Since Su Yao had promised Concubine Pang, he had been thinking about this matter all along. He even went to Xiao Heng for advice: "I don't think the five candidates are very suitable. It's not because of the poor family background. After all, there is an old saying that those who are loyal are usually butchers, and those who are unfaithful are usually scholars. I just think that these five people are not very suitable for the Eleventh Princess's personality."
In fact, Su Yao should change her words now. Since she married Xiao Heng, she is naturally one generation younger than him. She has to call the fifth prince, the sixth prince and the seventh prince uncles, and the eleventh princess naturally becomes her aunt.
However, when Su Yao mentioned it to Xiao Heng privately, he did not change the address.
Xiao Heng thought about it carefully. He understood what Su Yao meant and asked politely, "You mean, you don't want to choose from these five people?"
But even these five people were carefully selected by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and they have always clamored to follow the ancestral system.
Su Yao simply made it clear: "In recent days, I have learned about many precedents of princesses getting married, and found that few princesses who married according to the ancestral system lived well. And those princes-in-law were not very decent... ... The Ministry of Rites and the court officials are so insistent on this matter, I am afraid there must be some interest connection."
No wonder Concubine Pang gave this matter to her.
It turns out that it is indeed a hot potato.
But even if it was a hot potato, Su Yao had to get it done. This was the first thing she would take charge of after becoming the Crown Prince's Consort. If she could do it beautifully, it would be a good start.
Xiao Heng trusted Su Yao in everything. When he heard Su Yao say that, he knew that Su Yao had made up his mind. He did not object at all and just said to Su Yao: "Then you can do it yourself. I will always stand by your side. If you need my help, just tell me directly."
He has been very busy with things happening in the southeast recently, and Su Yao doesn't want to distract him with these things.
Speaking of this, she thought of Shen Hai and Xiao Yuan, and asked Xiao Heng: "Is there any movement over there recently?"
Xiao Heng shook his head. "It's been quiet lately, so quiet that it makes people feel uneasy. In addition, the Japanese envoys have come to the capital. They are active in the court. Now there is a trend in the court - that is, peace talks with Japan."
Peace talks
Su Yao curled his lips coldly: "I guess the Southeast has spent a lot of money to prepare for the event. Peace talks? Haven't those Japanese done enough things of going back on their words? Apart from that, their cruelty and bloodlust are disgusting and terrifying. I have also witnessed the cruelty of the Tatars and the Oirat people, but compared to them, they are just a drop in the bucket."
At this time, they came under the guise of peace talks just to temporarily relieve the pressure and help Shen Hai and the Southeast Family gain more time to respond.
They even dared to ask for the princess' hand in marriage.
They naturally don't care about the princess. If they wait until the war starts, the first thing they might do is to sacrifice the princess to boost morale. She believes these Japanese people can do it.
Xiao Heng and Su Yao had the same idea: "My father... Guangping Houzi also said so. They don't really want to negotiate. In fact, the emperor knows it in his heart. But now, most people in the court agree to negotiate. The reason is that the defense pressure in the north is also very high. The court just attacked Yunnan. Although we didn't spend too much in Yunnan, it is still a big pressure. No one wants to fight Japan unless it is necessary."
This was also the reason why some court officials had agreed to let the princess marry a foreign prince. They all felt that it was not suitable to fight any more wars recently and that it was time to rest and recuperate.
Xiao Heng sighed: "Especially the Ministry of Revenue, their attitude is the most resolute."
The Oirat people were ready to make a move, just waiting to come and bite off a piece of meat from the Great Zhou. Under such circumstances, the Ministry of Revenue did not want another major war to happen in the southeast.
All the officials in the Eastern Palace saw this, and they also disagreed with Xiao Heng's opposition to the court officials.
This matter made Xiao Heng very upset. He has been busy with this matter recently.
Su Yao thought for a moment and said, "Actually, we don't necessarily have to fight."
She tapped her fingers on the table and whispered to Xiao Heng, "Why did Shen Hai collude with the Southeast nobles, and why did the Southeast people go to great lengths to help Shen Hai and the Japanese? It's simply because they all rely on smuggling to make money, and Shen Hai is the overlord of the sea. What if our court opened a maritime customs office?"
Anyway, there is precedent.
After the opening of the Maritime Customs, how big is the market for maritime transport
By then, the imperial court will be able to collect a lot of taxes.
Su Yao looked at Xiao Heng and said, "Sooner or later, they will break off relations with the Southeast. Those wealthy families are even willing to collude with the remnants of the evil for smuggling. Their appetite is too big. Now they can bribe high-ranking officials in the court. What about in the future? They may want to support a court that supports their smuggling. This is not impossible. Otherwise, why would they collude with Xiao Yuan? In my opinion, it will happen sooner or later anyway, so why not do it in our hands?"
If it is accomplished, it will be an achievement greater than suppressing a rebellion.
Xiao Heng also had the same idea, and he said to Su Yao, "I'll go discuss it with Zhan Shi and the others."
Su Yao nodded.
A few days later, Eunuch Hu came over with news that the horse riding and archery competition was about to begin.
Su Yao went to another palace.
The selected concubines and candidates for becoming imperial consorts usually study here first, and then are sent to the palace when they are qualified.
Su Yao saw the five candidates for the title of Prince Consort at the racecourse in the other palace.
To be fair, regardless of whether there was any transfer of interests between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Rites, the people they chose were still acceptable on the surface. Several candidates looked good, at least not particularly scary, Su Yao had heard about it.
Su Yao sat in the pavilion on the third floor and watched several people racing horses.
Their movements were not skillful. It was more like riding horses than horse racing, because even in the competition, they were running. If the horses moved a little more violently, several people were scared to death and screamed.
Eunuch Hu obviously didn't expect these people to be so lame, and he was a little stunned for a moment.
However, Su Yao felt that the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Internal Affairs' boasting about being well-trained was even more unreliable.
If this is the result of their so-called training, it would be difficult for the prince consort to take them hunting.
The Eleventh Princess is very good at horse riding.
Seeing that Su Yao's face was not looking good, Eunuch Hu was a little nervous. He forced a smile and said, "In fact, riding a horse requires practice to make perfect. It's too cold now, so it may not be convenient for you gentlemen."