When the snow had just melted, in the Imperial City of Lejing, in front of the gate of the Pavilion Selection Division, the crimson palace lamp that attracted the attention of thousands of people was finally hung.

The empress of the Great Wei Kingdom collapsed three years ago, and the Son of Heaven banned the selection of rookies for three years. It is rumored that the new emperor is a dedicated and infatuated person, but the courtiers know in their hearts that this new ancestor may be the first person in the world who is unkind.

Mu Beiyi is twenty-seven this year, and he can be regarded as a young man. Now in the government for more than three years, after the loss of the Yuan Dynasty, he is not in a hurry to stand again, and he really puts his mind on the society, and has really made many brilliant achievements.

The Queen Mother wept day and night in Fengyi Palace, reading the new emperor's thin breath, and said: "Oops! There is no successor to Dabao, so it is better to let the mourning family hang their necks with a shawl, and go with the first emperor! After speaking, he chose two beautiful and glamorous ladies with excellent backgrounds, and sent them into the imperial city from the right silver gate.

This stalemate lasted for a while, and it coincided with the weather warming up and the snow melting, and the political affairs were much more relaxed. Mu Beiyi finally distracted himself to deal with this matter, and ordered the selection of rookies after the pardon day.

Although the selection began after the social day, for women like An Zhuchun, they had been preparing for more than a month.

Whether An Zhuchun is traversed or reborn or indigenous, it is no longer possible to test. It has two points of beauty in Lejingbo, and that's it.

The old man of Anfu worshiped the fourth grade Shangshu Zuocheng, married the second daughter of the Marquis of Yangling, Tu Shi, and had three children under his knees. The son got two, one from Wen and one from Wu. The youngest daughter is An Zhuchun, fifteen years old, eleven in the clan, and is transcribing words in the inner garden water pavilion at this time.

There are two maidservants waiting on the side, the round face and almond eyes are called peach blossoms, and the slender and tall ones are called kapok.

The peach blossom wears a light red horizontal skirt, combs a bun, and has cinnabar-colored silk flowers in her hair. The Great Wei Kingdom is rich, but materials like Hengluo are not worn at will. But ordinary people work for a year, and the family gets paid in the first month, so they cut a Luo dress for the girl in the house to add joy. It can be seen that Anfu is magnificent, and the subordinate is also decent enough.

I saw the peach blossom serving hot tea, and said earnestly: "Miss is careful about her body, why is she writing by this cold water." This spring day is steep, and the wind and cold are going to be wrong. ”

Pillow Chun's wrist turned the end of the pen, and transcribed a line of "bamboo cane and mango shoes are lighter than horses", urging narrowly: "I will transcribe the words forward, you either go to turn over the flower rope or go to the bow, how can you not see such eagerness." ”

Peach Blossom was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly argued: "Now your identity is different!" Yeting selects rookies, we are a high-ranking family like Anfu must participate in the election, the fourteenth miss is only twelve years old, and the biological mother is a humble one, so naturally it should be our eleventh miss to participate in the election. I heard that ......" her voice suddenly lowered, and she said in a low voice, "I heard that the biological mother of the eldest prince is a lowly maidservant, and now she is a noble person who has won the title of prince." If our young lady is selected and favored, and she will become a prince in the future, according to the background of the old lady, wouldn't it be noble. ”

Pillow Chun didn't answer, and said in his heart, it's quite beautiful to think.

"Nonsense." Kapok softly stopped Peach Blossom's words, "Concubine Tiangong, the prince's biological mother, how can we let us put our beaks." Now that the master is on duty in Shangshu Province, let's be subordinates, and we must speak carefully. ”

Peach Blossom was deflated before she woke up and said damn things, and clumsily turned around and covered her mouth again and again.

Kapok put a white rabbit velvet embroidered plum cloak on the shoulders of Zhuchun and said: "Yesterday, Annan Liu Dadu escorted back to Beijing to report on work, and I am afraid that Mrs. Wang of the Metropolitan Protectorate is about to come with Miss Liu, and Miss Liu is going to go to the front hall to take a look." ”

Pillow Spring glanced at the sky, the dark early spring twilight, and a thin haze rolled up in the sky. She rested her pen on the mountain of pens and straightened her clothes slightly: "Okay, let me go." ”

The Mrs. Wang mentioned by Kapok is the head of the house in charge of the Annan Metropolitan Protectorate.

At this time, Mrs. Wang and her daughter Liu were eating tea and talking with Pillow Chun's mother Tu in the front hall. Just as we were talking about pillow spring, I saw someone coming. I only saw that she was wearing six blue cloud silk dresses, wearing a snow-white cloak stained with early spring dew, lightly combing a lily bun, and only wearing a Hetian white jade leaf hairpin with a smooth body, and entered the flower hall with a smile: "Pillow Spring has seen Mrs. Wang." ”

"Good boy, I haven't seen you for a long time, you see that your sister Liu has grown taller." Mrs. Wang smiled and pointed to the blue-clothed girl sitting next to her.

The girl's name is Liu Anran, and she is the second daughter of Lord Liu, the capital of the Annan Metropolitan Protectorate. At the age of fifteen or sixteen, he was not born beautifully, but he had a noble and pure attitude, and his voice was faint with some tenderness: "Sister An, I haven't seen her for a long time, but she is tall when she sees it." ”

Mrs. Wang and Pillow Chun's mother were old acquaintances when they were young, and although they each married others, they both married courtiers of Lejing. Therefore, Pillow Chun and Liu Anran are of the same age, they are playing with a stubborn handkerchief, and they have caused a lot of trouble together when they were children. Later, Mrs. Wang's husband was transferred to the protector of Annan, and naturally the family moved south, and the two families did not see each other for a long time.

Pillow Chun knew that Liu Anran must have come back to participate in the selection. The purpose of Mrs. Wang's trip is to teach her two younger daughters to reminisce about the past, and she will take care of them a lot when she chooses.

It's not for this, she and Liu Anran are also familiar and kind, so she only went up and took Liu Anran's hand, and said softly: "I got green sandalwood a few days ago, and the fragrance is dim. I carved a wooden hairpin and gave it to my sister, but my clumsy sister should not dislike it, but would you like to go with me to see it? ”

Liu Anran has been taught by Mrs. Wang for many years, and his gestures are all graceful, which is not unbeautiful. She wore a blue spring shirt today, with a light Du Ruo silver thread embroidered apricot blossom jacket, neat and dignified Chaotian bun decorated with a total of six snowflake silver hairpins unique to the south, each of which is inlaid with thumb-sized pearls, lining people calm and introverted. She got up on one wall and said goodbye to the elders, and the two went to the back garden to watch the hairpin talk.

As soon as the first two daughters left, the two noble ladies looked at each other with red eyes.

Tu Shi took a sip of tea, looked at the direction in which Pillow Chun and Liu Anran went out, and sighed: "When you and I are not out of the pavilion, it is also good to be so good, even if you walk hand in hand." When your family looked at the adults, they invited me to your house to hide behind the screen and peek. You see that Lord Du Hu is heroic and upright, his face is red, and he is still covering it with a handkerchief. ”

When Mrs. Wang thought of this, she was really quite emotional, and said with a sneer: "You laugh at me." I was ashamed and angry at that time, and I wanted to beat you, but I accidentally knocked over the screen and was punished and grounded for several days. Shao Ai's youth is still in the past, and now he is sitting on his children. Now I can't bear to look at my little daughter, but the emperor has a great temperament today, you know. Fortunately, there are not many people in the inner court now, and the back position is vacant, and he will be selected one day and have a bright future. ”

Mrs. Wang's "powerful" Son of Heaven refers to the new emperor's arbitrary power and domineering. The first emperor was benevolent and gentle, and a slight comparison of the old ministers of the two dynasties can feel the "power" of the new emperor. The Liu family has two daughters, and the eldest daughter is married. Now the emperor looks at the protectors everywhere quite closely, most of them are high and powerful, and he is most afraid that the Son of Heaven will be suspicious. It is so necessary to have a pillow person in front of him from time to time, so as to remember the loyalty of the Liu family.

As the second daughter, Liu Anran has to bear such a heavy responsibility.

"They have their creation." Tu Shi sighed softly, "Your mansion is also worried about the Annan Metropolitan Protector's Mansion, won't I have to sleep day and night." If Pillow Spring is not selected, I will definitely choose a talented young man for her to be her husband, and I don't have to be noble. The important thing is that character is valuable. If she is selected, she will rely on her life skills, whether she is a girl or a nobleman, if she is lucky, she will seal the concubine, and she will be her creation. As he spoke, the tip of Tu's nose turned red, and he gently wiped the corners of his eyes with a brocade with a fragrant flower.

This narrative made the words of the two noble ladies infinitely desolate.

On the ninth day of the Society, it was the day of the selection.

Sure enough, early in the morning, the grandmothers and daughters-in-law of the house came to dress her up, and at dawn, officials from the household department came to check. In the afternoon, a eunuch sent by the Inner Palace Selection Division came to see the registration and make a book, check the height and posture, and even listen carefully to the voice, and tossed for half an hour.

Three days later, the inner court issued an order, summoning Zhuchun to live in the inner palace temporarily, and then participate in the palace election ten days later.

It is reasonable to be selected with the appearance of the pillow spring's family background. The so-called temporary residence in the inner palace is to call the women who have passed the primary election to stay in Shuya Palace, one is to let the older palace maids in the palace observe whether the women have physical diseases, and to teach the women the palace rules and etiquette, so as not to lose their temper in front of the Queen Mother of Heaven during the palace election.

The next day was a sunny day, pillow spring got up early, wearing a goose yellow spring shirt smoke-colored liuxian skirt, a little lead and rouge, combing Ling Xuan bun decorated with light emerald double finch hairpins, just drank two sips of porridge, and a carriage came to pick up. She glanced at the hot shrimp crystal steamed dumplings on the table, her throat moved, and she still went out.

Dozens of people from the top and bottom of Anfu, both servants and maidservants, came to see each other off. Pillow Chun's two brothers-in-law and eldest sister-in-law stood at the forefront, and they all said that they cherished and cherished.

The eldest brother is called Zhengzheng, as his name suggests, boring but very elegant, and he has already taken the exam and is married. The second brother's name is Lingjun, who is not yet married, and has been sucking cats and dogs since he was a child, climbing trees and stealing fruits, but now he has grown into a tall young man, and he is about to enlist in the army to earn fame in a blink of an eye. The two brothers helped her into the carriage, and Zhu Chun was quite emotional, and said softly: "Hard brothers." ”

An Zhengze said: "I am happy to go to Hongluan, I wish the eleventh sister her wish to be fulfilled and the clouds will be smooth." ”

An Lingjun said: "Brother hid two leek pork buns under the sedan chair for you, you sit lightly, don't flatten your buttocks." If you are hungry on the road, remember to touch it out and eat it. ”

Pillow Spring thought it was funny, so he pursed his lips and smiled. smiled and felt that the two brothers had different personalities, but they were also capable of writing and martial arts. Then he read a sentence "Learn to become a literary and martial artist, and the goods are with the emperor's family". I think it's like this for my brothers, and it's like this for myself. So he didn't laugh much, and closed the curtain of the carriage.

The carriage stopped at the corner of the right Yintai Gate of the Lejing Imperial City, and two full hours had passed by the time it arrived. Pillow Chun's family lives in the north city of Lejing, which is relatively close to the imperial city, and it has taken so many hours, but I think those girls with smaller portals have gone out before dawn. At this time, the long street more than ten zhang wide outside the door was full of young women, and they looked at a purple and red color, melting spring.

"Sister." Liu Anran's voice came.

Pillow Chun looked back at her and saw that she was wearing a royal blue woven gold dress today, which was indescribably noble, and the delicate makeup on her face was a little moving: "Sister Liu is very beautiful." ”

The two walked a few steps with their hands, stopped at the root of the red wall, a little away from the crowd, and then Liu Anran said: "I see that the momentum of this election is really huge, this is already a second election, and there are hundreds of people. ”

Pillow Chun brushed one hand on the broken hair in his ear, and whispered: "Since Your Majesty intends to take over the Annan Metropolitan Protectorate, I think I will be careful, and I can't let the Lord of the Metropolitan Protector return to Beijing in vain." My sister has a noble temperament, and she will definitely be selected if she wants to come. ”

"But I see that there are many more powerful ones." The corners of Liu Anran's mouth moved slightly, and his eyes moved forward, "I just saw the Empress Dowager's cousin Mo Shi from afar, and her father Fang Zhengjue." Although Sipinjue is not considered a high honor in Lejing, the maiden daughter of the Queen Mother is the hottest at the moment. ”

Pillow Chun smiled with his eyebrows: "In this way, I want to call Your Majesty's cousin." ”

"It's nothing." Liu Anran slowly stirred the light veil in his hand, his eyelids drooped, "There is also the daughter of Lord Zhongshuling, Liu." ”

Even Liu Anran didn't point out, and Pillow Chun also saw where Liu was from a distance. Twenty steps away, a girl in red clothes with a begonia and a golden grate was surrounded by everyone, her face proud. This Miss Liu Jiayan's name is Liu Rouge, and her whole body is as magnificent as in a ball of brilliance. The girls around her surrounded her became a foil, and from a distance, she could only be seen raising her chin and smiling nobly, saying something.

Pillow Spring has some impressions. The Chinese book made the adults the same as the deputy minister, and added the title of the prince and the prince from the first product. The daughter is loved by thousands of people, and she is also one or two of the nobles in Lejing. If you talk about why it is famous in the community, I heard that it was the old prince who went to Zhongshu Ling's house as a guest, and Miss Liu called the old prince "horse-faced old man", which made a joke for a long time.

Since it is called a "joke", it naturally means that the old prince has never been angry. The fact that the daughter of the courtier was so abrupt but not angry was that the new emperor was very focused on the centralization of power, and the siblings of the first emperor no longer had any prestige in the current dynasty; Second, when the Zhongshu Ling was called, the throat of the government and the opposition, although it was called "the same as the deputy minister", but the weight of authority was no different from that of the first assistant. Therefore, the concubine of the Zhongshu Ling family scorned the old prince, which can only be called a "joke".

Pillow Chun and Liu Anran talked for a while, and an aunt in the palace came to roll the list.

According to the rules, the women who are ranked by family lineage, and most of the women who are relatives of the emperor, the lord's family, and the important ministers of the court are arranged in the north garden of Shuya Palace. The second class is the daughter of the sixth-fourth-grade family, who lives in the east garden of Shuya Palace. Under the remaining six products, it is also the first class with the largest number of people, and it lives in the West Garden of Shuya Palace. There is no one on the south side.

This is not the end, there are dozens of people from other families, who are not arranged to enter Shuya Palace, but live in a place called Hanting Garden outside Shuya Palace, which is much worse than the comfort and comfort of Shuya Palace.

Pillow Chun's father is the East Garden where Zheng Sipin lives, Liu Anran went to the best North Garden, the two exchanged glances from afar, and then parted ways.