Li Su was lighting an incense to calm the nerves. Upon hearing this, she said in a low voice, "The Consort was looking at the map of the new dynasty all night, and even doodled a bit. She's probably really tired."
When Si Fengwu heard that she was looking at maps and doodling, he knew what Lu Qingwan had been busy with.
He waved at Li Su to follow him to the outer room and then instructed the latter, "Tell Shen Tangzhou and Wu Ying to find some skilled and knowledgeable craftsmen to prepare. Have Nian Zhiyao and Tie Shou bring them to draw up the official road network maps of the new dynasty, so that not everything is left to the Consort to handle alone."
Li Su hurriedly responded, "Your subordinate understands. I'll have people arrange it after dawn."
Si Fengwu nodded. Seeing Li Su's tired face, he waved his hand, "I'll have the four attendants, Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong, brought back to take care of the Consort. You should also get some rest. Don't be so tired that you falter at a crucial moment when you need to help the Consort with her tasks."
The faint sense of gratitude that arose in Li Su's heart instantly vanished like foam. As expected, even if her Prince were to show concern for others on a whim, his ultimate goal would still be to ensure that the person who was being a great fool served his Consort better. She had been touched too soon.
Her emotions were too complex, and Li Su's expression inevitably became a little contorted. Even after she had left for a while, Si Fengwu still found her a bit of an eyesore.
"Your Highness, the ministers of the court have all arrived." Li Yang's voice timely brought Si Fengwu's drifting thoughts back. Si Fengwu put on the outer robe draped on the side and strode out.
"Have Li Qing record everything. When the Consort wakes up, give her the court records so she doesn't have to ask about each matter one by one." Li Yang responded with a blank face, "Yes, Your Highness." In his heart, he was rolling his eyes repeatedly. Indeed, it was exactly as the Consort had arranged yesterday!
Si Fengwu's first formal meeting with the officials was very formal, regardless of the importance of the matters discussed. The officials prostrated themselves in Qianqing Palace to welcome him. Apart from the three cheers of "Long live," everything else followed the rules of a formal grand court assembly.
With the new dynasty just established and everything needing to be rebuilt, there were naturally many matters to discuss. Fortunately, Si Fengwu had made preparations when he returned yesterday, and the older officials like Duke Nan and others had anticipated the problems that might arise in court today. Therefore, no matter what questions the officials raised, Si Fengwu could easily resolve them.
However, just as everyone thought that Si Fengwu's first meeting with the officials would be exceptionally smooth, a jarringly discordant voice suddenly emerged.
"Your Highness is about to ascend the throne, yet the harem is still empty, and you have no heirs. Should you not select some concubines to fill the harem and continue the lineage before ascending?"
Upon this statement, the entire court was shocked. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice with great surprise, intensely curious about the brave soul who dared to ask Si Fengwu to fill the harem, risking the wrath of Lu Qingwan, the future Empress.
The speaker was wearing a purple peacock-embroidered robe. His figure was slender yet upright. Standing among the officials, he looked at Si Fengwu without fear or trepidation, as if completely unaware of the implications of his words to Si Fengwu, nor did he notice the odd glances from the other officials.
Si Fengwu was not surprised that someone would bring this up. After all, ever since he had conquered the southeastern three kingdoms and part of the territory, people had been trying to send women to his side, both openly and secretly. There had even been times when women had dressed provocatively and tried to climb into his bed. In a sense, having women in the harem meant that one's own clan could advance further. Therefore, the allure of titles such as the four consorts, the six imperial consorts, and the royal relatives was significant for the officials.
It was manageable before he ascended the throne, as their own positions were unstable, and they dared not interfere in Si Fengwu's personal affairs. However, once Si Fengwu occupied the high seat, he would, in most respects, be the creator of their interests. Establishing a family, starting a career, and raising children were all state affairs. Naturally, they began to use the power bestowed upon them by Si Fengwu to interfere in his life.
Since it was the first time, Si Fengwu did not get angry. He simply said, "Since Minister Sun has brought this matter up, I will announce it here. After I ascend the throne, there will be no Six Palaces. The harem will have only one mistress, the Consort. You all need not mention filling the harem again. The harem and imperial heirs are my private affairs. Your focus should be on the court. My private affairs do not require your concern."
As Si Fengwu spoke, Duke Nan, Elder Wen, and other senior officials were not surprised. Even the Minister of Revenue, Chen Jianzhang, who had been agitated when he first saw Lu Qingwan, did not say much. However, the other officials were stunned. Especially Sun Zichang, the Censorate Minister who had first suggested Si Fengwu fill the harem and continue the lineage, immediately turned ashen. He had just suggested that Si Fengwu fill the harem and continue the lineage, and Si Fengwu had immediately declared that he would not establish Six Palaces and would only favor Lu Qingwan. Furthermore, he explicitly stated that he did not need the officials to worry about his private affairs, which was clearly a slap in the face.
Driven by righteous indignation, Sun Zichang forgot his original intention of urging Si Fengwu to fill the harem and continue the lineage. He stiffened his neck and argued with Si Fengwu, "Your Highness, your words are misguided! The ruler is linked to the heavens and the earth; every action causes ripples. What private affairs could there be? Moreover, Your Highness and the Consort have been married for four years, and the Consort has not borne you a single son or daughter. If Your Highness still refuses to fill the harem and continue the imperial lineage, will this vast empire not be without a successor?"
If before, when Sun Zichang urged Si Fengwu to fill the harem, the others had merely thought him recklessly brave and watched the spectacle, it was different now. When Sun Zichang mentioned the matter of heirs, other ministers wavered. Young censors who were lagging behind, though somewhat fearful of Si Fengwu, still mustered their courage and echoed, "Reporting to Your Highness, the Censorate Minister's words... are not without reason! The Consort has had no offspring for four years, which is truly a violation of the seven grounds for divorce..."
"Indeed, Your Highness. The Consort has been married into the Prince's manor for four years without offspring, and her maternal clan has no one left. Even if she were to bear imperial heirs in the future, without the support of her maternal clan, the position of the future Crown Prince would inevitably be unstable!"
The fact that Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu had been childless for four years seemed to have become the breakthrough point for those ministers to force Si Fengwu to fill the harem and place their clan's female relatives into his harem. Officials who were initially extremely vigilant and sought to protect themselves now joined the ranks of those advising Si Fengwu to take in more consorts and continue the imperial lineage. Roughly speaking, the only ones who had not spoken from beginning to end were a few former officials like Elder Wen.
Si Fengwu did not rush to argue. He let them speak. A group of people chattered incessantly, all urging Si Fengwu to take in more consorts, all under the guise of acting for his own good and for the benefit of the empire.