"Tomorrow is the final selection. I wonder how the girls from each family will perform," Lanqin said.
Baoqin said, "Is Your Majesty curious about what will happen to those three young ladies? Baoqin doesn't understand. Hasn't Your Majesty always disliked vying for fame and fortune? Why are you making an exception for those three?"
Lanqin said, "Although they used some methods, they are still young after all, and Gao Xiyue and Su Lufu have a deep sisterly bond, which moved me. So I gave them another chance."
Baoqin said, "I see, I understand now."
The next morning, the Embroidery Bureau sent people to Chuxiu Palace to select fabrics for the young ladies to make clothes. The three girls were surprised to find that they had passed the second selection and were filled with excitement and anticipation.
Su Lufu brought with her the latest styles and fabrics from the Imperial Clothing Bureau. Before Su Lufu arrived, Gao Xiyue and Zeng Xiwen had already chosen their fabrics. Gao Xiyue chose a light blue silk, the newest and most precious of all the fabrics. Zeng Xiwen chose a pink satin embroidered with apricot blossoms, which suited her well, as she had a charming appearance. Gao Xiyue chose a scarlet fabric, which was neither too flashy nor too shabby, much like her personality.
In the end, only a few colors of fabric were left.
Seeing Su Lufu's radiant smile today, Gao Xiyue moved closer to Su Lufu, holding a bolt of rose-red cloth and looking at her expectantly, saying, "Lufu, you have fair skin, you'll look great in this, take this one."
Su Lufu frowned slightly; the magenta color was too bright, and she didn't like it.
"Forget it, red is too eye-catching and doesn't suit me," Su Lufu said.
On the day of the palace selection, the selection of the young ladies was to be held in the main hall of the Chuxiu Palace. The hundred or so young ladies all knew this was the final stage of the selection process; passing it would mean a meteoric rise to power and a life of luxury. Therefore, they rose early to dress, adorning themselves with their most precious hairpins and changing into their finest clothes. The final selection took place in the Imperial Garden, where the young ladies could wear their own clothes and jewelry or those provided by the palace. The three ladies, their jewelry in place, exchanged smiles.
Lanqin, along with Song, Wu, and Geng, sat in the main seats of the selection process, inspecting the candidates one by one.
"Consort Xi has arrived," the eunuch announced.
"This humble woman pays her respects to Your Majesty," the young ladies said, kneeling down.
After Lanqin ascended to the seat of honor, she waved for them to rise. Her gentle gaze swept over the faces of the young ladies, and after giving them a few words of instruction, she left her seat to go to the main hall. Since it was the emperor's decree, she naturally had to supervise it personally. As she was about to leave the side hall, she raised her eyes and gestured for Baoqin to come to her side, and quietly asked her something.
According to Fourth Master's wishes, Lanqin has arranged for many women to marry into the clan. Although Fourth Master said that no more women were needed, it was impossible for him not to marry any at all.
So Lanqin and Song pointed to three people: Sun, the eldest daughter of the Sun family, the salt commissioner of the Han Army Banner; Shumulu, the Zuo Ling of the Bordered Blue Banner; and Fang, the eldest daughter of a fifth-rank official of the Han Army Banner.
Lanqin had seen the postscripts of these three people before the selection of concubines, and had even shown them to the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince said that there was no need to select three people, one would be enough. However, Lanqin insisted that she was managing the harem for the Emperor, and if the Emperor only selected one person, the officials would say that she was monopolizing the harem.
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