The prince is more stable

Chapter 882 Conferring the Empress and Establishing Concubines
Inside the Funing Palace, the long-separated couple reunited as if they were newlyweds.

Slightly drunk, Zhao Xiaoqian embraced Di Ying as the couple sat quietly on the edge of the bed, savoring the tranquility that belonged only to the two of them.

When an old married couple reunites, there are no sweet words or vows of eternal love. Women in ancient times were not used to romantic words; peace and tranquility were what they needed most.

The person in front of me is the one I love, and that's enough.

Even now, Di Ying still feels a dreamlike sense of disorientation.

Looking at the unfamiliar palace, the unfamiliar furnishings, and the familiar official in yellow robes beside her, everything seemed so unreal.

When she married this man, she never dreamed that years later he would become emperor, and she, as his principal wife, would soon become the undisputed empress.

How many connections did the ancestors of the Di family use in the afterlife to bring about such prosperity for the Di family?

"My lord, it feels like I'm dreaming..." nestled in Zhao Xiaoqian's arms, Di Ying murmured as if in a dream.

"How about I give you a right hook to prove you're not dreaming?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked with a smile.

Di Ying looked up and glared at him, then buried her head in his chest. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she said, "Will we have to change how we address each other from now on? The rules in the palace are strict. Will I have to refer to myself as 'your humble servant' and address you as 'your lord'?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "It doesn't matter what we call each other since we're family. There's no need to be so formal. Even Yang Guifei called Emperor Xuanzong 'Sanlang.' We're an old married couple, so you can call each other whatever you want. Nobody will dare to criticize your manners."

Di Ying said uncertainly, "Is that so? I've heard that the censors in the court are quite annoying, always nitpicking over trivial matters. If I were impeached by a censor because of the matter of address..."

"You're just like me, nothing goes in one ear and out the other. When you get tired of my nagging, I'll transfer him to Japan to work in the mines."

Zhao Xiaoqian held her in his arms, smelling her familiar fragrance, and whispered, "Tomorrow I will issue an edict to make you Empress, and from now on, the harem will be in your hands."

Di Ying said somewhat timidly, "This concubine... can manage a family, but managing the entire harem, I'm afraid..."

"It's very simple. Just treat everyone in the harem as pigs you raise. Whether they are concubines, eunuchs, or palace maids, just feed and treat them well every day. If anyone causes trouble in the harem or is disobedient, just treat it like New Year's Day and slaughter them. When the other pigs see this, they won't dare to cause trouble."

Di Ying chuckled and said reproachfully, "Your husband is now the emperor, yet you still speak so vulgarly. How could I possibly treat such decent people like pigs?"

"That's the principle, just follow it..."

Zhao Xiaoqian hesitated for a moment, then said, "The only exception in the palace is Empress Dowager Xiang. In the end, we still have to be a little polite to that pig..."

Di Ying sensed something big in his words and immediately perked up, her eyes sparkling.

"What inside story does the official have?"

Zhao Xiaoqian rubbed his face and sighed, "It's all my fault for having such a useless father... When I was fiercely vying for the throne, my living father and Empress Dowager Xiang..."

"So now she's no longer a pig in the pigsty. She's been upgraded to my father's pet pig, and can't be slaughtered easily. Besides, she's an elder. As the Empress, you still need to be respectful and polite to her on the surface, so that people don't use 'filial piety' as an excuse, which would be very troublesome."

Di Ying's eyes were still shining; she had eaten the melon, but it seemed she hadn't fully enjoyed it.

"My lord, please tell me in detail, what exactly happened between my father-in-law and Empress Dowager Xiang...?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's face darkened; he found his wife's thought process utterly incomprehensible.

It's like having a handsome, muscular man with eight-pack abs right in front of her, ready to be picked up, but she insists on turning on her computer to watch adult films, and even takes off her long manicure and prepares tissues. Is that right?
Enraged, Zhao Xiaoqian stood up, grabbed her by the knees, lifted her up by the waist, and, amidst Di Ying's gasp, threw her violently onto the bed, then pressed his strong body down on her.

“What’s the point of eating other people’s melons? Why don’t we grow our own melons and eat them ourselves…” Zhao Xiaoqian stared at her with deep eyes, two flames burning in them.

"Woman, you're playing with fire!"

"Bend over!"

Di Ying's eyes were alluring, and her cheeks flushed: "My lord..."

Just as they were about to get to the main topic of their marriage, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly stopped, his fiery eyes quickly turning toward the window outside the Funing Palace.

"My lord, why is there nothing down there?" Di Ying asked somewhat displeased.

"Please wait a moment, Madam. I have some trivial matters to attend to..."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian grabbed a hollowed-out bronze incense burner from the head of the bed and smashed it hard against the window frame.

A loud crash followed, and rustling sounds came from outside the hall. Zhao Xiaoqian roared, "Get out! Anyone who dares to eavesdrop again will have their entire family wiped out!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a series of hurried footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Di Ying was shocked: "My lord, this is..."

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "A bunch of perverts, my lady, don't worry about it. The palace rules dictate that the court officials, the eunuchs of the Palace Secretariat… all record our intimate moments outside. These rules must be abolished; otherwise, with so many people eavesdropping, I'll find it difficult to regain my virility." …

A night of passionate lovemaking, rain pattering on banana leaves.

When Zhao Xiaoqian woke up early in the morning, he felt refreshed, while Di Ying beside him was still fast asleep, exhausted.

Having been separated from his wives and concubines for over a year, Zhao Xiaoqian was busy seizing the throne, scheming against others, and manipulating the prime minister and court officials. He was simply too busy.

He almost forgot that he hadn't been close to any women that year, practically living like a celibate monk. He even politely declined Li Qingzhao's deliberate attempts to get close to him.

It wasn't until his wives and concubines returned to the capital yesterday that the enormous savings he had accumulated over the year were finally fully released on his wife.

Great, the yin and yang are in harmony, and I feel much more at ease.

Hearing the commotion inside the hall, a palace maid entered and dressed Zhao Xiaoqian in a yellow robe and styled his hair.

After washing up, Zhao Xiaoqian walked out of the hall, where Zheng Chunhe was bowing and waiting for him.

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed at him and said, "What happened last night was the first and last time. I hope it will never happen again. The palace attendants do not need to record everything, especially such perverted behavior as eavesdropping on the emperor. This must be prohibited."

Zheng Chunhe looked troubled: "But Your Majesty, the rules of the palace..."

"The rules I set are the rules. From now on, this bad habit is forbidden by me, and those who violate it will be punished," Zhao Xiaoqian said resolutely.

Having lived two lives, Zhao Xiaoqian was still relatively conservative. He didn't have any perverted hobbies about having a bunch of unrelated people eavesdropping on his intimate moments with his wife.

Seeing that he was serious, Zheng Chunhe quickly agreed.

Zhao Xiaoqian then said, "I hereby order Zhang Yi, the Minister of Rites, to draft an edict. I hereby confer upon Lady Di the title of Empress. In addition, the commoner Zhao Niao shall be conferred the title of Noble Consort, Jiang Miaoxian the title of Virtuous Consort, the two Japanese sisters, Taira and Minamoto, shall be conferred the titles of Virtuous Consort and Wise Consort respectively, and Di Yuan the title of Noble Lady..."

Zheng Chunhe noted them down one by one, then suddenly reminded him, "Your Majesty seems to have forgotten someone; Princess Cheng'an of Liao has not yet been officially conferred her title."

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately pictured Yelü Nanxian's stunningly beautiful face in his mind. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Princess Cheng'an will not be made a concubine for the time being. She will reside in the inner palace temporarily as a guest minister of the Liao Kingdom, accompanying the Empress and the other concubines."

"Yes."

Although Zheng Chunhe didn't understand why all the emperor's women were made concubines, but Princess Cheng'an was deliberately left out, he had no right to say anything about it; whatever the emperor said was law.

Zhao Xiaoqian was too lazy to explain. Why should he give a woman he had never slept with a title? Dream on.

Scumbags only deny things after they've pulled up their pants, but he hadn't even taken his pants off yet.

Zhao Xiaoqian had long considered the order and importance of bestowing titles upon his women.

Di Ying was undoubtedly the empress, and no one dared to object to that.

Below the Empress, the most honorable is naturally the Imperial Concubine, and this title is reserved for Niao Niao.

Who told her to give birth to his first prince? Based on that alone, there would be no controversy over her title of Imperial Concubine.

Other concubines such as Consort Shu, Consort De, and Consort Xian, ranked below Consort Gui, were among the four great consorts of the harem. Giving them to Jiang Miaoxian and the Japanese sisters was perfectly reasonable.

Yuan'er, the personal maid who accompanied Di Ying when she married into the family, was also Zhao Xiaoqian's woman. Although she was just a maid, she had slept with him. Unfortunately, her background was too low. If she were given the title of one of the Four Great Consorts, she might not be able to handle it, and there would be gossip in the court and among the people. So she was given the title of Noble Consort, which was below the Four Great Consorts.

Alright, that's settled things for all the women, and from now on they have a legitimate claim.

After bestowing titles upon the Empress and concubines, Zhao Xiaoqian continued, "Although my son Zhao Hao is young, he should still be given a title so that the world knows I have an heir and that people will stop worrying about him."

As his gaze deepened, Zhao Xiaoqian recalled the memories of the past and slowly said, "When I was granted a title by the late emperor, my first title was 'Marquis of Anle County.' Anle County was located within the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. At that time, I had not yet led my army to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."

"The late emperor bestowed upon me the title of 'Marquis of Anle,' which was full of profound meaning. He hoped that I could recover Yan and Yun. Later, he also enfeoffed me as the Prince of Hejian, which was also within the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. The late emperor's intention was the same."

"Therefore, my prince cannot be a spoiled brat who enjoys a peaceful life; his title must have a deeper meaning."

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "Let's appoint Zhao Hao as the Marquis of Liaoyang."

Zheng Chunhe was startled. "Liaoyang Prefecture" was a city of the Liao Dynasty. It was located north of the Bohai Bay and was still an important town of the Liao Dynasty. Since the rise of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe a thousand years ago, the area of ​​Liaoyang Prefecture had become a battleground between the Liao army and the Jurchen tribe.

By bestowing titles from other countries' cities upon his own son, the Emperor truly resembled his late father. His territorial ambitions toward the Liao Kingdom and his high hopes for his princes were fully expressed in the titles bestowed upon him.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Xiaoqian said again, "Di Zi, the commander of the Imperial Guards, has already been granted the title of 'Earl of Xihe', but he is the Empress's father. According to the rules, after the Empress is conferred a title, the relatives of the Empress should be granted additional titles. So let's promote Di Zi to 'Marquis of Xihe County'."

Zheng Chunhe bowed and said, "This servant has noted them all down. I will now inform Zhang Yi, the Minister of Rites, and ask him to draft an edict to compile a register and announce it to the world."

(End of this chapter)