Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 41 Prince Han is Sick 1
The old Taoist priest silently complained about his cheap student in his mind for a long time.

Zhu Zhanhe looked at his teacher with a puzzled look. He had his back to him and seemed very excited, not knowing what was going on.

"Teacher? Teacher?" Zhu Zhanhe waited for a long time, but the old Taoist still showed no sign of turning back, so he took two steps forward and called out twice in a low voice.

"Mani, Mani, I'm just thinking about something!" The old Taoist was happily venting (and cursing harshly) when his train of thought was suddenly interrupted by his own student.

Where did I just curse? The old Taoist priest was confused when his train of thought was interrupted. Then he looked at Zhu Zhanhe beside him and immediately shifted his gaze, as if he had seen a flood or a beast.

No, I have to let this guy go. If I see him every day, I’m afraid I’ll have to meet Daozu sooner or later!

But when will this kid’s surprise come? It’s still a year away, and it’s going too slowly. The old Taoist kept muttering in his heart.

"Teacher, are you okay?" Zhu Zhanhe looked at the old Taoist priest whose expression kept changing. He really felt that the old man had some Alzheimer's disease, so he was very concerned.

"What can happen to me? You have seen me today. Leave quickly after you are done." The old Taoist priest looked impatient and started to drive people away for the sake of his own life!
"Well, teacher, it is indeed a small matter." Zhu Zhanhe saw the old Taoist's face change, and spoke cautiously, thinking to himself, I didn't offend the teacher when I came here today, why is he unhappy again?

"Tell me, what's the matter? Small things are okay, but big things are not." With just one sentence, the old Taoist priest blocked any possible life-threatening situation!

"It's a small matter, a small matter! I would like to invite you to go boating in the lake in a month. I would like you to arrange the time in advance." Zhu Zhanhe was going to wait for the big crocodile to come back and let his teacher broaden his horizons!

"We'll talk about it later. I might not be free." The old Taoist priest looked at the student in front of him with a strange expression. He invited him to go boating for no reason? I'm afraid there must be something shameful going on. Let's just fool him first!

"As long as you agree, teacher, I will arrange for someone around me to pick you up." Zhu Zhanhe pretended not to hear what the old Taoist said and continued talking to himself.

"Okay then." The old Taoist priest looked at his cheap student talking to himself speechlessly, then stared at his student's face for a moment, and instantly felt a chill, and then reluctantly agreed.

"Goodbye, teacher. I will go back first." Zhu Zhanhe originally wanted to bow to his teacher, but the old Taoist priest actually predicted his action in advance.

She walked quickly to him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him directly to the door. Then, she pushed him out and closed the door in one go.

Zhu Zhanhe outside the door had a dazed look on his face. This teacher was so rude.

"Don't bow to me, the old Taoist priest, for no reason in the future. We Taoists don't practice this. I'm almost eighty years old. It's better to be casual. I'm happy!" Zhu Zhanhe, who was outside the door, suddenly heard the loud voice of the old Taoist priest inside.

"You're so willful when you get older," Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but complain. But he still agreed.

"Teacher, don't worry. I've got it in mind." Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but sigh that Taoists are willful and can do whatever they want. It seems that it was wise for me to worship a Taoist teacher in the first place. Zhu Zhanhe turned around and left, feeling secretly proud.

After returning home.

"Your son pays his respects to your mother." When Zhu Zhanhe entered the room, he saw his mother picking and choosing papers with a pile of papers. Princess Wei looked dissatisfied.

As she casually pushed aside the pile of papers in her hand, she heard the voice of her precious son.

"He'er is back, come here quickly. I'm choosing a wife for you. Come over and tell me what you want." When Princess Wei saw her son's happy face, she immediately put aside the dissatisfaction she had just felt when looking at the portrait.

Princess Wei stood up with a happy look on her face, walked quickly to her son, took his arm and asked him to sit next to her. Aunt Xiu'er, who was standing by, was also delighted to see Zhu Zhanhe coming, and quickly asked the maid to bring fruits and desserts.

"Thank you, Aunt Xiu'er." Zhu Zhanhe reached out to take the tea handed to him by Aunt Xiu'er, turned his head and saw Aunt Xiu'er's face full of aunt's smile.

"My lord, what kind of wife do you want to marry? The princess has been looking for several days, but hasn't found one that suits her. You should tell me what you think." Aunt Xiu'er was also very concerned about Zhu Zhanhe's marriage. While Zhu Zhanhe was receiving the tea, she took the opportunity to ask.

After hearing what Aunt Xiu'er said, Princess Wei also looked at her in agreement.

"Xiu'er is right. He'er, what kind of person do you want to find? Tell me quickly so that I can find a suitable one for you." Princess Wei looked at her son curiously and asked enthusiastically.

"Mom, you've been picking for several days? Where did you find the candidates?" Zhu Zhanhe looked at his mother with a strange expression, then turned to look at the thick stack of papers piled on the table beside him. Only then did he realize that what his mother had just looked at were portraits and information of women!

"My lord, the princess has already selected forty or fifty women. But she is not satisfied with any of them." Aunt Xiu'er frowned and looked unhappy.

"Mom, I don't have any high requirements. As long as she looks decent, knows how to be filial to you two, and can help me manage the house, that's enough." Zhu Zhanhe stated his basic requirements with a serious face.

"What? How can this be possible! He'er, don't worry, your mother will definitely choose a good wife for you. You can go back and rest first." Zhu Zhanhe's words shocked his mother Wei, and then she was very moved.

Wei thought her son said this because he felt sorry for her. Even Xiu'er, who was standing beside her, was shocked.

In fact, Zhu Zhanhe understood that for a family like theirs, the daughter-in-law they chose was truly one in a thousand or ten thousand, so there was no need to worry about appearance, character, talent or anything like that!
"Princess, Prince, Prince Zhao is here to visit." Just as Princess Wei was about to continue comforting her precious son with a touched look on her face, the servant outside the door walked in quickly, bent over, and said nervously.

"what?"

"what?"

"So fast?!" Zhu Zhanhe, his mother and others looked at each other in confusion.

Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but complain: This unreliable father got sick too quickly. I just came back from going out, and my uncle, Prince Zhao, got the news and came home. I'm afraid that my father spread the news that he was sick just after I went out to the Taoist temple!

"Sister-in-law, nephew, I heard that my second brother is sick, so I came to see him." Before entering the door, Zhu Zhanhe heard the shouts of his third uncle Zhu Gaosui, as if he was afraid that others would not know that the Prince of Han was sick.

Then Prince Zhao walked in with big strides.

　The Ming Dynasty's system of selecting concubines was relatively complex, with the following main features and procedures:
　　- Extensive Selection: When the emperor was selecting a concubine, he would issue an imperial decree stating that all women between the ages of 13 and 16 were forbidden from marrying. The emperor would then dispatch eunuchs from various regions to select approximately 5000 beautiful women of this age to enter the palace. The imperial court would reimburse the chosen women's travel expenses.

　　-Multiple rounds of screening:
　　Preliminary selection: After 5000 women entered the palace, they were first selected. After a portion was eliminated, the remaining ones entered the final selection. The preliminary selection and final selection eliminated about 1000 people, and the eliminated ones were sent back to their hometowns.

　　First Trial: The first trial primarily involved eunuchs rigorously scrutinizing the beauties' appearance and voice. Any appearance that was even slightly off-putting was eliminated, as were any voices that were shrill, rough, or unpleasant. Approximately 2000 candidates were eliminated during the first trial.

　　Second review: The eunuchs will still review the women, using a ruler to measure the size of the women's hands, arms, waist, legs, and feet. Anyone who does not meet the requirements will be eliminated. Their manners will then be examined, judging by their walking posture. Those with indecent posture and poor manners will be eliminated and sent back home. About 1000 people will be eliminated in the second review.

　　The third round of examinations: The third round of examinations will involve a month of etiquette training. The women who are eliminated will be kept in the palace as maids. The third round of examinations is conducted by female officials and old maids. The women are taken to a secret room and ordered to take off their clothes. Their chastity is examined. Their intelligence, character, and style are also comprehensively examined. The third round of examinations will eliminate about 700 women, and only 300 women will remain.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)