Sure enough, there are no ugly two-dimensional characters, but if she looked at more, she wouldn't be able to tell which one was more handsome.
"As Your Majesty commands, the third batch of candidates for the imperial examination is the last one. These are all sons of central government officials, from prominent families, mostly from noble clans and powerful families. Many of them are sons of important officials in the court. Your Majesty must treat them with caution and not discourage the nobles," Chief Steward Shen said earnestly.
Listening to Chief Steward Shen's words, one can't help but think that she was the chief steward personally trained by Chu Yanxi. Although her words were slightly out of line, they were for her sake.
Chen Xiao nodded politely to Chief Eunuch Shen, "Don't worry, Chief Eunuch Shen, I understand."
The second batch of candidates were sent back to Chuxiu Palace before they even had a chance to meet the Emperor, which made the remaining candidates a little nervous. They even secretly wondered if someone had angered the Emperor and were afraid that it would affect them and prevent them from entering the palace to bring glory to their families.
The third batch of candidates consisted of only ten men, all of whom entered the palace together to meet the emperor.
Chen Xiao looked at the ten people in front of him, each of them with an outstanding appearance, no less than the top stars in the modern entertainment industry.
They seem to have all sorts of personalities and different looks, but without exception, they are all tall and have good figures.
Chen Xiao hurriedly called out to Xi Xi, "You know what, I finally understand why Chu Yanxi has more than a hundred concubines. These paper figures are so handsome that it's effortless. Adding them to the harem is just as satisfying as playing an otome game."
Xi Xi was speechless. "Host... do you really think Chu Yanxi would take them in just because of their looks?"
"That's true, with my wife's personality and charm, she doesn't care about men at all!" Chen Xiao said proudly.
Whenever Chu Yanxi is mentioned, Chen Xiao feels very happy, proud and honored. Even after Xi Xi corrected her for a whole week, she still occasionally calls Chu Yanxi her wife.
After talking with Xi Xi, Chen Xiao began to see the scene more and more like a talent show in a game, and his nervousness disappeared.
But although these men were handsome, she didn't like any of them, so she spoke up:
"Have all of them become palace attendants. I'll look at them later." Chen Xiao said, then got up to leave.
Chief Steward Shen quickly spoke up, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment, there are two more people."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao looked at Steward Shen and asked in surprise, "Oh? Isn't this the last batch?"
"Your Majesty, one of these two is the man with allergies I mentioned earlier, and the other is his elder brother." Chief Eunuch Shen knew that the new emperor was often forgetful, so he patiently explained to Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao sat back on his high seat, adopting an imperial demeanor: "There are too many handsome men; I had completely forgotten. Quickly summon them in!"
The two beauties of the Xu family entered the palace.
Chen Xiao looked at the two of them. One was dressed in light yellow and looked gentle and refined; the other was dressed in light blue and looked aloof and taciturn.
However, they all have extremely good looks, and their clothes are made of very luxurious fabrics, so they must come from prominent families, which is why even something as trivial as allergies requires Chief Steward Shen to investigate thoroughly.
Xu Ruyu and Xu Ruyan stood side by side and bowed together, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
"No need for formalities. I've heard that someone has developed a rash all over their body. Which one of you is it?" Chen Xiao asked gently.
Xu Ruyu looked at her brother, but her brother lowered his head and remained silent. Xu Ruyu suppressed her dissatisfaction and replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, this is my younger brother. He took his medicine before the audience and is now fine. As for the allergic reaction, it was actually because my younger brother was greedy and ate some walnut pastries."
"I see. So you weren't harmed by someone else. Why did you conduct an investigation earlier?" Chen Xiao noticed Xu Ruyan's strange behavior but pretended not to see it.
Xu Ruyan seemed to snap out of her daze, slightly raising her head to face the Emperor directly. "Your Majesty, I was unaware of my walnut allergy. This walnut pastry was given to me by my aunt before I entered the palace. It was my first time in the palace, and I wasn't used to it. I missed my family very much, so I ate some. I never expected to have an allergic reaction, which delayed the imperial concubine selection ceremony. I know I was wrong, but I have something to say..."
Xu Ruyu quickly interrupted Xu Ruyan, "Your Majesty may not know this, but although my father and the Emperor Emeritus were childhood friends, they have not seen each other for a long time, and have never seen Your Majesty's face. This time, I was fortunate enough to see Your Majesty's face when I entered the palace. If I tell my father this when I return home, he will be overjoyed!"
Okay, one or two of them are trying to fool me with nonsense, fine, let's just fool each other then!
Chen Xiao feigned surprise and said, "Oh? So, your fathers are Prime Minister Xu? I've heard my mother mention that Prime Minister Xu has two exceptionally talented sons, one legitimate and one illegitimate, but they are more like brothers. Why were they both sent to the palace?"
The two exchanged a glance, and Xu Ruyu replied, "Your Majesty is wise. My father is indeed the Prime Minister. When my father was young, he was just a commoner who was talented but unappreciated. It was the Emperor Emeritus who promoted my father, so my father is extremely grateful to the Emperor Emeritus."
However, due to certain reasons, my father and the Emperor Emeritus have not seen each other for decades. Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, my father, to repay the kindness shown to him in his youth, has specially sent the two of us to the palace, hoping that we may be of some help to Your Majesty.”
Steward Shen watched silently as the three of them used their delicate faces to weave beautiful words and express their deceitful intentions. She was getting sleepy listening to them. Thank you.
So he whispered to Chen Xiao, "Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus specifically instructed me before his travels that the Prime Minister and she complement each other. If Your Majesty has a good impression of her two sons, I hope Your Majesty will bring them into the palace."
The Prime Minister attaches great importance to them. This eldest son, Xu Ruyu, is the eldest son of the legitimate wife. He has received cultivation in all aspects since birth and has good talent in both literature and martial arts.
Although this second young master is born out of wedlock, he is exceptionally talented. At only a few years old, he has already become the most brilliant scholar in the capital, and is favored by many noble ladies. If the two of them enter the palace together, they will surely manage the harem exceptionally well!
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao looked at Steward Shen with suspicion, pondering for a moment, feeling that Chu Yanxi would not give her such an order.
Seeing Chen Xiao's expression, Chief Eunuch Shen realized he had spoken too much and quickly knelt down, bowing his head to admit his mistake, "It was this servant who spoke out of turn, I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
Seeing Chief Steward Shen like this, Chen Xiao seemed to suddenly remember something and laughed. The three people in the hall all looked at her.
Chen Xiao quickly suppressed his smile, waved to Steward Shen to signal her to stand up, and then spoke to the Xu family members.
"I am aware of the Prime Minister's intentions. Therefore, you two shall enter the palace together! Xu Ruyu shall be conferred the title of Consort Yu and shall reside in the main hall of Jingyang Palace. Xu Ruyan shall be conferred the title of Consort Yan and shall reside in the side hall of Jingyang Palace."
Xu Ruyu's expression remained unchanged, while Xu Ruyan lowered her head, and the two bowed together.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After Chen Xiao finished speaking, he left, leaving only the three of them in the hall. Xu Ruyu, unlike before, now stared straight at Chen Xiao's departing figure.
Xu Ruyan remained rooted to the spot, unaware of her brother's actions.
Seeing the two men's clearly contrasting moods, Steward Shen smiled inwardly and turned to leave.
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