Chapter 188 Can't bear to leave me
"In all the beauty pageants, there have always been women who don't want to be selected, so they will ask someone to take care of it. This is not a difficult task." Prime Minister Yin has only one daughter, Yin Yaoxin, who had been missing for many years. This year is the first time he has sent his family to the palace for a beauty pageant.
He is a veteran of two dynasties. The prime minister is upright, but not one who offends others. Seeing that the emperor's health is getting worse, perhaps in five or ten years, the new emperor will ascend the throne. Prime Minister Yin does not want his family to be involved in these struggles.
"My grandson and Miaoyin will learn from the nanny by then, and the talent show will just be a formality. They will be eliminated in the palace selection in the end." Gu Siqing thought about it and decided that even if it was just a formality, it couldn't be too obvious, otherwise it would be disrespectful to the royal family.
"It's good that you have your own ideas. You are introverted and steady. Grandpa is not worried about you, but Miaoyin..." Prime Minister Yin looked at Yin Miaoyin. He was worried about this granddaughter.
"Grandfather! Miaoyin can take good care of herself. Miaoyin is about to reach the age of 15 and is no longer a child." Yin Miaoyin spoke quickly, interrupting Prime Minister Yin's preaching.
A few days later, the beauties who participated in the selection would enter the palace. Gu Siqing dealt with the business of the shop before rushing into the palace. Before she left the palace, all the important matters of the shop were handed over to Li Silai to take care of. Li Silai was capable and loyal, so Gu Siqing had nothing to worry about.
Seeing that the day of entering the palace was approaching, Gu Siqing finally finished the work at hand. He had a rare moment of free time, so he decided to go to Zuixianlou to drink.
As summer approaches, the Kingdom of Yue has four distinct seasons. The summer is hot, with the sun hanging in the sky and scorching the earth.
Gu Siqing got off the carriage, unable to bear the heat, and quickly entered Zuixianlou, heading straight for the private room without waiting for the waiter to greet him. After knocking on the door of the private room three times, Gu Siqing pushed it open, and a cool breeze blew in his face, dissipating most of the heat in Gu Siqing's body.
"You really know how to enjoy yourself. You asked someone to put two basins of ice in the house to cool you down. But no one else can be so generous."
Gu Siqing shook her head and chuckled, then she closed the door and sat down beside the ice basin, feeling the cool air coming out of the ice and the heat in her body finally subsiding.
"It's your money anyway." Bai Ziyu poured her a glass of wine, and even the wine was chilled. "It's the osmanthus wine brewed last autumn. This is the last jar."
She reached out to take the wine glass, but when she heard the words "the last jar", her hand paused, and then she drank the wine in one gulp.
"You drank most of the osmanthus wine in Zuixianlou. Why do you like it so much?" Gu Siqing looked at Bai Ziyu.
"It smells good." Bai Ziyu sipped his wine and glanced at her sideways. "You will enter the palace tomorrow. I'm afraid you will become the prince's consort when you go there."
His laughter was low and Gu Siqing didn't know if it was her illusion, but she actually heard some seriousness in his teasing.
Gu Siqing was choked by his words and glared at him angrily: "You crow mouth, stop cursing me! I finally got away from Dingbei Marquis Mansion, and I don't want to have anything to do with the royal family anymore."
She poured herself a glass of wine and drank it. Thinking of the bloody battle for the throne that was about to take place in the royal family, her eyes skipped a beat. Before the imperial power was settled, she wanted to stay as far away from the royal family as possible.
Bai Ziyu chuckled: "Others are trying their best to join the royal family, but you are avoiding them like a snake."
Gu Siqing ignored his teasing and thought about her business today: "After I enter the palace, I can't leave unless it's a major event. I will stay in the palace for a while until I am eliminated from the selection."
From her tone, it was clear that she had something important to ask for, so Bai Ziyu interrupted her deliberately: "Can't bear to leave me?"
Gu Siqing lost her temper at his teasing and glared at him with amusement: "The Ninth Prince doesn't know my true identity. If he sends out a signal flare while I'm in the palace, I'll have to trouble you to tell him on my behalf."
After thinking for a while, Gu Siqing thought of the excuses he often used, and said, "Just say that I am not feeling well and cannot come. I can wait for a month or two."
Gu Siqing thought that nothing serious would happen during the audition, and Chi Hongyuan would not ask any further questions unless she had to step in.
Bai Ziyu played with the wine cup in his hand and nodded: "Okay."
"You don't seem to be in a good mood today?" Gu Siqing looked at him with some confusion.
"The fine wine is almost finished, which naturally makes people feel melancholy." Bai Ziyu said calmly and drank another glass of wine.
The next day, Gu Siqing and Yin Miaoyin packed their personal bags and boarded a carriage to enter the palace as everyone in the prime minister's residence watched.
The two of them had noble status and impeccable looks, and as expected, they passed the first round of screening easily and stayed in the palace with a group of beauties who had passed the first round of selection.
"Ladies, from today onwards until you are eliminated in the selection, you will all stay in the palace. I have a few words for you. Please remember to be careful with your words and actions and do not bring yourself into trouble."
The eunuch in charge of taking care of them reminded them in a solemn voice that the palace was not a place for playing around, it was different from outside the palace.
Most of the beauties who passed the first round of screening were happy and nervous, and they all responded "yes" in unison to their father-in-law's instructions.
Yin Miaoyin and Gu Siqing came from the prime minister's residence together. The nanny who arranged their accommodation did them a favor and arranged them to stay in the same bedroom with two other concubines.
The two men did not know the two young ladies who lived with them, but they knew the people in the prime minister's mansion. The other young ladies did not dare to offend the two young ladies because of their prominent family background. The four girls did not talk much, but they were very polite to each other.
The first night in the palace passed peacefully. Early the next morning, the teaching nanny came to call the concubines to the courtyard and taught them the rules of the palace.
"Young ladies are from famous families, and many of them have learned music, chess, calligraphy and painting since childhood. However, performing in front of the palace cannot be sloppy. You all need to receive instruction before the palace selection."
The nanny stood upright in front of the ladies, worthy of being a teaching nanny, her every move was impeccable.
Seeing this, the noble ladies who were listening to the training followed suit, unconsciously straightening their backs and slightly restraining their breath.
"There are two parts to the palace selection. The first part is for all the noble ladies to perform together, and the second part is for the young ladies to perform their best talents and show their talents individually."
The teaching nanny had a smile on her face when she spoke, but her tone was so serious that no one dared to neglect her.
"The young ladies can choose their own talents, but the music studio will decide the songs they will perform together."
After the nanny finished speaking, she walked around in front of the ladies. Seeing that everyone had a serious attitude, she was satisfied.
Every day, the noble ladies had to learn etiquette and talents from the nanny. Gu Siqing and Yin Miaoyin had no intention of being selected, so they were very perfunctory in their studies and just got by with it.
The rest of the concubines studied very seriously. Many of them wanted to be favored by high-ranking officials or princes, rise up to the upper echelons of society, and consolidate and continue the family's power and glory.
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