Chapter 196: Marrying someone like this is not harming them
At first, Rong Fei thought she had missed something, so she read the list three times before she was sure that they were indeed not named in the post.
"Has the Queen seen a woman suitable for Your Highness?" The maid who served personally saw Concubine Rong repeatedly looking through the name cards and was curious about whose name her master was looking for.
"Nothing, I just feel a little disappointed. I don't recognize most of the ladies on the name cards. Times have really changed."
Concubine Rong said a reason without changing her expression. When she saw that Yin Miaoyin and Gu Siqing's names were not on the name card, she knew what Prime Minister Yin meant. It seemed that the Prime Minister's Mansion had no intention of getting involved in the open and secret struggles between the princes.
As for sacrificing their granddaughter's life for fame and fortune, they disdain to do so and will not do so.
"From now on, you will get to know these noble ladies one by one, so don't be sad." The palace maid was worried that her master was sad, so she comforted her softly.
"I am not sad, I am just feeling sad that things have changed. Please leave first. I will call you back in one stick of incense."
Concubine Rong sent the maid away, and when there was no one around, a black shadow quietly appeared in the darkness.
"Go and tell Yuan'er that the two ladies in the Prime Minister's Mansion are not on the candidate list. This is the Prime Minister's attitude. Go and ask him what he thinks. If you have any good candidates, you can come and tell me."
The noble lady was leaning on the stool. Without the help of the Prime Minister's Mansion, he would have one less helper in the future fight for the throne.
"Prime Minister Yin, is it because of the Rong family back then that you don't want to be involved with the imperial power anymore, fearing that you will follow in their footsteps?"
The noble lady leaning on the table was wearing gorgeous clothes and the pearl hairpin on her head was extremely dazzling, but the loneliness in her eyes could not be concealed even by the jewels on her body. Thinking of the fate of the Rong family in the past, Rong Yuer was heartbroken and shed tears silently in the hall.
On the way to the palace, Chi Hongyuan received a message from Concubine Rong, and learned that Gu Siqing's name was not on the palace selection list. The man raised his eyebrows. What a coincidence? It seems that his previous guess was correct. The prime minister did not want his relatives to enter the palace.
However, before the palace selection began, Prime Minister Yin eliminated both of his granddaughters, which surprised him a little.
Among all the beauties, he was only interested in Gu Siqing. Since she was not participating in the palace selection, it didn't matter who it was.
"Since the person chosen in advance is not in the name card, there is no need to randomly choose someone to replace her. I need to keep the position of the principal wife. This time, you can choose a concubine or a maid first. It doesn't matter if you don't choose one. Let mother decide."
Chi Hongyuan suddenly lost interest in the palace selection that was about to begin. He looked at his outfit and found it funny. The man took off his cloak and changed into a coat that was placed on the carriage for changing. Both the style and the fabric were very ordinary.
The concubines and princes arrived and took their seats after paying their respects to the emperor and empress.
As soon as everyone arrived, melodious string and wind music sounded in the hall. The musicians in the palace music house were one in a hundred in terms of their skills, and the music they played was melodious and graceful, with lingering sounds.
The beautiful ladies in dancing costumes poured into the hall from outside, lined up in formation, and danced to the music. They had practiced this dance for a month, and now was the time to show off, so everyone was very excited.
After the group dance, it was time for each individual to display their talents. Every woman who entered the palace selection tried her best to show herself in order to win the favor of the nobles.
"Mrs. Tang has taught her daughter to be very graceful. It has not been long since we last met, but Miss Tang has become even more charming."
During the banquet, some palace concubines were already selecting suitable candidates for their sons, talking in groups of three or four.
Only Concubine Rong sat quietly, not looking at anyone, nor talking to the other concubines.
She already knew what Chi Hongyuan meant. Since there was no suitable candidate, she should just wait and do nothing. There was no need to rush.
"Please line up and come forward one by one to be seen by the Emperor, Empress, Madam, and Princes."
The maiden teacher arranged the girls into a neat row and led them forward for His Majesty to take a closer look. The girls had to start from the palace gate and walk around the palace.
After all, they were all unmarried ladies, and they felt a little shy to be scrutinized by the nobles in the hall.
The ladies walked forward in small steps, and when the candidate they liked passed in front of the emperor, the prince's biological mother would speak on her son's behalf, hinting to the emperor who had a better temperament and was a good match for whom.
The purpose of this year's talent show was to select suitable candidates for the princes' concubines and maids. As long as the concubines liked the right person, the emperor would assign him or her to the prince on the spot.
"Your Majesty, I feel that Miss Xiao Jia's temperament is very suitable for Hongqi. How about appointing her to be Hongqi's principal wife?" The noble lady wearing a phoenix robe and a phoenix crown spoke slowly.
When the words came out, everyone in the hall was stunned, but soon their expressions returned to normal.
The eighth prince's biological mother died early, and because of her humble origins, his status among the princes was not high.
Chi Hongqi is already 21 this year, but he still has no choice for a concubine. This is unreasonable. As the head of the harem and the mother of the eighth prince, the queen should arrange the eighth prince's marriage.
Xiao Wan was the daughter of Zuo Jianyi Grand Secretary, a fifth-rank official. Her father held a low position, and her background was actually a good match for Chi Hongqi. As the daughter of a prominent family, she looked down on Chi Hongqi.
The Queen chose Xiao Wan after considering Chi Hongqi.
The emperor, who was high above, had an unclear expression on his face. He sat upright and rejected the queen's proposal.
"He is 21 years old this year. He should have achieved great success in his career, but he spends all day walking around the house with cats and dogs. How can he be a responsible man? Wouldn't it be harmful to him to marry such a man? It's not appropriate."
There was a dead silence in the hall. I don’t know if it was an illusion, but the emperor seemed to sneer after he finished speaking.
The queen's expression changed slightly. She glanced at Chi Hongqi who was sitting in the corner. She wanted to say something, but the emperor interrupted her with a wave of his hand: "When he changes in the future, it won't be too late to marry him."
With just a few words, Chi Hongqi's marriage was put on hold. Countless eyes in the hall fell on Chi Hongqi. It was clear that people in the hall were discussing his marriage, but he seemed to be the only person who had nothing to do with this place.
Chi Hongyuan looked at Chi Hongqi who was sitting next to him. He moved his lips several times but couldn't say anything.
He is a very reserved person, but once he lets go of his emotions, a glance from him seems to be able to see deep into your soul.
Chi Hongqi took a sip of tea and raised his hand to block Chi Hongyuan's sight: "My dear brother, don't look at me with pitiful eyes, otherwise I will only feel more hurt."
He still looked nonchalant, but this time, Chi Hongyuan couldn't tell that he was joking seriously.
After appointing concubines and concubines to other princes, the emperor glanced at Concubine Rong. He had been waiting for her to speak, but she never did.
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