mention in the palace.

Jiang Shaohua readily agreed with a smile: "Okay, I'll ask someone to invite him over right away."

Jiang Shaohua gave an order, and one of the imperial guards behind him withdrew to pass on the order. In less than a cup of tea, Changning Earl Cui Du entered the palace.

This came too fast!
It takes a stick of incense to send a message back and forth from Jingyang Palace to Showa Hall!
"Lord Changning accompanied me to Jingyang Palace and has been waiting outside the palace." Jiang Shaohua explained to everyone with a smile.

Of course, he didn't come here specifically to see the Empress Dowager. Cui Du had long been accustomed to waiting outside when Jiang Shaohua was dealing with business.

Empress Dowager Zheng nodded slightly and took the opportunity to take a closer look at Cui Du while he was greeting her.

Cui Du's stature and appearance are beyond words. Even if he is not a handsome man picked out of a million, he is still a young talent. However, he is different from the young men from aristocratic families. He is not reserved and noble, but rather straightforward. Under the watchful eyes of the public, he is neither humble nor arrogant, neither hurried nor hurried, and his appearance is calm and relaxed. He is barely worthy of being the emperor's husband.

Moreover, Cui Du was not an idler who lived off his wife. The prosperity of Nanyang County today and the fact that the people in the north were able to survive the years of famine and natural disasters were primarily due to Cui Du, who cultivated new crops.

"Changning Earl is now the Minister of Agriculture, and he also went to work at the imperial farm a few days ago." Empress Dowager Zheng asked, "You can't be with Shaohua all the time in the future. In my opinion, Shaohua should select a few more smart and considerate people to serve in the palace."

Cui Du: "..."

Cui Du was a little confused and glanced at Jiang Shaohua subconsciously.

At this time, powerful and influential men would take concubines in addition to their wives. In the harem, it was common for the emperor to select concubines. Even the frail Emperor Taikang had nine concubines. Emperor Taihe had been in power for three years and had been in mourning, so he had not had time to select concubines. In fact, if we wait another year or so, one queen and four concubines would enter the palace one after another.

Now that Jiang Shaohua has ascended the throne and become the empress, should she also select some beautiful boys to enter the palace to serve her?
Cui Du had never thought about this problem before. Now it suddenly came before his eyes, and his brain was at a loss for a moment.

Jiang Shaohua, on the other hand, took the challenge calmly: "Not for now. First, I'm pregnant, so it's not appropriate for me to get close to men. Second, I still have to observe mourning for my cousin and father for three years."

Empress Dowager Zheng nodded and said, "Yes, then we will wait three years before selecting someone to enter the palace."

Empress Dowager Li did not object, and even said: "We in the Li family also have outstanding sons."

Jiang Shaohua did not refuse, and said with a smile: "We will consider this matter again in three years."

Cui Du only realized it now.

Empress Dowager Zheng was not deliberately causing trouble for her, nor was she trying to intimidate him. In their eyes, the emperor should have many concubines. This was not only necessary to continue his descendants, but also to balance the power of the court and win over the big families.

Jiang Shaohua is the empress, so she should choose outstanding young men to serve in the palace. This is a matter of course.

Take the Zheng family for example. With a traitor like Zheng Chen, the Duke of Anguo could no longer keep his position as the Minister of War. At this time, if a young man from the Zheng family entered the palace to serve the empress and was favored by her, perhaps there would be a day for them to turn their fortunes around.

The best example is the Empress Dowager Zheng. When one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit. The glory of the Zheng family for decades all came from the Empress Dowager Zheng.

The Li family was in a better situation than the Zheng family. After the death of Li Shangshu and his grandson, there was still Li Zhishi to support the family.

However, with such a good road, why not take it?

Jiang Shaohua, who had just ascended the throne, needed the full support of Empress Dowager Zheng and Empress Dowager Li to stabilize the hearts of the people in the palace. Only without any worries could he freely govern the government. Therefore, it was not appropriate to refuse this matter, and pretending to be accommodating was the best choice.

Anyway, the plan will last until three years later. There is three years of buffer time, and we can make a decision based on the situation. Cui Du thought silently in his heart, and his expression gradually recovered from the shock.

Empress Dowager Zheng saw this and nodded slightly in her heart, saying gently: "Lord Changning, you are a man of great talent. You should work seriously in the future and have a broader mind."

"If Shaohua was just the Princess of Nanyang, no one would say anything about your relationship. But now Shaohua sits on the throne and becomes the emperor of Daliang. His every word and action is watched by the public and he is a role model for the people. You are no longer just the princess's son-in-law, but the emperor of Daliang."

"I have been a crown princess, a queen, and a queen mother. Now I am the grand queen mother. I have lived in the palace for decades, taking care of the harem's internal affairs and sharing the worries of my husband and grandchildren."

"Since you have to work, you won't have time to take care of my daily life and household chores. You might as well let others do these things."

"Anyway, you are the first one to enter. The baby in Shaohua's belly is also your flesh and blood. No one can take your place."

"You must be virtuous and have the bearing of a queen."

Cui Du had lived for two lifetimes, but this was the first time he was taught to be virtuous and generous. For a moment, he didn't know whether to complain or to accept it honestly.

Jiang Shaohua came to Cui Du's rescue at the right time: "I will talk to him about these things in private."

Empress Dowager Zheng nodded slightly: "Okay. Lord Changning doesn't know the rules of the palace, you should teach him more."

Jiang Shaohua responded with a smile and signaled Cui Du to come over with his eyes.

Cui Du calmed down and sat down on the other side of King Ping. He also consciously took over the responsibility of taking care of King Ping's food and drink.

……

Then, Cui Du had the opportunity to learn how powerful the harem women were in speaking.

Puns are a basic skill. The soft knife hidden in the words must be returned calmly. The implicit meaning must be carefully tasted.

On the surface, they seemed to be in a friendly and cheerful mood, talking and laughing.

After the palace banquet, Cui Du held Jiang Shaohua's hand and slowly returned to the Showa Hall.

Yinzhu Tubai came forward with joy on his face and helped Jiang Shaohua change clothes and wash up.

On that day, Jiang Shaohua rode to the capital quickly, but Yin Zhu and Tu Bai were unable to follow him and were left in Nanyang County. When the good news of the county lord's ascension to the throne was passed back to the Nanyang Palace, the two maids immediately packed their luggage and set off with a thousand guards to enter the palace together.

"Your Majesty, would you like some midnight snack?" Yin Zhu changed the address happily.

Jiang Shaohua laughed and said, "I've eaten two meals in a row and I'm almost full. No need to order supper. You two can leave first!"

Yinzhu Tubai walked out with a smile.

In the gorgeous and spacious bedroom, the couple looked at each other.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and joked: "After listening to the words of the Empress Dowager tonight, are you unhappy?" (End of this chapter)