Children of Loulan

Chapter 318: Concubine Selection 1

He just slowly put down the chopsticks in his hand and said calmly: "There is no need for Concubine Zhu to be so anxious. Look at today's banquet, there are many young ladies from aristocratic families! They are all young ladies who have been carefully raised by various court officials with countless efforts. Each of them is not only well-educated, but also knowledgeable and knows how to act. I think there must be a candidate for a daughter-in-law that Concubine Zhu will be satisfied with!"

As soon as Keremu finished speaking, it was like dropping a stone into a calm lake, causing ripples. After hearing this, the young ladies present all lowered their heads like frightened deer, their cheeks flushed, and they were too shy to even raise their heads. The concubine sitting at the top smiled, her eyes swept across the noble ladies present, then nodded slightly and responded softly: "Well, it is indeed as you said. The girls gathered here are all the most outstanding and knowledgeable girls in our Loulan country."

Then, Concubine Ru suddenly turned her gaze to Keremu, with a barely perceptible cunning flashing in her eyes, and she said slowly: "Come to think of it, it has been almost a year since the prince Xuan married his principal wife. Now the princess is pregnant, and will soon add a child to the palace. Why don't you choose one or two of these outstanding women to be concubines on this auspicious day? This way, you can expand the palace and highlight your honorable status. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"

Hearing Concubine Ru's words, she lost her humble and submissive demeanor. The queen was furious and her face turned gloomy. She said slowly, "Today's plum blossom banquet was originally held to select concubines for Prince Xin and Prince Cheng. You know, Prince Xuan already has a wife, and his wife is pregnant. In this case, how can Prince Xuan take over the show? Therefore, the most urgent task is to select wives for the two brothers first!"

In fact, deep down in her heart the queen did have the idea of ​​taking one or two more concubines for Prince Xuan, but when Concubine Ru brought it up to her face, she immediately became unhappy.

However, facing the queen's slightly unhappy words, Concubine Ru did not get angry. Instead, she smiled slightly, turned her head and cast her gaze towards Prince Xin, and asked softly, "I wonder if His Royal Highness Prince Xin has taken a fancy to any famous lady?"

Aider said respectfully: "My father and mother have carefully selected the right candidate for me. I will certainly follow their careful arrangements!" His attitude was respectful and humble.

At this time, listening to the words of Concubine Ru and the Queen, the noble ladies lowered their heads, concentrating on eating the food in front of them elegantly, not even daring to raise their heads, their hearts filled with anxiety and uneasiness, fearing that Concubine Ru would call their names the next moment. The whole scene was filled with a subtle atmosphere of tension, like a taut string that could break at any time.

At this suffocating moment, a loud shout suddenly came - "The King has arrived!" This voice was like a thunder, breaking the originally solemn air. Everyone present was startled, and they all stood up in a hurry, knelt down and saluted, and shouted in unison: "Greetings, the King!"

The king walked into the hall with big strides and the gait of a dragon and a tiger. He smiled and raised his hand to signal, "Everyone, stand up!" Then everyone stood up slowly as if they had been pardoned, and returned to their seats.

After everyone sat down again, the king looked around, still with a faint smile on his face, and asked: "I just heard that it is very lively here when I was outside. I wonder what you are talking about?" His tone was relaxed and casual, but there was a hint of majesty in it.

Concubine Ru hurriedly bowed and replied: "In reply to the king, please don't make fun of me. It's just that I saw that all the ladies seemed a little restrained and nervous, so I wanted to tell the queen a few jokes to help them relax a little." After saying this, Concubine Ru smiled gently with her hands covering her mouth. Her delicate and charming posture was a bright spot in people's eyes.

When the king arrived, all the noble ladies present breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it was obvious that Concubine Ru had bad intentions when talking to the queen, and her words were sharp. They were just the daughters of officials. If they were unfortunate enough to be embarrassed by Concubine Ru's tricky questions, they might offend the queen if they were not careful. Fortunately, now that the king was here in person, Concubine Ru would not dare to act so recklessly and wantonly.

The king had a amiable smile on his face. He slowly swept his eyes over the ladies present and said softly, "Ladies, there is no need to be too restrained. Just relax and be casual." His words were like a spring breeze, making people feel kind and comforted.

After saying this, the king turned his gaze to Keremu who was standing beside him, and asked with concern: "Muer, your injury has improved. I wonder how you are doing now?"

Keremu quickly stood up and replied respectfully: "Thank you for your concern, my father. My injuries are no longer serious and I have almost recovered." When he said this, his tone was sincere and firm.

The king nodded with satisfaction, a hint of relief in his eyes, and then asked: "If so, how is your princess?"

Upon hearing this, Keremu tilted his head slightly and looked at Hanguli beside him affectionately, then turned to reply to the king: "My father, she has been taking pregnancy-preserving medicine on time in recent days, and the doctor in the mansion is also taking good care of her. Everything is fine now, please rest assured." His words revealed his deep love and care for his wife.

After the banquet, the whole palace was immersed in silence, but the queen's bedroom was still brightly lit. The queen slowly took out two carefully selected scrolls from the brocade box, which depicted two women of prominent status. One was the second daughter of Guanglu Dafu, and the other was the eldest daughter of Yushi Zhongcheng. The former was a second-rank official, and the latter was a fourth-rank official.

There was actually a hidden reason why the queen made such a choice. Firstly, she wanted to test the king's attitude towards the selection of a concubine; secondly, now that the prime minister and the virtuous concubine were both executed, the once powerful Prince Xin Aidier also lost all his support. Therefore, when choosing a wife for him, the queen deliberately gave two candidates of different grades, one high and one low.

The king took the scroll from the queen and studied it carefully. After a moment, he nodded slightly and said thoughtfully: "Well, I have some impression of this Guanglu doctor's daughter. I have seen her several times at banquets before. This girl is indeed as the rumors say. She is not only well-read, but also gentle and elegant. She is indeed a model of a lady from a noble family. Why not take her portrait to the second prince to see if he is interested in her. By the way, find out whose girl he really likes. If the girl has good character, you might as well marry her. In this way, it can be regarded as a good story." After that, the king ordered someone to send the portrait of Guanglu doctor's daughter to the second prince, and asked him to bring it back as soon as possible.