Ning was wearing a light blue flag suit, combing simple braids, wearing grass flowers on her sideburns, a jade pendant hanging on her ears, stepping on the bottom of a flower pot more than two inches high, sitting in the flower hall of the Earl's Court and waiting.

Sitting opposite her was Wan Ning, dressed in an orchid embroidered blue flag suit, with braids on her head, but she was wearing delicate pearl-inlaid yarn flowers, and white silk stripes on her chest, but her father's name was different.

There is also a show girl in the hall, who looks very delicate, is the daughter of a distant uncle, her name is Da Niu, because Jin Bao is the patriarch, so she was sent over by her parents. She is this year, and she is in the second draft, because she was named last time, and this time she is waiting for the result. She was dressed in ordinary clothes, with no jewelry except for the silver bracelets on her wrists and the silver rings on her ears. From time to time, he raised his eyes to look at Wan Ning, and his eyes were amazed, but he was a little nervous.

The Nala clan and the clan each instructed their daughters to pay attention to when they were elected. Shi kept looking at the bottom of the flower pot on Shuning's feet, looked at the sky outside, and said worriedly: "These shoes with wooden soles are not waterproof, do you want to change to a pair of porcelain soles?" ”

Shuning smiled: "I'm used to wearing wooden soles on weekdays, if I change them, I will be very uncomfortable, besides, the porcelain bottom is easy to slip." Although this wood is afraid of water, I only wear it for such a day, and I am not soaked in water, what am I afraid of? ”

If you think about it, it's just that.

After Nala finished talking about his daughter, he calmed the girl a little, and then looked out a little irritably. Said: "What's the matter with the second brother and the second brother and sister?" It's all time, why haven't you come yet! ”

Jin Bao raised his eyes to look at his wife and said lightly: "What are you nervous about?" It's not far from Di'anmen, just go half an hour in advance. ”

Nala closed her mouth a little dejectedly, twisted her veil, and repeated to her daughter what she had just said, and Wan Ning was already so annoyed that she was about to roll her eyes.

Finally, Li and Zhenzhen walked in and reported, "Second uncle, they are here." Then I saw Xingbao and his wife take Yuan Ning into the flower hall. Today, Yuan Ning is also wearing a light blue flag suit, with teeth pinched on the cuffs and hem. Only a velvet flower is worn on his head, and the whole person looks very dignified and generous.

Xingbao said a few words of greeting, handed over his daughter to Jin Bao and his wife, and then stared at his brother and said, "The younger brother will entrust his daughter to the eldest brother." Jin Bao paused. Nodding, he said, "This is my responsibility as the head of the clan. Then he turned his head and told the butler to go and set up the car.

Seeing that he was about to leave, he pulled his daughter and asked a few words. Shuning listened with a smile and said with a smile: "E-Niang's words have been repeated four times, I remember." It's just a primary. I'll be back tomorrow. E-Niang don't have to worry too much. Shi wiped his forehead with a handkerchief a little embarrassed, and said, "I'm just afraid that you will forget ......" and then turned straight and whispered to her: "In the first round of the draft, you may feel a little uncomfortable." Remember to endure it, if you are wronged, come back and say to Eniang. Don't get into trouble on the spot. Shuning was a little surprised. Nod yes.

It was a bit overcast. It had only rained in the morning, and the water in the courtyard had not yet been drained. A large family in Earl's Court. Except for Qingning, Shunning and Duanning, who are still on a mission in the yamen, they are all here. In the courtyard, there were four green oilcloth carts, all pulled by mules, much smaller and simpler than the carriages that Shuning and the others usually sat in, and there were signs hanging on the cars, and the words written on them were similar to the strips of white silk cloth on their bodies. There were also a few horses and a carriage next to it, which were used by Jin Bao and the Nala clan and the escorting family. They were going to escort the four girls to the election.

Jin Bao asked the eldest girl to get in the car first, and then beckoned the three Shuning sisters to the side, and said solemnly: "Today's primary election, your three sisters are the hope of my and his family, no matter what quarrels there are in the past, from this moment on, you must forget them all!" You sisters should support each other and help each other, if anyone ignores sisterhood because of personal grudges and prevents the future of the family, I will definitely deal with it according to family law! After speaking, he also stared at Wan Ning and Yuan Ning.

His words were a little dark, very different from the amiable image on weekdays, and the three sisters couldn't help but shiver. Yuan Ning quickly responded, Shu Ning also responded, Wan Ning bit her lip, and then said in a low voice, "Got it".

Jin Bao slowed his gaze and said softly to Shuning: "Third girl, you have always been a sensible person, and you never worry about people. The three of you are participating in the primary election today, and if the sisters have any misunderstanding, you must help mediate, you know? ”

Shuning answered, but sighed in her heart, it seems that she, the peacemaker, has made up her mind.

Seeing that the hour was not early, Jin Bao hurriedly explained a few more words, and then asked everyone to get in the car. When Shuning was about to pass, Zhenzhen came over and whispered a few words to her, she smiled slightly, nodded in thanks, and stepped forward to board the car.

The green oil cloth cart was small and short, and it was very different from the usual horse-drawn carriage. It was inconvenient for her to wear the bottom of the flower pot, so she had to sit in with her legs bent. There were two mats stuffed with cotton floor cloth, an umbrella near the door, and a wooden box in the corner, which should be what Zhenzhen said.

After the car had set off, she opened the wooden box to see that there was a pot of white water and a large bag of snacks for her to eat when she was hungry. There is also a small baggage, a homely waistcoat and a thin cape, ready to wear when the weather gets colder. If you look closely, there are even Ren Dan and medicinal oil at the bottom of the box. Mom and Jinjin are really well prepared.

The Earl's Court is not far from Di'anmen, and it usually only takes two quarters of an hour to get there. But the road was slippery and muddy in the rain, so they could only walk slowly. On the way, I also encountered the mule cart that also sent the show girl and got stuck in the mud puddle, and several people couldn't pull it out. Jin Bao didn't want to be nosy, but because he knew one of them, he sent two people to help, and asked someone to borrow a thick wooden stick from a nearby house, and finally pulled the car out of the pit. The other party thanked him again and again, and Jin Bao took a few cars back on the road.

When they arrived outside the Di'an Gate, their assistant leader was already jumping to his feet in a hurry, his eyes widened, and he exhaled his white beard and said, "Why is it so late, my lord?" Everyone else is here. The train will leave in half an hour, what if it's late?! Jin Bao repeatedly confessed. Na Jie Lin Zuo Ling didn't say much, arched his hand, and beckoned a few household servants to come and pull the cart, and pulled Jin Bao to the front of the household to open a few tables, and handed over the roster.

He moved so fast that he didn't even have a chance to say a few last words to his daughter, so he watched as his daughter and nieces were pulled into the Di'anmen in their mule carts. Jin Bao came back after completing the formalities and called his wife, and Nala looked at it a few more times with a worried face. Then I asked the coachman to set off and go home with my husband.

After Shuning entered Di'anmen in a car, she waited for a while, and it was getting dark, and someone came to light the lanterns hanging in front of their cars. Then with a shout, the car began to move. She lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out, only to see the cars gradually lining up. The big girl's car was originally lined up behind their rookie priest and vampire beautiful girl full text reading sisters. was pulled to the front of the first few people, and after a while, someone came to pull Shuning herself

|Three cousins, it just happened to be Wanning first. She's in the center, Yuan Ning

After all the mule carts entered the Di'anmen, they kept walking along the palace wall. After turning three corners. Finally arrived at the Shenwu Gate. The household servants ran all the way. Tell the show girls to get off the bus. Shuning checked the two sleeves and made sure that the dim sum inside was very secure. I got out of the car and tidied up my outfits.

It is the same palace gate with red walls and yellow tiles, but against the backdrop of ***, it seems that it is not as grand as the Tiananmen Square seen before the crossing. This should be the back door of the palace. There were many eunuchs waiting in front of the palace gate, and after the handover with the officials of the household department, an older and more decently dressed eunuch beckoned, and more than a dozen eunuchs came to the show girls.

The eunuchs first asked them to line up according to the flags, and then asked, "Are there any relatives of the ladies in the palace?" "Manzhou, where Shuning is located, is in the red flag, although there are not many people, but there happens to be a concubine's niece, so he stepped forward first. Shu Ning thought about it carefully, she and her mother were obviously just relatives and relatives, and they should not be in that range, so she didn't say anything.

Then the eunuch in charge of the Manchurian Red Banner asked, "Which one is named?" The eldest girl and the other two girls came out and left first.

The rest of the people lined up according to their age, and slowly walked into the doorway in the middle of the Shenwu Gate one by one. Shuning wanted to see the scenery in the palace to see if it was the same as in modern times, but the surroundings were bright and there were eunuchs around her, so she had to suppress her curiosity so as not to attract attention. But the other show girls were obviously also curious, so the eunuchs rushed back and forth from time to time, telling the show girls not to look around. Taking advantage of the fact that they didn't pay attention, Shuning quickly looked around a few times, but unfortunately it was all palace walls, and there was nothing special about it, so she felt a little disappointed.

When they arrived at the open space in front of Shunzhen's gate, the show girls stopped. Four long tables were set up in front of them, and several eunuchs sat behind them, with paper and pens on the tables, and stacks of books. The little eunuch flipped through the booklet and called his name, and the show girls stepped forward one by one to be read.

Shu Ning was not surprised that she passed the primary. Probably because the scope of the draft has been greatly reduced, the number of show girls this year is much smaller than in previous years. It is said that there were five or six hundred show girls who participated in the primary election last year, but this year there are only two hundred. There are fewer people, but the demand is not small, so people with slightly flat heads and straight faces have been selected, even some who are too ordinary to be ordinary.

After Shuning passed, when she was standing on the side and waiting with the others, she heard other show girls next to her whispering, so-and-so girl is ugly and low-born, but she was selected, are those fathers-in-law blind; A certain woman is the daughter of Yahuan, and she was also chosen; A certain girl is known for her eccentric temperament, and she will be chosen because of her father's high official position; And so on and so forth.

Shuning laughed in her heart while listening to other people's sour words, although these show girls were all elegant and dignified, but the gossip nature of the little girls still couldn't be hidden. Wan Ning listened attentively beside her, obviously interested in these gossips, but she felt that talking too much about these gossips would lower her style, so she couldn't help but not step forward. Yuan Ning lowered her head and looked at the ground, as if there was gold on the ground.

One by one, some of the show girls who passed through were led to a few smaller rooms next to them, saying that they would test their body odors. When it was Shuning's turn, she was a little nervous. There were four old grandmothers inside, all of whom were at the level of Mama Rong, and they didn't seem to be easy to mess with, so she couldn't help but take a few deep breaths. Recalling her instructions before leaving, she pressed down her uneasiness and stepped forward.

Nothing else turned out, but she felt embarrassed when it came to undressing, especially when she lay down on the bed to test whether she was virgin, and she felt the greatest humiliation she had ever felt. She blushed and barely endured her anger, comforting herself that it was a health check, as soon as the grandmothers were finished, she immediately got up and dressed, but her hands were a little trembling, and she scolded the rulers of the Qing Dynasty for establishing such a draft system, which was really perverted!

Those grandmothers had long been accustomed to this kind of reaction from the show girls, so they didn't say anything, but one of them exchanged glances with others, and said slowly: "The girl has no smell of sores, no scars, and a normal physique, but it's just ...... The appearance is a little ordinary, but I'm afraid it's not easy to choose......"

She couldn't wait to choose!! Shuning buttoned the buckle, tidied up her hair, and pinched her sleeves secretly, fortunately, the snacks were fine, and when she turned around and asked if it was over, the grandmothers looked at each other with some disappointment and nodded.

When Shuning came out, she happened to meet Wanning coming out of the opposite room, and her face was also blue. The two glanced at each other, Shuning stretched out his hand over, and Wanning also reached out to take it and returned to the team.

But Yuan Ning remained silent afterwards, as if nothing had happened. It's just that Shuning noticed that a pair of jade bracelets and two rings on her wrist were missing, and she was a little surprised. Recalling the situation in the house just now, she was suddenly taken aback, could it be that those grandmothers were asking her for bribes just now?

It's a pity that they found the wrong person, and she didn't go with the idea of being selected. It's a pity, it would be nice if they eliminated her because of this, probably because there were few women in the show this year, so they didn't dare to be too rampant, right?

The sky rumbled, a few drops of rain fell, and it was going to rain again. The eunuchs were busy taking the passing show girls to several large rooms to wait for another reading. Shuning was a little puzzled, isn't the primary election over? What else is there to do?

She looked up at Wanning and Yuanning, and asked them this question softly, Wanning was a little stunned: "I don't know, will it just wait for the rain to stop?" ”

Yuan Ning said, "Don't you know your sisters? This year's draft is simple, and the first two rounds of selection have been combined into one. I'm going to take a talent test later, right? ”

Hey? Shuning was a little weak-hearted, she hadn't touched the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting much for a few months, and after Mama Cui left, she only practiced a few times, but she was not proficient. But it quickly occurred to her that wasn't that right? So the mood was happy again.

The room they were in was so large that fifty or sixty people stood still not crowded. After the previous reading, the number of show girls has been reduced to one hundred and thirty-seven. Then they were taken to the main hall one by one for questioning, so the progress was a little slow. Shuning and Wanning stood together and felt a little bored. Wan Ning even fell asleep.

Shuning asked in a low voice, "Didn't the second sister sleep well yesterday?" Didn't sleep before lunch? Wan Ning muttered two sentences: "I'm too excited, I can't sleep...... Shu Ning pursed her lips, decided to be kind, help cover up, and pulled her and Yuan Ning, and the three of them moved to the corner against the wall, and then blocked it with their own bodies to avoid letting others see Wan Ning's sleeping appearance.

It's just that after a while, she suddenly felt hungry, looked around, turned around and took out a piece of snack from her sleeve, and when she was about to eat, she heard a cooing sound next to her, and looked up to see that Yuan Ning was staring at the snack in her hand, looking hungry and thirsty.