female concubine

The crown prince walked to the front of the imperial court, knelt down and said: "Chen Weixu respectfully asks the Holy One to rest, please the saint to rest."

"After the wedding crown, you are already an adult with a family. Be a good husband and a responsible person. Don't let me and your mother down. In the future, you must behave like a father when you are a father."

"I keep in mind the teachings of Your Majesty."

Xiao Youqing got up from the throne and walked down the steps to the Crown Prince, who bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

"You grew up together as childhood sweethearts. I don't care why you treat her as love or as a relative. Now that she is married to you, she is your wife. You should love and respect her, and you should let go of the people and things in the past. "

"Son, remember."

"You have to know that no matter how deep the love is, there will be a day of chilling. Do you still remember what your mother taught you?"

Wei Xu nodded and bowed to his mother, "Don't be a heartless person, don't let a woman cry."

"Take her back. If you have nothing to do now, you should spend more time with her and focus on your home."

"Yes."

The crown prince bid farewell to his parents. The emperor sat on the throne, with gray hair on his ears, suddenly raised his eyes and called out, "Prince."

Zipao looked back puzzled, "Your Majesty?"

"A virtuous minister, far from a treacherous sycophant, I believe you will have your own judgment."

"Yes."

After the crown prince disappeared from the palace, the seriousness in the emperor's eyes gradually eased and became dull.

Xiao Youqing turned around and walked forward, "What are the officials thinking so preoccupied with?"

The emperor looked up at Xiao Youqing, "Can I trust him?"

Xiao Youqing stared at her for a while, "I know what the officials are worried about. Run away from the desire for power. What he longs for is the love between father and son."

The emperor lowered his head, "What is the relationship between father and son?"

"The officials know it, right?" Xiao Youqing looked at the emperor's lonely look, raised his eyebrows and said, "Actually, the officials also long for the late emperor's care."

"But he pushed me into the abyss step by step."

"What about now?" Xiao Youqing asked, "What about the situation between the officials and Dalang now, do the officials understand?"

"Because it was too late, I became incomprehensible, so I was afraid of the unknown. The concubine has been afraid of this day for 17 years, but ah... it is still here." Xiao Youqing lowered his hands, trembling immediately Laughing, "Officials are really the most annoying."

The emperor raised his head and opened his eyes blankly, Xiao Youqing stepped forward and stretched out his hand to caress the emperor's face, "Whether it's a son or a daughter, it's obviously all stuffed by the officials themselves."

The emperor clenched his hands in his sleeves and immediately got up from the throne, walked down the stairs, and walked to the window of the East Pavilion. Any beam of sunlight hitting his body matched his red-yellow clothes.

The emperor raised his head to cover the rising sun, which was stronger than the setting sun, and immediately touched his throat, "As long as I speak, the scene in the dungeon seems to be rooted in my mind, and I can't shake it off."

The emperor choked his throat with trembling hands, "I am not afraid of death, but once I die, the people who die with me... I dare not imagine such a scene, I can hardly see the hope of life, this suffocating I feel that suffering once in the dungeon is not enough, Prince Shu will be followed by King Zhao."

Xiao Youqing stepped forward and hugged him tightly from behind, "I know you are very sad, but what about Her Royal Highness, did the officials have no idea about Her Royal Highness before, even if it was just a glimmer of fantasy."

The emperor raised his hand and held the back of Xiao Youqing's hand, "If he wasn't my sister's son, how could I have kept him up to now." Then he turned around, "My sister also used you and me, but I don't blame her, this prince I will not abandon the crown easily if I am established. Ruhua's temperament cannot stay in this cage. Actually, I have never thought about setting up a queen princess. , I never thought," the emperor lowered his eyes coldly, "but he was used by someone with a heart. The prince was tempting me but he also withstood my temptation. Everything else is fine." The emperor held Xiao Youqing's hand, "but it's not good to be kind. , and his own thoughts, if I have 30 years left, I don’t have to worry about being persecuted by those ministers after he succeeds to the throne, but..."

"There is no but," Xiao Youqing gagged the emperor's mouth in fright, and immediately threw himself into his arms, "I used to believe in fate, but I don't believe in it now."

"That time when I was sick, the doctor Sun told you, it's hard to live long."

Xiao Youqing clutched the red-yellow skirt of his clothes, "So what if he said it, he is a doctor, not a god, and he can say for sure whether the official will live longer or not."

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In the late spring of the 14th year of Qianyuan, after the crown prince got married, he ordered the Ministry of Rites to perform an examination. The emperor ordered Liu Miaoyi, an inner servant, and Shangshu Youpushe to be the judges of tribute, which was strongly opposed by the ministers of civil and military affairs.

The remonstrance of the court of remonstrance was suppressed by the new left and right ministers ordered by the emperor, and a group of civil servants left in the court of remonstrance shook their heads and sighed.

"If Su Yu Zuo Sijian is still in the admonishment court and knows that the officials let a woman preside over the imperial examination, I am afraid that he will kneel for three days and three nights to die."

"Are you joking about your own future? Su Sijian is just too stubborn. Look at the right minister of Dutang. More than half of the ministers in the six ministers are older than him. What happened?"

"Is it true that Su Sijian won't be able to come back?"

"The official family probably won't be able to do it this time. He is about the same age as the official family. Even if he waits until the crown prince is in power, he must have reached the age to become an official."

On March 14th, [-]th year of Qianyuan, Wang Wenfu and Liu Miaoyi were selected as the tribute exams, and the tribute courtyard was locked. On March [-]th, the provincial examination was announced. .

At the beginning of February, Zhaodianzhong Province sent officials to the prefectural capitals to select female officials. The primary elections were held in the prefectural capitals, and they were sent to the capital in March to be assessed by the Secretary Province.

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On March 14, 27th year of Qianyuan, Kunning Hall.

The crabapple flowers are luxuriant, there are crabapple trees planted in the courtyard and potted plants placed beside the railings, and the lion and cat curled up on the railings and fell asleep with their tails down.

"Is there any news about the guards? Has the official come back?"

The servant approached and bowed, "Saint, the official family hasn't come back yet."

Xiao Youqing sat sideways and leaned on the vermilion lacquer railing, "I left the palace before sunrise, and it's almost sunset now."

"Maybe on the way back, why didn't the sage go with him because he was concerned about the officials?"

Xiao Youqing leaned on the railing and stared at the lion cat beside him, "Today is the anniversary of the late emperor's death, he knew that I didn't like going to that place."

"The official Yu Xiandi... logically, he should not like it."

"Kui Guang has never been a father," Xiao Youqing turned his head, "They are father and son after all."

The Taimiao, located in the north of Guanyinyuan in the South Gate Lijing Gate on the east side of the inner city of Tokyo, is surrounded by burly imperial guards, and to the north of the Taimiao is the Queen's Temple.

The carriage went east from the east gate of Jingling Palace to the front gate of the Taimiao through Qianming Temple and Chariot Courtyard. A woman dressed in plain clothes got out of the carriage, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the side of the woman's face. Time was still and peaceful. The eyes are full of softness and calmness, which makes people unable to tell the age, and only thinks that it is a kind of maturity and stability that has accumulated through the years.

In the Taimiao, Emperor Wuzong's posthumous title has increased from the original six-character posthumous name to sixteen characters in more than ten years of sacrifices, and the entire tablet is neatly engraved. Mima was sitting on the throne on the stepping bed.

The emperor knelt in front of the portrait of Yu Zhen, staring at the portrait with reddish eyes, which had somewhat similar facial features, "Perhaps father was the same as his son today. The initial dislike led to indifference, and then it was Renjun's helplessness. Only then can I understand and understand, did Dad also have a trace of pity or regret?"

The emperor remembered Wu Zong's entrustment before his death, and gradually knelt down limply, "With the yellow robe on my body, I thought I had passed the most difficult time, only to realize that the road was more rugged, but my son once told his father that if I were a king, I would have to go through the most difficult time." The three generations of the Xingguo Dynasty had a hundred years of prosperity, but my father didn't believe in it. Now... my son doesn't even believe in himself. The son doesn't know how many years he has left, and he doesn't know whether he can achieve a prosperous age. hand over the country to the prince."

After a long time, a ray of light from behind entered the main hall, changed from narrow to wide, and finally disappeared. The gate of the main hall was gently pushed open, and the Taimiao dedicated to the late emperor's god was not allowed to enter, and the woman in plain clothes stepped into the hall and knelt slowly beside the emperor. Get down, gently lift up the person lying on the ground, "It's cold on the ground."

The emperor threw himself into Xiao Youqing's arms, "Heart is like a tree with ashes, and body is like an untied boat."

Xiao Youqing was startled by the emperor's words, and immediately pulled the emperor's skirt and said coldly, "Don't you see, the grass and tears of spring in Changmen." Then he stretched out his hand to hold the emperor's face so that he could look at him, regardless of the many gods and gods beside him. Wei still stared coldly: "What do the officials think of the concubines? If the officials don't believe him, don't they even believe the concubines?"

The emperor's eyes were red, "I'm trapped here, is my sister going to be trapped here for the rest of my life?"

"Yes, the official family is trapped by this city, but isn't it the official family who trapped the courtiers and concubines?" Xiao Youqing stared at the emperor, "The humble gentleman's bow is always in the mud, isn't it always the case?" Immediately, he hugged him distressedly, "The officials can do whatever they want, and don't have to worry about what will happen a hundred years later."

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On the eve of the Cold Food Festival, every household prepares cold food. On the Empress’s birthday, a banquet is held for the wives inside and outside.

In mid-April of the 14th year of Qianyuan, the secretary province submitted the results of the assessment of new female officials to the emperor.

The servant passed the test paper brought by Secretary Cheng to the emperor, and Secretary Cheng immediately clapped his hands and played: "This time, 94 people were selected from various places, and a total of 47 people were recorded by the Secretary's Province. Among them, ten people were excellent, 17 people were second, and 19 people were third."

Listening to the words, one person seemed to be missed, "Didn't you record 47 people?"

Secretary Cheng bowed and replied: "Return to Your Majesty, the secretary checked the household registration, and one of them was found to be a prostitute..." After the secretary Cheng finished speaking, he suddenly remembered the emperor's romantic affairs when he was young.

The emperor immediately put down the paper in his hand, and looked up at Secretary Cheng for a while.

The emperor stared at Secretary Cheng, an old man who was over half a century old, with weak legs, and then knelt down on his knees. When he wanted to take the blame, the emperor said in a harmonious voice: "I once said that the selection of people is based on ability, regardless of background. But anyone who is worthy and talented can become an official, since 47 people have been recruited, let's use 47 people."

Hearing that the emperor's gentle tone did not get angry, Secretary Cheng let out a breath of surprise, bowed his head and said, "Yes."

After the officials retreated, the emperor leaned on the back of his chair and raised his head, "There are only 47 people, but nearly a thousand people were recorded in the palace examination."

Liu Miaoyi stepped forward, "The secretary province is only an institution in charge of the atlas, national history, astronomy and calendar. Officials throw the matter of female officials to the secretary province, and they may not take it seriously."

"I know, we can't keep leaving it to the secretary department, we have to set up another agency. Female officials have existed since ancient times," the emperor thought for a while before straightening out, "Since they are officials in the same dynasty, why should they be divided into female officials?"

"What does the official mean?"

"Whether men or women do not change their titles or official titles, all my subjects shall be treated equally."

"This... I'm afraid it will be difficult." Liu Miaoyi bluntly expressed her worries.

"There is nothing difficult in the world. If you don't do it, of course it will always be difficult." The emperor's eyes were deep, and he could see the fire clearly.