Chapter 214 Standing Skills
Xiao Fu smiled. "It seems His Majesty doesn't want to choose a concubine."
Duke Anguo was startled and quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. My granddaughter is clumsy with words and often says nonsensical things at home, which makes people laugh."
Xiao Fu realized she had spoken out of turn and felt somewhat uneasy.
But when she turned around, she saw that His Majesty the Emperor did not seem displeased at all. Instead, he smiled and nodded, saying, "You noticed that, Princess. Tell me, how did you figure it out?"
Xiao Fu felt relieved and smiled as well.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was being presumptuous."
She glanced at the weather and said, "It snowed just the day before yesterday, and the weather is getting colder and colder. His Majesty chose to select concubines in such a cold place, and he also said beforehand that those who couldn't stay would be sent back. This... is already quite obvious."
"You still dare to talk back!" Duke Anguo glared at her.
Xiao Fu boldly said, "Your Majesty is so kind and magnanimous, how could you possibly blame a subject like me?"
Xiao Qing smiled.
Xiao Yan watched this scene silently, feeling rather unconvinced.
His elder brother wasn't always so "kind and generous" to everyone.
It took him three years, and only recently, to receive such gentle treatment from him.
Thinking about it, a quick idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
Why did his elder brother treat him differently from others?
Why?
His gaze swept across Xiao Qing's face almost imperceptibly.
Xiao Fu glanced at Xiao Yan and saw him looking serious and earnest, like a little adult. She then recalled his background and their shared experience of being captured in Beiping'an City.
After everyone was seated, Ma Hong went to lead the thirty-seven good men.
Wang Yu naturally stood at the head of the group.
As she walked, she secretly glanced at Xiao Qing, who was sitting in the first seat, feeling delighted.
Wang Yu had been looking forward to seeing Xiao Qing ever since she entered the palace. She even secretly tried to bribe Ma Hong, but Ma Hong just smiled and said that it was against the rules of the palace.
What are rules? No one had ever spoken such a thing to her in all these years. Her father doted on her, her friends listened to her every word, and whatever she wanted to do or get, there was no reason why she couldn't achieve it or get it.
But could Ma Hong be a blockhead?
He didn't even consider that with her talent, looks, and family background, she would definitely be selected to enter the palace.
At that time, even if he is someone close to the emperor, he will still have to give her some face, right?
How can you be so inflexible?
She had so much to say, but Fu Lanzhu and Chu Lianzhou were both there, and Ma Hong didn't give her the chance at all.
She's so angry!
Unable to vent her anger on Ma Hong, she naturally turned it on Fu Lanzhu and Chu Lianzhou.
But for some reason, these two people, who had never met before and were complete strangers, started traveling together after entering the palace, and seemed to be very close.
Not only that, Chu Lianzhou is especially despicable. She had never known before that Chu Lianzhou could be so capable of making things difficult for her!
Although she seemed unassuming and unassuming, it was precisely this hypocritical demeanor that disgusted her even more.
Hmph, why would His Majesty the Emperor keep her in Chengde Palace for three days? There's nothing special about her at all!
As for playing the zither... well, so what if she's a zither fanatic? The Chu family is already a rotten shell; what right does she have to stand beside His Majesty?
Wang Yu grew angrier the more she thought about it, but now that she was in front of Xiao Qing, she remembered her father’s words: His Majesty is a gentle and kind emperor with a reputation for benevolence, and he must like gentle and virtuous women.
She knew her age was no longer an advantage, but she had a good father.
She wanted to enter the palace, to become the most honored woman in the world, and to have a husband as handsome, gentle, and powerful as His Majesty…
Unexpectedly, this gave rise to an endless longing within her.
If it weren't for the Grand Tutor's obstruction, she could have gotten close to His Majesty and started cultivating feelings for him from a young age when His Majesty came to Nanhua three years ago.
In that case, they could be considered childhood sweethearts.
As Wang Yu fantasized about such things, the smile on her face became even more genuine.
However, these were all just her imagination.
Xiao Qing would never want to develop any childhood sweetheart relationship with her.
"Let's begin." Once everyone was in place, Xiao Qing said calmly.
She noticed that Wang Yu and Fu Lanzhu were standing in the first row, while Chu Lianzhou stood quietly in the third row, looking rather inconspicuous.
Her gaze lingered on Fu Lanzhu several times.
Although Fu Mingyi saw the usefulness of Chu Lianzhou and did not object to Chu Lianzhou entering the palace, the biggest disagreement between her and Fu Mingyi lay with Wang Yu and Fu Lanzhu.
She believed that since Chu Lianzhou was chosen, there was no need to select anyone else.
However, Fu Mingyi believed that Wang Yu must be selected, therefore, Fu Lanzhu also needed to be selected.
This is almost a representation of the power struggle within the imperial court manifesting itself in the inner palace.
Xiao Qing still felt that this was unnecessary.
Moreover, with so many people involved, wouldn't selecting so many women to enter the palace increase the risk of her being exposed?
After discussing this issue twice, Fu Mingyi had reservations, while she decided to stick to her initial idea.
However, as the old saying goes, plans can never keep up with changes.
Duke Anguo was completely unaware of her thoughts.
Although it didn't snow today, everyone stood in the garden, and the emperor just watched without doing anything.
At first, everyone could stand still, but as time went on, they felt increasingly strange, cold, and unable to bear it.
Wang Yu was smiling at first, but later she felt the muscles in her face stiffen.
Why haven't you started yet?
Most of these women were pampered young ladies who were always accompanied by servants when they went out, and all their affairs were carefully managed. They had never been left out in this cold weather so inexplicably.
Xiao Fu didn't understand what the emperor wanted to do, but she sat there quietly without moving her hand.
Xiao Qing simply watched in silence, her gaze seemingly never lingering on anyone.
But she could clearly see which women remained in the same standing posture as before, their facial expressions unchanged.
A quarter of an hour, half an hour, half an hour...
Some of the men's faces had turned pale, clearly indicating they couldn't hold on any longer.
Xiao Fu then realized the emperor's patience.
Xiao Yan was thinking about how many books he could read in an hour; sitting here was a waste of time.
If I had known this would happen, I should have brought the chubby baby over.
Xiao Qing gave Ma Hong a few instructions.
Ma Hong then stepped forward and looked through the thirty-seven name tags engraved with names and origins on a nearby table. He then picked out most of the name tags and instructed the palace servants beside him to return them to them one by one.
This means they were not selected and can go home and rest.
Some of the women's expressions immediately changed.
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