Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 136: The brave guards of the capital, protecting and transporting grain

The emperor's footsteps were getting closer, and the three men's reactions were naturally different. One of them was obviously much more nervous.

Zhu Changluo began to pay full attention to his future concubines and paid close attention to this process.

Walking up to the nervous little girl, he asked, "What's your last name?"

"...My name is Liu."

He bowed first, then answered in a voice as soft as a mosquito, still with his head lowered.

"Don't dare to look at me?"

Liu Yi then pursed her lips, looked up with a slightly pale face, and glanced at him with fear.

A beauty is naturally a beauty. Zhu Changluo smiled at her, but when he saw her eyes suddenly avoid his gaze and her cheeks turned slightly red, he moved away.

"What about you? Guo Lanzhi or Fan Sirong?"

The one in the middle also bowed first, then raised her head and looked at Zhu Changluo, and then said in a calm voice: "Your Majesty, I am Guo Lanzhi."

Her expression didn't seem to change much, and her eyes were even calm.

"Your father has been taking exams." Zhu Changluo looked into her clear eyes and asked, "According to Wang An's report, you are good at both calligraphy and painting. Was it your father who taught you?"

"To answer your Majesty, yes."

Zhu Changluo nodded. He seemed to be the aloof type who was not used to actively trying to please others.

Whether you have a strong heart or are just pretending to be calm, we will have to wait and see.

He walked to the side again: "Then you are Fan Sirong."

Fan Sirong finally saw the emperor himself. Listening to the voice so close to her, she first saluted according to the etiquette she had learned, and then looked up at Zhu Changluo.

"That's me."

Among the three people, she was the only one who could smile and make the emperor look at her more, and then he added one more sentence: "I would like to thank your majesty for his grace."

Zhu Changluo nodded: "It is just as you said in the report, you are sensible and calm."

Didn't Wang Xun and the others have any explanation? Then this kind of undisguised flattery, and thanking first, is naturally for the grace of being crowned as a concubine.

She expressed contentment.

"I am only one or two years older than you, so I don't deserve your praise."

Liu Yi on the other side couldn't help but glance over here, thinking that there was a smile in the emperor's words, as if he liked her quite a bit.

But she herself didn't even dare to breathe, and her heart was still pounding.

I was quite frustrated. The emperor was not scary at all, so why couldn't he speak coherently?

Guo Lanzhi in the middle, on the other hand, did not look away and her expression remained calm.

While Liu Yi was "spying", he saw the emperor wave his hand and Eunuch Tian from the Imperial Household Department stepped forward.

She watched nervously as the emperor raised his hand to the plate, and after a slight hesitation, he picked up the embroidered purse.

Zhu Changluo first took her fan off, then pinched her palm, placed the embroidered purse in her palm, and looked at her meaningfully: "You will be canonized as Shufei and live in Jingren Palace."

Fan Sirong had been mentally prepared, so naturally she didn't feel disappointed at this moment.

The back of her hand felt warm from the emperor's palm. She looked at the man she would serve for the rest of her life, tightly grasped her embroidered purse and knelt down: "Your Majesty, I am Concubine Fan, and I thank you for your grace! Long live your Majesty! Long live your Majesty! Long, long live your Majesty!"

Liu Yi listened to the voice and never expected that the emperor did not choose her as the queen.

Although she knew that her temperament was not as gentle as her other two sisters, she couldn't help but feel excited at this moment.

Now that I think about it, His Majesty just asked me with a smile and I didn’t dare to look at him, it seems that he likes me quite a lot.

While she was daydreaming, she saw the emperor coming towards her, and she quickly lowered her head and stared at her feet.

Then the fan in her hand was taken away by the emperor. After the emperor caught her panicked hand that didn't know where to put it, she still saw the pearl hairpin placed in her hand.

Liu Yi felt lost for a moment, and then she heard the emperor say, "She will be canonized as Consort Li and move into the Yanxi Palace."

When she heard the word "Li", she felt a little secretly happy, so she also imitated her sister Shufei in expressing her gratitude.

Although she felt disappointed, Liu Yi was already very satisfied because her two elder sisters looked more like the main wife than she did.

In the end, the jade-inlaid ruyi naturally fell into Guo Lanzhi's hands. Her expression did change, and there was surprise in her eyes.

Guo Lanzhi thinks Fan Sirong is better than her.

But now it seems... I was arranged to come in from the center, as if it was destined.

She thought that her temperament was not pleasing, but she was not rebellious or troublesome.

Then he looked at the emperor who just smiled at him, then turned around and saluted the two queen dowagers: "My son thanks my mother for choosing a good man for me."

Sister Wang Xi breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "The Emperor should take a look at the other noble ladies as well. There are twelve palaces in the east and west, and there are still ten palaces that have not been settled. I hope the Emperor will get married soon and have many children. Now that the Empress has been chosen, we will go back and rest first, and will not disturb the Emperor to take a closer look."

"I am sorry to have embarrassed you by sending you off, Mother. But I really want to see you again." Zhu Changluo said frankly.

No one knew what Guo Lanzhi, Fan Sirong, and Liu Yi behind him were thinking, but when they saw the two empress dowagers standing up to leave, they knelt down together to see them off.

"Farewell to the Empress Dowager Cixiao Duansheng, and farewell to the Empress Dowager Yisheng."

The empress and the second concubines were chosen, and Concubine Fan Sirong and Concubine Liu Yi could move into the second palace immediately. However, the empress had to temporarily live in Yuanhui Palace to familiarize herself with the wedding ceremony, and then she had to go home to marry her into the palace with a grand ceremony.

The empress dowagers left with meaningful smiles, and the queen and two concubines also left first. The remaining forty-seven people were still looking forward to their first meeting with the emperor.

Maybe the emperor would like her and immediately confer the title of Jieyi or even Zhaoyi on her?

Zhu Changluo first instructed Tian Yi: "No matter what the cabinet and the Ministry of Public Security request, we will ignore them for the next few days. Tell Cheng Jing to make arrangements. I want to know where every grain of food entering the city from several gates of the capital goes! In addition, I have selected a virtuous queen and two concubines, and ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare the wedding ceremony and the enthronement ceremony for the two concubines. My father is concerned about my wedding, and I want to show my filial piety by summoning the famous storytellers in the capital to the palace so that I can accompany him to relieve his boredom." Tian Yi understood the first few instructions, but he didn't quite understand the last one.

But he still obeyed the order, and Zhu Changluo enjoyed the flowers with peace of mind.

The order was first passed to Cheng Jing, and then to Dayun.

"Lord Xiliang, is everything arranged?"

Dayun immediately clasped his fists and said, "I will not fail you!"

Cheng Jing laughed and said, "There will be some excitement these days."

When the news of the empress's selection spread outside the palace, the emperor, to show his filial piety, wanted to summon storytellers into the palace to entertain the emperor, and everyone thought it was normal.

It is just not known whether the story was told only for the retired emperor, or whether the emperor wanted to indulge in having fun with the newly selected concubines and nobles.

This is naturally a topic of discussion, but there has been a new change in the capital city, and everyone entering and leaving the city gates has felt it.

After the palace examination, the new scholars who were waiting to be appointed to fill vacancies in local areas had the least time.

Xu Guangqi did not choose to "return home in glory" first. Living in the suburbs, he stared blankly at the checkpoints and notices outside the city gate when he entered the city.

"...General, this is the food that my family needs to eat."

"Don't worry, the government just heard rumors of food shortages, and to prevent people from hoarding, they registered and escorted them into the house, don't worry."

He said considerate words, but his expression was rough and stern.

This is the case everywhere in the nine gates of the capital.

Qin Yongning in the city heard about today's incident and couldn't help asking, "Is it the yamen runner from Shuntian Prefecture?"

"No... I heard it was the newly formed Yongwei Battalion." His shopkeeper was like an ant on the hot pot. "There are also people patrolling the city according to the imperial order. We have also closed our shop. If there is no grain transported here in a legitimate way, we really can't open the door. Otherwise, wouldn't it be confirmed that they have grain but don't sell it, and intend to raise the price of grain?"

"...Just wait."

The grain merchants in the capital were stuck in a war with Changming Grain Company.

Wang Xun felt very frustrated and couldn't help but send a message to Wang An to report to the emperor.

"Are you worried that the food will run out?" Zhu Changluo just smiled and said, "It's okay. Isn't the white grain almost arriving in Tongzhou? Give it all to him. It's not like the palace will run out of food."

"...white...white food?"

"Yes, white grain." Zhu Changluo's eyes were full of intrigue. "On the day when the white grain is sold, I want to see how they choose."

"...But in that icy and snowy place, Ning Yuanhou sat on a tall horse..."

In the storytelling profession, the contemporary descendant of the famous Mei family is there with his expressive voice.

Zhu Yijun was listening to Li Chengliang's story and also heard what his son had just told Wang An.

His mood was very complicated.

Listening to storytelling can really relieve boredom, and his son listens with him.

But from time to time someone came to report important events, which made Zhu Yijun feel nervous.

There’s the imperial grain tax, there’s Jiangnan, there’s the Beijing grain merchants closing the market and raising prices…and this kid is still so calm?

The storyteller also heard some secrets and trembled inwardly.

It seems that His Majesty asked us, Jiuliu, to come to the palace not just to entertain the Emperor...

At Tongzhou Wharf, after more than two months, the civilian grain fleet from the five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Lake Tai arrived at the wharf.

Each prefecture had a leading grain transport officer, and according to the rules, they were supposed to escort the grain to the capital and hand it over one by one to the Neichengyunku and other warehouses such as the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites.

The eunuch Chen Ju, the chief eunuch of Silijian, appeared here in person.

"In compliance with your majesty's order, the white grain that should be delivered to the inner transport warehouse this year will be delivered in Tongzhou, saving the people of the five prefectures the hard work of transporting it."

Other people near Tongzhou Wharf saw the commotion and looked at the bewildered people from the five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Lake.

"Marquis Taining, thank you for your help." Chen Ju saluted him.

"Listen up, everyone in the Yongwei Battalion and the Xunwei Central Army Battalion!" Chen Liangbi, the Marquis of Taining, who had expressed his intention to try to gain military merit that day, looked at the many descendants of the nobles who seemed to be living a life of luxury in front of him and said, "Can you carry the white grain for His Majesty?"

"can……"

Many people's faces turned pale: Marquis Taining, Captain Chen, you train the troops just to make us do manual labor at the dock?

"Then be quick and don't block the dock!"

Seeing Marquis Taining gritting his teeth and starting to carry the bag, except for Chen Ju who had an unconcealable smile on his face, everyone watching the fun at Tongzhou Wharf was stunned.

The servants from the five prefectures who were transporting the bags of tribute grain to the imperial court to the capital only had to move them to the dock first.

Zhang Zhizheng was waiting at the carriage team's place and couldn't help feeling excited.

With such fanfare, after the news spread from the canal to the south, it remained to be seen whether Jiangnan could understand the emperor's last hint.

In full view of everyone, Chen Ju did it in person.

More than 170,000 shi of white grain should be delivered to the inner transport warehouse, which should account for 80% of all white grain.

But today, the Tongzhou wharf gave full priority to unloading white grain. After Marquis Taining and the soldiers of the Honor Guard Camp, who were selected from various sources such as the main branch, side branch, and in-laws of the nobles, finished carrying the grain that should be delivered to the Neichengyun Warehouse, half of the grain ships had not been unloaded.

The leaders of the grain transport team from the five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changjiang, Jiaxing and Huzhou were at a loss, with panic written all over their faces.

"So you guys transported so much extra grain to avoid loss and overturning. I can't let you work hard." Chen Ju said, "This extra grain, how much silver should it be per stone? Let's buy it as well."

(End of this chapter)