Chapter 123 Where Did This Fox Spirit Come From?
Xiao Heng was pacing anxiously back and forth in the palace when the eunuch delivering the imperial decree rushed over. "His Majesty has decreed that Your Majesty's Consort is requested to come over."
Xiao Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "How is His Majesty's mood?"
The female supervisor shook her head. "It's probably not a good situation. They've already slammed their fists on the table. Don't ask any more questions. Just hurry over. The later you go, the worse it will get."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng's legs went weak, and he hurriedly ordered the palace men, "Quick! Quickly bring Master Xuanle here to me."
He only had two children: Princess Lu An'nan, who was raised by her elder sister, Princess Xiao Chengying; and Prince Lu Xuanle, who was not even a year old and was sleeping when he was brought over by his wet nurse. Xiao Heng immediately took the child and hurried off to meet the Emperor.
*
Lu Jinlan pointed at the group of "handsome men" from the Qu Kingdom and roared in fury, "Who gave you permission to come? I'm holding a beauty pageant, not an ugliness contest! How dare you all stand before me looking like this?"
"I could accept that you're all of average looks; I'd assume your Qu Kingdom's soil is barren and produces no beauties. But you all look so old! Don't you know my rules? I want clean virgins!"
Lu Jinlan gritted her teeth in anger, "You! The last one, how old are you?"
The man pointed at immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty, I am thirty-six years old this year. But I am indeed chaste, and the cinnabar mark is still there. Please, Your Majesty, examine me."
Lu Jinlan waved his long sleeves, "I won't look! Is this a matter of cleanliness or uncleanliness?"
As they were talking, Xiao Heng hurried over carrying Xuan Le Lang Zhu. Upon seeing Lu Jin Lan, he didn't dare to raise his head and immediately performed a deep bow, saying, "This sinful husband pays his respects to Your Majesty."
Lu Jinlan glared at him fiercely, "Look at the mess your Qu Kingdom has made! Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?"
Xiao Heng glanced at the people Xiao Chengying had sent and said aggrievedly, "Your Majesty, please let me explain. I am usually prone to jealousy, but how could I dare to cause you any trouble with such an important matter as the imperial concubine selection? I just... I just told my elder sister not to choose anyone too outstanding, so as not to overshadow me. Who would have thought that she would choose such people to send?"
Lu Jinlan said speechlessly, "Sending someone who's thirty-six years old to the imperial concubine selection, do you think my harem is a retirement home? If you don't want to send someone, then don't. Who forced you to send someone? You're jealous, and your elder sister isn't well-intentioned either. You two siblings are teaming up to make me angry."
Yan Wuxin quickly advised, "Your Majesty, please be careful of your health and don't get angry. The people have already been delivered; why don't we make do and choose one?"
Lu Jinlan retorted angrily, "I won't settle! What's there to choose from? Who would I give it to? Do you want it?"
Yan Wuxin quickly shook his head, and Lu Jinlan muttered, "Thirty-six years old, more like my mother."
She glanced at Xi Mo and said, "Go ask the Queen Mother if she wants it."
Lu Jinlan sat down, took a sip of tea, glanced at Xiao Heng, and then began to frown.
"I've noticed you've been keeping quiet these past two days; you must be up to something. My good mood has been ruined. Go back to Qu Kingdom with these people and tell your elder sister that I'm very angry."
Xiao Heng was stunned, and tears streamed down his face.
He cried, "Your Majesty, no matter how angry you are, you can't send me away. Le'er is still so young. Please forgive me this time for the sake of the child."
When Xiao Heng started crying, the child also started crying.
Lu Jinlan was annoyed by what she heard. When she saw Xiao Heng crying with tears streaming down his face, his eyes filled with tears, his thick eyelashes glistening with water droplets, and tear tracks running down his straight nose, it was truly heartbreaking.
Xuanle is so young, he really can't be separated from his father. When he cries, his little face wrinkles up, and he looks so pitiful.
Lu Jinlan thought for a moment, "Alright, alright, I told you to go back, but I didn't say you couldn't come back. If you don't want to go back, that's fine. Go back to your palace and reflect on your mistakes."
Xiao Heng quickly wiped away his tears, "Your subject takes his leave."
He had just left when Xi Mo returned.
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother asked about his age, and she said he was too old and she didn't want him. She prefers younger women, so we'll think of her again when someone better comes along."
Lu Jinlan scoffed, "See? What did I tell you? Even the Empress Dowager thinks they're too old."
Yan Wuxin smiled and said, "How about we keep one as a palace servant to give face to the Emperor of Qu?"
Lu Jinlan said, "Not a single one will be left! Xiao Chengying deliberately didn't want me to choose, so I won't give her any face and will return them all to her."
The envoy from Qu Kingdom knelt to one side and endured half a day of scolding. He quickly took his leave, packed his things, and returned the same way that day.
The people of Qu State caused trouble, and the people of Jiang State were also implicated.
Twenty handsome men from Jiang State came up, but Lu Jinlan didn't bother to look at them closely, only keeping Chi Cheng. The rest were given some gifts and sent back.
*
News of the Emperor's outburst quickly spread throughout the palace. Lu Gong, who had been leisurely watching the preliminary trial, panicked upon hearing the news.
"This is terrible! The Emperor is displeased because of the imperial concubine selection. If I don't handle my job well, I might lose my head. That Emperor of Qu Kingdom, really! Why did you have to provoke her?"
Lu Gong muttered to himself, stamping his feet in frustration. He turned and roared at his group of palace servants, "You all better be alert! There can't be the slightest mistake, or you'll lose your heads!"
A moment later, a young palace maid hurried over to report, "Uncle Lü, one of the candidates is overweight by an ounce. Please go and take a look."
Lu Gong said angrily, "If I see anything that exceeds the limit, I'll kick him out."
The young palace attendant said with difficulty, "That's what I said too, but he refuses to leave. Besides, these young men are all from noble families and have status. I don't dare to use force. You should go and take a look."
When Lü Gong went over, he saw a young man with red eyes standing by the scales, locked in a standoff with the palace men on either side.
A group of young men around them had all taken off their clothes, wearing only a gauze robe, and were whispering and watching the spectacle.
Lu Gong coughed lightly and said to the young man, "The standards are set by the Emperor and cannot be changed at all. Please don't make things difficult for us servants. Since you are overweight by one ounce, you may leave. There is no need for you to stay in the palace to wait for your audience with the Emperor tomorrow."
The young man said anxiously, "I came all the way from another state to participate in the selection because I admire the Emperor. I arrived in the capital half a month in advance because I was afraid of being late. There are so many delicious foods in the capital, and I accidentally gained a little weight, but I don't look fat at all. I heard that the Emperor likes men with a thin layer of muscle, so I specially worked on eight-pack abs. Please don't make me go back. I won't eat or drink tonight, and I guarantee that I will meet the standard when I meet the Emperor tomorrow."
Lu Gong raised an eyebrow, "No way!"
"You make it sound so easy. You just gained a little weight by accident, don't you know what you're doing here? How could you be so careless? How could someone so careless serve the Emperor?"
He turned to the group of young men around him and scolded, "You've gotten fat today, and he'll get fat tomorrow. If all of you fatsoes were allowed to serve the Emperor, you'd probably collapse his bed!"
"Do you think that admiring the Emperor will allow you to serve him? You're dreaming! Which man in the world doesn't admire the Emperor? If all the men who admire the Emperor were allowed into the palace, the palace would be overflowing."
"His Majesty has very high standards. If you want to meet him, you have to see if you're qualified. Being too fat won't do, being too thin won't do. Being too tall won't do, being too short won't do either. He wants someone who is neither too fat nor too thin, neither too tall nor too short, with top-notch looks and an excellent figure, just right. There's no room for discussion. You can leave now, don't force me to call the guards."
Just then, the Emperor's Consort Song Lincheng happened to pass by. Hearing the commotion inside, he went in to take a look.
Lu Gong hurriedly led everyone to pay their respects to the Emperor Consort. Song Lincheng saw the handsome young man standing there, shedding large tears, and asked him a few questions.
After learning what had happened, she said, "I know Your Majesty well. This younger brother has such an outstanding appearance, so the requirements can naturally be relaxed."
He pulled the young man aside and examined him closely. "However, your complexion doesn't look like that of a pampered young master from a noble family. Where are you from?"
The young man hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I come from the mountains of Yaozhou. My mother is the head of the Yaozhou pharmacy, and it was through the recommendation of the clan official that she was able to come to the capital to participate in the selection."
Song Lincheng exclaimed in surprise, "You've come from so far away! I've heard that Yaozhou is a remote place, with many small tribes living in the mountains for generations, and many of them are illiterate. Have you ever been to school?"
Xiu Nan shook his head, and Song Lincheng said regretfully, "That's unfortunate. The Emperor just told me last night that she wants to promote literacy in the harem. People who can't read are like blind people. It's fine outside, but in her harem, no one is allowed to be illiterate."
“If you were just a little overweight, I might be able to speak up for you. But you're illiterate, so that won't work. You can't understand what the Emperor is saying, how can you serve him?”
"I see you're still quite young when you registered, just sixteen. Why don't you go back to school for two years and come back for the next talent show?"
As Song Lincheng spoke, he took off the bracelet from his wrist and gave it to him, saying, "Don't blame the Emperor, she has her own plans. All men in the world should take the Emperor's men as an example, so we can't be too strict."
The young man had no choice but to accept the bracelet with tears in his eyes, thanked the emperor, and left.
Of the more than 300 candidates, only a little over 140 remained after the rigorous initial screening, less than half.
However, Lü Gong's work was indeed impeccable, and the remaining hundred or so were a sight to behold.
Lu Jinlan was in high spirits and allowed more than eighty people to advance to the second round after the initial screening. Those who left were also rewarded with silk and jewelry, ensuring that no one's trip was in vain.
The second round was a skills demonstration. It was truly a display of individual talents, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea.
Tables were immediately set up on the stage, with some people doing embroidery and others painting on the spot. Some were writing calligraphy, and others were playing musical instruments, creating a lively atmosphere.
Many people, having heard that Lu Jinlan loved to eat, prepared their signature dishes and cooked them on the side.
Yan Wuxin stayed beside Lu Jinlan, and after a short while, he tasted more than twenty dishes. He couldn't help but say speechlessly, "I'm almost full. Are they here to choose a waitress or a chef?"
Lu Jinlan smiled and said to Xi Mo, "No more cooking for the next group, let's show something else."
After Xi Mo gave the order, Yan Wuxin leaned over and whispered to Lu Jinlan, "Look at that person writing calligraphy, he's really good-looking and writes well too."
Lu Jinlan glanced at it. "It's indeed nice, but your complexion is a bit pale. You look sickly. If you like it, you can have it."
Yan Wuxin said, "I don't like this. If you want to reward me, give me the one that made the stir-fried pork earlier."
Lu Jinlan looked at her in surprise, "Didn't you say his stir-fried pork was terrible?"
Yan Wuxin said, "Although the food is terrible, you are a feast for the eyes and are exactly my type."
Lu Jinlan smiled and nodded, "I'll reward you. Then why did you ask about this calligraphy when you didn't want it? This looks like something Ruzhen would like."
Yan Wuxin laughed and said, "That's exactly what I meant. Otherwise, you always pretend to be serious when you summon Ruzhen, but I don't believe she won't be tempted by someone like this."
Lu Jinlan nodded and first called the young man over to ask, "What's your name?"
The young man hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, my original name was Guan Lan, but I changed it to Guan Chao because it was a homonym of yours. Minister of Rites, Lady Guan, is my elder sister."
"Oh." Lu Jinlan suddenly realized, "No wonder your features seemed somewhat familiar. I'm asking you, are you willing to serve His Majesty the Prime Minister?"
Guan Chao thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, I will follow your arrangements. My sister often praises Your Majesty for your wisdom and martial prowess, the Prime Minister for his integrity and uprightness, and the Grand Commandant for his elegance and charm. I admire them all. Therefore, it is my honor to serve whichever of these officials I am assigned to, and I dare not complain."
Lu Jinlan smiled. Guan Shanyue was steady and quick-witted, and her younger brother was also an extremely intelligent person.
He seemed to reply that he was fine with any arrangement, but then he chose the person to be between the Emperor, the Chancellor, and the Grand Commandant.
You have to understand, these three women are now like the top of a pyramid, the most powerful people in the world.
Whichever woman Guan Chao marries, it will be a good thing for him and his family. However, people naturally strive for higher positions, and it's understandable that he wants to marry a powerful woman to secure his future.
Lu Jinlan said, "I understand your thoughts. Stand aside and listen to my arrangements in a moment."
As they were talking, the first group's time was up, and they all left the stage.
The second group continued to take the stage. A man dressed boldly, holding a red silk ribbon, walked barefoot onto the stage, bowed gracefully towards the audience, and began to dance to the music.
He had golden bells tied to his feet and a circle of small bells around his waist, which jingled as he moved.
The tight-fitting clothes subtly revealed the sexy texture of her skin, and her extremely provocative gaze was an open and blatant seduction.
Yan Wuxin was stunned. "This...where did this vixen come from?"
Lu Jinlan replied without blinking, "He is indeed good at seducing people."
Yan Wuxin tugged at her sleeve. "This looks improper. If you don't want it, give it to me."
Lu Jinlan snorted and pulled her sleeve back. "I want this one."
Before he finished speaking, the man tossed the red silk high into the air, somersaulted onto the stands, and headed straight for Lu Jinlan.
Just as the guards on both sides were about to draw their swords, Lu Jinlan waved his hand and said, "Step back."
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