Xu Xun will be selected into the harem, it is really by chance.

The Xu family is well-off, and when the news of the draft came out, they were a little flustered. Mr. Xu specially sent Xu Xun and his sister to his grandmother's house in the countryside to take refuge, so that the rumors would come back after the rumors had passed - there have been many drafts over the years, and everyone has gained experience. Whether it is choosing a palace maid or a palace concubine, they will not go to the mountain cols in the area of Tangshan, where they are far away and poor, there are not many good seedlings, and it is in vain to go. However, the Xu family lives at the foot of the Son of Heaven, going in and out, who knows when they will be pulled into the show girl team?

If you are selected, whether you are selected as a palace concubine or a palace maid, it will be difficult to zaijian to your parents' family, and you will be unlucky to be carried out by a straw mat in three or five months, and there are not a few, some soldiers are kind, and they will pull the corpse back for you.

Over the years, in addition to the people who think that their daughters in the family are very good-looking, so they have given birth to some delusions, but those who love their daughters as much as the Xu family really change their color when they hear about the draft, and they are busy collecting their daughters densely. Xu Xun has been hiding from the draft twice since he was six or seven years old, the first time was purely for fun, and the second time was a bit serious, and people were most worried about this time: she was born well, her family has been farming and studying for generations, and her father is a tutor. It is also very in line with the requirements of the Zongren Mansion for the show girl - a small family, a generation of innocence, both talent and morality, the last time Xu Xun went to the countryside, the Xu family was sent out by the palace eunuch and his godson - the young eunuch received the little apprentice trial thief for a long time, Mr. Zuihou Xu stuffed two taels of silver to the eunuch, and then passed. Mr. Xu and Mrs. Xu were distressed for half a month, and Xu Xun was sensible, but he was also distressed.

But no matter how distressed the silver is, it is also a daughter, this time Mr. Xu has prepared some scattered silver money to bribe the little middle-aged people who come to the door to inquire, it is best to ask him to help say good things, so there is no need to wait for the master of the chamberlain to come over, and then he will have to break the bank. If the lord of the chamberlain still asks in person, then he can't say that he can only use the five taels of silver specially redeemed - there have been many drafts in recent years, and the sons and daughters of the right age in the capital, ninety percent of them have been told to leave by the parents of their daughters who are panicking, and the Xu family has been watching each other for several years, but they have not seen a hearty candidate. Mr. Xu has made up his mind that after surviving this time, he will definitely tell Sister Xu Xun that he will get married, and he will not let his daughters suffer this crime again.

When Uncle Xu Xun came to pick up her niece, she held her daughter's hand and told her a lot with tears in her eyes, asking her, "Listen to your uncle's words in the village, listen to your grandmother's words, a little bit of a look, don't just let your aunt be busy alone, watch her busy on the stove, you help make the fire, watch her embroider on the kang, you help twist the thread, good?" ”

Mr. Xu is in Yuhuatai, which is ten miles and eight townships, in fact, he is still a bit of a literary name, and his family also has dozens of acres of land, which is a small landlord, and there are a few people to help the kitchen serve. Although they are not masters yet, when the Xu sisters are at home, they also stretch out their hands to eat and open their mouths, and rarely get involved in family affairs. Uncle Xu Xun touched the back of his head, "Sister, don't worry, you must not let them suffer." The children and grandmothers can worry about them, why don't you go back and stay for a few days? ”

Where can Mrs. Xu put Mr. Xu and the little brother Xu in her arms? No matter how reluctant they are, they also let Xu Xun sisters get on the back of their uncle's donkey, the little sister followed her uncle to the edge of the official road at the entrance of the village, waited for half an hour, and the big car that went to Tangshan and the capital came, Xu Xun's uncle had already said hello, and an aunt in the village lifted the curtain and took the little sister in, and the uncle rode a donkey to follow on the side of the cart, and walked for three hours, and the cart let a group of people down, Xu Xun sisters rode a donkey, and the uncle and aunt walked on the ground, and slowly entered the village along the mountain road.

Unexpectedly, when I entered the entrance of the village, I met two fathers-in-law in red and seven or eight old mothers with serious and intimidating faces, followed by a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, holding a package in her hand, with a crying face, several people fell far behind, and a middle-aged aunt was already crying with tears on her face.

When these two people saw Xu Xun, their eyes lit up, and a father-in-law asked, "Which family in your village is this?" ”

Uncle Xu Xun, an honest farmer, met such a greased and powdered monster who spoke in a tone and dressed up with bells and whistles, where could he still speak? He stammered for a while, and before he could say a few words, the people were already impatient to listen to him, and turned around to ask the village chief. The village chief quickly cleared up, "This is not from our village, I don't recognize it." ”

The two fathers-in-law discussed a few words in a low voice, and then let Xu follow down. "Take a few steps down, what is your dad doing? Where are the people? ”

Xu Xun panicked, she was so scared, she wanted to lie, but how could it be so easy to lie? Uncle Xu Xun wanted to come up and take her back, but was stopped by the village chief, and the two fathers-in-law asked the village chief about the origin of Uncle Xu Xun.

Ask Xu Xun's sisters, the village chief can not say it, but ask Xu Xun's uncle, he can't help but say it. Who are the two fathers-in-law? Human spirit, a few words will bring out Xu Xun's life experience. They thought Xu Xun's sister was too young, so they didn't ask for it, so they just asked Xu Xun on the spot, "Come with us!" ”

Xu Xun squatted on the ground and really didn't want to move, she was afraid that her uncle would fight with this group, and she was afraid that her uncle would not be able to save her, so she was so flustered and confused, she was pulled up by those old mothers and semi-forcibly pulled into the team. One of them, who seemed to be the gentleest, comforted her, "Don't be afraid, it's a good thing to choose a concubine!" Besides, if you don't win, I'll put you back. Where do you remember your home? Don't forget! ”

This sentence was treated as a treasure by Xu Xun and her uncle, both of them didn't struggle anymore, Uncle Xu Xun took her sister in his arms and followed him for half a mile, Xu Xun secretly turned his head and waved at them, and made a grimace at his sister, making her laugh, so he turned around and walked with the group of people in great stride.

Not long after walking, I saw a big car, which was bigger and more reliable than the one they sat on, they got into the car, someone came to ask for their names and origins, Xu Xun glanced at the booklet in the person's hand, and there were already several names on it, all of them were Xiucai and the daughters of the landlords, and their origins were all near this area.

She had heard adults say that there had been too many drafts in the Gyeonggi area in recent years, and every time fewer and fewer daughters were selected for the palace, the government had to go further south to select. It seems that it may really be impossible to choose near the city, this time even the village did not let go, Xu Xun was unlucky, only came out of Yuhuatai, and just happened to bump into this wave.

She was right, on this day the cart was stuffed with a lot of girls, all daughters of decent local families, and at night, they were taken to the post station, where there was hot water and a kang to sleep.

Although there are inevitably a few fleas on the kang, most of the girls sleep soundly: the kang is burned in the post station, and because there is not much arable land and not enough straw in Tangshan, most people can only burn the stove to heat themselves in winter, even if it is a local wealthy family.

The next day they were sent back to the city, into a large courtyard, someone boiled water to bathe, put medicine in the water - kill fleas, and take a thin grate to grate the lice on the head, and also took away all the clothes they were wearing, and the burden was no exception, and issued a new color of new clothes, the material is very good, the flowers are green, soft and slippery, Xu Xun has only seen it on the grandmother of the rich family, and Mrs. Xu also has two such skirts, but they are not very wearable. The old aunt in charge - she asked them to call her Aunt Ma, and the aunt in charge said that this is a tribute satin, from Suzhou.

The satin jacket is covered with thick cotton, and it is even a little hot to wear in spring and February, but no one is willing to take it off. This group of little girls was happy, talking and laughing with each other, and asking each other about their origins, Xu Xun was pushed aside because he couldn't speak Tangshan dialect. She wanted to find the girl from the same village as her uncle, but when she got in the car, she only cared about crying, and she couldn't see people's faces clearly, so she couldn't find them again.

When it was time to put the meal at noon, the more than ten little girls from the Tangshan faction couldn't wait to go back: they didn't eat very well, the dishes were warm, the clear soup was little watery, and there was no taste. But there was meat in every dish, chicken, duck, and meat that could not be eaten—and one of the bold ones asked Aunt Ma, and Aunt Ma said it was muntjac meat.

Xu Xun's family still often eats meat, she is not so excited, mainly homesick.

They lived in a yard for more than ten days, bathing every day, washing their hair with potions every day, grate lice, half a month later, finally everyone had no itching on their heads, they were led to a larger yard, and the old mother looked at them one by one, Xu Xun didn't know what to see, she guessed that it was to look at their appearance, look at their height, look at their feet, look at their teeth, and smell their breath, listen to them...... If you don't pass any of them, you will be taken away immediately.

The Tangshan faction was all swept away in this selection, and they received three taels of silver on the same day, and all of them were sent home. Xu Xun was alone with her two new clothes and was sent to another courtyard to live with another group of girls.

She was completely relieved: this place was not as terrible as it was said outside, she was sent out, and she had three taels of silver to take, and she was sent home. Being a concubine for the emperor sounds like a dream, how can you get her turn? She heard that there are still many levels in the future, and if she doesn't brush down this level, she will definitely brush it down in the future.

Xu Xun lived in the big courtyard in peace, and followed the little girls of her size to attend classes, taking women's red classes, literacy classes, and palace etiquette classes, the courses were very loose, half a day of class and half a day of play. The big yard is often full of people kicking shuttlecocks and jumping hundreds of ropes, and several aunts are still clapping their hands when they are in a mood. Xu Xun didn't usually participate, and tried very hard to stay in the room, hoping to be sent out soon.

However, it is not so simple to be sent out, and I don't know when the next round of selection will be, during which only one girl was sent away because of illness. Other times, the aunts were very kind, almost never angry, and when the girls quarreled with each other, they just separated them.

Xu Xun gradually made friends, a girl named Hu Shanxiang, she came from Jining, a few years older than her, because the two of them were not very willing to be in the wilderness, and they did not have any fellow villagers, so they could talk to each other very well. Xu Xun is literate, but the female red is not doing well, Hu Shanxiang can prick a very beautiful flower and make a good purse, but he can't read. Xu Xun was scolded by his mother because he was always scolded, and he was very happy to learn embroidery from Hu Shanxiang, Hu Shanxiang also liked to read and write, and the two became good friends after coming and going.

Hu Shanxiang knows a little more than Xu Xun, for example, she knows that this is now choosing the concubine of the grandson, not the emperor's concubine. She also knew that they were living in the Forbidden City now, living in the courtyard outside the West Sixth Palace, and after a few selections, they would probably live in the West Sixth Palace.

Xu Xun admired Hu Shanxiang very much, and Hu Shanxiang secretly told her-"This is all what our aunt in the courtyard told me in the past." ”

Although Aunt Ma is very kind, she can not say a word for three or two days, Xu Xun is very envious of Hu Shanxiang for having a talkative aunt.

She has always known that the emperor prefers the imperial grandson to the crown prince, so the imperial grandson is often taken by the emperor's side, and when the people in the capital go to see the emperor on patrol, those who have insight will instruct: the emperor is followed by the grandson's car. But she always thought that the imperial grandson was still very young, the grandson, as if this grandson would always be too young, she didn't expect that the imperial grandson was also at the age of marrying.

Later, she learned that the imperial grandson was nineteen years old at that time.

Then I kept going to class, and I didn't take exams, and people's hearts gradually floated, and many little girls often wandered and talked in class. Xu Xun didn't want to be outstanding, but she was often scolded by her mother because she was not a good girl, so she was very attentive in the girl's class. In the literacy class, she already knew how to read, needless to say. The palace etiquette class is very simple, no one can't learn it, she just follows the crowd, and she doesn't do it well.

During the second round of selection, they stripped naked and stood in front of the old grandmother, who saw the soles of her feet from the top of her head to see if there were birthmarks, moles, and pus on her body, and asked Xu Xun to open her legs, and asked her if she had been to Tianqi.

Xu Xun felt very uncomfortable, but he could only do it, fortunately, there were women inside and outside the house, and this discomfort was also very slight.

In the second round of selection, more people were brushed down, and the rest were merged into a courtyard again, this time there were only more than thirty people. The courtyard has also changed places, replaced with Shouchang Palace - this time, there is a plaque on the courtyard building, and there is no need for Hu Shanxiang, Xu Xun can also recognize it.

The place of Shouchang Palace is very large, because in case the show girls are young and afraid, although the room is enough, but the two of them are still in one room. Xu Xun naturally shared a room with Hu Shanxiang, and they had more new clothes, and they were tailor-made for them. As the weather gradually warms, all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables are sent into Shouchang Palace, and with the renovated palace meals and snacks, many people's faces have become rounded.

Xu Xun ate with relish, she felt that she was about to be sent out of the palace, and eating more was a little, but she was growing taller, and she didn't gain weight after eating, but she was a little taller. At this time, she was mainly worried that her uncle didn't send her home, and when she was sent out of the palace, her father and mother would not come to pick her up. And the military master and father-in-law who sent her out had a bad temper and were unwilling to send her to Yuhuatai, so she would be really blind.

But this is also blind worry, Xu Xun is still very confident, she feels that her father and mother will definitely pick her up outside the palace, and then the family will hug and cry, she can tell them what she has seen in the palace, and then give three taels of silver to her father. If you're lucky, you can get some cakes out of the palace and share them with your younger siblings.

The third round of selection is carried out at any time, and someone is sent out every few days, sometimes because of an accident, and most of the time, the show girls can't guess the reason.

Xu Xun woke up at night once and felt that someone was watching her, she was very afraid, but later found out that it was Aunt Bai who was in charge, and she was fine again. Aunt Bai was a little embarrassed when she found out, she whispered to Xu Xun, "Don't be afraid, I'm here to listen to your sleep." ”

When the little girl who could snore in the next room was sent away, Xu Xun was not surprised at all.

They lived in the palace for half a year—half a year, when Xu Xun was accepted into the palace, the tribute satin jacket that was issued was still too big, and when she entered the Longevity Palace and was read by a group of strangers, the jacket was already tight and inappropriate. Xu Xun also wanted to put the thread on her own and wear it again, but Aunt Bai asked her not to bother, turned around and arranged a new dress for her, and someone came to dress them up.

Aunt Bai seemed to attach great importance to this reading, and also mentioned the emperor Yunyun, Xu Xun vaguely felt that this might be Zuihou's reading.

She was determined to talk as little as possible, if she could think of a way to make a fool of herself in front of everyone, she could also make a fool of herself, but she felt that she probably didn't dare, many times she wanted to show stupidity in class, but when the gentlemen looked at it, Xu Xun's courage has not been very big.

Zuihou was very dull when he read them, because the people who watched them were behind the curtain, and the curtain seemed to have been specially made, so that you could see the outside from the inside, but you couldn't see the inside from the outside. They sat down to embroider, they were asked some questions, and there was a girl who could play the piano and played a tune. Each of them had a flower pinned to them, and the color of the flower was different - at this point, there were only seven people left. With clothing and jewelry, it's easy to distinguish each individual.

After all the performances were over, an old voice behind the curtain asked, "What do you think?" ”

Now almost all the show girls know that they are selected as the concubines of the imperial grandson, and they must be very curious about the imperial grandson, and a few little show girls can't help but raise their heads and look at the curtain, Xu Xun didn't dare to look at it, and she found that Hu Shanxiang didn't look up.

The imperial grandson said, "They are all beauties." ”

His voice was flat, sounding like he was saying kind words. After saying this, there was no sound, someone came to take the show girls out, and the old voice asked, "What do Zhang's and Wang's think?" ”

The rest of the voice, Xu Xun couldn't hear it. They were taken back to Shouchang Palace.

The next day, she learned that she was named Taisun Jieyu, and He Xianxian next door was named Taisun Zhaoyi. Hu Shanxiang's luck was a little better and he was named the princess.

Xu Xun can finally go home, because the palace needs time to decorate the grandson's new house, and because Jieyu and Zhaoyi are going to enter the palace after the princess.

But when Mrs. Xu cried and hugged Xu Xun, she didn't have much joy to be selected, but she was still in a dazed mood - she didn't do anything, inexplicably, why was she selected?