September is the most beautiful time of year in Beijing.
The maple trees throughout the city cast a fiery red hue over the capital. Under the azure sky, the blue-tiled roofs and white walls, the pedestrians on the streets, and the fiery red maple leaves make the autumn in the capital exceptionally warm and charming.
The Duke's Mansion is located in the southeast corner of Shangdong, covering an area of over 100 acres. The buildings are densely packed and exceptionally exquisite.
Bai Zhiyi sat in the Qinglan Courtyard in the backyard of the Duke's Mansion, resting her chin on her hands, gazing blankly at the maple tree outside the wall.
"Miss, your nose is all better now, why do you still look so preoccupied?" The maid placed a fruit plate on the round table in front of Bai Zhiyi. "You used to like to eat pears after lunch, but you don't anymore."
Bai Zhiyi took a pear, put it to her lips, took a bite, and chewed slowly.
Ever since she learned that Doctor Su was Su Wan, Bai Zhiyi has been in a state of unease.
If Su Wan were an ordinary woman, she would have plenty of ways to deal with her. But that person looked completely innocent, and was no less cunning than her, yet was actually quite shrewd.
Thinking back to those days in the Northwest, Su Wan didn't seem to regard her as any serious opponent at all.
To put it simply, they treated her like she didn't exist.
Even after Su Wan learned that her intention was to get close to the Crown Prince, she still didn't take her seriously. She neither had Wei Jingzhuo drive her away nor prevented her from entering and leaving the General's Mansion.
On a more complex level, Su Wan is very shrewd and doesn't show off. On a simpler level, she's easygoing and doesn't hold grudges.
Regardless of which one it was, in Su Wan's eyes, she seemed to be just an insignificant passerby.
This intentional or unintentional disregard is far more painful than a direct confrontation. She considered Su Wan her rival, but Su Wan never even considered her.
His Highness, on the contrary, grew to dislike her. He banished her from the General's Mansion and forbade her from ever setting foot there again.
She had no choice but to hurriedly return to the capital.
Seeing that she remained silent, the maidservant cautiously said, "Miss, I heard from people outside that His Majesty will be holding a selection of officials next month. I heard that as long as one has passed the coming-of-age ceremony, daughters of officials of the fifth rank or above must participate in the selection."
"What?" Bai Zhiyi was startled, dropping the pear in her hand. She stood up and grabbed the maid's arm. "Who told you that?"
I remember that in my previous life, Emperor Kangping also proposed the selection of concubines at this time, but there were no requirements back then.
The ministers assumed it was just a whim of the emperor, and those eligible for the palace selection only symbolically sent their illegitimate daughters to participate. The legitimate daughters were reserved for marriages to families of equal social standing.
The eldest daughters of the great families, carefully nurtured, are not meant to accompany the old emperor to his grave.
At this time in her previous life, she was already engaged to the Fifth Prince, so she naturally didn't need to participate in the imperial concubine selection. Therefore, she hadn't paid any attention to the emperor's selection of concubines.
But in this life, she had no intention of marrying the Fifth Prince.
Seeing that she was speechless, the maid hesitated for a moment before saying, "Miss, since you returned to the capital, you haven't paid much attention to what's going on outside. This matter has already spread throughout the entire capital."
In the capital, those who dote on their daughters have already arranged marriages, fearing that their daughters might be chosen to serve the old emperor in the palace.
Only the young lady remained indifferent to what was happening outside, still thinking about that jade-faced general every day.
After hearing her words, Bai Zhiyi got up and ran to her mother's courtyard.
In the hall, Madam Bai was drinking her post-lunch herbal tea when she saw her daughter rush in in a panic, completely losing the composure expected of a noblewoman. She then gestured for the maids around her to leave.
After the servants had all left, Bai Zhiyi asked impatiently, "Mother, does His Majesty really want all the daughters of officials of the fifth rank and above to enter the palace to participate in the selection?"
Bai's mother picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and lowered her eyelids without responding.
Bai Zhiyi looked anxious and grabbed her mother's arm with both hands, shaking it and saying, "Mother, please tell me."
"Zhiyi, what did I teach you?" Mother Bai put down her teacup and said sternly, "Never forget the rules. What kind of behavior is it to rush in like that?"
Bai Zhiyi immediately bowed and apologized: "Mother, I know I was wrong. Are there any younger sisters in the manor who want to enter the palace to participate in the selection of concubines?"
With a helpless expression, Bai's mother said, "Don't ask anymore. His Majesty has already issued a decree that you must also participate in the selection."
Emperor Kangping knew at a glance what his daughter's beauty was unparalleled in the capital.
Bai Zhiyi's expression changed drastically. She angrily turned her body away and said, "I don't want to go! I don't want to marry that old emperor who's about to die!"
"Zhiyi, you are not allowed to speak disrespectfully to His Majesty!" Madam Bai shouted sternly. She glanced outside and, seeing that the servants were all far away, lowered her voice, "This is the Emperor's decree. How could your father and I dare to refuse?"
"I clearly wrote to you when I was in the Northwest. Don't you believe that His Highness the Crown Prince is still alive?"
Bai Zhiyi still couldn't believe her father would make such a choice.
There are other women born out of wedlock in the household, so why should she be chosen to enter the palace for the imperial concubine selection?
In her past life, she was already miserable enough marrying the fifth prince. If she had to marry the old emperor in this life, she would rather die.
Mother Bai grabbed her hand: "Back then you absolutely refused to marry the Fifth Prince, and now you're famous for your status as a goddess. Tell me, which family would dare to take you in?"
Mentioning this, Bai's mother frowned and couldn't help but scold, "What exactly did you do when you left the capital this time? How did the reputation of being a goddess spread? Your father and I have tried our best to cover it up for you, but the fact that you are a goddess still reached the palace."
It was because of this matter that Consort Li urged the Duke's Mansion to agree to the marriage with the Fifth Prince. They declined, citing that their daughter was still in another city.
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