Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 113 Little Queen

The selection of concubines has come to an end.

The girl from the Xia family was selected into the palace along with 999 other girls.

According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, regardless of whether these one thousand girls would be chosen as concubines or not, they would stay in the palace and become palace maids.

As for whether or not one can become a concubine, further selection is needed.

The girls from the Xia family, like other young girls, will be carefully screened by female officials until three hundred are selected.

Whether it is the body shape, appearance or walking gait, they must all be superior.

The girl from the Xia family obviously met all the requirements, so she was kept in the palace for a month along with the other 299 girls to observe whether she had a gentle and virtuous temperament.

Then, fifty girls will be selected based on one month of observation.

According to the old rules, the empress dowager or the concubine dowager would select three people, and then the emperor would select the empress from these three, and the other two would usually be appointed as imperial concubines.

The other forty-seven girls among the fifty will also be made concubines.

However, this time Zhu Houzhao was only willing to have three concubines, and he wanted to choose them himself, on the grounds that they were young and needed to restrain themselves.

Therefore, the selection of concubines this time is also different.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the fifty girls standing in front of him and didn't know how to choose for a moment. At first glance, they were all beautiful, and at second glance, they were all pretty and delicate!
But in the end, a girl bit her cherry lips and attracted Zhu Houzhao's attention when she raised her eyes.

This girl was from the Xia family, but at this time a girl with a melon-seed face in the southeast also attracted Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao didn't know who to choose as the successor, so he had to stop for a moment.

A beautiful woman is unforgettable at first sight, but only those who are truly attractive are the best among all. Zhu Houzhao finally walked up to the girl from the Xia family and gave her the queen's token.

The Xia family girl panicked a little, with a hint of fear in her eyes, and asked, "Brother Emperor, will you eat Xiang'er?"

Zhu Houzhao then realized that the girl's name was Xiang'er. Seeing her innocence and a hint of panic, he smiled and said, "I won't eat you! I will let you live in my heart!"

The young Queen Xia Xiang'er originally went to Beijing with a trace of fear and worry. She was afraid that the Emperor of Ming Dynasty was really a devil who killed people without blinking. She was afraid that the Emperor of Ming Dynasty was really a sex-hungry ghost with dry bones and skinny eyes. But until she couldn't help but look up just now, she found that the emperor wearing the crown turned out to be a fair-skinned young man, very handsome!

Now that Zhu Houzhao said this, the little queen couldn't help but smile with dimples. She took the token from Zhu Houzhao and clasped her hands together to express her gratitude.

Queen Mother Zhang, who was sitting in the back, couldn't help but smile. For some reason, she suddenly remembered that on a day like this more than ten years ago, the young man said that she was very beautiful!
The sunlight shone through the palace walls, and Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but wipe away her tears, but she did so because she was happy.

Zhu Houzhao did not show as much joy as Empress Dowager Zhang. He admitted that these girls were pretty, each of them was stunning, and seemed to have developed prematurely, with standard lolita faces and charming figures.

But Zhu Houzhao could still see the innocence in their eyes. He really couldn't imagine having sex with these girls, and he even felt guilty just thinking about it.

The girl with the oval face was also chosen by Zhu Houzhao. She was given the surname Su and was made a noble concubine.

Another girl with a plump and well-proportioned figure and skin as white as snow was also chosen by Zhu Houzhao. Her surname was Liu and she was made a noble concubine.

Zhu Houzhao only selected three and did not choose any more.

Next, of course, is the day when the Ministry of Rites will submit the imperial edict and hold the wedding.

Zhu Houzhao held his wedding with the young queen according to the rules of the Ming Dynasty.

On the wedding day, when Zhu Houzhao came to the western warm room of the Qianqing Palace, he saw a girl sitting on the imperial bed decorated in bright red. That girl was the little queen.

Zhu Houzhao found it quite interesting, so he picked up the scale and lifted the red veil. But the little queen did not seem happy, she pouted in grievance and frowned.

"what happened?"

Zhu Houzhao asked.

“It’s too heavy!”

The little queen pointed to the phoenix crown on her head.

Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but laugh. He stood up and took off the little queen's phoenix crown full of gems and pearls: "Don't you know how to take it off yourself?"

"I dare not take it without the Emperor's permission!"

The little queen replied.

Zhu Houzhao was unable to refute for a moment. After clapping his hands, Ruyi came with a group of palace maids to serve him.

Half an hour later, Zhu Houzhao finished washing and lay down on the bed, while the little queen still sat in front of the mirror and let Ruyi wipe her freshly washed hair.

Zhu Houzhao could not help but take a closer look at the little queen who had taken off her bridal veil and was only wearing a layer of gauze. He saw that her profile was as smooth as a crescent moon, her skin was as crystal clear as an ice sculpture, and her black hair was like a peach in March.

After drying her hair, the little queen climbed onto the bed shyly and sat in front of Zhu Houzhao without moving.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Houzhao stood up and let the little queen sleep next to him.

The little queen crawled over and inside Zhu Houzhao, then lay down flat on her back. Her thick, black hair fell on the pillow, and the smell of rose soap filled Zhu Houzhao's nose.

The little queen stared at Zhu Houzhao with her big eyes, and Zhu Houzhao was also looking at her. Seeing her well-proportioned long legs pressed tightly together, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

But in the end, Zhu Houzhao gritted his teeth and covered the quilt, all the beauty was covered up, and he lay down flat: "Go to sleep!"

The night was silent and soundless. The clouds under the vast Milky Way slid across the sky of the Forbidden City, gradually bringing the second day's light to the whole world.

The red candles were not yet burnt out, but their brilliant light had already filled the entire palace.

Zhu Houzhao opened his sleepy eyes. The little queen was still asleep, with a smile on her lips, looking quite enjoying herself. He immediately realized that she might be dreaming.

Zhu Houzhao had no choice but to gently take away the little queen's hand.

Then, Zhu Houzhao quietly blew out the red candle. Seeing that Ruyi had also gotten up and was about to come over, he waved his hand and said, "No need to come in. Let's go outside to wash up and let her sleep a little longer so as not to wake her up."

At one point, Zhu Houzhao had finished washing and exercising, and after bathing again, he returned to the outer room of the western warm pavilion of the Qianqing Palace to read memorials.

Meanwhile, the young queen had gotten up and washed up without her noticing. She was wearing a queen's dress that was two sizes larger than her. Her long skirt was trailing behind her. Her phoenix crown was swaying as she walked over with a cup of tea in her hand. "Brother Emperor, please have some tea."

"careful!"

Zhu Houzhao saw that her little body was unsteady and her little feet were stepping on the hem of her skirt, so he quickly reminded her.

But as soon as Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, the little queen fell to the ground with a cry of surprise, breaking the teacup and knocking over the phoenix crown. Her black hair was scattered, and her red skirt was like a blooming flower. Her mouth was slightly raised, and her eyes were filled with tears: "My butt hurts!"

Zhu Houzhao just thought it was cute, smiled, and personally helped the queen up.

(End of this chapter)