The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 218 Beauty (I)

"Zhang from Xiangfu County, Kaifeng Prefecture, is a woman of such beauty that she captivates the whole city. There's probably no one else as beautiful as her in Henan."

As Kang Yingqian spoke, he pushed Yuan Chonghuan away, looked at the gift in Yuan Dudu's arms with disdain, and shook his head, saying:

"As the ancients said, those who are passionate are always lustful, but those who are lustful are not necessarily passionate. General Liu has great compassion for the world. This woman is not only stunningly beautiful, but also has left her hometown and has a pitiful life. I cannot help but feel pity for her. In my opinion, it is better to accept her. I will personally submit a petition to the court to confer upon her the title of Consort of Imperial Consort!"

"Kaifeng Zhang family?"

Ping Liaohou didn't care at first, but when he heard about the Zhang family of Kaifeng, the name Zhang Yan immediately popped up in his mind.

The time traveler vaguely remembered that Empress Yi'an of the late Ming Dynasty, Zhang Yan, was from Kaifeng Prefecture in Henan Province.

In the first year of the Tianqi reign, the Ming court held a nationwide audition for an empress. Fifteen-year-old Zhang Yan, having emerged from a preliminary round of 5,000 beauties, emerged victorious after numerous rounds of selection and was crowned empress, known in history as Empress Yi'an.

According to historical records, Zhang Yan was "slender, well-proportioned, with a face like Guanyin, eyes like autumn waves, a mouth like a red cherry, a nose like a hanging gall bladder, and white and clean teeth."

Ping Liaohou raised his head and glanced at the woman. She was indeed a beauty that could topple a country.

Power has no limits. Before he even opened his mouth, his subordinates brought a stunning woman to his lips.

This beauty is right in front of your mouth, do you want to eat it?

"What's this woman's name?"

Kang Yingqian was delighted to see that Ping Liaohou was interested in Zhang Yan, and he quickly said with a flattering smile:

"This girl's surname is Zhang, her name is Yan, her courtesy name is Zu'e, her nickname is Yuhe, and she is also known as Tongtiankui (Note 1). She is sixteen years old this year. She comes from a clean family. She practices needlework, reads books and history, and is proficient in all arts, including playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She is graceful and beautiful, unparalleled in the world. Last year, I bought her in Henan at a high price. Now that we have defeated the Jiannu, why not take her as my concubine? It would be a double happiness! Double joy!"

After Kang Yingqian finished speaking, he motioned Zhang Yan to come closer.

Seeing all the men in the room looking at her, Zhang Yan shyly covered her face and walked slowly.

The beauty's every look and smile is captivating.

Zhang Yan walked straight to Liu Zhaosun with composure, saying softly, "I've long heard that Marquis Ping Liao is a majestic figure. Today, I'm honored to accompany Lord Kang to the General's Mansion and see his distinguished appearance. He is truly a man of extraordinary stature, a true dragon and phoenix. I'm sorry for not announcing you so early."

With just a few words, she was graceful and composed, and was not surprised by fame or disgrace. She is indeed a woman who is the mother of the country.

"Nice to meet you."

Marquis Ping Liao bowed, afraid of being captivated by this beauty, so he didn't dare to look at her any longer and waved his hand to let Kang Yingqian leave.

Kang Yingqian certainly didn't back down. Instead, he continued to use his pimping skills to sell his products on the spot:

"Please look, Marquis Ping Liao. This woman has the appearance of a flower, the voice of a bird, the spirit of the moon, the grace of a willow, the bones of jade, the skin of ice and snow, the posture of autumn water, and the words of poetry..."

This man, who was a Jinshi, was indeed very talented in writing, eloquent, and adept at pimping.

Ping Liaohou secretly decided to hand over all the brothel business outside the Great Wall to Lao Kang, and let Lao Kang pimp every day to avoid wasting his talent.

"Stop, stop,"

Liu Zhaosun raised his hand and said, "Alright, General Kang, I know Zhang Yan is incredibly beautiful, but I'm just not that lucky. Take her away!"

Kang Yingqian heard this and said anxiously: "Oh, that's wrong! What do you mean by unlucky? General Liu, such a beauty, wouldn't it be a pity to miss her? Do you know how much money I spent to get this girl to Liaodong? Since she has caught the eye of Ping Liaohou, why not go today..."

"No concubines!"

"If you don't want to take a concubine, you can keep her by your side. If General Liu changes his mind later, we can meet again. As the ancients said, 'There are trees on the mountain and branches on the trees...'"

What's the saying "There are trees on the mountain and branches on the trees"? That's a description of a gay relationship, okay?
Kang Yingqian also quoted from classics, from the Secret History of Qin Shi Huang to the secret stories of Emperor Wanli and Concubine Zheng, which were full of erotic plots that were not suitable for children and were over 18 years old. His purpose was simply to prove that it was natural and reasonable for heroes to be passionate.

However, Ping Liaohou's thoughts had already flown far away.

Due to the intervention of time travelers, the history of this time and space has changed greatly.

Emperor Taichang has been on the throne for two years and is still very active. He can easily have sex with several women at night. There is no sign of his death for the time being.

Crown Prince Zhu Youxiao, also known as the Tianqi Emperor in history, should still be busy polishing wooden action figures in the East Palace, such as the wooden Liuliu Ma and Zhuge Liang's crossbow, and is getting further and further away from the throne.

The fate of this stunningly beautiful woman had been completely changed. Zhang Yan had come from Henan to Liaodong, losing her chance to rule the country. She could no longer become the Empress of the Ming Dynasty. Given the current situation, she was likely to become the concubine of the Marquis of Ping Liao.

If she knew her tragic fate in history (she hanged herself for her country in the 17th year of Chongzhen's reign), I wonder if she would regret coming to Liaodong. It's a pity that Ping Liaohou never thought of taking another concubine.

One Bumbutai is already a headache for him, and if there is another such stunning beauty, how will the people below look at him? What kind of thrilling harem drama will unfold with three women? With Yang Qing'er's means, the surprises in "The Legend of Zhen Huan" are nothing compared to her.

There are already rumors about Bumbutai in Kaiyuan.

Kaiyuan has strict military discipline, and many people still cannot even get enough food to eat. If he takes the lead in having three wives and four concubines and reveling every night, how can he win the support of the people?

Liu Zhaosun withdrew his thoughts, but Kang Yingqian was still persuading him to take a concubine.

"Why was there a dispute over the Wanli Emperor's throne? It's because there are too few princes! If there were a few more princes like the King of Shu, the King of Zheng, the King of Chu, and the King of Xiang, do you think the Prince of Fu would still be favored?"

Ping Liaohou finally couldn't bear it anymore.

"General Kang is so talented, it would be a waste of your talent if I didn't send you to England to kidnap a few queens!"

If Kang Yingqian had been given more money, he would probably have been able to bring the Queen of England, the Swedish Princess, and the French noblewoman to Kaiyuan.

Imagine that the Kaiyuan Army no longer had to fight hard with the European powers. Relying on political marriage, Ping Liaohou could directly marry William III Shakespeare's aunt, mix into the European aristocratic circle, marry a beautiful and rich woman, and reach the peak of his life.

It’s quite exciting to think about it.

Kang Yingqian didn't know what the Kingdom of England was, nor did he know what Shakespeare was, let alone the existence of William III.

"It's rare that Inspector Kang is so kind. You can take the beauty with you, but you can keep the Diamond Powder. I'll have the garrison commander take it back to the garrison and use it for breeding sows."

The crowd roared with laughter.

Liu Zhaosun continued:
"I have Madam Gaoming and General Anyuan, one a scholar and the other a warrior, who complement each other perfectly. I am already content. Concubine Jin Yu will soon give birth, and now that I have a successor, I have no need to take another concubine. Please don't push me. General Kang, your flattery and attentiveness are unnecessary if it is to make up for your mistakes in Hetuala."

When Kang Yingqian saw Ping Liaohou mention the matter of Hetuala, his face darkened. Knowing that he could not escape punishment, he quickly waved his hand to let Zhang Yan leave.

"When I was in Henan, I heard people say, 'General, don't look at anything indecent, don't listen to anything indecent, don't see anything indecent.' Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed a man like Liuxia Hui!"

Zhang Yan chuckled, bowed a thousand times, and walked to the door with a charming look. When she was about to leave, she looked back at Ping Liaohou and raised her eyebrows slightly.

I do not know.

A group of old men were drooling. Except for the iron-hearted Ping Liaohou and the otherworldly Xu Xiake, the rest of them were distracted and their minds were all on Zhang Yan.

Even a gentleman like Song Yingxing, who called himself the reincarnation of Liuxia Hui, could not help but follow Zhang Yan.

Ping Liaohou adhered to the principle of not looking at what is inappropriate, and waited until Zhang Yan walked out before opening his eyes and sighing secretly.

"It turns out there are such beautiful women in the world."

Think about it, Zhang Yan's parents are also hateful. They even sell their own daughter. They are just like Zhou Kui, the old father-in-law of Chongzhen Dynasty. They are selfish and indifferent, and they only try to cheat the emperor.

There were many virtuous empresses in the Ming Dynasty, but unfortunately, few of the empresses' families seemed to be able to give the Zhu emperors peace of mind.

Zhang Yan's father, Zhang Guoji, was notoriously arrogant and domineering. He occupied people's land and allowed his servants to bully men and women. Later, he was impeached by the censor and the case was reported to the Emperor Tianqi, which made him furious.

The father-in-law did not repent and actually planned to marry a retired palace maid as his concubine...

Ping Liaohou had seen many refugees forced to sell their children before, but he never expected that a middle-class family like the Zhang family, who had no worries about food and clothing, would sell their daughters like commodities.

To win over the Marquis of Ping Liao, Kang Yingqian had invested heavily. Two years before, while traveling in Henan, he heard that the Zhang family had a daughter of extraordinary beauty. He went to Zhang Guoji's home and offered to pay a large sum of money to take Zhang Yan to the capital to enjoy a life of luxury. However, Zhang Guoji, blinded by the money, bargained until he finally sold his daughter for 8,800 taels of silver.

After Liu Zhaosun came to power, Kang Yingqian intended to offer Zhang Yan to Ping Liaohou, but due to frequent wars, he was always busy. This time, he committed a serious crime in Hetuala and was worried about being held accountable by Ping Liaohou, so he made up his mind to use this beauty trap.

It is said that even a hero cannot resist the temptation of a beautiful woman, but this trick does not seem to work on Liu Zhaosun.

Marquis Ping Liao was not interested in beauties, except for the two women in his own family.

What the time traveler is most concerned about now is how those who violated military law in Hetuala - including himself - should be punished, and what should be done to maintain the loyalty and combat effectiveness of this army.

Note:
1. Yuan Yin, or kidney essence. Gui, in the Five Elements, is Yin water. "Suwen: On the Original Nature of Ancient Things" states: "At seven years old, a woman's kidney qi is strong, her teeth grow and her hair grows. At , Tiangui arrives, the Ren meridian is open, the Taichong meridian is strong, and her menstruation comes on time, so she can have children." "Suwen: On the Original Nature of Ancient Things" states: "At eight years old, a man's kidney qi is strong, his hair grows and his teeth grow. At , his kidney qi is strong, Tiangui arrives, his essence and qi overflow, and yin and yang are in harmony, so he can have children."

(End of this chapter)