Rebirth of the High Family's Beloved

Although Xie Chengyin didn't quite understand what it meant to be the first person to try something new, he knew that Qiu Yuzhu's business philosophy was absolutely effective.

So whether it was holding an art exhibition or recruiting talents, he took it seriously to heart.

Although making money is not his primary goal, why not make money if there is money to be made?

As the incident of the beautiful buttocks picture gradually subsided, the matter of the prince's selection of a concubine began to be put on the agenda.

The current Crown Prince Shen Zhaoyong is the only son of Empress Hua Ning of Emperor Tianqing. Not only is he the eldest son of the emperor, he is also a gentle and elegant person with great ambitions and handsome looks. He has always been the preferred candidate for succession in the mind of Emperor Tianqing.

But since ten years ago, the health of the originally healthy prince began to deteriorate. At first, he had a slight cough, and later his body became increasingly weak.

Emperor Tianqing sought out many famous doctors, but they only said that it was a weakness he had brought from the womb and needed to be taken care of.

Emperor Tianqing didn't believe it, but he couldn't find anything, so he could only arrange for the imperial physician to treat the prince with the best medicine. So many years passed, and although the prince's condition did not improve, at least his life was safe.

Although the Crown Prince is already 26 years old, he has been in poor health in recent years and has put the matter of marrying on hold. Even the Second Prince has married a wife before him.

Shen Zhaoyong himself didn't care much about getting married. He knew that his health was not good and he didn't know how long he would live, so he was afraid of delaying the girl's life.

Upon learning that the list of candidates for the Crown Princess had been sent to the palace, Shen Zhaoyong stood in front of the window of Chonghua Palace and coughed heavily twice.

His originally pale face turned even paler. The eunuch Rong Jing quickly took the cloak and put it on Shen Zhaoyong, and then closed the half-open window.

"Your Highness, you have just gotten better. You should go back and rest. Don't get caught in the wind."

Rong Jing was about to go forward to help Shen Zhaoyong, but Shen Zhaoyong raised his hand to stop him. His voice was calm but with a hint of desire, "No need, I want to go out for a walk."

It was a sunny day outside, and the warm spring sunshine filled the yard with warmth.

Shen Zhaoyong took the first step out of the door, took a deep breath, and felt a lot more relaxed all over. He hadn't been out for a long time since he attended a morning court a few days ago, and he was almost getting moldy staying in the house.

He curled his lips and smiled, feeling the warmth of spring, and his pace became much lighter.

Rong Jing followed behind Shen Zhaoyong, keeping an eye on his condition. He couldn't remember the last time he saw his master so happy.

Shen Zhaoyong walked slowly around the yard twice, and his mental state was better than when he stayed in the house.

"Rong Jing, do you know who are the candidates for the Crown Princess election?"

Rong Jing lowered his head and thought for a while, recalling the news he heard from the whispers of the young eunuchs a few days ago.

"I don't know exactly who they are, but I heard that His Majesty only selected twelve noble ladies to enter the palace, and let Your Highness choose from them during the election."

Shen Zhaoyong looked up at the sun that was already setting in the west, chewing on Rong Jing's words, "I'm afraid the emperor has already decided on the twelve."

Shen Zhaoyong knew that the twelve women who were chosen to enter the palace were all either rich or noble women in Dongdu. Not only were their status and position worthy of him, the Crown Prince, but they could also stabilize his precarious position as the Crown Prince.

Ever since he fell ill, he knew that he would not be able to stay on the throne of the crown prince for long. Many ministers in the court had begun to favor his second brother, Shen Zhaoyan. If he were not the eldest son, the throne of the crown prince would have been replaced long ago.

But now Shen Zhaoyan is also a legitimate son. His mother is the current Empress Xiao, and his uncle is the current Prime Minister. It can be said that most of the civil officials in the court are supporters of Shen Zhaoyan.

Then, his Crown Princess would most likely come from a family of military commanders.

Shen Zhaoyong's guess was consistent with what Emperor Tianqing thought. Emperor Tianqing had long seen the ambition of his second son. In the past, he had only made moves in secret, but now they were out in the open.

One of them is to marry a girl from the Xiao family.

However, in order to stabilize the court and prevent the fight for the throne from escalating, he must choose a capable princess consort for his eldest son to secure his position as crown prince.

Emperor Tianqing sat in front of the desk in Mingyi Palace, looking at the list of candidates for the Crown Princess with a frown on his face.

After layers of screening, a large number of beauties on the list were eliminated. After further consideration by him, only the twelve people on the current list remained.

Yao Yin, the eldest daughter of Marquis Changning, Cheng Zhen, the eldest daughter of Marquis Chengwu, Zhao Yunlan, the eldest granddaughter of Duke Yingguo, Jiang Yun, the eldest granddaughter of Duke Chengen, He Jie, the youngest daughter of General Xuanwu, Song Qingqing, the second daughter of Duke Taishi, Xiao Yizhui, the second daughter of Prime Minister Xiao, Liu Yan, the only daughter of Grand Tutor Liu, Qiu Fuqiu, the niece of Concubine Qiu, Jin Qiqi, the eldest daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Fang Suhua, the sister of General Huwei, and Meng Xingyun, the granddaughter of General Zhuguo.

It is true that they are all noble ladies from aristocratic families, and they all have huge families behind them. No matter which one of them becomes the Crown Princess, she will be a help to the Crown Prince.

Emperor Tianqing took a red pen and went over the names on the list one by one, crossing out Xiao Yizhui's name first.

The Xiao family is already too powerful. If the daughter of the Xiao family is made the Crown Princess, then the Shen family's empire will probably be ruled by the Xiao family.

The next ones to be crossed out were Zhao Yunlan, Meng Xingyun, Liu Yan, and Song Qingqing. Although these people's families seemed prosperous, they were actually hollow inside. They only held empty positions under the protection of the imperial power. If they really had to go through a fight for the throne in the future, they would not be able to show any strength at all.

Yao Yin and Cheng Zhen were also crossed out because I heard that their fathers and brothers were on good terms with the second prince.

In the end, only five people were left: Jiang Yun, He Jie, Qiu Fuqiu, Jin Qiqi and Fang Suhua.

Jiang Yun's parents are both deceased, and only his grandfather Jiang Weizhi is still alive. It is said that he had been to the battlefield when he was young.

Although He Jie was born in a military general's family, she was a real lady from a noble family, well-educated, gentle and lovely.

Qiu Fuqiu had a mother who was rich enough to rival a country. Emperor Tianqing had met her once at Concubine Qiu's place. She had a lively personality.

Jin Qiqi's father was in charge of the Ministry of War, so he was not suppressed by the Prime Minister, but his official position was not high enough.

Fang Suhua was born into a family of military generals. She was well-educated, practiced martial arts, and was as brave as any other man.

Comparing these five people, Fang Suhua is the most suitable candidate.

Emperor Tianqing closed the roster, "Yang Zhao."

Yang Zhao, the chief eunuch beside Emperor Tianqing, came forward, bowed and said, "Your servant is here."

"Send the order down, tell Jiang Yun, He Jie, Qiu Fuqiu, and Fang Suhua to come to the palace in three days, and let the Crown Prince choose the Crown Princess."

Yang Zhao accepted the order, bowed and withdrew, and sent people to the four families to announce the decree.

Upon learning that only four people were left out of the twelve, Queen Xiao Ling glanced at the eunuch who came to deliver the message, with a sharp look that seemed to want to eat someone.

"You said that Yizhu was also eliminated?"

The young eunuch knelt on the ground and lowered his body as low as possible, not daring to look up at the person at the top.

She trembled as she said, "I heard that Eunuch Yang had sent someone to pass on the imperial edict, and the name of Second Miss Xiao was not on it."

Xiao Ling snorted coldly, and the chill in his lips frightened the palace maids in Chaofeng Palace.

"You chose to remove my daughter from the Xiao family, but kept the widow's daughter from the Qiu family. Your Majesty's heart is really unpredictable."