Xiyuan, the queen's palace.
Zhu Yijun and Queen Du were sitting across from each other across an ice tripod, each eating watermelon.
At the same time, both of them were listening carefully to the report from the female official Ninth Girl Xu Weizhen on the palace entrance examination.
This Xu Weizhen was a descendant of Xu Jie, but because she betrayed the clan, she was no longer tolerated by the outside world, so Zhu Yijun took her into the palace to work.
Now Xu Weizhen is not only a professor of women's studies, but also the deputy examiner of the entire palace entrance examination.
The queen is the examiner.
Therefore, after Yu Bailu came to Huang Min and said that examinations should not be used to select new nobles in the harem, Huang Min reported it to Xu Weizhen first, and Xu Weizhen reported the matter to the emperor and empress.
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun looked at Xu Weizhen: "What do you think about this?"
Xu Weizhen was slightly startled. She didn't expect that the emperor would ask her, so she folded her hands and bowed:
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, this happened because, firstly, girls like Yu Bailu were persecuted by the old rituals just like the ministers back then, so they no longer knew the harm and instead defended them;"
"Secondly, Yu Bailu is not a stupid person, she is even a bold person! And she also knows that the court now respects new etiquette and will not kill her for showing her personality and bluntly saying that the new system is wrong, so she dares to say so. It’s not right for a school girl to enter the palace;”
"Third, she doesn't know that His Majesty chooses concubines to choose people who can enter the palace and work for the inner court, not just people who serve, so she thinks that her words can win the emperor's heart."
"She is very scheming at such a young age, but because she probably doesn't want to fall behind others in the exam, let her continue taking the exam without pursuing anything further."
Zhu Yijun did not comment on Xu Weizhen's statement, but directly issued his order.
And Xu Weizhen raised his hand and said yes.
At this time, Zhu Yijun looked at Queen Du and said with a smile: "I'm afraid many people will get zero points in this first palace entrance examination."
"It's not your fault, Your Majesty. You have already prepared such a difficult situation. I don't know how many girls who have been educated by old etiquette will be made to cry. This Yu Bailu dares to fight."
Queen Du said with a smile at this time.
Zhu Yijun threw the watermelon rind aside at this time and said: "I hope there will be a few who do well in the exam."
"Will there be one?"
Queen Du asked.
Zhu Yijun said: "There will be!"
With that said, Zhu Yijun smiled at Queen Du and said, "Some of them have secretly communicated with me in private messages in advance, expressing in their letters that they admire the new gift."
After hearing this, Empress Du smiled and asked: "It seems that Your Majesty has already chosen a few girls?"
"I can't tell you my preference. I'm just glad that after the new etiquette was implemented from the top down, it still had some influence on the people."
"You should know that the real stubbornness of ethics and customs lies among the people."
"Many people have been subconsciously influenced to reject new things, and think that the old is right. After all, no matter how bad the old is, in the eyes of many people, it is at least traceable and predictable. If something is familiar, it will not make them uneasy; but if something new is new to the common people, they are unfamiliar and feel further away from themselves, so they will be even more uneasy."
"After all, Xinli looks at the world from the perspective of the country and the nation, not from the perspective of human relations. People can understand the monarch and ministers through their fathers and sons, but it is difficult to understand the country through their own freedom, and the country's strength when they are strong. Understand that your own attitude and behavior can affect the long-term stability of this country."
"How difficult it is to let them know that this world is not just the business of the emperor and scholar-bureaucrats!"
"So, this time I decreed the selection of concubines, not to enrich the harem, but to have more interesting women around me. In fact, I am worried that the Holy Mother of the Two Palaces and you will be wronged because there are not enough people to serve. In addition, I want to take this opportunity to gather these women from the private sector for education, and try to influence a few more women, so that I can use them to influence boudoirs and children in the future."
After Zhu Yijun said with a smile, he looked at Queen Du and held Queen Du's hand.
Empress Du smiled at him and said, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask you why you insist on introducing new rituals. Your Majesty knows that this road is not easy to follow."
"Come here with me!"
As Zhu Yijun said this, he took Empress Du to his study, pointed to a picture of the unification of the Ming Dynasty, and said: "Look, here is Nandu, here is Huaiyang, here is Suzhou and Hangzhou, here is Fujian and Guangdong, here is This is the land of Shu. This is the northwest. There are long stretches of yellow sand and solitary smoke in the desert. This is Liaodong, which has thousands of miles of frozen scenery. There is also Hokkaido, which I asked Magui to conquer not long ago. There is rich pasture and is suitable for riding horses. Watch the sunrise by the sea!”
"I understand!"
Queen Du nodded slightly, replied, and then looked at Zhu Yijun:
"Your Majesty feels that although he is the lord of the world, he is actually just the lord of a Sifang City, and the world does not seem to belong to him. He can't even look at the entire world?"
"certainly!"
Zhu Yijun replied directly, then put his hands behind his back, looked at the map he had read countless times, and said to the queen:
"When Wumiao left the palace, it was criticized by the cabinet and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Thousands of Beijing officials remonstrated with it. As a result, lives were lost, so it was able to succeed. It also gained the reputation of treating the inheritance of the ancestors as a trivial matter."
"I'm thinking, if the new etiquette can't allow me and the queen to see the world hand in hand without causing pain to the people of the world or even resenting the royal family, then why should I implement the new etiquette?"
"In other words, I am implementing the new etiquette so that I and the Queen can be freer and live more like individuals."
After Zhu Yijun said that, he looked at Du and asked:
"The queen has never set foot outside of her home and palace in her life, right?"
"When you go to Beijing, you also take a chariot and a boat."
Du Shi nodded.
Then, Empress Du smiled and said: "If His Majesty has such an idea according to the old etiquette, the concubines will also give advice. Since ancient times, when emperors traveled around the world, how could they not harm the people and money?"
"What's more, let alone an emperor, as far as I know, even if you touch the countryside, you will mobilize troops and mobilize the masses, shocking the officials, citizens, and students."
At this time, Empress Du walked to Zhu Yijun's side, folded her hands in front of her belly, looked at Zhu Yijun and said, "But now I don't need to give you any more advice to show my virtue."
"The reason is that now the royal family and nobles do not rely on the support of the people, but more on the benefits of external development. Therefore, as long as your majesty travels to benefit the people and not let the people work in vain because your majesty is out of Beijing, the common people will not If you have any grievances, I will even welcome His Majesty wholeheartedly.”
"The queen said yes!"
Zhu Yijun smiled and replied, holding Queen Du's hand again, and whispered to Queen Du:
"So, the maids serving around us must support the new ceremony!"
"Otherwise, no one knows if any accidents will happen while out of the capital to inspect the world. Don't underestimate the palace maids. The palace maids are human beings too and have their own thoughts!"
Queen Du nodded: "Yes!"
Then, Empress Du said: "Your Majesty, please don't get so close. I have hot ears."
"Is it just your ears that are hot and your body isn't hot?"
Zhu Yijun asked with a smirk.
Queen Du's face suddenly turned red and she said angrily: "Your Majesty is joking again!"
(End of chapter)
