The woman on the scroll has a round face, thick eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. Although she looks plump, her face is simple and honest, round and pleasing to the eye.

Empress Dowager Zhang raised her eyebrows. Brother Shou seemed to be in a very good mood and said with a smile: "I said this looks like a man."

Although people at that time did not regard plumpness as beauty as the people of the Tang Dynasty did, they also liked the appearance of roundness and wealth, thinking that they were dignified and majestic.

Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but smile and said: "It is indeed a good look for a man."

Looking at the biography again, this Xia family's ancestors also had high-ranking officials in the Jiuqing Dynasty, but his grandfather only served as a young minister of Taichang Temple in Nanjing. He had been out of office for many years due to illness, and his father's generation was all civilians. This was a very standard candidate for a concubine.

Liang Gong whispered in her ear: "I have checked and found that this person has nothing to do with the Zhou family."

Queen Mother Zhang nodded, saying that this one was good, and then went to look at another one.

She had a standard beautiful face, not much to pick out, but there was a small mole on the tip of her eyebrow.

Empress Dowager Zhang pointed and asked, "Have you ever asked if this mole would cause any obstruction?"

This time, it was Liu Jin who replied respectfully: "The slaves have already asked someone to look at it, and they said it is a good mole, which means 'joyful'."

"That's a blessing." When she read the biography again, Empress Dowager Zhang frowned again because she asked: "Mr. Shen? Is he related to that... Mr. Shen?"

Liang Gong replied loudly: "The servants have checked, and there is no relationship at all. They happen to have the same surname." Then he lowered his voice and said: "It has nothing to do with the Zhou family."

Empress Dowager Zhang then nodded with satisfaction and said that this was okay.

There were only these three scrolls in the shallow box. Brother Shou said with a smile: "The old lady said that I am still young and it is not appropriate to choose from multiple choices, so I just chose these three people. If the queen mother has no objections, she will submit it to the cabinet for review.

If there is no objection from the cabinet, the queen mother will be asked to reward a few palace servants to teach them the rules of the palace."

Queen Mother Zhang responded.

Brother Shou turned to look at Liang Gong and said: "Empress Mother also knows that Gao Feng is already old and is far less useful than I and the people around her. At the beginning, I took pity on him for his hard work and no merit over the years, and rewarded him with a decent job.

Forget it, now that we have chosen to marry, we should relieve him of his errand and let him go back to the imperial prison. I think it is safest to ask my mother for a capable person to take charge of the renovation of Kunning Palace."

Empress Dowager Zhang's face was uncertain.

After the death of Emperor Hongzhi, Empress Dowager Zhang never moved to the palace.

Kunning Palace is not only a place where she has lived for decades, but in a sense, it is also a symbol of power.

It was okay if there was no queen at the beginning, but now that the couple is confirmed, Kunning Palace should be renovated in preparation for the emperor's wedding. It is indeed time for her, the Queen Mother, to move to the palace.

However, moving the palace is also a change of power in the eyes of the outside world.

At such a time, the fact that the Zhang family is on the cusp of the storm and moving to another palace will also become a hint.

"Where does your Majesty want to move the Ai family?" Empress Dowager Zhang said in a rather unkind tone.

Not only those court battles, but now, there is no place in the palace that she likes.

The most well-organized palace among all the palaces in the imperial city is the Renshou Palace, which was the residence of the Zhou family. Empress Dowager Zhang did not like the Zhou family and refused to live in the palace where she lived.

During the funeral, in the name of filial piety, the Empress Dowager Wang was admitted to the Renshou Palace.

Where can she move now?!

Brother Shou was like a filial son again and said with a smile: "The queen will do whatever she pleases, and I will listen to the queen."

Listen to the Queen Mother, when has he ever listened to the Queen Mother? Empress Dowager Zhang opened her mouth, but she couldn't say anything about not moving to the palace.

"Everywhere in the palace is empty, so my mother will slowly make a decision. My uncle has been preparing the wood and stone for a long time. It will not be too late for my mother to make a good choice and repair the palace first, and then Kunning Palace." Brother Shou.

road.

"Haven't the wood and stones prepared by your uncle been sent to Xiyuan?!" I don't know, but the Zhang family reported this matter to the Queen Mother Zhang as a good thing to honor the emperor.

Brother Shou was slightly surprised and said: "Xiyuan? Hey, my eldest uncle transported a lot of wood and stones to Beijing last year, saying it was for the repair of Kunning Palace. Why did he say it was sent to Xiyuan? The Xiyuan land has just been paved.

, I just use some rough stones, the wood has not been seen yet. I will call my uncle and uncle to ask about it someday."

He said it casually, but Queen Mother Zhang's heart sank, and then she thought, the Zhang family finally gave birth to another queen, not to mention repairing the palace, but what is the value of spending money to rebuild the Kunning Palace!

Therefore, she relaxed a little and said, "This is just a family in heaven. If you are in an ordinary family, how can an uncle and a nephew be so meticulous?"

Brother Shou said with a smile: "Thank you mother, I will tell my uncle tomorrow like this."

In Kunning Palace, there is another group of loving mothers and filial piety.

*

In the Shouning Hou Mansion, Zhang Heling had mixed feelings in his heart after receiving the oral instruction.

Zhang Yanling crossed her legs, yawned, and looked like she had not slept enough, and said: "Didn't my eldest brother get a lot of wood and stones from Henan and Shandong last year? They are also piled in the village. Just take them out to the emperor."

Zhang Heling said coldly: "How much money is that wood and stone!"

Zhang Yanling curled her lips and said: "Zuo is just a person who respects you."

Zhang Heling said angrily: "That's nonsense! You dare to say anything!"

Zhang Yanling was not afraid at all, and said coolly: "Dongchang is not a jobber, I'm afraid I would have known about it earlier." He retracted his legs, leaned forward, and his face changed into a serious look, "Brother, Yan Yin hasn't done it yet.

Got it."

Zhang Heling was speechless. After a while, he turned around and called for Mrs. Shouning Hou to come over.

As soon as he entered the door, he immediately asked: "What is the character of this woman Wu Xitong?"

Mrs. Shouning Hou hesitated for a moment, and then Zhang Yanling added, "Sister-in-law, it's a very important matter, so it's better not to make excuses but to tell the truth."

Mrs. Shouning Hou blushed, calmed herself down, and then said: "She is an honest person who doesn't like to talk. I also checked after the accident that day... Ping Su Ting..." She glanced at Zhang Yanling and said, "Sister Ping Su Ting

If Sister Erjiao and the others were unhappy, they would take it out on her. That day, Sister Ting was probably used to it and didn't think much about it..."

Zhang Yanling rolled her eyes silently and did not answer.

Zhang Heling frowned and said, "This woman has been wronged in our family?"

Mrs. Shouning Hou's face turned redder, which was tantamount to accusing her of not managing the inner house well. She quickly said: "It's not a grievance, it's just a joke between the little sisters. Sister Ting and her children are more noble than others, and they are relatives.

Naturally, the girls flatter them. Our family's fine clothing and food are much better than her shabby family, and we teach them music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework. This is still a grievance. There is no such thing as a good life in the world!"

Zhang Yanling said: "Brother, aren't you just afraid that there is no good intention in choosing her? In fact, if this person can hold our hands, what does it matter if there is no good intention in choosing her? People outside will not care about this person.

Are you of the same mind as us? We will only see that she comes from the Zhang family."

It was for this reason that Zhang Heling was hesitant. After hearing what his brother said, he took a deep breath and asked Mrs. Hou Ning: "Her family is a poor one? But is it difficult to deal with?"

Zhang Yanling added: "Sister-in-law, please tell the truth. Oh, brother, just tell your sister-in-law that the Empress Dowager has chosen your niece to be the queen."

It was like a huge pie falling from the sky and hitting Mrs. Shouning Hou on the head. The hit made her dizzy for a while. She almost stood upright holding on to the back of the official hat chair beside her, "This...this..."

She didn't know what to say for a moment.

If the Zhang family girls throw the future queen into the water... there will be no good fruits for them in the future!

But deep down in my heart, I secretly thought that it was Zhang Yuting who did this recklessly and had nothing to do with her sister Xian.

Wu Xitong's mother is as doughy as she can squeeze someone soft with just two handfuls. The honor of the queen mother's family will not fall on her in the end...

Zhang Heling did not allow her to think about it, and said: "Now that you know it, you know that the matter is very important. If she is a difficult person, whether it is difficult at home or in other people, you cannot accept her into the palace, and you cannot raise a tiger."

Become a problem."

This is the queen... the glory and wealth of two generations.

Mrs. Shouning Hou suppressed her mood and said: "My brother's family are all well-known for being honest people, but he is just a scholar sitting in the palace. He has no future and knows nothing."

The implication is obvious, this family will rely on the Zhang family for everything in the future.

Zhang Heling breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Although the emperor cannot issue a decree to marry Sister Xian, but since he has approved Sister Xian's marriage, he does not bear any grudge against her. Now that he is willing to choose a girl from the Zhang family to enter the palace, after all, he still wants to marry her.

The love between the Zhang family and the Empress Dowager and mother are also gratified."

Mrs. Shouning Hou was even more happy and said: "It would be great if the emperor never blamed Xian'er." She then asked, "Since the Marquis said that the palace has decided on the candidate, when will we bring him back? It is not good to live in the big city all the time.

Over there, the eldest princess."

Zhang Heling said with a cold face: "Don't act rashly until the decree comes down! Let's wait and see."

Seeing that the two of them had finished speaking, Zhang Yanling stood up and yawned, saying, "Since eldest brother is fine, I will go back."

Zhang Heling said angrily: "Second brother! There is also the matter of wood and stone!"

Zhang Yanling, who had his back to them, had a sarcastic smile on his face, which disappeared in a moment.

He turned his head and said with a sleepy and unreasonable expression: "Brother, if he wants it, just give it to him. Have I given him less? My people are still catching white tigers in the old forests of Liaodong!"

He shook his head and walked out, saying: "At this moment, being able to suppress the matter is one, being able to please the emperor is the second, and third, there is the Yan Yin that I didn't get! Brother, you are just staring at the Zhou family.

What's the use of ginseng in death? We and the Zhou family are like grasshoppers on the same rope..."

As he gradually moved away, his voice became softer and quieter, "Brother, what do you say in the market? If you don't want to let go of your children, you can't lure the wolf..."

Zhang Heling looked at the careless back of his younger brother and felt his teeth itching with hatred.

Over there, Mrs. Shouning Hou was still in a dizzy state with excitement, her mind was agitated, and many things could hardly be arranged, but the first thing was... "Master Hou, Sister Xian's marriage... is... Shouldn’t it be time to ask the Duke of Zhuang Yuan to come and propose marriage as soon as possible?”

Zhang Heling glared at her and said "I don't know the importance". However, he also had a plan in his heart. It was time to find someone to give Shen Jin some advice.

Li Ge's hometown originally asked Liu Zhong, the examiner of the Yingtianfu Township Examination, to ask Shen Jin. Liu Zhong was regarded as Shen Jin's master. However, the examiner of the joint examination was also Shen Jin's master.

In the 18th year of Hongzhi's reign, there were two examiners for the Yichou Examination. One was Yang Tinghe, and the other was Zhang Yuanzhen, who was then Minister of Taichang Temple and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and is now the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
To be continued...