"Isn't this the reason? Haven't my recent behavior shown enough that I don't want to enter the palace? Why did Ye Lingfeng still order the Ministry of Rites to send the list?"
"Why are you unwilling to enter the palace as empress? Is it because you dislike Ye Lingfeng, or something else?"
Ji Shaocheng asked seriously, "Logically speaking, Ye Lingfeng is handsome, capable, and holds a high position. Any woman would like him, so why is my sister different from others?"
Hai Ling thought for a moment. She didn't actually dislike Ye Lingfeng. Back in the Great Zhou Dynasty, she had also had fantasies about him. Developing a relationship with him wouldn't be difficult. What was difficult was his current status. She disliked people in the royal family, believing that they always sacrificed others for their own interests. In addition, she didn't want to share a husband with another woman, which was why she didn't want to enter the palace. Although there were legends in history books about emperors having only one empress, she knew the current situation in Bei Lu. What the emperor needed to do most was to balance the power in the court, and the most direct way to do that was to marry the daughters of high-ranking officials into the palace.
Then why would she need to enter the palace and scheme against other women to win a man? Was there any point in her going through all that trouble to leave the palace in the first place?
Hai Ling raised her eyebrows and looked at Ji Shaocheng, a calm look flashing in her eyes.
"Brother, if I said that I don't seek wealth or status when I get married, but only a peaceful marriage and a lifelong partner, would you laugh at me?"
Yes, for men who grew up in ancient times, they would probably think her thoughts and ideas were a joke.
Hai Ling looked at Ji Shaocheng and continued, "I don't like scheming and fighting with other women all day long. It's too tiring to live like this. Since ancient times, wherever there are women, there has been war."
Ji Shaocheng completely agreed with this point. Take the Ji family for example. There were only two women, his mother and his second mother, but they ended up fighting to the death. So, the saying "where there are women, there will be war" is absolutely true.
"Actually, this idea is not wrong. My brother also has the same idea."
Ji Shaocheng slowly began to speak. The reason he had not married was that he wanted to marry someone worthy of his devotion, and he would only marry one wife in his life.
Having witnessed his mother's suffering since childhood, all because his father married a second wife, he decided from a young age that he would only marry one woman when he grew up.
Hai Ling stared wide-eyed at Ji Shaocheng, looking at him as if he were some rare and precious object.
She thought that someone as outstanding as Ji Shaocheng would surely disdain her ideas, but she never expected that he would have such thoughts as well.
It's truly rare for an ancient man, especially one of such renown, to have the idea of a lifelong, monogamous relationship. How come such a good man is her brother? Since her brother has such thoughts, she must make sure he marries a good woman in the future, otherwise her brother's devotion will have been in vain.
"Ling'er, since you have this idea, why don't you tell the Emperor?"
Ji Shaocheng spoke slowly, saying that if Ye Lingfeng truly loved Ling'er, he might only want to marry her.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Hailing laughed: "Brother, do you think everyone is like you? Not to mention that Ye Lingfeng is the emperor, just look at the current situation in Beilu. If Ye Lingfeng ascends the throne, I'm afraid many of his ministers are not truly loyal. So if he wants to stabilize the situation, he can only take the daughters of those ministers into the palace as concubines to balance the situation in the court."
Emperors have always done this. Ji Shaocheng was speechless, his eyes deep, but a faint sorrow filled his heart. His sister didn't refuse to marry Ye Lingfeng because she disliked him, but because of his harem. This thought made him feel bitter. However, seeing his sister's troubles, he felt reluctant and reached out to take Hai Ling's name from the register.
"Well then, since you don't want to enter the palace, I'll think of a way to see if I can persuade the Empress Dowager to remove your name from the selection list."
"Okay, thank you, brother."
Hai Ling nodded. For now, she could only take it one step at a time. When she first came to Bei Lu, she had nowhere to stay, and she wanted to use the power of the Ji family to build her own influence. Moreover, Emperor Feng Zixiao of the Great Zhou Dynasty was looking for her everywhere. If she were in the Great Zhou Dynasty, she would definitely be discovered and forced to return to the Great Zhou palace. That's why she came to the Ji family in Bei Lu. However, she didn't expect the Ji family to treat her so well, which made her reluctant to let them suffer any harm.
Ji Shaocheng reached out and ruffled her hair, treating her like his most beloved little sister. He shook his head and said gently, "Go to sleep early, don't overthink it."
"Okay, sure."
Ji Shaocheng took Hai Ling's list of candidates for the imperial concubine selection. As for whether her name could be removed from the list, there was no news at the moment.
However, the New Year has arrived.
Snow fell in northern Shandong, and the capital city, blanketed in snow, was exceptionally beautiful.
During the New Year, everyone was busy hosting banquets and inviting guests. The Ji family also hosted guests twice, but because Hailing didn't like it, they didn't host many banquets.
Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng, as generals of Beilu, were of noble status, so social engagements were indispensable for them. They would go out very early every day and return very late, so Hailing hadn't seen them for several days.
Inside the Ji residence, Madam Ye would sometimes send people to deliver things to Hailing, but the rest of the time she would stay in her inner hall.
With the old general and the young general not at home, the stewards in the mansion consulted Hailing for any matters. Hailing never refused and took good care of the Ji mansion, which made everyone in the mansion admire and like this young lady very much.
During the New Year, the Emperor sent many gifts to the Ji residence, including food, daily necessities, clothing, and accessories, filling the entire Xiangwu Courtyard.
Hai Ling was extremely annoyed; Ye Lingfeng was determined to send her to the palace.
She had hoped that her brother's visit to the palace to see the Empress Dowager would offer a chance for a change in her fortunes, but she forgot who Ye Lingfeng was. He was once the Demon Lord of the Cold Demon Palace, and he was always autocratic. How could anyone else sway him? So even the Empress Dowager's intervention was useless, and her name remained on the list of candidates for the imperial concubine selection.
Seeing that the young lady showed no joy, Fu Yue and the others dared not make any move. They simply ordered the servants to take all the gifts bestowed by the emperor to the treasury for safekeeping.
In the main hall of Xiangwu Courtyard, Hailing was leaning back, looking down at Shen Ruoxuan and Shimei.
The two men were huddled together, looking at the transcript in their hands, and were quite excited.
The transcript was compiled by Hailin over two nights, containing essential information that needed to be remembered during the surgery.
Shen Ruoxuan and Shi Mei were both highly skilled in medicine, so they learned very quickly. With just a little guidance, they mastered the techniques. Next, they needed to learn how to dissect corpses, accurately locate the five internal organs, and make precise incisions. They absolutely could not make the wrong incision, otherwise they would harm the patient instead of treating the illness.
However, finding a source of corpses is a troublesome matter. You absolutely cannot steal corpses or anything like that, as being discovered would be a serious crime. There is only one way: buy a corpse.
The main hall was quiet when someone walked in.
"Miss, someone has delivered a note."
Fu Yue walked over, took it, turned around and walked to Hai Ling, handing it to her.
The note was beautifully made, adorned with fragrant fresh flowers, clearly sent by a woman.
Hailin opened it and saw that it was written in delicate small regular script: "Respectfully inviting Miss Ji to Mingyu Tower. Presented by the hairpin maker."
She knew about Mingyulou, the most famous teahouse in the capital of Beilu. The business there was booming, with customers coming and going in a lively atmosphere. But who was this woman with the flower in her hair? In this era, many people preferred to use their courtesy name instead of their given name. However, judging from the calligraphy and the name, the person who wanted to see her was still a woman.
Shen Ruoxuan and Shi Mei, who were in the side hall, looked up at Hai Ling, who was sitting at the head of the table, in surprise when she didn't speak.
"What's wrong, Master?"
Shen Ruoxuan asked worriedly, thinking it was someone Hai Lin disliked seeing.