Xie Qian and Wang Yang persisted until very late. It was already late at night. Wang Yang, a few years older, finally couldn't hold on and kept bowing his head and dozing off.

Xie Qian called out, "Jizhi, if you are tired, go and rest first, I will review a few more memorials..."

Wang Yang yawned, stood up, and shook his head: "I really feel sorry for you, Yu Qiao, stay up late every day, but time is unforgivable!"

Xie Qian smiled and watched Wang Yang leave the door. His figure disappeared at the door of the backyard. He lowered his head and was about to continue doing things. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the corridor outside. He couldn't help but look at him sideways, but he saw that the door of the business room was opened from outside, and then a familiar eunuch came in... but it was Zhang Xiong, the Sili Supervisor.

Xie Qian was a little surprised when he saw Zhang Xiong. According to his understanding, this person was originally the chief supervisor of the supervisor, and later cursed Zhang Yuan and successfully entered the supervisory supervisor to serve as a pen. What made him dislike was that this person was a self-election and entered the palace. The reason was that he was abused by his stepmother since he was a child and could not seek justice for his father. So he was angry and castrated himself, swearing that he would not meet his father again, which was inconsistent with his filial piety.

Xie Qian frowned slightly and thought to himself: "In the past, the Silijian was a group of eunuchs with both moral integrity and ability, and they deserve respect, but now they are all a group of villains who only know how to flatter, and none of them have ethics."

When Zhang Xiong saw Xie Qian, he was extremely respectful. He walked to the desk with a memorial in his hand and said, "Gei Master Xie, there is an emergency memorial here, involving Northwest military affairs. Please check it out."

Xie Qian asked in confusion: "Eunuch Zhang, aren't you working in the Sili Supervisor? Why did you also contract the work of the Sino-Secretariat?"

Zhang Xiong had a little helpless look on his face: "Eunuch Liu greeted Tongzheng. If there is any emergency military memorial, you can't leave the cabinet and send it directly to the Ministry of Education Commission... I saw this memorial below and felt that the problem was serious, so I quickly brought it to the cabinet master to take a look so that there would be no delays in any important matters."

Xie Qian didn't say anything more when he heard this. He took the memorial and read it carefully. He realized that it was not an emergency military service, but involves the deficit of money and grain on three sides and the preliminary handling opinions. Wang Shouren submitted some of the investigations, but the memorial was intercepted by Liu Jin and was not sent to Wenyuan Pavilion for the process of sending the ticket.

This was the first memorial written by Wang Shouren to the court after getting the roster from Zhu Hui. It involved all the middle and low-level officials on the three sides. Xie Qian felt relieved when he was not involved in Shen Xi. Then he found that something was wrong, raised his head and asked, "Who asked you to send it?"

Zhang Xiong replied with a smile: "Don't misunderstand that, Master Xie, I thought the matter was urgent, so I sent the memorial."

Xie Qian stood up and put the memorial back into Zhang Xiong's arms, saying unhappily: "Since you came without permission, then bring this memorial back to the Silijian. I thank you for your kindness. If Eunuch Zhang Yuan or the uncle asked you to come, you made them lose this mind. The current situation in the court cannot be solved by forming a clique. If Liu Jin does anything in the future, you don't have to report to me..."

Xie Qian felt the kindness from the brothers Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling, and actually brought Liu Jin's intercepted memorial to him for his reading. The meaning was obvious... We have power inside and outside the palace. As long as you surrender to us, it is not difficult to eradicate Liu Jin.

Although Xie Qian looked down on Liu Jin and wanted to bring him down, he never thought of colluding with his relatives, so he seemed disdainful of the memorial sent by Zhang Xiong.

Zhang Xiong held the memorial, feeling helpless. Seeing Xie Qian's attitude firm, he finally shook his head, left in shame, and went back to tell Zhang Yuan about the specific situation.

The relatives of the foreigners wanted to win over Xie Qian, so they could only use the people in the palace, that is, Zhang Yuan, who is now a good-ranking Zhang Yuan. Among so many eunuchs in the palace, only Zhang Yuan could compete with Liu Jin. Moreover, as Liu Jin was busy with business, Zhang Yuan became more and more favored, but due to the establishment of the leopard house, Liu Jin took back some disadvantages.

Seeing that the emperor was fond of the old and started running out of the palace again, the Zhang brothers could only continue to threaten Liu Jin through other methods, so they wanted to win over Xie Qian, the chief assistant of the cabinet. Unfortunately, Xie Qian's personality is sleek, but he has a bottom line and will not be easily bribed.

Zhang Xiong had just left Wenyuan Pavilion, Wang Jiao came out of the backyard, stood at the moon gate and looked around, but found no abnormality, so he asked curiously: "Yu Qiao, I heard the sound of words outside, what's the matter?"

Xie Qian waved his hand: "It's okay, it's just a fly buzzing, just drive it away!"

...

...

Zhu Houzhao lives a free and comfortable life like a god.

Every day, I go out when the afternoon is approaching dusk, and go to the leopard room outside the palace to spend the night, enjoy the whole night, and return to the palace when the palace gate opens the next morning, and sleep all day during the day. If I occasionally come to the court, it will be noon. Even when the dusk is approaching, I summoned the cabinet ministers and the six ministers and the nine ministers in the Fengtian Palace or the Qianqing Palace to go through the motions, and then calm down and prepare to leave the palace...

The cycle repeats itself, just like going to work, life is so busy every day. As for the matter in the court, he basically won’t ask about it, and he left it all to Liu Jin for disposal.

The leopard house was established, and as Liu Jin secretly poached the corners of the palace, he moved the actors and rare beasts from the palace outside the palace. Zhu Houzhao didn't like to stay in the palace anymore.

Before, he was hiding his cover-up, but now Zhu Houzhao is already swaying after leaving the palace gate. He is surrounded by dozens of followers and a large number of factory guards secretly protecting him. There are hundreds of guards and soldiers of the army around the leopard room to protect his personal safety and prevent accidents.

On the first day of the second month, Zhu Hou left the palace for fun as usual. He did not return to the Qianqing Palace bedroom until the morning of the next day. He was about to ask someone to send some breakfast to fill his stomach and then go to the bed to rest, but from Liu Jin who was rushing to come, he learned from the news that Empress Dowager Zhang was waiting for him for one night in the Qianqing Palace hall.

"...Mother is the same. Even though I know I am not in the palace, I still stayed to wait for a night. If there is anything, I can't let the eunuchs and palace maids around me pass on a message? It's like I'm unfilial. Alas! Eunuch Liu, what else did the Queen Mother say?"

Zhu Houzhao asked while walking around the main hall of Qianqing Palace.

Liu Jin followed along with her breathlessly: "Your Majesty, it seems to be about your wedding. This matter has been delayed for nearly a year, and it is time to make the final selection."

Zhu Houzhao rolled her eyes and said dissatisfiedly: "Isn't it just a wedding? Just a few women, why mobilize others like this? Besides, didn't I ask my mother to choose before?"

With complaints, Zhu Houzhao came to the Qianqing Palace Hall. As soon as he entered through the back door, he saw a woman in brocade clothes resting on the chair behind the dragon chaise. Zhu Houzhao walked over and said, "I'll pay my respects to my mother."

In one sentence, the half-awakened Queen Mother Zhang almost scared her. She was so shocked that she trembled all over, and stood up suddenly, almost falling to the ground.

Zhang Yuan, who was waiting next to him, quickly reached out to support Empress Dowager Zhang.

Empress Dowager Zhang looked around and saw Zhu Houzhao standing in front of him. She felt sure, and she tidied up her face slightly, then raised her face and asked, "Prince, where are you going?"

Zhu Houzhao answered honestly: "If you go back to your mother, your son will leave the palace and go to handle the important matters."

Empress Dowager Zhang said angrily: "At this time, I was still talking lies. As the emperor, what important matters need you to deal with? Humph, it's all ridiculous things about eating, drinking and having fun! Do you think the Ai family knows it? Eunuch Liu, are you all indulging in this?"

Liu Jin knelt on the ground with a "thump" and kowtowed: "Empress Dowager, I dare not take Your Majesty out of the palace for fun."

Liu Jin didn't lie this time. Now that Zhu Houzhao left the palace, he basically won't be with him. He takes care of Silijian and Xichang every day, and his affairs in the expert factory are exhausted and he has no time to pay attention to other things.

When the emperor leaves the palace, Qian Ning will naturally help him take care of it. Liu Jin will know if there is anything wrong. Qian Ning is like a dog raised by Liu Jin, who can obey his advice.

Empress Dowager Zhang waved her hand: "Forget it, forgot, I know that you are in charge of the rituals and rituals now and are busy with official duties, so I don't want to worry too much with you. Emperor, I have been waiting for you here for a night, you must give me an explanation..."

Zhu Houzhao knew that she couldn't explain clearly at all, so she simply walked behind Empress Dowager Zhang in a trick-hearted manner, and gently massaged her mother's back while saying:

"Mother, actually, I just go out of the palace to relax occasionally. Who knows you are here... If the mother comes to Qianqing Palace in the future, she will find that my son is not here, just go back and rest and wait for the day to come and talk about things."

Seeing that his son was very well-behaved, Empress Dowager Zhang could only restrain himself even if he was dissatisfied. She sighed and said, "Son, you are already sixteen years old. If you are the father of several children in the people, you are still so chaotic. You should calm down!"

"This time, I came to tell you that the election has already made a name for yourself. Now there are only three people left. Logically speaking, you should finally designate the queen's candidate... Your father chose this way."

Zhu Houzhao pinched Queen Zhang's shoulder and said impatiently: "My mother, haven't Erchen told you before? You can just make up for this kind of thing. As long as it is your idea, Erchen will not have any objection, and he will definitely obey it unconditionally. The empress married is also used to be filial to you, so that they can be filial to their mother..."

Empress Dowager Zhang frowned: "Look at your mouth, you seem to be more eloquent. What is the filial piety and Ai family? That is your queen. In the future, she will have a mother to be in the world. The prince she gave birth to is likely to be the future prince. Could it be that she decided so recklessly?"

"I have decided that tomorrow, February 2nd, call the three candidates into the palace. You can choose it. If you see who is satisfied, let her be the queen. The remaining two will not be cheaper for others, so stay for you to be a concubine."

Zhu Houzhao was not interested in finding a queen for herself, and said with a bitter face: "Mother, just make sure you decide the candidate yourself. Why do you have to let the son minister choose? Can't you marry someone directly?"

Empress Dowager Zhang shouted angrily: "Is it a joke to marry the queen? Even if you choose who you want to be the queen, you cannot leave the person in the palace. Instead, you must send him back first and then send someone to hire him. Just like the people who marry, everything will follow the rules. This is what a wise monarch should do."

"This matter has been decided... If you don't leave the palace in the future, if you are addicted to alcohol and sex, I really don't know how to explain to your father after Ai's family goes to the underworld!"

After saying that, Empress Dowager Zhang, who was sleepy and hungry, did not want to stay anymore. She stood up with Zhang Yuan's support and went back to Kunning Palace, throwing away the idea of ​​what she had decided to teach her son today.

After all, Empress Zhang has only one son like Zhu Houzhao, and everything is expected. Even if she is angry, she will still try to suppress the anger in her heart and avoid fierce conflicts between the mother and son.

After Empress Dowager Zhang left, Zhu Houzhao said angrily: "Didn't I say that this matter is decided by the Empress Dowager. Where did Gao Feng's dog slave go? Didn't he want to help me deal with this matter? Where is the person?"

Liu Jin persuaded: "Your Majesty, maybe it's not the fault of Eunuch Gao for this matter. The Empress Dowager insisted on doing this, who can dissuade me?"

Zhu Houzhao sighed: "It's really unreasonable. I've been thinking about how to deal with this matter before. Now, let me choose it myself... Where can I have this free time?"

Even though Liu Jin asked himself that he had a very thorough grasp of Zhu Houzhao's personality, he was still a little confused about the mentality of a naughty child. He was just choosing a queen, and the remaining two could be concubines. It seemed no big deal. Why did Zhu Houzhao feel so resistant?

However, he didn't know that Zhu Houzhao was in a rebellious period of youth. Whenever others arranged for him, he felt uncomfortable. Especially the naughty child was not interested in the election, and felt that he was young and had not had enough fun. He didn't have to hurry to establish a queen. When he met a suitable woman in the future, he would make him the queen.

However, now the decision made by Empress Dowager Zhang, who can affect his stability in the throne, was made. Zhu Houzhao could not refuse, so he could only calm down and prepare to go to Kunning Palace to do whatever he wanted.

...

...

Three alternative queens, one Xia, one Wu, and one Shen.

The three daughters were selected by Empress Dowager Zhang and strictly followed the rules set by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. "All the emperor, princes, concubines, palace concubines, should be careful to choose good daughters for them, and those who advance would not accept them. The old concubines would be more generous to the people." The main focus is on choosing women from poor families to assist the emperor in thrift and diligence.

On February 2nd, Zhu Houzhao came back from outside the palace very early. He was originally planning to make up for a while before going to Kunning Palace, but he had just had breakfast and had not yet lay down. Empress Dowager Zhang had sent someone to pass on the message and let him go.

Empress Dowager Zhang considered that Zhu Houzhao would attend the Wu Dynasty at noon, so she took advantage of the time before Wu Dynasty to meet the three selected queens. Zhu Houzhao had the final say who could stay in Kunning Palace as the queen and who would be the concubine.

Zhu Houzhao couldn't sleep well, and took Liu Jin and Zhang Yuan to Kunning Palace with anger.

Empress Dowager Zhang had been waiting in the hall for a long time. When Zhu Houzhao came in, she found that there was a screen near the back door. Needless to say, the three alternative queens were all behind the screen.

"Mother, son minister is here."

Zhu Houzhao respectfully saluted Queen Zhang. He was reluctant before, but when he thought that there were three beauties behind the screen who had carefully selected from tens of thousands of women to get to this point, maybe they were all beautiful with the beauty of the country and the beauty, and finally felt a little better.

Empress Dowager Zhang smiled and stood up: "Emperor, you are not active after the choice, and you still want me to send someone to urge me? Come on, these are the candidates for the three queens. You can check it first to determine who is the queen and who is the concubine."

Zhu Houzhao pointed to the screen and asked, "It's inside?"

"Yes." Empress Dowager Zhang nodded.

Zhu Houzhao was very satisfied and strode over and was about to push the screen away directly. Gao Feng next to him jumped out to stop him: "Your Majesty, you must not. You must wait for the palace maid to remove the obstacle for you, and... you have to take a few steps back and keep a certain distance!"

Even if Zhu Houzhao is the emperor, the three women behind the screen in front must be his people, but the rules must be followed.

Zhu Houzhao was originally dissatisfied with Gao Feng, and when he heard this, he glared at the other party viciously, as if he blamed him for talking too much.

Zhu Houzhao said: "Mother, what should I do now?"

Empress Dowager Zhang knew that she was about to have a daughter-in-law, and from now on, someone chatted with her family. She smiled and said, "Just let the palace maid remove the screen, come to Ai's house."

Zhu Houzhao took a few steps back, stood beside Queen Zhang, and then took some time to see clearly what the woman behind the screen looked like.

But as the palace maid removed the screen, the three girls standing behind Pingting made Zhu Houzhao lose interest in an instant.
Chapter completed!