These palace maids in the Baihua Palace are all orphans and outcasts adopted by the Empress Dowager Jiang, and they have been instilled since they were young to know how to be grateful, to obey the Empress Dowager unconditionally, and to repay the Empress Dowager. In the minds of these palace ladies, Empress Dowager Jiang is the supreme and unquestionable god.

Xia Yu actually questioned Empress Dowager Jiang, how could Dongmei not be angry?

Xia Yu knew that he couldn't change the image of Empress Dowager Jiang in Dongmei's heart in a few words, so he sighed and didn't say anything more.

Xia Yu always felt that Empress Dowager Jiang was using these palace maids. In this world, people who are good to you on the surface are not necessarily good-hearted, and people who are strict with you on the surface are not necessarily bad-hearted.

Only palace maids over the age of thirteen and under the age of sixteen are eligible to be selected as fairies, and there are more than 200 palace maids who meet the requirements, and they are all carefully dressed up and gathered in the big (hall diàn), waiting for the favor of the "gods".

Xia Yu accompanied Dongmei to the door of the big (hall diàn), and Dongmei said: "Xia Yu, you wait for me here." ”

Dongmei showed a sweet smile to Xia Yu and followed the other palace maids into the big (hall diàn). Xia Yu stood outside the hall and waited.

"Alright, alright, all be quiet," a eunuch shouted in a sharp voice.

More than 200 palace maids gradually quieted down, standing neatly in the big hall (hall diàn) in a row, looking ahead worriedly.

At this time, a middle-aged woman with a face full of meat ròu came out, and this middle-aged woman was the grandmother who chose the fairy, and it was said that she was the messenger of the gods, and she could see which palace maid had the potential to become an immortal.

Mama raised her eyebrows and looked angry, she was born with a fierce look, and those underage little palace maids and Mama glanced at each other, and they were immediately frightened.

Xia Yu glanced at the grandmother outside the hall and thought to himself, that grandmother was not like a messenger of the gods, but like a yaksha under the king of Hades.

The eunuch pulled his throat and shouted again: "Now start choosing fairies, and no one is allowed to make noise." ”

The palace ladies were a little nervous, and they stood there with their heads raised (挺tǐng) (胸xiōng), wanting to show their most beautiful side.

Mama shook her fat (body shēn) body, walked into the ranks of the palace maids, and began to choose fairies.

The conditions for choosing fairies are very harsh, (身shēn) too tall or too short, the eunuchs hold rulers, and measure (身shēn) tall one by one. The (身shēn) height alone eliminated nearly a hundred palace maids.

The eliminated palace maids were listless, depressed, and walked out of the big hall (hall diàn) sickly.

After passing the (身shēn) high level, the second level is body type. Those who are too fat and too thin are eliminated, and dozens of palace maids droop their heads and come out of the big (hall diàn).

Xia Yu was very curious outside (hall diàn), is this choosing a fairy or a concubine?

Xia Yu's suspicion is very reasonable, the third level of choosing a fairy is to check the skin color. If the complexion is too dark or rough, there are too many green (spring chūn) acne, and there are birthmarks and black moles and moles, all of them will be eliminated.

After the three passes, there are more than 50 palace maids left in the big (hall diàn), and the grandmother looks at the appearance of the palace maids one by one, the appearance is defective, one eye is big, one eye is small, and the two eyebrows are not the same length, and they are eliminated.

In this way, more than 30 palace maids were eliminated, and more than 20 palace maids were left at the end.

The eunuch walked to the door of the (hall diàn), saw Xia Yu looking out with his head probed, and shouted: "Hey, hey, don't look at it, I'm going to close the door." ”

Xia Yu asked, "What are you doing when you close the door?"

The eunuch said: "This fifth level is the last level, and the content of the inspection should not be seen by outsiders. ”

As he spoke, the eunuch slammed and closed the door of the palace.

The fifth and final level, asking the palace maids to take off their clothes and inspect, the grandmother looked at more than 20 palace maids up and down, and came to a conclusion in her heart.

After the inspection, the door of the temple was opened, and the grandmother wrote the selection results on a piece of paper and handed the paper to the eunuch next to her.

The eunuch said: "The palace maid whose name I read is the fairy who was chosen this month, and you all have listened to it, so I will read it once." ”

More than 20 palace maids pricked up their ears, and Xia Yu also listened carefully outside the (hall diàn), and was very concerned about Dongmei's fate.

The eunuchs began to read their names, and the palace maids who read their names were overjoyed, and some even cried with joy.

Dongmei waited, waited, all ten names were read, and Dongmei was not read, Dongmei seemed to have been poured a basin of cold water on her head, and the little flame in her heart was extinguished at once.

However, Dongmei didn't show too much loss, she thought to herself, after all, immortals are a very few, and she doesn't have fairy roots, so she can be a palace maid honestly, and it's good to be happy for a day.

Dongmei was not chosen as a fairy, and Xia Yu was very happy outside (hall diàn). He is not selfish, he is completely thinking about Dongmei, what island in the middle of the lake, what blissful fairyland, Empress Dowager Jiang made up such a wonderful story to deceive the palace maids, there must be an ulterior secret.

Empress Dowager Jiang is ruthless, and the farther away Dongmei is from Empress Dowager Jiang's secret, the safer it is.

The eunuch said, "The fairy whose name I read will stay, and the rest of the people will disperse." ”

Dongmei and a dozen unsuccessful palace maids turned (身shēn) to walk out of the big (hall diàn), when one of the selected palace maids walked up to the eunuch and asked, "Father-in-law, did you pronounce my name just now?"

The eunuch was a little impatient and said, "Didn't I say it, I only pronounce this name once." ”

The palace maid said: "Father-in-law, I was too nervous just now, I was afraid that I heard it wrong, please, help me confirm whether my name was pronounced." ”

"What's your name?"

"My name is Pomegranate. ”

The eunuch took the paper in the book, looked at it, and said, "There is your name." ”

Pomegranate was dumbfounded and said, "So I've been chosen as a fairy?"

The eunuch pouted and said, "Yes, the names written on this piece of paper are all fairies. ”

"I'm a fairy, I'm a fairy, I'm a fairy......" Pomegranate trembled with excitement, her face was red, and she kept chanting.

Suddenly, with a rattle, Pomegranate stared, kicked his legs, foamed at the mouth, and fell to the ground, convulsing.

"Hey, what's wrong with you, what's wrong, get up," the eunuch panicked at the twitching pomegranate.

Several eunuchs ran over, pinched their mouths, pinched people, and finally rescued the pomegranate, who fell to the ground, panting and in a trance.

It's not a good thing that this person is too excited.

The eunuch looked at the grandmother next to him and said, "How is this good?"

Mama said: "This look, I can only change people." ”

At this time, Xia Yu was walking towards the dormitory with Dongmei, Xia Yu comforted Dongmei, "It's okay, you can't be a fairy, it's good to be a mortal." ”

"Hey, stop, stop, stop......" the eunuch called out behind Dongmei (身shēn).

Dong Mei Hui (身shēn) looked at the eunuch and said, "Father-in-law, are you calling me?"

The eunuch nodded and said, "Yes, it's you, come here." ”

Dongmei was inexplicable, walked over, and the eunuch said: "Girl, you are blessed, among the palace maids who were selected just now, there was a palace maid who suddenly fell ill and couldn't be a fairy." Mama made an exception and asked you to replace that palace maid as a fairy. ”

Dongmei was overjoyed, clenched her little fists, and wanted to cheer, but the eunuch hurriedly held down Dongmei and said, "Girl, don't get excited, don't get excited." ”

Dongmei became a fairy in such a dramatic (sexual) way. According to the regulations, after being selected as a fairy, the next day she will take a boat to the Elysian Wonderland, and Dongmei will return to the dormitory and say goodbye to her girlfriends one by one.

The girlfriends and Dongmei are reluctant, but they also bless Dongmei, and how many people dream of becoming a fairy (情qíng).

Early the next morning, Dongmei and the other nine palace maids came to the lake, ready to board the ship of ascending immortals.

The shore was bustling, full of people seeing off the ten fairies, and Dongmei searched the crowd and was very disappointed. Dongmei thought that Xia Yu would come to see her off.

With a hint of melancholy, Dongmei and the other nine palace maids took a small boat and sailed towards the blissful wonderland of the island in the middle of the lake.

Xia Yu didn't see Dongmei off, he fell asleep in the dormitory, and it wasn't until after dark that Xia Yu quietly slipped out of the dormitory and came to the lake.

There are regulations in the Baihua Palace, after dark, the palace maids and eunuchs are not allowed to move around at will without orders, and the lake is quiet, except for the occasional few eunuchs who patrol the night, only the wind blows the willows and rattles.

Xia Yu used the skill of the Heavenly Loss Star and jumped into the lake, and (身shēn) Zi was as free and flexible as a fish, swimming towards the island in the middle of the lake.

(In "Water Margin", the sky loss star is the white strip in the waves-Zhang Shun)

Xia Yu was swimming in the lake, and suddenly, he felt some abnormalities around him, and after a closer look, several fish swam towards him.

Each of these fish weighed more than a dozen catties, with its mouth open, revealing jagged fangs, and a pair of blood-red eyes staring at Xia Yu.

Xia Yu thought to himself, what do you mean, these fish are going to eat me?

Xia Yu was wondering, these fish were like arrows off the string, and all of a sudden, (shooting shè) towards Xia Yu.

Xia Yu never expected that he would be attacked in the lake, so he hurriedly pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and rowed towards those strange fish.

The strange fish is extremely flexible in the water, and Xia Yu's cultivation is low, and his control of the Heavenly Damage Star skill is not too skilled, and he looks a little clumsy in the water, he wields a dagger, and while killing two strange fish, his arm is also bitten by the sharp teeth of the strange fish.

Blood flowed out of Xia Yu's wound and floated in the water, and those strange fish smelled the breath of blood and became more manic, biting around Xia Yu, wanting to bite Xia Yu into pieces.

Xia Yu held the dagger and fought with these strange fish, killing the surrounding lakes and blood, and finally killed all the strange fish besieging him.

Xia Yu burst out of the water, gasping for breath, and found that he was less than a hundred meters away from the island in the middle of the lake. There were people walking around on the island in the middle of the lake, and Xia Yu hurriedly dived under the water again and continued to swim forward.

After swimming for a while, Xia Yu found that there was a large school of fish in front of him. This time, Xia Yu was careful, held the dagger, and quietly walked to the side.

Xia Yu was staring at the group of fish while swimming. Swimming closer, Xia Yu found a huge cage in the lake, and the group of fish gathered in the cage, wagging their tails and shaking (body shēn) as if they were competing for food.

(End of chapter)