The day of the emperor’s grand birthday was drawing ever closer.
While civil and military officials were busy with preparations, they were also making arrangements for the selection of the Crown Prince’s consort. Everything was piling up together.
So vexing!
In the Hanlin Academy!
A eunuch delivered a list before Liang Zongzheng.
“Minister Liang, the lists of unmarried young ladies reported from all provinces and prefectures have been compiled. After screening, those remaining are all here.”
Liang Zongzheng flipped through it briefly, set it down, and said to the eunuch, “Go summon Junior Minister Gao.”
“Yes!”
The eunuch scurried off to fetch Gao Bingze, Junior Minister Gao.
Gao Bingze was quite young. Last year he had placed well in the civil examinations and entered the Hanlin Academy as a junior minister.
“Bingze, sit.” Liang Zongzheng said.
Gao Bingze sat down and asked, “Minister Liang summoned me—do you have instructions?”
Liang Zongzheng sat upright and asked, “You’ve been at this Hanlin Academy for about a year now, haven’t you?”
“Indeed I have!”
Liang Zongzheng nodded.
“This year’s selection of the Crown Prince’s consort cannot have even the slightest error or oversight.” As he spoke, he handed over the list in his hand, saying, “On this list are the young ladies qualified to enter the palace as candidates for Crown Prince’s consort. They will enter the palace two days before the emperor’s birthday, going to Chuxiu Palace for physical examination and etiquette instruction. There absolutely must not be any mistakes, nor anyone overlooked. Deliver this personally to the Inner Court. There can be no errors whatsoever.”
Taking the list, Gao Bingze flipped through it and verified it once more.
The list was correct!
He closed it.
“Yes, I’ll deliver it right away.”
Gao Bingze rose, cupped his hands in salute, and as he was preparing to leave, added, “Minister Liang, regarding the matter with your family, please accept my condolences.”
Liang Zongzheng nodded!
After Gao Bingze left, Liang Zongzheng’s weathered face immediately fell.
He clenched his fist and with a muffled thud, pounded it on the table…
Leaving the Hanlin Academy, Gao Bingze took the list toward the Inner Court.
As he rounded a corner past the long corridor by Mingde Hall, he ran head-on into a hurrying young eunuch. With this collision, the list in his hand fell to the ground.
The young eunuch was terrified and immediately knelt down.
He picked up the list, wiped the dust off with his sleeve, raised it above his head, and handed it up.
“This servant knows his error!” His head bowed.
Gao Bingze was a scholar—naturally he wouldn’t take offense.
Taking the list, he waved his hand. “It’s nothing.”
Then he left!
The young eunuch only rose after Gao Bingze had gone far away.
When Gao Bingze reached the Inner Court, he handed the list to the Inner Court Director.
“Carefully verify the accuracy of the names on this list. Don’t make any mistakes.”
“Minister Gao can rest assured.”
The Inner Court official responded.
Only then did Gao Bingze feel comfortable leaving.
Before long, the count from the list came out—a total of eighteen people, all young ladies from families with substantial backgrounds and influence.
The notification booklets were all printed and sent out of the palace.
Young ladies from various provinces and prefectures who received the booklets could prepare themselves to enter the palace in a few days. Those who didn’t receive booklets had naturally been screened out and could only return home.
At the General’s Residence!
Ji Muqing had waited all day, but the booklet still hadn’t arrived. She grabbed a young maid from the residence and anxiously asked, “Didn’t you say people from the palace would start delivering booklets today? How is it this late and still nothing has been delivered?”
“This servant… doesn’t know either, but the booklets from the palace have indeed been sent out of the palace. Many people have already received them.”
“Then why haven’t I?”
“This…”
The young maid kept her head lowered, shoulders hunched, afraid Ji Muqing would take it out on her.
Ji Muqing stamped her feet in anxiety and anger, pushed the young maid aside, and rushed out of the courtyard to find Ji Li.
At this moment, Ji Li had just returned from the Ministry of War when she grabbed hold of him.
Ji Li’s face darkened.
“What’s wrong? Why so anxious?”
“Elder Brother, it’s already this late—why hasn’t the palace booklet arrived?”
Ji Li frowned. “Today, the booklets have all been issued. It still hasn’t been delivered?”
“No, everyone else has received theirs, only I haven’t. Has something gone wrong at the palace? Elder Brother, I’m a candidate for Crown Prince’s consort—could those dog slaves have overlooked me?”
“Impossible!” Ji Li rejected the notion.
Ji Muqing pulled at him. “Then what’s going on?”
Ji Li thought for a moment, and while still in his official robes, immediately turned around and entered the palace, heading straight for the Hanlin Academy.
At this time in the Hanlin Academy, Liang Zongzheng was just about to leave for home when he encountered him, showing a face of confusion.
“How does Supervisor Ji have time to come to this Hanlin Academy?”
“The booklets prepared by the Inner Court are all sent based on the lists from the Hanlin Academy. This general would like to ask Minister Liang whether you still harbor resentment and are using your position to settle personal scores?” Ji Li wasn’t angry, but his tone carried an underlying force!
Liang Zongzheng smiled. “Supervisor Ji’s words come quite suddenly. This official has always kept public and private matters separate and never does anything unconscionable.”
“Then how do you explain that this time, my Ji family did not receive the booklet for entering the palace as a Crown Prince’s consort candidate?”
“Is that so? But on that list, Miss Ji’s name is clearly there!”
“Then why has the booklet not been delivered?”
Faced with Ji Li’s interrogation, Liang Zongzheng remained unhurried and produced a backup copy of the list, handing it to Ji Li.
He said, “On this, Miss Ji’s name is indeed present.”
Ji Li looked and it really was there.
Could it be that something went wrong at the Inner Court?
This oolong incident quickly reached Consort Xiao’s ears.
Liang Zongzheng was the host for this Crown Prince’s consort selection, but Consort Xiao was the producer, so if she were to handle this matter, it was perfectly reasonable.
In the hall!
Kneeling were three people: Liang Zongzheng, Gao Bingze, and the Inner Court Director.
Ji Li stood to the side with an expression that said “you all owe me.”
High above, Consort Xiao had both hands placed on her embroidered phoenix couch, her brows knitted, glaring angrily at the people on the ground.
“Who is responsible for this oolong incident?”
Her tone was sharp with an undertone of gloom.
Among the three kneeling on the ground, the first to speak was the Inner Court Director.
He prostrated himself on the ground with both hands, head lowered as he replied, “Your Ladyship, the booklets sent out by the Inner Court were all prepared according to the list sent from the Hanlin Academy. There were no errors in the process.”
Slap—
Consort Xiao’s hand came down heavily on the armrest of her couch.
“There clearly was an error, yet you dare say there wasn’t? Who gave you such audacity?”
The Inner Court Director was terrified, his body trembling. “This servant knows his error, but on the list Junior Minister Gao delivered, there truly, truly was no name of the Ji family young lady!”
Sang Lan at the side handed the list to Consort Xiao.
She flipped through it and angrily threw it before the three people.
The list was forcefully thrown to the ground, even its cover worn from the impact.
Consort Xiao also pointed angrily at Gao Bingze. “Minister Gao, why is there no name of the Ji family young lady on this list?”
Gao Bingze was shocked!
Impossible!
Before sending it to the Inner Court, he had clearly checked it once—Ji Muqing’s name was definitely on it!
He immediately picked up the list from the ground to look.
He was horrified!
It really wasn’t there!