"If you don't hand over your name card, I'm afraid you'll be caned." The Jhao Clan's eyes were full of amazement. They thought to themselves, "Clothes make the man."
Su Yu's skin was fair, and his facial features were not particularly outstanding. However, when put together, they were just right. A little more would make him look too strong, and a little less would make him look weak. Usually, he was covered by coarse clothes and looked a little dirty. Now that he changed his clothes, his gentle eyebrows and eyes could be seen. If he had a stack of books in his hands, he would definitely be recognized as a Jiangnan scholar.
"Caned?" Su Yu was stunned. How could there be such a thing? No one had ever told him about it!
The Jhao Clan nodded, and their eyes were full of smiles. "Concubine Tong was a famous beauty. You really look like her." Concubine Tong referred to Su Yu's birth mother. She had passed away many years ago. This was the first time Su Yu heard about her from his official mother. He only knew that she was a woman from Jiangnan who came from a good family.
"Is that so …" However, Su Yu was not in the mood to listen to this. What he cared about was that he would be caned without a name card!
Since ancient times, each dynasty had different requirements for the selection. It all depended on the mood of the emperor. The Da An dynasty was relatively liberal. Su Yu had always thought that this place was similar to the Song and Tang dynasties, so he did not pay much attention to it. Could it be that the emperor was a Tang Xuanzong? Was he going to be beheaded if he did not offer his family's beauty?
Su Yu found that every time he came to see his official mother, he would discover a new continent. If he was not surprised, then he would be shocked.
When he went back, he flipped through the law book. There was a clear record that the children of noble families must participate in the selection. However, there was no mention of the punishment for not participating. Su Yu was distressed. If he was fined money and could not get married, it would be fine. However, if he was caned or whipped, as a modern person who had never suffered, he really could not bear it.
Xian Mantang was open all day, and it sold snacks and tea when it was not mealtime. The snacks were seafood barbecue, while the tea was mainly sour plum soup and ginger tea. The variety was simple, and they were all ready-made. At this time, the shopkeeper and Su Yu were relatively free.
The shopkeeper was actually Mr. Yuan. Because Su Yu's business philosophy was too advanced, Mr. Yuan was afraid that the old shopkeepers wouldn't be able to accept it, so he decided to take over. Besides, Prince Zhao didn't have any new tasks for him recently, so he would appear behind the counter on time every day.
Su Yu always felt that it was a waste to throw a counselor who was almost qualified to be the prime minister into a restaurant as a shopkeeper. Seeing Mr. Yuan smilingly put the money into his sleeves, he felt a toothache. Sure enough, no one was perfect. Mr. Yuan actually had such a strange hobby of being a shopkeeper.
Taking advantage of the short break, Su Yu invited Mr. Yuan to the backyard to rest and try his new dish.
"I was wondering what it was." Mr. Yuan heard Su Yu's distress and laughed. "Young Master Su, you asked the right question."
Regarding the selection of concubines, Su Yu could only ask Mr. Yuan. The other people he knew were either not nobles or were younger than him. They knew very little about the rules of the imperial concubine selection.
"The rules of the imperial concubine selection were set in the era of the Great Ancestor. The name cards were used to check the list for the imperial clan. In the early days, there weren't so many nobles, so they didn't need the name cards at all. The imperial clan directly submitted the list. Nowadays, there are many children of the nobles, and their appearance and character are mixed. The Imperial Ancestral Division doesn't have that many people, so they let the families take the initiative to hand in their name cards … "Mister Yuan seemed to know everything. He spoke clearly and logically, explaining the process of the imperial concubine selection process in detail. He even vaguely analyzed the hidden political factors in it.
According to Mr. Yuan, because of the strange rules of the Da 'an imperial family, most nobles were willing to participate in the selection. After all, once they were selected to enter the palace, the family's title would be theirs. Men couldn't have children, so they had to be released in the end. If they were lucky enough to be enfeoffed in the palace, they would be promoted. If they didn't participate in the selection, they would give up the opportunity to show their faces in front of the imperial family. In other words, they would give up inheriting the title in disguise.
Generally speaking, the women of the right age of each noble family would participate in the selection, and the men would be the family's chosen heirs. Generally, only one or two people were enough. Not everyone would participate.
Therefore, most of the imperial clan officials reviewed the list based on the name cards. As for those who didn't submit their name cards, they would be ignored when there was no shortage of candidates.
After filtering out the political stuff Mr. Yuan said, Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Jhao Clan was just joking.
"But …" Mr. Yuan seemed to suddenly think of something, and changed the topic. "If the imperial clan officials suddenly become serious, those who didn't submit their name cards when they should have, will be punished with 20 strokes of the cane."
Su Yu: "…"
After going around in circles, things were back to square one.
After returning home, Su Yu rummaged through the cabinets for a long time, but couldn't find his lost name card. He was very distressed. If he had known earlier, he would have submitted his name card. Anyway, he wouldn't have been selected. It was better than being found out and beaten up.
In the Da 'an imperial palace, there were red pillars and dragons in the golden hall.
On the nine-dragon throne, the young emperor of the Da An dynasty was wearing a bright yellow ceremonial robe. He supported his forehead with one hand and absent-mindedly listened to the ministers below.
"Your Majesty, the imperial clan officials have finished reviewing the name cards of the children of the nobles. The Ministry of Revenue has also submitted the name cards of the children of the officials. The first round of the selection will be held on the third of September," an official from the Ministry of Rites said, holding two name cards.
Her beautiful eyes opened slightly. She paused for a moment, then said casually, "Present them."
The name cards of the children of the officials were obviously much thicker than the one for the children of the nobles. An Hong-chul frowned slightly. He opened the name card of the nobles, glanced at it, then closed it. He looked at the other name card and tapped it with two fingers. He didn't flip it.
The imperial court was silent for a moment.
"Your Majesty, there hasn't been an election in the palace for three years. I think that this time, we should recruit more concubines to fill the imperial harem. Therefore, I made the decision to allow the children of the third-rank officials and below to enter the name card." The person standing at the head of the civil officials stepped out.
This person was the current Prime Minister, the Crown Prince's tutor, Lu Maogong. At the same time, he was also the Empress Dowager's cousin.
There were as many officials outside the capital as there were hairs on a cow. To allow the children of these officials to participate in the selection, it would certainly be a waste of manpower and money. Everyone understood this logic, but no one in the imperial court spoke up to refute it.
An Hong-chul picked up the name card and swept his gaze over the people in the hall.
The civil officials all lowered their heads and didn't dare to speak. A few generals appeared to be angry, but no one spoke.
"Rip — —" A crisp sound was extremely ear-piercing in the stillness of the imperial court. For some reason, the thick name card was instantly torn to shreds.
"There are so many words. How can zhen read them all!" An Hong-chul said coldly. "Why wait until September? The selection will be held on the third of next month. Tomorrow, present the new name cards." Finished speaking, he didn't wait for a response. He stood up and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Silence. A long silence.
The civil and military officials were all stunned. The Prime Minister was even more frozen in place.
"Are you all planning to have lunch here?" The person standing above the Prime Minister yawned. It was His Royal Highness King Zhao, who hadn't yet woken up.
Only then did the civil and military officials react. They bowed to the empty throne and withdrew from the court.
"It's not the first time Imperial Brother has been willful. Uncle, please bear with him." An Hongnuo asked.
Lu Maogong looked at the chubby Prince Zhao with a fake smile. "Your Highness is too serious. His Majesty is dissatisfied because of this official's inadequacy."
The selection would be held on the third of next month. The children of the officials outside the capital wouldn't have time to enter the capital. The Ministry of Rites had no choice but to rush through the night to prepare a new name card. The Imperial Censors also hurriedly increased the number of candidates so that there wouldn't be too few people in the selection.
The storm in the imperial court affected Su Yu's peaceful life. Within a few days, the Imperial Censors' name cards were released.
Su Yu was in the backyard inviting Prince Zhao to taste a new dish. The Su family's only servant stumbled in. "Second Young Master, the family wants you to hurry back. The Imperial Censors sent someone to announce the name cards at home. They specifically asked you to go back and announce it!"
"Clang!" The plate in Su Yu's hand fell to the ground, and he stiffly turned his head to look at An Hongniu, who was eating mushrooms.
"Ah?" Prince Zhao, who was happily eating, looked up in a daze.
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