Song Xiu

Chapter 42 He Likes Long Legs
Time flies, and more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The Song Dynasty entered the third month of the first year of the Jianlong era.

The cool moonlight shone through the window and fell on Zhao Kuangyin's flushed face.

Zhao Kuangyin's face was flushed, not from the heat of the stove in the hall, but purely from anxiety.

What could possibly make Zhao Kuangyin, as an emperor, so anxious?

The reason is simple; one can roughly understand it by looking at the five paintings of ladies hanging in the hall.

For more than a month, Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, and Liu Wensou, the Vice Minister of Rites, have been spending almost every day in their official residence.

They are so busy mainly to conduct an initial screening to identify eligible women of marriageable age.

Since the court debate on etiquette that day, people both in and out of the court have placed even greater emphasis on the political weight of the eldest prince, Zhao Dexiu.

Driven by self-interest, not only officials of all ranks in Kaifeng, but also military governors and prefects in other regions reported information about their own daughters after receiving the news.

Some military governors located on the frontier acted more decisively.

Almost simultaneously, they instructed their wives to bring their legitimate daughters back to Kaifeng.

In this way, no matter how far apart they are, they don't have to worry that the painters of the Ministry of Rites will forget their legitimate daughter.

Among the civil and military officials of the court, as well as the military governors of various prefectures, there were already several hundred eligible women who had been shortlisted.

Selecting twenty people from hundreds of applicants within just one month is a huge undertaking.

Fortunately, Zhao Kuangyin put enough pressure on them, and Fan Zhi and the other two completed the task within the allotted time.

After Fan Zhi personally handed the list of twenty selected women to Zhao Kuangyin, it was Zhao Kuangyin's turn to have a headache.

After discussing the matter with his ministers for several days, Zhao Kuangyin finally selected the five finalists.

When it came to these five people, the ministers in the Prince's residence were divided and each had their own supporters. In the end, the decision-making power returned to Zhao Kuangyin's hands.

These five women, selected through multiple rounds of screening, met Zhao Kuangyin's requirements in every aspect.

However, the eldest son of the emperor can only have one wife.

Unable to make a decision late into the night, Zhao Kuangyin had no choice but to have Zhang Dejun summon Empress Wang.

Empress Wang, being the mother of the nation and having a close relationship with Zhao Dexiu, might offer some good advice.

When Empress Wang arrived at the Wansui Hall as summoned, she saw Zhao Kuangyin sitting on the throne, anxiously patting his forehead.

Upon seeing Empress Wang, Zhao Kuangyin eagerly went to her side:

"Today, I am experiencing the same dilemma that Emperor Xuanzu faced when choosing a wife for me."

After Zhao Kuangyin became emperor, he posthumously honored Zhao Hongyin as Emperor Xuanzu of Song.

After taking Empress Wang's hand, Zhao Kuangyin led her to the five paintings of court ladies and said to her:
"A beauty is here; choose her quickly."

After Zhao Kuangyin finished speaking, Empress Wang turned her gaze to the five paintings of court ladies.

After roughly judging the various samples, Empress Wang had a candidate in mind.

Empress Wang pointed to a painting of a lady and said, "In my opinion, Li Chuyun's eldest daughter is the most suitable."

Seeing that Empress Wang had reached a conclusion so quickly, Zhao Kuangyin turned his gaze back to Li Duruo's portrait.

Looking her over, Zhao Kuangyin asked in bewilderment, "In terms of appearance, she is not the most outstanding. In terms of family background, she is not particularly illustrious. Why do you favor her?"

Zhao Kuangyin's doubts brought a smile to Empress Wang's face.

"Liu Ge'er once said that he liked women who were dignified in appearance and tall in stature."

The court and the public were busy with the selection of Zhao Dexiu's concubines some time ago, so how could Empress Wang not pay attention to this matter?

On one occasion, when Zhao Dexiu came to pay his respects, Empress Wang subtly inquired about Zhao Dexiu's thoughts.

Empress Wang knew that with her status, she would have a say in the selection of Zhao Dexiu's concubines. If she could use her influence to help Zhao Dexiu choose a suitable one, then Zhao Dexiu's repeated calls of "Mother" would not have been in vain.

After Empress Wang explained the situation, Zhao Kuangyin focused his attention on Li Duruo. Before the preliminary selection, many people thought that senior generals of the Imperial Guards such as Shi Shouxin and Gao Huaide would be the frontrunners to become the eldest son's maternal relatives.

What they didn't know was that Zhao Kuangyin had excluded Shi Shouxin and others from the very beginning.

As Ludosen said, the marriage of the eldest son of the emperor is crucial to the stability of the country, and the selection of the maternal relatives should be based primarily on political considerations.

As the person who spearheaded the reform of the Imperial Guards, Zhao Kuangyin believed that his control over the Palace Guards was very firm, and he no longer needed to use marriage to win over the senior generals of the Imperial Guards.

As for the regional military governors, because Zhao Guangyi and Fu Yanqing were related by marriage within the imperial family, they were not the best marriage partners in Zhao Kuangyin's mind.

Only a portion of the mid-level generals in the Imperial Guards have not yet established sufficient relationships with the royal family.

For Zhao Kuangyin, who orchestrated the Chenqiao Mutiny, he knew that the success of the mutiny was inextricably linked to the support of most of the mid-level generals of the Imperial Guards.

Because of this important consideration, the relatives of the emperor behind these five paintings of ladies were Li Chuyun, Zhang Lingduo, Ma Renyu, and other mid-level generals of the Imperial Guard.

Li Chuyun was one of the representatives who supported him during the mutiny, but Li Chuyun was not his confidant from the beginning. If Li Duruo could be chosen as the princess consort, it would further demonstrate that the Zhao family royal family treats the imperial guards equally.

Zhao Kuangyin also thought that Li Chuyun was a man of great military talent, and with his assistance, Zhao Dexiu's future military development would be more assured.

With various considerations coming one after another, Zhao Kuangyin was a decisive person.

Having made his decision, Zhao Kuangyin, relieved of the great weight in his heart, let out a long sigh and said, "This woman is dignified and should be the eldest daughter-in-law of the Song dynasty."

At the court assembly a few days later, Liu Wensou, the Vice Minister of Rites, took out an imperial edict and read it aloud at Zhao Kuangyin's instruction.

The emperor issued an edict:

"It is said that Heaven and Earth are in their proper places, and Yin and Yang are in harmony. Therefore, the importance of the imperial clan must be supported by virtuous women; and the eldest son of the legitimate wife should be honored with dignified manners."

Your family, the Li family, is a family of meritorious generals. Your father, Li Chuyun, was loyal and diligent in serving the country and was renowned for his early achievements.

Lady Li was born with intelligence and grace, possessing a gentle and dignified nature. She was virtuous and quiet in her secluded chambers, and well-versed in the teachings of poetry and literature. She was measured in her actions and spoke with poise and grace, truly embodying the "graceful and charming" ideal of the poem "Guan Ju" and fulfilling the ancestral temple's expectation of "harmony and tranquility."

"Now, I have specially dispatched Liu Wensou, Vice Minister of Rites, bearing the imperial edict and decree, to confer upon Lady Li the title of Princess Consort of the Eldest Prince."

When Liu Wensou finished reading the imperial edict, the entire court was shocked.

Apart from a few people who knew the inside story early on, none of the other court officials expected that Zhao Kuangyin would ultimately choose Li Chuyun as the maternal relative of his eldest son.

Not to mention that most of the court officials were unaware, even Li Chuyun himself was completely stunned when he learned that his daughter had been selected.

Among the court officials, some were surprised, some were relieved, some were even clutching their chests and lamenting, while others were all smiles.

Murong Yanzhao glanced at Shi Shouxin behind him, who was clutching his chest and groaning in pain, and forcefully suppressed the smile in his heart:
You can't laugh now; you can laugh out loud after court!
Inside Yanqing Palace, Empress Wang, who knew that the selection would be announced today, revealed the candidate for his wife to Zhao Dexiu.

After finally learning who his future wife was, Zhao Dexiu showed signs of restlessness.

As someone with experience, Empress Wang immediately saw through Zhao Dexiu's intentions.

Who hasn't felt longing in their youth?
Empress Wang smiled and said:
"I have a token for leaving the palace here. You can take it and use it."

After she finished speaking, Empress Wang ordered a palace maid to fetch the token.

Zhao Dexiu did not refuse Empress Wang's kindness.

After bowing to Empress Wang in gratitude, Zhao Dexiu took the token and led Zhao Dezhao out of Yanqing Palace.

As soon as he stepped out of Yanqing Palace, Zhao Dezhao excitedly said:

"Brother, let's leave the palace now to meet our future sister-in-law!"

"Leaving the palace is leaving the palace, but I never said I would take you with me."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao immediately looked at Zhao Dexiu with the same gaze he used on Cao Pi.

Zhao Dexiu had another important matter to attend to when he left the palace, and it was inappropriate for him to bring Zhao Dezhao with him.

After fooling Zhao Dezhao with many local snacks, Zhao Dexiu parted ways with him and headed out of the palace.

(End of this chapter)