Three days later, Yongning Palace. The show girls were called up early in the morning to freshen up, and everyone was dressed in the clothes issued by the palace, with the same hairstyle and the same jewelry. The upbringing aunt checked everyone's appearance one by one, and then said slowly: "I believe everyone has been waiting for a long time on this day, although success or failure is in this move, but if anyone does something shameless, I believe everyone in this palace is clear, and there are precedents ahead." I won't say much else, I hope you will do it yourself. ”

There are a total of 50 show girls this year, and there are only 48 show girls who have walked and a show girl who has tuberculosis, so they are divided into eight groups, with six people in each group. When everyone was brought into Yongning Palace, everyone was very nervous, constantly checking whether their hairstyles were messed up and their clothes were wrinkled. When I vaguely heard a voice "The emperor has arrived!", everyone's hearts were about to rise to their throats, and this moment finally came.

It didn't take long for the six show girls from the first group to be led out, and the others were waiting anxiously. Qi Jiao was also nervous, and her palms were full of sweat. None of these people came back, and the selected ones were naturally led to other places, and those who were not selected became ordinary palace maids and needed to serve in the palace for ten years. Finally it was Qi Jiao's turn to be in this group, in addition to Qi Jiao, the remaining five show girls were the daughter of Jiang Yangbo, the daughter of the master of the Hanlin Academy, the daughter of the prefect of Tongzhou, the daughter of the Zhongwu general and the daughter of the Jiangnan Zhicha. It can be said that among several people, Qi Jiao's identity is inconspicuous.

The draft process is divided into two rounds, the first is for each person to perform their talents, and by the way, the emperor and concubines also look at their appearance. If it passes, it will enter the next round and wait for the emperor to personally question and decide where to go.

Qi Jiao prepared to play the piano, because according to her aunt, the emperor's favorite instrument was the qin, and he often let the servants play the piano for fun. Qi Jiao has always been very confident in her piano skills, and since losing to Saitama in Shandong last time, she has stepped up her hard practice. Before entering the palace, Wang specially found the top violinist in the capital to teach Qi Jiao, and in the end, even the violinist was full of praise for Qi Jiao's piano skills.

Zhu Wan, the daughter of the master of the Hanlin Academy, has a beautiful appearance and writes a good hand. I saw her calm and concentrated, and she lifted the pen with a wave. Some palace people presented her works to the emperor. "I didn't expect this woman to look weak and couldn't help but be windy, and the words she wrote were so powerful and powerful, and she had everyone's atmosphere. The emperor looked at it and exclaimed.

"Yes, I wish the bachelor's daughter is really extraordinary. The queen also praised.

When the two concubines Chen and Shu saw the emperor and empress praising them like this, they naturally wouldn't go against it. Needless to say, this daughter was naturally chosen.

It is the daughter of Jiang Yangbo who is dignified and good-looking. What she presented was a painting of flowers and birds. Although it is just a simple picture of flowers and birds, it is lifelike and deeply loved by the queen, so it was also left. Although the daughter of the loyal general is average in the qin, chess, calligraphy and painting, a sword dance is as imposing as a rainbow, which is breathtaking, and was chosen by the emperor.

It was Qi Jiao who came down, she moved the lotus step lightly, and bent down to salute the emperor and queen. The emperor and the queen looked at each other and were very satisfied with her rules. Qi Jiao sat down next to the piano, and Qianqianyu's hand was lightly placed on the piano. She took a deep breath and began to pluck the strings. Today's song she chose is "Yang Chun", which expresses the rejuvenation of all things and the meaning of the breeze. I saw her hands flying on the strings, as if dancing. Sometimes the music is high-pitched and exciting, sometimes gentle and soothing. At the end of the song, it is unsatisfying.

After hearing this, the emperor applauded, and said:

"Good tunes, good tunes. What's your name?"

"Show girl Zhang Shi Qijiao. ”

"Who is your father?"

"My father is Zhang Hou, a waiter of the Ministry of Rites. The emperor wanted to ask again, but the concubine on the side said:

"Your Majesty, there is still a show girl who has not performed, so it is better to ......" Concubine Shu was afraid that the emperor would be thinking about Qi Jiao, and it would be difficult for the prince to do it, so she spoke out to dissuade her, and then tried to stop it.

"That's right. The emperor looked at the timid woman standing on the side, and also felt pity. This show girl is the daughter of the prefect of the same continent, her name is Zhu Qinglian, her status in the show girl is relatively low, she usually does not compete with others, she is unknown, and she is always ignored.

But when she danced to the music, the whole person glowed with that dazzling brilliance, which could not be ignored. The soft waist and fluttering skirt make people can't take their eyes off it. At the end, due to the vigorous exercise just now, Qinglian's face was slightly red, and her chest fell with her breath. "Good!" the emperor nodded, his eyes full of appreciation.

There were five people left in Qi Jiao's group, and they were led into the side hall on the side, waiting for the next choice. In the end, a total of twenty-two show girls were selected, and the remaining twenty-six were filled into the harem and waited to be assigned to each palace. Of course, among the remaining twenty-two people, in addition to those with good looks and outstanding talents, there are also noble births or daughters of important ministers who are wanted by the emperor, and these are naturally the best candidates for princesses and side concubines. They were also the first to be called by name and enter the main hall.

Qi Jiao looked at those women who were either proud or happy, and her heart gradually became uneven. 's father said that he would try his best to arrange a place for her in the prince's mansion, but it would definitely not be high, and she would have to rely on her own efforts in the future. How unfair is it for those women who are inferior to themselves in terms of appearance and talent to become princesses and concubines without much effort? She bit her lower lip, and one day, she must let these people prostrate under her feet.

Soon there was news from the main hall that the daughter of the head of the Hanlin Academy was selected as the concubine of the third prince King Qi, Jiangyang Bo Qianjin was selected as the concubine of the fourth prince Fuwang, and the daughter of the Zhongwu general was named the side concubine of the second prince Shouwang. Each prince has a main concubine and two side concubines.

Finally, it was Qi Jiao's turn and there were sixteen people left. Standing in front of the emperor and the concubines in a row, it is really fat and thin, each with its own merits. When Concubine Chen saw Qi Jiao, she naturally wanted to get her to Shouwang's Mansion, so she said:

"Your Majesty, this show girl Zhang's temperament is gentle, and the concubines will fall in love when they look at it, I don't know if the emperor will give her to King Shou?"

The emperor actually wanted to give Qi Jiao to the blessed king. Although King Fu is not close to him, but after all, he is his own son, and this woman is a good teacher, maybe she can fall in love with King Fu, so that she can also get closer to the relationship between father and son. But at this time, as soon as Concubine Chen said it, it was not easy for her to mention it directly, so she was silent.

Concubine Chen saw that the emperor was silent, knowing that the emperor had other thoughts, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Concubine Shu said with a smile at this time:

"We've been choosing for a long time, how can we forget His Royal Highness the Prince! I didn't even think about choosing a lovely person for the prince. After speaking, he looked at the queen mother,

"It's that Concubine Shu is still thinking about the prince. I heard from the people in the East Palace that the prince has been resting badly recently and is in an irritable mood. The queen said. "Is this the case?" said the emperor.

"Yes, the emperor doesn't know, some time ago, the emperor was not in good health, and he ordered the prince to take care of state affairs temporarily, maybe he was too tired. The emperor listened and nodded.

"Yes, it's not easy to govern a country. When the state affairs are busy, I also want to listen to the piano and be quiet. ”

"I can't complain that the emperor always likes to listen to the piano, and the concubines understand the reason. Concubine Shu said with a smile.

"Anyway, I will give this daughter to the prince and be named a seven-grade good lady. As soon as the emperor Chrysostom opened, Qi Jiao's fate was settled.

The queen mother and the concubine smiled at each other, and Concubine Chen was shocked, when did these two people stand with the prince.