Regardless of what the women in the harem were thinking, the selection process began as usual.
Ning Chen didn't take it seriously and had never been there. He left everything to the Queen, Concubine Shu and Concubine De for assistance.
This actually makes the Queen the most powerful person.
After all, both Concubine Shu and Concubine Jing were not favored. Although they had children, they were no match for the Empress.
Therefore, Ning Chen made a special trip to Fengqi Palace before the audition began.
Not to mention a criticism, at least the few who should be selected were given an explanation.
The Queen Mother didn't take it seriously this time. After all, she knew that it was impossible for anyone else to enter the Chen family.
During these times, she always called Concubine Chen to the Cining Palace, ostensibly to serve her, but in fact she spent a lot of time cultivating the relationship between Concubine Chen and the eldest prince.
No one dares to say what the relationship between Concubine Chen and the eldest prince is like, but the eldest prince and the queen mother do seem to have some genuine grandparent-grandchild relationship.
The eldest prince was weak and had left his biological mother, so he was particularly dependent on his family. After all, the wet nurse was a servant, so she dared not overstep her authority and had to abide by the rules. Naturally, she could not get close to the child.
Perhaps it was because of their blood relationship, the eldest prince became close to the queen mother.
As for the Queen Mother, she is lonely as she gets older. When she was young, she was busy vying for favor and never established any mother-son relationship with her son Ning Chen. Now that she is old and soft-hearted, and he is her own grandson, she actually likes him.
Anyway, everyone in the Cining Palace knows that the Empress Dowager smiles more often now.
Moreover, she is now more concerned about her children and cares less and less about Ning Chen's former dynasty and harem, and the relationship between mother and son has also eased slightly.
The eldest prince was raised by the Queen Mother and had few close contacts, so he had the opportunity to rest and recuperate, and he seemed to be in better health than before.
These were all unexpected surprises.
Turning our attention back to the harem, Yao Xiang, who had been neglected for more than four months, finally found an opportunity to turn things around.
Relying on the experience of living two lifetimes, she secretly sent a letter home.
Let his father and brother shine this year on the issue of the law on corvée and taxation.
The method proposed by the Yao family was not only novel, but also completely comprehensive and reliable. It solved the knot that Ning Chen and the ministers had been deadlocked for a month.
After this incident, Ning Chen naturally couldn't ignore Yao Xiang anymore.
Yao Xiang knows Ning Chen well enough to know what to do to make Ning Chen soften his heart.
So after Ning Chen stayed in Weiruixuan for two consecutive days, Yao Xiang officially announced that he had ended the difficult four-month period of neglect.
Ye Jun wasn't too surprised.
As long as the Yao family stands firm, Yao Xiang will have someone to rely on, and being neglected is only a matter of time.
Looking at the current court, it is the Queen's family that is gradually showing signs of being unable to cope.
The Chen family is supported by the Duke of England, and the illegitimate son Chen Xianyi is also a capable person. With the support of his father, he is very proud. Needless to say, the Yao family has just become famous. The Wu family behind Yi Shunrong is also powerful, and both the father and brother are capable.
Then there is Ye Jun. Now Ye Zhe has the support of his father-in-law Yin family in the Lingzhou army, and he is in control of the power. His maternal grandfather Chu family is also gradually gaining a foothold in the court.
All in all, these are the ones who have already entered the palace and whose maternal families are in the first tier of power.
I don’t know whether the new people entering the palace will disrupt the current situation.
In short, the competition is fierce.
Today's greetings mark the end of the talent show, and tomorrow will be the palace selection. After this round, the remaining beauties will be this year's new talents.
"Tomorrow is the last round. There are a total of forty left. I think they are all very good. I wonder how many will be able to enter in the end." The queen said with a smile.
It was obvious that Concubine Shu did not sleep well. There were some dark circles under her eyes and she was in a bad mood.
He snorted after hearing what the queen said.
"They are just a bunch of innocent girls. Your Majesty is overly respectful to them."
It's no wonder that she was angry. Yesterday, Concubine Shu was humiliated by the new concubine and she was very angry.
There is also one from Yuzhou among this group of girls. She is the younger sister of Huo Pingbei, a third-rank general of Yuzhou. She is eighteen years old this year.
She is not young though. The Nanqi talent show is for girls between the ages of fifteen to eighteen, and she is just within the age limit.
Zhang, a subordinate of Concubine Shu, turned against the Empress and went to her. She wanted to win over one of the newcomers. When she saw Huo, who came from Yuzhou and was from the same hometown as her, she naturally became interested.
Yesterday afternoon, someone was sent to pass on the message, inviting Miss Huo to stay in Changchun Palace for a while.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Huo simply claimed to be sick and did not go.
This person was fine yesterday, but he fell ill today. How could this be true
It's obvious that he doesn't want to give face.
This made Concubine Shu very angry and she lost face.
"Look at what you said, sister. We all started out as maids. To be able to stay until the day of the palace selection, these beauties must have outstanding qualities." Concubine Jingde said.
But when he said this, there was a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, which made Concubine Shu even more angry.
What Concubine Jingde said was not wrong. She had no way to refute it, so she snorted coldly and shut up.
The queen put down the teacup in her hand and acted as if she was speaking with great sincerity.
"Okay, Concubine Shu, you should be more generous. Why are you always getting angry with the younger generation? The eldest princess is six years old now, you should be more stable."
This was a clear irony that she was old but still petty, which made Concubine Shu blush even more.
Without Zhang's help, she was not a very smart person to begin with, and now she really had no power to fight back.
Seeing Concubine Shu being humiliated, the Queen felt very happy.
The smile on his face became even brighter.
He waved his hand happily to those below him, "That's all for today, you all can go home now."
Everyone stood up, saluted, and then left in order of their status.
Outside Fengqi Palace, Wang Shunyi took the initiative to stop Ye Yun and Zhou Wanrong.
"Sisters, please stay. Hongdou has made some fresh snacks these past two days. They taste pretty good. You two sisters haven't visited me for a while. Why don't you come and have a meal with me today?"
Ye Jun curled her lips and smiled, "I have always loved eating, sister, please don't think I eat too much."
Since the two of them had agreed on it, Zhou naturally had no objection.
I nodded as well, "I am the one with the most free time. I just want to talk to my sisters to relieve my boredom."
The three of them hit it off immediately and went to Yimexuan together.
Obviously it's not just about drinking tea, there must be something else to talk about.
And they were not the only ones who had things to discuss. The Queen and Yi Sun-yong were also thinking about what would happen after the newcomer entered the palace.
Among this batch of beauties, there are several who are of humble family background but good looks, and the queen already has candidates in mind.
Of course, one Zhang Wanrong is not enough, she also needs more people who are easy to control to consolidate her position.
Unlike the queen, Yi Shunrong set her sights on those beautiful girls with good family backgrounds.
Because she already has a son.
She needed a concubine with a good family background to help plan for the future of the third prince.
As for whether this beautiful lady from a good family would give birth to a son herself and whether she would not help him support the third prince, that would be a matter for the future.
In this harem, it is a question whether one can get pregnant, let alone give birth.