The queue was quite long. Gan Qiongying had been queuing since morning until noon and still hadn't gotten her turn. The queue ahead of her was moving extremely slowly.

Although it was already September, the midday sun was still very strong, and after the last batch of people were eliminated at noon, the gates of the Crown Prince's residence were closed.

A group of people were making a fuss about what was going on. The people guarding the door and maintaining order told them that the people screening and those in charge had gone to eat, and that they should go to eat or just wait there and not make a fuss.

Most of these people came from afar. The locals had already been screened twice. It was impossible for them to eat, because if they ate, their seats would be gone and they would have to start queuing again.

Some clever vendors did come by, selling steamed buns, meat pies, dumplings, and other food that could be eaten by holding them in oiled paper, as well as water in bamboo tubes.

Today, most women are dressed up with exquisite makeup and look beautiful. They are waiting to go in. When someone buys something to eat, they are very careful, tearing it into small pieces for fear of smudging their lipstick.

Gan Qiongying simply didn't buy anything and just stood there waiting. The four big steamed buns she ate that morning gave her confidence. She swallowed, her throat was a little dry, but she could still bear it.

After noon, the gates of the Crown Prince's residence soon reopened, and people went in in groups of five, and came out in groups of five as well.

Gan Qiongying has been watching here all morning. A total of dozens of groups of people have gone in, but only a handful have actually stayed.

These beautiful women, after emerging from the gates of the Crown Prince's residence and having their dreams of instant success shattered, all reacted in different ways.

Some people were disappointed, some were crying, some were disdainful, and some angrily turned around and scolded them for not wanting to choose any maids at all, but for being even more demanding than choosing an empress!

Some people are even speculating about a conspiracy, saying that the Crown Prince's mansion has been making a big show of selecting people for several months, including concubines and maids, but so far no one has been heard of taking a liking to the Crown Prince and rising to a higher social status.

It seems as if they are using this incident to plot something else. Could it be that they want other countries to think that the crown prince is incompetent, greedy for beauty, and then launch a surprise attack on someone and behead some enemy soldiers on the border?

In short, opinions were divided, and there were all sorts of things to say. Gan Qiongying stood there patiently and waited. Since she hadn't gone back all morning, the two shadow guards were worried about her and kept watching her from a distance, without going back to rest at all.

Seeing that she seemed thirsty but dared not appear directly in front of him, he found a child playing in the alley, bought some candy for the child, and had one of the children take a water bag and a sugar cake wrapped in oil paper to deliver to Gan Qiongying.

“Sister, an older brother asked me to give this to you…” Gan Qiongying lowered her head and saw a little boy beside her holding a small water bag, looking at her with a pair of round eyes.

Gan Qiongying felt a sudden pang in her heart. Although the child in front of her had no relation to her two own children, Gan Qiongying now couldn't help but think of her two little ones whenever she saw a child.

Then I felt a tingling sensation all over my body, a strange sense of accomplishment and responsibility rising from my chest.

Gan Qiongying naturally knew that the water pouch and cakes must have been given to her by the two shadow guards. Without looking around, she took the things, patted the boy's head, and said to him, "Go play by the roadside, but avoid the cars and pedestrians..."

The child nodded, delivered the item, and quickly ran off with the candy.

Gan Qiongying took a sip of water, and then, just like those women who were afraid of smudging their lipstick, she broke off a piece of the cake and put it in her mouth to chew carefully.

After eating that pancake... it was as if I hadn't eaten anything at all; instead, it made my stomach rumble and I was even hungrier.

Gan Qiongying was quite helpless. She was eating too much now and getting hungry very quickly. She hadn't gained much weight, but her appetite was getting better and better.

After drinking water and eating bread, the line in front of them gradually shortened. As the sun began to set, it was finally Gan Qiongying's turn.

She and four other women of varying shapes and sizes walked into the majestic gates of the Crown Prince's residence. The guards at the gate had probably grown tired of seeing women these past few days. As such a beautiful woman walked past him, he didn't even glance at her, and even looked utterly dejected.

Gan Qiongying and the others followed a servant boy, bypassed the screen wall in the courtyard, and then entered a side room.

The door to the side room was wide open, and inside sat five imposing old women. As soon as the group entered, these old women, like the guards outside, all looked utterly bored.

He slightly raised his eyelids, glanced at the few people, and then pointed to the house next door.

Then the group followed the servant out the door and went into the room next door.

There were other people waiting there, but they remained silent when they saw them, as if they were tired of talking. They gestured with their chins to signal them to stand.

Then one person held a tape measure and the other a ruler. The person with the tape measure went around measuring them one by one, while the person with the ruler tapped their backs and calves with a light tap to make them stand up straight and to check their posture.

Although Gan Qiongying was a little tired from standing all day, she found it quite amusing. She thought that choosing maids didn't have to be so strict, and she wondered what Li Hua's purpose was in doing so.

They were quickly taken to another room after their measurements were taken. The next room required them to take off their shoes and outer clothing and let their hair down for another thorough examination.

When examining Gan Qiongying's hair, one person had some doubts about the way the real hair and wig were connected.

Gan Qiongying simply made up a story: "Grandma, my mother's clan lives in the mountains, and it is a clan that few people know about."

The old woman wasn't too harsh; they quickly got dressed and went into the next room...

The entire row of houses underwent not only various measurements and meticulous inspections, but also had to be smelled for fragrance and tested in various ways of serving people.

Gan Qiongying had never served anyone before. Even though Manyue had been by her side for a long time and she knew all the rules and etiquette, she was still very unfamiliar with the task at hand.

While tying the hair of one of the old women, the old woman grimaced as her hair was pulled. Gan Qiongying apologized softly. In the end, the old woman raised her hand to signal her to stop when the hair was only half combed.