It is now late autumn, the leaves are falling, and the weather is getting colder. The young ladies have changed into heavier autumn clothes and put on cloaks, and the palace selection has begun.
As long as one is chosen by the emperor during the palace selection, one can successfully marry into the royal family, even if it is as a prince's concubine. This is an extremely honorable thing for the candidates and their families.
Wave after wave of young women slowly entered the main hall of Chuxiu Palace, the place that would determine their fate, carrying incredibly complex emotions as they awaited their destiny's choice.
The candidates for the imperial concubines were arranged according to their social status, with the higher the status, the further back they were placed. They were generally chosen to be the principal wives or concubines of the princes.
Guo Yuanyuan, of lower status, was among the first batch of women selected for the palace examination. She was adorable and charming, and Consort Shu happened to take a liking to her and assign her to the Third Prince as a concubine. This was undoubtedly a windfall for him, as the Third Prince was a strong contender for the throne and might one day become the ruler of the country.
Among a group of low-ranking concubines, she undoubtedly had the best outcome.
After the selection of the imperial concubines, they could leave the palace and return home to await the emperor's orders, being carried into their residences. As Guo Yuanyuan was leaving the Chuxiu Palace, she happened to see the most eye-catching woman in the crowd.
As dusk approached, wave after wave of young women left, some excited, some thrilled, some weeping, and some dejected.
Jiang Changle clenched her hands slightly, barely suppressing her excitement and nervousness. Today, she wore a light blue palace dress, with a lake-blue belt around her waist that accentuated her slender figure. Her jet-black hair was styled into an elaborate bun, adorned with several delicate gold hairpins. Her pearl earrings swayed slightly with her movements, making them particularly eye-catching. She exuded nobility and elegance.
Among all the young women selected for the imperial concubine examination, her beauty was undoubtedly outstanding. Even though the other young women dressed up to be extremely beautiful, they could not overshadow Jiang Chang Le's radiance, and people would often steal glances at her.
Seeing Jiang Changle, Guo Yuanyuan's eyes were filled with resentment. Although Jiang Changle had not openly bullied him these days, and had even acted very friendly, he knew that the other party was tripping him up and using dirty tricks, causing him to suffer a lot of losses in silence.
But what could he do? He was no match for Jiang Chang Le, and dared not provoke her.
Having spent so long in the palace, he gradually came to understand some of the rules: to live a fulfilling and beautiful life, one had to climb the ranks step by step. He believed he could climb to a position where no one dared to bully him anymore.
Jiang Changle was unaware of Guo Yuanyuan's gaze. At this moment, he had already been seen and led into the inner hall of Chuxiu Palace, where he knelt down respectfully to pay his respects to the various empresses and the supreme emperor.
"Greetings to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years! Greetings to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
The emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat idly on the main throne, toying with the jade thumb ring in his hand. His indifferent gaze swept over the group of beautiful young women below. The young and fresh beauties did not arouse his interest in the slightest; on the contrary, the strong scent of perfume made him want to sneeze.
He preferred the subtle, elegant scent of bamboo to the strong, unpleasant fragrance of cosmetics.
"Jiang Changle, the eldest daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites, is sixteen years old." The eunuch's distinctive hoarse voice rang out, and Zhou Huaijin sat up slightly upon hearing it, finally showing some interest.
Wuyou never concealed her identity, nor was it necessary. Therefore, Zhou Huaijin was fully aware of Wuyou's identity; Jiang Changle could, to put it mildly, be considered Wuyou's older sister. In any case, anything related to Wuyou always piqued Zhou Huaijin's interest.
"Oh? The daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites. I've heard that Miss Jiang is exceptionally beautiful, dignified, and virtuous. She is the most beautiful and talented woman in Jiangzhou. Lord Jiang has done a great job raising his daughter." Zhou Huaijin's tone was playful as he fiddled with the jade thumb ring on his hand, his expression inscrutable.
The concubines beside him were slightly taken aback, their eyes subtly fixed on Jiang Changle. The Emperor had never been fond of women and had not entered the harem for many years; this was the first time he had praised a woman in such a way.
They weren't jealous or anything, having long been accustomed to the Emperor's aversion to women. In any case, the Emperor was always fair and never mistreated them, treating their sons and daughters equally, so there was nothing to argue about.
You see, all those who fought fiercely before have been relegated to the sidelines, their maternal clans even implicated. They're not that bold; wouldn't it be better to live a peaceful life?
Hearing Zhou Huaijin's praise, Jiang Changle was overjoyed. The Emperor clearly valued her and her father highly, and might even make her the primary consort of a prince. If she were even luckier, she might become one of the Emperor's concubines. However, the Emperor was already in his fifties, and the harem was practically nonexistent; he still didn't really want to go there.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I am unworthy of it. It is all my father's duty." Jiang Changle raised her head slightly and looked at the ground, not daring to look at the emperor's face. She behaved very well.
The concubines who heard her answer nodded in satisfaction. Her manners were good, her appearance was good, and although her status was not the highest, it was not bad either. It would be a good choice for her son to be his principal wife.
“Miss Jiang’s manners are good, but sometimes, rumors are inevitable. I heard that some interesting things happened in Chuxiu Palace, which are related to Miss Jiang. Is this true?”
A playful smile played on Zhou Huaijin's lips, his eyes gleaming with mockery. He was the ruler of a nation, the entire palace and even the entire court under his control, and Wuyou was involved; he had received the news that very day.
Jiang Changle's face froze upon hearing this. How could this matter possibly reach the Emperor's ears? That damned Guo Yuanyuan, how dare she plot against me behind my back! Just wait and see how I deal with you in the future, I'll make you wish you were dead!
"This humble woman is guilty. It was merely a quarrel between sisters, yet it disturbed Your Majesty's ears and offended Your Majesty's senses. I beg Your Majesty to punish me." Jiang Chang Le kowtowed deeply, burying her head in her arms. Her body trembled slightly, and she appeared extremely frightened.
"Your Majesty, it's just a minor matter. There's no need to punish her! Miss Jiang was terrified." Consort Shu thought for a moment and pleaded for her son's future wife. She was the woman he had chosen for his son, so she had to protect her.
Jiang Chang Le's impression of her lowered slightly. Regardless of the reason, she was, after all, a woman publicly judged by the emperor. She couldn't be the primary wife; she could only be a secondary wife. If it weren't for the need to win over Jiang Jing and the Prince of Nan'an's mansion…
Seeing Jiang Changle's anger, anxiety, and fear, Zhou Huaijin felt bored and casually waved his hand. "Forget it. Although she's a bit arrogant, considering your father's service to the court, I'll let it go. I originally intended to bestow upon her the title of Empress, but..."
"The imperial concubine Jiang Changle is bestowed upon the Third Prince as a concubine, and a date will be chosen for her to enter the Prince's residence."
Jiang Changle forced a polite smile, then returned to her room and smashed everything inside, gritting her teeth in anger. Arrogant? With that comment from the emperor, how could he ever maintain his standing among the noble ladies again? The first word that would probably come to mind when people saw him was "arrogant."
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