It was late at night, but the prince tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Over the years, the prince had met many ladies from famous families at various palace banquets, but none of them made his heart beat.
Now his mother asked him to choose a woman to accompany him for the rest of his life, but he couldn't choose.
The Queen Mother asked him to choose someone who shared his similarities with her, but who could he choose
Even if he finds reasons to delay, how long can he delay
The prince sighed and turned over. Choosing a wife was indeed more troublesome than handling government affairs.
The next day, the prince went to court with dark circles under his eyes.
Emperor Xuanzhi glanced at the prince who looked a little unwell, and continued to discuss state affairs with his ministers.
After the court session, Emperor Xuanzhi took the prince to the imperial study and asked, "Don't you want to get married?"
"It's not that I don't want to marry, but I don't know who to marry." The prince said frankly.
"Let your mother choose the people for you, and you will be the imperial envoy to the southeast to provide disaster relief."
The prince showed joy on his face, "Yes, father."
After a pause, he said, "Thank you, Father."
"In the future, your mother will choose a good person for you. Whether you like it or not, you must treat him/her well." Emperor Xuanzhi warned seriously.
The prince raised his eyes and glanced at him, "Father, have you chosen someone?"
"Brat, have I ever told you that whether it is using the harem to control the former dynasty, or using the former dynasty to balance the power of the harem, it is all done by an incompetent monarch."
"I was wrong."
"You little rascal, if a woman is willing to give up the hustle and bustle outside the palace and walk into the palace to accompany you, you should be grateful for this affection." Emperor Xuanzhi said earnestly.
"But father, some women enter the palace to compete for favor for the sake of their family's honor. They don't have any feelings for me as a person, they are just interested in my status." The prince corrected calmly.
Emperor Xuanzhi snorted coldly, "Your mother gave you a chance, but you gave up."
The prince was filled with bitterness, "Father, can this marriage be discussed after I come back from disaster relief?"
Emperor Xuanzhi looked at him, pursed his lips and said nothing.
The prince knelt down, "Father."
"You little brat, you only know how to embarrass your mother. Go pack your bags."
"Thank you, father." The prince bowed his head, got up, and left quickly.
The prince had left the capital, so Jiang Changning had an excuse to fudge the queen mother, "Let's wait until the prince comes back before discussing this matter."
"You pick a few good ones, and when the prince comes back, hold a banquet, and he can choose from them. Wouldn't that be much easier?" The queen mother was eager to have a great-grandson and was not fooled by Jiang Changning.
"I'll listen to my mother." Jiang Changning said helplessly.
Next, Jiang Changning frequently summoned noble ladies from various prefectures in the capital to the palace to appreciate the flowers. Due to the drought in the southeast, the people were displaced and it was not easy to hold banquets all the time.
In early April, General Xia Lecheng, who was stationed in the northern border, returned to Beijing with his family.
Emperor Xuanzhi asked Jiang Changning to summon Madam Xia and Miss Xia. "The stability of the northern border in recent years is all thanks to Xia Lecheng. Give them something to show your favor."
"You don't want to choose Miss Xia as the Crown Princess, do you?" Jiang Changning asked tentatively.
"The daughter of a military general is a little rough, and the brat won't like her. He likes gentle ones." Emperor Xuanzhi denied.
"Your Majesty, you remembered it wrong. The prince didn't say he liked gentle girls. It was Xiao Qian who said that gentle girls are better."
Emperor Xuanzhi frowned, "Does the third boy have someone he likes?"
The eldest son hasn’t found a wife yet, but the third son wants to get married before his two elder brothers
"No, it's just that Xiaoqian and Xiaoyuer had a quarrel, and Xiaoqian thought Xiaoyuer wasn't gentle enough."
"Xiao Yu'er is a good girl, but that bad boy always bullies his sister." Emperor Xuanzhi was a daughter slave and spoiled Xiao Yu'er until she almost became a willful princess.
"You got it wrong. It was Xiao Yu'er who bullied her brother." Jiang Changning glared at him. "Don't always protect that girl. What's the matter? Do you have an enemy? Are you going to raise your daughter to be a troublemaker so that she can marry your enemy as revenge?"
"You are really wronging me, my lady. When have I ever blindly protected her? I didn't help her when you punished her."
Emperor Xuanzhi chuckled twice, held the teacup and passed it to her, "Have a cup of tea, your majesty, to quench your thirst."
Jiang Changning was too lazy to argue with him, so he took the teacup and took a sip of the tea.
In the afternoon, a booklet containing information about the Xia family was delivered to Jiang Changning.
Xia Lecheng, 45 years old, is the illegitimate son of Xia Jun, the former commander of the Beijing Guards. He joined the army at the age of 16, made military achievements at the age of 20, and was promoted to deputy lieutenant. At the age of 25, he was promoted to captain.
As for Mrs. Xia, she was the daughter of the chief of the Xibe ethnic group. She was 41 years old. She married Xia Lecheng at the age of 20 and gave birth to two sons and two daughters for him.
The eldest daughter has married, and the eldest son has replaced Xia Lecheng to guard the northern border. The youngest son Xia Jingran and the youngest daughter Xia Xueer returned with the couple.
Xia Jingran is fourteen years old and Xia Xueer is sixteen years old.
In terms of age, Xia Xueer is quite suitable for the prince.
Of course, when choosing a Crown Princess, one cannot just consider age.
The next day, the Xia family of four entered the palace. Xia Lecheng and Xia Jingran went to the imperial study to meet the emperor, and Madam Xia took Xia Xueer to Qiyuan Palace to meet the queen.
The mother and daughter rode the sedan chair given by Jiang Changning to the outside of Qiyuan Palace. After they got off the sedan chair, an eunuch came forward and saluted, "Madam Xia, Miss Xia, please come in."
At the palace gate, the mother and daughter saw a middle-aged palace maid. The eunuch who led the way bowed and said, "Aunt Xiulan."
Xiulan smiled and said, "That's right, go and do your work, the Queen will reward you later."
After sending the eunuch away, Xiulan turned around and bowed to the Xia mother and daughter.
The Xia family's mother and daughter quickly returned the greeting. The eunuch just called her "Aunt", which meant that she must be a senior palace maid serving the Queen.
"The Queen has been waiting in the main hall since early morning. Madam and young lady, please follow me." Xiulan said with a smile.
"Thank you for leading the way, young lady." Mrs. Xia said hurriedly.
Xia Xueer stepped forward and stuffed a purse into Xiulan's hand.
Xiulan did not refuse and accepted it, then took the Xia mother and daughter to the main hall.
Jiang Changning really did as Xiulan said. In order to show his importance, he waited in the main hall early in the morning.
Xiulan came in and said, "Madam, Madam Xia and Miss Xia are here."
"Please come in." Jiang Changning said with a smile.
The mother and daughter of the Xia family lowered their heads, which made Jiang Changning, who wanted to see Miss Xia's appearance, a little disappointed.
However, Miss Xia has a well-proportioned figure and is well developed.
If the Queen Mother saw this, she would definitely say that this is a girl that is easy to raise.
"I, your humble servant, pay my respects to Her Majesty the Queen. May Her Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."
"Get up." Jiang Changning said with a weak support.
"Thank you, Madam."
"Please take a seat." Jiang Changning withdrew his gaze from Xia Xueer.
The Xia mother and daughter thanked him and sat down carefully, still with their heads down, not daring to look at Jiang Changning.
"What are the two characters in Miss Xia's name?" Jiang Changning asked kindly.
Xia Xueer quickly stood up and said, "Reply to the Queen."
"Don't be so restrained, sit down and talk." Jiang Changning said with a smile.
"My daughter's name is Xue'er, Xue means white snow falling, and Er means elegant."
"Good name."
The topic started from here, Jiang Changning asked, Xia's mother and daughter answered, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed.
(End of this chapter)