On the night of the first day of the lunar month, the First Emperor held a grand banquet in the palace. All the ministers with titles in the court, the First Emperor's princes, and the favored concubines in the harem all attended.

The First Emperor's favorite concubines, Mrs. Han, Mrs. Lu, Wang Meiren, Zheng Meiren, etc. were all sitting on both sides of the First Emperor.

On both sides of the lower head of the First Emperor are princes and ministers. The eldest son Fusu, the second son Yinggao, the fifth son Jianglu, the youngest seventeenth son Sichu, the eighteenth son Hu Hai, etc. are arranged in order on the right side, Wang Wan, Wei Xiang,

Feng Jie, Wang Jian and other ministers are arranged on the left hand side;

At this time, Mi Hong, the first wife of the First Emperor, had passed away. Mrs. Han and Mrs. Lu were the most favored concubines who had children.

Hu Hai was the youngest son of the First Emperor. After his birth, although more and more beauties were plundered from the Six Kingdoms, many of whom were favored by the First Emperor, none of them gave birth to an heir. This was true for Wang Meiren and Zheng Meiren.

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After the banquet began, Dr. Chun Yuyue saw that the seats of the First Emperor's harem, concubines and princes were scattered, and there was no distinction between high and low. He couldn't help but stand up and said: "Your Majesty, although the system of titles of emperor, supreme emperor and future emperors has been determined, but

As for the system of queen and prince in the harem, it is still vacant. For the sake of royal honor, I suggest that the system of queen and prince should be established at the same time!"

The First Emperor was watching the singing and dancing with great interest at this time, feeling very happy in his heart. However, Chun Yuyue raised this question at this time, which made him quite unhappy. But after thinking about it, he realized that what he said was not unreasonable, so he said: "How can you do this?"

I am very pleased to share my worries, so I will ask the doctor to study this matter and report it to me! Today is the first of the year, and all you need to do is have a drink and there is no need to talk about state affairs!"

Although Chun Yuyue knew that the First Emperor was evading, he knew that it was inconvenient to force any advice at this time, and the First Emperor had already ordered a discussion, so he replied: "I obey the decree!"

In the first ten years of the First Emperor's accession to the throne, the Empress Dowager Huayang, the Empress Dowager Xia, and the Empress Dowager Zhao successively took charge of the government. During this period, the Lao Ai Rebellion occurred, and Lu Buwei's monopoly on power made the First Emperor very disgusted with the harem's interference in political affairs. After taking charge, he never allowed the harem to interfere in political affairs. Ministers

They were afraid of what would happen to Lao Ai and Lu Buwei, and did not dare to interfere with the affairs of the harem.

The position of queen was originally reserved for Mi Hong, but on the eve of Qin's unification of the world, Mi Hong fell ill and died of an inexplicable illness. This allowed Mrs. Han and Mrs. Lu who had no chance to see an opportunity.

Mrs. Han entered the palace a year later than Mi Hong. Although her appearance was not as good as Mi Hong's, she was also handsome, good at dancing, and scheming, which made her very popular with the First Emperor. It was her idea to persecute the beauties presented by King Han.

At that time, the Korean ladies were favored by the First Emperor as soon as they entered the palace. Those beauties relied on the Emperor's favor and had no respect for her, a lady from Korea. They only knew that they relied on their youth and beauty to compete for favor, which Mrs. Han hated very much. Not long after Hu Hai was born,

Several beauties donated by the King of Han became pregnant one after another, and the King of Qin was extremely favored.

Mrs. Han was worried that the First Emperor liked the new and disliked the old, so she wanted to get rid of him. Mrs. Han said to Mi Hong, the master of the harem at that time: "Sister, do you know that the king favors Han women day after day, and in the long run, the dragon's body will inevitably be damaged, and you and I will both be affected."

Cold reception."

"I don't know, but His Majesty has always been strict with the harem. How can he listen to our suggestions?" Mi Hong said melancholy.

Mrs. Han heard that Mi Hong also had resentment, so she took the opportunity to suggest: "Of course we can't control the affairs of the country, but how can the king know everything about the things in the harem? Now that the imperial hospital is under the control of my sister, we can use this to get rid of these things

Woe!"

Mi Hong was startled and asked: "Sister, do you want to kill those Korean girls?"

"Exactly! My sister is too soft-hearted. I have thought about it carefully. In the past few days, I pretended to be unwell and asked the imperial doctor to come and diagnose me. My sister secretly ordered the imperial doctor to say that I had the plague because I was worried about the plague in the palace.

Because of the epidemic, it is necessary to ask the imperial hospital to boil a bowl of medicine for each person in the harem to achieve a preventive effect. When delivering the medicine, you only need to add a little manipulation to the Korean women's medicine to get rid of these disasters!"

"Ah..." After hearing this, Mi Hong broke into a cold sweat and said, "What if someone finds out?"

"If you don't tell me, and I won't tell you, the imperial doctor will naturally not dare to say anything! Then it will be said that the death was caused by the plague. How can we investigate?"

Mi Hong was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to harm their lives, so she said: "I dare not agree to this! My sister should think of a way to make the king change his mind!"

Mrs. Han said anxiously: "If the king is willing to listen to you and me, I will not make such a move. Even if my sister doesn't think about herself, shouldn't she also think about Fusu?"

This sentence poked at Mi Hong's weakness. Fusu had been kind-hearted since childhood, and it was difficult for him to become a prince with his own strength. Once she was treated coldly, Fusu would never have a chance again. Mi Hong was silent for a long time, and finally made up her mind.

, said: "Hey, if you want to blame, just blame them for their misery! For the sake of the king, my sister and I will complete this matter together!"

So Mi Hong summoned Dr. Wang to

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, together with Mrs. Han, they got rid of eight beauties donated by King Han, two of whom were pregnant.

Shortly after getting rid of Han Nu, Mi Hong also died of illness. Mrs. Han was ordered to take over the imperial hospital. The First Emperor gradually favored her. His son, Prince Gao, was naturally intelligent and fond of the military. The First Emperor sent General Feng Jie as his

Master. Everything was in line with her expectations. The position of queen was just around the corner. She felt that one day she could replace Mi Hong's position in the heart of the First Emperor.

However, the good times did not last long. With the successive demise of the Six Kingdoms, more and more beauties were plundered from the Six Kingdoms. The Xianyang Palace was filled with many beauties. Mrs. Han found that she could no longer dote exclusively on her. She often stayed there for dozens of days in a row.

The First Emperor could not be seen.

Although she was in charge of the imperial hospital, Mrs. Han realized that she could no longer achieve her goal by getting rid of the women around the First Emperor. After all, she was already old and beautiful, but the new women who entered the palace were all young and beautiful, and even the First Emperor could not recognize them.

A few people cannot restore the emperor's heart.

Mrs. Han came up with a more insidious trick. He called the imperial physician Li Zhen and asked: "Sir, have you ever heard of a medicine that can sterilize men?"

Li Zhen doubted why Mrs. Han would ask this, but he did not dare to ask more questions. He only said: "Medical books record that mercury can sterilize people. Long-term use can cause infertility for both men and women."

"From now on, all the decoctions used by the King will be added with mercury!"

Li Zhen broke into a cold sweat and trembled: "This... taking it for a long time may be harmful to the king's body..."

Mrs. Han interrupted: "Don't you know how to control the dosage? One penny or two penny? If there is a problem, you will be deceiving the emperor! I remember that your family lives in the north of the Weishui River. You also hope that they are safe, right?"

Li Zhen knew that his fortune and life were in the hands of Mrs. Han. He had no bargaining power, so he could only tremble and said: "I obey my order... Madam, please be kind and spare my family!"

"As long as you do what I say, I will ensure your prosperity and wealth!"

From then on, although the First Emperor continued to have new favorites, he never gave birth to any children.

After the First Emperor ordered to discuss the affairs of the Crown Prince and the harem, Mrs. Han's eyes lit up. Now that the most favored young beauties of the First Emperor have no heirs, it is naturally impossible for them to become queens. Among the concubines who have heirs, she is the highest status and the most

Possibly becoming queen.

But among the princes, it is impossible to see who the Emperor is leaning towards. The eldest son Fusu is weak and kind-hearted, and does not please the Emperor in many things. However, he is the eldest son after all, and the Emperor and Mi Hong were in love during their lifetimes, and they stayed together after her death.

He later buried her in his own mausoleum. This is enough to show that if Mi Hong is alive, she must be the queen, but after all, she is dead and Fusu has nothing to rely on now.

The second son, Gongzi Gao, was smart since he was a child and was deeply loved by the First Emperor. In addition, his mother was the most favored, so it was very likely that he would be established as the crown prince.

The fifth son, General Lu, has a bold personality and is law-abiding. His mother, Lu Rong, gave birth to three sons in total. The eighth son, Ying Chun, and the twentieth son, Ying Chao, all firmly supported the eldest brother. Moreover, Lu Rong and Mrs. Han entered the palace at the same year, and they were never in the harem.

He has made mistakes and is highly respected. Therefore, General Lu is also a popular candidate for the crown prince. If Lu is appointed as the crown prince, then Lu Rong will also value her mother and son and become the queen.

The youngest son Hu Hai lost his mother when he was young. The First Emperor took pity on him and always took him with him. He was the most beloved son of the First Emperor. But now he is too young to bear the big responsibility. If Hu Hai is appointed as the crown prince now, the possibility of Hu Hai being appointed is very small.

For a while, the ministers in the court also thought that the First Emperor wanted to appoint a queen and a prince, and they were secretly observing and comparing, hoping to choose a reliable future for the future. Many ministers even began to frequent the harem, hoping to be appreciated by the princes.

Since the death of Mi Hong, the First Emperor has continued to have new favorites, but no one can take Mi Hong's place. In his heart, Mi Hong is his eternal queen, and the discussion in this edict is nothing more than to establish a system for the harem!

The excessive reaction of the ministers was something he had not expected.

In order to explore the reaction of the ministers in the palace to this matter, the First Emperor specially summoned the Prime Ministers Wang Wan, Wei Zhuang, Taiwei Wang Jian, Imperial Censor Feng Jie, and Tingwei Li Si for discussion. The First Emperor asked: "Now that the new dynasty has been established, everything is ready.

Zhang, the affairs of the harem have always been the foundation of the country. If the harem is safe, the world will be safe. What do you, dear friends, think about this?"

Prime Minister Wang Wan has always advocated following the system of the Zhou Dynasty, and was the first to answer: "During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, there were complete regulations on the harem. The emperor's wife was called the queen, and the princes were all legitimate eldest sons. The line of succession was clearly defined. The world ran according to this system

, there has been no problem for hundreds of years, I hope your Majesty will continue to use it."

Li Sidao: "Now that the emperor is renamed emperor, the principal wife should also be renamed empress; the prince is the foundation of the country and should be called crown prince. The heirs of other families can no longer be called princes, but can only be called princes!"

Wang Wan dismissed Li Si's refutation, but the First Emperor nodded in agreement.

Feng Jiebu, the censor doctor

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Chong said: "In addition to the queen, the emperor's harem should also be divided into five levels according to status: Madam, Zhaoyi, Jieyu, Ronghua, and Meiren. In this way, the elders and younger ones can be in order, and the superiors and inferiors can have their positions.

, the world is at peace.”

The First Emperor said: "What I love you all said makes sense. There should also be order in the harem. Tomorrow I will issue an edict and canonize all the ladies."

Prime Minister Wei Xiang was attentive to every detail. When he saw that although the First Emperor was talking about the harem system with great interest, he did not mention the current queen or crown prince in the harem, he reminded him tactfully: "In the harem, the queen is the most important, and the queen is in charge of the harem.

, going out in the same carriage and sitting in the same seat as the emperor, your status is very important, and the appointment of a queen should be announced to the world."

At this time, the First Emperor just wanted to clarify the rules and regulations in the harem, and did not want to talk about the selection of the Queen Mother and the Prince, so he took Wei Zhuang's words and said: "Not only that, the Queen and the Prince have special status, and they should set up their own subordinate officials.

Assist the queen in managing the harem, or assist the prince in studying state affairs. In the future, Yong Palace will be set up for the queen, and the East Palace will be set up for the prince, and both will open offices and build mansions."

Seeing that the First Emperor did not understand what he meant, Wei Zhuang continued: "The establishment of the queen and the prince is related to the stability of the harem. Please consider it carefully!"

Wang Wan also echoed: "Your Majesty, I believe that the canonization of the prince should be carried out at the same time as the enfeoffment of the kings. Now that the world is unified, the territory of our Great Qin has expanded several times. The people in remote areas are unruly and do not obey the king. Only the enfeoffed princes can go to educate them.

Only then can we achieve long-term peace and stability! Your Majesty, please make plans in advance!"

The First Emperor did not expect that even his trusted ministers wanted him to appoint the crown prince and the queen as soon as possible, and he began to feel dissatisfied. However, he still kept his tone and asked: "Then what standards does the prime minister think should be used for the appointment of the queen and the crown prince?"

Wang Wandao: "Since ancient times, the married wife has been regarded as the queen; the appointment of the prince follows the principle of 'establishing the eldest son'. If the eldest son is unfilial, then 'the son is established as a virtuous son'. Both of these can ensure peace in the world.

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The last among the dynasties is "establishing a prince with love". King Zhou You abolished Yijiu and established Bofu, and the country was destroyed after his death; King Zhao Daoxiang abolished the son Jia and established Zhao Qian, and the state of Zhao fell into decline. I hope your majesty will carefully consider the emperor.

The matter of the prince."

The First Emperor knew what the ministers were thinking, and there would be no results if he continued like this, so he laughed and said: "You are so concerned about the queen and the prince, so you should submit a memorial tomorrow to evaluate the prince you are optimistic about.

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Li Si felt a chill from the First Emperor's laughter. He guessed that the First Emperor did not really want to appoint a prince at this time. The ministers just thought that the prince should be appointed, which would definitely anger the emperor.

On the second day, the First Emperor issued an edict, saying: "The affairs of the harem are related to the peace of the country. We must respect etiquette and abide by the law, and be orderly in order to set an example for the world. From then on, the emperor's wife is called the queen, and the heir is called the emperor."

The Crown Prince, no one else can be called the Crown Prince anymore. Today, it has been decided that the time has come for the establishment of the Crown Prince. If you think there are suitable candidates for the Queen and the Crown Prince, you can write to me to recommend them, and I will consider them carefully."
To be continued...