Mrs. Yin looked embarrassed. Her daughter said this right after she woke up. Naturally, the mother understood what she meant.
"Mom, Xu Zilan is not as good as me in everything. She can enter the palace, why can't I?"
Even if she can't be a queen, she can still be a concubine.
Based on her talent and appearance, Yin Manyu believed that the emperor's heart would be hers sooner or later.
It’s just that we are losing to Xu Zilan for the time being, but it’s not certain who will have the last laugh.
"Mom, since the emperor is willing to marry a wife, it means that the draft will also be put on the agenda. You and dad have agreed that I will definitely enter the palace and be the mother-in-law!"
Yin Manyu is very ambitious. She is not willing to marry a man from an aristocratic family. Her man must be the most noble person in the world.
Mrs. Yin nodded. If her daughter could really enter the palace and become a concubine, it would be good for the Yin family and Mr. Yin. She had no reason not to agree.
"Okay, Mom promises you, but the emperor only discussed with your father the wedding of the emperor and the empress the day before yesterday, and did not talk about the draft. What should we do?"
A meaningful smile appeared on Yin Manyu's pale face. She clenched the sheets under her body and spoke firmly.
"Don't worry, mother. There are many families in the capital who want to send their daughters to the palace. Without our intervention, someone will naturally go to the emperor to make preconditions."
The emperor finally asked to marry a wife, but the queen's seat was gone, and the seats of the twelve concubines in the three palaces and six courtyards were still vacant.
There are so many young ladies of the right age in the capital, and aristocratic families have their eyes set on these seats.
There are more wolves and less meat. If you don't act quickly, someone else will take it away.
Mrs. Yin suddenly understood and patted her head.
"You are right, Manyu is smart and thinks more than mother."
Mrs. Yin smiled and praised her a few words, but Yin Manyu was noncommittal. These obvious things can be understood if you think about it more, but they are not really smart.
However, Yin Manyu was also very happy with her mother's praise.
Mr. Yin knew that his daughter wanted to enter the palace, so he had been working hard these days.
On the third day after the imperial edict was issued, in the morning there were ministers who recommended the noble daughter of a noble family to the palace as a concubine.
"Your Majesty, Liu Qin, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Justice, has a beautiful appearance, is good at poetry and dance, and can be regarded as a beauty."
"General Du's legitimate daughter Du Yanyan is bright, lively, intelligent, and can be the second concubine."
"Your Majesty, Yin Manyu, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, is both talented and beautiful, and comes from a noble family. She is the best candidate for your concubine."
"......."
"Your Majesty, the queen has been decided, and the candidates for the minor masters of the harem should also be decided."
The ministers kept talking to each other, wishing to stuff all the young ladies of the right age in the capital into his harem.
Zhao Jing's temples were buzzing and painful from the noise, and her face was black and blue.
"Enough!"
Ever since the decree of Feng Hou came down, the minds of these aristocratic families have come alive.
"I only want one queen, so there is no need to mention the draft in the future!"
!!!
As soon as Zhao Jing said these words, the hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Only the queen? How is that possible!
Which emperor doesn't have three palaces and six courtyards, and beauties aplenty? Why is it so strange that their emperor doesn't even have a wife when he's in his twenties? Now, after finally letting go, he only married one.
Are they dreaming? Otherwise, why would their ears fail in broad daylight?
"Your Majesty, if you are not satisfied with these little ladies, I can ask the people below to elect beauties to the palace..."
Some ministers tentatively spoke, but unexpectedly Zhao Jing's face turned even darker.
"Zhang Lin, the Minister of Rites, right?"
The minister who had just spoken hurriedly knelt down in response, with two drops of cold sweat falling from his forehead.
"It's Wei Chen."
He is Zhang Jing's father and Lord Yin's subordinate. He put a lot of effort into proposing the draft this time. Knowing that Yin Manyu wanted to enter the palace, he was more active than Lord Yin, so he wanted to flatter Shang Feng.
Anyway, men like beauties. Yin Manyu has a good family background, good looks, and good talents. The emperor will definitely take her into the palace. She can complete the task of going to the peak with just a few words of recommendation. Zhang Lin doesn't think there is any difficulty.
However, he thought about all aspects, but he missed the point that the emperor had no intention of drafting the draft, and his flattery was completely on the horse's hooves.
"The affairs of the Ministry of Rites are still too few, that's why you have so much leisure time. Well, I see that you are so worried, so why not go to Taipu Temple to raise horses? The Khitan just sent hundreds of good horses, and we are short of manpower.
"
With a few words, Zhao Jing demoted Zhang Lin's official position by two levels, from the respectable Minister of Rites to the dirty and tired Shaoqing of the Taipusi Temple.
Zhang Lin's face was green and red and white at first, and his whole body felt as if he had swallowed a fly.
He glanced in the direction of Lord Yin, but Lord Yin stood there calmly and did not even look at him. Zhang Lin felt bitter in his mouth, knowing that he had been given up.
He clearly stood up for Lord Yin, but still had to suffer for him. Zhang Lin only felt resentment in his heart at this time.
But he had no choice but to obey the emperor's order, so he could only thank him and follow the chamberlain out.
Zhao Jing killed the chicken to scare the monkey, and with Zhang Lin in front, the ministers in the court never dared to mention the draft again.
They don't want to be relegated to raising horses like Zhang Lin.
However, the emperor does not want to draft a draft now, but that may not happen in the future. It is just that the daughter who is preparing to enter the palace will have to be replaced.
The aristocratic family has no shortage of noble girls. If they can't enter the palace, they can marry to consolidate their status, and then train the younger ones to prepare.
As for the emperor's words about being a couple for life, naturally no one believed it.
When Jiang Miao heard the news, she and Xu Zilan were sitting in the flower hall eating desserts.
After Xu Zilan was granted the title of empress, people came to visit the Xu family every day. The Xu family was a merchant, and the people Xu's father and Xu's mother usually interacted with were also merchants. How had I ever seen such a scene.
Especially Xu's mother, facing those ministers and generals' wives, she didn't know where to put her hands.
Xu Zilan knew that when entering the palace in the future, she would need to be polite and not embarrass Zhao Jing, so this time she came to get rid of Jiang Miao and help her hire a ceremonial nun.
The two of them ate the fruits sent by Zhuangzi, including sandy and sweet watermelons, juicy peaches, and sour and appetizing apricots. They topped them with milk and honey and took one bite with a small fork. They ate happily.
Yingying and Xiao Anyi were also carried out by the wet nurse and Qinglian. They didn't even have millet teeth, but that didn't mean that the two little dumplings weren't greedy.
Watching Jiang Miao and Xu Zilan eat, their bibs were soaked with saliva.
She grabbed Qinglian's hand and tried to get up, screaming in her mouth. Jiang Miao also took the fruit to deliberately covet her, but Yingying was very anxious.
Xiao Anyi on the side was crying loudly, and the wet nurse couldn't coax her, making Jiang Miao dumbfounded.
"How can you be such a mother-in-law? You made both children cry."
Xu Zilan felt distressed and funny at the same time. The two little guys were white and tender, and really lovable. If she hadn't known that they couldn't eat, she would have been unable to help feeding them.
