20demayo Chapter 369
Chapter 369
chapter 369
the next day, the emperor and jiang xinyue both woke up early.0
with no ruler in the harem, and even the dowager empress wu having passed away, jiang xinyue was the most senior figure aside from the emperor himself.0
the palace selection of concubines had to be presided over by her. if it weren't for this, the emperor wouldn't have reluctantly allowed her to wake up so early while she was pregnant.0
jiang xinyue's pregnancy made her particularly prone to sleepiness.0
when she was awakened by xi que and shuang jiang in the morning, her eyes could barely open. the emperor held her as she was getting dressed and made up in front of the bronze mirror.0
the candidates woke up even earlier, before dawn, to choose their outfits and jewelry, trying out several makeup looks to maximize their beauty to its fullest potential.0
mu qianqian, seeing the other candidates already dressed and adorned, looked down at her own washed-out old clothes and felt ashamed, stepping back slightly.0
wei shu noticed her movement and whispered something to her maid, who soon after brought a bright and vibrant outfit to mu qianqian.0
through the crowd, mu qianqian gratefully glanced at wei shu, who smiled and nodded at her but did not approach to engage in conversation.0
when mu qianqian emerged after changing into the new outfit, all the candidates waiting in line for the selection were astonished.0
the looks directed at her were filled with jealousy, envy, dislike, and hostility...0
she nervously returned to the waiting line, gripping the sides of her dress tightly, repeatedly encouraging herself: mu qianqian, don't be afraid, you can do it!0
she couldn't afford to be rejected, to become a palace maid, or to be expelled from the palace.0
her father and brother were both gambling addicts, waiting for her to grow up so they could sell her for a good price.0
if it weren't for the eunuch in charge of selecting candidates who had come to tongzhou in search of beauties and accidentally saw her being forced by her father and brother to be sold to a brothel, her life would have been ruined.0
if she became a palace maid, with her beauty, no mistress in the harem would be able to tolerate her.0
wait!0
no!0
there was one place that could accommodate her.0
the thought struck her, and her mind raced through countless scenarios.0
announce - daughter of the hanlin academy scholar meng wanqing, daughter of the chancellor's office clerk han ruier, daughter of the yanzhou prefect shi ruojun.0
with the announcement by the eunuch of the imperial household department, the three-day selection of candidates began.0
several noble ladies were also present in the hall. not all the candidates aimed to become the emperor's concubines.0
some had already been promised to the high officials by their families, but the emperor, to show his respect for these officials, would go through the formality of granting them in marriage to the officials' sons.0
this was also a matter of great prestige for these noble ladies.0
having their daughters-in-law recognized and guided by matron duan in the palace would silence any doubts about their daughters-in-law's manners and virtues.0
wave after wave of candidates entered and exited, each with varying expressions, but all seemed somewhat distant, as if lost in thought.0
"were they rejected or accepted? why do they all look neither happy nor sad?"0
"what's the result?"0
announce - daughter of the prince of ruyang wei shu, daughter of the yizhou merchant huang yanyu, commoner girl selected by the eunuch mu qianqian, daughter of the hangzhou salt commissioner su hongliu.0
among all the candidates, the most beautiful were in this group, and so were the ones with the most prestigious backgrounds.0
when "yizhou" was mentioned, xi que carefully observed huang yanyu and then whispered something to jiang xinyue.0
wei shu behaved confidently and gracefully, earning nods of approval from the noble ladies present. the emperor also smiled kindly at her: "your father often says you are mischievous and boyish, but today i see that your father is mistaken. you are clearly a little lady."0
"thank you, your majesty, for the compliment."0
huang yanyu, looking down, had a resentful expression. this wei shu was always showing off, stealing the spotlight, leaving nothing for the rest of them.0
fortunately, mu qianqian had gone mad, covering up her face that resembled the imperial noble consort's by seven points, otherwise, with both looks and background inferior, they would have no chance.0
could it be that wei shu had already been chosen?0
as huang yanyu was grinding her teeth in frustration, she heard a clear voice say: "i've heard your sister-in-law mention you several times, but i never had the chance to meet you. indeed, as she said, you have a straightforward personality."0
the prince of ruyang was the son of a cousin of the late emperor. during the late emperor's crisis, this cousin had protected him, so after the stability of the great yan, the cousin was granted the title of princess and was deeply favored by the late emperor.0
later, when the princess married, the late emperor bestowed the title of prince of ruyang upon her husband, allowing the title to be inherited.