SWDnovel Chapter 43 A chance you only get once in your life!
Chapter 43 A chance you only get once in your life!
Zhu Houzhao looked at Gu Dayong and naturally understood Gu Dayong's difficulties.
The number of times Zhu Houzhao visited his concubines in the harem was directly related to the number of his imperial offspring.
The succession of the emperor is crucial to the foundation of the nation, and raising the imperial heir is also an important task for the eunuchs in the harem.
Zhu Houzhao's refusal to visit the women in the harem not only disappointed the concubines, but also caused great anxiety among the eunuchs and palace maids.
Having put one worry to rest, Zhu Houzhao was in a fairly good mood and even felt inclined to visit the harem.
Zhu Houzhao tossed the memorial in his hand onto the dragon desk and wiped his hands with a towel: "Bring it here."
"Why."
Gu Dayong was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward, holding the tray in front of Zhu Houzhao.
At this point, there were only seventeen nameplates on the tray.
Because Consort Kang's heart was injured and she needed to rest, her name tag was temporarily put away.
Zhu Houzhao didn't look closely and just randomly picked an unfamiliar sign.
Gu Dayong excitedly shouted, "Select Lady Li to serve me in bed!"
Soon, Gu Dayong arrived at Chuxiu Palace in a palanquin and told Consort Li the good news.
Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the other concubines, Concubine Li was led to bathe and change clothes, and carefully dressed up.
Even as she boarded the palanquin and headed to the Qianqing Palace, Consort Li was still in disbelief that she had actually been chosen by Zhu Houzhao.
Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, Gu Dayong informed Zhu Houzhao before saying to Consort Li, "Go in, His Majesty is waiting for you inside."
"Oh... thank you, Grandpa Gu."
Consort Li entered the Qianqing Palace and bowed before Zhu Houzhao. She appeared nervous, but her demeanor was very proper, just as the palace ladies-in-waiting had taught her.
Zhu Houzhao leaned back on the bed, looking at the concubine before him, and said indifferently, "What's your name?"
"Your Majesty, my maiden name is Xianran."
"Leisurely and content, a nice name."
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."
Zhu Houzhao tried chatting with Li Xianran for a few more minutes and found that although Li Xianran was beautiful and elegant, her answers were always rigid and boring.
But her answers were always monotonous and very boring.
Zhu Houzhao had no intention of continuing the conversation and waved to her, "Come on up."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Li Xianran took a deep breath, took off her fox fur cloak, revealing her alluring figure.
Li Xianran lay down next to Zhu Houzhao, who put his arm around her shoulder and noticed that she was trembling incessantly.
Are you cold?
"Your Majesty, I am not cold."
"Is that nervousness?"
"Your Majesty, I am not... not nervous."
Zhu Houzhao frowned in disdain, but then suddenly found it rather amusing that Li Xianran was trembling so much.
"It's getting late, go to sleep."
"It's Your Majesty, um..."
……
The next day.
When Consort Li Xianran woke up on the dragon bed in Qianqing Palace, she was faced with an empty dragon bed and an unusually quiet room.
Li Xianran touched his stomach, sat up, and stared blankly ahead.
At this moment, a young palace maid noticed that Li Xianran had woken up and came forward to say to her, "Your Highness, you're awake."
"His Majesty has already gone to the morning court session. The Imperial Kitchen has delivered breakfast. His Majesty allows you to have breakfast in the Qianqing Palace before returning to the Chuxiu Palace."
Li Xianran opened his eyes wide, looking at the young palace maid with hope, and asked, "Besides this, did His Majesty say anything else?"
The palace maid shook her head: "No."
Li Xianran lowered his head, unable to hide his disappointment.
There were no rewards, no promotions, and she was not allowed to move into any other palace.
There was nothing there.
She still had to return to Chuxiu Palace and live with the other fifteen young ladies-in-waiting, without any eunuchs or maids to serve her.
The rewards bestowed upon Xia Tianxin and Liu Ningwei made her feel that after serving the emperor, she could rightfully receive rewards and move out of Chuxiu Palace.
Their status rose accordingly.
But now it seems that this is not the case.
Only concubines who were favored by Emperor Zhu Houzhao could receive this honor.
It is clear that she did not receive Zhu Houzhao's favor.
Perhaps Zhu Houzhao didn't even have a strong impression of her.
Perhaps last night was the only time they would ever share tenderness in their lives.
After today, it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven for her to see Zhu Houzhao again.
Thinking back to her clumsy and clueless behavior last night, Li Xianran hugged her legs, tears streaming down her face.
She was filled with regret, regretting that she hadn't seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity last night.
The palace maid outside the dragon bed, seeing Li Xianran crying, felt completely helpless and immediately knelt on the ground, her face full of fear.
"Your Highness, please don't cry. Did I say something wrong that displeased you?"
"If I've said anything wrong, Your Majesty can hit me or scold me, but please don't cry. If Your Majesty cries, I'll want to cry too..."
As the palace maid spoke, she indeed started crying along with Li Xianran.
……
Fengtianmen Square.
Zhu Houzhao sat on the dragon throne, surveying the civil and military officials before him.
In recent days, the appointment of high-ranking officials in the imperial court has undergone an earthquake-like reshuffle.
Grand Secretary Liu Jian and Grand Secretary Xie Qian were dismissed from their posts and investigated.
Ma Wensheng, the former Minister of War, and Qin Hong, the former Minister of Revenue, were also dismissed from their posts and investigated.
The two Right Vice Censors were imprisoned and sentenced to death.
Duke Zhang Mao of England was executed along with his entire family.
Marquis of Shouning Zhang Heling, Marquis of Jianchang Zhang Yanling, Marquis of Ruian Wang Yuan, and Earl of Chongshan Wang Qing were all executed along with their entire families.
Currently, in the imperial court, only Li Dongyang is struggling to hold the cabinet together. The Minister of War has been replaced by Liu Daxia, and the position of Minister of Revenue remains vacant.
Zhu Houzhao's ruthless methods made all the civil and military officials in the court much more restrained, and they no longer dared to be as presumptuous as before.
"My esteemed ministers, I instructed you to recommend candidates for the new cabinet. So much time has passed; has the list been finalized yet?"
Zhu Houzhao's gaze swept over the many officials, finally settling on Li Dongyang.
This old fox finally showed up after I gave him an ultimatum.
However, this also indicates that he was not involved in the forged imperial edict, so Zhu Houzhao decided to let him remain in the cabinet to help him handle government affairs.
"Your Majesty, the candidates have been recommended by the court. There are a total of seven officials who are qualified to join the cabinet. Please review them."
Li Dongyang took out a small booklet from his pocket and held it above his head.
In an instant, all the high-ranking civil officials in the court turned their attention to Li Dongyang.
To be precise, it was in the booklet in Li Dongyang's hand.
That booklet contains the names of officials who have the opportunity to join the cabinet!
The cabinet was the highest decision-making body of the Ming Empire and the brain of the entire Ming Dynasty.
Only by entering the cabinet and becoming a Grand Secretary can one truly be considered to have reached the pinnacle of a minister's position.
Which of these civil officials doesn't want to join the cabinet?
At this moment, they all looked at Li Dongyang expectantly, hoping that their names would appear on the booklet he took out.