Many of the rules and etiquette of the Great Zhou Dynasty were inherited from the previous dynasty, and the court draft was no exception.

In the year of the ordinary election, after the show girl entered the palace, she first checked the etiquette and demeanor, her body and facial features, whether there were defects and hidden diseases, and eliminated the unqualified. Those who are qualified will be left in the Wenzhen Palace to live for a period of time, and the queen's palace concubines will raise the grandmothers to carefully examine their personalities, and only a few dozen people can stay in the end after a general election of thousands of people entering the palace.

Because this year is a small election, there are no more than 100 show girls who have entered the palace, and all rituals have been streamlined a lot. After the primary election, more than ten or twenty people have been sent back, and the remaining dozens of people have stayed in Wenzhen Palace, and they can decide to stay after observing for a while.

In order to better observe the character of the show girls, the palace will hold various poetry meetings and tea parties from time to time, and if the queen and the palace concubines have a favorite candidate, they will also be summoned into the palace to speak and investigate at close range.

On the second day of the dinner, the queen ordered to summon more than a dozen show girls to Fengxu Palace to speak, and the four people living in the small courtyard of He Linwan were among the candidates summoned by the queen.

He Zhen may not have slept well last night, her eyes were a little bloodshot, and she still had dark circles under her eyes, but fortunately, she was young, and she was still a bright little girl after some meticulous dressing.

When He Linwan came out, He Zhen was whispering that the pearls on her shoes were a little crooked, and when she saw He Linwan hurriedly raising a smile at her, there was no haze on her little face.

"Big sister, it's early. ”

He Linwan nodded and glanced at Lianxin, Lianxin was squatting on the ground and helping He Zhen sort out the pearls on her embroidered shoes without distraction, looking nothing unusual, it seemed that He Zhen did not have a showdown with Lianxin after returning yesterday.

After Xue Wanqing and Mu Lan came out peacefully, the four of them went out of the courtyard together and went to the queen's palace with the other summoned show girls. The show girls are carefully dressed, and it is a beautiful scenery to talk and laugh together in the flower-filled imperial garden.

He Linwan, He Zhen, Mu Lanping, and Xue Wanqing walked at the back. Mu Lanping held a fan embroidered with ladies in his hand, half-covered his lips and whispered to He Linwan.

"I'm afraid the outcome of this draft is among us. ”

He Zhen, who was walking on the other side of Mu Lanping, heard it and hurriedly looked at the show girls around her.

The dozen or so people who were summoned by the queen today are indeed the best of this group of show girls, either with outstanding appearance, only to learn from people, or from prominent families, and the most unfortunate is also thin and virtuous.

He Zhenzuo looked at it again and again, and couldn't help pouting in disappointment: "It seems that I am the most ordinary one." ”

Mu Lanping pinched her face affectionately, and quipped: "Sister Zhen, why should you be arrogant? ”

He Zhen rubbed her face and whispered: "Where is it arrogant, I am self-aware." ”

He Zhen was lost for a moment and then adjusted herself, leaned over and whispered to Mu Lanping, "Do you know all these Sister Mu?"

Although He Zhen grew up in the capital, she doesn't have many opportunities to go out, so there are few girls in the capital who can name her.

Mu Lanping looked smug, "Of course." ”

He Linwan couldn't help but glance at Mu Lanping, although she could roughly sort out the relationship between the major families in the capital, but after all, she had left the capital for five years, and it took a lot of effort before entering the palace to remember who these ladies who entered the palace. This is also because she has the help of "Dark Lin", Mu Lanping grew up in Jiangnan since she was a child, and she only recently came to the capital, she must have spent a lot of time and energy to memorize everyone so quickly.

He Zhen tugged at Mu Lanping's sleeve and asked her in a low voice, "Who is the girl in the blue gown in front of her, and is she also the show girl who went to the queen's palace with us?"

Mu Lanping glanced up, immediately understood who He Zhen was referring to, and nodded, "Yes." ”

He Zhen couldn't help but look puzzled.

In fact, she just said that she herself is the most ordinary one in this group of people, and it is not correct, this woman in a blue gown looks very ordinary, saying that she is not so ugly, that is, her facial features are plain and featureless, but her dress is still very simple compared to others, just now He Zhen almost regarded her as a palace maid who led the way.

Mu Lanping smiled and said to He Zhen: "She is the granddaughter of An Guogong, her maiden name is Zhuang Huanting, and she has a reputation for virtuous and filial piety in the capital. ”

He Zhen suddenly realized, "It turns out that there is a virtuous name"

Mu Lanping whispered: "It's not just a good name! His grandfather An Guogong was promoted by real military merits, and although he no longer held a real position in the army due to the recurrence of old injuries, His Majesty has attached great importance to him in recent years, but whenever there is anything in the army, he will be announced to enter the palace for discussion, and I heard that His Majesty has recently reused him. ”

He Zhen nodded as if she didn't understand, "I see." ”

Xue Wanqing couldn't help but glance at Mu Lanping, "Miss Mu's news is a little more well-informed than me, who grew up in the capital since I was a child. ”

Mu Lan smiled calmly, "It's because I'm not from the capital that I will make a lot of effort to inquire about this, and I know myself and my opponent." ”

Xue Wanqing smiled faintly and didn't say anything more.

He Zhen suddenly seemed to remember something, and hurriedly bypassed Mu Lanping to He Linwan's ear, and whispered to her ear, "Big sister, isn't An Guogong the third sister's ......?"

He Linwan didn't wait for her to finish, and pushed her head away with his fingers, lest she get closer and closer, "Hmm." ”

Before they entered the palace, He Chuanwu found a family affair for He Ling, and the man was Zhuang Maoming, the eldest grandson of An Guogong. And the ordinary-looking Zhuang Huanting and Zhuang Maoming in the palace are brothers and sisters, and I heard that they are still twin sons.

He Zhen couldn't help but stare at Zhuang Pingting curiously for a while, thinking that the Zhuang family didn't know if he looked as ordinary as his sister.

When the group was about to walk to the queen's bedroom, a man happened to come out of the Fengxu Palace and greeted them. The man was long, handsome, and had a very gentle temperament, and when he saw them, he took the initiative to avoid them and let them go first.

The show girls were surprised to see a young man coming out of the queen's palace, and the leading palace people had already curtsied their knees, "I've seen His Royal Highness the Second Prince." ”

The second prince nodded, his attitude soft and cold.

Only then did the show girls know that the person in front of them was Li Yuan, the second prince who rarely appeared in front of people.

There are seven princes who have reached adulthood today, and the most favored are the five princes and eight princes born to Concubine De, and the six princes born to Concubine Xian, and the other princes are not famous, especially the second prince, who is like an invisible person in the palace.

He Linwan often went in and out of the palace when she was still Yang Weizhen, but at that time, she barely met the second prince.