The examination room was a quiet side room.

When Zhu Hanfei pushed the door open, Nanny Chen and Nanny Qi, who were in charge of the assessment, were drinking tea.

The two men sat on chairs in the hall, commenting mercilessly on the previous showgirl.

Nanny Qi shook her head slightly and wrote down the words "middle and lower".

There was a hint of disdain in her tone: "This woman's chess skills are mediocre, and her calligraphy is like a child's graffiti, which is unbearable to look at."

Nanny Chen also looked displeased.

She took a sip of hot tea and said, "At present, it seems that among the many beauties we have seen today, only Miss Qiao's talent can be regarded as top-notch."

The two of them have already seen more than thirty people, and they went from being full of energy at the beginning to being exhausted both physically and mentally now.

So far, no beauty has been able to impress the two men.

How are they going to report this to the Queen?

"It's fine if you're not very talented, but you still find all kinds of excuses."

Aunt Qi said with disdain.

"There's not enough ink, the strings are too soft... There weren't so many problems in previous years, but this time, there are so many problems."

Aunt Qi picked up the teacup and took a sip, then placed the cup heavily on the table, making a crisp sound.

She swallowed the tea in her mouth and said, "Noble Ji doesn't even know how to choose people. I think her ability of having a photographic memory is just a rumor. The Queen is really confused to let her manage the palace affairs."

Nanny Chen glanced at her.

"Having a photographic memory and not being able to judge people are not the same thing. Besides, Concubine Ji only helped the Queen for a few days. According to you, if we look into it carefully, it is still the Queen's fault."

Aunt Qi quickly slapped her mouth and said, "Oh, my mouth didn't say anything."

After they drank half a cup of tea, they noticed Zhu Hanfei who had been standing in the hall.

She was not wearing any scarlet clothes today. She was dressed very simply, with only a jade hairpin on her head.

When the two maids turned their eyes to her, Zhu Hanfei pursed her lips and smiled reservedly.

At first Nanny Chen did not recognize her. She was Miss Zhu, with whom she had argued at Shenwu Gate a few days ago.

Aunt Qi looked at Zhu Hanfei and asked loudly, "How long have you been here? Why don't you say anything?"

Zhu Hanfei bowed her head and replied respectfully, "I saw that the maids were discussing something, so I didn't dare to disturb them rashly."

"The second to last one to enter...you live in room 13?"

The order of the preliminary assessment is arranged according to the room number.

Aunt Qi put down her teacup, flipped open the list on the table, and glanced at the words on it.

Seeing Zhu Hanfei nodded in agreement, Nanny Qi suddenly lost interest.

The girl in room 13 has never been chosen.

No matter how superb your talent is, it is difficult to catch the emperor's eye.

She waved her hand with little interest and said, "The content of the assessment you submitted before entering the palace was about the flute. The bamboo flute has been prepared for you. You can take it and play a tune."

Zhu Hanfei thanked Madam Qi, walked forward, and took an exquisite bamboo flute from the tray of the palace maid beside her.

She is not actually very good at playing the flute.

The one who can play the flute is the young lady who has not yet passed away.

Since she entered the palace as a young lady, it was natural for her to also learn about the flute.

Fortunately, Zhu Hanfei learned things quickly. Since she decided to enter the palace, she practiced hard day and night and finally passed the master's test.

The assessment only requires one piece of music, and Zhu Hanfei is confident that she can perform this piece beautifully enough.

"Miss Zhu, you only have one chance." Nanny Chen reminded, "If you are ready, you can start at any time."

Zhu Hanfei nodded slightly.

She placed her slender white fingers on both ends of the flute and placed the blowing hole in front of her mouth.

Then, she took a deep breath, turned the breath into a thin stream, and slowly sent it in.

----cracking!!!

A sharp flute sounded suddenly, waking up the two sleepy maids.

Zhu Hanfei's eyelids twitched slightly, and she realized something in an instant.

She quickly stopped her movements, turned the flute over, and finally saw several cracks inside the flute. If you don't look carefully, you really can't find them.

It is not strange that bamboo flutes crack in winter.

What a coincidence that it cracked just when Zhu Hanfei was taking the test.

Zhu Hanfei held the flute tightly and began to think about how to escape.

Aunt Qi in the hall rubbed her ears, her face full of disbelief.

She cursed in disbelief: "What are you blowing?!

How dare you show such poor playing skills in front of everyone?

Nanny Chen's eyes turned and she decided to find a way out for Commander Zhu's sister.

She said, "Be patient. This is Miss Zhu's first time in the palace... I'm afraid she may have been nervous and played the wrong note."

Madam Qi was not convinced. She continued to speak aggressively, "Humph, if this piece of music was played for the emperor today, would she still be so relaxed? I'm afraid..."

Nanny Chen patted her hands gently to comfort her.

She turned around and asked Zhu Hanfei in a deep voice: "What's wrong with you? If you are not good at playing the flute, why did you report it?"

Zhu Hanfei opened her mouth and wanted to explain that it was the bamboo flute's problem, but she swallowed the words back.

But... the conversation between Nanny Chen and Nanny Qi just now suddenly came to her mind.

Not enough ink... the strings are too soft...

In addition, one of the five girls in the show left crying...

If you think about it carefully, someone must have deliberately influenced the results of the first round of assessment.

This palace is indeed filled with crises.

In this case, even if she changed the bamboo flute, she could not guarantee that the new bamboo flute would be intact.

"Mammy, your servant...your servant..."

The young lady in the audience hesitated for a while while holding her flute, then bowed and asked, "Can we change the talent test?"

"Change it just like that?"

"What do you think of palace rules? Do you think this is your home?"

Aunt Qi said sternly, "You speak unclearly, and I don't know how you were chosen. In my opinion, you should stop bragging and just get a lower grade and go home."

As she said this, she was about to write on the list and give Zhu Hanfei a "low" rating.

“Wait!”

Nanny Chen quickly reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"I think something is wrong with her. Look at the flute in her hand. Why is it red?"

Red?

Only then did Nanny Qi put down her pen and looked at Zhu Hanfei's hands.

I saw that the exquisite jade flute, which was completely emerald green, was stained with a breathtaking red color.

"...You are bleeding?" Nanny Qi was surprised.

Zhu Hanfei paused for a moment, then immediately knelt down on the ground.

She said vaguely, "To answer Madam's question, I accidentally bit myself this morning. When I was playing the flute just now, the wound burst open again, disrupting the sound of the flute and disturbing Madam's ears."

Aunt Qi looked at her face carefully and found that there was indeed a faint trace of blood on her lips.

"This...why didn't you tell me when you first came in?"

No wonder the girl's speech was a little slurred, it turned out that she bit herself.

The wound was quite deep, and just a breath caused so much blood to flow.

If this continues, how can I finish playing a whole song?

Zhu Hanfei bowed her head again, with a hint of pleading in her voice: "I hope Madam Qi will understand and allow me to change to another talent test."

Nanny Chen coughed and whispered to Nanny Qi, "When she came in, we were talking excitedly. How could we pay attention to these details?"

When Aunt Qi thought about it, it was true.

But a person in Room 13...

It's good enough that she has a talent, but is there anything else she can show?

Nanny Chen advised, "Look at her appearance, she has a good chance of being chosen. If you help her now, she will have a chance to repay you in the future."

When Madam Qi heard what Madam Chen said, her heart was filled with ripples.

She raised her chin and looked down at Zhu Hanfei below.

"Well, your mouth is injured, and there's nothing we can do about it. Even so, why don't you try another talent?"

It was no wonder that she bit herself hard just now.

The self-torture tactic worked. Zhu Hanfei endured the severe pain in her mouth and thanked the two maids with a smile.

The dancing shoes in her waist bag became her life-saving straw at this moment.

..."Jinxiu" and the noble lady Ji behind her are really prophetic.