Chapter 1506: A Former Ming Consort Comes from a Humble Family

He was only thirteen — why should he have to think about "lifelong matters" at all! The Crown Prince cried out in grievance inside his heart, but of course he didn't dare say it aloud, so he could only stammer, "Your child… your child has been busy with studies and lessons before, and has not… has not considered such things."

"That makes sense. You're always studying normally, so when would you have the time to see whose family's child is good-looking?" The Empress was not the least bit surprised by his answer; instead, she revealed a smile as if a scheme had succeeded. "So, these days Mother has also looked at daughters from quite a few families on your behalf. When the time comes, you can look them over one by one and pick one you like. During the New Year holiday you're off and have nothing to do anyway, so you might as well come with Mother and help choose the future Crown Princess."

"…" The Crown Prince's throat was somewhat dry, and he felt constantly unable to speak. "Your child… your child has no opinion on this matter. Everything shall follow Mother Empress's wishes. Your child obeys Mother Empress; there is no need to go and choose."

"How can your lifelong matter be handled so casually? Once the Crown Princess is chosen, she cannot be changed. She must be carefully selected and satisfy you yourself. Otherwise, if I randomly pick one and you are not satisfied, wouldn't that delay both sides?" The Empress furrowed her brows slightly. "Are you worried others won't like you? Silly child, don't be afraid. You're so handsome, and you're the Crown Prince — which family could possibly look down on you?"

The Crown Prince's face reddened slightly. Not wanting to say another word, he hung his head and focused solely on eating, wishing with all his heart that this dinner would end sooner so he could escape further torment.

However, the Empress had hit her stride and showed not the slightest intention of sparing his feelings; instead, she continued on with even greater enthusiasm. "Don't think Mother is talking nonsense. Your virtue and wisdom have already spread beyond the nation's borders. The Goryeo envoy last time relayed to me a message from the Goryeo king, saying that a daughter of a royal clan prince of their Wang family is possessed of flower-like beauty and the moon's countenance, gentle and virtuous. Because she admires the Crown Prince's virtuous reputation, she wishes to be recommended as a serving consort… You see, you are in high demand!"

"…Goryeo?" The moment he heard that word, the Crown Prince forgot the awkwardness in his heart and raised his head to look at his mother Empress.

This was truly far too strange.

Ever since the Great Han was established, the Great Han had struck out in all directions. Using the crime of collaborating with Manchuria, it had deposed the then Goryeo king Yi Jong, supported the deposed former king Yi Hon back onto the throne, and at the same time left behind a garrison and a mission in Goryeo to exercise remote control.

Having received the grace of being restored to the throne, the current king Yi Hon was naturally extremely grateful to the Great Han, and so he treated the Great Han with the utmost respect and deference, obeying the envoys stationed in Hanseong without question. At the request of the Great Han's Foreign Affairs Department, Goryeo had also left a mission outside the capital, making it convenient to receive information and orders from the Great Han's Foreign Affairs Department at any time.

The current head of this mission was named Yi Ga, also a member of the Goryeo royal clan. His Han learning was profound, and his character was humble and refined. He never opposed the court's orders, and so he was quite well-liked by the upper and lower ranks of the Great Han court.

After the Empress's explanation, the Crown Prince learned that just a while ago, this Yi Ga, having received a message passed on from the king, had sought every means to request an audience with the attending ministers beside the Empress, and then reported upward the Goryeo king's wish to present a clan daughter to the Crown Prince as a serving consort.

"My son, the Goryeo king says he has long admired the Crown Prince's virtuous reputation and originally wished to offer his own daughter as the Crown Prince's serving consort. Regrettably, all the children of his own line died young, so he had no choice but to select two clan daughters of outstanding appearance and talent from the royal clan to attend upon the Crown Prince. The Goryeo king shows such great goodwill and earnest intent — what is your opinion?" After finishing her explanation, the Empress looked at the Crown Prince with a beaming smile, as if waiting for him to nod. "Goryeo is a small tributary state. Although its king has ruled the country for several hundred years and admires Han culture and institutions, it is still a small tributary state after all. Choosing a principal consort is impossible, but taking them as serving consorts is not out of the question…"

Although on the surface she was soliciting the Crown Prince's opinion, judging from the Empress's tone, her attitude toward this proposal was relatively positive — at the very least, she was not opposed to it.

However, unlike his mother's positive attitude, the Crown Prince's thoughts were far more complicated.

He had already reached this age and knew the duties he bore, so he did not object to having more serving consorts by his side. Yet why the Goryeo king had suddenly put forward this proposal was something worth deep reflection.

Although he did not know the Goryeo king very well, he more or less knew that he was a shrewd and cunning man. During his previous reign, he had been resented by the people and the ministers for his perverse actions, and in the end he was deposed. It was only with great difficulty that the Great Han restored him to the throne. For such a person to take the initiative to ingratiate himself and beg to send a clan daughter to his side, it certainly could not be, as his words claimed, out of admiration for his virtuous reputation.

Is it because he knows I am about to go to Goryeo to take command, so he is currying favor in advance? A thought suddenly flashed through the Crown Prince's mind.

But after thinking it over carefully, he felt it was not right — Father Emperor had only recently said he would send him to take command in Goryeo, and the Great Han court's internal state affairs conference had only just been convened. Although there were many participants, they were all court ministers and would know to keep secrets. Moreover, given the distance of mountains and passes between the Great Han and Goryeo, he did not seem like someone who had gotten the news in advance. It should just be a coincidence.

It seems, then, that he simply wants to curry favor with me.

The moment he thought that even a small foreign tributary state would rack its brains to curry favor with him, the Crown Prince suddenly felt somewhat pleased — in his view, this matter, like Father Emperor letting him participate in the state affairs conference for the first time, signified that the outside world acknowledged he had grown up and could become a person of weight both at home and abroad.

Yet the excitement quickly faded, and what remained instead was suspicion.

Since this Goryeo king harbored hidden schemes, the gifts he sent could not be accepted without careful consideration. Besides, if he truly accepted the clan daughter sent over, how should he interact with the Goryeo king when he arrived in Goryeo in the future?

"What is my son still hesitating over?" At this moment, the Empress looked at her hesitant son and asked in puzzlement. "I have always heard that Goryeo women have fair skin and are tall, with temperaments that are also very gentle and quiet. Moreover, with their status as clan daughters, serving you is not beneath your standing. Besides, I've heard that during the Yuan dynasty, there were many Goryeo women in the palace…"

The Crown Prince hesitated, unable to decide, then raised his head to look at Father Emperor. He discovered that Father Emperor was still chatting and laughing with the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort Meng Hui and the others, paying no attention to this side, as if he had not heard anything.

Father Emperor is telling me to make the decision myself… the Crown Prince thought.

That's right. I am already at this age; such matters should be decided by me on my own.

"Mother Empress, the Great Yuan is the Great Yuan, and our dynasty is our dynasty — they cannot be spoken of in the same breath…" After thinking for a moment, the Crown Prince mustered his courage and tactfully declined his mother's request. "Your child minister is still young and feels that bringing in Goryeo clan daughters is entirely unnecessary… Besides, your child minister will have to go to Goryeo before long. This journey is of great importance. If a Goryeo clan daughter were kept by my side, it might hinder state affairs…"

"Your age is still young? After the New Year you'll be fourteen. Crown Prince, if you yourself aren't anxious, can't your mother be anxious on your behalf?" The Empress did not take the Crown Prince's plea to heart at all. "You're going to Goryeo — I know that. Isn't that perfect? If they want to give you clan daughters, when you get there you won't have to worry about lacking someone familiar with the local area to attend upon you…"

The Empress's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the people around to hear, and so the Crown Prince grew increasingly embarrassed. He moistened his somewhat parched throat, then mustered his courage and continued, "Mother Empress, your child minister has heard that when the Goryeo king previously held power, he acted tyrannically and cruelly, displaying the likeness of a Jie or Zhou. He even disregarded the grace and righteousness of the Great Ming in restoring Goryeo's kingdom, and dealt insincerely with the Jianzhou Jurchens, greatly damaging the Five Relationships. The ministers, having no choice, rose up together to attack him, and in the end drove him from the throne and exiled him to an island. Even his eyes were blinded by the ministers… Although… although with our dynasty's help he was restored to the throne, and under the mission's assistance his governance has now smoothed out considerably, that man harbors treacherous intentions — it is unavoidable. When your child minister goes to Goryeo, it is best not to become too entangled with him. Otherwise, if there are misgivings, it would instead be detrimental."

After Prince Gwanghae, Yi Hon, succeeded to the throne, he did indeed act perversely and was extremely cruel. He not only brutally killed ministers, but did not even spare his own elder brother and younger brother. He was truly exceedingly cruel and lost all popular support within the country. So when he was overthrown by Yi Jong in alliance with the ministers, it could not be said that the ministers were in the wrong.

However, after forcibly deposing Yi Jong on the charge of communicating with Jianzhou, the Great Han, after much consideration from many angles, still placed this Prince Gwanghae, who had already been exiled to an island for several years, back onto the throne.

It was not that no one knew his reputation was poor; on the contrary, it was precisely because they considered that he had once stirred boiling public resentment throughout Goryeo that they deliberately restored him — first, they could occupy the great moral justification of restoring the legitimate line; second, a Goryeo king who lacked popular support could only rely even more on the mission and the garrison to maintain his own tottering position.

The Crown Prince did not dare to voice such considerations openly, but his meaning was already very clear: the Goryeo king had a terrible reputation both at home and abroad, and he surely harbored some hidden scheme, so it was best not to accept anything he sent over.

Such a direct refusal was the first time he had spoken this way in front of his mother, so she was slightly taken aback and stopped speaking for a moment.

This brief silence nearly made the Crown Prince think his mother had already grown angry.

"My son does have some ideas of his own after all. Very well, if you don't want any Goryeo clan daughters, Mother won't force you." Beyond the Crown Prince's expectations, the Empress did not press him further; instead, she softened her tone. "Goryeo is a tributary state. People from foreign lands are, however you put it, not entirely reassuring. If you don't want them, then don't. However…"

The heart the Crown Prince had just set down was lifted up again.

"However, your important matter can be delayed no longer. How about this: I will have people search among the noble houses of every family. As long as there are suitable candidates, they will all be recorded. When the time comes, we will carefully select one by one, and you will look them over yourself as well. We will settle on a candidate within one year! By the time you are fifteen, you should be married — not a moment can be delayed!"