March 28th is a very auspicious day with no taboos.
People from the Ministry of Internal Affairs led a group of beautiful ladies into the palace and first inspected them.
The first item is to verify identity and age.
Dayuan's selection criteria: Women must be between 14 and 20 years old, and then their identities will be verified one by one against the roster to see if there is anyone impersonating them.
The second item is a physical examination.
This is also a rather shameful task for many women. Usually, experienced maids will be arranged to check the size, shape, and even thickness of body hair of some parts, as well as whether the body is well-proportioned and whether there are any scars.
The third item is to check the vocal cords.
Everyone had to shout "Long live the emperor" three times in front of the female official to check problems such as vocal pronunciation.
The female officials will record the above inspection data one by one, and only those who meet the requirements will be eligible to stay for the palace selection.
Not surprisingly, Gu Xiaoqiao easily passed the first round of screening.
However, the second round of palace selection will be held tomorrow.
This group of concubines were arranged in Chuxiu Palace, and a special person was responsible for instructing them on palace rules and etiquette as well as some precautions.
Even at night, they have to burn incense and take a bath to clean them inside and out from head to toe.
The next morning, everyone got up one after another. After they had packed up, the female official led them to the main hall entrance and said, "Go in according to the order you've been arranged. Everyone else, please don't rush."
"Yes, Mammy."
Everyone responded in unison, straightening their clothes one by one.
Inside the hall, three people were sitting in the main seats.
The Empress Dowager, the Queen, and the Emperor.
The current emperor, Di Mian, was sitting in the center. He was wearing a black robe and a cloak with a dragon pattern and gold thread trim. He was leaning back in a chair, looking lazy and casual.
One hand was tapping on the armrest intermittently, with a look of indifference and impatience between his brows.
On the left is the Queen Mother, dressed in luxurious clothes, with a smile on her face as she looks at the beautiful girl kneeling on the ground.
She held a string of Buddhist beads in her hand and kept moving them, making a rustling sound.
On the right is the queen, sitting there motionless, with an elegant posture and a majestic aura without being angry.
"Your servant pays homage to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress. Long live the Emperor, long live the Empress Dowager, a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years, and a thousand years, ...
The first group of beauties who came in bowed respectfully, and one of them was so nervous that her voice trembled.
"No need to formalize." The Queen Mother raised her hand with a smile on her face, signaling the four people to stand up.
"Yes, thank you, Queen Mother."
Everyone stood up, stood politely in the hall, and then introduced themselves one by one.
"Your Majesty, do you think any of these are to your liking?" The empress dowager glanced at the beauties in the hall and asked the emperor with a smile.
Emperor Mian tilted his head slightly, looked at the women for a few times, then curled his lips into a smile and pointed at the third, shivering woman, "Are you cold?"
"Your Majesty, I am not cold." The concubine replied tremblingly.
"Are you afraid of me?" There was a hint of displeasure in his tone, and Emperor Mian's expression became even colder.
"No...no...your humble servant..." The concubine trembled and stammered, "Your humble servant just...your humble servant just..."
"Since you can't even speak clearly, you don't need this tongue anymore. Come, drag him out and pull out his tongue."
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped.
"No... Your Majesty, spare my life..."
The woman was so frightened that her face turned pale, her knees went weak, and she knelt on the ground begging for mercy.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to be so angry." The Queen Mother's expression changed slightly, and she quickly spoke up to persuade him, "She's just a woman. There's no need to bother with her."
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Emperor Mian say sinisterly, "Are you saying, Queen Mother, that I am too cruel?"
The Queen Mother: "...I didn't mean that."
"Since you don't mean that, Your Majesty, please don't say anything."
Emperor Mian snorted coldly and waved to the people beside him, "Next batch."
Queen Mother: "..."
It's so useless. The people were eliminated before they even got in.
But it doesn’t matter. There are still people behind. Even if we send five or six people in, there will always be one who catches our eye.
"Someone, drag her away!"
The guards standing by received the order, rushed forward and pulled up the concubine who was kneeling on the ground.
"No!" The concubine struggled desperately and cried, but it was of no avail. In the end, she was dragged out of the hall by the guards.
Outside the palace gate, the other concubines couldn't help but feel their scalps tingling when they saw this scene.
It had only been a cup of tea since he walked in vertically when he was dragged out horizontally by the guards, and he had no idea what offense he had committed.
Horrible, really horrible.
"What should I do? I'm so nervous!"
The woman behind Gu Xiaoqiao suddenly spoke up, whispering softly, "Aren't you all afraid?"
"Me too."
The woman to Gu Xiaoqiao's right snorted coldly, "You're a noble lady after all, and you're just this brave? You're not afraid of being laughed at if you tell others about it. If I were you, I'd just find a tree and hang myself, rather than making a fool of myself and making people laugh."
"Liang Xiangrong, don't go too far!"
"What are you arguing about? Be quiet!" the female official at the side scolded, "I don't care what your status was before entering the palace, but after entering the palace, you only have one status, that is, the emperor's woman. If you anger the emperor, no one can save you."
The scolding made everyone quiet down instantly.
Indeed, no one can save them if they anger the emperor.
Soon, the head eunuch Wang came out. He looked around expressionlessly and said, "The next batch will come in with us."
Gu Xiaoqiao was in the second group and followed into the hall with trepidation.
It would be a lie to say that I wasn't nervous. Watching TV is one thing, but being there in person is another feeling altogether.
Who understands?
She had never been so nervous before in the college entrance examination...
Especially when she saw that concubine being dragged away heartbreakingly just now, she truly felt the oppression of the imperial power under the feudal dynasty...
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