The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Li Zong bowed respectfully to the emperor and loudly relayed his words to everyone.

The examiners, who knew that this old man had a bad temper and had to treat him with caution, had not had time to speak when a candidate with an indignant look on his face jumped out and said, "Your Majesty, I was studying at home today, but the officials from Jingzhao Prefecture suddenly came to my house and said that I was involved in a cheating case in the Spring Examination and needed to defend myself. That's why I hurried over here."

The candidate was not too old. The emperor took one look at him and remembered that his surname was Jiang and he was from Langchuan. He was the eighteenth place in this examination. He was also eighteen years old and was also a young talent. He was only slightly inferior to his wife's sister... maybe... three or four points.

Moreover, I am a little impetuous and impulsive, which needs to be polished.

If everyone could be like Lim Guan Eng, who is knowledgeable and capable of doing practical work, and could immediately take up his post after being appointed, and could do the work of three people at once, that would be great......

The emperor's smile was very deceptive to those who were not familiar with his nature. He asked the same question to all the candidates in a gentle tone and received similar answers. At the same time, he also comforted the hearts of those candidates who were inexplicably accused of cheating, and made the failed candidates who were impulsively involved in the demonstration feel guilty.

However, no one could notice that the slightly upturned corners of the emperor's lips were mixed with a kind of slightly malicious enjoyment.

When Xie Yuzhen came over with the empress's procession in a swagger, she saw him being so "close to the people", and then looked back at herself - the Yulin Guards led the way, and female officials and eunuchs accompanied them. There was no shortage of phoenix carriages, feather fans, and canopies and flags, and this was in addition to the reductions that had been made to prevent the square in front of the Imperial Examination Hall from being too crowded.

no way.

Xie Yu really liked this kind of pomp, especially when she was about to face a "big battle", as more people meant more power, and...she looked back at the lowered curtain of the phoenix carriage and the vague figure inside. With more people, it would be easier for her to fish in troubled waters. If something unexpected happened to today's plan, there would be plenty of manpower and enough space for Lin Qiao to escape and lie dormant before planning for the future.

Since becoming the queen, Xie Yuzhen rarely left the palace.

There was no rule in this dynasty that once a concubine of the palace was forbidden to set foot outside the palace for the rest of her life. However, if one wanted to leave the palace, one had to first submit an application to the emperor, empress, or queen dowager. After the latter approved it, they would ask the Shanggong Bureau to prepare a travel team for the concubine before they could leave the palace.

As for the queen wanting to leave the palace, she only needed to say hello to the empress dowager symbolically and then seek the emperor's consent.

Ever since Empress Dowager Hu was angered by the Second Prince, she has become less and less willing to take care of the affairs of the harem. Previously, she was only unwilling to take care of the affairs of the concubines, but now she is even too lazy to care about the emperor's few heirs. However, before Xie Yuzhen left the palace, he still sent his daughter to the old lady. Although Empress Dowager Hu is old and very lazy, she is still a force that cannot be ignored for the emperor and the previous dynasty.

Yuanjun was already her favorite granddaughter before. Now that none of the princes are promising, she naturally has to seize the opportunity to become the old lady's favorite and most valued grandchild.

Following a loud and clear voice: "The Queen has arrived."

While the scene of "harmony between the emperor and the people" was broken, everyone present had to kneel down again.

Xie Yuzhen tucked up her red skirt, and a phoenix flapped its wings on her high bun, ready to fly. The string of pearls in the phoenix's mouth fell right on her forehead, and the pearls emitting warm light and the brightly colored flower ornaments complemented each other.

She is beautiful, but does not quite conform to the stereotype held by some scholars that the mother of the nation should be dignified, gentle and amiable.

From head to toe, Empress Xie was filled with a majesty that stung some people's eyes and bodies. She showed her aggression to everyone present without any scruples. The way she walked was not at all dignified and graceful, with her skirt fluttering and her rings and pendants swaying, making people feel that she was not a human woman, but a torrent of gold and red, or a strange beast from the ancient ferocious legends, patrolling dangerously among the crowd.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Xie Yu's arrival was like a mountain torrent that pushed away the crowd. She came before the emperor, greeted him, and then called up the kneeling people in a cold voice.

The emperor, who had known that Xie Yuzhen would come at this time, acted as innocent as a blank sheet of paper: "Why is Xianming here?"

"I heard from my subordinates that there is a great deal of hustle and bustle outside the Imperial Examination Hall. It is rare to see this even in a thousand years." She smiled at the emperor, and then slowly glanced at the candidates.

Xie Yuzhen was one of the tallest people in this era, whether men or women. So when she looked at the people who bowed their heads with a nonchalant yet pressured look, the first thing she saw was a group of heads that were either black, white, or a mixture of black and white. "You are all well-read people, but when you encounter something like this, why do you ignore the advice of the sages and start to make trouble by forming cliques?"

The emperor and the empress.

One is gentle, the other is tough.

Xie Yuzhen didn't mind leaving an impression of being too cold and strong in the eyes of others. Rather, she needed this kind of toughness to consolidate her own dignity. Only by being cold and cruel enough could she prevent these men who always looked down on women from treating her orders as a casual joke, and only then could she make them learn to bow to her as they respect and fear the emperor.

As for whether the emperor's image would make them want to get closer to him than himself...

It's so funny. If the emperor has fallen to the point where he has to treat people with kindness in order to win their hearts, doesn't that just prove that he has already monopolized power?

However, Xie Yuzhen was still very satisfied with the emperor's slightly "weak" concession to him in public. Even though they were not a loving couple who understood each other's feelings, Xie Yuzhen still decided to give him a little sweetness after this matter was over.

Even though he was so cold, arrogant and aggressive, the emperor still felt that the person he loved was really dazzling today, so he seemed to have no temper at all and agreed: "Although the censors of this dynasty have the power to report things upon hearing rumors, the fact of fraud is really groundless and has not been verified. However, they were able to gather so many candidates to the Imperial Academy and threaten the superiors... I find it very strange."

He spoke in a soft tone, and the veteran officials who had been in officialdom for a long time began to shiver as if they were being gored by a dark and crawling poisonous snake. However, the candidates who did not know that this emperor was a sinister person only felt that when the emperor faced the empress, was a little too, that's what.

Yuan Juren was filled with grief and indignation for his talent being unappreciated. Seeing that the "sage monarch" in his mind was so blinded by a woman and did not mention Lin Qiao's deception, he finally couldn't help it and jumped out immediately: "Your Majesty, I am guilty of death!"