The affairs of the imperial harem?
Cao Rui heard what Empress Guo said and for a moment, he had a few guesses in his heart.
Several months ago when they were in Shouchun, both Cao Zhen and Sima Yi, as the prime ministers, mentioned and advised themselves to enrich their harem to some extent.
Is it possible that Empress Guo is also like this?
Cao Rui smiled on his face, "What matters of the harem does the Empress wish to discuss? Feel free to speak."
The Empress Guo paused: "My dear Emperor Rui, your harem currently consists of only the Consort Mao. The offspring of the sovereign are not only a matter of human relations but also the fundamental foundation of a nation."
"Your Majesty wants to inquire if it's time to enrich the harem and take in more consorts and concubines?"
Ah, so it's about this matter!
When Emperor Cao Rui first ascended the throne, he had also harbored a fantasy of indulging in hedonism in the harem every day.
As he gradually delved into state affairs, began to handle the country's important matters, and was responsible for dispatching troops for campaigns, Emperor Cao Rui then discovered that the taste of wielding the power of the world and having one's words followed by law was a thousand times and ten thousand times more delightful than women!
A great man cannot be without power for a day!
Since Mao Consort was pregnant last year, he began to gradually plan the southern expedition.
Cao Rui, who had just ascended the throne, had to stay up late every night studying books, getting to know officials, and even personally went to Huaiyang to supervise the military campaigns.
As the first emperor, it's not enough to be indolent and lazy. One has to work hard to ensure a stable seat on the throne.
War is undoubtedly the most exhausting human endeavor in the world, without any doubt.
After the war, it was time for a royal tour. By the time we returned to Luoyang, it was already early March. It's only been a short month since early March, and Cao Rui hasn't had the time to arrange for these matters yet.
But...
If Empress Guo proposes it, it seems that enriching the harem now would be a good idea?
It's about time to have more offspring. For an emperor, one child in Consort Mao's belly is obviously not enough.
"Ha ha ha." Cao Rui laughed out loud: "Your Majesty is right. I've been so busy with state affairs recently that I haven't had the time to attend to the harem."
"I'm not too knowledgeable about this matter, Empress. What is your plan?"
Seeing Emperor Cao Rui's swift agreement, Empress Guo was somewhat surprised, but she still went ahead and spoke out the plans she had been contemplating for a while.
Empress Guo smiled and nodded: "Since Your Majesty has agreed, it will be easy to handle."
"Empress, shall we first discuss the hierarchy of the harem before we talk about these matters?"
Cao Rui nodded. "Please speak, Mother."
Empress Guo said, "When Emperor Wu was the Marquis of Wei, there were five ranks below the empress, namely: Consorts, Consort Convenants, Consorts Chizi, Consorts Ronghua, and Concubines."
"During the reign of the previous emperor, five more ranks were added: Imperial Consorts, Concubines Chunyu, Concubines Shouchun, Concubines Chengcheng, and Concubines Liangren. So there are a total of ten ranks of concubines and consorts in the harem."
"Empress, please wait a moment." Cao Rui stopped Empress Guo: "Ten ranks are more than the nine grades in the court. I think we should still reduce some, retaining only five ranks would suffice."
Empress Guo thought for a moment and nodded, "Rui, arrange your harem as you wish. Among these ten ranks, which five should we keep?"
Going from ten ranks to five...
Cao Rui paused for a moment before saying, "Mother, I think the affairs of the harem should be kept simple. It would be sufficient to leave only five ranks: empress, imperial consort, concubine congeniality, concubine chizi, and concubine."
"What do you think, Mother?"
"I think... I am the Empress now, whatever you set up will not affect me. Let's get to the important matters!"
Empress Guo nodded and agreed: "Simplifying the harem should make management easier."
"Since this is Your Majesty's first time taking in concubines, it seems there should be quite a few of them."
Cao Rui heard these words and began to think for a moment.
Take in more... How many is more? Three, five?
"For your first time taking in concubines, why not take in twenty?" Empress Guo said slowly, "I read in the books that Xuanyuan had twenty-five sons, and his throne was passed down for a long time; during the Zhou Dynasty, there were forty states of the Ji lineage, which is why it lasted for eight hundred years."
"According to Zhou Li, the emperor should have 120 concubines. So, taking in twenty this time can also be considered reasonable."
As soon as Empress Guo finished speaking, Cao Rui was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair and stood staring at Empress Guo with wide eyes and a serious expression.
Twenty people?? Is that to have two soccer teams in the harem all at once?
It would take a month to get familiar with their faces!
"Mother." Cao Rui frowned and said, "If it's three or five, I guess it would be enough. Twenty seems too many."
"With so many women in the harem, and the court affairs being busy, won't it distract from governing the state?"
Empress Guo looked disappointed and said, "My dear son, isn't the state's affairs more important than family matters?"
"Moreover, as the sovereign, how can one constantly take women into the palace? It would be better to take in twenty this time. If not enough, we can take another batch in three or five years."
"My dear son, what do you think?"
Cao Rui seems to have understood it roughly.
The stepmother is still a mother.
Empress Guo, herself, while in the palace of the previous emperor Cao Pi, was very vigilant about the women in the harem and did not want anyone to compete for his favor.
Now that her son is the emperor, although not her biological son, the more the better!
Cao Rui could only say that it's just a difference in outlook brought about by the change in status.
Twenty... Cao Rui sat down again, squinting as he considered whether he could handle that many.
Empress Guo did not hurry, smiling and looking at the emperor with a sense of satisfaction.
After a moment, Cao Rui said slowly: "If we take in twenty people into the palace, according to the five ranks of empress, imperial consort, concubine congeniality, concubine chizi and concubine that we just talked about, shouldn't they all be concubines after they enter the palace?"
Empress Guo nodded.
Cao Rui asked a sensitive topic again: "Mother, do you think it's better to choose concubines from ordinary families, or from government officials and families?"
This is another sensitive topic.
In Cao Rui's memory, there were dynasties that specifically selected girls from officials and noble families to enter the harem, while others chose from girls from humble backgrounds.
Of course, the consequences are also multifaceted.
Selecting girls from officials and noble families can easily lead to the external relatives or the post-family gradually gaining power. The Hao family is a case in mind, and it's also because of the strength of the external relatives.
Selecting girls from humble backgrounds can easily lead to problems in the inheritance of the throne or during critical moments due to their lack of wisdom. Empress He under Emperor Ling is such an example.
Therefore, Cao Rui also sincerely asked Empress Guo for advice.
After all, this woman who has been the empress for many years should have some insights into the harem affairs.
Seeing that Cao Rui was asking about serious matters, Empress Guo slowly ceased her smiling expression and began to face the issue with gravity.
After all, this woman who is known for her wisdom and is called the "Queen," certainly has a very clear logical approach to important decisions.
"Rui." Empress Guo slowly said: "The previous emperor has already issued an edict to prohibit the palace and the external relatives from governing, which is the fundamental way to prevent the palace from governing or holding power from a system standpoint."
"Nor does the influence of the inner court on the outer court depend on the preferences of the concubines in the palace; it lies in the personal likes and dislikes of the emperor himself."
"I think the affairs of the outer court should still be guided by the system or balance of the previous court."
"If we want to choose girls from ordinary families, then we should all choose from these families. If we want to select girls from government officials' families, then why not choose more of them?"
"If there are too many relatives-in-law, then who can truly be considered as a relative-in-law?"
Cao Rui squinted his eyes and thought, Empress Guo's approach is like using poison to counterpoise poison.
Cao Rui nodded: "I have understood what the Empress just said. The most important task of today is to stabilize Wu and Shu, and unify the nine regions."
"So, we should keep things balanced. Choose five candidates from each of the four groups: the nobility, military officers, officials, and common people."
"What do you think, Mother?"
Empress Guo nodded: "Then the selection of women for the harem can begin."
"The matter of enriching the harem is the responsibility of the empress. However, as there is currently no empress in the Great Wei, this matter should be handled by me. What do you think, Rui?" Empress Guo asked slowly.
At this time, Cao Rui realized that if Empress Guo were to handle this matter, he would necessarily be involved with government officials and nobles, which could equivalent to adding a layer of protection for his position.
Are you still afraid that I will blame her for the death of ZhenNiangfuren?
Cao Rui opened his mouth lightly, wanting to reassure Empress Guo that she need not worry, but after thinking about it, he felt it was not something that could be easily said.
Let's not talk about it.
Cao Rui nodded: "This matter is left to you, Mother. If you need to contact officials from the outer court, you can send someone to your son's study, look for the General at the Western Pavilion, or for the Chancellor at the Eastern Pavilion."
"The General and the Chancellor are the ministers left to me by the previous emperor. The matters of the outer court can be handled by these two."
Empress Guo knew that this was a form of limiting the communication between the emperor and the outer court. But since the emperor had spoken like this, there was nothing else she could do.
To reach this point, it is already a satisfactory achievement.
Empress Guo nodded and smiled, "I understand. The General and the Chancellor are loyal and virtuous ministers. I will send someone to find them as needed."
Cao Rui stood up from the chair: "Mother, is there anything else you need to attend to? If there are no other matters, I will return to my study."
Empress Guo also stood up and took two steps forward to stand in front of Cao Rui, gently smoothing out the wrinkles in his robes. Cao Rui was still wearing the clothes he used for practicing archery, which were a bit disheveled after his sudden arrival.
After smoothing out the wrinkles, Empress Guo said slowly, "Rui, amidst your busy state affairs, you still need to pay attention to rest and your health."
Cao Rui smiled: "Mother, there's no need for you to worry. I know what's best for myself. I just finished practicing archery this afternoon."
Empress Guo nodded, but in her mind, an image of the previous emperor holding two iron spears and swinging them on the practice field flashed by.
One can't just say that the previous emperor had a short life and therefore you should be careful too, can one?
Empress Guo thought for a moment and felt that it would be okay. After all, the emperor is still in his early twenties and has a long life ahead.
"Mother, I will leave first." After Cao Rui spoke, he walked to the door but was unexpectedly called back by Empress Guo.
Empress Guo said, "Rui, do you have any favored candidates of your own?"
Candidates? Two figures flashed through Cao Rui's mind.
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Then, Mother, you can keep two empty seats for me." (Chapter ends)
