Chastity Layman

  Chapter 1246 Martial Talent

  Zhongnan Mountain,

  Cuihui Palace.

  The summer was scorching, and the emperor fortunately ended up in the Cuiwei Palace in Nanshan to escape the heat. This trip to Gonglong Mountain is a palace. It was originally the Taihe Palace built by the emperor Li Yuan in the eighth year of Wude.

  The mountains are quiet and the palace is cool.

  Wu Meiniang, a talented person, was sitting on the outer porch of Anxi Hall, the thick branches and leaves of the big tree in front of the exhibition covered the scorching sun in the afternoon.

  The palace was so quiet that not even a cicada could be heard.

The emperor should have just taken the elixir and fell asleep at this time. No one dared to disturb the emperor at this time, not even the cicadas. Cicadas can disturb the peace of a saint.

  Emperors often became irritable after taking the elixir of Tianzhu Huseng. Previously, several palace eunuchs were executed for disturbing the tranquility of the sage after taking the elixir.

  Wu Meiniang looked up at the sky through the dense shade of trees.

  The sky is blue and the clouds are white.

   "My sister is in a daze again!"

  Xu Chongrong, who was dressed in a lake green palace dress, came over with a smile, "Is my sister missing her family?"

  Wu Meiniang got up and saluted, "Wu Mei pays respects to Chong Rong."

   "Sister, why should you be polite to me? Get up quickly. It's too hot and humid today, and there's no wind at all. Come to chat with my sister for a while, and you'll know that my sister hasn't rested."

Xu Chongrong, whose real name is Hui, was born in Changxing, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province. She is a talented woman from a famous family in the south of the Yangtze River. Her fourth generation ancestor was Xu Wenzheng, Marquis of Liang Ciyuan in the Southern Dynasty. Zhetai believed in Yuanwailang, and later entered the Tang Dynasty. He successively served as the captain of Brazil County in Mianzhou, the governor of Yique County in Luoyang, the right guard of the Prince's Mansion, and the governor.

  Raised two sons and one daughter, both of whom are famous for their talents. When their daughter Xu Hui was thirteen years old, she was entered into the palace by Emperor Li Ping, who called her a fifth-grade talent.

  Xu Xiaode was also promoted to be a member of the Ministry of Rites, Wailang, and then Xu Hui was promoted to Zhaorong.

  When Xu Xiaode became an official at the age of fifteen, it was because of Nan Chen Yiguanzi. The Xu family is a branch of the Xu family in the East China Sea, and belongs to the more famous gentry in the south of the Yangtze River.

Xu Hui was able to read the Analects of Confucius and Mao's poems at the age of four, and was able to write articles at the age of eight. At a young age, her poems and prose works were already famous among scholars. After reading her works, Li Shimin praised her highly, especially for her literary talent. Called into the palace as a talent.

   Talented people belonged to the fifth rank in the harem of the Tang Dynasty. They were not only the emperor's concubine, but also the female palace.

The harem system of the Tang Dynasty is a system of one queen, four concubines and nine concubines. Below it are nine Jieyu, nine beauties, and nine talents, a total of twenty-seven wives, and then there are even lower levels of Baolin, Yunu, and Cainu. Seven people, these three classes are called eighty-one royal wives.

  So the wives and concubines in the establishment of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty are monogamous and one hundred and twenty-one concubines.

  From Zhengyi's fourth concubine to Zhengba's daughter-in-law, the emperor's concubines have their own ranks.

  These all belong to the emperor's wives and concubines. In addition to wives and concubines, there are also a large number of female officials and court ladies in the palace.

   Female officials are generally recommended to enter the palace, or promoted from among the palace ladies, and the emperor's concubines under the nine concubines are basically also female officials.

  The female official of the Tang Dynasty is in charge of the Six Palaces and One Division.

  The inner palace of the Tang Dynasty was strictly hierarchical and distinct.

   Formed the three major classes of imperial concubines, concubines, concubines, palace stewards, and maids, who each performed their duties.

  However, sometimes a guest royal also doubles as a female official, and a female official is sometimes transformed into a concubine by Lin Xing, and a court lady may also be promoted to a female official by Lin Xing.

Xu Hui entered the palace when he was thirteen years old. He was called by talent and was directly awarded when he first entered the palace. After entering the palace, he also served as a female official. This piece of writing.

  Later, she was promoted to fill capacity, and she was already one of the nine concubines, so she no longer served as a female officer.

  Wu Cairen Wu Meiniang was actually selected into the palace in the same batch as Xu Hui, but Wu Cairen was three years older than Xu Hui. It was the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, and a group of aristocratic relatives and women from famous gentry families were selected to enter the palace.

  Xu Hui was selected for her talents, while Wu Mei was selected for her beauty. After entering the palace, they were both awarded the fifth-rank beauty.

  Xu Hui is also the Secretary of the Shangyi Bureau, while Wu Mei is also the Secretary of the Shanggong Bureau. The Shanggong Bureau is in charge of guiding the central palace.

  On the whole, the six ministers in the harem are actually equivalent to a small yamen, similar to the six departments of the imperial court, and each of the six ministers has four divisions, just like the twenty-four divisions of the imperial court.

  Compared to Xu Hui, who had not been in the palace for a long time, he impresses the emperor with his talent, and soon he was favored, and was promoted to the second rank of the nine concubines.

  Wu Mei didn't have such good luck after entering the palace, or Wu Mei didn't take the initiative to please the emperor after entering the palace, so she was still a talented person after eight years in the palace.

It's just that in the Shang Palace Bureau, it is doing better and better. Now it has replaced the retired old Shang Gong and has become one of the two Shang Gong in the Shang Palace Bureau. Although it is only ranked second, the other old In fact, she is basically responsible for the affairs of the Shang Palace Bureau.

In the system of the Tang Dynasty, there were six bureaus and one department in the harem, and there were also six bureaus in the Dianzhong Province. In the Dianzhong Province, there were six bureaus: the Shangshi Bureau, the Shangyao Bureau, the Shangyi Bureau, the Shangshe Bureau, the Shangcheng Bureau, and the Shangren Bureau. , and the harem is the six bureaus of Shang Gong, Shang Yi, Shang Fu, Shang Shi, Shang Sleeping, and Shang Gong.

  The governor of the palace is in charge of the emperor's imperial service, mainly for foreign court affairs, and most of them are managed by scholars and eunuchs.

   There are six different female officials, who are in charge of the inner palace.

Among the female officials in the harem, the two positions with the greatest power are Shang Gong and Gong Zheng. Shang Gong is similar to the **** who is in charge of seals. Anyway, all affairs in the palace must be sealed by them, and the documents and accounts are also under their control. Even the propaganda and enlightenment Playing these is also through their hands.

  Gong Zheng is in charge of commandments, corrections, bans, and punishments.

  One palm print, one palm punishment.

As the female officials in the emperor's harem, especially those who hold real power like Shang Gong and Gong Zheng, even noble concubines, princes, and princesses are generally very polite to them. Some young princes and princesses even You have to pay homage to them, not to mention foreign wives, usually even the princess, the duke's wife, etc. will take the initiative to greet them.

  Xu Hui and Wu Mei have a good relationship. They entered the palace in the same batch back then, and they have a good relationship in private.

   "My sister was in a daze just now, and she didn't even notice that I came. What was she thinking?"

  Wu Mei smiled slightly.

  What are you thinking? In fact, I just saw a piece of news related to him, so I can't help thinking about it. Although many years had passed, Wu Mei could never forget that person in her heart.

  Wu Mei respected and even worshiped the emperor, but she had no other feelings. Especially after entering the palace, after being able to see the emperor often, she discovered that the emperor was not always as martial and sage as the folklore said, and the emperor was sometimes rude or even fierce.

Especially in the past few years, the emperor's personality has become more and more irritable. People in the harem are often killed by the emperor's decree. Secret contempt for this emperor.

  Xu Hui has been promoted from talent to full capacity, but so what, after all these years, I have never seen her conceived.

  Besides, as a court official, Wu Mei knew very well some secrets in the palace that the outside world did not know. For example, the emperor had not allowed the harem to have another heir for ten years.

   Not a single harem was ever pregnant.

  The emperor seldom visits his concubine again, although occasionally he will announce his concubine as usual, but Wu Mei knows very well that the emperor has long since died.

  The so-called Tian Khan is actually just a bad old man now, and he is almost fifty years old, but except for those auras, he is really not as good as an ordinary old man. Anyway, Wu Mei doesn't like this bad old man.

   And that crappy old prince also seemed to despise Wu Mei.

  Compared to the image of Khan on that bad day, it was the person imprinted in her mind many years ago, but these years have become clearer and even more vivid.

  Wu Mei has long been suffering from unrequited love. Every time she hears news about him, it will always make her calm heart turbulent again, and even keep her awake at night.

  In the harem system of the Tang Dynasty, the palace ladies are selected every year. Generally, women from white families are selected and sent to the palace. After being taught and trained, they are assigned to work everywhere. There is a relatively large group of palace ladies.

  But in order to avoid those young women serving in the palace for a lifetime, or even dying alone, as in previous dynasties, the system of leaving the palace with gifts was implemented many years ago.

Generally speaking, women around the age of fifteen or sixteen are selected to enter the palace, and they have worked in the palace for five years. If they are not promoted to female officials or are lucky, they will be released from the palace, or they will be betrothed to the soldiers of the Imperial Army by the grace of the emperor and queen. , or given to the kings or honored officials as concubines.

  If they return home voluntarily, they will be kindly sent back home, and a sum of money will be given. If they get married, the palace will also provide a dowry.

  Under this system, it can be said that the grievances of the palace people in the past are basically gone.

Anyway, there are more ways out and more choices. It will not be the same as before. If you are not lucky or become a female official, you may spend your whole life as a laundry lady in the palace or something. When you get old, you will not even have children, or even your whole life. If you are a man, you can only eat together with eunuchs, be a fake couple and so on.

  However, female officials are generally different compared to palace people.

  Many female officials were originally chosen as chaste widows, or they were promoted from among the palace people, or served concurrently by concubines, so the number of general female officials who left the palace was much less.

  For example, although Wu Mei was not favored by the emperor, she is talented and courteous, and has the status of the emperor's concubine, so of course it is impossible for her to leave the palace again. If the emperor dies in the future, those who have sons can go to the fief to become concubines, and those who have daughters usually live outside the palace. The senior concubines above the nine concubines who have no children and no daughters are generally endowed with mansions for the elderly.

  The lower-ranking concubines are often required to guard the tomb in the cemetery.

  The lowest-ranking royal wives who have no children will generally be required to become nuns.

  Ordinary female officials may change emperors, continue to be female officials, or simply leave the palace, but Wu Mei, who has the status of the emperor's guest, has a very uncertain future, especially if she has no children at all.

   It's been almost nine years since I entered the palace.

  Wu Mei's original fantasies about the palace and the emperor have long been exhausted.

  Now I only feel tired of this place, and feel that this place is a big prison.

   Fortunately, these years, the emperor doesn't care much about political affairs, and likes to travel around. He lives in this palace for a few months, and that palace for half a year.

   "Xu Chongrong is so happy, what kind of happy event did he encounter?"

  Xu Hui looked around and saw no one around, so she sat next to Wu Mei, held her hand, and said shyly, "Just now the saint came to me."

  Wu Mei was a little surprised, the emperor can't do it, it's almost no secret in the palace, the emperor often calls people to sleep, and it's just a show.

"General Wang returned from Tianzhu. He captured King Anarachuan of Jiejie Day and offered him captives. He also recovered the key medicinal materials for the alchemy of Hu Monk Naluoer Pomei that Master Xuanzang had introduced to the saint. The saint took it. This new Dan Empress has regained her glory."

   "Congratulations to Chong Rong." Surprised, Wu Mei also congratulated Xu Hui, "I hope that Chong Rong can conceive a dragon species as soon as possible."

But Xu Hui shook his head, "Earlier, my sister told me about the ovulation period calculation method, and I'm not here today. I came to tell my sister, because the sage is very vigorous after taking this elixir. I will, so I came here to tell my sister, I remember that my sister's day should be in these few days, but don't miss this great opportunity, my sister will go to Hanfeng Palace with me later, when the saint needs it, my sister will be there Fortunately."

  Wu Mei was stunned, she didn't expect Xu Hui to be so kind.

  The harem is harmonious on the surface, but in fact, she has seen too many intrigues and intrigues. The emperor has had no heirs for ten years, and now he is suddenly prosperous. Who would not want such an opportunity in the harem?

   Especially those concubines who have never given birth to a son and a half after entering the palace.

  Xu Hui is the same, but she took the initiative to come to her, not only revealed the news of the revival of the saint, but also helped her to be favored, which is too rare.

   "Charging, you should seize such a good opportunity."

  In the Cuiwei Palace, there were not many concubines accompanying her. Xu Hui has been favored in recent years and often takes her wherever she goes. How could such a good opportunity be missed.

   "I'm not around." Xu Hui said.

   "Even if you are not in the day, you should take the opportunity to invite more graces. If you are not in this time, the next time will always come."

   "Isn't sister willing?"

   That figure appeared in Wu Mei's mind again.

   Never forget him.

  The emperor suddenly became powerful. Could it be that the elixir of the Indian Hu monk was really so effective? Wu Mei felt that it was a little unreasonable, that monk Hu claimed to be two hundred years old, and Wu Mei had seen it before, but thought that he was just an incomparably wretched obscene monk, and the goddess who looked at the courtiers and female officials was always so obscene.

   Probably some crooked method.

  The so-called great prosperity of the Son of Heaven may just be some special medicines added to it. This kind of revival of glory may not be a good thing.

   After all, the Son of Heaven has been silent for ten years.

   "The sage is called, I should be honored, but if the sage doesn't call, how dare I wishful thinking." Wu Mei smiled and rejected the proposal to go to Hanfeng Palace to invite pets.

  (end of this chapter)