Chapter 233 Royal Concubine Selection
Inside the palace hall, a group of noble ladies dressed in gorgeous clothes were talking to each other in whispers.
"The royal family has summoned all of us here to select a concubine. I don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse." A noble lady in a pink silk dress frowned and said softly.
"Alas, I heard that the eldest prince and the second prince are now... I'm afraid they will have a hard time in the future." The blue-clad noble lady next to her sighed, her face full of worry.
"Speak softly and don't talk nonsense, or you might lose your head!" another more stable lady quickly reminded.
At this time, the sisters Lin Yuxi and Lin Yuxin in the corner were also talking in low voices.
Lin Yuxi gently pulled her sister's hand and said worriedly, "Xin'er, I don't know how the selection of concubines will go this time. You and I must be careful."
Lin Yuxin curled her lips and said, "Sister, I don't want to marry those two princes. One is disfigured and the other is stupid. Isn't this pushing us into the fire pit?"
Lin Yuxi quickly covered her mouth: "Sister, don't talk nonsense, this is the emperor's order, we can't disobey."
Lin Yuxin broke free from her sister's hand and muttered, "Humph, if it weren't for the many ancient rules, I wouldn't have endured this humiliation."
……
Just as the ladies were discussing, the eunuch's sharp voice rang out: "Quiet! The selection of concubines begins!"
The first thing to be done was to test the facial features. Several maids took rulers and carefully measured the proportions of the ladies' facial features.
"These eyes are not big enough, eliminated!"
"This nose is not straight enough, get off!"
The maids judged mercilessly, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense as the ladies were eliminated one by one.
When it was Lin Yuxi and Lin Yuxin's turn, the nanny looked at Lin Yuxi's face with a hint of admiration in her eyes: "These facial features are really beautiful."
Seeing the flower ornament on Lin Yuxin's forehead, the nanny frowned: "What kind of makeup is this? It's so weird."
Lin Yuxin's heart tightened, and she was about to explain, but Nanny Jiang, who had been arranged by Lin's father in advance, hurried forward and said, "This was specially painted by Miss Lin for this imperial concubine selection, to make it unique."
The nanny nodded and said, "Forget it, continue."
Next is the body shape test, the ladies need to walk in the hall and show their posture.
"This walking posture is not dignified enough, you're out!"
"This figure is not graceful enough, eliminated!"
Many more noble ladies were rejected.
Lin Yuxi passed the test with light steps and graceful posture. Lin Yuxin was a little flustered because of her nervousness, but fortunately, her training at home some time ago was quite effective and she passed the physical examination without any danger.
Next came the smell test, with the maids approaching the ladies and sniffing their bodies.
"This body smells bad, no!"
"This fragrance is too strong, it loses its elegance, no!"
The Lin Yuxi sisters pay attention to maintenance on a daily basis, and they exude a faint fragrance, and they successfully passed the test.
Finally, the physical health was checked and the imperial doctors took the pulse of the ladies one by one.
"This girl is too weak to give birth to an heir. Eliminate her!"
"The pulse is unstable, there may be a hidden illness, go down!"
After a series of rigorous selections, only a few ladies were left, but the sisters Lin Yuxi and Lin Yuxin were still standing firmly in the field.
Moreover, the sisters' health was rated as special, especially healthy! They stood out among the noble ladies.
The eunuch announced loudly: "The selection of concubines has come to an end for now. The remaining ladies are waiting for the emperor's further instructions."
The noble ladies breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Yuxin nervously held Lin Yuxi's hand and whispered, "Sister, what should we do next?"
Could it be that she really wanted to be the prince's consort? Oh my God, she didn't want to!
Lin Yuxi shook her head gently: "Let's take it one step at a time."
……
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, glanced at the few remaining noble ladies in his palace, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Are these the ones who passed the preliminary selection?" The emperor's voice was low and majestic.
The eunuch beside him bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, that's right."
The emperor nodded and said, "Then let's start the re-election."
At this time, Lin Yuxin's heart was beating fast. She secretly glanced at her sister Lin Yuxi, only to see that Lin Yuxi looked calm and composed. She couldn't help but admire her secretly.
"Let me test your talents first," said the emperor.
The eunuch took out the questions he had prepared long ago and distributed them to the ladies.
Lin Yuxi received the question, thought about it for a while, and then began to write her answer. Her handwriting was beautiful and her writing was fluent.
Lin Yuxin felt a headache when she looked at the questions. The knowledge she had learned before traveling through time seemed useless in the face of these ancient exam questions. However, fortunately, she had never intended to win! Now she didn't have to embarrass herself.
As time passed, the ladies submitted their answers one after another.
The emperor read through them one by one, and when he saw Lin Yuxi's answer, he nodded slightly, "This Lin Yuxi is indeed the most talented woman in Daxia, and her answers are very much to my liking."
"Next, we'll test the female workers."
The maids brought needles, thread and cloth, and asked the ladies to embroider a pattern within a specified time.
Lin Yuxi sewed quickly, and soon a lifelike peony appeared on the embroidery cloth. However, Lin Yuxin was in a hurry, and the needle pricked her fingers several times, causing her to grimace in pain.
After finally completing the work, Lin Yuxin looked at her crooked embroidery and sighed in her heart.
After the re-election, the emperor discussed with his ministers, and the eunuch announced loudly again: "Lin Yuxi, stay! The rest of you, go back."
Lin Yuxin felt relieved, took her sister's hand and said, "Sister, congratulations."
Lin Yuxi gently patted her sister's hand and said, "Sister, you must take good care of yourself in the future."
Lin Yuxin nodded, her eyes slightly red.
Lin Yuxi was taken into the harem, awaiting her final fate, while Lin Yuxin left the palace with the other unsuccessful ladies, secretly glad that she had escaped this unknown royal marriage.
Lin Yuxi was placed in a side hall, served by palace maids. She was worried, wondering how the emperor and empress would be arranged.
……
At the same time, the emperor was discussing Lin Yuxi's matter with the queen.
“Your Majesty, although Lin Yuxi is talented and famous, her family is not very powerful. If she becomes the eldest prince’s consort, can she help the eldest prince in the future…” The queen frowned slightly and expressed her concerns.
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Because of this, if she enters the eldest prince's mansion, she won't cause any big trouble. Besides, the eldest prince is in such a condition now, it would be good for him to have someone who is considerate to take care of him."
The Queen nodded gently: "Your Majesty is wise, then arrange for Lin Yuxi to live in the palace for a month to observe her character, and by the way, let her cultivate her relationship with the prince!"
……
Lin Yuxi was sitting restlessly in the side hall. At this moment, an elderly palace maid came in and said expressionlessly, "Miss Lin, the Queen wants to see you."
Lin Yuxi took a deep breath and followed the palace maid to the Queen's Palace.
Arriving at the Queen's Palace, Lin Yuxi bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Her Majesty the Queen."
The queen looked her up and down and said slowly, "Stand up. I heard that you are the most talented woman in Daxia. I would like to test you."
Lin Yuxi's heart tightened, and she responded, "Your Majesty, please ask the question."
The queen smiled slightly and asked a few questions about court etiquette and women's virtues. Lin Yuxi answered them carefully and appropriately.
The Queen's expression softened slightly: "Well, she is quite smart and sensible."
At this moment, the eunuch beside the emperor hurried over and whispered a few words in the queen's ear. The queen's face changed slightly, and then she said to Lin Yuxi: "You and the maid go back to Chuxiu Palace first. The emperor and I still have things to deal with."
"Yes, I'll take my leave!"