It seems that today, it's not just about selecting concubines for the emperor.
'That damned emperor really has a clever plan. He keeps what he likes and gives away what he doesn't. He's disgusting.' An Ning couldn't help but curse in her heart.
'Hey, Mu Gou's token is here too. I wonder who he'll be given it to later. Hopefully, it'll be the daughter of a military general, so he can get a good beating.'
"Su Yunyan, Yangzhou Shipping Bureau".
"Su Yunyan greets the Emperor and Empress, wishing them long life and a loving marriage."
Having said that, she picked up a corner of her skirt with her slender hands and knelt down gracefully. It was a simple bow, but it was so smooth and pleasing to the eye.
"She's quite good; she's a well-behaved girl." The Empress looked at her with great satisfaction.
"Your Majesty, An Jin has been the Crown Prince for many years, but the position of Crown Princess has remained vacant. I think this lady is quite suitable. What do you think?"
The Empress fiddled with the beaded string in her hand: Su Yunyan is a woman from Yangzhou, gentle in nature, which is suitable.
"allow!"
“Su Yunyan of Yangzhou is gentle, modest, and self-disciplined. She is specially bestowed upon the Crown Prince as his consort.”
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Hearing these words, Su Yunyan was overjoyed. The weight that had been pressing on her heart eased a little. She was marrying the Crown Prince, and if there were no unforeseen circumstances, she would become the Empress. If that were the case, her parents' lives would be much better.
An Ning stepped forward, handed her the jade token from the Eastern Palace, and sincerely congratulated her, saying, "Congratulations, Miss."
Su Yunyan bowed and said, "Thank you, Father-in-law. You've worked hard."
'She really is a very polite girl.'
Having grown accustomed to tough girls like Lanxi and Wuying, seeing her now is quite a change.
The selection process continues. Yan Mufeng from Bingzhou was given to the Fifth Prince, Xu Jiao'er from Xuzhou was given to the Fourth Prince, and the one from Youzhou became the Second Prince's concubine. It is said that they are all in charge of merchants, so they should be able to get along well.
"Qingyao, the younger sister of the Lord of Qingzhou."
"Qingyao greets the Emperor and Empress."
A clear, detached voice suddenly rang out, causing everyone to crane their necks to look.
A Suzhou brocade dress shrouded in mist and water, covered by a translucent blue gauze robe, left a fragrance with every step, as if flowers were blooming with every step. With willow-leaf eyebrows and a faint complexion, she was a truly aloof and cold beauty.
An Ning was stunned; she was practically drooling.
"Stay here," the emperor said loudly, his eyes lighting up.
"Qingyao, the younger sister of the Lord of Qingzhou, is bestowed with a jade tablet."
An Ning felt as if her heart was being torn apart: What a waste! What a waste!
If possible, she really wanted to stab the emperor directly to save this beauty from her predicament.
As usual, Anning stepped forward with the jade token and kindly reminded her, "If you don't want to serve the emperor, just tell me."
Qingyao was slightly taken aback, glanced at her, then took the jade token and said in a low voice, "It's alright."
An Ning walked back to Eunuch Wu's side, feeling somewhat annoyed: Was this sister going to give up?
The talent show didn't completely end until dinner time.
Wu Ying was granted the title of Jieyu, while Qing Yao was granted the title of Zhaoyi, a second-rank official. This was the first time in history that a young woman had been granted such a title, and the highest rank ever.
After a busy day, Anning finally had a moment to rest. After leaving Yangju Palace, she went straight to her little house.
"Hello, hello, hello."
As soon as I stepped into the corridor, I heard a soft call.
An Ning looked in the direction of the voice and was quite surprised: "I have seen Consort Jieyu."
Upon hearing this, Wu Ying's face contorted in anger, and she rolled her eyes at her.
"Shut up, don't use that disgusting name."
An Ning chuckled and quickly corrected herself, "Greetings, Sister Wu Ying."
Actually, Anning was older than them, but since he was a eunuch, it was more affectionate to call him "elder sister".
"Well? Have you thought of any ideas?" Wu Ying asked anxiously.
An Ning stroked her chin and smiled slyly: "Of course, first of all, you can do this..."
Wu Ying raised an eyebrow: "Use your menstrual blood? Will that work?"
"It has to work, otherwise you have to fake illness, fake an infectious disease. No, no, if you fake an infectious disease, that dog emperor can just execute you. So, first, fake your period, then fake illness, the kind of illness that prevents you from getting out of bed."
Wu Ying nodded: "Thank you, I'll give you the money tomorrow."
An Ning curled her lips into a greedy smile: "Okay."
After saying goodbye to Wu Ying, I walked a few steps quickly back to my little house, but my heart suddenly felt uneasy for no reason.
The black wind should arrive on the appointed day!
"Brother Black Wind, have you arrived?"
An Ning stood there nervously, unsure of what to say.
"Brother Black Wind, I've put the wristband on the table for you. Take it yourself. I... I'm too tired today, so I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight."
After saying that, An Ning kicked off her shoes and dove into the bedding.
Time slipped away quietly, the moon rose above the willow branches, and those who had boarded the train were fast asleep.
With a click, the window was suddenly flung open, and a dark figure nimbly jumped down, took the wrist guard from the table, and then disappeared.
The next morning, right after the court session, the Yangju Hall was already packed with people.
"emperor!"
A heart-wrenching cry suddenly rang out.
Before Anning could react, she saw her kneel down with a thud, coughing three times.
"Tsk tsk tsk, that's really impressive." An Ning was utterly dumbfounded by what she saw.
"Why is Lady Zhang doing this?"
The emperor was already displeased that he hadn't been able to favor his new concubine yesterday, and this commotion early this morning only made him even more furious.
"Your Majesty, I humbly beg you to grant me a seat. Last night, in the Imperial Garden, the Third Prince, Mu Ange, said to me... said to me..."
An Ning's eyes widened, her fists clenched, her voice urgent yet excited: "What did I do to you? Huh? Tell me quickly, what did I do to you?"
"He attempted to take advantage of me... Fortunately, the guards arrived in time to save me from danger. The Third Prince, as a prince, actually harbored inappropriate lustful thoughts towards me. If this were to spread, how could I possibly maintain my position in the harem? Your Majesty, you must do me justice!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned. An Ning's eyes widened, and she wore a gloating expression that seemed to say, "Mu Gou, you're finished."
'Damn, Mutombo is so desperate! He actually went for something this low-quality? Wait... given Mutombo's despicable character, he shouldn't have made such a basic mistake!'
Thinking of this, An Ning couldn't help but suspect that there was more to the story.
"Insolence! Guards, summon the Third Prince!" The emperor roared, slamming his hand heavily on the wooden table.
"yes."
Eunuch Wu winked at An Ning: Go!
An Ning was slightly taken aback: Me?
Eunuch Wu was getting impatient: Why aren't you going yet?
"yes!"
After exiting the palace gates, An Ning nearly jumped for joy: "You surnamed Mu, let's see how you escape this calamity today! Hahaha, today is a good day, a truly good day! Mu dog is going to lose his head, lose his head!"
At the Third Prince's residence, An Ning stood with one hand on her hip and the other slamming her hand heavily on the gate: "Third Prince, the Emperor requests your presence!"
The high-pitched voice, with its deliberately drawn-out ending, almost made Mu Ange sick of it.
With a bang, the mansion gates burst open!
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