Chapter 123 The Draft (Part 2)
“An Lingrong, daughter of An Bihuai, the magistrate of Songyang County, is sixteen years old.”
Upon hearing the eunuch's introduction, An Lingrong took a deep breath, stepped out from the line, and respectfully bowed.
"Your subject, An Lingrong, pays her respects to the Emperor and Empress, and wishes the Emperor and Empress Dowager a long and healthy life."
Yixiu glanced at the girl who stepped out of the hall. She had her head down, so her face was not visible. Her clothes were made of ordinary material, and apart from two unadorned silver hairpins in her hair and a plain gold bracelet on her wrist, she had no other accessories.
Her attire was shabby, and her appearance was unremarkable, but her voice was melodious and captivating.
Considering that the emperor hadn't chosen many people in the previous rounds of the imperial concubine selection, and for the sake of his reputation, plus the fact that this young lady in front of him didn't come from a prominent family and wouldn't pose any threat to the harem, Yixiu was willing to say a few more words.
"The voice is pleasant to the ear."
"It's rare for the Empress to be in such a good mood," Yinzhen said with a slight smile as he sat in his seat, twirling the ring on his finger. He then looked up at An Lingrong and said, "Why don't you look up and let me see?"
An Lingrong responded, slowly raising her head to reveal her beautiful face, exuding a charming and delicate air reminiscent of the water towns of Jiangnan.
Yi Xiu nodded in satisfaction. A girl from a modest family, nothing to fear. Just as she was about to say something nice about her, a butterfly suddenly flew in from outside the palace and slowly landed on An Lingrong's temple.
"That's interesting. Even without flowers, she can still attract butterflies. In that case, there's no need to bestow any more flowers. Just keep the plaque." Yinzhen smiled. Sure enough, even without Zhen Huan's crabapple blossoms, An Lingrong still had a way to attract butterflies.
"An Lingrong, leave your nameplate here, and I'll bestow upon you a sachet!"
With the eunuch's message, An Lingrong finally felt relieved. Suppressing her excitement and joy, she bowed to Yinzhen and Yixiu, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty and Empress."
Of the six women in the row, only An Lingrong kept her nameplate. After the other women lined up and left, Yixiu was just coming to her senses. She hadn't expected An Lingrong to give her such a "surprise." Indeed, no matter how low one's status, one should not underestimate any woman.
...
"Xia Dongchun, daughter of Xia Wei, a banner officer, is seventeen years old."
"Your subject Xia Dongchun greets Your Majesty and Empress." Having changed her clothes, Xia Dongchun appeared even more radiant. Her hair was adorned with red hairpins, and her rose-red qipao embroidered with gold thread shone brightly in the sunlight.
"Where did this jewelry rack come from?" Yinzhen blurted out. Yixiu, standing beside him, glanced at him amusedly. "Your Majesty—"
"Cough cough." Fortunately, she was far away and Xia Dongchun didn't hear it. Seeing her amusing appearance, Yinzhen said, "The person is interesting, and the name is interesting too. It just so happens that it's autumn for the imperial concubine selection. If we select Xia Dongchun, it'll make up the four seasons. Keep her name on the list."
“Summer, winter, and spring, leave your nameplate and receive a sachet.”
“Shen Meizhuang, daughter of Shen Zishan, the Assistant Commander of Jeju, is sixteen years old.”
"Your subject, Shen Meizhuang, pays respects to Your Majesty and Empress, wishing them boundless blessings and peace."
Shen Meizhuang moved with light, graceful steps, her words carrying an air of gentle elegance and scholarly refinement. Even without raising her head, one could tell she was undoubtedly a beauty.
"Have you read any books?" Yinzhen asked.
"I am dull-witted and usually read mostly 'Rules for Women' and 'Instructions for Women', and have only read a little of the Book of Poetry."
"You've certainly developed a scholarly air about you; the Book of Poetry is quite good too," Yinzhen said casually, skipping over the first two books.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty." Faced with the Emperor's praise, Shen Meizhuang remained calm and composed, though her perception of the Emperor had changed slightly.
"What does the Empress think?" Yinzhen suddenly turned his head and asked for Yixiu's opinion.
Yixiu smiled in response, "She comes from a good family and has a good temperament. I like her quite a bit."
"In that case, let's leave the sign."
"Chen Meizhuang, leave your nameplate here, and bestow upon me a sachet."
"Zhen Huan, daughter of Zhen Yuandao, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, is sixteen years old." After the eunuch finished announcing this, seeing that no one stepped forward, he immediately repeated, "Zhen Huan, daughter of Zhen Yuandao, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, is sixteen years old!"
This brought Zhen Huan, who was overjoyed for Shen Meizhuang, back to her senses. With her eyes lowered, she gracefully stepped out of the line.
"Your subject Zhen Huan greets Your Majesty and Empress, wishing them boundless blessings and peace."
"Zhen Huan, which 'Huan' is it?" Looking at the "female lead" who had finally made her appearance, Yinzhen, unusually, perked up and asked with great interest.
"Huanhuan, with her slender waist like that of a palace maid, is indeed my maiden name."
Yixiu raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence! Just a couple of days ago, after Honghui finished his class, he shared the story of "King Chu's fondness for slender waists" with her, and mentioned this poem. Regardless of the meaning, just look at the pronunciation…
"However, I remember it was Huanhuan, with a slender waist like that of a woman from the Chu palace."
As expected, his arrangements from the previous days had not disappointed. Yinzhen glanced at Yixiu, who seemed to be asking out of mere curiosity, and replied with a smile, "The Empress is right, it is indeed Xuan."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan, slightly embarrassed, bowed and said, "It was my ignorance that led me to show off."
"It's alright. It's normal for a young lady from a respectable family not to be very proficient in it."
When Yinzhen said this, it seemed like a comforting remark, but it made Zhen Huan, who always prided herself on being a talented woman, blush with embarrassment.
Yixiu chuckled inwardly and then said, "This young lady has a certain scholarly air about her. Raise your head and let the Emperor take a look."
Zhen Huan felt even more embarrassed by Yi Xiu's words, as if she had only read books to create a certain persona, yet she dared not disobey. She slowly raised her head, her eyes lowered, not daring to look at the person above her.
Naturally, no one noticed Yixiu's sudden change in expression. "This..."
Yixiu was somewhat surprised, and her expression turned rather unpleasant. She exchanged a glance with Yinzhen. Since she looked so much like Rouze, they naturally couldn't let her drop the plaque.
Yinzhen looked at Zhen Huan's appearance, which bore a striking resemblance to Rou Ze in her youth. However, compared to Rou Ze's gentleness, Zhen Huan possessed a touch more aloofness.
"Keep the sign."
"Zhen Huan, keep the nameplate and bestow a sachet upon her."
...
After the imperial concubine selection ended, Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan left the palace together.
"It's truly wonderful that my sister and I have both been selected." At the palace gate, Shen Meizhuang held Zhen Huan's hand, looking at her with a smile in her eyes.
"From now on, in the palace, Huan'er and Sister Mei will help each other." As if acknowledging that the two of them keeping the nameplate meant they would definitely enter Yinzhen's harem instead of being given to someone else, Zhen Huan held Shen Meizhuang's hand back, her eyes full of trust.
There was no trace of the awkwardness she had just experienced in the hall, and Shen Meizhuang didn't seem to mind at all.
"That's true. Given our relationship, we should naturally take good care of each other."
Yes, we are all fine.
The two sisters gazed at each other affectionately, bidding a reluctant farewell in front of the carriage, and it took them a long time before they finally set off on their journey home.
After being selected, An Lingrong walked out of the palace gate and saw Aunt Xiao waiting anxiously outside. She couldn't help but feel her eyes redden. "Aunt, I've reserved my name."
"Good, good! Miss has been chosen! This is wonderful news! Quick, let's go back now. Auntie has rented a new carriage. Let's go!" Auntie Xiao was so happy she didn't know what to do. When she came to her senses, she quickly led An Lingrong to the new carriage.
For this selection of candidates to the capital, the palace specially arranged post stations for out-of-town ladies to stay in. Most of the ladies already had accommodations in the capital, so they naturally wouldn't choose the post stations. But for An Lingrong, a post station that was free and offered a small courtyard was the best option.
The only downside is that it's a bit far from the palace. When we arrived in the morning, we almost missed our train because we rented a regular carriage.
While waiting, Aunt Xiao noticed that there was still a considerable amount of money left. Thinking about An Lingrong's hardships, she specially rented a better carriage.
Originally intended to comfort An Lingrong after her failure to be selected, it turned out that An Lingrong actually passed the exam, which was even better. Now, looking at the new carriage, there was no heartache at all.
"Auntie, I will definitely bring honor to my mother and father."
"Yes, Auntie believes in Miss."
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