Needless to say, there is no need to say more about the specialness of Ashnarongzhen, the imperial concubine.
Apart from other things, have you ever seen any noble concubine in the past dynasties who could hold military power, stay in the imperial guard, win the trust of the emperor and empress, and yet behave like a non-competitor?
The Guizhen Hall she chose is also quite interesting. It used to be a Taoist temple in the palace. It is not surprising that the people in the palace also have faith.
The place to worship the Sanqing is to the north of the Ganlu Hall, where the gate is guarded. Emperor Wen probably wanted the Sanqing to guard the palace gate. After all, the fighting power of Taoism seems to be higher than that of the compassionate Buddha and Bodhisattva.
There is also a Buddhist temple in the palace. In the northeast corner of the palace, the incense has always been better than that in the Taoist temple.
Since the Jin Dynasty, monks have taken the lead in spreading faith. Nowadays, it can be seen that most of the nobles in the palace believe in Buddhism.
Ashnarong really has no interest in Buddhism and Taoism. She is a subject of the gods and has never shown any sign of changing her faith.
She chose Guizhen Hall as her place to stay, not because she had a good impression of Taoism, but because it was close to Ganlu Hall. She wanted to be close to her husband's residence so she could rush there quickly if she had anything to do.
Especially since Li Po would go out of the palace for a walk from time to time, she could quickly get the news and go to protect her husband.
Ever since he married Li Po, Shi Polo of Western Turks had always thought of his husband and didn't care much about anything else.
For example, teaching her daughter to practice martial arts is not because she wants to train her to be a brave heroine like her, but because she knows that her husband likes strong women.
With such a mother-in-law, it’s no wonder that Li Zhen is willing to run to Qingning Palace...
………………
"I report to you, Your Majesty, after entering the palace, you went to the Guizhen Hall."
After hearing the palace servant's return, Li Bi waved her hand and dismissed the palace servant. She breathed a sigh of relief, but also sighed secretly, with a complicated mood.
She hoped that her husband would listen to her advice and be kind to the concubines, but she did not want her husband to mess with flowers and plants at will and upset her.
It is so difficult for a woman, and it is even more difficult to be a qualified queen.
"Come here, ask Li Yuan what he is doing?"
After a while, the palace attendant reported back, "Your Majesty, Your Highness is urging the palace attendants to make palace lanterns."
"Doesn't he have any homework today?"
"The outer dynasties have all suspended their official duties, and His Highness's homework has also stopped. You should know..."
Li Bi exclaimed, feeling that her son was not doing his job properly, but at this time of year, playing for a few days was nothing, so he had no intention of dragging his son over to teach him a lesson.
Then she ordered: "The New Year's Eve is just around the corner, and there are more people coming to the palace to visit. Go and pass on the palace's edicts. Please be careful about the orders and bans in the palace. Tell all the palaces to be careful of lights and candles, and everyone else who enters the palace will be careful."
Everyone in the palace must be strictly controlled to prevent any trouble."
This year the palace was obviously more lively than last year, there were more people, and more people came to visit the palace than in previous years. Li Bi was wondering whether she should let some people go home to visit their relatives, to show the palace's magnanimous and benevolent attitude.
But in the end, she gave up, mainly because Li Bi didn't want to get into trouble.
The concubines are still young and ignorant, and it is easy for them to talk nonsense when they go back. If some things happen between men and women, it is not enough for people to worry about.
The masters of the Sixth Palace in the past dynasties probably had this kind of mental state, so the folk gradually came to have a saying that once you enter the palace, the gate is as deep as the sea.
After waiting for nothing to happen, Li Bi summoned Wang Qi to Qingning Palace and explained everything.
A selection was originally planned to be held this year, but it was delayed by matters such as the League of Nations and the imperial examination, so the matter was moved to next year. Li Po left it to his wife to decide whether to hold it at the beginning of the year or when the weather was warmer.
This was the first time that Datang held a large-scale draft. The previous selection was incomparable, otherwise it would not have been delayed by the affairs of the foreign dynasty.
According to the rules of selection in the palace in the past, the palace must inform the world in advance, and the palace must send many palace officials to the local areas to select women with dignified appearance and excellent character from various places to enter the palace.
Don't listen to those rural rumors. Unless the emperor is lustful and indulges in pleasure, ordinary women will not be able to enter the palace.
Whether it is selection or selection, most of it is a matter for aristocratic women. No matter how good a country girl is, it is more difficult to enter the palace than to reach heaven.
………………
Outside the palace, there were also people discussing this matter.
"Have you heard about the general election next year?" Guo, who was dressed in mink fur, asked Zhang next to her in a low voice.
The two women were beautifully dressed and graceful in posture. At first glance, they were not ordinary women.
After getting off the carriage, they were talking in a low voice and looking at the palace gate. They were relatives who went into the palace together to visit their daughter.
The Guo family is the daughter-in-law of Dugu Kaiyuan, the minister of Honglu Temple, and the daughter of the Guo family in Jinzhou.
Zhang is the daughter-in-law of Yuwen in Chang'an.
They are all members of the top noble families in Chang'an, and are inextricably linked to the royal families of all dynasties.
Of course, today's Li royal family is a bit worse. There are not so many chaotic relatives. These nobles can only send their daughters to the palace to build a bridge with the royal family. It is estimated that it will have to wait three or four generations.
Only when the royal family becomes prosperous can it return to its former intertwined appearance.
Mrs. Zhang tightened her cloak, and her still young and beautiful face was blown by the cold wind, and she immediately blushed. Looking at the older Mrs. Guo, she felt envious and jealous, and she couldn't help but murmured a few words in her heart, "You are a mother."
He is such a naughty person, it’s really crazy.
Zhang didn't know that her best friend was scolding her in her heart, so she smiled in a good mood and said: "I heard that it will be held this year, but His Majesty was away from Beijing for a while, so it was delayed, and it was postponed to next year.
What? Dugu also has a daughter who wants to come to the palace to accompany him? But there are only so many seats in the palace, and the daughter of the Dugu family is so precious, so she won’t serve others easily, right?"
Mrs. Zhang is quite straightforward in her speech. Ms. Guo smiled and wanted to say something, how is your second wife doing now?
Well, Erniang Yuwen married King Li Shimin of Qin a few years ago. King Qin disappeared within a few days. You may say she was unlucky or not, but Erniang Yuwen was not the only one who was unlucky back then. Many people fell into the trap of the Li family in Longxi.
In the pit, they, the Dugu clan, are even more inevitable, so there is no need to hurt each other.
The plastic girlfriends walked slowly to the palace gate while fighting each other, and explained their identities and reasons for entering the palace to the officials guarding the palace gate. It took a long time before they were let go.
People were unable to enter and could only wait outside the palace gate and suffer from the cold.
This is just for women, it's even more troublesome for men. No matter what high-ranking official you are, if you want to visit the nobles in the palace, you have to go through a lot of procedures.
………………
Entering the scope of Taiji Palace, there are some government offices on the periphery. Now they are closed and not many people are passing by.
Guo and Zhang were led to stroll forward. While looking left and right, Zhang sighed and said, "It's been a few years since I entered the palace. It seems like nothing has changed here."
Her husband Yuwen Xiuye was an official in Chang'an Magistrate's Office, not a high-ranking official, while her natal family was in the Ministry of Personnel, which seemed to be much better than her husband's family.
But the family in Chang'an should not take it at face value. Although Yuwen's cultivation was ineffective, he was born in the noble family of Yuwen, the Duke of Xu Kingdom in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. His cousin Yuwen was a scholar in Taichang, and everyone at that time called him Yuwen's mansion.
Most of the other brothers and nephews are officials in the capital or Jingzhao, and they are still relatively prominent families in Chang'an.
Therefore, whether it was during the Daye period or when Li Yuan occupied Chang'an, they were frequent visitors to the palace. However, the situation is a bit delicate now, and it is not so easy to enter the palace to have a look.
For example, Mrs. Zhang has not entered the palace for several years, let alone met the emperor.
Mrs. Guo nodded sympathetically beside her. Everyone was in the same boat. The Dugu family, like the Yuwen family, was also on the decline. She had not been here for several years.
With the end of the war in the late Sui Dynasty, and the lingering poison in the late Jin Dynasty, the Xianbei nobles could no longer regain their former glory, and many people no longer wanted to mention their Xianbei surnames.
Sects like Dugu and Yuwen, which have obvious Xianbei marks, will gradually decline, but the two women in them cannot understand it so clearly.
"It's been two years since the children entered the palace, right? There seems to be no good news. Now that the general election is coming, many women will enter the palace... Do you think His Majesty will be..." Guo put down those unnecessary emotions and said,
Somewhat worrying.
Mrs. Zhang was also aroused by her, but she said: "Where is this place? Sister, please don't talk nonsense. Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, so they must endure loneliness..."
I heard……"
Having said this, Mrs. Zhang lowered her voice. Mrs. Guo understood and immediately raised her ears and came closer.
Mrs. Zhang whispered: "I just heard some rumors. Just listen to them and don't spread them to outsiders."
"My little sister understands. Sister, just tell me, we are not outsiders."
"I just heard someone say that His Majesty likes those women who are stronger, but the delicate beauties are not what he likes..."
Hearing this, Mrs. Guo rolled her eyes secretly. Who doesn't know about this? To put it in your words, it was so mysterious that you thought it was some kind of secret.
It’s just that what Zhang said next is a little interesting.
"Also, I heard that His Majesty once said that the new daughters entering the palace are still too young to perform the human etiquette. They have to wait..."
After saying that, the two mature women stared at each other with big eyes and small eyes. They both blushed and their hearts beat, and their eyes slowly drifted away.
They thought of one person at the same time, and they had many more daydreams. Could it be that His Majesty likes a human (harmony) wife, so they should be more careful when entering the palace in the future.
The bloodline of the Xianbei people is recovering...
For a long time, neither of them spoke anymore. The majestic Tai Chi Palace appeared in their sight, and they had no intention of visiting it. It was not until they left the Tai Chi Palace behind that Guo said with a slight embarrassment: "I didn't expect that Your Majesty is still a human being."
People who cherish fragrance and cherish jade."
Zhang's forehead was sweating, and she felt that the cold wind in the twelfth lunar month was no longer so cold. While loosening the ties of her cloak a little, she nodded and said, "So, there is no harm in asking them to be patient."