"Brother Chun, it's indeed time to choose a concubine, but now you have twelve accompanying girls. It's a question of who will be the niece!"
Of course Zhu Youjian would not object to the marriage of his son... He still owes Zheng Chagu a queen! Zhu Youjian doesn't have to pay back the money he owes, but he owes Zheng Chagu a lifetime of favors, so he has to pay it back!
Zhu Cixiang laughed and said, "Father, these twelve accompanying girls were carefully selected by you and your mother for your children. They are all talented and beautiful, and any one of them is qualified to be the great niece." He After a pause, "Why don't you turn around and ask your mother to choose one of you to be your concubine?"
The queen he was talking about was not Queen Zhou, but Queen Zhang. Didn’t Zhu Cixiang pass to Emperor Tianqi and Empress Zhang? Therefore, Queen Zhang is his legal mother.
Generally speaking, unless Zhu Cihong was alone with Queen Zhou, he would not call Queen Zhou his mother, but his aunt.
Zhu Youjian knew that Empress Zhang loved Zhu Cixiang very much. If she was asked to choose the niece, she would be letting Zhu Cixiang make the decision himself.
This is not possible!
Just when I was thinking of this, Queen Zhang's voice came from outside: "How is my nephew doing today? Are you feeling better?"
Empress Zhang knew that Zhu Cixiang was awake last night, but in order not to disturb his rest, she did not come to visit. She personally cooked chicken rice porridge for Zhu Cixiang early this morning, and now she brought her to see Zhu Cixiang. .
"In reply to your Majesty," Huang Dabao's voice continued, "I am in good spirits today and there is nothing serious... Long Live Master is talking to me inside now."
"What? Long Live Lord is here too?" Queen Zhang's voice sounded surprised.
After all, Zhu Youjian is Zhu Cixiang's biological father, and he is also the emperor. If he wants to see Zhu Cixiang, he should have someone come to announce it. Why did he come here by himself? Could it be that Zhu Cixi's illness has not been cured yet?
Thinking of this, she said to Huang Dabao: "Go and report it quickly!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Youjian and Zhu Cixiang, father and son, had already come out to greet her.
Seeing Empress Zhang, Zhu Cixiang hurriedly bowed and saluted, "My son, I sincerely wish my mother a happy life."
Seeing that Zhu Cixiang was really fine, Empress Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a kind face: "Ping Shen Ping Shen, Brother Chun, it's cold here. You are weak. Don't catch a cold again. Come to the house quickly." ...My mother also cooked chicken juice porridge for you to replenish your health."
Zhu Youjian accompanied Queen Zhang to Duanben Palace and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, Brother Chun is fine, his body and bones are fine!"
Empress Zhang saw the joy on Zhu Youjian's face and frowned, "Why is your Majesty so happy?"
Zhu Youjian laughed and said: "I came here to discuss the wedding with Brother Chun... Brother Chun is not young anymore, it's time to choose a concubine for him."
Empress Zhang stopped, looked at the tall and strong Zhu Cixiang, and nodded: "Brother Chun has indeed reached the age of marriage...Brother Chun, is there a girl you like? "
Just as Zhu Cixiang was about to nod, Zhu Youjian next to him coughed: "Parents have always made the final decision on marriage matters. How can we listen to Brother Chun, a child?"
Zhu Cixiang hurriedly agreed: "What the father said is absolutely true. Children and ministers all listen to the mother... Whoever the mother says is who."
When he said this, he kept winking at Queen Zhang.
Of course Queen Zhang understood what Zhu Cihong meant, so she just nodded: "Then I have to choose one carefully for Brother Chun."
Zhu Youjian smiled and did not comment, but he, Queen Zhang and Zhu Cixi took their seats in the main hall of Duanben Palace first. After the eunuch of the palace served tea to the three of them, Zhu Youjian said slowly: "Of course you must listen to your parents about marriage, but the emperor's nephew is the foundation of a country. If nothing happens, the concubine he chooses will be the future." The mother of the country...I think it should be strictly assessed!"
Strict assessment?
"Test?" Queen Zhang was also confused, "Your Majesty, you mean to choose, right?"
She had never heard of concubine selection, but never of concubine examination, so Empress Zhang thought that Zhu Youjian meant to choose a concubine for Zhu Cihong.
"What I mean is to take the test!" Zhu Youjian said seriously, "We must pass the test and select the woman who scores best among Brother Chun's companions as the nephew's concubine."
What?
Empress Zhang and Zhu Cixi were both stunned...Why do marriages require exams? Is Zhu Cihong choosing a concubine or a top pick?
It took a while before Queen Zhang came to her senses: "Your Majesty, what do you want those accompanying readers to test?"
"Whatever you study will be tested!" Zhu Youjian asked Zhu Cixiang with a smile, "What those companion readers learned should be similar to what you learned, right?"
"It's almost the same, but..." Zhu Cixiang frowned, as if he was wondering who among his twelve companions read the best books?
His best friend Wu Sanmei seemed a bit clumsy. Apart from her outstanding martial arts skills, she was not very good at anything else.
Zheng Chagu, that little rich woman, is smart and has good grades in all subjects... Her father is Zheng Zhilong, the richest man in the Ming Dynasty. Marrying her will help him open a bank in the southeast.
And the "White Snake" from Yangzhou (named Bai Xiu Niang, a daughter of the salt merchant Bai family, Zhu Cixiang nicknamed her "White Snake") is also very smart, as good as Zheng Chagu. Her father, Bai Yulong, is the richest man in Yangzhou and the leader of Huaiyang salt merchants. His family's financial resources are not much worse than Zheng Zhilong's.
Shen Tingyang's youngest daughter Shen Qian is also good, no worse than Zheng Chagu, "White Lady" and Shen Qian... Shen Qian is considered to be first-class in terms of education and family financial resources.
As for the other eight companions, they all seem to come from wealthy families. They are all daughters of Shanxi Shanxi merchants, Southeast maritime merchants and Yangzhou salt merchants...
Thinking of this, Zhu Cixi already felt that something was wrong...Does this father want to take an exam to choose a concubine, or does he want to put the seat of his great nephew and concubine up for auction?
Just as he thought of this, Zhu Youjian had already spoken, "Brother Chun, I know you are very much in favor of taking an exam to select a concubine!"
Why do I agree so much? Zhu Cixiang couldn't figure it out... The candidate he had in mind for his niece was actually the silly and sweet Wu Sanmei! But how did this silly Baitian pass the exam to be the concubine?
"Your Majesty," Zhu Cixiang asked tentatively, "who will preside over this concubine selection examination and who will mark the examination papers?"
Zhu Youjian glanced at Zhu Cixiang and said to himself: Do you want to help Wu Sanmei cheat? I won't give you this chance!
"Of course I personally hosted it!" Zhu Youjian laughed, "Brother Chun, you can't believe me, can you?"
"Of course I can trust my father." How dare Zhu Cixiang say that he doesn't trust Zhu Youjian? What he can do now is to help Wu Sanmei, a scumbag, review her homework...
...
"What? Your Majesty wants to use an examination to select a concubine for Brother Chun?"
After Zhu Youjian returned to Wansheng Palace, he told his wife, Queen Zhou, about his method of selecting a concubine for Zhu Cihong. Queen Zhou was also shocked. Such a selection method was unheard of!
"Haha, is this a good idea?" Zhu Youjian said with a smile, "This dynasty often emphasizes virtue rather than talent when selecting concubines for princes. It is difficult for the selected concubines to become the king's help!"
Queen Zhou was not happy when she heard this, and looked at Zhu Youjian aggrievedly, "Are you dissatisfied with this incompetent queen like me?"
"Why did the queen say this?" Zhu Youjian quickly explained, "I am making plans for Brother Chun and the future kings, princes and vassals of the Ming Dynasty!"
Empress Zhou said with a long face, "Does Your Majesty want to select a group of concubines like Wu Liangha for Brother Chun and his brothers?"
Zhu Youjian knew that his wife was jealous of the great concubine Wu Liangha... This concubine was already over 40, and her beauty had long been out of the question, but she was still favored. Zhu Youjian every year I have to go to Jinlianchuan Grassland to meet her in the summer.
Zhu Youjian still smiled and said to Queen Zhou: "Brother Chun is both civil and military, and his intelligence and bravery are not inferior to mine. It doesn't matter if he doesn't have the help of a good concubine... But I have other sons! Many of them People are going to be sealed as kings, and they may not have Brother Chun's abilities, so it is very necessary to borrow strength from their wives and even their in-laws. So I want to establish a system for selecting concubines through examinations starting from Brother Chun."
