Chapter 373

The officials, who had been seething with anger earlier, all quieted down in the presence of the emperor, not daring to cause any trouble.0

Jiang Yankun followed the others in paying his respects, then stood up and snorted, "Spineless cowards."0

The official who had been arguing with him earlier turned red with anger, his neck bulging. "Who are you calling a coward?"0

Jiang Yankun muttered under his breath, "You’re the one who jumped out to admit it. Why ask when you already know?"0

His tone, innocent yet taunting, was truly, truly, truly infuriating.0

The official was boiling with rage, but Jiang Yankun remained calm, not showing a hint of anger or frustration. If he tried to argue further, it would only make him seem like the unreasonable one.0

"Your Majesty!"0

"Please judge this matter for me. Minister Jiang... Minister Jiang is being utterly unreasonable."0

Unable to win the argument, he sought external help.0

The Xuanwu Emperor slowly turned his head in another direction, pretending not to hear, and scratched his forehead.0

After a brief silence, he cleared his throat. "What urgent matter brings you all here at this hour?"0

If it’s just some trivial matter unrelated to the court or the people, you’ll regret it.0

The emperor’s implied message was clear to those who were sharp, but there were always those who were less perceptive, stubbornly opposing the emperor.0

"Your Majesty, the daughter of the Yanzhou governor, Shi Ruojun, is a violent, unmarriageable shrew! How could you have chosen her for the imperial harem?"0

"Lady Shi, I find her straightforward, adorable, strong, and brave. I quite like her."0

After just one meeting, the emperor could already tell she was strong and brave?0

"And what about the daughter of the Hanlin Academy reader, Meng Wanqing? She’s had seven fiancés, all of whom met untimely deaths! Your Majesty, aren’t you afraid..."0

"Nonsense!"0

The emperor slammed his hand on the table. "Lady Meng is gentle, well-read, and eloquent. She’s a rare talent, and I find her quite charming. Besides, precisely because she’s cursed, I should take her into the harem. As the Son of Heaven, protected by the dragon’s aura, no evil can harm me. It’s better to keep her from harming others."0

"Your Majesty is wise, truly wise!"0

Reader Meng, overwhelmed with gratitude, knelt on the ground, kowtowing. Your Majesty has saved the Meng family from disaster.0

"And there’s also..."0

"Enough!"0

The Xuanwu Emperor glared at the speaking officials, his eyes blazing with anger and his tone filled with disdain. "You are officials paid by the state treasury, tasked with caring for the hardships of the people. I thought you were here to discuss matters of great importance to the fate of Great Yan, but instead, you’re fixated on my harem."0

He repeatedly slapped the table. "Selecting consorts is my personal affair. What are you trying to do? Do I need your approval to like a woman? If I don’t comply with your wishes, are you going to rebel? Isn’t that tantamount to threatening me?"0

The last official who dared to threaten the emperor probably met the founding emperor in the afterlife.0

"We dare not!"0

The officials who had been criticizing Jiang Xinyue, seeing the emperor’s rage, all knelt on the ground, their foreheads beading with cold sweat.0

They hadn’t expected the emperor’s tastes to be so... unique.0

"If you put even half the effort you spend on meddling in the harem into caring for the people, I can’t imagine how happy my subjects would be. But what are you arguing about? Why your daughters weren’t chosen for the harem? I’ve already selected the ones I like. Do you expect me to take every single candidate into the harem?"0

With too many women in the harem, trouble is bound to arise, and Yue’er will be schemed against again.0

The emperor’s gaze swept over the officials, and he sighed. "I’m getting older, and many things are beyond my control. For those candidates who were not selected and do not wish to remain in the palace, I permit them to return home and marry as they please."0

Those pampered young ladies from noble families, if they stayed in the palace as maids, would only add to the burden of the existing palace staff.0

They don’t know how to serve others; they’d only cause more trouble.0

After the emperor’s words, the officials’ indignation lessened, though some still felt resentful.0

How could they accept that their well-bred daughters lost out to candidates with questionable reputations?0

But at least their precious daughters wouldn’t have to stay in the palace as maids, waiting until they were twenty-five to leave. They could return home and save face.0

In the gloomy Chuxiu Palace, a maid rushed into the hall, out of breath. "Miss... Miss... we can go home, we can go home!"0n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Su Hongliu jumped up from her chair. "What? What do you mean we can go home?"0

The maid, tears of joy streaming down her face, said, "The families of dozens of the rejected candidates have come to the imperial study to protest! The emperor was so annoyed that he declared if the rejected candidates don’t wish to serve in the palace, they can all return home and marry as they please."0

Tears immediately fell from Su Hongliu’s eyes. "Thank heavens... thank heavens... I thought I’d have to wait until I was twenty-five to leave the palace..."0

By then, she’d be an old maid, unwanted by anyone.0

Being able to leave the palace was a stroke of luck. If they made any mistakes during their time in the palace, being scolded or punished, they might not even survive to see the day they could leave.0

"Ah... wuwuwu..."0

Only one person cried even more bitterly.0

Huang Yanyu was utterly distraught. If rolling on the ground could get her out of the palace, she wouldn’t even care about losing face.0

A few candidates who had disliked her for her bullying ways gloated. "Oh dear! We’re all leaving the palace. Will you be lonely here, Yanyu?"0

"Your cousin is the emperor’s favorite consort... no, wait, starting tomorrow, we’ll have to call her the empress. Your cousin is the empress, and you’re a maid. How peculiar."0

"With hundreds of sisters in the palace serving the imperial consorts, how could she possibly be lonely?"0

"Hahaha..."0

Several candidates burst into laughter.0

Mu Qianqian didn’t dare say a word. When she left home, she had stolen the most valuable jade pendant from her family, one her father had intended to give to her brother for his wedding.0

It was said to be a precious jade pendant worth ten gold pieces, gifted to her grandfather by a nobleman in his time.0

Now, that pendant had been given to a eunuch in Chengqian Palace, securing her a position as a tea-serving maid there.0

The early bird catches the worm. She intended to be the one to pluck the moon from the sky.0

Auntie Duan was right. If she didn’t want to leave the palace or be bullied as a servant, she had to compete for favor.0

As a consort, with the emperor’s exclusive favor toward the imperial noble consort, she would never get a chance to see him.0

But as a maid in Chengqian Palace, she could see the emperor every day. How could she not develop feelings over time?0

Even if there were no feelings, what man in the world could resist temptation?0