Xiu Ning shook her head slightly, "Mother, I'm not suffering." Her facial features gradually became clearer and more angular. Xiu Ning was intentionally controlling these features. Although baby fat was cute, it did not meet the standards of beauty.
If you're going to do something, you should do it to the best of your ability. Even though Xiuning is a lazy bum, she's a lazy bum with goals.
Fucha was unaware of Xiuning's thoughts, only assuming that Xiuning's words were meant to comfort her. She reached out and touched the back of Xiuning's hand with heartache, "Fortunately, we've all made it through. You should rest well at home for a couple of days. Once the next palace selection is over, everything should be settled."
Xiu Ning smiled and nodded. Seeing that Fucha was not in a good mood, she did not talk about her various experiences in Chuxiu Palace. Instead, she picked a few lighthearted things to liven up the atmosphere and introduced her two decent roommates, Yiergenjueluo Yiyun and Guarjia Yuxi, to Fucha.
"Girls from the Irgen Gioro and Guarjia clans must have had good family upbringing."
My son gets along well with them; perhaps he'll find a use for them in the future.
This person embodies the arrogance of the Manchu elites, showing both wariness and respect towards those of the same social class, while despising and looking down upon those inferior to themselves.
Xiuning understood the rules of this world and wouldn't look for equality for everyone here; she simply nodded obediently.
The mother and daughter talked for a while, and when they saw that it was almost time, Xiuning left the main courtyard and got up to return to her own courtyard.
"Princess, I have sorted out all the returned packages. Some have been sent to the storeroom, and some have been temporarily placed at the octagonal table."
Upon seeing Xiuning enter, Chunyu stood up to greet her, smiling as she recounted the work she had just done to her mistress.
“These were all gifts from the ladies of the palace,” Xiu Ning said, looking at the wooden boxes on the octagonal table. She casually pointed to two of them and said, “Put them on your dressing table and wear them during the palace selection.”
Chunyu responded with a "yes," got up, and carried the two wooden boxes to the dressing table, placing them there.
"Has the backyard been peaceful while I was away?"
Xiuning sat down and poured herself a cup of tea to moisten her throat.
"Although the lady manages the inner quarters, she devotes most of her energy to the clan and the palace. There were a few who were not well-behaved, but after being scolded by the master and locked in the Buddhist hall for two days, they stopped causing trouble."
As Chunyu spoke, she tidied up the jewelry box in front of the dressing table.
“Mother mentioned before that the clan has been sending people over to visit a lot these past few days,” Xiuning paused, then turned to look at the oblivious Chunyu. “Have the clan been coming over a lot?”
Chunyu hummed in agreement, then shook her head. "It's not much, but compared to before the princess entered the palace, it's still a lot."
Xiu Ning seemed to be deep in thought. After finishing her tea, she asked Chun Yu to help her remove her makeup, changed into a close-fitting nightgown, and went to the inner room to take a nap.
When Xiuning opened her eyes again, it was already dark outside.
Getting out of bed, Xiu Ning rubbed her slightly sore shoulders and neck, and walked to the octagonal table to pour herself a glass of water.
At the door, Chunyu, who had heard the commotion, pushed the door open and came in. "Princess, dinner is ready. Would you like me to set the table for you?"
"What about Mother's side?" Xiu Ning blinked; she was already prepared to have her meal in the main courtyard.
"Madam said you worked too hard today and wants you to rest well for a day. We can talk about it tomorrow."
Empress Fucha was also considering Xiuning's physical and mental well-being. After all, Xiuning had just experienced more than half a month of cruel life in the harem, and the most important palace selection was yet to come. It would be a real loss if she didn't adjust her mindset.
Now that things have come to this point, even if Empress Fucha is heartbroken, she will not stop her daughter from wanting to enter the palace. She will only do her best to help her daughter realize her dream.
Xiu Ning nodded upon hearing this, "Let's prepare the meal."
"yes"
The prepared dishes were served one by one, and the delicious food made Xiuning feel extremely satisfied.
While in the palace, although the imperial kitchen was in charge, there were so many women to be selected for the next imperial concubine selection that the food was all cooked in large batches to ensure timely supply. The taste was passable, but there was nothing particularly enjoyable about it.
Xiu Ning really didn't want to eat any of it, but in order to fit in and not stand out, she would always use some, and then rely on the system's cheat code to solve the problem.
After eating and drinking her fill, Xiu Ning, unusually free from having to rack her brains over trivial matters, took a warm bath to aid digestion and had Chun Yu massage her entire body before falling asleep again.
When Xiuning woke up, she felt all her fatigue had disappeared.
After a short warm-up, Xiuning changed into a light-colored qipao and went to the main courtyard.
Mother
With a smile, Xiu Ning gave Fucha a curtsy and then ran up to her, hooking her arm around hers with one hand.
"Judging from my son's expression today, he must have had a good rest yesterday."
Empress Fucha's eyes were gentle. After speaking, she pulled Xiuning to sit down on the couch. "Tomorrow is the palace selection. Your mother has prepared two new sets of headdresses for you. Take them back and try them on later. Use whichever one suits you better."
Xiuning turned her head and saw that the maid had already handed the wooden box to Chunyu.
"Thank you, Mother."
Turning her gaze away, Xiuning laughed heartily.
"Why are you being so polite, child?" Lady Fucha waved her hand and then talked to Xiuning about the rules of the palace selection.
Compared to the preliminary and semi-final rounds, the final selection is undoubtedly the most important and crucial step in the talent selection process.
During the palace selection, the candidates would form groups of five and be led by palace eunuchs to the entrance of the Golden Palace.
Then, eunuchs would recite the backgrounds and origins of the selected women in turn, followed by the women kneeling down to pay their respects and respond. This process also included questions from the emperor and other officials. In short, the whole process was anything but easy.
Xiu Ning was already prepared, so she listened with great interest to what Fucha said, and even occasionally added her own comments, such as not looking directly at the emperor's face, but trying to make sure that her appearance was visible to others.
Because of these rules, Xiuning felt much more relaxed.
To be honest, it's just walking around in front of the palace again. These are things they often encountered when learning the rules in the palace. As long as they don't try to be clever or stand out, or do anything that might lead to mistakes, walking the whole way properly is not a dream.
On the day before the palace selection, Xiu Ning spent half the day listening to her elders explain the precautions for the selection; she also spent the other half of the day thinking about the clothes and jewelry she would wear that day; and finally, she had a good night's sleep so that she could face the upcoming palace selection with full energy.
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