The protagonist of this crossover film and television series is disrupting the plot again.

Chapter 90 Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace 17

Hongli tried his best to ignore those few neurotic women in the harem, and issued an edict that the concubines were not allowed to come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation without being summoned. He happily stayed in a place without them, feeling that the air was much fresher, and refocused his attention on state affairs.

This joy lasted until August, when the Ministry of Revenue submitted a memorial. Upon opening it, they discovered it was a request to the court to hold a talent selection ceremony held every three years.

The imperial concubine selection process in the Qing Dynasty was not simply about choosing a few wives and concubines for the emperor and members of the imperial family; it carried significant political implications.

According to the rules of this dynasty, all the women under the command of the twenty-four banners of Manchu, Mongol, and Han, regardless of whether they were stationed in the capital or elsewhere, were required to participate in the imperial concubine selection. Without this selection, they were forbidden from marrying. In other words, if the court did not hold a selection process, these young women would remain unmarried indefinitely.

Moreover, holding a talent selection every three years was equivalent to conducting a census of the family backgrounds of unmarried women every three years, just like the Manchu men were selected for marriage every three years. It was one of the important ways to control the Manchu people.

Secondly, this can also improve the status of unmarried women at home and alleviate the preference for sons over daughters.

All daughters of Manchu families could participate in the imperial concubine selection. Who knew who might be chosen and rise to become an imperial concubine, bringing glory to their family?

Therefore, regardless of their status after marriage, these women were exceptionally noble before marriage and did not even have to kneel before anyone.

It has been five or six years since the late emperor's reign that no imperial concubine selection has been held. If no selection is held soon, families with daughters will start making a fuss.

Therefore, this talent show not only cannot be exempted, but must be held on a grand scale, ensuring that all eligible women participate without exception.

That being said, he really does need to select a few people to fill the harem. In recent years, no children have been born in the palace, and there has not even been any news of concubines getting pregnant. If this continues, rumors will probably spread that the emperor is impotent, which is not a good thing.

After careful consideration, Hongli issued an imperial edict ordering the Ministry of Revenue to officially organize all matters related to the imperial concubine selection on December 20th of this year.

The imperial edict caused an uproar throughout the entire court!

They had been eagerly anticipating this moment, and finally, the first imperial selection of concubines since the emperor's ascension to the throne took place!

Countless families had been eagerly anticipating the talent show, and now that the news has come out, countless families with daughters have started to get involved.

Some people who aspire to achieve great success have already begun cultivating their networks and connections.

Even those who didn't want to be chosen started buying clothes and jewelry for their daughters, and asked tutors to teach them manners, striving to ensure they wouldn't behave improperly in front of the emperor and bring disaster upon the family.

Several powerful families have begun to secretly vie for power, wanting to send their daughters to the palace to boost their family's influence.

Currently, there are only eight people in the harem, including the Empress. Even if we count four consorts and six concubines, there are only two consorts and two concubines in the palace. There is not a single Imperial Concubine, and the ranks of Noble Lady and Attendant are even fewer.

It can be said that there are plenty of concubine positions in the palace. As long as the family manages things well, it is not impossible to win a high position for one's daughter.

Moreover, once someone enters the palace and gives birth to a child, they will at least become a prince or a duke in the future, and it's not impossible for them to even reach that position.

Thinking about it this way, my heart burned even hotter.

Despite their frantic efforts, Hongli remained unmoved.

With so many concubines from prominent families entering the palace at the same time, they will inevitably fight among themselves. At that time, there will never be a day of peace in the harem. There are already a few troublemakers in the palace. If a few more troublemakers come in, how will he live?

Choosing one or two wouldn't be a problem, but they are all from families of similar strength and power. Choosing any one of them would displease the other families. In that case, it would be better not to choose any at all.

He now has complete control of the court and no longer needs to consolidate power by marrying the daughters of high-ranking officials, nor does he need these women of noble birth to balance the harem.

So, amidst much anticipation, Hongli selected one woman each from the Manchu, Mongol, and Han ethnic groups: Lady Magiya, Lady Yingjia, and Lady Liao. They were all granted the title of Changzai and resided together in the Chuxiu Palace. They were all women of refined appearance, gentle nature, and ordinary family backgrounds—clearly people who would neither dare nor cause trouble.

The fact that these three women were all quite ordinary in every way made the originally grand talent show seem rather anticlimactic.

The three concubines all entered the palace after the New Year. At this time, the palace was peaceful and harmonious. Empress Fucha Langhua had also "recovered". There were banquets one after another at the end of the year. In addition, with the new concubines entering the palace, it was not good to keep the Empress from showing her face. So Hongli lifted Empress Fucha Langhua's confinement. Of course, he did not return the power of the palace to her.

Empress Fucha Langhua felt deeply humiliated by losing her power in the palace. In order to demonstrate the presence and authority of the empress, she couldn't wait to resume paying her respects the day after she was released.

The three women bowed to Fucha Langhua, who, in accordance with custom, said some words about 'keeping to one's duty' and 'continuing the family line,' before letting them take their seats. Hongli's harem officially expanded to ten women.

Hongli also began to frequent the inner palace. Two months later, Lady Ma Jia was found to be pregnant and was directly promoted to the rank of Noble Lady, with the title of Jing.

With the news of Consort Jing's pregnancy spreading, the rumors of the emperor's inability to perform were disproven. Officials in the court breathed a sigh of relief, while the concubines in the harem felt as if they had drunk a jar of aged vinegar, their sourness seeping into their hearts.

The news of Consort Jing's pregnancy was even more distressing for them than the Emperor's impending death.

Empress Fucha Langhua was taken aback for a moment. After bestowing the gifts as usual, she encouraged Yonglian even more diligently. Now that the emperor had begun visiting the inner palace, it was impossible to say how many princes would be born in the future. She no longer hoped to reconcile with the emperor as before. She only hoped that Yonglian would live up to expectations and preserve the glory of her and the Fucha family in the future.

Jin Yuyan was so anxious that she jumped up and down. She wanted to have a son, but the emperor had never allowed her to serve him in bed. No matter how much she played the zither or danced, he was unmoved. Now that Lady Ma was pregnant with the imperial heir, wasn't she ahead of her? Wouldn't she have no chance at all?

In her anxiety, she tried to provoke Empress Fucha Langhua into taking action, but Empress Fucha Langhua was completely absorbed in educating Yonglian and remained unmoved by the provocation. Moreover, Empress Fucha Langhua didn't take these people seriously at all; the only person in the entire harem she was truly wary of was Ruyi.

Having no other choice, Jin Yuyan set her sights on Gao Xiyue. Unfortunately, Gao Xiyue always followed Fucha Langhua's lead. Seeing that Fucha Langhua remained unmoved, she also remained inactive, though she was somewhat tempted.

Jin Yuyan stirred up trouble, but neither Fucha Langhua nor Gao Xiyue fell for it. Furious, Jin Yuyan spun around, her flowerpot-shaped shoes clattering on the stone slabs, as if she wanted to stomp a hole in them. In the end, she lost her balance and twisted her ankle, immediately breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain.

"Oh dear! Your Highness has twisted her ankle. Lixin, quickly go and fetch Your Highness's sedan chair, and also go and invite the imperial physician to Qixiang Palace." Zhenshu hurriedly instructed. Jin Yuyan enjoys the treatment of a concubine, so she can naturally use a sedan chair. However, she was in a bad mood just now and wanted to go out for a walk, so she did not ride in one.

Lixin agreed and turned to leave.