Counting on your fingers, the fifth marriage is coming

"No, Shen'er, you really understand. What I mean is..." The Empress Dowager took a breath and said word by word: "I will find you a man. You two will be in harmony with each other, have children, and accompany each other for the rest of your lives."

This is straightforward enough. There is absolutely no possibility of any verbal error or misunderstanding.

Seeing her being so serious, Xu Shanshan smiled and said, "Although I am a monk who has been observing the rules and regulations in the mountains for many years, I am not a monk, so I naturally understand what marriage means."

After hearing her say this, the Empress Dowager finally felt relieved.

She understands, oh, it’s good that she understands.

The Empress Dowager looked at her pretty face. Although it lacked some Taoist grace compared to her previous body, her eyes were bright and her eyebrows and nose were well-proportioned, which was not bad.

However, whenever people get along with her, it is difficult for them to focus on her appearance. Instead, her unique aura is so mysterious and profound that people feel ashamed of themselves.

Who can match such an excellent, perfect and powerful God?

"Shen'er, what kind of intimate partner do you want to find?" The Empress Dowager wanted to test her feelings.

"It doesn't matter." Xu Shanshan said.

The Empress Dowager said "Uh", but she was not going to give up. She asked again: "Do you have any requirements for appearance or age?"

“That’s not important.”

The Empress Dowager was a little confused, but she changed her mind and realized that Shen'er was not like these vulgar children who cared about worldly conditions. She must care more about a person's inner character and knowledge.

"Yes, yes, these are not important. I will be your guardian and will never let you down in this regard. But, Shen'er, don't you have any specific requirements? Do you prefer someone who is well-read or someone who can debate with you?"

Xu Shanshan originally just wanted to go with the flow and use the selection of a concubine as an excuse to lure out those mystics in Shengjing who were plotting to kill the king, so she didn't care what kind of person the target was.

But then I thought, since we are acting, we should make it more realistic.

"Huai Huantao..."

The Empress Dowager immediately interrupted in dissatisfaction: "How can you call me by my full name? I call you Shen'er, you have to call me Taotao as before."

She was three years old when she met Qingwushen, a very adorable age. Every time she was called "Taotao", she would smile like a peach blossom with a white complexion and a rosy glow.

Later, she grew up and married into the palace to become queen and then empress dowager. As she grew older, no one called her by the nickname "Taotao" anymore.

Xu Shanshan looked at her now mature grandmother face and smiled slightly: "Taotao, since you want to choose a concubine for the emperor, why not hold a national election and pick more people. Then you will know which type I like, right?"

The Empress Dowager opened her eyes wide. It was not like she had not thought about doing it on a large scale. After all, emperors of all dynasties had held nationwide auditions when selecting their concubines.

But she was afraid that Shen'er would be unhappy and would find it troublesome and wasteful, so she thought of holding an internal election.

At that time, one or two will be selected, one is the queen and the other is the concubine. One is dignified and steady to help her manage the internal affairs, and the other is charming and interesting to help her relieve her mood.

She was afraid that the two gods would resist, but this time... were they planning to be like the male emperor, with three palaces and six courtyards?

The Empress Dowager smiled so much that her eyes curved. She nodded repeatedly and said, "This is a very good suggestion. I will immediately draft an edict to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Rites, asking them to urge the matter to be handled as soon as possible."

"Taotao, whether you are an official or a commoner, whether you are an enemy or an ally, you can all sign up. There is no need to be too strict about the number of places. You only need to remember one point: either power or good looks."

The Empress Dowager took a long time to react before she asked uncertainly, "Just these two conditions?"

Xu Shanshan saw through her thoughts: "Do you think my conditions are superficial?"

"No, no, no, I'm just a little surprised." The Empress Dowager denied guiltily.

That’s right, she just felt that Shen’er’s conditions were very down-to-earth, and very similar to the conditions that ordinary women look for in choosing a mate.

"You can know a person's face but not his heart. Only time can reveal his true heart. However, power and appearance can be seen at a glance. I don't want the selection process to be too complicated. This way, the result can be obtained more quickly and easily."

Why did she feel something was wrong? How could Shen'er be so businesslike in selecting a concubine, just like he was solving a problem, without any expectation or yearning?
"I see. I understand."

Just talking about beauty is too shallow.

Speaking of power alone, it is too heartless.

If good looks and power are combined together, wouldn't that be a perfect match?
Yes, Shen'er said, these are not two conditions, but one!
-

The efficiency of the Empress Dowager would have meant that she would accomplish her mission in modern times. The next day, the news that Emperor Yue was going to choose a concubine spread throughout the capital. Within half a month, the news spread throughout the country. After a month, almost everyone in the entire Jing Kingdom who should know knew about it.

Emperor Yue chooses a concubine?

It sounds normal at first glance.

But what if the emperor is a woman?

Which concubine did she choose?

Then it definitely can’t be a woman.

In other words, she is selecting a male concubine from all over the country.

Male concubine...what a magical and ambiguous word.

Many male compatriots disdain this. How can a man be so spineless and run to the harem to become a concubine? It is simply... extremely insulting, extremely shameless... and extremely tempting.

The conditions for selecting a concubine have been posted locally. Looking at the conditions listed above and the treatment they can get after being selected, they are shamelessly eager to try.

The registration requirements required that one must be extremely powerful or extremely beautiful.

...Isn’t this condition a bit too harsh? Are children from poor families not worthy of “flying onto the tree and becoming a phoenix”?

At this time, a man stepped forward and said to the officer, "I'd like to sign up."

Who?
In this poor and shabby place, is there anyone who is so confident to sign up?

When everyone saw him, their eyes immediately lit up. They saw that the man was really handsome. If he had not been wearing linen clothes, they would have thought he was a down-and-out nobleman from somewhere.

"Well, your appearance is acceptable, fill it out..."

Seeing that the man was successfully selected, everyone around him looked dejected.

The saddest thing in the world is not being poor, but that everyone is poor, but there is one person who suddenly jumps out of the mud and is ready to move towards a prosperous and wealthy future.

What's even sadder is that it was this person who made them realize that they were not only poor, but also ugly!
-

Jiangling County

The gatekeeper hurriedly walked through the corridor, courtyard, and hall and came to the side room for rest. He was breathing heavily and holding a government notice tightly in his hand.

"Mr. Fu, Mr. Fu, something terrible has happened!"

"Why are you so nervous?" Lord Fu stood up.

"Emperor Yue, Emperor Yue is going to choose a concubine. Now the whole Jing Kingdom is buzzing about this matter. What should we do?" The doorman quickly handed over the notice.

Mr. Fu took it, read it quickly, and was shocked.

After a moment of silence, he asked seriously, "Where is Tang Jiashan?"

"Still soaking in the love pool." (End of this chapter)