Chapter 61: Beauty

The Imperial Household Department was in charge of the selection of concubines, although the Queen Mother asked Consort Chunshu and Consort Gui to jointly manage the matter.

But the Queen Mother actually asked the two of them to restrain each other to prevent them from interfering with the concubines.

After all, the concubines in the harem were worried that some outstanding beauties would be selected and win the emperor's favor.

The monarchy's selection is divided into primary selection, re-selection and palace selection.

In this beauty pageant, women from all cities in the kingdom can participate, and since Jun Zechen is young, there are a lot of girls who sign up.

During the primary election, there were

Women of appropriate age are allowed to participate.

However, the preliminary selection will screen the women's appearance, figure, and manners, let them demonstrate their talents, and examine their character. In the end, only 1,500 girls will be able to enter the palace.

After entering the palace, the concubines will participate in the re-selection. After going through the previous rounds, they will undergo more rigorous screening.

This includes re-evaluation of talent, coping ability, etc.

Today, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has confirmed the list of concubines who will be able to participate in the palace selection tomorrow, a total of 150 concubines.

And thirty-five people will be left in the palace selection tomorrow.

Chuxiu Palace.

The maid Jingxiang was beaming with joy, her eyes sparkling with pride, and her tone was cheerful.

"Miss, you will definitely be selected in tomorrow's selection. During the days when I entered the palace to participate in the re-selection, I carefully looked at all the beauties in the palace, and there is really no one as beautiful as you."

Jingxiang grew up with the young lady since childhood and accompanied her to many banquets held by aristocratic families. She had never seen a woman more beautiful and charming than the young lady.

Nowadays, even the outstanding women in the various cities of the kingdom are not as good as her young lady.

There was a hint of pride on Chu Yinxue's face, and the corners of her eyes were slightly raised, as if with hooks.

The bright red lips are extremely alluring, and the combination of the bright and beautiful facial features is so enchanting that it is hard to take your eyes off them.

"I thought I could meet a woman who could match my beauty by participating in the beauty pageant, but I never expected that they were all just mediocre women."

Chu Yinxue sat gracefully in front of the dressing table, looking at her face in the mirror.

She is determined to win tomorrow's palace examination!

"Yes, young lady's beauty is truly unmatched. His Majesty is also a beautiful and graceful man, and in his prime. Young lady will surely be favored after entering the palace."

Jingxiang echoed from the side.

As long as the young lady is favored, my position as her personal maid will naturally rise along with her.

If they left the palace when they reached a certain age, they could escape slavery and find a good man to marry.

The corners of Chu Yinxue's mouth curled up slightly into a smile, and she seemed to be thinking of the endless glory she would have after entering the palace.

Suddenly, she seemed to have thought of something and her smile faded away.

"I heard that the most favored ones in the harem are Concubine Gui and Concubine Chun Shu. I have heard about Concubine Chun Shu when I was a concubine."

"I heard that her talent and appearance are the role models for women in Beijing."

When Chu Yinxue thought of Concubine Chun Shu, her face turned unhappy. After all, her father was also Concubine Chun Shu's subordinate.

However, if she could suppress Concubine Chun Shu in the harem, it would not be impossible for his father to replace Minister Su.

"Miss, Concubine Chun Shu was very low-key when she was at the palace, and she did not attend banquets held by young ladies from aristocratic families. Her talent and beauty were just rumors, so don't take them seriously."

"Besides, Concubine Chun Shu has already given birth to the eldest prince. Even if she was beautiful before, her appearance and figure must have been much worse after giving birth to the prince. She is definitely not as bright and beautiful as the young lady."

Chu Yinxue's mood immediately improved after hearing this, and she raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Indeed, how can a woman who has given birth to a child compare with me?"

"Miss, the weather today is really nice. The flowers in the small garden of Chuxiu Palace are blooming beautifully. Do you want to go out for a walk?"

Seeing that the young lady was in a good mood, Jingxiang offered a suggestion.

Chu Yinxue stood up lightly and flicked her sleeves, "Let's go for a walk."

The small garden of Chuxiu Palace was bustling with people coming and going at this time.

As concubines, they had no right to leave the Chuxiu Palace without permission, but fortunately, the Chuxiu Palace was extremely spacious and grand.

The ladies would gather in groups of three or five, either standing or admiring the flowers and chatting in low voices.

As the most distinguished person among the beauties in this show, Ye Yaqin was naturally surrounded by the utmost attention.

Her family was a family of military generals and had produced many famous generals. Even in her generation, her father was the most famous military general and held the high position of Grand Commander.

There is no obvious tendency to favor civil officials over military officials in the monarchy, but civil officials are always slightly higher in status than military officials.

The Ye family naturally did not want their daughter to have prejudices about being the descendant of a military commander, so they did their best to train Ye Yaqin and shape her into a dignified and elegant person.

Ye Yaqin's temperament is as gentle as flowing water.

"Sister Ye, the palace selection will be held tomorrow. I am really nervous."

"I really envy you, sister. Not only does she have a distinguished family background, but her talent and appearance are also among the best in this selection of girls. You will definitely be able to stay in the palace selection tomorrow."

The person who was speaking was Yan Xiaofei, whose father was Doctor Guanglu, also a high-ranking official of the second rank.

However, Yan Xiaofei is the concubine's daughter of the Yan family. If she were not the legitimate daughter and was only thirteen years old and not yet of the age for the beauty pageant, she would not be allowed to participate in the beauty pageant.

Most of the concubines this year are legitimate daughters. Even the daughters of some minor officials are legitimate daughters.

When facing some young ladies from small families, Yan Xiaofei would often unconsciously show her sense of superiority.

But when she stood in front of a real daughter of an aristocratic family like Ye Yaqin, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of inferiority in her heart.

Ye Yaqin turned her head slightly and looked at the crabapple flowers in full bloom in front of her with gentle eyes, with a smile as gentle as the spring breeze on her face all the time.

"Miss Yan, you are joking. Everything depends on your majesty's wishes. How can I know the outcome of tomorrow?"

Chu Yinxue came to the small garden gracefully, and her arrogant eyes did not even glance at the other beauties in the garden.

With just one glance, he could accurately see Ye Yaqin, who was surrounded by stars.

Among this year's beauties, only Ye Yaqin could pose some threat to her.

It's just that she really couldn't stand Ye Yaqin's pretentious attitude, but there was nothing she could do, after all, birds of a feather flock together.

Among this group of beautiful ladies, if Chu Yinxue had to choose to interact with someone, she would certainly not lower her status to interact with those women who are not as good as her.

So he walked straight towards where Ye Yaqin was.

However, she was not paying attention and accidentally bumped into someone.

Chu Yinxue was knocked back a few steps by the sudden collision, and her eyebrows raised instantly.

She was tall and slender, and she immediately shouted angrily: "Don't you have eyes? How dare you bump into me!"

The woman who was hit was also stunned for a moment. She was just thinking about going to the opposite side to find her good sister, and she didn't even notice someone walking towards her from the side.

"I'm sorry, Miss Chu, I didn't see you."

Lin Miaoyin's voice was full of apology and her brows were slightly furrowed. She really didn't mean it.

Chu Yinxue lowered her head and glanced at her. The woman was quite outstanding in appearance.

Then, Chu Yinxue raised her hand and lifted Lin Miaoyin's chin.

"Whose family are you from? I didn't do anything to you, did I? Who are you showing off your pitiful look to?"

"I am the daughter of the governor of Jinzhou. My name is Lin Miaoyin. I hope Miss Chu will forgive me."

Lin Miaoyin's eyes began to mist up because of Chu Yinxue's insulting tone.

Although Chu Yinxue has a rather outspoken personality, her outspokenness is not mindless.

Jinzhou?

This is one of the richest cities in the kingdom. After Lin Miaoyin enters the palace, she will at least not be short of money, and she can make friends with her.

But Chu Yinxue didn’t like her appearance very much. She looked so pitiful and seemed too petty.

"Today we have not met each other, and I don't mind Miss Lin's recklessness today."

"Thank you, sister."

Lin Miaoyin said gratefully that she was brought up with spoiled habits at home and had always been kind to others and had never had any grudges with anyone.

If she were chosen to enter the harem tomorrow, she would only think about living a peaceful and quiet life in the harem, not bringing any danger to the family, and being safe herself.

Chu Yinxue smiled faintly, held Lin Miaoyin's hand affectionately, and walked to Ye Yaqin's side.

"Sister Ye, this little garden is really lively today. I just bumped into such a beautiful girl."

Chu Yinxue deliberately brought Lin Miaoyin to Ye Yaqin just to annoy Ye Yaqin.

Who made Lin Miaoyin and Ye Yaqin look quite similar?

It's just that Ye Yaqin's temperament is more dignified and dignified, while Lin Miaoyin looks more delicate and gentle.

Chu Yinxue had met Ye Yaqin at some banquets before, and their family backgrounds were comparable.

They had quite a bit of contact with each other, so she naturally knew what Ye Yaqin cared about most.

It's nothing more than appearance. Although Ye Yaqin is quite good-looking, among so many beautiful ladies, she can only be ranked among the top ones by relying on her unique temperament.

When Lin Miaoyin heard Chu Yinxue introduce her as "little beauty", her cheeks turned red.

Miss Chu is really bold in what she said.

Then, she said with a little shyness: "Hello, Sister Ye, I am Lin Miaoyin, the daughter of the governor of Jinzhou."

Ye Yaqin looked Lin Miaoyin up and down carefully, and a strange look flashed across her eyes.

Then she smiled softly and said, "Sister Lin is truly a lovable beauty."

Lin Miaoyin's appearance was indeed extremely outstanding. Among so many beauties, she and Chu Yinxue belonged to two completely different types of beauties, both of whom were so beautiful that they were eye-catching.

Although Ye Yaqin cared a lot about her appearance, she knew that her main goal in entering the palace this time was to get a position on par with the current emperor.

If it wasn't for that position, why would she enter the palace?

Now, His Majesty has not yet appointed a queen, and they are the first batch of beauties selected after His Majesty ascends the throne. Naturally, she wants to compete for that position.

Chu Yinxue is extremely beautiful, but has a somewhat arrogant and domineering personality. She is definitely not a suitable candidate for the role of queen.

Ye Yaqin never took her to heart.

No, it should be said that she never really took these concubines of this year seriously. The ones she really regarded as her enemies were the Imperial Concubine and the Pure Concubine.

Yan Xiaofei, who was standing aside, looked at Lin Miaoyin's appearance, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

There were many people who participated in the re-selection, and the concubines were divided into several groups, each of which was assessed and taught by a different maid.

Because of this, not everyone has met each other. When people saw Lin Miaoyin today, they really felt jealous.

She looks like the type that would make any man want to protect her.

Yan Xiaofei suppressed her jealousy and said with a smile, "I still like Sister Chu's appearance the most. She is bright and beautiful, just like the dazzling sun in the sky, shining brightly."

Chu Yinxue was naturally very happy and proud when she heard the compliments.

Although Yan Xiaofei was just a concubine's daughter, she really looked down on such an identity.

"Ms. Yan is really sweet-mouthed, but aren't you afraid that Sister Ye will be unhappy when you say that?"

Having said that, Chu Yinxue even turned her head to glance at Ye Yaqin.

However, Ye Yaqin did not have any special reaction and felt bored.

Chu Yinxue never thought about getting along well with Ye Yaqin after entering the palace. In her opinion, Ye Yaqin was her biggest enemy.

As long as it is something that can cause trouble for Ye Yaqin, Chu Yinxue will do it with all her might.

Yan Xiaofei really didn't expect that Chu Yinxue would be so blatant in trying to sow discord between her and Ye Yaqin. The smile on her face suddenly became a little stiff.

"Sister Chu and Sister Ye are as gentle as water, as elegant as fairies. Both sisters are extremely beautiful."

Chu Yinxue gave her a cold look, then took Lin Miaoyin and walked towards the place where the sisters that Lin Miaoyin wanted to find just now were.

Since she will come into conflict with Ye Yaqin sooner or later after entering the palace, she should prepare her own camp in advance during the selection.