Inside the palace, all the candles had been extinguished, and everyone—from the masters to the eunuchs and maids—was resting.
In the rear hall of the Imperial Study, the Emperor changed into his sleeping robe but did not sleep; he slowly paced on the floor.
"Your Majesty, please rest early. Tomorrow is the day the Crown Prince is choosing a consort, and you will have to take care of that as well."
Steward Yi bowed respectfully and offered his advice cautiously.
The Emperor waved his hand and changed the subject.
"You've been by my side for thirty years now, haven't you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, back then I was just a young eunuch. Because I was thin, I was often bullied. It was Your Majesty's kindness that allowed you to take me under your wing and serve me, which is how I survived."
Chief Steward Yi didn't know why the Emperor had asked about this, so he could only say something nice.
The Emperor sighed and replied, "Back then, let alone a mere servant like you, even I, as a prince, lived in constant fear. Fortunately, my cousin was there for me, and although it was tough, things gradually got better."
Steward Yi's eyes flashed, and he said with a forced smile, "This old servant remembers that on the day you ascended the throne, the Marquis even held you and cried. That was the first time this old servant had ever seen the Marquis shed tears. Usually, he always has a cold face and protects you."
"Yes, my cousin isn't much older than me, but he always keeps a cold face to protect me, which makes others more cautious."
"Later, after I ascended the throne, I was suppressed by the Empress Dowager. My cousin took over the secret guards and helped me a lot in many life-and-death struggles. Finally, I was able to sit on equal footing with the Empress Dowager..."
"Later, I got married and had children, but my cousin remained single. Fortunately, he adopted Fu Niu as his goddaughter, otherwise he would never have known what it was like to be a parent..."
The emperor, unusually, opened up and even ordered wine and dishes, then poured himself a drink.
Manager Yi stayed by his side, playing the role of the straight man.
He would occasionally chime in with a word or two, followed by a sigh.
It wasn't until midnight, when the emperor was half-drunk, that he put down the wine jug.
"Sometimes, I miss my childhood. Although it was tougher, it was much simpler. There were no unavoidable circumstances, no difficult choices..."
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Go and rest. I'm going to sleep too."
Steward Yi quickly bowed, then backed out and closed the door tightly.
The crescent moon in the sky hangs alone, like a curved eye mocking the filth of the world and the selfishness and hypocrisy of humankind...
Compared to the selection of the crown prince, today's selection of imperial concubines is even more lively.
Although only a little over a hundred girls participated in the selection, the relatives and friends who came to see them off, as well as the maids and servants who served them, totaled more than a thousand people, crowding the palace gates so tightly that they were impossible to pass.
With more women, there's bound to be more talkativeness, and more talkativeness inevitably leads to arguments.
Occasionally, the fathers and brothers of the contestants would come along, but they were so annoyed by the noise that they practically fled the "battle zone" as if their lives depended on it.
Fortunately, the palace gates opened just as the sky began to brighten.
The once noisy area in front of the gate immediately became quiet.
The girls, dressed in their finest attire, walked gracefully, generously displaying their dignified and gentle beauty, before lining up to enter the palace.
The Empress Dowager has committed a grave error and has already passed away.
The imperial concubine was counting ants in the cold palace.
Although the empress was "alive," she was actually dead.
The vast palace now has no mistress.
So, after pulling out most of their hair, the people from the Ministry of Rites came up with an idea to showcase their talents.
The main venue was still the Imperial Garden, with the Emperor and Crown Prince in a nearby waterside pavilion, while the Third Princess was invited to oversee the reception.
The young ladies were initially worried, after all, the Third Princess was really difficult to get along with, and she didn't care about their feelings at all when she spoke and acted.
But then they realized that they weren't there to attend a banquet, but to select imperial concubines.
Who knows, someone might become the Third Princess's sister-in-law in the future!
Even the most noble princess is about to get married.
Even the most arrogant married woman wouldn't dare to make things difficult for her sister-in-law from her own family, since she'll still need her family's support in the future!
Thinking this way, the young ladies became confident and regained their haughty demeanor as noble ladies from aristocratic families.
But they were destined to be disappointed once again.
The third princess lost her mother and observed a few days of mourning, her heart filled with resentment.
The place is now filled with dazzling flowers and glittering gold; how could anyone possibly give them a pleasant look!
So, she took the list of talents submitted by the young ladies and casually changed it beyond recognition.
The person who was good at playing the piano switched to dancing.
Those who are good at dancing can switch to painting.
Those skilled in drawing can switch to embroidery.
In short, no one can have their way; everyone will reveal their hidden side.
The young ladies were all bewildered, wondering if they hadn't consulted the oracle about good or bad omens before going out today.
Some wise individuals remained silent and observed the situation.
Some of the more delicate ones already had tears in their eyes.
Of course, there are also bold and straightforward people who will object immediately.
"Your Highness, my daughter is not good at playing the zither; she wants to dance. She specially sewed a dance costume and practiced for a long time. You can't just change it like that!"
The Third Princess, however, was completely unconcerned. While leisurely eating fruit, she replied, "Since you've come to select a consort, shouldn't you be well-prepared? You're skilled in dancing, so I, the princess, must watch you dance."
"Besides, didn't your governesses teach you that for relationships to last, you can't judge a book by its cover, but by its contents? Who knows if you dance so well, but aren't actually vicious and selfish at heart?"
"What if the Crown Prince is attracted by your dancing and marries you, only to find out that you are useless people who can't even write or sew?"
"You..." The noblewoman gritted her teeth in anger, wanting to say something but not daring to.
After all, if she continued talking, she would become a scheming woman trying her best to cover up her shortcomings.
If the "first bird to stick its head out" runs into a wall, the others will naturally not be foolish enough to follow suit and cause trouble.
In a short time, everyone accepted the fact that the rules had been changed temporarily.
The first noble lady to appear had painted two ducks, which she said were mandarin ducks playing in the water.
The second noble lady to appear strained her back while dancing!
The third noblewoman to appear pricked her finger with a needle before she could embroider a single red leaf...
The Third Princess found herself having a great time, eating and drinking while watching everyone make fools of themselves, and occasionally clapping and laughing out loud.
The noble ladies initially hoped that the Emperor or the Crown Prince would stop the Third Princess in the opposite waterside pavilion and stand up for them.
As a result, no orders were ever issued from the waterside pavilion.
Gradually, they became numb.
So what if I lose face? I'm not alone anyway.
If everyone loses face, then it's not a loss of face!
When a girl kicked off her shoe while dancing, and the shoe ended up embedded in another girl's hair bun, the Third Princess almost slammed her hand on the table and laughed so hard she nearly rolled to the ground.
And finally, there was some movement at the waterside pavilion across the way.
The prince coughed, finding the smell of tea spraying from his nose extremely unpleasant.
But he still couldn't stop laughing!
The emperor also pulled his sleeve to cover his face, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Chief Steward Yi busied himself handing the Crown Prince a handkerchief and wiping the table, then asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, shouldn't we stop the Princess?"
Two updates today!
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