female concubine

Hanging Palace

Liu Miaoyi presented the drafted prefix to the emperor, and after getting approval, the servants sent it to the capital hall to sign, while she still hesitated at the emperor's desk and did not return to her seat.

The emperor said: "Liu Sheren's literary talents are not weaker than those of the university scholars, and now he is also handy in political affairs."

Seeing that the emperor didn't answer, he raised his head, "Is there anything else?"

"I went to He Taichangqing's residence yesterday..."

"Tai Changqing?" The emperor put down the memorandum in his hand, "Oh, you are close to San Niang of the He family."

"I saw Mrs. Hexi County climbing up the eaves of the backyard yesterday in the courtyard of He Zhai. The snow on the roof of the house was wet and slippery..."

"Oh," the emperor stared at Liu Miaoyi's left hand, "couldn't the injury on Qing's left arm be done in the Hou's mansion?"

"I'm worried about my wife's accident, so I entered the Hou's mansion in the name of the official," Liu Miaoyi knelt and said, "I also ask the official to come down."

The emperor leaned on the armrest and stood up, bowed his waist and helped Liu Miaoyi up, "Fortunately, Qing injured her left arm, but she is a martial artist, do you know?"

Liu Miaoyi lowered her head, "I don't know, but what I know is that she is a woman."

Before Liu Miaoyi could speak, the emperor guessed what she was thinking, "Do you want to plead for her?"

"I think, becoming a queen is not what she wants..."

"How much do you know about her?" The emperor interrupted her, "She has no one she cares about, including her own relatives. All she does is just for fun, so she has no weakness."

The emperor stared at Liu Miaoyi's astonished eyes, "However, I can allow you to enter and leave the Marquis's residence freely. As for taking her out, I need your guarantee, but not now."

"I will prove to the officials that she is not a heartless person."

The emperor sat back on the throne, leaning on the desk and said with a smile: "Then look forward to the good news from Liu Sheren."

---------------------------------

In late December of the 12th year of Qianyuan, the emperor issued an edict to dismiss the priests, and their duties returned to the Taipu Temple, which was in charge of the horse administration and the Cheyu administration.

At the end of the year, the Ministry of Households submitted accounting records and annual expenditures. In the name of the Ministry of Households, the Secretary of the Ministry of Accounts requested disarmament to reduce military expenses. The emperor did not reply and summoned the Secretary of the Ministry of War, Han Si, to discuss in the Chuigong Hall.

"The Ministry of Households issued an annual budget, saying that military expenditures accounted for [-]% of national expenditures, but I want to send troops to the Northern Liao Dynasty within five years. After several years of reforms, the treasury is not short of money now. When the army is disarmed and recruited again, the combat power will definitely decline. For a while."

"What the Household Department said is for the sake of the people's livelihood. Disarmament has advantages and disadvantages, but I think it is appropriate."

"How appropriate?"

"Reducing the relatively weak Xiang army, in addition to reducing military expenditures, can also make Beiliao feel that the country has no intention of attacking and cannot afford military expenditures, so it will disarm the army, thus making Beiliao let down its vigilance. Judging from the attitude of several major court meetings in Beiliao I am afraid that the interior of the Northern Liao Dynasty is not very peaceful, and the emperor of the Northern Liao Dynasty does not have the ambition to rule the world like the official family."

"Yeluming is the eldest son of the emperor who has been favored since he was a child. He can get what he wants. He doesn't know how hard it is to conquer the country, and he doesn't know the difficulty of defending the country. He reported that he is not close to women but drinks all day long and ignores the government. , with a violent temperament and drunkenness, he often swung his sword and slashed left and right, which made the attendants in the tent fearful every day."

"Your Majesty can decree to screen all the Xiang armies and the Gyeonggi forbidden army, and only cut down the old and weak soldiers, leaving the elite and strong generals."

"Let's leave it to the Ministry of War. The elite troops still need to be trained, and there is also the selection of sharpshooters to expand the Divine Machine Battalion."

"Yes."

--------------------------

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the 13th year of Qianyuan, there was a Lantern Festival in the Shangyuan period. There were Taoist priests in the palace discussing Taoism.

On the terrace in front of the Xuande Building, there were two burly inner-class wrestlers wrestling with each other in a fierce sumo match. The evening wind blew up the colorful flags erected on both sides of the platform, and the bursts of drums accompanied the shouts of wrestlers. .

Liu Miaoyi, a member of Neishe, was praised by the emperor for her impromptu inscription in front of the imperial court, and was praised by the empress dowager for making cakes herself. Compared with the fierce hand-to-hand combat downstairs, Xuande upstairs seemed like a happy family.

"Neishe people are not only outstanding in their literary talents, but they also have such good craftsmanship." After tasting the pastry, Queen Mother Li was full of praise.

"Thank you for your praise, the Empress Dowager."

"Your Majesty, you haven't tasted what the Empress made." The emperor took a small plate containing pastries and handed it to Empress Dowager Li himself.

"The old man sees that the sun is coming out from the west, and the officials are willing to take out things that are regarded as treasures." After tasting it, Queen Mother Li said, "The queen's craftsmanship is indeed good, but it is a little worse than Liu Sheren."

"Mother..."

Xiao Youqing pulled the emperor who was about to speak and turned around, "The courtiers and concubines only do something to pass the time when they are free, and they are no match for Liu Sheren, so the officials hold them as treasures."

The emperor turned his head and stared at Xiao Youqing with a smile and said, "I take it as a treasure, just because my sister made it, that's all."

"His Royal Highness, the Prime Minister's Sixth Palace, is busy with affairs. It's not like the minister who has nothing to do all day long. The minister has been idle for more than [-] years. Apart from reading, all he has to do is eat and drink."

"It's not as good as it is. I don't care so much about the difference between high and low."

"Your Highness is both civil and military. Regardless of poetry, the hunting last winter really impressed and admired me. It also made me see that women can be so heroic on horseback."

He was even more happy to hear that the emperor was praised more than those who were admired, "Since both the empress and the sage said so, I can't say nothing at all. What does Liu Sheren want?"

Liu Miaoyi looked up at the emperor, "Your Majesty, can I do anything?"

The emperor nodded, "As long as I can give it, I will not refuse it."

Liu Miaoyi rolled up the sleeves of her official robe, "I want to be alone."

The emperor glanced at Xiao Youqing who was beside him, then leaned on the armrest of the chair and asked, "Who does Qing want?"

"On the Yuan Festival, I want Mrs. Xihe County."

The courtiers were all in the curtain downstairs of Xuande, and on the two sides of the throne upstairs were only the princesses and other wives, and the wife of Xihe County was also authorized to sit beside her in the dress of the wives.

Nei Sheren's words made all the elder princesses turn their eyes curiously. Mrs. Wuzang did not feel surprised but raised her hands inside her sleeves and covered her face with a smile, "Sisters, my concubine didn't seduce Nei Sheren, why not?" It’s embarrassing to have such gazes.”

"Ms. Jun will be embarrassed? It's really rare."

Mrs. Wuzang still smiled, and then turned cold and looked at the scarlet-robed female official in front of the throne, puzzled.

The emperor looked sideways at the row of wives on the right, "Do you want to hide Mrs.?"

"Shangyuan Baisi is closed, and I just want my wife to accompany me to the lantern festival."

The emperor raised his hand and knocked on the armrest of the throne, "All the wives inside and outside the country are under the supervision of the sage. You have to ask the sage about this matter."

Liu Miaoyi paid homage to the man, "His Royal Highness, please fulfill me."

"Liu Sheren knows me, and I never like to force others." Xiao Youqing waved to the side, and the young servant stepped forward and bowed. She crossed her hands and said, "Madam Wuzang, Your Highness the Queen invites you to go over."

"His Royal Highness?" Wuzang Sirou propped his head on the desk, "Can Sirou not go?"

"Ma'am, don't be joking, this is the teaching of Her Royal Highness the Queen."

"What if I don't want to go? Please go and tell Her Majesty the Queen that I will not go until Her Majesty's imperial edict orders me to go."

"..."

"Presumptuous!" The servant suddenly changed his face, "This is the Imperial City of Tokyo, madam needs to find out her identity."

"Does the official want to say that the concubine is just a subjugated slave?"

"Mrs. Wuzang," Princess Wu Guozhang shouted sideways, "Her Royal Highness's edict is the same as that of the official family, so why bother to let the nobles go back and forth again, Madam?"

"That's different. The emperor is the emperor, and the empress is the empress. Anyway, I'm already a prisoner. Why should I abide by your rules?"

"you..."

"I'm not afraid of death."

The servant frowned, then turned around and walked back to the palace, bowed and crossed his hands and said, "Officials, saints, Your Royal Highness the Empress Dowager."

"Where's the person?" Xiao Youqing turned to see that the person in the seat was still sitting still.

The servant then cupped her hands again, "She said she would only move if called by the official."

The emperor froze: "Aren't they all the same? Whoever declares is not Xuan..."

"Let the officials let everyone know about it." Xiao Youqing took a freshly ordered tea and handed it to the emperor.

"..." The emperor reached out to take it.

The person who was burned immediately put it down very quickly, "Sister, don't you think it's hot?"

"Is it hot?"

The emperor raised his helpless hand, and immediately Qi Liu beckoned and said: "Go and call Mrs. Hexi County over here."

"Yes."

After the empress's servant left, he was replaced by the emperor's personal servant. Qi Liu walked to the Wuzang family's table wearing ordinary courtier's clothes, and saluted angrily, "The official has an order to announce that Mrs. Hexi County will go to the imperial court. "Qi Liu didn't wait for Mei Zang to get up, and turned his back to him, "It's only a saint with such a good temper who can tolerate villain's deeds."

Wuzang Sirou supported the table and stood up, then smiled and said: "Do you know why the queen calls me and I want the emperor?"

Qi Liu turned around, just gave him a cold look, and before he could speak, he laughed again and said, "Because I find that women are jealous, especially cool and good-looking women, it's very interesting."

Qi Liu turned around, "Madam, do you think too highly of me?"

Sirou did not leave the seat, "Isn't it?"

Qi Liu didn't pay attention, and went straight forward to bring him to the imperial court, "Officials, Mrs. Wuzang brought them here."

"Sirou has met Your Majesty, Your Highness the Empress, and Your Highness the Empress Dowager." Wuzang Sirou gently cupped his hands imitating the blessing ceremony in the Central Plains, and then stared straight at the emperor, "Your Majesty let Sirou see the prosperity of Sirou today. You see, your Majesty's Wenzhi martial arts, even ten Xingqing's can't compare with it."

"Didn't Liu Sheren want her?" The emperor was stunned when he heard the unreasonable words of the Wuzang family, and then looked at Liu Miaoyi, "Now you can take her away."

"Didn't the official family just want their concubines to be the masters? The talent has just arrived, but the official family seems to be eager to get out."

The emperor leaned sideways to Xiao Youqing's ear and whispered: "Sister, don't listen to her nonsense, I have only met her a few times."

Xiao Youqing tilted his head and smiled softly at the emperor, "Of course the concubine knows." Then he turned to stare at the Wuzang clan, "The Neisheren next to you begged me for you, and the Lantern Festival will last for five days, I promise you Follow her out of the Marquis Mansion, but it depends on whether you are willing or not."

No Zang Sirou touched his big sleeves, "Wearing this dress is the so-called commanding woman in the Central Plains. Her Royal Highness is the head of the world's commanding women. To whom does Your Highness want to give Si Rou? How dare Si Rou refuse to disobey the king's order?" ?”

"Presumptuous!" the servant scolded.

Xiao Youqing raised his hand, said with a cold face: "Mrs. Wuzang's words seem to be difficult for me."

"Sirou dare not."

"..."