Mo Xiaojin said directly, "I think family background isn't important. Although we don't judge people by their appearance, they still have to pass muster. At the very least, they have to be as beautiful as my aunt."
The emperor laughed loudly upon hearing this: "You little rascal."
The Crown Prince glanced at the Emperor and blushed slightly, revealing a childlike demeanor. The Emperor continued, "The so-called television background is unimportant; that's only when the two are already familiar with each other and mutually attracted. I don't know anyone else yet, so naturally I need to take a look. The whole country is too vast; without a standard, it's a waste of resources and manpower. How about limiting each region to five candidates? Generally, those who can be sent to the capital shouldn't be too bad in terms of family background or appearance."
Rou Niang nodded hurriedly: "Your Majesty is wise."
The emperor continued, "My requirements are not high. It is enough to have a skill in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, tea, martial arts, etc. If you have none of those, gentleness, virtue, etiquette and manners can also be considered. Rou Niang, you can decide the specifics!"
Liu Rongniang nodded: "That's true. After all, the purpose of selecting concubines for the imperial harem is to continue the imperial lineage. Everything else is just icing on the cake."
Finally, the group tentatively agreed on the selection process. First, a general selection of candidates would be held. After the general selection, Rou Niang would assess and evaluate the candidates based on their individual strengths, selecting the best ones. Then, the Emperor and the Crown Prince would jointly select the candidates. Of course, the Crown Prince was summoned by the Emperor, as he was still young and didn't really understand much about the process.
However, the emperor intended to only select concubines this time, and unless there were unforeseen circumstances, he probably wouldn't hold another selection process like this. He hoped that the chosen consorts would take good care of the crown prince, as the palace was too desolate. He felt that his crown prince was becoming increasingly withdrawn and had lacked maternal love since childhood, so he wanted to compensate for this in various ways.
Of course, in his heart, his empress died for the crown prince. No one could compare to her, and he would never appoint another empress in his life, and there would only ever be one crown prince.
Of course, he wouldn't say these words out loud. Firstly, he felt that men should be ashamed to express such sentimental feelings; secondly, he wanted to give the crown prince a sense of crisis so that he would be more motivated; and thirdly, he had to please the emperor, since he was going to inherit the throne from him. Otherwise, seeing the emperor acting all high and mighty every day, not taking him seriously at all, was really infuriating.
As soon as the imperial edict for the selection was announced, a wave of excitement swept the nation, and naturally, the area in front of the General's Mansion was bustling with activity.
The clever ones would cultivate good relationships by sharing similar interests, or by hosting poetry gatherings or flower viewing parties, hoping the general's wife would grace them with her presence. This way, they could use the opportunity to bring their daughters, whom they wished to have chosen for the imperial concubine selection, out into the public eye and make a good impression. This would give them a significant advantage in the selection process.
Those who weren't so clever simply stated their intentions directly and offered gifts, leaving Rong Niang extremely embarrassed.
But considering it was for the emperor's selection of concubines, he couldn't very well remain silent. Hiding in his general's mansion was even worse; directly refusing would offend people. Fear wasn't an immediate concern, not so much about offending any high-ranking officials, but mainly about damaging the reputation of the unmarried young ladies. Life was already difficult for women, and she naturally hoped everyone could have a happy experience with the selection.
Whether selected or not, it's all good to consider it a life experience. So she thought about it and decided to hold a banquet first, so that if there were any new girls, they would bring their daughters. At the same time, she could also see if there were any suitable women at the banquet. So she held a flower-viewing banquet. Moreover, this banquet was a bit special, as everyone knew. Rou Niang said that this banquet was also to express her gratitude to her mother for her hard work. She thought that her three princesses were quite talented and wanted their parents to show off their talents. If any family had a talented young lady, they could also express their appreciation.
The ladies immediately understood that this flower-viewing banquet, ostensibly for appreciating flowers, was actually a disguised way to get to know some shrewd, wealthy, and beautiful women.
Madam Zhou was delighted to hear about the banquet. She busied herself with connections in Zhoushi Market, wanting to gain an advantage. However, Madam Zhou naturally refused, saying to her mother, "If the daughter the Zhou family recommends is outstanding, she will naturally be chosen. If not, why make things difficult for Rou Niang!"
Madam Zhou somewhat resented her daughter for not considering the family's interests. The mother and daughter had a minor disagreement.
The Zheng family was also eager to make a move, and Madam Zheng approached Old Madam Liu. Old Madam Liu politely declined, but also encouraged her, saying, "Zheng girl is very talented. If she goes to show her skills, she will surely impress you. If I just talk about it, it will seem like our girl doesn't have the ability."
Hearing this, Madam Zheng also felt it made sense. She thought that it would be better to seek help from Old Madam Liu only if her daughter truly encountered some difficulties. Using a knife should be done wisely; using it now was indeed a waste.
Therefore, he agreed with Old Madam Liu's point of view and decided to attend Rou Niang's flower-viewing banquet, where he would showcase his skills and amaze everyone.
On the day of Rou Niang's banquet, many guests attended, mostly ladies accompanied by their daughters of marriageable age.
Naturally, having the three princesses present their work first also prevented the daughters from gaining a bad reputation.
Yu Rong plays the zither, Yu Jin plays the flute, and Yu Yan dances with a sword; they complement each other perfectly.
The ladies clapped and applauded. After their performance, the three bowed and left the stage.
"Which young lady would like to showcase her talent to express her gratitude to her mother? You may come up on stage now," Mingyue invited from the stage.
"Then I'll offer my humble opinion as a starting point; please don't laugh at me," said Liu Ping, a member of a collateral branch of the Liu family.
Rou Niang looked closely; this belonged to the Liu family.
Liu Ping'er has a decent appearance, but her features are just average, nothing special. In the capital city where beauties abound, she is considered pretty. Her talent is a long-sleeved dance, which is both graceful and strong, and it is quite beautiful.
After it was over, she bowed, and everyone applauded and praised her politely. To be honest, it wasn't particularly outstanding, but it wasn't terrible either; it was just average.
However, after Liu Ping'er's unremarkable opening, everyone felt less pressured and took to the stage one after another, each with their own unique strengths.
Then Madam Zheng encouraged her daughter Zheng Wanru to go on stage. Zheng Wanru was prepared and, seeing the young ladies of the Chong family going on stage one after another, she became anxious and quickly found a gap when the previous person went off stage to go on stage herself.
"Zheng Wanru of the Zheng family has made a fool of herself," Zheng Wanru said with a smile. If we were to follow the family hierarchy, she would be Rou Niang's little cousin, but of course, she wouldn't dare to acknowledge it at this moment.
When Rou Niang saw that she was Old Madam Liu's niece, she naturally became even more serious.
Seeing Rou Niang's earnest attitude, Madam Zheng was secretly pleased.
Zheng Wanru performed very steadily, with solid dance skills and a sweet appearance. She is naturally likable, with two small dimples when she smiles, which is very cute.
Rou Niang first met Zheng Wanru at the Liu residence. Her first impression of Zheng Wanru was that she was sweet and lovely, which left a very good impression.
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