Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 840 Taking a concubine
After talking about Fang Fengnian, the slightly plump man was about to say goodbye, but was stopped by the man with a long beard.

"What else do you want to say, brother?"

"It's not what happened just now, it's something else." The long-bearded man said. He raised his head and looked around. After confirming that there were only two of them, he lowered his voice and said to the slightly fat man, "Go do something these days."

"What's the matter?"

"Among our party members, including those close to us, if there is a woman of suitable age who is unmarried and unengaged, please remember that she must have a clean family background and good looks. It would be even better if she can read and have an education. Go and do this as soon as possible. After you find her, find an artist to draw her into a booklet and send it to me quietly..."

Before the bearded man could finish his words, the slightly fat man was instantly surprised and looked at him with his mouth slightly open. When did this brother start to like this tune? Didn't he rarely approach women before? And he is not young anymore, he is over 60 this year, can his body bear it?

The slightly fat man's strange look made the bearded man slightly stunned. Just as he was wondering why he was looking at him in such a strange way, he heard the slightly fat man ask with concern: "Brother, are you still strong?"

"Although I'm old these years, I'm still healthy. Why are you asking this?" The long-bearded man replied subconsciously. As soon as he said this, he saw a hint of confusion in the slightly fat man's eyes. The long-bearded man thought carefully and understood it instantly. He immediately scolded with a smile: "What are you thinking? I asked you to find these women not because I want them, but because I have another great use for them."

"Could it be my brother's son? Or some of the younger sons...?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" The bearded man interrupted him as he heard him talking more and more outrageously, "These women were chosen by me for your majesty and the crown prince. Your majesty only has the queen by his side when he ascends the throne, and there are no other concubines in the harem. How can the emperor of the Ming Dynasty do this? Naturally, I have to help your majesty fill up the harem."

"As for the Crown Prince, he is about to get married, so the Crown Princess must be chosen as soon as possible. This is a matter of state, so we must look for her carefully. As ministers, we cannot help but consider the emperor and father. We cannot let His Majesty speak for us, so we will arrange this matter in advance and find a time to submit the suitable candidate to His Majesty or the Crown Prince for selection."

The slightly plump man's eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately understood the other party's plan.

This is indeed a good idea. Emperor Zhu Shenzhu has no concubines in his harem and only the empress is by his side. How can this be accomplished?
As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, not to mention the three palaces, six courtyards and seventy-two concubines, at least there should be more women to serve him, right? You know, even the previous Emperor Chongzhen had two imperial concubines and Concubine Wang Shun, Concubine Liu, Concubine Fang, Concubine Shen, and Concubine Wang, a total of nine people. How could the emperor of the Ming Dynasty have only one queen?

Zhu Shenzhu was not Emperor Xiaozong, and the fact that Emperor Xiaozong had only Empress Zhang was criticized by later generations. It was precisely because Emperor Xiaozong did not take concubines that he had insufficient offspring. Although Empress Zhang gave birth to two sons, only Emperor Zhengde survived to adulthood.

Eventually, Emperor Xiaozong's lineage was cut off because Emperor Zhengde had no heir, which led to Emperor Jiajing becoming emperor as a vassal king.

Now Zhu Shenzhui only has one queen and two sons. If the story of Emperor Xiaozong were to repeat itself, it would be a disaster rather than a blessing for the Ming Dynasty!

Therefore, with the lesson of Emperor Xiaozong, the officials of the Ming Dynasty would never allow Zhu Shenzhu to have only the Queen. It is the emperor's responsibility and obligation to enrich the harem and have more children. As a minister, isn't it natural for them to find women for the emperor for the sake of the Ming Dynasty and the continuation of the throne?
Besides, Crown Prince Zhu Minlan is not young anymore. According to Ming custom, the Crown Prince usually gets married at the age of 16, sometimes a little later, but no later than 19. Now Zhu Minlan is about to turn 14, and will get married in two years. The Crown Prince's marriage is a big deal, and it is impossible to think of choosing a wife when he is old enough. Generally, the selection starts one or two years in advance, so now is the perfect time.

"This is indeed a big deal. I will take care of this matter and I guarantee that I will do it properly!" The slightly plump man said in high spirits, patting his chest.

"Remember! You must choose the right candidate. Not only should he be good-looking, but he should also know some arts like music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Especially, his family background must be clean. More importantly..." The bearded man did not finish his words, but just gave the other person a meaningful look.

The other party nodded heavily to show that he knew it. It was not that he had not done this before. When Emperor Tianqi got married, the Donglin Party secretly intervened and brought Zhang Yan into the palace without anyone noticing. She eventually became the empress of Emperor Tianqi.

Thanks to this move, if Zhang Yan had not been in the palace as an internal supporter, the Donglin Party would have ceased to exist long ago, and they would have been killed one after another by Wei Zhongxian, and their bones might have turned to ashes now. It was because Zhang Yan was sent to the palace in advance that they had the opportunity to finally turn things around. When Emperor Tianqi died, the powerful Wei Zhongxian completely lost his backing, and the dying Donglin Party was instantly revived, instigating Emperor Chongzhen to kill Wei Zhongxian and label all of Emperor Tianqi's imperial party as eunuch party, which led to today.

Unfortunately, Emperor Chongzhen was a hopeless person with a suspicious and self-willed character. Later, he became suspicious of the Donglin Party because of many things and gradually began to distance himself from the Donglin Party, which made the Donglin Party very dissatisfied with him.

Now that Emperor Chongzhen has abdicated, Zhu Shenzhui has become the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty. A new emperor means new ministers, and Zhu Shenzhui is not Emperor Chongzhen. He is far from being so easy to fool. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui's attitude towards the Donglin Party is still somewhat confusing to outsiders. If you say that he was cracking down on the Donglin Party, he was indeed doing so. People like Fang Fengnian had a very difficult life. But if you say that he was using the Donglin Party, he was also doing so. For example, Qian Qianyi and others are living a very comfortable life. This shows that Zhu Shenzhui's political means are superb, far beyond what Emperor Chongzhen can compare to.

The bearded man already understood Zhu Shenzhui's idea. Zhu Shenzhui was clearly using a combination of attack and defense to divide and disintegrate the Donglin Party, using one faction to fight against another. Not only was this something that Emperor Chongzhen could not do, but even Emperor Tianqi could not match. Once Zhu Shenzhui succeeded, not only would the Donglin Party split directly internally, but it would even switch to Zhu Shenzhui's side. Would this still be the same Donglin Party as before?
Since the risk of competing in the court is too great, he decided to find other ways to change the situation. The bearded man then set his sights on Zhu Shenzhui's harem and even the candidate for the Crown Princess.

If they could emulate Zhang Yan and send the right person into the palace, once they are favored, the power of their pillow talk would far exceed the efforts in the court. Often, a matter would be fruitless in the court, but might be succeeded by the pillow talk. Moreover, if they have their own people in the harem, then there would be no secrets in the imperial palace for them.

In addition, there is the Crown Princess. It would be even better if even the Crown Princess is theirs. In this way, the future crown prince can also be controlled in their hands. This arrangement is much more stable and safer than a head-on fight. Why not do it?

Just as the bearded man and the slightly plump man were secretly discussing the matter and preparing to make a fuss about it, Zhu Shenzui and Xu Jingqiu in the imperial palace were also talking about the same topic.

"Are you so anxious for me to take a concubine?" Zhu Shenzhui asked Xu Jingqiu, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Your Majesty, this is not a family matter, it's a state matter!" Xu Jingqiu said solemnly, "Your Majesty has only one concubine in the harem. Although I know your Majesty's intentions, it is not appropriate for your Majesty, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, to have no one in the harem. Your Majesty is not Emperor Xiaozong of the past, and I am not Empress Zhang of the past. Since your Majesty is the emperor, you should enrich your harem and favor more women to give birth to children."

"You, you..." Zhu Shenzhui sighed and shook his head, looking at Xu Jingqiu and asked, "Did someone say anything to you?"

Zhu Xiuer had mentioned this matter to Zhu Shenzhui privately before, but Zhu Shenzhui had temporarily evaded the question. Now, not long after she officially ascended the throne, the Queen took the initiative to talk to him about this matter again, which could not help but make Zhu Shenzhui think more.

Xu Jingqiu said seriously: "Your Majesty, this is my true thought. Even if others don't say it, does it mean that in your Majesty's heart, I am a jealous person? Can't tolerate other women?"

"Why are you saying all this? Others don't know what kind of person you are, don't I? Let's put this matter aside for now. It won't be too late after a year or two." Zhu Shenzhui took Xu Jingqiu's hand and said softly. However, he didn't expect that as soon as he said this, Xu Jingqiu still shook his head to express his opposition, believing that this matter should be dealt with as soon as possible.

This made Zhu Shenzhui a little embarrassed. He did not consider this matter because he had a good relationship with Xu Jingqiu and had no intention of taking a concubine. Secondly, Zhu Shenzhui had always been wary of having more women in the harem in the future, especially when he learned from Zhu Xiuer that many nobles had secretly contacted Zhu Xiuer before he officially ascended the throne and intended to put women from their families into the harem. This made Zhu Shenzhui extremely vigilant. He was worried that the women who entered the palace had various purposes. Once there were more people in the harem, some messy things might happen.

"Your Majesty, are you in trouble? If so, could you please tell me? Is there anything that we husband and wife cannot talk about? It is better for Your Majesty to speak out than to keep it in your heart. Perhaps I can help you with some advice." Xu Jingqiu and Zhu Shencui have been married for many years. Naturally, she noticed the hesitation in Zhu Shencui's expression and could not help but ask.

Zhu Shenzhui originally didn't want to make Xu Jingqiu worry, but seeing Xu Jingqiu's concern for him, he thought about it and decided not to hide it from her.

Zhu Shenzhui took Xu Jingqiu's hand and walked to the side, away from the eunuchs, palace maids and guards who were serving him, and then told Xu Jingqiu about his concerns.

He told Xu Jingqiu that he understood that the empress was doing this for his own good and for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, and that it was also the empress's duty to do so. If the empress allowed the emperor to favor her alone, it would inevitably lead to gossip, such as rumors that the empress was jealous. But the problem was that it was difficult for Zhu Shenzhui to judge the true situation of the women entering the palace. People's hearts are hidden, and no one knows what the other person is thinking. After all, these women are different from Xu Jingqiu. They have come together step by step from a poor couple. They not only have an emotional foundation but also absolute trust in each other. But these women have been utilitarian and purposeful from the beginning, not to mention the others.

(End of this chapter)