Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 121 I wish to win the heart of one person (Subscription required)

Queen Mother Zhou likes women who are stubborn and unyielding.

The weaker and more incompetent a woman was, and the more she tried to display her so-called "womanly virtues" in front of her, the less likely she would be to please the empress dowager. This was because the queen she had chosen for her son was too weak to compete with Concubine Wan, which eventually led to chaos in the harem.

Of course, being absolutely reckless is not an option. People who chatter and rush around are annoying. It’s best to be the type who is both good at forbearance and has a certain degree of scheming, as only then will the old lady like you.

"I think it's very difficult to keep your favor. After all, as a husband, you have supreme power and are subject to too many temptations. In addition, there are many factors such as politics that influence it, which makes it impossible to guard against. But... as long as I can win your heart, I can make the relationship between husband and wife last a long time."

Zhang Yu said calmly.

Queen Mother Zhou was a little surprised. After thinking about it carefully, she asked curiously, "How can I win your heart? It's easier said than done."

Zhang Yu said, "I have heard that if you can win the heart of one person, you will be together till old age... If you can be wholeheartedly devoted to me, then you can live in harmony with your husband and wife and respect each other like guests. Then there will be no problem of competing for favor or securing favor."

Almost all the women who were kneeling on their knees laughed in their hearts when they heard this.

Chen Gui, who was standing beside Empress Dowager Zhou, couldn't help but cover his mouth and laugh out loud.

At first glance, what Zhang Yu said was too ridiculous. He actually said that he wanted to be loyal to the emperor. Although he didn't explicitly say that the emperor couldn't take concubines, it sounded like that...

Because the so-called "I wish to obtain one person's heart and never be separated from him until we are old" was said to be written by Zhuo Wenjun when Sima Xiangru wanted to take a concubine in "Han Yuefu".

If you use it in such an occasion, anyone would think, are you kidding me?
How to make the emperor who has all the beautiful women in the world be loyal to you?
Who do you think you are?

Putting aside the emperor's own intentions, just talking about the civil and military officials in the court, anyone with a little political ambition, seeing the emperor's deserted harem, would definitely submit a memorial suggesting that the emperor's harem be opened up to more talents and that beautiful women be selected from all over the world to serve in his harem. This would be in line with the principle of the world's yin and yang complementing each other and giving rise to endless life.

When Empress Dowager Zhou heard this, she was stunned. Then she heard the shrill "hissing" laughter beside her, and she couldn't help but glare at Chen Gui.

Chen Gui immediately stopped laughing.

Queen Mother Zhou did not take this as a joke. She looked at Zhang Yu with burning eyes and said, "Child, I am not trying to deny your idea. What you said is indeed not feasible.

"The king is not unfaithful, but his every move is related to the stability of the country. Since ancient times, the rule of the emperor has been based on the reproduction of descendants and the continuation of the ancestral temple. In many cases, the emperor opened a harem not only for the sake of pleasing the eyes and the mood, but also for the fundamental purpose of the country.

"It is precisely because of the need to continue the royal family's heritage that recruiting concubines is the only choice for kings of all dynasties. And what you said... unless the queen can give birth to many heirs and have many children, otherwise..."

What else could happen? Empress Dowager Zhou did not say anything further.

Because Queen Mother Zhou also thought of a rather tricky problem.

Based on her understanding of her son and grandson, if her daughter-in-law said this, she would simply sneer at it.

But she knew her grandson's character, and he had revealed some of his true feelings to her over the years. Although it was unlikely that her grandson would tell the old lady too much about matters of love between men and women, Empress Dowager Zhou estimated that it was not impossible for her grandson to insist on not taking a concubine.

Because my grandson is extremely introverted...

we can even say……

Afraid of seeing people!
Inferiority and timidity appeared in one person at the same time, and this person was the crown prince. To Queen Dowager Zhou, this was a very incredible thing, but it happened.

If it weren't for the competition with Concubine Wan, and the fact that her grandson was really good to her, she would have questioned whether it was appropriate for the prince to continue to hold the position of heir to the throne for the sake of the continuation of the royal family and the future prosperity of the Zhou family, her in-laws.

The butt determines the head! Oftentimes, people have to compromise with reality, at least that's the case with Empress Dowager Zhou now!

……

……

The scene was plunged into a weird atmosphere for a moment.

Zhang Yu became the topic terminator and successfully ended the conversation, to the point that Empress Dowager Zhou no longer wanted to ask others how to maintain her favor.

After a moment of silence, a young eunuch came in and said, "Empress Dowager, His Majesty sent someone to ask how things are going here. He said that if it's not over yet, it'd be best to get it done quickly."

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, just keep urging me!"

Queen Mother Zhou's face was full of anger. She scolded, "I am choosing a concubine for my son, but you don't say a word of good words. Instead, you want to urge his mother to do things? Is it so outrageous? Tell the person who came to deliver the message that I will consider the progress myself and don't need him to worry too much."

"Yes."

The young eunuch hurried out to pass on the message.

Chen Gui was afraid of causing dissatisfaction with the emperor, so he quickly advised: "Grandfather, please calm down first... or should I let this servant tell the visitor about the situation here?"

Empress Dowager Zhou had a dark face and looked unhappy: "The selection has just begun, and I can't even match everyone's face with their name. Is there anything that needs to be reported to the Qianqing Palace? Who are you working for?"

When Chen Gui heard this, he thought Queen Mother Zhou was really angry, so he quickly lowered his head, nodded in fear and dared not say anything else.

"Let's put aside the matter of securing a favor for now... ahem..."

Queen Mother Zhou coughed twice before continuing in a clear voice, "Even if you enter the palace in the future, no matter how noble your status is, you are still just a woman. Don't always think about how to restrict your husband. Instead, you should think about how to improve and enhance yourself to increase your attractiveness to your husband."

These words seemed to be a response to what Zhang Yu had said before, telling her not to be so naive.

Even if she was the queen, she had to make certain concessions to safeguard the overall interests of the royal family. Moreover, the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues were the most basic moral standards of this era and the code of conduct for dealing with human relations. They could not be completely ignored just because of the love between husband and wife.

But Queen Mother Zhou did not say any words of reprimand, because even she herself... could not figure out the connection behind it.

"Then tell me what you are good at."

Queen Mother Zhou looked around, her eyes lingering on Zhang Yu's face the longest, and then she continued, "It has been a long time since the palace has been so lively... This year, because they wanted to marry a bride to the Crown Prince, the court did not invite the ladies of honor to the palace to celebrate, and there was no one to talk to here.

"Now I want to see what talents you have, just to relieve my boredom."

Hearing this, all 35 women present became active.

Before entering the palace, they heard that when selecting a crown princess, music, chess, calligraphy and painting were essential.

Therefore, those among them who were experts in the fields of music, chess, calligraphy and painting all wanted to perform well in front of the Queen Mother later.

Even those who cram and learn skills a few days before entering the palace will feel that what they have learned may be better and more outstanding than ordinary people, because their families say that in such a serious and tense occasion, most people find it difficult to perform at their normal level.

It all depends on the on-the-spot performance!
(The second update is here. Please subscribe and give me a monthly ticket. Thank you!)
(End of this chapter)