The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem-Chapter 373

He would absolutely never harm his sixth brother.

Grand Preceptor Jing said that as long as he harbored good intentions and always treated his sixth brother as his closest kin, he would become a virtuous prince.

Once he was enfeoffed as a prince, he could take his grandmother out of the palace to establish a residence. His grandmother had spent her entire life in the palace, and the only time she had ever left was when his mother had taken them to a temporary palace.

He wanted to take his grandmother out of the palace to enjoy her twilight years in peace and assist his sixth brother diligently.

Imperial Study—

The Xuanwu Emperor had not yet arrived, but Jiang Yankun, having caught wind of the situation, had already entered with the others.

Several ministers were in a heated dispute over the fact that the Imperial Consort had dismissed their daughters during the selection process.

"How can the Imperial Consort be fit for the position of Empress when she acts in such a manner? With such jealousy, and the Emperor indulging her, does the Great Yan royal family not need to expand its lineage and seek prosperity through many descendants?"

"Throughout history, no concubine has ever acted like this. The Emperor favors her and entrusted her with the responsibility of overseeing the selection, yet she has shown such pettiness—choosing none of the suitable candidates and instead selecting many who are unfit."

Take, for example, the daughter of Yanzhou Governor Shi Minghai, Shi Ruojun. At sixteen, she remained unmarried because she was known as a tigress. Her favorite pastime was beating men. If any man spoke disrespectfully to her or made indecent jokes, regardless of his status or age, she would slap him without hesitation.

In Yanzhou, the number of men she had beaten numbered at least eight hundred, if not a thousand.

She was a figure of terror, a woman no one dared to consider for marriage.

The selection process had saved Governor Shi Minghai, for in a few more years, the authorities would have forcibly married her off.

Now that she had been chosen for the palace, would the Emperor be safe from her slaps?

Then there was the daughter of the Hanlin Academy Reader, Meng Wanqing. Anyone in the capital with even a hint of news had heard of this extraordinary young woman.

The "Meng Omen"!

The third daughter of Reader Meng, aged fourteen, had been betrothed seven times in one year, and all seven fiancés had died suddenly before the weddings could take place.

This wasn’t just an omen—it was practically a black widow!

Because of this, Meng Wanqing’s younger sisters, despite their good character and talents, remained unmarried.

People joked that even male flies would flee in fear when passing by the Meng residence.

Who else had been selected?

Ah, yes, there was also a commoner girl, just thirteen years old, still very much a child. It was said that her family had four daughters but no sons, and they wanted to keep trying for a boy but couldn’t afford to raise more children. So, they sold their daughters.

The youngest, being the most beautiful, was bought and sent to the palace.

The other selected candidates all had their own bizarre backgrounds—essentially, they were all women who couldn’t find husbands.

"Is the Imperial Consort selecting concubines for the Emperor, or is she turning the palace into a shelter for unmarriageable women? She’s stuffing the Emperor’s harem with those no one else would take."

And she’s choosing women the Emperor would never visit.

What a clever scheme.

"This is utterly absurd. Those selected candidates are merely taking advantage of the situation. What qualifications do they have to serve the Emperor?"

"If the Imperial Consort is allowed to control the harem, who else will ever receive the Emperor’s favor? Such a bewitching and manipulative woman—we must unite to bring her down."

"Exactly, we can’t let her dominate. We must find a way to reveal her true nature to the Emperor."

"Cough, cough, cough…"

Jiang Yankun, who had been silently crouching in a corner, suddenly burst into a fit of violent coughing.

The Yanzhou Governor, the Hanlin Academy Reader, and the fathers of the other selected candidates all turned to face the group of ministers who had been speaking ill of them.

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What could be more awkward than being caught red-handed gossiping about others?

The two groups stared at each other, the officials around Jiang Yankun narrowing their eyes and glaring with murderous intensity at the other side.

If Minister Jiang hadn’t told them to stay quiet earlier, they would have already jumped to their feet and started cursing.

What did they mean by "tigress," "hag," "omen," or "glutton"?

Even if it were true, they shouldn’t say such things in public!

How hurtful!

"Minister Jiang!"

One bold opponent stepped forward: "You raised such an unconventional, rule-breaking, jealous, and selfish daughter. You should be the first to apologize to us."

"Pfft!"

Jiang Yankun let out a disdainful laugh: "What’s this? Can’t find any fault with me in court, so you’re resorting to moral grandstanding to attack me?"

He was utterly unyielding, turning to Reader Meng beside him: "Minister Meng, look at them. Doesn’t their sour grapes attitude remind you of those shrews in the market who scream at old vegetable sellers over a few coins?"

One moment they’re saying the vegetables are stale, the next they’re complaining that the old woman is blocking their way, demanding that the patrolling officers arrest her.

A very apt description.

Minister Meng nodded vigorously: "Yes, shrews!"

"You!"

"We’ve long heard that Minister Jiang’s tongue is as sharp as arsenic. Today, we’ve truly witnessed it. No wonder the Imperial Consort runs rampant in the harem—it’s clearly a family trait."

Unable to attack the person, they now attacked the Jiang family’s reputation, aiming to condemn the entire family.

Jiang Yankun flicked his wide sleeves, grasped the jade belt at his waist, and fixed the speaking official with a firm gaze, his voice booming like thunder: "I may have a sharp tongue, but you’re worse—you have a poisonous heart. What are you really protesting here? Isn’t it just that your daughters weren’t selected? You attack me, attack the Imperial Consort, isn’t it because she’s harmed your interests? If it’s for yourselves, just say so. Why hide behind all these excuses to slander the Imperial Consort? Do you think it makes you any nobler? A bunch of shameless old men, gossiping about young girls behind their backs—where’s your sense of decency?"

"You’re all halfway to the grave, yet you still spew such venom at young girls. Why shouldn’t the Imperial Consort oversee the selection? Didn’t she choose candidates for the Emperor? If the Emperor doesn’t object, it means he’s satisfied with her choices. Are you the Emperor? How do you know he’d prefer your daughters? You’re all just peddling your own wares, making me laugh to the point of losing my teeth."

The opposing side was left speechless.

Indeed!

They had been ranting and raving, condemning the Imperial Consort, but the Emperor hadn’t said a word!

The Emperor was a wise man. If he were dissatisfied but didn’t want to argue with the Imperial Consort, he would surely hint to his ministers to help curb her arrogance.

"Fine, let’s wait for the Emperor to clarify."

"The Emperor arrives—"

Hearing that the argument inside had reached its peak, Tang Shiliang announced.

The Xuanwu Emperor strode into the Imperial Study, where dozens of officials had nearly filled the room to capacity.