Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

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ORZ!

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Chapter 216 Discord between the Emperor and Empress, a precursor to the Empress's deposition!

The first year of the Xifeng era, the third month.

As dusk settled and the sun set behind the western mountains.

Royal study room.

On the desk, only one memorial remained unapproved.

Zhao Ceying breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to pick it up.

Your humble servant, Gu Tingye, co-signing the Privy Council, bows and submits this report:

Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have governed the country well, expanded the territory, established clear laws and regulations, and brought peace and prosperity to the people.

However, the responsibility of guarding the capital region is immense, and can only be commanded by capable generals. Shen Congxing, the patrol inspector of Yuzhou, is resolute and courageous, strict with himself, and known for his loyalty and prudence. He is also deeply knowledgeable in the art of offense and defense. His diligence and sincerity are evident.

The stability of the capital region is a heavy responsibility. If this position is granted, it will firstly demonstrate Your Majesty's discerning eye in recognizing talent, appointing the virtuous and capable regardless of personal relationships; secondly, it will stabilize the foundation of the court and consolidate the capital region.

Your humble servant believes that Shen Congxing is worthy of a military post. I humbly request Your Majesty to make a wise decision and issue an imperial decree to confer the title, so as to ensure the stability of the country.

Your subject is filled with extreme fear and trepidation, and respectfully submits this memorial to the Emperor.

The memorial, consisting of just over a hundred words, was submitted by Gu Tingye, a meritorious official who had contributed to the expansion of the border.

The specific details were that Shen Congxing should be recommended.

Previously, Gu Tingye and Shen Congxing were complete strangers, so he would not submit a memorial without a reason.

This memorial was submitted primarily at the emperor's behest.

The purpose is simply to go through the motions.

In order to inherit the throne, Zhao Ceying has been adopted by the late emperor as his grandson.

This means that, from the perspective of patriarchal clan system and etiquette, Shen Congxing was not the emperor's brother-in-law.

Even Zhao Ceying could not address Shen Congxing as "uncle" in public.

Official documents also refer to him as "the Prince of Shu by marriage" rather than "the Emperor's maternal uncle" or "the Emperor's maternal uncle".

Since he was not the emperor's brother-in-law, his appointment process naturally had to be the same as that of a regular official.

Either make contributions and get promoted.

Either they are recommended by someone and rise to the top in one step.

At this moment, Gu Tingye's memorial to the throne was a recommendation.

After only a couple of glances, Zhao Ceying picked up his brush and began to write:

[He was awarded the title of General of the Northern Army, adorned in a purple robe and silver belt.]

The commander of the imperial guards does not need military skills, but loyalty.

My uncle, Shen Congxing, fits that description perfectly.

After reading through all the memorials submitted that day, Zhao Ceying put down his red brush, stretched, and let out a long sigh of relief.

It feels so good to have power in your hands!

Since Emperor Xifeng expanded the borders, he bestowed favors upon many nobles and gradually gained military power. The political struggle between Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu further led him to bestow favors upon many civil officials and win over many people.

With Jiang Qing's assistance, in less than a year, the region was brimming with talent in both civil and military affairs, showing signs of vitality and revival.

Life is getting more and more comfortable.

Li Xian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department has presented the menu by imperial decree. We earnestly hope that Your Majesty will take a look."

The food plaques were plaques engraved with the names of the imperial concubines.

If the number of concubines is too dazzling and it is difficult to choose, the emperor may decide who to favor by "flipping the nameplate".

"Alright," Zhao Ceying nodded.

At the beginning of his reign, he had few concubines.

Some of the concubines were beautiful, slender, plump, and kind-hearted, which made them stand out and leave a deep impression on people.

At that time, the main practice was "special designation," and there was very little practice of choosing a particular person.

However, as time went on, the harem gradually filled up, and the characteristics became increasingly "blurred".

Even if they were favored once, they probably wouldn't remember the name at all.

Especially since October, with the regular court sessions suspended and the empress falling out of favor, the harem has been "full of life".

In just one hundred days, the number of concubines, consorts, ladies-in-waiting, beauties, and talented women had reached a total of forty or fifty.

How can this make a name memorable?

Thus, in addition to specifically designating whom to favor, one would occasionally have to choose a concubine.

Li Xian bowed, and a young eunuch, carrying a small plate about a foot long, bowed and awaited his orders.

"Is the Imperial Pharmacy regularly preparing the medicine for Consort Xiang's pregnancy?"

As Zhao Ceying stood up, he asked.

"Everything has been arranged," Li Xian said quickly.

"Yesterday, I did not choose her consort, and I intended to favor her. Who would have thought that she would be pregnant and unable to serve me?"

Zhao Ceying smiled and said, "As expected of Xiang Minzhong's great-granddaughter, a noble lady from a prestigious family, she is naturally blessed."

Xiang Minzhong was a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet during the reign of Emperor Jinzong.

However, being from Bianjing (Kaifeng), even if he were to enter the cabinet and become prime minister, it would be difficult for him to establish a prestigious family lineage.

In order to maintain their wealth and status, their sons and grandsons often married princesses of the county or prefecture.

Decades have passed, and they must have fallen on hard times.

Even so, they are still considered a first-rate scholarly family.

Consort Xiang, having received the education of a noble lady from a young age, possessed first-rate manners, exuding elegance, grace, and gentle tranquility, making her irresistible.

Among the concubines favored by Zhao Ceying was Xiang.

Consort Xiang, also known as Consort Gui, Consort Shu, Consort De, and Consort Xian, are all of the first rank. In terms of rank in the harem, Consort Xiang has reached the pinnacle of the imperial concubine system.

"For medicines to calm the mind and nourish the fetus, remember to have the Imperial Hospital use gentle remedies," Zhao Ceying instructed.

He has no other children besides Zhao Jun.

It was rare for a concubine to be pregnant, so it was naturally taken very seriously.

"Yes," Li Xian replied quickly.

"What a blessed person!" Zhao Ceying exclaimed.

As he spoke, he walked over and looked down at the plate.

The beautiful Chen, a native of Danzhou, was from Chuxiu Palace.

Consort Zhu, a native of Bianjing, resided in Yanfu Palace.

Consort Song, a native of Tongzhou, resided in Yanfu Palace.

Consort Xian, née Lin, was from Nanjian. She was the daughter of Lin Zhu, the Deputy Pacification Commissioner of Guanxi Road, and resided in Kangning Palace.

Each plaque bore the name, place of origin, rank, and residence of the imperial concubines.

Occasionally, if a concubine came from a good family, her maternal clan would be recorded on the plaque.

However, overall, there are still relatively few plaques recording the maternal families of the imperial concubines.

The main reason for this is that civil officials of the third rank or above, as well as powerful and influential veteran nobles, would not allow their granddaughters, daughters, or other female relatives to enter the palace.

Civil officials of the third rank or above already held real power, numbering thirty or forty, and were neither lacking in power nor wealth.

Civil officials valued cultivating their reputation, and sending their granddaughters and daughters into the palace brought them no benefit whatsoever, except for the suspicion of currying favor with the emperor and seeking personal gain.

We can't let relatives of the emperor enter the cabinet and become prime ministers to govern the country, can we?

If a civil official were to bring his granddaughter or daughter into the palace, it would most likely be because he was worried that his political achievements would be exposed as a major scandal. Bringing his granddaughter or daughter into the palace was simply a way to save his life and avoid disaster.

Veteran military officers and nobles, who had held military power for decades and whose influence within the army was deeply entrenched, would naturally not seek to become relatives of the emperor.

If the old-guard nobles were feared by civil officials, then the old-guard nobles who were also relatives of the emperor were simply thorns in the side of the civil officials.

It's really not worth suffering strong suppression from civil officials just for the sake of a title as a relative of the emperor!

Given the compatibility, it's best to be honest.

Therefore, concubines whose maternal families held considerable power were truly rare.

He picked up each of the dozens of signs one by one.

until

high!

Empress Gao, a native of Yuzhou, resided in Kunning Palace.

Zhao Ceying was taken aback.

"How come there's an Empress's plaque?" Zhao Ceying frowned.

As the mother of the nation, the empress should not be among those who "choose concubines."

Li Xian approached and took a look. His expression changed slightly, and he quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, this old servant was negligent."

"Where did this plaque come from?" Li Xian quickly looked at the eunuch in the Imperial Household Department.

The young eunuch replied, "Her Majesty the Empress had it slipped in three days ago."

Zhao Ceying frowned slightly, understanding dawning on her.

Recently, I haven't turned the card over for three days.

The Empress had a nameplate slipped to her, but she was unlucky and her name wasn't chosen for three days in a row.

After a few breaths, he picked up the sign and put it down again.

Zhao Ceying asked, "How long has it been since I last performed the New Year and Full Year rituals?"

The so-called "rites of the new moon and full moon" meant that the emperor would visit the empress alone on the first and fifteenth of each month.

This is why there shouldn't be a queen's nameplate on the plate.

He was favored twice in one month, which was already quite an honor.

Of course, since the Empress's remonstrance, the Emperor and Empress had fallen out, and thus the "New and Full Moon Rituals" could not be followed as scheduled.

Li Xian did a quick calculation in his mind and replied respectfully, "More than one hundred and thirty days."

"Ah."

Zhao Ceying pondered for a moment, then slowly paced back and forth.

The matter of advising relatives of the empress to enter the border region had already come to an end after Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu were demoted and imprisoned.

However, there is still one person whose problem remains unsolved.

Queen!

When it comes to offering advice and remonstrance, the Empress is undoubtedly the main force, even to the point of lacking the demeanor of an empress dowager.

Otherwise, things wouldn't have escalated to the point where the emperor and empress were at odds, and the empress had fallen out of favor.

However, matters of the palace were ultimately not something that officials could say, so they were not brought up for discussion in the court.

After walking more than ten steps, Zhao Ceying looked at the dozens of dishes on the plate.

Ultimately, the discussion inevitably focused on the three words "people of Yuzhou".