Chapter 2663
Being an Empress Isn't Easy 9
Madam Lu stared wide-eyed, looking as if she couldn't understand her daughter at all.
He muttered to himself, "Your second brother's son is almost fifteen."
Xi Ning quickly applied Madam Lu's logic: "My Ji'er is fifteen, An'er is not even a year old, and my second brother has only given birth to one son and two daughters. How can this be? The Wang family's granddaughter-in-law has given birth to ten children in one go, and her son is almost ready to get married, and she is pregnant again."
Madam Lu stood there, stunned. Why did those words sound so familiar?
Xi Ning continued, "These past few years, I've only been busy hanging out with my cronies and haven't been able to have children properly. His Majesty's selection of consorts this time is also because of the years of war and the severe population loss. As the emperor's brother-in-law, you should follow the will of Heaven and have children at home. If my second sister-in-law can't have children and doesn't agree to take a concubine, then let her come to me and I'll persuade her."
Anyway, staying home to have a baby is safer than going out drinking. On the contrary, those families who are exiled for having children might not be able to get out for hundreds of years.
Xining then instructed someone to bring An'er and her second daughter over.
Lady Lu played with the child for a while, and after leaving the palace and sitting in the carriage, she came to her senses. She tilted her head and thought for a long time, finally realizing something. It couldn't hurt to have her second son have more grandchildren; Prince An and the Fourth Princess were so adorable, and she hadn't held a child in ages…
Yes, when we get back, we'll have our second son have a child—no, both sons should have children, and several at that. If they can't have any themselves, we'll have their sons get engaged soon, so she can hold her great-grandchildren as soon as possible. Even the emperor is working so hard, how can we, as his subjects, not work hard?!
Before long, the sound of ghosts wailing and wolves howling came from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
"Mother, what are you doing? Ouch, be gentle!" Wang Yaogui, the second young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, returned home from the restaurant. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, his mother, Madam Lu, pinched his ear hard.
Lady Lu gave birth to two sons and one daughter: the heir apparent Wang Yaoshi, the second son Wang Yaogui, and the daughter who became Empress Wang Linglong. All of them had names containing the character "Yu" (玉), meaning that each of them was as precious as jade.
But now, as she twists the ear of her son, who is over thirty and has a full beard, she doesn't feel any sense of cherishing him like a precious gem.
"Where have you been? Do you know that people are saying you bully men and women, seize farmland, and make irresponsible remarks about politics!"
"Nothing of the sort. Which bastard is spreading rumors?" Wang Yaogui felt utterly wronged.
"The news has already reached the Empress, and it's still not true! You'd better tell the truth!!!"
…………
From then on, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion closed its doors to guests, and except for necessary banquets where invitations were sent, all other drinking parties, outings, and picnics were declined.
Less than half a month later, a sedan chair was carried in through the side door in the middle of the night.
A letter arrived from Madam Lu, saying that after much difficulty, they had gained the approval of the Second Young Master's wife and found a common family to take Wang Yaogui as a concubine. They also took in the Second Madam's maidservant and elevated her to the status of a concubine. All children born would belong to the Second Madam, but the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was known for its upright conduct, and even if they had no children in the future, they would not lack two concubines.
Madam Lu's considerations were sound. Concubines were also categorized by status. Those who were given a dowry and brought in without a wedding banquet were considered lowly concubines. However, the former did not have a contract of indenture, and if they committed a serious offense, they would be sent back. The latter were of even lower status, and their contracts of indenture were held by the Second Madam, who could sell them off.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is prone to attracting attention, so it should keep a low profile when taking a concubine.
After reading it, Xining sighed with emotion. As the supreme deity, she also hoped that all mortals could have their wishes fulfilled and grow old together in harmony.
In an era where people couldn't even get enough to eat and had slaves and maids, even the empress couldn't ensure that a man would remain faithful to her, let alone those who were already suffering.
When she was empress, she was surrounded by a large number of male consorts and concubines. In the imperial realm, whoever had power made the decisions. That's just how the world is. Thinking about it, the original owner's second brother was quite handsome. Apart from liking to brag after drinking, he didn't have any bad habits. He seemed to treat his wife and other women quite well, and I've never heard of him committing domestic violence or anything like that.
However, the two concubines were probably only teenagers of marriageable age. It was somewhat unfair that they were so young and yet married men old enough to be her father.
So she ordered someone to prepare a gift for Madam Lu to give to her second sister-in-law, and also prepared two small gifts for Madam Lu to give to her two concubines.
The second young mistress was already furious, and no amount of gifts could quell her anger. But when she looked at the gifts from the two concubines, she saw two plates each containing two ten-tael silver ingots, plus several volumes of the Tao Te Ching.
Hers was in a box, filled with pearls, agates, and fine silks, which immediately calmed her down considerably.
In front of the second young mistress, Madam Lu summoned her two concubines: "This is a gift from the Empress. Keep the silver for yourselves, and read the books often. Copy them when you have time; it can also help you cultivate your character. If you can't read, learn to read. If you can't read many characters, don't embarrass our Zhenguo Duke's Mansion."
This way, we can be considered to have given the second young mistress enough face, and it also serves as a reminder that the Empress knows about the two concubines, so everyone should get along well in the future.
Then he went on to say a few more nice things like "we'll have many children and won't treat you badly," and invited them to stay for a meal.
This time, the second young mistress was allowed to eat with them, while two concubines served her.
Thinking back to how she used to have to serve her mother-in-law meals herself, but now that she can eat with her mother-in-law without having to serve her, the second young mistress felt much better.
From then on, she no longer cared which room her second son went to, focusing instead on her child's studies and gossiping about which young ladies were of good character. In order to help her son find a good wife in the future, she became a regular at tea parties and flower viewing parties, mingling with the ladies of high-ranking officials and noble families.
When the news reached Xi Ning's ears, she smiled faintly. Indeed, power and money are the true tonics for women, incredibly potent. When one cannot control the overall situation, with power and money, men become dispensable.
When summer arrived unexpectedly, the chives in the courtyard had been harvested three times, and the flower buds in the lotus pond had bloomed, the young women selected from various places entered the palace.
There were twenty-eight women in total, each exceptionally beautiful, with varying figures and unique strengths.
These young women were all carefully selected and chosen, some of whom were raised by wealthy families from a young age. Regardless of whether they had a contract of indenture, they entered the palace as adopted daughters.
Think about it, they were chosen from the most beautiful women in the area. There were probably 30,000 people in the initial selection, and only 28 have been chosen so far. That's less than one in a thousand chance.
However, having 28 beauties still put immense pressure on the concubines who arrived earlier. After all, with 28 already, plus the current ones, they could have a different one every day for a month without repeating a single one—that would be considered the behavior of a wise ruler.
A powerful relative of the emperor who usurped power in the previous dynasty selected over 120 women for the first imperial concubine selection, and held several more selections afterward. Which emperor didn't have a massive harem of dozens of concubines?
Xining was living her quiet life when someone came to invite her, saying that as usual, she needed to give a speech.
I was originally thinking of just doing it casually, but then I realized that people would say I didn't take it seriously.
He'd completely washed his hands of the matter, leaving the talent show entirely behind. Now that newcomers are arriving, it wouldn't be right for him not to be "serious."
Only by taking out her empress's palace attire, donning a phoenix crown, inserting phoenix hairpins, wearing imperial green bracelets on both wrists, and donning high-heeled clogs tied with silk ribbons, could she make a magnificent and dazzling entrance. (End of Chapter)