Some people say that when people get older, their hearts become softer, and they naturally feel pity for the elderly and the poor, or in other words, they feel pity for the elderly and the weak.
However, both the Queen Mother and the Emperor scoffed at this statement. If you want to have the space to feel compassion for others, then you must first ensure that you are strong. Otherwise, how can a person with nothing help others after showing pity? In addition, the old and the weak also need to be pitied. If they are the kind of old people who are thieves because they are not dead, or the weak who are ungrateful, then it is simply helping an ungrateful person!
Therefore, although the Empress Dowager and the Emperor provided relief to members of the royal family, there was only one prerequisite: they had to be respectful and polite.
For example, the emperor personally promised that the princesses would choose husbands together with the two princesses of marriageable age. Their fathers and grandfathers all stood firmly on the side of Emperor Ruizong, the current empress dowager and the emperor until their death. As for the other families, such as Prince Sihe, whose son had just been expelled from the clan and was seriously ill, he did have two daughters, but who would care about this
The reason given by the emperor also effectively shut up the civil and military officials. Isn't it natural for a father to choose a husband for his daughter? And for an orphan girl in the same clan who has no father to officiate at the wedding, isn't it natural for the emperor, as the real head of the royal family, to officiate at the wedding? As for other county lords and daughters with lower titles, no one wants the emperor to take care of everything.
Because that means the court might have to spend a lot more money!
Although such an event had a great impact, it was mainly concentrated among the children of officials, so the common people only discussed it a little, not as strongly as when it was heard that the prince's wife was selected from the seventh rank and below and the families of scholars. However, the emperor just said it casually, and the Ministry of Rites was busy until their legs broke. Because they were completely responsible for the preliminary application and preliminary screening.
After Chu Kuan, the eunuch in charge of writing in the Imperial Household Department, came to the Minister of Rites with a smile on his face and copied a list of more than a hundred candidates, some people who wanted to make some small moves also gave up. If the initial screening screened out some useless people, it would be fine. But if it screened out people who might be favored by the emperor, the consequences would be unimaginable.
In this chaotic atmosphere, even though the last Yuehua Tower Literary Contest of Princess Yongping had just ended a few days ago, no one cared about how the talented scholar who won the first prize but was ignored would feel. Even the attention Princess Yongping herself received was not as great as this incident. At most, people would discuss behind her back who would win the title of this talented princess.
That afternoon, when the sedan chair that came out of the palace finally landed at the gate of Duke Zhao's mansion, the gatekeeper learned from the guard who the visitor was, and was naturally stunned.
You know, although the Zhu family is strictly speaking both a noble family and an in-law family, Princess Yongping and the eldest daughter have been at odds for many years. Unless it is a big day like the lady's birthday, Princess Yongping will never visit.
Several gatekeepers ran inside to report, and some came forward to greet the sedan chair, saying some irrelevant flattering words. It was not until Madam Li and Madam Jiang came out at the same time and brought the words of the lady that they let it go with a sense of relief. Madam Jiang arranged the accompanying guards and servants, and finally, only two palace maids followed Madam Li to escort the sedan chair and went straight in.