Chapter 3 The Ideal Candidate
Yang Manyan felt like he had something stuck in his throat, but he had to bow his head as he was under someone else's roof.
What's more, the person in front of them is not only the eldest son of a noble family, but also the prince's companion. The Yang family cannot afford to offend him.
She forced a faint smile and said, "Your Highness, you are joking. I just said that my maid misunderstood. I am lucky enough to be selected in the preliminary selection today."
Xu Chengzong's pupils shrank slightly, and then he sneered: "There are only seven people on the list today, how could you be one of them?"
Only seven were left out of the more than two hundred beauties, and naturally they were all daughters of noble families.
Yang Manyan clenched her slender fingers in her sleeves, wishing she could leave immediately.
She continued with a soft smile, "Since the prince knows that seven people have been registered, a little verification will tell the truth. It is getting late, and my mother is still waiting in Lingyun Courtyard, so I will take my leave first."
Without waiting for a response, she bowed and left.
The light pink shawl fluttered in the wind, making her figure even more graceful.
Xu Chengzong stared at the beautiful figure gradually moving away, lost in thought.
Was she really named?
Historically, the value of a famous beauty has doubled, and even a girl from a poor family can marry into a wealthy family.
So...
She is worthy of the position of the Crown Prince's wife.
Thinking of the hostile relationship between his mother and Aunt Xue, Xu Chengzong felt mixed emotions.
If his mother knew that he wanted to marry Xue's niece, I'm afraid...
However, Xu Chengzong forgot to consider that Yang Manyun, who was listed as a candidate, might be selected to enter the palace.
**
The east warm room of the Qianqing Palace.
On the rosewood couch near the window, a royal father and son were sitting opposite each other.
The black and white pieces on the chessboard are intertwined and the situation is at a stalemate.
The young prince was as handsome as jade but a little immature, and his hand was suspended in mid-air.
The emperor opposite had a calm and deep gaze, and his every move exuded majesty without anger.
"I heard that the Queen Mother named seven people today?" The emperor tapped the chessboard lightly with the black piece.
"That's right, father." Xiao Yan lowered his eyes and replied with a calm expression.
Although the father and son did not attend the selection in person, they were obviously well aware of everything going on in Yanchun Pavilion.
This talent show was very grand, but in reality the battle for the crown princess was only between two people——
Xu Miaohua, the eldest daughter of Duke Wei, was the crown prince's biological mother, Empress Zhuangxian, whose aunt was barely the crown prince's cousin.
The second is Song Minghui, the third daughter of Marquis Wuding. Her father holds the military power of Zhili and is the most powerful official in the court.
Chang Ying, the eunuch in charge of the Qianqing Palace, presented the roster at the right time: "Your Majesty, please take a look."
The emperor glanced at the prince who was immersed in the chess game before taking the list.
His sharp eyes swept across the first six daughters of nobles and suddenly stopped at the last one.
"Yang Qian is OK?" The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly.
This man, who passed the imperial examination in the ninth year of Chengming, won his favor four years ago with a memorial on tax reform and was promoted to the position of Yintai Councilor out of the ordinary.
Before he could realize his ambitions, he resigned due to mourning.
The Tongzhengsi was the throat of the imperial court. Yang Qianxing's proposal of "distributing the land tax to each household" touched upon the interests of the powerful. This period of mourning was probably not accidental.
The emperor originally wanted to take his time, but now the empress dowager has chosen his daughter by accident, which is a pleasant surprise.
The prince was concentrating on the chess game and thought for a long time before making a move.
Playing chess is like a battlefield. One mistake can lead to a complete loss.
He was eager to defeat his father to prove that he was fully capable.
The emperor suddenly raised his eyes to look at him, and his tone was calm, as if he was chatting casually, "Zi'an, do you have a favorite candidate for the Crown Princess?"
Zi'an is the courtesy name of Crown Prince Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan's heart sank, realizing that his father was quietly forcing him to take a stand.
The empress dowager repeatedly advised him to choose the daughter of the Xu family in order to win over the power of his biological mother, Empress Zhuangxian Xu, and the Duke of Wei's Mansion.
But this was clearly against his father's wishes.
Empress Zhuangxian Xu was his biological mother, but not the current emperor's empress.
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