Chapter 755: The Showgirl (Additional chapter for 300 monthly tickets)
Although I went there with the intention of strengthening my body and trying to live a few more years, it would undoubtedly be great if it could have some practical value.
Due to Zhou Xu's previous appointment, Xie Liancheng will leave for Lulin City to take up his post in two days.
Fortunately, he had a good memory. Two days, plus Jie Liancheng's dedicated teaching, were enough for him to memorize the moves of Tai Chi. He then practiced them slowly every day and mastered them.
After Xie Liancheng set off, the morning Tai Chi exercise quickly became part of Zhou Xu's daily life.
Just like that, half a month passed and a list was delivered to Zhou Xu.
“What is this list?”
Zhou Xu, who was working at the time, had a strange look on his face.
Seeing this, Silk replied softly.
"Your Majesty, this is the list of candidates for the beauty pageant. The ones on the list are the carefully selected beauties."
“…”
Zhou Xuwang had not forgotten this matter, but he was still thinking about work problems a moment ago and couldn't come to his senses all of a sudden.
Now, after hearing Silk's words, Zhou Xu's gaze fell on the list in front of him again.
Even in the modern times that made him feel boring, in the more than 20 years of his life, he had never felt an emotion called "love" towards any woman, and he knew this very well.
Sometimes, he would wonder if he hadn't met the one he truly loved yet, but later on, he felt more that maybe he was just a naturally heartless person and would never fall in love with anyone in his life.
After traveling through time and space, in this brand new world, his ambition was thoroughly aroused and growing, causing him to devote all his enthusiasm to the great cause called "Great Zhou".
In this state, Zhou Xu had even less interest in love matters.
This is also the fundamental reason why he was very indifferent about the matter of selecting concubines to have children with him.
Because in his opinion, this is just a means to achieve his goal.
The Great Zhou needed an heir, it was that simple! Considering the inheritance of the Great Zhou, offspring were still very important, which made him pay more attention to this matter.
"Just three people?"
Looking at the three names on the list, Zhou Xu couldn't help but be stunned. This really didn't leave him much room for choice.
"Minister Li said that these three people were carefully selected from all over the country and were the best of the best."
Silk conveyed Li Bowen's words truthfully.
Zhou Xu's expression was like "I don't believe him!"
However, this time, Zhou Xu had indeed wronged him. Considering the total population here, these three beauties were one in a million, and they were indeed the result of their careful selection and choosing the best of the best.
But in the end, only three beauties were selected for Zhou Xu to choose from. This was not their original intention, but they simply could not pick out more suitable women.
The previous tyrant Emperor Yan Sheng was simply a sex-hungry ghost. He would hold beauty contests every now and then, resulting in very few women in their country who were of the right age, unmarried, and good-looking.
After picking out three suitable beauties, if they squeezed in some unsuitable ones to make up the numbers just to save face, it would not look good at all, and they were even more afraid of being blamed by their emperor.
Of course, in addition to this, they have another concern.
That is because they are afraid that there are too many concubines in the harem, which will cause their emperor to become obsessed with women and lose interest in state affairs, and then follow in the footsteps of Yan Sheng.
It’s not that Li Bowen and the others are loyal to Zhou Xu or care about the country and the people, but once something like this happens, the country will be in turmoil, and their lives will not be easy.
Now that their emperor has completed the unification, they still hope for long-term stability. Chaos is not good for anyone.
For this purpose, Li Bowen even put his own precious daughter, who had just turned 28, on the list.
You know, when Yan Sheng was still alive, he hid his precious daughter very well.
While doing this to show that he is fulfilling his duties, Li Bowen naturally has his own plans.
Judging from their ages, his precious daughter was indeed old enough to get married, but when he looked around at the men of the right age, he felt that they were all a bunch of ugly guys and none of them was worthy of his precious daughter.
Under this premise, that Majesty is a good choice. Marrying his daughter into the palace will also help consolidate his position in the court.
Besides, once the daughter gave birth to the prince, wouldn't she become the crown prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty?! From this perspective, there are absolutely no disadvantages.
When Zhou Xu heard the news, he was stunned for a moment, and he knew exactly what Li Bowen was planning.
"Come to think of it, didn't Li Bowen brag before that his daughter is kindhearted and often goes out to distribute porridge to help the people during famine?"
"That's what happened."
Silk nodded. As the captain of the personal guards, he was standing next to Zhou Xu at the time, so he naturally heard everything.
"Let the three beauties rest first, and tell them that I'm busy with government affairs today and don't have time to choose them. Silk, go check the three people on the list as carefully as possible and report back to me."
"yes!"
With a response, Silk turned around and carried out the order.
After all, she is a woman to be taken into the harem, so her background must be clearly understood to avoid causing trouble for oneself in the future.
After giving the order, Zhou Xu returned to his regular life again and did not show much interest in the three beauties who had been settled in the palace.
Just like that, a few days passed, and Silk returned with the intelligence he had found.
"Your Majesty, according to my investigation, Li Bowen's daughter does have a good reputation among the people. During the famine, she often went out to give out porridge to the people."
After saying that, he reported the identities of the other two beauties.
Without exception, they are all daughters of officials, and they all have the same idea as Li Bowen.
But in fact, under the premise of the requirement of "outstanding appearance", there is really no better choice than the daughter of an official who lives a life of luxury.
After all, in this era, the living environment of women from ordinary families was really poor. Even if they were not pale and thin due to malnutrition, their skin would be dark and rough because they had to work in the fields and were often exposed to wind and sun.
At first glance, most of them fail to meet this requirement of 'outstanding appearance'.
On the other hand, the daughters of wealthy families not only have no worries about food and clothing, but also do not need to be exposed to the wind and sun. They live a life of luxury every day and naturally grow fair and plump.
A white complexion can conceal three kinds of ugliness. You can tell at a glance whether a girl is from a wealthy family. This in itself is a reflection of material strength. How can girls from ordinary families compare with her?
So although this talent show is nationwide, in fact it only selects from those wealthy and powerful families.
After all, it’s not easy for a golden phoenix to fly out of the chicken coop.
After listening to Silk's report, Zhou Xu had a basic idea in his mind.
"Let's go, take the list, and arrange for us to meet the three beauties in the Imperial Garden."
(End of this chapter)
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