King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 371 The first woman in the palace

[Avi Batty, two chapters will be updated together from today! 】

The fireworks were still going on at this moment, and Zhu Yunsheng and others did not want to leave. After all, such a grand scene was really rare.

The fireworks are bright, and the pedestrians holding lanterns under the city wall are also a picture.

With Zhu Jinghong's consent, Zhu Yunsheng led several attendants and walked back and forth on the city wall holding lanterns.

Watch the fireworks for a while, watch the crowds for a while, climb the gate tower for a while, chase and fight for a while...

The two brothers Zhu Jingchun have been hanging around Zhu Jinghong, complimenting and saying good things while making small requests.

What little request?Of course it was just for fun, this was their truest purpose.

"Brother Thirteen, the two of us have never even been out of the imperial palace a few times in these years, let alone the imperial city..."

"Yes, brother, if you go out next time, don't forget us!"

"As long as Brother Thirteen takes us to play, we are willing to do whatever he asks us to do!"

At the railing on the gate tower, Zhu Jinghong looked at the sea of ​​people and lights surging below, but there were people constantly "chirping, croaking, croaking" in his ears.

It made Zhu Jinghong feel like he was going deaf. Is it so difficult to take a good look at the scenery?

Seeing that the two of them were still chattering, Zhu Jinghong said in a deep voice: "Okay..."

After calming down the two people with one sentence, Zhu Jinghong continued: "I'll take you out next time, okay?"

"Thank you, Brother Thirteen!"

"Brother Thirteen, I love you!"

Good guy, the more these two people talked, the more outrageous they became, which made Zhu Jinghong feel chills.

"Go away!" Zhu Jinghong was impatient.

"Yes Yes!"

The two younger brothers disappeared, and Zhu Jinghong's ears became clear.

At this moment, he was alone, and he was also targeted by several girls.

"Master Thirteen, I don't dare to play with this. Can you take me to play?"

The bravest one has to be Zhen Qin. She came over with a small firework and extended an invitation to Zhu Jinghong.

But Zhu Jinghong didn't believe a word of what she said. He had just seen this girl running back and forth with lit fireworks.

"Girl Qin, I'm tired... take a rest first, and I'll come and play with you later!"

"Okay!" Zhen Qin was obviously disappointed, and then she had to turn around and leave.

Seeing her like this, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but shake his head, secretly thinking that this was really a "straight girl" who dared to strike up a conversation without any means.

"In two days... I have to go to the palace to have a look. If there is something really unsatisfactory, I have to ask them to correct it as soon as possible!"

It had been less than two months since he was crowned and conferred. He had only been to the completed palace once, and only in a hurry.

"Master Thirteen!"

Just as he was thinking about this matter, Baochai's voice came to Zhu Jinghong's ears.

"Baby girl..."

Seeing Baochai coming empty-handed, he asked, "What's the matter?"

Standing next to Zhu Jinghong, Baochai looked around and saw that no one was paying attention, so he took something out of his sleeve.

"Give!"

Baochai stood by the fence, stretched out his hand in front of Zhu Jinghong, but glanced at Tianjie, where there was a huge crowd of people.

After taking what Baochai handed him, Zhu Jinghong took a closer look and saw that it was the sachet he had asked Baochai to make before.

The body of the sachet is purple with exquisite patterns embroidered on it. The front is also embroidered with a small word "Hong" in gold thread, and two auspicious words are embroidered on the left and right.

"Peace and success, everything goes well..."

After reading this sentence, Zhu Jinghong looked at Baochai with a smile and said: "Although it took a long time, I still want to thank you... I accepted this gift!"

"If the Thirteenth Master doesn't like it, then give it back to me!" Baochai stretched out his hand again, with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

"How can you get back what you gave away?"

After taking it to the tip of his nose and smelling it, and confirming that there was the strange fragrance of Lengxiang Pill, Zhu Jinghong put it in his arms and put it away.

Looking at Baochai, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "You gave me something, so as a courtesy I should give you something in return!"

"Tell me...what is your wish?"

Baochai rolled her eyes at Zhu Jinghong, turned her head away from the railing, and looked at the crowd below.

What do I wish for?Is this what a princess does?Can you also tell me personally?

Not to mention, this is really Baochai's only wish, but she can only keep these words in her heart.

Looking up at the bright moon, Zhu Jinghong sighed: "The moonlight is so beautiful tonight!"

Baochai also looked at the bright moon in the sky, but his heart became more and more sad.

"Baochai……"

"Ok?"

"Tell you something!"

"What's the matter?"

At this moment, the two looked at each other.

"I have a little tidbit..." Zhu Jinghong smiled.

"What's the news?" Baochai was a little curious.

"In a few days... the Ministry of Rites will issue an order to select a princess from good families in Gyeonggi and surrounding prefectures and counties!"

Upon hearing this, Baochai was not calm, and could even be said to be anxious.

Of course she wanted to participate in the selection of the princess, but the early death of her father at home became a roadblock in front of her, making her want to go but not dare to run.

Seeing that Baochai didn't speak, Zhu Jinghong continued, "Can you stop being the attendant?"

"Where would I go if I wasn't working as a chamberlain?"

"Go choose the princess!"

Baochai was even more shocked when she heard this sentence. She didn't expect Zhu Jinghong to be so bold.

Go choose a princess... This is tantamount to saying "marry me" openly. In a feudal society with strict etiquette, it is tantamount to saying that the world will fall apart.

Baochai instinctively wanted to run away, but she was not an ordinary woman after all. At this moment, she pretended to be calm and said: "Master Thirteen has told this joke to many women!"

In response, Zhu Jinghong said calmly and seriously: "I'm not kidding you!"

"Thanks to Master Thirteen for your love!"

Having said this, Baochai looked at the crowd again, paused for a few breaths and said, "But I...I'm afraid I can't choose the princess!"

"Why?" Zhu Jinghong was curious.

Baochai replied: "Because I lost my father when I was young. I am not a blessed person. How can I be worthy of the royal family?"

Zhu Jinghong disagreed and said: "I thought it was a big deal. Who said that losing a parent means a person is unhappy? You are too worried!"

"My father lost his mother's health at a young age, and he became the emperor too!"

Seeing Zhu Jinghong's attitude, Baochai felt much less worried, but Zhu Jinghong's opinion on this matter was not important.

Since ancient times, marriages have been based on the orders of parents. If the emperor and queen do not agree, everything Zhu Jinghong says will be in vain.

Baochai sighed helplessly: "How can a little girl and a lowly person compare to the noble man Tianhuang? Even with the bravery of the Thirteenth Master, it is difficult to stop the public discussion!"

Different from Baochai's sorrow, Zhu Jinghong smiled heartily and said: "What you said is good, but I... like to do unusual things. If I can't marry what I like, then life will be too boring. !”

This was what he was saying in his heart. If he had to take care of his career and family, he should not neglect his career. He also had to be perfect like someone else. After all, he had earned the right to live a new life.

After thinking for a while, Zhu Jinghong said: "In this matter... you can ask the Crown Princess for help!"

"With her making peace for you, and my mother liking you, it won't be a problem to run for princess!"

Princess Yuan Chun is Baochai's cousin, so she is definitely willing to help with this.

The most important thing is that the prince's family is wooing him. If Baochai really chooses the princess, it will definitely be a good thing for the prince's family.

It's not that Baochai didn't expect this, but as a daughter, it was hard for her to take the initiative to initiate this matter.

But after hearing what Zhu Jinghong said, Baochai became more courageous. At least she had more courage in her heart, because this was a two-way journey.

In fact, Zhu Jinghong could have told the queen himself, but he regarded himself as the last "trump card" and would never use it until the critical moment. "Thirteenth Master, why are you so... interested in me?" When asking this question, Baochai exhausted all his courage.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Jinghong did not answer directly, but asked: "Why is the girl so enamored of me?"

"you……"

Baochai was so angry that he stamped his feet, and then trotted away. As this conversation lasted until now, Baochai was already under great pressure.

Looking at the girl's leaving figure, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but laugh: "Leaving now? I was planning to tell you!"

Of course, the long conversation they had just now and the exchange of things were all seen by Yang Jingting downstairs.

Although she didn't know what Zhu Jinghong said, this scene alone made her extremely sad.

………………

The Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, passed very peacefully and peacefully. The rebels of the White Lotus Sect did not cause any trouble.

Except that Dongchang and Jinyiwei arrested a group of people, it seemed like nothing happened.

But both Dongchang and Jinyiwei knew that this matter was just over. The White Lotus Sect would never be suppressed, and sooner or later there would be another time to stir up trouble.

Of course, these have little to do with ordinary people. As soon as the Lantern Festival passed on the [-]th day of the first lunar month, the various ministries of the imperial court resumed normal operations.

In the first few days, the backlog of various matters was dealt with in a timely manner, and officials were too busy to even touch the ground.

However, a major event happened on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, which shocked these officials in the capital.

Xie Chang'en, the chief minister of the cabinet, submitted a petition to the emperor and was allowed to return home.

In order to express his love and care for his veteran officials, the emperor also specially decreed that he be promoted to a first-grade official, a Ronglu doctor, and he was given the title of prince and Taifu.

No one cares about Xie Changen's extremely high retirement benefits. Officials in Beijing are more concerned about who will succeed him as chief assistant in the cabinet.

After Xie Changen left, there were still two bachelors in the cabinet, Chen Jinyun, a bachelor of Wuyingdian, and Zhao Yushan, a bachelor of Wenyuange.

Although the two men are in the same cabinet, they are actually on the same page. When one comes to power, he will take care of the other.

As for which one of them will be promoted to the throne, according to convention, it should be Chen Jinyun, the second assistant. This is called succession.

However, the major case that broke out in the court a few days ago made most people doubt this.

But on the fifth day after Xie Changan retired from office, which was the [-]th day of the first lunar month, the emperor issued an edict to change the cabinet members.

Zhao Yushan, who was originally a first-rank Ronglu doctor, a bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion, and a young master of the prince, was promoted to a first-rank Guanglu doctor, a bachelor of Wenhua Palace, and was granted the title of young assistant.

The bachelor of Wen Huadian is the chief minister of the cabinet.

In other words, the emperor directly let Zhao Yushan pass over the second assistant and become the first assistant from the third assistant.

Although the officials had expected it, when it actually happened, they still found it unbelievable.

The sudden leap from the third assistant to the first assistant can be said to have set a precedent in the 300 years of the Ming Dynasty.

This shows how much the emperor trusted Zhao Yushan.

Considering the previous major cases in the imperial court and the dismissal and exile of those "conservative" officials who were exiled and executed, we can even see the emperor's determination to reform the system.

Under such a major event, other personnel changes seemed inconspicuous, and the matter of selecting good girls from the Ministry of Rites was even more insignificant.

That's right, the approval for the selection of the princess has been sent to the Ministry of Etiquette by the Supervisor of Ceremonies and has begun to be distributed to all prefectures and counties for implementation.

According to the plan of the Ministry of Rites, the selection (registration) for the selection of the princess takes place from the [-]th of the first lunar month to the [-]th of the second lunar month. Anyone who lives in Gyeonggi and related prefectures and counties and has a clean family background can participate.

That's right, the only requirement here is to have a clean family background. In theory, any daughter from a tenant farmer's family can run for election.

However, after 200 years of development, it has now become a common practice that only those with meritorious status can be elected.

In Gyeonggi and nearby prefectures and counties, there are many scholars and scholars, but there are not many women of the right age at home, and not many have daughters of the right age who are willing to stand for election.

After all, if literati and officials were married to the royal family, the third or fourth generation would have no chance of becoming an official through the imperial examination.

The most important thing is that after running for the election, there is a high possibility that you will lose the election, but you will be labeled as clinging to the royal family. You will easily be alienated by your classmates and old acquaintances, which will be a great disadvantage for your career.

There are people who can run for election but don’t want to, and there are also people who want to run but are afraid of not being able to.

Since the Lantern Festival, Baochai has been a little distracted, spending every day in uneasiness and anxiety.

Like her, there is Yang Jingting, but now that the Ministry of Etiquette has issued an order to select a concubine, the queen has not yet mentioned this matter to her.

Yang Jingting belonged to a distinguished family and was directly excluded from the candidacy. Her situation was even worse than Baochai's, and she had to obtain an edict from the emperor before she could run.

The most important thing is that they are now the princess's attendants. If they want to choose a princess, they have to ask for the queen's consent. It is rebellious to make their own decisions.

How to express one's feelings to the queen became a problem for the two girls, which made them both feel uncomfortable.

But Baochai had made up his mind and still planned to let his mother take Yuanchun's path and recommend her to the queen in the name of the crown princess. The possibility of success would be greatly enhanced.

Unfortunately, Baochai couldn't express her feelings directly to Yuan Chun. On the one hand, it would be embarrassing for her to talk about her marriage, and on the other hand, it didn't seem formal enough.

The best way is for Aunt Xue to express her intentions to Yuan Chun on behalf of the Xue family. In this way, Yuan Chun will be officially helping, and the outside world will think that she is the one who facilitated the Xue family's royal marriage.

In fact, even if Baochai wants to express his feelings to Yuanchun, it will be impossible in the recent period.

The prince fell ill after the Shangyuan Lantern Festival, and the queen specially gave Yuan Chun a decree. She did not have to go to the palace to pay her respects until the prince recovered.

The day before yesterday was Baochai's last chance to talk to Yuanchun face to face, but it was a pity that she only made up her mind today.

"It's better to send a message to mother and ask her to ask the old lady of the Jia family to speak. Sister Yuanchun will definitely help!" Baochai decided on a plan.

Through this process, the Jia family and the Xue family are more closely united, which is also a normal operation of in-law alliance.

It was not difficult for Baochai to send letters home because she had met many eunuchs in the palace. These people could go out of the palace and there was no problem in bringing a letter.

In fact, it was precisely because these people could leave the palace that it caused trouble to many people in the capital. After all, these eunuchs liked to find people to "borrow money."

When Baochai was fighting for his life-long mission, in a courtyard in Nancheng, Keqing was looking back at the mansion at the end.

Three days ago, Qin Ye and his son went to the road of exile. Fortunately, thanks to Zhu Jinghong's operation, Qin Keqing was able to meet his biological father.

Before leaving, Qin Ye repeatedly asked Ke Qing to try to rescue Qin Zhong.

As for whether Keqing has this ability, Qin Ye is actually not worried at all, as long as Keqing doesn't have it, His Highness Prince Xiang does.

"Girl, let's go, my father-in-law is still waiting outside!"

Seeing that Keqing was in a daze, Baozhu reminded him from the side.

All the original servants and maids of the Qin family have been sent away, except for the treasures and pearls.

"Let's go!" Ke Qing turned around.

Accompanied by two girls, one on the left and the other on the right, Keqing walked out of the hanging flower gate, where a sedan was already waiting.

At this time, a young eunuch appeared, hooked his waist and said: "Girl, please!"

But Qing didn't hesitate and stepped into the sedan.

"Let's go!"

The group walked out of the door and headed north. Their destination was the palace.

That's right, in order to ensure Keqing's safety, he placed him in the palace.

In less than two months, Zhu Jinghong will leave the palace to live, and he will be "reunion" with him at that time.

In other words, Keqing is the first woman to enter the palace, but she has no status for the time being.

Because of the previous major case, the plaque of Prince Xiang's Mansion has been removed, and the original plaque was covered with red cloth.

But Qing's current status naturally meant that she could not enter the palace through the main entrance. The sedan was carried to the west side entrance, and then she was able to enter the palace.

Nowadays, the palace is also guarded by soldiers. They belong to the Five Cities Military and Horse Division. In a few days, they will be removed and replaced by the palace guards.

Prince Xiang's Mansion was very large, with many habitable rooms and courtyards. Keqing was placed in the garden to the north of Prince Hou's Mansion, and there were several other courtyards where he could live.

"Girl, as soon as there is enough supply here, someone will take care of it. Girl, don't worry... If there are no other instructions, I will go back to my job!"

Looking at the little eunuch in front of her, Keqing said: "Convey the love and care of the Thirteenth Master to me. The little girl is so grateful!"

"Little man understands!"

At this time, Keqing glanced at Ruizhu, who took out a silver ingot knowingly, stuffed it into the young eunuch's hand and said: "From now on... I have to trouble my father-in-law to take care of me more, and I will use this little silver to buy tea!" "

The silver ingot was not big, but it cost about ten taels, which was considered a huge sum of money for this young eunuch, who was extremely happy.

"Thank you, thank you very much!"

　Regarding "The Twelve Hours of Shangyuan", the author originally wanted to write a long story, and the plot was already set up.

　　But everyone said it was too watery, so I had to delete it.

　　One thing is in line with everyone’s wishes. After all, here in the water for more than ten or twenty chapters, everyone has to curse me to death;

　　The author of the second article also felt that under such complete and strict precautions, the White Lotus Sect had no chance of causing trouble, so it would be untrue to write it like this.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)