The Minister Behind the Curtain Chapter 144

After Mid-Autumn, Chen Jinan left again in a hurry. He didn’t return until the following autumn. But barely two months after his return, the court officials began once again to bring up the topic of a consort selection. Between the lines, it was all about how it had been over a year since the two were married and there were still no children—so why not bring in more people to continue the royal line?

Feng Lezhen came out of court both irritated and amused. She complained to Fan Gonggong, “It hasn’t even been that long, and already they’re losing patience.”

“The ministers are probably acting out of good intentions,” Fan Gonggong replied diplomatically, unwilling to comment much on court matters.

Feng Lezhen sneered, “Good intentions? More like unwilling to give up. Jinan and I have been married for over a year, but we’ve spent much of that time apart. Isn’t it normal that we don’t have children yet? Besides, the Feng family has been weak in fertility since my grandfather’s generation. It only got worse by the time it reached me. Feng Ji spent nine years as emperor, constantly taking concubines, and not a single child came of it. Yet no one interfered with his harem. Why is it that now, with me, they all have so much to say?”

“Your Majesty, don’t be upset. Now that your throne is secure and the empire is at peace, you may do whatever you wish. No need to trouble yourself with opinions you don’t like.” Fan Gonggong tried to comfort her.

“Hmph, if I truly didn’t care, who knows how long they’d keep pestering me… I’ll have to make sure they completely give up on that idea.”

Fan Gonggong paused. Seeing the strange smile tug at her lips, he couldn’t help but feel a chill for the restless ministers.

That night, Feng Lezhen went to Chen Jinan’s chambers. They talked deep into the night before sleeping. The next morning in court, she reluctantly agreed to the consort selection.

As soon as she did, many ministers beamed with joy.

Feng Lezhen swept a cool gaze over them. Once the hall quieted, she said, “Since we are going to have a selection, then we must do it properly. It will be the first under my reign, so the standards must be higher than before. We must not allow any riffraff to sneak in.”

“You are absolutely right, Your Majesty,” said the Minister of Rites, stepping forward. “The Ministry of Rites will work with the Imperial Household Department to carefully screen the candidates.”

“This selection will be handled by the Imperial Husband. You and the Household Department will simply assist,” Feng Lezhen added.

The Minister of Rites froze momentarily, then quickly agreed.

“As for the list of candidates, I drafted one last night,” Feng Lezhen continued. “Fan Gonggong, pass out the list for the ministers to review.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Fan Gonggong took the register, descended the dais, and handed it to the highest-ranking officials, who then passed it back down the line.

As more and more officials saw the list, the hall grew noisier and noisier—until finally someone couldn’t help but step forward.

“Your Majesty, my eldest son is already engaged, so he’s probably not suitable to enter the palace. But my second son is of the right age and of excellent character and appearance. Perhaps…”

“Liu Su, was it? You’re sure your eldest son is already engaged?” Feng Lezhen smiled, but her eyes were icy cold.

The man who had spoken instantly broke out in a cold sweat and fell to his knees with a thud. “This humble official… this humble official…”

“If I was able to give you this list, it means I’ve already looked into it,” Feng Lezhen said casually, sweeping her gaze across all of them. “In every dynasty’s consort selection, it’s always the daughters who’ve been raised with the utmost care. Under my reign, it should be the same. Since you all worked so hard to push for this selection, how could you not show a little sincerity?”

As she spoke, she looked at Liu Su again. “As for you, since both your sons are excellent, then let them both participate. Who knows—if luck is on your side, maybe both of them will be chosen to stay in the palace.”

“Thank you… thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace.”

Feng Lezhen gave a faint smile and rose gracefully to leave. Liu Su collapsed to the floor, his face ashen.

He only had two sons. Now both would be entering the palace—it was practically a death sentence for the family line. Everyone around him looked at him with sympathy. But then, as they thought about how their own most promising sons were also on that list, they, too, were troubled.

A woman ascending the throne had never happened before. Men serving as Imperial Consorts—let alone concubines—was entirely unheard of. But power is tempting, and these great families weren’t short on descendants. If offering up one son could win big in return, then of course they would all flock to the opportunity… But if the Emperor started cherry-picking their most outstanding, most promising sons, then the price was far too steep. After all, becoming the future imperial heir’s father was purely a matter of luck. To risk the future pillar of the family on a gamble—that just wasn’t worth it.

But even if it wasn’t worth it, what could they do? The consort selection was their own demand. Now that the Emperor had agreed, how could they go back on it?

Thanks to Feng Lezhen, when court adjourned that day, every official’s face was uglier than the last. More than a few wives returned to their maiden homes that same day—clearly, their households were not at peace.

Feng Lezhen, however, was in high spirits. She didn’t forget to remind Chen Jinan, “You must be strict—handle them thoroughly in one go.”

Chen Jinan fell silent for a moment, then said, “I’ll try my best.”

“…What do you mean, ‘try your best’?” A bad feeling rose in Feng Lezhen’s chest.

Chen Jinan met her gaze, his eyes full of sincerity.

“Don’t you dare mess around,” she warned immediately. “One of you is more than enough for me. Don’t go bringing in a bunch of trouble.”

Only then did Chen Jinan laugh.

Feng Lezhen was briefly startled, then realized he was teasing her—just to get her to say that. She was both exasperated and amused, and gave him a light knock on the head.

Even though the Emperor had instructed him to be strict, with the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household watching, Chen Jinan didn’t go too far, so as not to cause dissatisfaction among the officials. But what he considered “lenient” didn’t exactly look that way to others—

He asked: “If the Emperor and your parents fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?”

Candidate: “O-of course I would save the Emperor first… Monarch before father, that’s how it’s always been.”

He asked again: “If the Emperor’s pearl-jade-gold-thread bracelet and your parents both fell into the water, who would you save?”

Candidate: “…”

Chen Jinan turned to the Minister of Rites: “He doesn’t even want to save Her Majesty’s most beloved bracelet. This one is unfit to remain.”

Minister of Rites: “…”

There were many such questions. Like: If your parents were gravely ill and wanted to see you one last time, but the Emperor insisted you stay in the palace, what would you choose? Or: If your father committed a crime and the Emperor wanted him executed, but you could save him by begging—would you beg? And so on.

These left the candidates speechless, while the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Household Department were dumbfounded.

When word of this reached Feng Lezhen, she once again laughed so hard she couldn’t straighten her back. When Chen Jinan returned, she immediately asked, “Do I seem that heartless?”

Chen Jinan’s expression was calm. “You’re not—but they must understand that anyone who wishes to serve at Your Majesty’s side must place you above all else at every moment.”

Feng Lezhen paused, her heart suddenly soft and sore. She was just about to hug her beloved consort when he added, “Even without those questions, none of them would pass anyway. They can’t sew, they’re not virtuous, and they don’t even know how to serve someone.”

Feng Lezhen laughed through tears. “They were all raised to be heirs, of course they don’t know how to serve.”

“Which is exactly why they can’t enter the palace,” Chen Jinan declared, straightening his back with a rare gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.

Feng Lezhen adored that look on him. At once, she forgot everything else and dragged him inside.

This consort selection ended in total failure—not a single one was accepted. The officials finally realized this was just a warning from the Emperor. They grew restless again, complaining that the process had been unfair and demanding a new round of selection. After all, palace rules said that rejected candidates could not try again, so now that their most treasured sons were safe, they could use this next round to send in their originally intended candidates.

Let them fuss all they wanted—Feng Lezhen paid them no mind. She was too busy enjoying time with her cherished consort.

One day, she leaned by the desk watching Chen Jinan practice calligraphy. After he finished a sheet, she picked it up to review.

“The voices from the previous court are getting louder,” Chen Jinan said. “Seems our little shock didn’t rattle them enough.”

“Let them say what they want. I’ve figured it out—they’re all paper tigers,” Feng Lezhen replied idly, then commented on his writing. “The strokes are sharp, but the fundamentals still need work. Quite a few characters look shaky.”

Chen Jinan pursed his lips. “Even the palace scribes write better than I do.”

“They started practicing young. You didn’t begin until nineteen—being able to write like this is already impressive,” Feng Lezhen said encouragingly. “Some things, if you don’t learn from childhood, it’s hard to catch up later.”

Chen Jinan seemed thoughtful, as if struck by an idea. He tugged at Feng Lezhen’s sleeve and whispered a few words in her ear.

The next morning, when the court officials once again brought up the consort selection, Feng Lezhen slowly spoke: “I would like to choose a few to enter the palace—but your offspring are really quite disappointing.”

“They’ve been carefully raised since childhood. How are they lacking?” someone asked.

Feng Lezhen said, “And what have you all been teaching them?”

“Of course—literature, virtue, the six arts of a gentleman…” the official began, but his voice faltered midway.

Feng Lezhen smiled faintly. “And how have you been raising the daughters in your households?”

The officials looked at each other, not understanding what she was getting at.

“When the imperial family conducts a consort selection, it’s not to find talent—it’s to find people suited to serve the emperor. But your sons haven’t learned any of that. Even if we held this selection a thousand times, we still wouldn’t find anyone suitable.” Her tone was slow and even.

“But—but it’s true that a woman ascending the throne is unprecedented. Surely we can’t just never hold another selection… Besides, the candidates are all bright young men. Many of the rules and customs could be taught after they enter the palace.”

“The foundation of something learned in early childhood is not the same as something picked up later. Why should I settle for second-best?” Feng Lezhen countered.

The court fell silent.

No one knew how much time passed before someone cautiously asked, “Is Your Majesty saying… you won’t be holding any more selections in your lifetime?”

Feng Lezhen smiled pleasantly. “Of course I will—but not among those of marriageable age. What about children between three and ten? If any of you have young relatives of the right age, send them into the palace. Let the palace raise them properly—teach them womanly skills and etiquette—and when the time comes, we’ll choose from among them.”

“Th-th-this humble official believes that Your Majesty and the Imperial Husband are in your prime. There’s no need to worry about heirs just yet—no rush at all for the selection!”

“Yes, yes, no need to rush—really, no need at all…”

With that, a wave of ministers dropped to their knees in a flurry. Feng Lezhen raised a brow slightly, the smile at her lips fading.

After a long pause, she relented with forced magnanimity. “Since my beloved ministers are so unwilling, we’ll set the matter aside for now. However…”

Everyone instantly tensed up.

“I’m a rather tolerant person,” she said, standing slowly, her gaze sweeping the hall, calm and cold. “But I don’t like it when my subjects harbor too many petty schemes. I’ll let it go this time. But if there’s a next time…”

She didn’t need to finish. All present knew there wouldn’t be a next time.

Feng Lezhen smiled faintly, then turned her head and caught sight of Chen Jinan hiding behind a folding screen.

Shhh, he made a gesture, mouthing: Just came to check on you.

Her smile, in that instant, turned truly sincere.