Whether Shu Yu will keep the plaque is not up to He Yue and Shisan, but they can arrange for someone to take care of her.
As long as the emperor has no intention, Thirteen can request the emperor to find a suitable husband for Shuyu.
Besides Shuyu, Hongchang has also reached marriageable age and needs to be married off to one of the young ladies selected from this year's imperial concubines.
Among the emperor's sons, Hongli and Hongzhou were still young and not yet of marriageable age.
Hongshi already had a primary consort when he was still a prince, so this selection process was only to choose a secondary consort and a princess.
The day of the draft arrived quickly.
Heyue couldn't see the selection process taking place and could only wait for news inside the mansion.
In the preliminary selection, Shu Yu was naturally given a spot.
On the day of the palace selection, He Yue couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Given Shu Yu's looks and family background, it's perfectly normal for her to be selected, but being too beautiful isn't necessarily a good thing.
In the past, the selection of candidates for the imperial harem focused more on the candidate's character and family background, while appearance was secondary. Otherwise, if a woman was too beautiful, she could easily cause a great deal of trouble upon entering the palace and affect the stability of the harem.
Little did people know that Consort Liang, née Wei, was exceptionally beautiful, yet she was not favored by the emperor, and this was precisely the reason.
Hopefully, Fourth Brother will consider this and won't keep Shu Yu's nameplate.
However, what people fear most often comes to pass.
A few days later, Heyue heard the news that Shuyu had been selected and her name had been reserved.
The so-called Eight Banners selection process was divided into preliminary selection and palace selection. Those who were rejected in the preliminary selection went home directly, while those whose names were kept had to be personally reviewed and selected by the emperor and empress dowager, which was the palace selection.
Since the Empress Dowager had passed away, the selection was conducted by the Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, who held the highest rank among the Emperor's and the late Emperor's concubines.
Those whose names were selected during the palace selection were either sent home or betrothed to princes or members of the imperial clan. Those whose names were kept on the list again would be reviewed and examined again. These people would then have the opportunity to become candidates for imperial concubines and enter the palace to serve the emperor.
Those who met the requirements and were granted a plaque during this period were called "registered," and those whose plaques were personally granted by the emperor were called "superior registered."
The remaining candidates will stay in the palace for further evaluation, and those selected will directly become concubines in the palace.
Shu Yu was selected and kept, and the next step was to have her reviewed and examined at each level. It was very likely that she would be chosen by the emperor.
He Yue was in a panic.
What's wrong with Fourth Brother? Doesn't he dote on Nian Shi? How come he's taken a liking to Shu Yu?
Shu Yu was not only the apple of Sixth Sister's eye, but He Yue also loved Shu Yu dearly and would never stand by and watch Shu Yu enter the palace.
He Yue knew all too well what the palace was like. Not to mention that Consort Nian had been the most favored concubine before, it would be very difficult for Shu Yu to compete with Consort Nian after entering the palace.
Between the Empress and Consort Qi, which one is easy to get along with?
Any woman could devour the pampered and naive Shu Yu whole, leaving not a trace.
When Thirteen returned from the palace that evening, Heyue hurriedly asked about the situation. Thirteen seemed very worried and told Heyue about Yongzheng's attitude: "I think the Emperor really cares about Shuyu. Originally, I thought I would talk to the Emperor myself to test him. If the Emperor really didn't care, he would naturally agree to bestow a marriage upon Shuyu. But the Emperor refused outright."
He Yue stared in disbelief, then gritted her teeth and said, "What does he mean? How old is he? Does he still want to ruin a young girl? How could he do that? Isn't Consort Nian in the palace enough? What does he want Shu Yu to do in the palace?"
Thirteen's expression changed, and he scolded, "What are you saying? How can you speak of the Emperor like that?"
He Yue huffed, "So what if I said that? Can't I even speak the truth? Doesn't he know what's going on? Shu Yu is so young, entering the palace will ruin her life! Tomorrow I'm going to the palace to see the Emperor and make sure he drops Shu Yu's title!"
"Look at you, why are you so angry? Even if you go, will the Emperor agree? Don't forget, Fourth Brother is the Emperor now. Besides, the Emperor isn't someone you can just see whenever you want. Judging from the Emperor's intentions, Shu Yu is definitely going to enter the palace. None of us can stop her. You'd better not even think about it." Thirteen put his arm around her waist and patiently coaxed her.
Although Heyue was angry, she knew that Thirteen was right. In the past, she always disguised herself as a eunuch to see Yongzheng. If she went to settle accounts now, Yongzheng might not be willing to see her.
"So you're just going to let Shu Yu enter the palace?" He Yue pushed Thirteen hard.
Thirteen staggered, pulled her down to sit, and smiled bitterly: "You should understand me. What can I say? Although the Emperor treats me as always, he is still the Emperor. I know the consequences of some things, so how can I say them? If I do, I will incur the Emperor's wrath, and neither you nor I can bear that responsibility."
He Yue fell silent; such a fact was indeed very frustrating.
"There's one more thing I need to tell you." Thirteen glanced at He Yue's face and said cautiously, "Haven't you noticed? Shu Yu and Consort Nian are very similar, in temperament and personality, so it's not surprising that the Emperor took a liking to Shu Yu."
He Yue was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it carefully, it was true. Both Shu Yu and Nian Shi had a gentle and graceful temperament. The difference was that Shu Yu was more cheerful and did not have the frailty and melancholy feeling of Nian Shi.
This fact made Heyue even angrier, and she glared angrily at Thirteen: "There is Consort Nian in the palace, what does he need Shuyu for?"
"Who knows?" Thirteen shook his head. "In any case, you shouldn't hold out any hope for this matter, and don't go to the Emperor to make trouble. Also, the Emperor told me that among the candidates for the imperial concubines, there are two women from the Ulanara and Guarjia clans who are of good character and appearance and are worthy of the position of the wife of the Prince Yi's heir. He plans to marry them to Hongchang. The Emperor asked me to ask you what you think."
"Ask me?" He Yue was puzzled. Did she really need to be asked for her opinion on something like this?
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
