Under the arrangements of more than ten eunuchs and several nannies, dozens of beauties formed a line and quietly walked through the side door of the Forbidden Palace.
Everyone had learned the rules, and they were all daughters of noble families. They had received strict education from a young age.
There would not be any loud noises or purposely showing off.
Even if there was, it would not be now.
Who would you perform for when you haven't even seen the Emperor?
Even among all the beauties who had been carefully selected, Baoqin was extremely outstanding.
She only needed to stand there quietly without saying a word. She was like a beautiful painting that attracted people's attention.
Among the many gazes that were unclear, obscure, or obvious, there was one gaze that was so malicious that Baoqin also looked at that person.
The first thing that entered her eyes was a bright red dress that was adorned with jewels and flowers. It completely covered the beauty of the owner of the plain clothes.
Who else could this person be but Miss Mei, who had been slapped by her?
Baoqin smiled slightly and looked away. Miss Mei could not help but grit her teeth. The hatred in her heart was about to overflow.
No wonder this vixen was in such a hurry to break off the engagement with her brother. So this was what she was planning!
Just wait and see. The harem was not a place where beauty could make a name for oneself.
How could a lowly merchant's daughter be a match for these noble ladies?
She had beauty but was full of idiocy. Even if this kind of person was favored for a while, it would not last long.
Thinking this, Mei Danhua felt her heart calm down.
This was the first time that Baoqin had entered the most honorable place in the world. She had the mentality of looking at historical sites and carefully looked around.
The moment she entered the gate, she saw a huge empty square. The ground was paved with white marble, and there were many silver-armored guards standing around. All of them were tall and had good looks. She couldn't help but think of the national guard of honor she had seen before.
After passing through three white stone arched bridges, she saw a majestic palace with vermillion walls and green tiles. It was dignified and imposing.
Her group of beauties had not been led into the main hall. They probably did not have the qualifications.
Baoqin guessed that it was probably the place where the Emperor held court.
After bypassing the main hall and walking along the spacious green brick corridor for a while, the beauties arrived in front of a palace that was neither grand nor exquisite. They were guided to a stop.
It seemed that this was the place they were going to today.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the eunuch to start announcing names.
The girls whose names were called walked in one by one. Five in a row, they were inspected.
After seeing the first beauty come out crying, the other beauties who were already nervous became even more nervous.
Among the crowd of restless beauties, Baoqin, who was calm and collected, became more and more eye-catching.
A slender and handsome figure disappeared behind a begonia at the side of the palace.
All the beauties' attention was focused on the palace, so naturally, no one noticed that figure.
Even if the bodyguards and eunuchs noticed, they wouldn't make a sound and disturb the mood of the most honorable person in the world.
The new emperor, Zhu Youtang, was actually not very interested in today's selection.
He wholeheartedly wanted to become an emperor who could restore prosperity, stabilize the world, and achieve prosperity. He didn't care much about beauties.
Moreover, the Empress was virtuous and the Consort Xian was beautiful. He was already satisfied with having a son and a daughter. The selection was only because of the ancestral rules.
If one were to say that he himself attached much importance to this matter, that was not the case.
Therefore, he handed over the selection of beauties to the Empress and the Consort Xian. He didn't plan to come and take a look himself.
At this time, he came because he was a little tired from reading the memorials in the imperial study and came out for a walk.
He actually walked here unknowingly.
Seeing the delicate flowers and soft jade on the ground, he realized that he had come to the Ronghua Palace for the selection.
At this moment, he couldn't help but feel very lucky that he had come.
Otherwise, he might have missed it.
Among the group of beauties with their own merits, that beautiful figure didn't seem to have any intention of hiding in the crowd. Just like that, she stood out in his field of vision.
He felt that his heart was beating violently and couldn't help but feel surprised.
He was about to stand up in his thirties. He had gone through ups and downs and had a virtuous wife and beautiful concubines. How could he still feel the throbbing of a young boy's love for the first time?
Really, it was better not to meet such a beautiful woman …
Baoqin's five senses were quite sharp. In fact, she had already noticed that scorching and somewhat unscrupulous gaze.
But she immediately remembered that except for the emperor, who else would dare to look at the beauties so presumptuously?
Thinking of this, she didn't care about that gaze.
If he wanted to look, he could look as much as he wanted.
Speaking of which, didn't the emperor choose a concubine for himself in the hall?
Instead of looking at the beauties openly, he hid here and looked at them secretly.
This hobby of his was really unusual.
There weren't many beauties. Soon, it was Baoqin's turn.
Among the five of them, there happened to be the girl from the Mei family.
At this time, she was so excited that her face was flushed red. She was so excited that it almost overflowed from her body.
After hearing her name, Baoqin's expression became serious. She followed a tall beauty into the palace.
The girl from the Mei family was at the end of the line. Although her appearance was not eye-catching, her gorgeous dress was very eye-catching.
Stepping into the palace, Baoqin's nose smelled a strong scent of incense. It smelled like osmanthus flowers mixed with jasmine and a little orange peel.
Although it was strong, it didn't smell bad.
Involuntarily, she moved her eyes. Although she didn't look up, she could clearly see the two noblewomen sitting on the thrones.
The one sitting in the middle must be the empress.
She was born with a beautiful face that was commonly seen in the capital. Her chin was round and her eyes were gentle. She looked amiable.
She was wearing an autumn-colored phoenix robe. Her hair was tied up in a high bun, and she wore a full set of red gold headwear inlaid with rubies. She didn't wear a phoenix crown and didn't look luxurious.
Looking at her gentle and tranquil temperament, it shouldn't be difficult to make a living under such an empress as long as she followed the rules.
Next to the empress sat an extremely delicate beauty.
She was wearing a cherry-red robe with golden embroidery and a rose-purple moonlight skirt with golden embroidery.
Her complicated phoenix bun was sparkling with pearls and emeralds. Such a splendid dress didn't suppress her elegance at all.
Her eyebrows were slender, her eyes were handsome, and she was in high spirits. She was really an extremely beautiful woman.
Baoqin guessed that this should be the emperor's most favored Consort Xian.
It was said that there was also a Consort Xian De from the Jia family of the Rongguo Mansion. Perhaps because she was not favored by the emperor, she didn't appear in the palace.
As soon as these five beauties came in, they attracted all the attention of the empress and Consort Xian.
There was no other reason than that there were two beauties who were very outstanding.
Especially the one who was ranked second. She was simply devastatingly beautiful.
Seeing this scene, the empress and Consort Xian's hearts were complicated.
After all, who would want to see such a beauty who could crush all the beauties by her husband's side?
This pressure was really great …
Suppressing the complicated emotions in her heart, the empress said seriously, "Let's start."
After receiving the empress's order, the head eunuch wearing a python robe next to her began to announce the names, "Du's daughter, named Chunhan.
Year 15, daughter of Liangjiang Governor Du Nan … "
Liangjiang Governor, secondary first rank, the daughter of a high-ranking official with real power!
Coupled with Du Chunhan's elegant, aloof, and otherworldly bearing and her extraordinarily exquisite facial features, she was obviously a formidable opponent!
The empress looked at Du Chunhan who came out to salute, smiled slightly, and turned to ask, "Consort Xian, what do you think?"
What do I think?
I want to say no, but do I dare?
She is the daughter of a secondary first rank border official, and she is so outstanding. If you don't want her, why don't you find a suitable reason first?
Although Consort Xian had a country-destroying appearance, she wasn't stupid. She immediately smiled and said, "It's all up to the empress. I just came to see something new."
Hearing this, the empress didn't say anything. She turned to look at Du Chunhan, who was standing in the middle of the hall with an outstanding temperament, and asked, "Miss Du, have you studied before?"
Du Chunhan's voice wasn't soft, just enough to be heard, but not harsh to the ears, "Replying to the empress, I started learning when I was five years old and am familiar with poetry and books.
I also dabbled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. "
While speaking, a trace of pride appeared between her elegant and distant brows. She was obviously very proud of her talent.
Well, this was a talented girl.
Hearing this, the empress and Consort Xian felt their hearts become heavier, but their expressions didn't change.
For women in the harem, not being emotional was the most basic skill.
The empress opened her mouth and said, "I've heard about the Du family. Their family education is excellent.
Miss Du was born with such talent and is suitable to serve by His Majesty's side. "She paused, then said with a smile," Keep her. "
Hearing this, Du Chunhan didn't show any obvious joy. She only bowed and thanked the empress.
Obviously, she was mentally prepared to be chosen.
Next, it was Xue Baoqin's turn.
The Empress and Imperial Concubine Xian perked up and looked at the beautiful woman who slowly walked out to greet them.
When they heard the eunuch call out the name and heard that Xue Baoqin was the empress of Zi Wei, the two consorts simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.
So, she was just a merchant's daughter.
If this kind of beauty was matched with a top family, what other people could compete with her?
It seemed that the heavens were fair.
The empress thought for a moment and felt that there was no need to let such a terrifying enemy into the palace. She said faintly, "Although she was born with good looks, she seems a bit too young …"