Just when Ning Yuxi was wondering whether the emperor would keep Qin Yiling, she heard the emperor suddenly say, "Is that a green chrysanthemum pinned on your hair?"
Hearing this, Qin Yiling was delighted and said quickly, "Your Majesty, it is Lu Ju."
Just when she thought she had won the emperor's favor, she heard the emperor say with a hint of regret: "Green chrysanthemums are rare, it would be a pity to pick them and wear them as a hairpin."
After he finished speaking, the emperor stopped looking at her, obviously he had no interest in her anymore.
She was startled, then suddenly thought of a clever idea: "Your Majesty, I don't think it's a pity. Although this green chrysanthemum is rare, I feel that it is worth it for Your Majesty to see it today. Isn't it the best fate for a flower, no matter how precious and beautiful, to be seen by someone who loves and cherishes flowers like Your Majesty?"
Gu Qilan raised his eyebrows, looked at her again, and then curled his lips: "You are right, then I will keep this flower of yours and appreciate it.
Hearing this, Qin Yiling said excitedly: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."
Upon seeing this, the eunuch in charge of ceremonies raised his voice and said, "Lady Qin Yiling, leave a name card and a sachet as a gift."
Ning Yuxi raised her eyebrows. It seemed that Qin Yiling was much more resourceful than her sister, Concubine Qin.
The selection process continued, and the eunuch called out the next name: "Lan Juan, daughter of Lan Wei, Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Department, sixteen years old."
Ning Yuxi clearly felt that the emperor's expression changed as soon as the eunuch's reputation fell. She also raised her eyes to take a look. The concubine was pretty, but not to the point of attracting such attention.
The beautiful lady stepped forward cheerfully, bowed, and then looked at the emperor lovingly.
The Emperor remained silent. Seeing this, the Empress Dowager spoke up, "The granddaughter of the late Grand Tutor is indeed quite good. I'm sure you are well versed in poetry and literature as well."
Upon hearing this, Lan Juan quickly said modestly, "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, your praise is too great. I do not deserve it. I cannot claim to be a complete acquaintance with poetry and literature, but I do know a little."
The empress dowager asked a few more questions, but seeing that the emperor remained indifferent, she stopped talking.
Lan Juan was a little panicked.
Unexpectedly, the Queen suddenly said, "Miss Lan, you entered the palace to participate in the selection this time, probably for Concubine Jing. I heard that Concubine Jing has been missing her family a lot lately, has lost weight and has lost weight. If you can enter the palace, you can spend more time with your sister to ease her homesickness."
Lan Juan was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted, "Your Majesty is right. I heard that you missed your family in the palace, so I came to the selection hoping to stay in the palace and keep you company."
The Queen turned to the Emperor and asked, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Gu Qilan thought for a moment before saying, "Stay."
The eunuch in charge of ceremonies called out, "Lady Lan Juan, leave your name card and give her a sachet."
Lan Juan naturally thanked the queen profusely. Before leaving, she secretly glanced at the queen, but saw that the queen was sipping tea with her head down and not looking at her.
By this time the time had come, the morning draft was over and it was time for lunch.
After returning to the palace, Ning Yuxi asked Luoying to inquire about the situation of Concubine Jing's family. Lan Juan should be Concubine Jing's sister, but now Concubine Jing is still in the harem. Why would the Lan family send another daughter into the palace?
Did they send her here to bear children because they knew that Concubine Jing was weak and unable to give birth?
This shouldn't be the case. They have long known that Concubine Jing is weak and unable to conceive. Why didn't they send anyone in during the previous selection, but instead sent one now?
And was this Concubine Jing's idea? Or was it the Lan family's own idea?
Ning Yuxi felt that it was unlikely that this was Concubine Jing's intention, after all, she was such an ethereal person.
She didn't have to wonder for too long, Luoying soon found out.
Concubine Jing Lan Xiang's grandfather was the teacher of the current emperor. Because of this relationship, the emperor and Concubine Jing have known each other for a long time. They can be considered childhood sweethearts and they both have feelings for each other.
However, the late emperor later granted a marriage between the then prince and the current queen, so Concubine Jing could only become a concubine.
Unfortunately, Concubine Jing's grandfather died very early. Her father was the eldest son and was famous for his talent, but unfortunately he also died early. Now the Lan family has fallen into decline, and the officials in the court are not high-ranking officials.
Lan Juan's father was Concubine Jing's uncle. The two fathers were not born to the same mother and were not close.
Ning Yuxi guessed that Concubine Jing's uncle had probably not told Concubine Jing about sending Lan Juan into the palace. It was just that Lan Wei saw his family gradually declining and wanted to use the opportunity of being a relative to the emperor to restore the Lan family's former glory.
It's a pity that Concubine Jing is a non-competitive person and is not close to him. That's why he thought of sending his daughter in to win the emperor's favor and promote him.
Tsk tsk, but why would the queen speak for Lan Juan? If it weren’t for the queen’s words, it’s not certain whether Lan Juan could enter the palace.
After lunch and a short break, the afternoon selection was about to begin. Four more were selected one after another, and the selection was successfully completed. The six selected beauties were scheduled to enter the palace on September 15th.
The six beauties this time were the same as hers back then, with two of them being given the titles of noble ladies, two being maids, and two being concubines.
Qin Yiling and Concubine Jing's sister was naturally conferred the title of noble lady. After all, the Qin family was a marquisate. Although it had fallen on hard times, the title was still there, so it was no big deal to confer the title of noble lady on them.
It’s just that Concubine Jing’s sister was probably given the title of noble lady because of Concubine Jing and the late old tutor.
Even though the matter came to an end, on the afternoon of the next day, Ning Yuxi woke up from her nap and took Cheng Zhao to Concubine Xian's Yaohe Palace, as they had agreed to do when they paid their respects in the morning.
As soon as she entered Yaohe Palace, the palace maid who had been waiting for a long time led her to the backyard. From a distance, she saw Concubine Xian sitting in a pavilion, enjoying the scenery and gently looking at the third princess who was chasing and playing with the palace maids.
Ning Yuxi smiled and said, "The scenery in your backyard is quite nice."
Hearing the voice, Concubine Xian knew it was her without even turning her head. She turned around and ordered the palace maid Hua Yin beside her to get tea and snacks.
Hua Yin agreed with a smile, walked up to Ning Yuxi, bowed to her and said, "Empress Yi is finally here. My master has been looking forward to your visit for a long time."
Ning Yuxi smiled back, then took Cheng Zhao's hand and slowly walked into the pavilion. However, little Cheng Zhao saw the Third Princess having fun with the palace maids and wanted to go with them, so Ning Yuxi let him go.
As soon as she sat down, Concubine Xian asked with a gossipy look on her face, "I heard that the Jingchuan Marquis Mansion sent another daughter into the palace during the selection yesterday?"
Ning Yuxi glanced at her sideways: "Why, are you curious about this little Concubine Qin?"
"How can I not be curious? Her sister has a deep grudge against you and is currently in the cold palace. If she enters the palace, she will probably be at odds with you. You better be careful."
Ning Yuxi raised her eyebrows: "She is just a newcomer to the palace. Don't worry, I know what's going on."
Seeing this, Concubine Xian felt a little relieved: "I heard that her act at that time really won the emperor's favor. She seems to be a man of means. Just be aware of it."
At this time, Hua Yin also came with tea and snacks. The two of them drank tea and chatted about gossip.
Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from not far away: "Hey, Master, are you okay?"
Little Cheng Zhao's slightly apologetic voice also came: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Cheng Zhao didn't mean it, are you okay?"
Ning Yuxi and Concubine Xian looked up quickly and saw that it was an acquaintance.
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