Inside the Imperial Study.

"The concubines see the emperor."

"The queen doesn't need to be polite, get up." When the emperor did not look up, he concentrated on reviewing the folds.

"The emperor's case is in hard work, and you should also pay attention to taking care of the dragon's body."

"Well, what's the matter with the queen?" Huang Fulin's attitude was cold, and he asked directly about his intentions.

"The concubines want to ask the emperor to decree that each family will send the show girl into the palace and run for the crown princess."

"Oh, the queen is going to draft for the crown prince?" Huang Fulin finally raised his head, he didn't expect that Empress Fang Ruwei would come for this matter today. In fact, as early as when the crown prince Fu Jingwen was twenty years old, the queen begged for this matter, but at that time, she happened to meet the queen mother, and she was not allowed to marry in the palace for three years, so the matter has been delayed.

"Yes, the crown prince is twenty-five, and the matter of the crown princess should not be delayed any longer, what does the emperor think?" The queen has her own plans in mind.

"Okay, it's time too, then let Queen Lao take care of it."

"The concubine obeys."

In the thirtieth year of Jiaye, the emperor's third son, the crown prince of the dynasty, Fu Jingwen, was twenty-five years old but still had no crown princess, and the emperor decided to draft for the crown prince and asked the princes and important ministers to send the school-age women in the family to the palace to participate in the election.

Beijing Tianyi Tavern. A middle-aged man sitting by the window said: "Have you heard, in this year's crown princess election, many daughters of princes and ministers are on the list, and even Zuo Xiang has received a holy decree to send his daughter to the palace to run for election." ”

A chubby man at the next table pouted: "If you want me to say, this Zuo Xiang's daughter must be very ugly, I heard that she has been raised in the Xiangfu Boudoir, and she rarely goes out, and even fewer outsiders have seen her." ”

The middle-aged man before took a sip of wine, wiped his mouth, and continued: "Then you are wrong, I think back then, Zuo Xiang's wife was really ······ looking."

"You don't want to die, you dare to mention Zuo Xiang's wife, when she and Zuo Xiang's affairs were full of trouble, the imperial concubine and the Fang family at that time were not allowed outsiders to mention a word about this lady, now although Fang Xiang has passed away, but the queen is still in control of the harem, if you hear someone talking about this lady, you will not be able to cut off a few heads at that time." An old man at the same table with the fat man didn't wait for the middle-aged man to finish speaking, he touched the white beard and immediately stopped it.

"Forget it, let's not talk about the appearance of this left prime minister's daughter, let's just say that in this crown princess election, the left prime minister's daughter is still very promising." The fat man moved back to the previous topic.

The middle-aged man said: "You are wrong again, there are many daughters of high-ranking magnates who are participating in the election this time, although Zuo Xiang is deeply respected by the emperor today, but Zuo Xiang is from the end of the micro, without the support of family strength, the prince is the only son of the queen, and the queen naturally wants to choose a woman with a deep background for him." I see, the daughter of the left phase, hanging! ”

"How much do you know about the affairs of the court, although the left minister started from the cold family, but the emperor is heavy, and he is interested in promoting, you see, there are still few cold men promoted in the court over the years? It can be seen that what the emperor values is not the family background, but the individual's talent. The affairs of the DPRK and China are changing rapidly, who can predict the future? "What the old man said was reasonable.

The people in the tavern were still talking enthusiastically, but the mansion of Chu Huaifeng, the left minister, was quiet, and there was no tension before the alternatives.

On the swing in the back garden sat a woman, twenty-eight years old, with a goose egg face, distant mountain eyebrows, a small and straight nose, a pair of red phoenix eyes, wearing an apricot yellow tunic dress, and several pearls dotted her hair, plain but elegant, without a trace of cumbersomeness. At this time, she was looking intently at a book of "Book of Songs". This woman is the only pearl in the palm of Chu Huaifeng, the left minister of the current dynasty-Chu Xiangwan.

"Miss, when has this been, why are you still reading here? The day after tomorrow, you will enter the palace to choose the crown princess, why don't you hurry up and try on the clothes and jewelry that you will enter the palace to run, so that His Royal Highness the prince will fall in love with you at first sight! The little maid pouted and complained about her own young lady.

"Little girl, you think too much, why are you more anxious than me?" Chu Xiangwan stood up from the swing, gently closed the "Book of Songs" in his hand, held it into a roll, and knocked the little maid's head, "When did I say that I must choose?" ”

Qian'er pretended to be in pain and rubbed her forehead: "Isn't it good to be the crown princess?" I see that other participating houses send people to silk villages and gouache shops every day, and the bead and hairpin jewelry in the entire capital is about to be emptied by these young ladies who are participating in the election. It's only our house, quietly, you are not in a hurry, and the lord is not in a hurry. ”

"I may not like what others are rare, and the identity of the crown princess is not what I want, even if it is expensive. I just wish it ······"

"Hope-" Qian'er deliberately dragged out her voice, grabbed Chu Xiangwan's hand, and said seriously, "Find a man who knows each other well, hold the hand of the son, and grow old with the son." ”

Chu Xiangwan's face flushed, he took out his hand, and stared at the little maid: "At a young age, I don't know what a man is not a man, and I don't know how to be ashamed." You are so sharp-toothed, I don't know which little enemy will be able to suppress you in the future? ”

"Miss, I don't follow, I don't," Qian'er shook Chu Xiangwan's arm, "People are thinking about you, but you are making fun of others." Then, Qian'er said with a serious face: "I will not marry, I want to accompany Miss for the rest of my life, Mrs. went early, leaving you and the master to depend on each other, the master is busy with things in the court every day, and he doesn't have much time to take care of you, I know, you stay in the house every day to play the piano and read books, in fact, it is very boring." In the future, if you are elected as the crown princess to enter the palace, what can you do without a confidant around you? I must be with you. ”

Hearing Qian'er mention her mother, Chu Xiangwan was also a little silent. She held Qian'er's hand tightly: "Good Qian'er, I have always treated you as a sister, although my father accompanies me whenever he has time, and invites a famous teacher to teach me piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but if it weren't for you to accompany me and take care of me, this day would be really boring."

"So, how can Miss be without me by her side?" Qian'er hid the tears that were about to overflow, and asked Chu Xiangwan with a smile.

Chu Huaifeng stood in the corridor and stared deeply at his daughter in the courtyard, and his eyes didn't seem to be looking at his daughter, but seeing his beloved wife through her. Although the face is the same, one is gentle and the other is sensitive, but the personality is completely different.

Chu Huaifeng is over forty years old, and his black hair has been mixed with a little silver thread, he is dressed in a dark gray regular dress and looks calm and square, hearing the conversation between his daughter and the little maid, he sighed and walked over.

Chu Xiangwan looked up and saw his father coming over, so he hurriedly stepped forward and held his father's arm and said coquettishly, "Dad, why are you here?" ”

Chu Huaifeng said to Qian'er: "I have something to say to Miss, Qian'er, you go down first." Qian'er saluted and turned to leave.

"Dad, what are you going to tell me?" Chu Xiangwan helped his father to sit down in the gazebo in the garden.

Chu Huaifeng looked at the book in his daughter's hand and asked, "Xiang Wan, what are you looking at?" ”

"Dad, it's the Book of Songs."

"Oh, let me guess, my Xiang Wan must be the most fond of 'Guan Guan Ju Dove, in the River Island, My Fair Lady, Gentleman is good'." In order not to put too much pressure on his daughter, Chu Huaifeng pretended to be relaxed.

"Dad, you guessed wrong this time, what my daughter likes is 'those who know me, I am worried. Those who do not know me say what I want. Speaking of this, Chu Xiangwan fixed his eyes, "My daughter doesn't ask for a gentleman, she only asks for a 'person who knows me'." ”

Chu Huaifeng sighed: "Xiang Wan, maybe your mother died early, and your father was busy with court affairs, so you have been independent and sensible since you were a child, but your father wants to tell you, 'Those who are bright are easy to break, and those who are bright are easy to stain'." The daughter's family should overcome the rigid with softness, and you will enter the palace to run for election the day after tomorrow, remember to be sharp. ”

"Dad, don't worry, I don't want to be the crown princess, my daughter went this time just because of the emperor's decree, and she will come back after a while."

"In this election of the crown princess, all the important ministers of the court and the central government who have daughters and are of the right age are among the candidates. The emperor specially summoned me and said that you should enter the palace to participate in the election, probably because he saw that the harem had been controlled by the queen for many years, and the family above the court was dominant and suppressed dissidents, and the emperor loved the prince and did not want to elect another princess who was also a member of the Fang family, so that the prince would be subject to his relatives after ascending the throne in the future, so he hoped that you would enter the palace and divide the power of the Fang family in the palace. Dad can't disobey the holy will, but he doesn't want you to be selected, and you know about your mother and me, and the queen will not let you become the crown princess. Chu Huaifeng said these words meaningfully. Although he is willing to be loyal to the emperor, he does not want to use his daughter's lifelong happiness as a tool for power and profit.

He lovingly stroked his daughter's head and continued: "Besides, my daughter has been spoiled by me since she was a child, and if she enters the royal family, where can she withstand that constraint? In the future, find an honest and honest husband who will be good to you wholeheartedly, and your father can rest assured. ”

"Dad, if you don't want to marry or not, my daughter said that I will always be with you." Chu Xiangwan lay on his father's knee and coquettishly. Chu Xiangwan knew his father's heart, the grievances between the Chu family and the Fang family were a dead knot, and the harem was mostly the power of the queen, if she really wanted to enter the palace, her life would not be easy. In addition, the harem is involved in the battle for the succession of the imperial court, and the forces of all parties are complicated, and she will never wade into the troubled waters by herself.

"Miss, you're back, why don't you look good, did the master say something?" Qian'er saw the young lady step into the room with a pensive face.

Chu Xiangwan was silent, and after a while, she raised her head and smiled warmly at Qian'er: "It's okay, Qian'er, you help me choose a dress and the simplest jewelry that I wear most often on weekdays, and let me change it before entering the palace the day after tomorrow," Seeing that Qian'er was about to persuade her again, Chu Xiangwan stretched out her hand to stop her, "Don't ask anything, I have my own plans." ”

Since she had already made up her mind not to be selected, of course, Chu Xiangwan would not dress herself up too ostentatious and attract the attention of others, but what she didn't know was that some things were predestined in the morning, and no matter how much manpower avoided them, it would not change the final result.

Although Qian'er didn't understand Miss's intentions, she still prepared according to Chu Xiangwan's intentions.