The cannon fodder just wants to survive until the end

Yang Xiuyuan's mother was given the title of Shufei, which means a kind, gentle and virtuous person.

Ming Huaixi walked up to Concubine Shu and bowed, "Greetings, Madam Shu."

"Well, he's a good child." Shufei looked at the person in front of her, paused when her eyes touched Ming Huaixi's face, and then the smile on her face was more sincere than before.

Shufei was a great beauty and liked anyone who was good-looking. But the emperor had taken a fancy to her at that time. In addition, although the emperor was not particularly handsome when he was young, he was not ugly either, which was within her acceptable range. Therefore, Shufei had no objection to entering the palace.

Shufei was also a smart beauty. Although she didn't like the emperor's face very much after entering the palace, she still used some tricks to ensure that she had a high status in the emperor's heart.

After giving birth to Yang Xiuyuan, she was unwilling to have any more children and was only concerned with preserving her appearance. Fortunately, there were many beauties in the palace, otherwise Concubine Shu would have to wash her eyes in front of her own face every day.

Later, Yang Xiuyuan had no interest in state affairs and liked traveling. Concubine Shu felt more at ease. She no longer had to make plans for her son. She only had to be on guard against being plotted against by others. She lived a fulfilling life. Her family also did well, so there was no need for her daughter in the palace to make any plans.

"Your Highness, now that you and my son are engaged, we will be a family sooner or later. How about I call you Huaixi?"

Ming Huaixi pretended to be shy, lowered his head, and replied, "Of course you can, Madam Queen, you can call me whatever you want."

Concubine Shu pulled Ming Huaixi in front of her, took out a jade bracelet that had been prepared long ago, and put it on Ming Huaixi's wrist, "Very nice, this color is just right for you little girl."

"Your Majesty, this is a bit precious. I cannot accept it." Ming Huaixi kept refusing while wearing the bracelet that was obviously a treasure.

"Why not accept it? I just said that we are all family from now on. Accept it quickly. You cannot refuse a gift from an elder." As she said this, Concubine Shu stopped Ming Huaixi from taking off the bracelet.

"Come and sit here. It's just right. I have someone develop a scented tea that has the effect of strengthening the skin. Come and try it to see how it tastes." Concubine Shu asked Ming Huaixi to sit next to her, and then with a happy look on her face, she asked someone to pour Ming Huaixi a scented tea that she liked recently.

Ming Huaixi picked up the scented tea and took a sip. His eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "It's worthy of being what Concubine Shu likes. It's really good."

When Concubine Shu saw Ming Huaixi's reaction, she was also delighted and said, "How is it? It tastes good, right?"

"My lady, it's really delicious."

"I'll have someone bring some to you when you leave." Concubine Shu generously gave her future daughter-in-law some of the new scented tea.

"Thank you, empress."

"Thank you, it's my duty."

After Yang Xiuyuan paid his respects to his mother upon entering the house, his mother ignored him. He didn't think it was wrong and found a place to sit down and drink tea.

When he saw that Concubine Shu gave Ming Huaixi a bracelet and tea, he knew that his mother was very satisfied with Ming Huaixi. Knowing that his mother was obsessed with looks, he knew that his mother was attracted to Ming Huaixi's face.

Empress Shufei was indeed attracted by Ming Huaixi's face. There were many beautiful women in the harem, but it was rare to find someone who was beautiful, distinctive, and in line with her aesthetic taste. Empress Shufei's obsession with faces was also classified into different categories.

Lady Shufei and Ming Huaixi got along very well. They had similar views on concepts, skin care, jewelry and clothing.

Emperor Zhaoming had a queen. He could choose not to meet other people, but he still had to meet the queen. According to the rules of Jingguo, anyone who went to the harem had to pay their respects to the queen first. It was a little different in Zhao State. Zhao State had to pay farewell to the queen when leaving the palace.

In fact, whether she bows or not, as the master of the harem, how could she not know that someone from outside had come to the palace? Bowing was just a way to show respect.

Lunch was served in the palace of Concubine Shu. Concubine Shu was very knowledgeable about health preservation and her usual diet was rather bland. This time when Ming Huaixi came, she specially asked someone to prepare a few dishes with heavier flavors. It was obvious that she had already inquired about Ming Huaixi's preferences.

"Come, come, eat more, this is delicious." At the dinner table, Concubine Shu recommended a delicious dish to Ming Huaixi.

Ming Huaixi tried it according to Concubine Shu's recommendation, and it was indeed delicious.

After dinner, he stayed with Concubine Shu for a while, and then went to the Queen's palace.

"Greetings to the Queen." "Greetings to the Queen Mother"

Ming Huaixi and Yang Xiuyuan bowed to the queen together.

"Good boy, get up. You have just met Concubine Shu. She will definitely be happy to see someone as attractive as you." The Queen's voice was full of kindness.

The queen was a very dignified and generous person at first glance. She was the daughter of the Liu family. The Liu family was well-known throughout the country for its collection of books in Zhao State and had deep roots. However, Queen Liu was not a member of the Liu family. No one from the Liu family had ever entered the palace, let alone got involved in the fight to seize the throne. Emperor Zhaoming would not offend such a family, as it would not be good for him. In addition, the Liu family had always been law-abiding, which made Emperor Zhaoming even more relieved.

The Queen Mother gave birth to the Princess of Zhao and the Second Prince.

The eldest princess loved wielding spears and sticks since she was a child. After she came of age, she wanted to go to the battlefield. Later, she married a military general and never returned to Kyoto except during the Chinese New Year.

The tradition of the State of Zhao was to choose a virtuous and capable king, regardless of the eldest son.

The State of Zhao had an ancestral precept that brothers were not allowed to kill each other when fighting for the throne. Therefore, although there was some turbulence every time the throne changed in Zhao, it was definitely not intense.

It is said that there was a Taoist priest among the Yang family's ancestors who believed in the teachings of their ancestors very much, and no descendant of the Yang family dared to violate the ancestral teachings.

When the princes of Zhao State turned three, they would be taken to a side hall of the Imperial Study for unified education. In addition to what the teachers taught, they would also be taught by Emperor Zhaoming in his spare time. The people around these princes were carefully selected, and no one except the emperor could influence them.

So the emperor of Zhao was quite busy.

The concubines who were able to give birth to princes had their character examined in advance. The State of Zhao attached great importance to this aspect. Every time the princes interacted with their mothers, there would be someone paying attention to them so that some families with ulterior motives would not lead the princes astray.

When the prince is ten years old, he will be taken to the military camp for training for two years, where he will eat and live with the garrison and experience the hardships of the army. This is also the tradition of the State of Zhao. All of this is for the future of the State of Zhao to have a wise and healthy monarch.

The Zhao brothers grew up together. Although they might neglect each other for their own interests, their affection restrains their behavior and they won't really hurt each other.

Of course, there are always a few irreconcilable conflicts in a fight. When one of them wins, the rest will be liquidated. Generally, there is no blood feud, and they usually don’t lose their lives. They are just exiled to remote areas and will not be reused.

Ming Huaixi was a little surprised when he first learned about the traditions of the Zhao royal family. Most royal families raised their children in a free-range manner, so every change of their royal family was always bloody, as if there was a major purge.

The kind of training that Zhao State has is rare, and the selective birth of children makes people feel a bit advanced. It seems that the Taoist ancestor of the Yang family is very powerful and has a great background.