MM Racing Chapter 262 Turbulent Times
Chapter 262 Turbulent Times
Upon hearing this, Yang Shougui flew into a rage and shouted, "How dare she look down on the daughter of a prefect, who is the son of this military governor?"
Madam Bai wept and said, "Master is good. Everyone who sees Cheng'er praises him. If anyone is to blame, it's me. He's unlucky to have been born into my womb. If it were Madam's child, with Master's current status, who would dare to complain? Even a princess would be worthy of him!"
Yang Shougui sighed deeply and embraced his beloved woman. "I have let you down! I will plead with the Pei family one more time!"
Madam Bai shook her head. "Master, no! Neither I nor Cheng'er want you to beg the Pei family for this matter. It's just a matter of status. It's not like Cheng'er is determined to marry the daughter of the prefect."
The Pei family is clinging to this matter only to try and manipulate Master. How could I bear to see him suffer like this? Master is a man of integrity, a meritorious official of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How could I bear to see him wronged over something like this?
Yang Shougui was deeply moved, and inevitably harbored resentment towards the Pei family.
That night, Bai flattered and pleased Yang Shougui, making him very happy and feeling even more sorry for her. He felt that being a concubine was too unfair.
The next day, he discussed the matter of being promoted to the rank of official with his steward, grumbling a bit. The steward, who had already received favors from the Bai family, suggested...
"Sir, perhaps you don't have to take this route. As the saying goes, if one road is blocked, take a detour. Since detours are also blocked, why not take the main road?"
Yang Shougui asked, puzzled, "What broad road?"
The head of the household said, "The Pei family is just trying to use this matter to control the master. Now the Pei family has some ulterior motives and wants to use the master again, still making a fuss over this little thing. It's been five years since the late madam passed away, and they still won't let it go. The master is also an important official of the court. Why not ask the emperor for a decree? If he gets an imperial edict, why can't he be officially recognized?"
"This is against the law!"
"Isn't the Emperor's decree more effective than the law?"
"You're right, you scoundrel, why didn't you remind me sooner?" Yang Shougui said with a laugh.
He immediately wanted to request an imperial decree, but the chief steward stopped him.
The steward said, "My lord, in my opinion, it would be better to postpone it for now. The situation in the court is tense right now, and the Emperor may not have the will to do so. Even if he does, if the Pei family insists on disagreeing, the Emperor may be powerless to do so."
"I think you should submit a pledge of loyalty to the Emperor, and in the future... you won't have to worry about getting your wife an official title!"
Yang Shougui hesitated. "You mean, you want me to betray the Pei family?"
The steward knelt down and said, "Master, I deserve to die. I was only thinking of you. Although you rose to power with the help of the Pei family, your military achievements over the years have been earned through your own hard work and fighting."
But what will happen if you go to the Pei family, sir? The young masters and ladies born to the late madam have always been close to the Pei family, even their marriages were arranged by them; if the Pei family harbors rebellious intentions, what will you do, sir?
Yang Shougui was a military man, but he wasn't brainless. He thought about it and realized that although he was the military governor of three towns, a third-rank military officer, Prime Minister Pei had never taken him seriously.
After he married Prime Minister Pei's widowed sister, Prime Minister Pei gave him an opportunity, but his rise to his current position was entirely due to his military achievements.
The Pei family wants to rely on him, and Pei Xunli has already told him about his intentions, promising to bestow upon him the title of Prince of the County once the matter is accomplished.
The head maid said, "Master, don't say that many things depend on fate. Even if things succeed, do you really want to follow the Pei family's lead for the rest of your life? What if, in the future, the Pei family wants you to divorce Madam Bai?"
The Pei family had indeed made this request before, but fortunately, Prime Minister Pei's widowed sister fell ill in time and was on the verge of death, so the Pei family withdrew their offer.
With the Bai family's matter resolved, Shen Shixi also received the news, but he was not entirely at ease. He ordered the charity to send people to keep an eye on the Yang family and report any disturbances immediately.
After the Empress became pregnant, she devoted herself to her pregnancy, and all the power in the palace fell into the hands of Shen Shixi. She completely reshuffled the personnel in the palace and locked herself in Zhaoyang Palace to tinker with weapons.
The things she asked Liu Jingzhong to send her were now being assembled piece by piece in her hands.
The Emperor now visits Fengyi Palace every few days to see his long-awaited "son of the empress." The Empress is both satisfied and deeply moved, feeling that the Emperor truly loves her deeply. She also hates the deceased Consort Fan even more. If it weren't for that vile woman, she would have given birth to the Emperor's son long ago, instead of making the Emperor wait for so long!
The Empress then proposed a selection of concubines. Since she was pregnant, how could she allow Lady Shen to enjoy the Emperor's favor alone?
They were determined to bring in some young and beautiful girls to win over the emperor's heart.
The emperor readily agreed and praised the empress for her virtue. The empress blushed and leaned on the emperor's shoulder, causing Li Yuanke to freeze instantly.
Granny Qu saw everything clearly from the side and her heart began to pound, but there was no point in saying anything at this point.
The current situation is beyond anyone's control; what the future holds is entirely up to fate.
The Empress's face was also unbearable to look at. Since becoming pregnant, she had aged rapidly, and wrinkles had appeared around her eyes and brows. Although she was several years younger than the Emperor, she looked like his mother.
My hair gradually turned dry and yellow, and the ends started to split.
The palace was under strict control internally but relaxed externally. Shen Shixi ordered that all messages leaving Fengyi Palace and intended to be sent to the Pei family should be allowed to pass through. Even if there was no opportunity, they should create one to help the Empress send them out.
Fearing that Shen Shixi might manipulate the selection process, the Empress, despite her illness, managed to complete the selection.
Fortunately, she only needed to say a few words to get the Empress Dowager to agree, and the Cining Palace also put in a lot of effort, so the palace selection was finally completed in February.
This small-scale talent show had over 800 participants, and a total of 23 people were selected, with 19 from the clan members.
The Empress Dowager chose Zhu Shouchun, the daughter of Zhu Tao, the governor of Youzhou, as Li Yuanyin's principal wife. She originally aspired to become a palace concubine and planned to emulate the Imperial Noble Consort Chenyuan, but she failed in her first attempt and was thwarted by the Empress Dowager. She was quite unlucky.
Four people remained in the palace.
Cui Xianhui, granddaughter of Cui Fangli, the Grand Secretary; Liang Anlan, granddaughter of Liang Ji, the Attendant-in-Ordinary; Wang Yueyao of the Wang family of Taiyuan; and Xu Miaoying, the niece of Pei Gao, who was born out of wedlock, were all daughters of Xu Cong, the Prefect of Muzhou.
Cui Xianhui and Liang Anlan were initially appointed as Selected Ladies, while the other two were initially appointed as Lady-in-Waiting. None of these initial appointments were high-ranking.
After the new concubine entered the palace, the Empress advised the Emperor to bestow his favors equally upon all his consorts. The Emperor readily agreed and summoned the new concubine for several days in a row. Seeing that Shen Shixi was being neglected, the Empress was very pleased and said in the palace, "The Emperor was only doing this for novelty. Did she really think she could surpass me? What a joke!"
Granny Qu didn't say anything, only advising the Empress to take good care of the pregnancy.
If this pregnancy is saved, the Empress might be able to save her life.
Outside the palace, a storm was brewing.
According to Pei Gaoshi, the Emperor was very calm and still had the mind to summon his new concubine every day.
Pei Wubing, the governor of Luzhou, did not follow the imperial policy of collecting half tax from ethnic minorities, but instead forced them to pay the full tax. In addition, Luzhou suffered from a locust plague last year, and Pei Wubing also created various pretexts to collect various exorbitant taxes. The local people finally raised the banner of rebellion, and with great momentum, they quickly captured the important town of Rongzhou.
Xiling and Beisha joined forces to invade Shanzhou. Shanzhou was no match for them, and within two months, they had captured two prefectures of the Great Zhou.
During the morning court session, the ministers had various opinions, some advocating for a full-scale resistance, others requesting military action, and still others seeking peace talks.
Li Yuanke asked, "What insightful opinion does Prime Minister Pei have?"