Bianjing City, in the Imperial Palace.

The old emperor received Yu Jinzhi’s second secret letter.

Looking at the contents of the secret letter, he learned that the King of the South had secretly crossed the Linjiang River and arrived in the territory of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

The old emperor's face was gloomy and terrifying, and his eyes were full of murderous intent. He clenched his fists and pushed all the memorials in his hands to the ground.

There was a loud crash in the originally quiet study. Even the teacup next to the memorial was thrown to the ground and smashed to pieces.

The eunuchs and palace maids were so frightened that they dared not breathe. They all knelt on the ground with their heads lowered.

Even the eunuch knelt at the old emperor's feet, his forehead covered with sweat.

He also saw the secret letter and was also surprised that the King of the South could actually cross the Linjiang River and run to the interior of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

This is definitely a blatant provocation.

If Zhang Meng hadn't lent a hand, even he wouldn't believe it.

Thinking back to the funeral of the Crown Princess a few days ago, the eldest grandson of the emperor was poisoned and fell into a coma. The final result of the investigation was that it was the spy of the Southern King in Bianjing who wanted to take revenge on the Crown Princess.

That incident made the emperor furious, and he killed many servants and followers in the prince's mansion.

Even the people around the Crown Prince and the Emperor's eldest grandson were thoroughly cleared out.

All the implicated harem officials were thrown into jail! No one dared to plead for mercy.

So much so that in the past two days, the entire city of Bianjing was in panic.

Today, His Majesty's mood is a little better.

Because the emperor's eldest grandson was in good health, the prince's health was also much better after being nursed back to health by the miracle doctor.

This afternoon is the emperor's eldest grandson's concubine selection banquet.

The emperor personally presided over the ceremony with several concubines.

But unexpectedly, at this critical moment, we received news that the Southern King was coming to the mainland.

Time passed bit by bit. The whole hall was so oppressive that it made people breathless.

The time to choose a concubine for the emperor's eldest grandson is approaching.

Eunuch Lian gritted his teeth and whispered to the old emperor.

"Your Majesty, the time for the Emperor's eldest grandson to choose a concubine is coming soon."

After he finished speaking, no one responded.

Eunuch Lian carefully raised his head.

Glancing at the Emperor

Just lower your head quickly.

After a while, the old emperor said lightly.

"Let's go."

Eunuch Lian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up.

The old emperor rubbed his head and stood up from the dragon throne. His body swayed uncontrollably and he almost fell over.

Eunuch Lian was startled and quickly supported him.

"Your Majesty, are you alright? Would you like me to call the imperial physician?"

The old emperor pushed his hand away.

He stood firm on his own, his face slightly pale.

He shook his head, unhappily.

"No need to call a doctor." After saying this, he walked around the table and walked off the stage. His steps were still a little unsteady.

His eyes darkened. He turned sixty today! As the old saying goes, sixty is a rare age! I don't know how many years he can live.

Thinking of something that happened many years ago, his eyes gleamed. If he had found the thing then, maybe he would have had decades more.

Thinking of this, he became more determined.

He still has a chance!

…

In the imperial garden of the palace.

A group of noble ladies, in groups of three or five, were waiting.

They were all dressed up gorgeously and were as beautiful as flowers, with nervousness and excitement on their faces.

I don’t know who will be the final winner.

Hua Wanru hid in a corner alone, trying to reduce her presence as much as possible.

She had no makeup on her face, wore a light green jacket and skirt, and had a few small white flowers on her hair. There were no excessive decorations.

Among the many colorful noble ladies, she appears simple, low-key, and even not presentable.

Today, besides Hongyu, Cuijing was also with her. This was specially arranged by Jiang Shi, because she was afraid that if Hua Wanru entered the palace and something happened, no one would be able to help her.

Hua Wanru's face was expressionless. She looked at the beautiful girl in front of her calmly. She kept thinking about her younger sister's words.

No matter what, she had to lose today. Otherwise, she would be repeating the same mistake.

Just when her face was as gloomy as water, a sharp female voice suddenly sounded beside her.

"She is the Princess of Yanling County? She is dressed too poorly. Not even as well as my maidservant."

All the noble ladies looked over.

People began to whisper.

"She's still wearing a white flower in her hair? Wearing a white flower in the palace is unlucky. Isn't she afraid of offending the nobles?"

"This dress is too plain."

"Maybe they are doing this to attract attention."

"He's the only one dressed like this! How unique he looks standing out among the crowd!"

The topics were obviously directed at Hua Wanru.

Hua Wanru looked up and saw Zhang Shuqin, the niece of the Crown Princess, and Zhang Ting, the daughter of Duke Xiao, whom she had met once at the Crown Princess's funeral.

There were three girls following them. They all looked arrogant and looked like they were looking up to the sky.

Hua Wanru frowned and looked at them.

With a quick glance, she knew why everyone was targeting her.

It was probably that day, at the Crown Princess's funeral, that the old emperor personally selected her to run for the position of the Crown Grandson's Consort.

These noble ladies knew about it. So they all regarded her as an imaginary enemy. They thought that as long as they got rid of her, they would have a chance of winning.

Thinking of this, Hua Wanru smiled helplessly. What is honey to others may be poison to me.

She didn't want to pay attention and simply turned around and left.

Unexpectedly, two noble ladies appeared and stood in front of her.

Hua Wanru frowned and looked at the person in front of her, saying calmly.

"Please move aside, I want to pass."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!