[Red Mansions] The Road to Empress Dowager

Xin Xiuyan said: "I think it's okay to hold poetry gatherings, song gatherings, and martial arts performances in the name of charity. Every unmarried man and woman received his own number plate. If they meet at the grand event and they see each other, they can privately Tell me the other party's number, and then I will ask the Iceman to be a matchmaker."

Tu Yuanyi twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Do you always do this?"

Xin Xiuyan smiled slightly and said, "Yes, if I go to the blind date meeting, I will be welcome."

Tu Yuanyi snorted, Xin Xiuyan hit his concubine again, Tu Yuanyi's face was green, and said: "If you don't empty the harem, you just won't be reconciled."

Xin Xiuyan said: "Are you embarrassed? Even the youngest concubine is 20 years old. Does it really make her die in the palace?"

Tu Yuanyi said: "There is no such jealous woman."

Xin Xiuyan said: "It's too late, you want to marry Xianhui who takes the initiative to give you a concubine, in the next life."

Tu Yuanyi suddenly said: "The eldest prince and the second prince are also of marriageable age."

Xin Xiuyan nodded: "And then?"

"Is it..." Tu Yuanyi paused, and then said, "Let them participate too?"

Xin Xiuyan laughed, and said: "What if everyone wants to be your daughter-in-law? Isn't it true that others can't marry a daughter-in-law?"

But Tu Yuanyi said: "I don't like them, the daughter of a good family may not want to get involved in this mess."

……

The next day, Xin Xiuyan announced her mother and close sisters into the palace again, and talked about the marriage of her group of subordinates.

Several people couldn't help being dumbfounded when they heard that she planned to disband the emperor's harem and marry off the harem concubines to seek a way out for the rest of their lives.

Xing Li said: "My lady, you have three children now, and now other ladies don't dare to compete with you. What are you doing to put yourself on the cusp of the storm?"

Xin Xiuyan said: "Those harem concubines are too pitiful in the palace of old death, everyone pursues the right to happiness."

Su Fuer said worriedly: "But they may not be grateful to your mother."

Xin Xiuyan leaned crookedly on the chair, and laughed: "What do I want their gratitude for? How much is it worth? When you stare at the abyss, the abyss is also staring at you. People live a lifetime, choose love or hate, warmth and gratitude Or hatred and hatred? So those who hate me are only tormenting themselves. And I have 10,000+ soldiers and horses in my hand. Who dares to fight me head-on? Don’t look down on them too much, they don’t have this ability, and don’t look down on them too much They, they won't be stupid to the end."

Shi Hui looked at the elder sister whom she had met as a teenager, she was not sure that she knew her.

But Daiyu said: "Then what does the empress need us to do?"

Xin Xiuyan said: "I just want your help to prepare for this 'Blind Date Conference'. If you know any good unmarried men and women, you can also sign up for it. For example, there must be a project responsible People and the jury. I also have someone to preside over the men's bow, horse, martial arts and poetry."

Su Fuer said: "I'm afraid that the sons and daughters of the rich and noble families in Beijing will not come to this kind of... blind date meeting."

Xin Xiuyan said: "I also understand this, I don't force it. Our Sichuan Datong Army is pretty good, we don't support concubinage; we also support the protection of women's basic rights, as long as the dowry list is backed up in our government when they get married, Li, the organization will ask for the dowry back for his wife, and the Iceman will remarry immediately. Because we in Sichuan have gone through wars, women have been harmed too much, and the ratio of men to women is seriously unbalanced. Women are not enough for brothers. Therefore, our military committee has It was only after strategic considerations that the regulations to protect women were passed, and they have been learned in the entire army. In order to prevent more and more bachelors in the future, it will also affect production development.”

Xing Li and many sisters were dumbfounded?

Shi Hui said: "Does the clan not care about this?"

Xin Xiuyan said: "How many clans are there in Sichuan now? I think most Datong soldiers should know that it is not easy after they get married, and it will be difficult to marry a man from Kyoto. A man in his 30s, when he is seven How many officials can you find in Kyoto? If you pass this village and don’t have this store, are you still married to a dude who can’t pass the imperial academy or the imperial examination?”

This is reasonable, and all the women present agree with it.The kind of family son who can be admitted to the Royal Academy with both civil and military skills or proficiency in things is naturally the sweet pastry in the eyes of the noble ladies in Kyoto, but many concubines don't have that fate. Might as well marry to Sichuan.There are also many beautiful maidservants around me who win their hearts. Marrying a slave to manage things is worse than marrying a small official in Sichuan. There are many more helpful connections.

So, Xin Xiuyan discussed their ideas with them, and as the shopkeeper, Daiyu, who is good at arts and sciences and is a top student, made the budget plan and competition plan, and Fu and Hui assisted.

Xin Xiuyan couldn't help being proud, it's good to have capable and caring sisters, in this era without computers, how rare and precious it is to be free from heavy writing work.There is no shortage of people who can read in the palace, but how can their comprehension ability compare with Daiyu and the others?

Early the next morning, the Empress felt that she could do the work of the concubines, first the easy ones and then the difficult ones, so she asked for help to reduce the workload.According to the servants in Ranfang, she was relatively familiar with Xie Wanyi, Wang Fangyi, Chen Jingyi and others before she was promoted to noble concubine.Therefore, they were specially summoned to the Manna Palace to have an audience.

Xie, Wang, and Chen couldn't help feeling uneasy. Over the years, they had become calm and adapted to such a life in the harem.If they still foolishly think that the queen is a bunny idiot, then they are the real idiots.

Let's see which dynasty and generation of queens have this method of training their husbands, and even made all the officials of the previous dynasty return to their hearts, can they suppress the queen mother from daring to show off in front of her?No matter how favored and affectionate the emperor and empress are, there is no precedent for her. She thinks differently, focuses differently, acts differently, and has different results.

"The concubine sees the empress empress, and the empress is blessed and safe!"

Looking at the three beauties in palace costumes in front of her, Xin Xiuyan couldn't help admiring that they were indeed the best girls selected from across the country. In the four years in Sichuan, she had hardly seen an unmarried woman who surpassed them.

"Be flat!"

"Thank you, Empress!"

Xin Xiuyan ordered the seat again, and after the three concubines returned to their seats, the maidservants served tea, sipped for a while, then Xin Xiuyan put down the tea bowl.

Xin Xiuyan suddenly said: "I'm afraid you have been in the palace for six or seven years?"

Xie, Chen, and Wang couldn't help feeling sad: Yes, seven years, how many seven years does a woman have?They don't remember the time when they were at home, and when they were teenagers, they were competitive. They learned so many things, but why?

Xie Wanyi said: "Mrs. Hui, concubines and others entered the palace in the fifth year of Qianyuan."

Xin Xiuyan asked again: "Do you miss home?"

One sentence made the three of them shed tears, and they wiped away the tears with handkerchiefs. Wang Fangyi said: "The concubine and others have lost their manners. Please forgive me, the empress."

Xin Xiuyan said: "It's human nature to miss relatives, I will not blame you. I have been away from the palace for a few years, how are you doing in the palace?"

Chen Jingyi said: "Everything is fine, there is no shortage of food and clothing."

Xin Xiuyan asked again: "How do you feel, are you happy?"

The three couldn't help lowering their heads, they didn't dare to think that the queen would nostalgic and promote them to serve the emperor.The queen has been away from the palace for four years, the emperor has not stepped into the harem, and no concubine has been promoted to take over the seal of the phoenix.

But if they want to say that they are happy against their will, they really can't do it.

Xin Xiuyan understood, she couldn't help sighing a long time, and said: "It's hard for you too..."

Xie Wanying once lived in Luoxia Pavilion with Xing Xiuyan, but the circumstances of the two were very different, and her heart was even more miserable.

Xie Wanying wiped her tears and said: "If the Empress Empress can take pity on me, my concubine...the concubine will die without complaint."

She didn't say anything clearly, it depends on personal understanding.

Xin Xiuyan smiled slightly, sighed, and said: "Living in the harem for a lifetime, it is impossible for you to want to be favored by the emperor, because I am jealous, and the emperor would not hit me in the face like this. Since ancient times, the draft has been for folk women. Nightmares, the kind of people who desperately put their daughters into the palace are rare after all. How many people have my experience? Countless history proves that the vast majority are in the palace where you keep the old and die empty. If the harem Women are born knowing the fate they will face, do they still have the courage to come to the world? A palace wall surrounds a tomb of the living dead."

The three of them could no longer control their despair and cried out.

Xin Xiuyan said softly: "Cry, this is not your fault. In fact, the harem system was not created by the emperor. The emperor is my husband. I am partial, and I don't think he is at fault. However, this problem does exist. You entered the palace because of my husband, and he ignored you for the rest of your life, and this matter also fell on me."

Wang Fangyi wiped her tears and said, "I don't know how the empress wants to deal with concubines?"

The three of them looked at the queen boldly together, and heard from her that she wanted to change everything.

Xin Xiuyan said: "It's all voluntary, whether to let you go out of the palace and go back to your natal family to marry another, or the emperor and this palace will decide to prepare a dowry and match you with another lover."

The three of them were so frightened that they all fell to their knees: "I dare not!"

Xie Wanying said: "Mistress Qizuo, the concubine only wishes to serve her for the rest of her life, without any second thoughts. Please be kind to me!"

Xin Xiuyan said: "What are you afraid of? This matter has been discussed with the emperor. The emperor has no intention of the harem. It is a benevolent policy to release the palace people to remarry. You are only in your early twenties. If you leave the palace, there will be great benefits." In life, if you stay in the palace, you can only die of old age."

The three of them looked at the queen suspiciously, because this was too unbelievable. It was a routine thing to release the maids, but no concubines were allowed to remarry.But according to history books, after the death of the emperor, most of the concubines were sent to become monks without children. Who would dare to marry the emperor and concubine?

Chen Jingyi said: "I would like to report to the Empress: Your Majesty really has this heart, and I dare not marry, and no one dares to marry, and my natal family will not dare to recognize me. Therefore, the concubine thinks that this matter is not important. Impossible."

Xin Xiuyan said: "Don't worry, the emperor and my palace are the guarantees. With your looks, there must be plenty of people to marry you. You don't have to be afraid to marry. The emperor doesn't know you at all, and he won't remember you."

The three of them looked at each other, and Wang Fangyi asked, "If that's the case, why... why... only the three of us are invited to see us?"

Xin Xiuyan smiled brightly and said: "Does Wang Fangyi suspect that this palace is trying to test you? You have never been favored at all, and you are still perfect. You have never talked to the emperor, so how can you say that you are chaste?"

The faces of the three are flushed. They are over twenty years old. Although they are perfect, they also know about human affairs. When women are mature, they often have the desire/desire to have children. If they do not want to marry, it was a very small number in ancient times.

Xie Wanying said: "Then the lady only summoned the three of us, what's the point?"

Xin Xiuyan said: "I am not familiar with the concubines in the harem, the three of you have some impressions. How the palace arranges a way out for the concubines in the harem needs to be investigated before we can act. Who would prefer to go back to their mother's house, and who People are willing to make arrangements for marriage by this Palace. If they are married, whether they can accept distant marriages, what kind of men they want, what they are good at, and their temperament, this Palace also has a bottom line in their hearts. If you don’t want to go home, if you don’t want both, I can decide to set up a female household for them, and each person will be given 1 taels of silver by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and they can make a living by themselves. Those who want to introduce jobs to me can do it. Gong Niang’s family and sisters have a farm shop and several factories, and there is a shortage of clerical and accounting rooms. Women’s safety can also be guaranteed on the palace’s site. If someone bullies you, you can ask Cheng’engong’s mansion or Dingzhonghou’s mansion for support. "

The three girls couldn't help being dumbfounded, Xie Wanying said: "So, the empress is not joking?"

Xin Xiuyan smiled and said, "I've been talking about it for so long, do you all think I'm joking?"

The three daughters couldn't help but their minds moved. Compared with the old death palace, whether it is to marry with the dowry prepared by the queen, or to set up a female household with 1 taels of silver, it is indeed easier to live with the support of the two prominent houses in safety. Too much.At least this is a life with hope and hope.

The third daughter bowed: "All concubines are at the discretion of the empress!"

So the queen asked the three of them to be responsible for sorting out the data of the concubines in the harem. Although the palace also had a roster, it would not involve the willingness to leave the palace.

……

Two days later, the emperor talked about disbanding the harem at the court meeting, and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were caught off guard.

After the imperial censors were sure that they had heard correctly, they all jumped out and sprayed, furious.The royal family spreads its branches and leaves, the foundation of the country, and the ancestral system cannot be violated.

Tu Yuanyigao sat on the Danbilong chair, calmly listening to them continue to spray, and sprayed for nearly half an hour.

Grand Tutor Zhang Daren, a veteran minister of the three dynasties, said: "My lords are justified, please ask your sage to investigate clearly."

Tu Yuanyi looked at Wang Ziteng, who had been keeping a low profile recently, and said, "Wang Aiqing, what do you think?"

Wang Ziteng was flattered. To be honest, he was not without ambitions, and he did a lot of bad things. These emperors must be aware of it.The emperor seized his power in such a naked/naked way that he thought he was doomed, but in the end he had a way out. When Jia Yuanchun committed a crime, he also thought he was doomed. He is still a millennium king with 8 years.It's not very scientific for a big villain like him to live to the end!

Prince Teng said: "Return to Your Majesty, this is a matter of the inner palace. I am a minister of the outer court, and I have no idea."

It is said that the harem is connected with the outer dynasty, but this sentence cannot be said on the surface.It is a crime of disrespect for officials from the outer court to spy on the inner palace.

The ministers who persuaded the emperor just looked at Wang Ziteng with resentment in their eyes: Are you saying that our foreign ministers stretched their hands too far to take care of the inner palace?

Wang Ziteng could only bear the pressure. Now that he is a mud bodhisattva crossing the river, how stupid would it be to upset the emperor?

Tu Yuanyi sighed for a long time, and said again: "The gold hairpin fell to the ground and the temples piled up with clouds. I don't know about the Emperor Chaoyang. I sent my concubine to live in the country. I don't know where to use the general? In the same way, all the lovers feel that the Great Zhou Dynasty wants to Taking the talents of civil and military affairs in the world, should I get along with all the officials and ministers, or should I wander around the harem all day and be overwhelmed?"

All the ministers knelt down and shouted: "I will wait for ten thousand deaths to repay the emperor's kindness!"

"Be flat!"

Tu Yuanyi sighed and said: "The outer court is public, and the harem is private. I already have two sons, and the inheritance of the country and the country will not be hindered. I have no intention of the harem. It is really harmful to Yin and morality to arrest women in the palace and die of old age. It violates the teachings of the sages and loses the heart of benevolence. Releasing the concubine out of the palace will not harm the official affairs of the foreign court, but will also benefit the accumulation of Yin virtues. Why do you love me object?"

At this time, the officials also knew that the emperor might be determined.But they also have their own little thoughts, thinking to themselves: Is there any man who is not moved by beauty?The emperor's behavior is also at the time when the empress is still in court. Could it be that the empress overturned the jealous jar?

The emperor is now determined to sleep and fly with the empress, and he has even brought out his benevolent heart and Yin De.

But I saw several generals from Sichuan standing on the Zichen Hall, and I saw Li Xun, Lin Ruhai, Tan Qian, Shi Bai, Jia Lian, and even Sun Yuanwang, Wang Ziteng and other veterans, who didn't have a little friendship with the queen.

At this time, because of this incident, they were killed on the pillars. I am afraid that there are not many people who praise them for their integrity, but the "rear party" will say that they are doing it for their own selfishness.That is really dead and dead.

So the admonishing ministers also died down, and the emperor decided so.

After retiring from the court, all the officials walked out of the palace. Lin Ruhai was over fifty, but he was still walking vigorously and physically strong.He was walking and talking with Wang Ziteng.It's really a miracle that Wang Shiyuan doesn't like Lin Daiyu so much. In this unrecognizable world, the relationship between Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng is actually not bad.

Also, because Lin Ruhai is still alive, everything is different.

In addition, Lin Ruhai recommended Jia Yucun to Jia Zheng's office back then, and Jia Zheng recommended to Wang Ziteng to go around and find a vacancy.Would Wang Ziteng not know that Jia Yucun was actually recommended by Lin Ruhai?It can be seen that Wang Ziteng himself and Lin Ruhai have no quarrel.

Duan Zhi, Chen Yi and others were allowed to go to court recently. Although they were a bit out of place at first, it was the dream of countless people to go to court, and they were all in a good mood.

Duan Zhi and others all knew Lin Ruhai, so they caught up with them and bowed their hands to pay a visit, and Lin Ruhai also recommended them.Wang Ziteng is also a first-rank official, although he has no soldiers in his hands, but Duan Zhi and the others don't know it, so they hurriedly pay a visit.

Wang Ziteng saw that although the person from Sichuan was not full of knowledge, but young and promising, his mind was moved.Because the whole capital of Mrs. Jia Zheng knew about it, the daughters of his royal family were not easy to marry, no matter how honorable or noble the capital was, they rarely came to the door to propose marriage, and if there were flaws, there was once a lame woman who came to marry Wang Xiluan , but Wang Xiluan was so angry that he fainted.

Wang Xifeng, who is still in the capital, is actively looking for someone for her cousin Wang Xiluan because of her husband's wealth or her many connections. Wang Xiluan is 22 years old, but her vision is not low. The Wang family who Wang Xifeng finds is not satisfied, because she is a scholar Not bad.

Wang Ziteng's eyes turned around among several people, and he was extremely enthusiastic and encouraged.

After parting with them, Wang Ziteng gently pulled Lin Ruhai to inquire, because Lin Ruhai knew them well.

Lin Ruhai was well aware of Wang Ziteng's difficulties, and said, "These are all my mother's confidantes, and their personalities are not bad, but..."

Wang Ziteng said: "Just what?"

Lin Ruhai said: "Brother Wang, these confidantes and generals of these empresses have humble backgrounds, and all they want is for the empress to be the masters of the family. Brother Wang's daughter has been well-clothed since childhood, and married to them, I'm afraid I will be wronged in the end."

Wang Ziteng secretly said: Luan'er will be 23 in half a year, so why should I feel wronged?

Wang Ziteng said: "Don't ask where the hero came from, as long as he has a good character. Back then, I didn't think Lian'er was very capable, but now he is a very good official and has made great contributions to the court."

Jia Lian was originally an official in the Ministry of War, but was later transferred to the Ministry of Punishment due to the incident in Ping'an Prefecture. In the past four years, he has often been ordered to go out to Beijing to inspect corruption, river fortifications, civil injustice cases, and so on.Because of his proficiency in common affairs and his strong background, he was found out a lot, and the folks called him "Jia Qingtian".Of course, there are many people offended, but there are always people who protect him, and the emperor, prince and minister will help him, and there are people in the court who are easy to be officials.

Even though he was "Jia Qingtian" in front of the Ministry of Punishment, the Ministry of Military Affairs always wanted to lure him back from the Ministry of Punishment.

Seeing that Wang Ziteng wanted him to be a matchmaker, Lin Ruhai couldn't refuse, so he asked, "Who does Brother Wang want?"