The grass in the factory should be plucked

The "Biography of Guifan" that Concubine Zhou had been looking forward to was finally published.

She proudly held a plum blossom viewing banquet, inviting ladies of noble families and royal concubines to the palace to appreciate the plum blossoms, and at the same time select a concubine for the King of Qi.

After the banquet, Imperial Concubine Zhou gave each lady an exquisite gift box, which contained a piece of plum blossom paper, several colors of exquisite plum blossom cakes, and a masterpiece signed by Imperial Concubine Zhou - "The Story of Guifan".

"You are all ladies from famous families. You have known the virtues of women since childhood. The most important thing is to be pure and chaste, to be chaste and orderly, to behave with shame, and to follow the rules of action and rest."

"This book of 'Girls' compiled by me is full of examples of virtuous women throughout the ages. They are either outstanding in talent, or have noble conduct, or are chaste and loyal. They are all role models for us."

"I hope you will always use this as a mirror to reflect on yourself."

"We will follow the Imperial Concubine's instructions!" The noble ladies bowed.

Concubine Zhou was delighted and extremely proud.

Among many noble ladies, she also took a fancy to Cui Jin from the Qinghe Cui family.

As expected, she is a noble lady brought up in a first-class aristocratic family, with a beautiful appearance, calm manners, and a sense of propriety.

In her eyes, he and Nangong Xihe are a perfect match.

"Xi'er, what do you think of Cui?"

Nangong Xihe had also seen Cui Jin in the royal hunting grounds. Although he thought she was as pretty as an orchid and had a unique charm, she was still not as stunning as Jiang Li's stunning beauty at first sight.

What's more, the ambition that could not be concealed in the woman's eyes also made him quite unhappy.

"Mother, how could the Qinghe Cui family be willing to be inferior to others? If you let the Cui family's eldest daughter be a concubine, wouldn't that offend the Cui family?"

Maybe people would even think that this was intended to humiliate them.

"When my son ascends the throne, she will be the imperial concubine. What's wrong with that?"

"Mother, let's avoid unnecessary complications before the big thing is settled." Nangong Xihe was also helpless.

His mother was good in every way except that she was too self-righteous and everyone had to give way to her.

"Okay, let's discuss this matter later."

Concubine Zhou asked again: "Did Lord Zheng say when he would write a letter to request the appointment of a crown prince?"

"It will probably be in the next two days. I will tell the bookstore to make a bigger noise and make sure that everyone in the capital knows about the book 'Guifan Zhuan'."

"My son is doing things in a reliable manner. I have nothing to worry about." Concubine Zhou smiled with relief.

The book "Guifan Zhuan" quickly sparked a buying frenzy in Beijing.

This is a book compiled and prefaced by the Imperial Concubine herself. I heard it is a must-read for noble ladies.

Any girl who has not read this book will have a hard time getting married.

The storytellers in the teahouses and taverns in the capital kept telling the stories of the talented and chaste women in "Biographies of Women", and for a time, Concubine Zhou's reputation for virtue spread far and wide.

Jiang Li sent a message to Nangong Qinghe, asking them to prepare for the attack.

After Nangong Qinghe left the palace, Jiang Li changed the communication channel. When Longmen Trading Company sent her the account book, she sent the secret letter, which was then passed to Nangong Qinghe through Li's Trading Company.

The old emperor was also very pleased when he learned about "Biography of Guifan". He hinted to Prime Minister Liang that he could bring up the issue of establishing a crown prince in the court.

At the court meeting the next day, Prime Minister Liang stepped out and requested the appointment of a crown prince.

The ministers, led by him, unanimously requested that the King of Qi be enthroned: "The King of Qi is a man of great talent and wisdom, and is a worthy candidate for the crown prince; the King of Qi's mother, the Imperial Concubine, is virtuous and has a good reputation."

"The King of Qi possesses the demeanor of a gentleman and has inherited his mother's virtue. He will surely succeed the throne and create a prosperous era."

"Your Highnesses request that the King of Qi be made Crown Prince to ensure the safety of the country and to stabilize the foundation of the nation."

The emperor was very happy, but he still had to pretend to ask other ministers if they had any objections.

"The Prime Minister requests that the Prince of Qi be made the Crown Prince. Do the nobles have any objections?"

The ministers in the court were speechless. The King of Qin had been deposed. Who else could be appointed if not the King of Qi?

The emperor was all smiles, and was about to approve the request, when unexpectedly, Elder Shen stepped out and said, "I have objections."

The court officials were all surprised.

Lord Shen is a veteran minister who served three dynasties during the reign of Zheng Shoucheng. Although he is younger than Zheng Shoucheng, his seniority is there, and even the current Prime Minister Liang has to give him some courtesy.

Normally, Lord Shen would just slack off when he went to court. After retirement, he seldom interfered in state affairs and would only give his opinions when the emperor asked for his advice.

Now he is clearly opposed to making Prince Qi the crown prince. What on earth does he want to do?

The emperor's face suddenly turned ugly.

Elder Shen said slowly, "I heard that the crown prince should be the eldest son of the legitimate wife. The Prince of Qi is neither the legitimate son nor the eldest son..."

Ningyang Bo could not help interrupting him and said, "Mr. Shen is wrong. The eldest prince has no moral integrity. How can he be the heir?"

Elder Shen glanced at him coldly and said, "Who said that we should establish the eldest prince? The emperor has a legitimate son! The legitimate prince should be established as the crown prince!"

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, and the court exploded.

Everyone knows that Empress Zhang has no children, so how could the emperor have a legitimate prince?

The emperor looked extremely unhappy. He vaguely felt that he seemed to have fallen into Empress Zhang's trap.

The Duke of Zhenguo also stepped out and said, "The Queen has recently petitioned His Majesty to record the Prince of Jin under her name, and has officially recorded it in the royal imperial book. I implore His Majesty to choose an auspicious day to open the Imperial Ancestral Temple and inform the royal ancestors!"

Although the Taimiao has not been opened yet, it has been recorded in the royal jade book. The Prince of Jin is definitely the son of the Queen, the legitimate son of the Empress!

The ministers were shocked by this bombshell news.

The emperor has a legitimate son!

Then wouldn't the King of Jin be the legitimate heir? What was the King of Qi fighting for?

The Zhenguogong faction immediately stepped forward and said, "Your subjects, we request that the legitimate prince, Prince Jin, be made the crown prince!"

Seeing that the King of Qi was doomed, many fence-sitters also came out to agree: "Your Highnesses and I request that the legitimate prince, the King of Jin, be made the crown prince!"

The emperor's face turned pale and a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat.

Now we are in a situation where we are riding a tiger and we can only delay it for a while.

The emperor spoke slowly: "Although the Prince of Jin has been registered under the Queen's name, the Imperial Ancestral Temple has not yet been opened to report to the ancestors. It seems inappropriate to appoint a crown prince at this time."

"Order the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to select an auspicious day to open the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

After the court was dismissed, a series of shocks occurred in both the former court and the harem.

Concubine Zhou smashed everything she could, with a ferocious look on her face: "Why doesn't she just die? She's ruining Xi'er's plans!"

"What a great Duke Zhenguo, what a great Prince Jin! And Xie Changan, that little eunuch! I will chop you into pieces and make sure you die a miserable death!"

At this moment, she was extremely angry with Xie Changan. If he hadn't gone to investigate Cuixiang Pavilion and forced Nanny Gong away, Empress Zhang would have died long ago. How could all these things have happened later?

There is also the case of Zhang Yu, which is said to have been exposed by his secret guards under his command.

Concubine Zhou gritted her teeth secretly, thinking that after Nangong Xihe came to power, the first person she would kill would be this little castrated dog!

Zheng Shoucheng paced back and forth in the study with a frown on his face.

Nangong Xihe sat aside with a gloomy look on his face.

Zheng Shoucheng sighed and said, "How could the emperor be so confused? I was wondering why the Zhenguogong faction suddenly ended up like this? It turns out that it was all planned!"

Nangong Xihe's face turned pale and he felt so regretful that he wanted to vomit blood.

The third brother doesn't seem to fight or compete, and is quiet, but he actually has such a big trick up his sleeve!

If I had known this, I should have killed him in the hunting ground. What a missed opportunity!