The night before, Aunt Dai explained the time and place for the second round of selection the next day, and then left with her maids.
Tomorrow she will be with the other aunts and matrons to arrange the order of the second round of selections and the setup of the venue, so she will no longer come to Chuxiu Palace to urge the ladies-in-waiting to get up and do their makeup.
The next morning, the young women got up early and took out their own clothes and jewelry. The palace maids helped them wash up, comb their hair, and apply makeup in front of the mirror.
Perhaps due to insomnia last night, Lanqin was still fast asleep, showing no signs of waking up. Her roommate, Dong, was also a heavy sleeper, similarly tucked under the covers and motionless.
Because of what happened to Niohuru Holland yesterday, the other ladies-in-waiting in the other rooms, even though they didn't see Lanqin and Dongshi come back, refused to go in and call out to them. They all thought: it's best not to get up, so there will be one less competitor.
...
Inside the Imperial Garden.
Aunt Dai, along with several other nannies and eunuchs in charge of the selection process, were setting up chairs for the emperor, empress dowager, and other concubines, laying out red carpets on the ground, and arranging personnel and equipment around them.
"Aunt Dai, go quickly to Chuxiu Palace and see if all the young ladies are ready. Have them all wait in Yangxingzhai later," another nanny said to her.
At 9:00 AM, the second round of selection begins.
The young ladies, all dressed and ready, stood chattering amongst themselves inside the Yangxingzhai. Aunt Dai, leading several maids and eunuchs, walked to the entrance and addressed the large group of women: "Ladies, the preliminary selection in the Imperial Garden is about to begin. I will call your names shortly. Those whose names I hear, please come forward immediately. Five to a group, proceed to the Emperor's presence for the selection. Listen carefully, and be mindful of your words and actions. Your future depends on your performance before the Emperor, Empress Dowager, Consort Hui, Consort Rong, Consort De, and Consort Yi."
After these words were spoken, the entire Yangxingzhai immediately fell silent.
Aunt Dai whispered among herself and a few eunuchs and maids before starting to call out names.
One by one, the women whose names were called stepped out from the crowd. They went in groups of five to the Imperial Garden to meet the Emperor and participate in the selection.
If someone caught the eye of the emperor or empress dowager, they would be given a jade pendant; if not, they would be given flowers.
After observing for about an hour, only a few people remained; most were given flowers and left the palace immediately.
“Sister, I think this daughter of the Jue Luo family is quite good,” Consort Hui said to Consort Rong. By this time, the Emperor and Empress Dowager had grown tired of watching and had already left their seats to return to their palaces to rest, leaving only the four consorts present.
"You're planning to betroth them to Prince Zhi?" Consort Yi asked with a smile. She was merely using this to provoke Consort De, who was said to be planning to betroth two sons to each of her two sons.
"You should think about your ninth son. Prince Zhi and his wife have an incredibly good relationship. If I were to betroth him to someone else, I would not only fail to win my son's favor but also incur my wife's dislike. Why bother?" Consort Hui covered her mouth and yawned slightly.
Consort De overheard the conversation between the two, but her eyes remained fixed on the row of young women standing before her. She genuinely wanted to choose two more women for the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince. However, looking at their appearances, each one had her own merits, making it impossible for her to choose.
Unfortunately, the Niohuru woman chosen by the fourth prince had already been favored by the emperor, which put her in a rather awkward position. Thinking of this distressing matter, Consort De felt a surge of resentment.
“Sister, do you think that Lady Yin is quite nice? She’s quiet and gentle, and pretty too. Why don’t we betroth her to the fourth prince?” Consort Yi suddenly turned her head and said to Consort De.
After Consort Yi's words, Consort De took another look at Yin Panchun, the daughter of the Prefect of Yangzhou, who was born out of wedlock. It was a pity she was born out of wedlock; if she were a legitimate daughter, her temperament might be more compatible with the Fourth Prince's temper. However, Consort De had always disliked Consort Yi, and after hearing her words, Consort De hesitated.
"Thank you for your concern, sister. This Lady Yin is quite good." Consort De replied perfunctorily. She and Consort Yi were outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds. Both had been favored by the Emperor for many years, and their pregnancies were being compared. When Consort De had just given birth to the Fourth Prince, Consort Yi became pregnant with the Fifth Prince. After Consort De gave birth to the Sixth Prince, who unfortunately died young, Consort Yi became pregnant with the Ninth Prince.
...
Inside Chuxiu Palace.
"Sister Qin, get up, get up!" After waking up, Madam Dong rubbed her eyes and looked at the outside. She knew that she had overslept again. Looking at Lanqin next to her, she still showed no signs of waking up.
Without even calling out, Madam Dong immediately threw off the covers and pulled her up.
"What is it now? Little Tiger Tooth?" Lanqin squinted her eyes, not worried at all.
"Sister Qin, there's no one outside. We're already late. Hurry up, or the retest will be over." Madam Dong immediately grabbed her clothes and put them on.
What is the second-round interview?
Lanqin was about to fall down when suddenly she looked up and exclaimed, "Oh dear, the Imperial Garden semi-finals!"
Madam Dong was already dressed and sitting in front of the bronze mirror combing her hair. She said anxiously, "Sister Qin, don't just stand there, come and help me comb my hair." She usually let the maids serve her with her hair and washing, so how could she possibly comb and style her own hair?
Lanqin remained motionless, thinking, "I'm late. That's perfect, I don't have to see Emperor Kangxi." She smiled foolishly. When Madam Dong saw this, she thought Lanqin had gone mad and frantically scratched her head, saying, "Sister, you're still standing there, but you won't get to see the Emperor."
"If I can't see her, I can't see her. Anyway, I don't want to stay." Lin Mengyao thought to herself, but she still got out of bed and started getting ready.
"Oh dear, where are my clothes..." Mrs. Dong was so busy that she was completely disoriented, looking like an ant on a hot pan.
After she finished dressing, she hurriedly went behind Lanqin and asked her to help her put on a simple double bun hairstyle.
Fortunately, I learned how to make this hairstyle in just over half a month.
After they had finished getting ready, they hurriedly left Chuxiu Palace and headed towards Yangxinzhai.
When they arrived at Yangxinzhai, there were only a dozen or so people left in the room.
Aunt Dai saw Lanqin and Madam Dong come in looking anxious, but she didn't scold them. Anyway, after today's retest for these young ladies, her job was basically done.
Looking at the late Lanqin, Aunt Dai was truly astonished by this legitimate daughter of the Niohuru clan. Yesterday, her half-sister beat her to the punch, and now she's even late! Her heart is so carefree it could leak eggs. She wondered what fate awaited her today.
"Niohuru Lanqin"!
"Dong Qinglian!"
Upon hearing their names called, the two immediately went over.
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