On an early autumn morning, I was flipping through a book at the window, and the courtyard door was vigorously pushed open.

Xiao An walked in with the soles of his feet in the wind, met Ji Jiu under the flower stand, and the two of them stood there and started talking.

As usual, Ji Jiu's position always firmly blocked my vision.

I suspect he did it on purpose.

The conversation between the two didn't last long, and only a short time after Xiao An came in, I saw Uncle Liu walk in with a full basket.

I finally couldn't bear it anymore, and I didn't care about the grounding order that Ji Jiu gave me a few days ago, I felt that since the selection was put on the agenda, these people were more anxious than me.

It's me, the client, who looks like I'm idle.

I am actually very proficient in the rules of Ji Jiujiao, and I am also a person who has stayed in the Snow Country Palace, but Ji Jiu and Xiao An, including Uncle Liu, they don't know my true origin, so in my opinion, they are a little excessive.

Going out and walking under the flower stand, Ji Jiu reached out and pulled my arm and pulled me to his side.

Xiao An and Uncle Liu stood in front of me together, and Xiao An spoke first: "This morning, a notice was posted in the city, and I will go to the primary election of the national capital government in three days. ”

"You can prepare again in the next few days." After Ji Jiu pondered for a moment, he said concisely and clearly.

He turned to Uncle Liu: "I'll go to the street with her later, and buy two more clothes, Uncle Liu, how much money do you have in the family?" ”

My heart jumped, could it be that Ji Jiu had to prepare some money for dredging in order to help me be selected steadily?

Ji Jiu looked sideways at me, his eyes stopped on my face and said, "Even if you can enter the palace, it will take many days when you have money in hand." There is always a place where silver is available. ”

His solemn expression gave me the illusion of being a father again!

It was as if sending me to the audition made him feel uncomfortable and a great burden.

I feel that Ji Jiu is like a different person these days, and his usual style of taciturn is now, but recently it can almost be described as a cherished word.

I steadied my feelings. But I can't think of the right words to deal with it.

For me, the current situation may be subordination or the election, so I nodded and said, "Thank you." ”

Ji Jiu's gaze swirled on my face, and he fell between my eyebrows very unhappily, and said to Xiao An: "Why haven't you changed her makeup yet?" ”

"There's no hurry, I'm sure you'll be satisfied on the day of the audition."

Xiao An's tone sounded very sure.

"I'm satisfied, it's useless. The person you choose is satisfied. ”

"Well, that," I interrupted the conversation, "I want to say it's fine, I didn't get in by face anyway." Right? ”

Taking advantage of Ji Jiu's mysterious going out again, he didn't even say where he was going, Uncle Liu was busy in the kitchen for his daily lunch as usual.

I grabbed Xiao An, who was picking medicinal herbs, under the flower stand, brewed a speech, and said to him: "I have been in the capital for a long time, but I have not had a chance to go around the city with my own heart. ”

"When it comes to being familiar with the national capital, you are far above Ji Jiu."

I looked at him calmly.

Now we are negotiating, and we must increase our confidence no matter what. Calm!

I paused, looked at him and continued, "Can you do me a favor, tomorrow morning." I want to avoid Ji Jiu and let you take me out, and I'll go where I want to go in the national capital. “

Xiao An looked slightly stunned, and looked at me noncommittally, with a little vigilance in his eyes.

I looked down and thought for a moment, looked at him and continued, "I'm out of date. It's enough for one morning, and you take me out. Come back at noon. ”

"The only thing I'm embarrassed about is that Ji Jiu has almost restricted my movement here these days."

My freedom was lost after the proclamation, before that. I have had a few opportunities to go out, but unfortunately, except for the time when I met Gu Qimei, Ji Jiu followed me every time.

Going it alone has become a luxury.

"You help me figure out a way to break him apart."

After a short pause, I finally said what I was trying to do.

"Why did you ask me?" Xiao An glanced at me, not as if surprised, but there was a hint of scrutiny in his gaze.

I didn't answer him directly.

"I know that you are willing to stay in the national capital, stay in this small courtyard, and help Ji Jiu enter the palace for me, it is you and Ji Jiu who have reached an agreement."

"I have no intention of snooping into your agreement with him, but I have no choice."

"If someone like Uncle Liu told him this, he wouldn't even think about it."

"Then why do you think I'll be willing to help you, aren't you afraid that I'll sue Sù Gongzi like me?" Xiao An said in a low voice.

"You won't, my instinct."

He laughed a little self-deprecatingly: "Then what are you going to do?" ”

My eyes stayed on his face, and my gaze met him: "I don't have much to help you now, but as you know, I have a good chance of entering the palace." “

After I thought about it carefully, I spoke: "I promise you a condition, if you wait for me to enter the palace, if you need me to do anything, I will help you once, as a reward for helping me this time." ”

"Of course, such a request for rebellion and assassination is not considered, as long as it is within my ability, I will help you once, what do you think?"

I thought about all the possibilities, and I felt that this condition would satisfy him, and he might not refuse.

I also made the worst plan, even if he refused, it was a big deal that there was a little more disagreement between me and Ji Jiu, but if I couldn't enter the palace, I would have other plans.

For me, that's really nothing to worry about.

"Okay, that's a deal."

As usual, not long after waking up in the morning, Uncle Liu went to the vegetable market with his basket.

When Xiao An and I went out along the alley and went to the street, I realized that I hadn't seen Ji Jiu in the morning, and although I had already thought about finding a reason to let Xiao An help me get rid of him, I was still a little apprehensive in my heart.

When I was about to walk to the mouth of the alley, I couldn't help but ask Xiao An, "What reason did you use to break him up?" ”

"The others are still in the house."

The corners of Xiao An's mouth floated into a smile. "I haven't seen him, you" I looked at him hesitantly, not sure what he was doing. "I added a little spice to his tea last night, don't worry, he'll just wake up later." Xiao An turned around and glanced in the direction of the house, turned back to me and said, "I'll go out with you, and I'll come back at noon as promised." “

"Well, don't worry."

"When I come back, I will go to the store by the way to buy a few pieces of jewelry for you to wear, anyway, I will prepare for you to enter the palace, he himself told me, and I will do it for you."

"Well, thank you."

I replied to him simply, Xiao An's eyes flashed with surprise, and he said thoughtfully to me: "I don't know what you can do in the capital city for half a day?" ”

"I have what I have to do, don't worry, it won't drag you down."

My heart was beating a little fast, and I calmly looked at him and replied.

I sat down with him at a teahouse on the long street, ordered two cups of tea and a few snacks, and I went out

The morning passed quickly, and when I returned to the teahouse, I unexpectedly saw Xiao An holding a wooden box in his hand, standing at the door of the teahouse and looking at the side of the street - the direction I was coming from.

He didn't ask me where I went or what I did, just as I didn't ask him when he found time to buy hair accessories.

When he opened the lid of the box and showed the ornaments in front of me, I nodded in agreement and said, "You chose a very good one." “

Back in the house, Uncle Liu had already prepared a few dishes in the kitchen.

Strangely, Ji Jiu's figure was still missing, I glanced at Xiao An and about half an hour apart, Ji Jiu pushed the door outside the courtyard and came in.

He stood still under the persimmon tree, staring in my direction for a long time, quietly watching without any expression on his face.

At noon, I ate a little unsavoury.

When I looked at the notice on the street today, I had lost the freshness that I had learned at first sight that day, but on the way back, I still carefully figured out the mentality of the person who gave the notice.

Audition, there is only one day left!

In the middle of the night, I had insomnia, I was irritable, pushed the door out, and unexpectedly saw Ji Jiu standing there alone under the persimmon tree in the courtyard.

In the night wind, his back was like an old monk standing, but he unexpectedly revealed an indescribable loneliness.

I sighed silently and turned back, not seeing the gaze of the person behind me.

I tossed and turned on G until the second half of the night, and I had an intermittent dream, and I slept very restlessly

When I woke up in the morning, it was already dark, and after I washed up briefly, this time I pushed the door, and Xiao An was waiting at the door.

He handed me a small bottle, needless to say, I also knew that it was a potion of disguise, and he had improved it to the point where the potion could not be dropped by water, which greatly improved my safety factor.

In the alley outside the house, there was a carriage hired by Uncle Liu the night before.

I went out with the things I wanted to bring, today is the primary election of the yamen in the national capital city, and the results will be on the spot, and those who remain will be sent into the palace by the people from the yamen of the national capital city.

Strictly speaking, the first round of screening that began in the palace is the primary selection in the true sense

The carriage bumped around a few streets, and I happened to lift the curtain to look out the window, and I could see a girl saying goodbye to her family on the streets of the capital.

After turning a few corners, the yamen was close at hand.

On the street at the gate, there are all young girls of similar age, who are fat and thin, all of them are different, even the clothes they wear, the jewelry they wear are all of them, and the expressions on their faces are different.

Such a casual dress will also disappear after being selected into the palace gate, and those who can meet in the palace in the future will be fixed by the clothes worn by the palace maids.

I got out of the car and glanced around at the crowd, many of whom had already gone in before me.

I straightened my back and walked through the door of the palace.

The moment I stepped in, my heart was settled, this was the door I had been waiting for for a long time. To be continued