The talent show has concluded. Of the fifty candidates, only four have been selected, three of whom have been given titles; ten others are awaiting appointment.
The Qianqing Palace.
Steward Shen presented the list and portraits to Chen Xiao.
"Your Majesty, these are the family backgrounds and suggested ranks for the candidates to be selected for the imperial examinations. Please take a look."
Chen Xiao took it and examined it carefully.
The first portrait is of Qi Yanyun, 20 years old, the second son of a wealthy merchant from Guangling, holding the rank of Jieyu, and residing in the side hall of Zhongcui Palace.
The man in the portrait was dressed in white, with bamboo embroidered on his clothes, spreading out like an ink painting. As for his face, she didn't have many adjectives, just the appearance of a handsome, noble young man.
"Is this Qi Yanyun Qi Yanshang's younger brother? Why isn't he meeting the Emperor in the same batch as his brother?" Chen Xiao asked doubtfully.
But internally, he was raging, "Why is everyone sending in pairs of brothers? Unbelievable! Thank goodness they're not twins, or I wouldn't be able to tell them apart!"
Chief Steward Shen took on the role of an encyclopedia, and "bang bang" was his explanation.
"Your Majesty, Qi Yanyun's situation is special. When he was young, he was separated from his family and taken in by the retired Emperor's elder sister, Grand Princess Qianyun. Although he did not have a title, he was considered half a member of the royal family. Later, after Grand Princess Qianyun passed away, Qi Yanyun was able to return home, and thus he was separated from his elder brother and placed in different arrangements..."
Chen Xiao nodded knowingly, but still had some questions.
"But Princess Qianyun has no family, so why would she adopt a child of unknown origin? And why was Qi Yanyun only able to return home after her death?"
Upon hearing this, Chief Eunuch Shen chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, if you yourself are unaware of such royal secrets, how could this servant possibly know them!"
Steward Shen: "Guess whether I dare to say it or not."
Chen Xiao didn't notice anything suspicious about Steward Shen and continued reading.
The second one is Zhao Cheyu, 15 years old, the only son of Zhao Siyuan, the Minister of Works. He was a Noble Consort and was granted residence in the side hall of Changchun Palace.
She had just noticed this person because he had a delicate and youthful appearance, a baby face, a black robe with gold trim, a boyish figure, and half of his hair was tied up high with a black and gold hair crown. His eyes were as clear as crystals immersed in water.
Yes, he's her type, worth keeping an eye on. "Is there anything special about this one?"
"Your Majesty, this person is nothing special, it's just that..." Chief Eunuch Shen stammered for a long time before he could finish speaking.
Chen Xiao had a bad feeling. "Just what? Please speak freely."
"But this person grew up in the countryside, so his speech and behavior might be a bit... crude."
Chen Xiao: ...
"What family secret is it that would allow the only son to grow up in the countryside? And why can't it be told?"
Chief Eunuch Shen used the Emperor Emeritus as a shield: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It's not that I don't want to speak, but the Emperor Emeritus instructed me not to say anything more. If Your Majesty has any questions, please ask Consort Zhao yourself!"
Chen Xiao looked at Chief Steward Shen and finally gave in, "Alright, I have a rough idea of what's going on. I don't blame you. I'm tired. Let's leave the list as it is. You may leave!"
After responding, Steward Shen withdrew.
Chen Xiao called out to Xi Xi in his mind, "Are you there?"
No response.
"I know you're here, come out now, or I'll get angry!"
There was still no response.
Chen Xiao frowned. Where did this brat go? This system is slacking off! Points deducted!
"Oh, host, your servant is here!" Xi Xi's sarcastic voice rang out.
"...Speak properly," Chen Xiao muttered through gritted teeth.
"Reporting to Host 003, you're not the only host of this system! This system was the first one created by our Supreme God! It's renowned throughout the entire space! Hmph!"
After speaking, Xi Xi turned her head away haughtily, refusing to look at Chen Xiao's expression on the screen.
Chen Xiao became interested. "How many more hosts do you have? Is the Main God one of those spacetime rift controllers like in novels? Or someone who manages the transmigration department? You're the first? I don't believe it. You can't be the only one, hahaha!"
Overwhelmed by a barrage of questions, Xi Xi replied perfunctorily, "Yes, host, you're right. Whatever makes you happy."
Chen Xiao knew he was being brushed off, and his face suddenly turned cold. "I know you have many secrets you're hiding from me. I may not know them, but you absolutely cannot betray me, or we'll perish together!"
Xi Xi stared at the screen, startled by Chen Xiao's sudden change in expression, and slumped onto the sofa before recovering.
This is the third time it has heard this sentence. It really is grateful. Why do these hosts always think that I would harm them?
Composing himself, he said in a slightly ingratiating tone, "Oh, host, don't worry, I would never betray you. It's just that the time isn't right yet, and there are many things I can't say."
Chen Xiao then dropped his feigned coldness. "When?"
Xi Xi replied seriously, "Host, you've only just ascended the throne, so your authority is at the lowest level. You'll be promoted one level every five years, and the information you can access varies with each level. For example, right now, I can only tell you some basic information about this world, such as the rank table and palace details you asked about before the selection process, which I answered truthfully!"
"The rank system of the Night Dynasty is divided into 18 levels, which is almost the same as that of the previous dynasty. However, since Chu Qiaoling did not change the rank names much, some are still the same as those of the previous dynasty. For example, the empress is still the empress, not the monarch and empress in other female emperor worlds."
"I didn't have time to explain the rankings to you in detail during the previous selection process, so let me go over the rankings with you now! The ranks are divided in the following order: Empress, Imperial Noble Consort, Noble Consort, Four Consorts (Virtuous and Gentle), Consort, Nine Concubines (Three Zhao, Three Xiu, Three Chong), Jieyu, Noble Concubine, Ronghua, Concubine, Noble Lady, Talented Lady, Beauty, Attendant, Lady-in-Waiting, Attendant to the Emperor, Selected Attendant, and Imperial Daughter."
"The palaces were divided into Kunning Palace, where the Empress lived; Yilan Palace, where the Imperial Noble Consort lived; Chengqian Palace, Yikun Palace, Zhaoyang Palace, and Yanxi Palace, which each housed only one person; Changning Palace and Xianfu Palace, which were divided into east and west courtyards; Changle Palace and Weiyang Palace, which were divided into north and south courtyards; Yonghe Palace, Yongshou Palace, Jingren Palace, and Jingyang Palace, which were symmetrically arranged in pairs; and Zhongcui Palace and Changchun Palace."
"There is also the official system, which is divided into central officials and local officials. The highest-ranking central official is the prime minister, while the local officials are led by the prefect. Officials who can attend court are of the fourth rank or above, and..."
After a long silence from Chen Xiao, Xi Xi finally shifted its gaze from the side screen to the main screen, only to find that its host was asleep.
It searched so hard! It talked so hard! And its host just fell asleep!
It hates it!
But then I thought, the matter of hiding it can be overlooked, hehe, that's great.
It quietly watched the host in the light screen. This body was only 15 years old, still a bit immature, but it was gradually growing up and beginning to show its beauty. It was somewhat similar to the host in reality, but the host didn't seem to notice this. Perhaps it was because the mirror in ancient times was not clear. That's great, one less question.
"We hope the host can recover soon..."
Xi Xi sat on the sofa, staring at Chen Xiao and muttering to herself.
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