Unexpectedly, they were quickly proven wrong. When Tang Baozhu first came in, she put a lot of pressure on them. Those who didn't come from such good families didn't care much, since the emperor wanted concubines to have offspring, and with their good health, they would definitely get pregnant easily.
It can only be said that they were thinking too simply. Those from well-off families all regarded her as a strong competitor. After all, when someone is good-looking to a certain extent, everything else can be ignored.
"My name is Tang Baozhu. May I ask how this young lady is addressed?"
"My name is Li Mingxiu, and I am the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Tongcheng. May I ask what your family does, Miss Tang?"
Tang Baozhu glanced at Li Mingxiu. Was she showing off her superiority?
Just as he was about to answer her, he heard a noise outside, so he quickly stopped what he was about to say, sat quietly, and waited for the person outside to come in.
Soon, three old women entered from outside, and everyone sitting in the living room stood up.
"Today we will begin teaching you basic etiquette, which is commonly seen in the palace. I hope all the young ladies will study it carefully and attentively."
"Thank you, Granny. I will study hard later."
Then Tang Baozhu witnessed the complexities of the palace, learning what kind of etiquette to perform when meeting people of different ranks, and what kind of etiquette to perform when meeting the emperor. Those below the rank of concubine were addressed as maids and concubines, while only those above the rank of concubine, including the concubine rank, could be called concubines.
When looking at the emperor, you can't look above his neck, you can only look below his neck. At that time, Tang Baozhu had only one thought: wouldn't that mean she wouldn't know what the emperor looked like?
Even if you hear the emperor's movements from afar, you must avoid them and not rush in, otherwise you will be accused of spying on the emperor's whereabouts.
The day was spent studying. Even lunchtime was just a quick bite, probably because time was too tight. The palace maids ate only a couple of bites before starting to check everyone's etiquette again. After all, if the etiquette wasn't up to standard, the maids would be punished.
As it was getting dark, the nannies allowed everyone to return to their lodgings. Maids had already prepared bath water, and after the bath, dinner was already prepared outside.
Looking at the sumptuous dinner on the table, Tang Baozhu disregarded all decorum. He was starving and exhausted today, so he ate two large bowls of rice and a lot of vegetables. He pretended not to notice the surprised looks from the maids beside him.
"Thank you for your help, please take it back!"
"It's all what we servants should do. If you have nothing else to do, then you should go to bed early. If you need anything, just call the maid at the door."
"Okay, I understand. We'll probably be leaving very early tomorrow, so I'll need you to come over early to help us with our washing up."
"Alright, then this servant will take her leave."
Go!
Tang Baozhu asked them to come early to help her wash up, thinking that she should eat a full meal in the morning, because she would definitely eat some dry food on the way, which would be particularly unpalatable, so it would be better to eat a full meal for the last meal.
After they all left, she went to the mirror and looked at the blurry figure in it. She felt a sense of unfamiliarity; she hadn't looked like this before.
After watching for a while, I lay down on the bed to rest. After all, I was exhausted after a long day. Even with my good health, I felt tired, let alone others. Besides, I had to get up so early tomorrow, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get up, so I could only rest early.
The next day, Tang Baozhu was woken up by her maids. After getting up, she quickly washed up, worried that she would be late for her trip. Hearing the noisy sounds outside, she asked the maid who was combing her hair curiously.
Why is it so noisy outside?
"Miss, because the young ladies are leaving the capital for the capital city today, everyone is getting up to pack their things. There are hundreds of guards just to escort the young ladies to the capital city, and there are almost a thousand other people in total. So it's normal that the packing is a bit noisy. Fortunately, only half of the guards are in the capital city, and the other half are stationed outside the city, otherwise it would be even more lively."
Tang Baozhu was stunned when she heard that so many people were involved. If so many people were mobilized for just one city's selection of concubines, then there were many cities across the country, and the number of guards mobilized could probably reach tens of thousands.
"It seems we don't need to worry about safety along the way."
"Don't worry, young lady. The officials in the prefecture will send troops to escort you all the way. There will be absolutely no problems on the road."
"That's good."
After her hair was combed, Tang Baozhu saw that the maid wanted to apply makeup to her, but she quickly refused. The powder would make her face look as white as a ghost, and she didn't want that stuff.
It seems I need to ask in the group if they have any makeup products. Of course, I can only ask indirectly, otherwise a girl born in ancient times wouldn't know about those things. It's best not to reveal anything.
After eating breakfast, I sat in the living room and waited. Little Bean would come to pick me up.
Even the jewelry and clothes that the adults had given me these past few days, along with my own clothes and jewelry, were packed up and tied together in a large bundle. When the time comes, I can simply carry the bundle into the carriage.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, I saw Xiaodouzi running towards me from afar.
"Miss Tang, please come with me. I'll take you to the carriage; we're about to depart."
"Okay, so is there one carriage per person?"
Tang Baozhu picked up her bundle and was about to follow. The things were quite heavy, especially the boxes containing jewelry.
Little Bean saw that Miss Tang was carrying a bundle, so he quickly took it and carried it himself.
“The servants can handle these rough tasks. Since it’s a bit far from the capital, each girl has her own carriage so that she can rest better inside.”
"Oh, I see. Thank you for telling me, Little Bean."
Tang Baozhu breathed a sigh of relief. It was so good to have a carriage all to herself, instead of having to be with other people.
"Miss Tang, you're too kind. Please come with me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaodouzi led the way, with Tang Baozhu following behind. As for the maids, they were all maids from the mansion and couldn't come along. After Tang Baozhu left, they would have to renovate the rooms.
Tang Baozhu slipped them five taels of silver, which she did in bed as a token of appreciation for their attentive service over the past two days.
Leaving aside the joy of the maid who found the silver, let's talk about Tang Baozhu following Xiaodouzi out of the government office. On the main street in front of the government office, there was a long line of people and dozens of carriages, each with guards standing beside it, which made people feel very safe.
Follow Xiaodouzi to a carriage that is relatively far forward. There is a footstool where you can get on the carriage. Step on the footstool and you can get on.
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