My Ming Dynasty, I have the final say

Chapter 165 Am I not worthy?
  At noon the next day, in the old Yamen of Nanhaizi.

A group of people were kneeling in front of Zhu Youxiao's long book case.

The three people in the first row are Ding Xiu, the emperor's prospective "father-in-law" Ding Guogong, and Xu Xianchun, a fellow commander of the Jinyi Guards.

Behind them, also kneeling were cabinet minister Han Xu, ministers of various ministries, Dongchang Admiral Wei Zhongxian, general envoy Wang Shunding, and Zuodu censor Zhang Wenda.

Reaching out and patting a pile of memorials on the table, Zhu Youxiao looked at Ding Xiu curiously.

"Ding Xiu, how did you get it to the point where I asked you to spy on someone, and you made it known to everyone in the city?"

"I did not do my job well, please punish me."

After thinking about it all night, Zhang Shize promised to say good things again. Ding Xiu simply kowtowed at this time.

"Xu Xianchun, tell me what's going on."

"Go back to the emperor."

Hearing this, Xu Xianchun quickly cupped his hands and explained to the emperor the ins and outs of the matter.

It is also very simple to say.

When Ding Xiufang was growing up, he had a show with the servants of the Xu family, and someone passing by happened to see it.

When Xu Huier read out the words on the waistband, the news spread immediately.

Never underestimate how quickly “rumors” spread.

Early the next morning, after the curfew was lifted, rumors were flying everywhere. Before the Jin Yiwei had time to investigate, a bunch of memorials from officials from various ministries had been sent to the General Affairs Department.

"So, there are so many memorials against me marrying a girl from the Xu family, and even going so far as to make her my queen?"

"These courtiers really care about me."

After listening to Xu Xianchun's explanation, Zhu Youxiao immediately laughed, then his face became solemn, and he picked up a memorial and threw it at Han Xu.

"When did foreign ministers have the right to interfere with the emperor's harem?"

"What kind of things are they? They even want to care about who I want to marry and who I want to make my queen. Is there any dignity left?"

Lowering his head to avoid the flying memorial, Dingguo Duke Xu Xigao immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The emperor was not angry because they surrounded the Jin Yiwei, but now his anger was directed at the foreign ministers.

"Your Majesty, rest your anger."

Shrinking his head and being hit by the memorial, Han Xu quickly explained.

"According to the practice of our dynasty, the emperor and his concubines need to issue an imperial edict and select them step by step, so that the wise ones can enter the palace."

"Oh, then you mean that the girls from the Xu family are not virtuous enough?"

Picking up another memorial and throwing it at Han Xu, Zhu Youxiao looked at him and asked angrily.

"I dare not."

Hearing this, Han Xu quickly lowered his head.

It is said that the Xu family girls are not virtuous enough and live impatiently. Zhu Di's queen is Xu Da's daughter.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. The "Women's Training" compiled by Taizu said that all emperors, princes, concubines, and concubines should carefully select daughters from good families, and those who succeed will not be accepted. Therefore, I am a country where concubines and concubines are chosen from many people."

Seeing Han Xu being beaten, Sun Ruyou, the Minister of Rites, came out at this time.

"If a daughter from Duke Ding's palace enters the palace, it may be inconsistent with the ancestral precepts."

"If I remember correctly, Princess Yiwen is the daughter of King Chang Yuchun of Kaiping, and Empress Xu is the daughter of King Xu Da of Zhongshan. Does Taizu's behavior conform to the "Women's Training" compiled by Taizu?"

Looking at Sun Ruyou, the Minister of Rites, Zhu Youxiao asked with a weird smile on his face.

"This..."

Hearing the emperor's words, Sun Ruyou was stunned.

Zhu Yuanzhang himself did not abide by the ancestral system set by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Good guy, what is this called, treating someone the same way he does?

"All the ministers are here today, I just want to ask you a question."

Looking at Sun Ruyou who was speechless, Zhu Youxiao flicked his sleeves.

To be honest, the girl from the Xu family only thought the two sisters were cute when they met each other, and didn't know anything else.

He didn't know whether he could take on the heavy responsibility of Empress of Ming Dynasty. The worst thing is, if it is not suitable in the future, it will be abolished.

But now, the matter is no longer about who will be the queen, but about cutting off the claws of these dogs that extend into the palace.

This matter must be settled today.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao looked at the scene and asked.

"I will make the Xu family girl my queen, can you?"

After hearing the emperor's words, there was a sudden silence in the hall.

"Your Majesty is the lord of the world. Whoever you appoint as your queen will be in accordance with your Majesty's wishes."

After the strange silence, seeing that no one was making any move, Zhou Yingqiu, the official minister, was heartbroken. He immediately raised his hands, then bowed his head in a big salute.

"I ask your Majesty to act decisively."

"I ask your Majesty to act decisively."

After hearing Zhou Yingqiu's words, Bi Ziyan, Yuan Shizhen and other neutral officials, as well as distinguished nobles such as Duke Yingying and Duke Dingguo also kowtowed.

The idea of ​​Bi Ziyan and others is very simple. It doesn't matter who it is, as long as it is a woman and she can give birth to children.

Some time ago, Sun Ruyou's memorial for the draft was rejected, but everyone is worried.

Although the emperor's reason was that he was not in good health, after the example of Wuzong in the Ming Dynasty, who could feel at ease?
  Now that the emperor is finally interested in women, don't worry about whose girl it is, just have children first and then later.

The British Duke, Ding Guogong and others were eager for the emperor to open the door for this noble daughter to enter the palace, which was of great significance for them to regain their right to speak in the court.

Who wants to be a low-income person who is bullied?
  "My lord...my lord."

Noticing that many people around him had kowtowed in agreement, Han Xu hesitated and couldn't say a word.

Interfering with the harem was a power that they, the civil servants, had acquired with great difficulty over several generations, and they were absolutely unwilling to let the emperor take it back.

"Those who disagree feel that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty is not worthy of a girl from the Dingguo family."

Seeing someone remaining silent, Zhu Youxiao suddenly asked.

"The girl of Duke Ding is not worthy of the emperor of Ming Dynasty!"

"I dare not wait."

Seeing that the emperor was obviously furious, the officials present who were still hesitant kowtowed.

At this time, Han Xu and other people who had "ghosts" in their hearts no longer dared to stand alone and kowtowed one after another.

"Humph!"

Seeing that everyone was subdued, Zhu Youxiao flicked his sleeves and walked towards the back of the hall.

"Pass an edict to appoint the girl from the duke's palace as the queen. Let Qin Tian supervise the date and the Ministry of Rites prepare it."

"The minister leads the order."

Hearing this, Sun Ruyou did not hesitate and immediately accepted the task.

His duty is not to argue with the emperor, but to maintain the Ming etiquette and ensure that the emperor's actions will not violate the Ming etiquette or cleanse the emperor.

Since the emperor now uses what Taizu did to refute the "Women's Training" set by Taizu, he has no opinion at all about who the emperor should appoint as his queen.

Sitting down in the back hall and taking the tea from the little eunuch, Zhu Youxiao had a sneer on his lips.

Zhu Yuanzhang decided to select the queen from a small private family in order to prevent relatives from usurping power. In layman's terms, it was to prevent the emergence of a Ming version of Yang Jian or Li Yuan.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang failed to calculate that the harem women selected from small civilian households would have an [-]% chance of having political leanings in favor of civil servants.

ps: Some beautiful women come from the officer class, and they basically belong to hundreds or thousands of households, and they disappear when they go up.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not expect that if the emperor died young, the empress who preferred civil servants would cultivate something for the empire.

History has told us: Empress Dowager Sun, the daughter of Sun Zhong, the chief administrator of Yongcheng, trained Zhu Qizhen, took the most elite Wu Xun group in the Ming Dynasty, the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, ran out and sent a wave, and directly smoked Wu Xun. Xun's bones.

Zhu Yuanzhang never thought about the disaster that a queen who favored civil servants would bring to the imperial heir issue if the emperor had a soft ear: Empress Xiaokangjing, the wife of Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty and the daughter of Zhang Luan, a graduate of the Imperial Academy, was the only son of Zhu Houzhao.

By the way, during the ridiculous Hongzhi ZTE period, the land west of Yumenguan was abandoned and the policy of preferential exemptions for scholars was officially launched. This can be said to have put a heavy foot on the accelerator for the Ming Dynasty train to rush towards the cliff.

"I don't know if future generations will say whether it was love at first sight or lust."

(End of this chapter)