bayedsolid Chapter 294 Draft
Chapter 294 Draft
"Father, hurry, hurry! Look at the panda, look at the panda!" Shen Xiaoman got up early in the morning and pulled Shen Lian outside.
"It's a panda, not a cat bear!" Shen Lian affectionately rubbed his daughter's head.
"You haven't had breakfast yet! Why are you in such a hurry! Didn't you watch enough yesterday?" Shen Lian shook his head helplessly.
After Shen Xuewu arrived in Sichuan, he actually sent two pandas to Shen Xiaoman. The little ones were overjoyed.
He watched these children grow up, and they've always had a very close relationship!
If Shen Lian hadn't come from the future, these two poor creatures might have starved to death. At that time, pandas were still called "iron-eating beasts," and Shen Lian couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the pile of iron blocks in the cage.
Shen Lian quickly had someone bring vegetables, fruit, and corn on the cob. It took several days for the two barely alive creatures to recover.
However, there was one advantage: after being tormented for more than a month, the two pandas became much less temperamental and less aggressive.
With the arrival of the two pandas, the little guys lost their appetite and wanted to stay outside the cage all day long.
Shen Lian is already preparing to build a royal zoo, as many wild animals are still alive and well. He plans to build a zoo first, and then issue a protection order to allow these animals to thrive and multiply.
In theory, all the mountains, forests and lakes belong to the royal family, and it would only take Shen Lian a word to designate some protected areas.
After breakfast, Shen Lian led the women and children of his harem to the royal animal enclosure. Elephants, tigers, leopards, and other ferocious beasts were kept there. On important occasions, these animals were used as part of the imperial procession.
Compared to the frightening appearance of tigers, leopards, and elephants, the adorable pandas are clearly more popular with women and children. The little ones shout and yell, constantly throwing carrots, steamed buns, and other treats into the panda enclosure to amuse it.
Shen Lian always presented himself as a kind father in the harem, and the children were all quite close to him. The harem was also relatively harmonious, with little jealousy, intrigue, or backstabbing.
"Your Majesty, the court officials have been submitting memorials urging you to select a concubine, but you have refused. Now, some ministers are even going to impeach me, the Empress! They say I am jealous, control the harem, and obstruct the selection of concubines, which is detrimental to the continuation of the royal bloodline," Nie Xiaoqian said, distressed.
Throughout history, ministers have naturally harbored deep suspicion towards maternal relatives. The Nie family now boasts one Duke and two Marquises. Nie Gongting's subordinates and former associates fill the army, and Nie Xianfan also commands significant military power, all of which have long unsettled the court officials!
However, they hadn't done anything particularly outrageous, so they couldn't bring it up. Shen Lian only had three concubines, which was completely unbecoming of an emperor. The Empress did bear some responsibility for not holding a selection of concubines.
Many ministers have been privately discussing impeaching Nie Xiaoqian and taking this opportunity to give the Nie family a warning.
"These old guys are really just bored and have nothing better to do!" Shen Lian shook his head helplessly. Since what they said made sense, Shen Lian couldn't really blame them.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all this!" Shen Lian patted Nie Xiaoqian's hand.
Since Shen Lian has not yet bestowed titles upon many nobles, the Nie family currently holds a dominant position among the nobility. It is quite normal for them to be targeted by court officials.
"In a few days, I will promise them that after the rebellion on the border is quelled, we will hold a selection of women for the imperial harem! You will then decide which twenty or so women to bring into the palace!"
Talent shows are also a means of uniting different social strata and appeasing officials. In this newly founded country, it was indeed necessary to hold one to stabilize public sentiment.
Regardless of whether it was based on the imperial regulations of the Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, or Song Dynasty, the emperor's harem consisted of at least several hundred women of official rank.
Shen Lian certainly couldn't accept so many women; he wouldn't be able to handle too many! Wouldn't that just be putting them in a difficult position?
"Your Majesty, in order to ensure that the emperor's favor is distributed evenly, how about selecting one or two from each province? What do you think?" Nie Xiaoqian suggested.
She knew that although she was the Empress, she couldn't stop such things. Although she didn't concern herself with politics, she was aware of the court officials' wariness of the Nie family.
Since that's the case, she might as well bring up the matter herself and handle it flawlessly, leaving these court officials speechless.
"Very well! The Empress is very thoughtful!" Shen Lian nodded.
"Furthermore, Your Majesty! Those women you brought back from Japan should also be given a proper title. Japan is now part of our empire, and those people are also Your Majesty's subjects. They should be appeased!" Nie Xiaoqian advised in a low voice.
"Alright! I'll issue the decree tomorrow and first bestow upon them the title of 'Beauty'!" Shen Lian nodded in agreement.
These are women with whom he has had intimate relations, and they are unlikely to marry anyone else. It's truly time to give them a proper status!
Shen Lian's harem adopted the system of the Han and Tang dynasties, which was divided into: Empress; four ladies of the first rank, namely Guifei, Shufei, Defei, and Xianfei; nine concubines of the second rank, namely Zhaoyi, Zhaorong, Zhaoyuan, Xiuyi, Xiurong, Xiuyuan, Chongyi, Chongrong, and Chongyuan; and twenty-seven ladies of the third to fifth ranks, including nine Jieyu, nine Meiren, and nine Cairen.
As for other ranks like Imperial Wife, Consort, Imperial Maiden, and Concubine, he doesn't need them. Too many ranks are troublesome, and he doesn't need that many women.
I only have five children now, which isn't many. I wouldn't be afraid even if I had a hundred or eighty by then.
Once he has conquered Southeast Asia, he can then distribute his sons to various regions, assigning them to govern different areas.
Seeing that Shen Lian had accepted her suggestion, Nie Xiaoqian breathed a sigh of relief. Now, her pressure should be a little less!
. . . . . .
At a construction site outside Jianguomen, a horse-drawn carriage had just stopped. A middle-aged man in his thirties, with a sallow complexion and an arrogant expression, got off the carriage.
"My lord, be careful! Don't get your shoes dirty!" A servant quickly stepped forward to attend to him.
"Hmm! Ah!" Zhao Yide yawned, took out a cigarette and lit it.
"My lord, why have you come in person? Just tell me what you need." A burly man in his forties with a face full of scars walked over and bowed.
"If I don't come and check on things, what will you dogs do if you slack off? This is royal property, so naturally I have to keep an eye on it." Zhao Yide rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry, Your Excellency, we're all watching! Anyone who dares to slack off will be beaten to a pulp." Huang Er glared at them, and the nearby workers quickened their pace.
This Zhao Yide is none other than the elder brother of the current Consort Zhao Ruyi. After the current emperor established the country, he was granted the title of viscount.
He was truly blessed with good fortune! He was originally just a down-on-his-luck family in the capital, a master of all vices: drinking, gambling, and whoring. After his parents died of anger, he even sold his only younger sister into the Nie family.
After squandering his family fortune, he spent some time associating with local thugs. He thought that was how his life would be.