C7

The peacock spread its wings to meet the holy eye, and the king accidentally brushed his shoulder;

Without the sorrow of the Holy Grace, the thirst for the grace is difficult to control.

As soon as the eunuchs called for the emperor and the empress dowager to come, Eunuch Sun and Auntie Xiao, the eunuchs in charge of the internal affairs of the courtyard, knelt down and called out together, "Your servants welcome your majesty, the empress dowager, and the empress dowager." As she was speaking, the empress dowager led the way into the courtyard, followed by the emperor and the empress dowager. The Emperor shall live for tens of thousands of years, while the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager shall live for thousands of years. "

Three chairs had already been set up in the middle of the pavilion. While everyone was still shouting, the empress dowager, emperor, and empress dowager had already taken their seats. "Alright, get up." The empress dowager spoke.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager." With that, everyone stood up.

When he heard that the Emperor had arrived, Gai Rong'er, who had been rather indifferent, suddenly felt nervous. He didn't dare to raise his head and look around. After all, Auntie Xiao had said in her palace rules that he couldn't look straight at his master. Gai Rong'er secretly glanced at Yin Ruo Lan, his face filled with happiness.

"Yes, Cao Zhong, hand over your plate." The Empress Dowager said.

"Yes, Old Ancestor. The plate is here." Eunuch Cao knelt before the empress dowager with a tray bearing the name of the palace maid.

This sign was the one that Aunt gave to everyone after the official examination. It was actually a bamboo tag, one inch wide and one foot long. The upper section was dyed green and the lower section was covered in white powder. The names of the palace maids were written on the card, as well as the names of the emissaries and their fathers. In reality, the imperial concubines' tags were the same as well, only their titles and names weren't written on the board. The morning after they entered the palace, Auntie Xiao called out a name and after verifying the identity of the person, she took the sign away, saying that it would be handed over to the Ministry of the Interior for unified administration. She took it out for the empress dowager to use.

The empress dowager shot him a glance before saying, "You should start reciting your name. Read five at a time so that those who recite it can come forward."

"Your servant obeys the decree." After speaking, Eunuch Cao picked up the tags one by one and read out the names of five people. Yin Ruo Lan stood among these five people and watched as they walked to the front and stood in order.

"Raise your head." The empress dowager said. The girls then raised their heads, not daring to look at her directly. Yin Ruo Lan couldn't help but be curious, but she still sneakily glanced at her master before quickly avoiding her gaze. However, her small action still attracted Xuan Ye's attention. He felt that she was very interesting, as if she was very happy.

"Introduce yourselves one by one." The empress dowager ordered.

So everyone introduced themselves one by one. Yin Ruo Lan originally wanted to see the emperor, but when she saw his face full of happiness and his adorable personality, her voice was especially light when she spoke.

"Hmm, this daughter of the branch chief, Yin Xiangxiao, seems to be more quick-witted." Xuan Ye said.

"Hmm, this girl does seem quite quick-witted." Cao Zhong, assign this little girl to the Preservation Hall. Call for the next group. " The empress dowager ordered.

"Your servant obeys the decree." Eunuch Cao then read out the names of the second and third groups. The Emperor had chosen no one. Not even Wang Jingzhi, whom Gai Rong'er thought was such a beautiful and delicate girl, was chosen.

The fourth and final group, Gai Rong'er and Ling Xiu-Er were also in this group.

Gai Rong'er felt a tinge of nervousness in his heart. Walking to the front and standing properly, he heard the empress dowager say to everyone, "Raise your head."

Gai Rong'er raised his head and sneaked a peek above him. He saw a woman around the age of fifty sitting on a chair in the middle. She gave off a domineering aura and Gai Rong'er knew that she must be the Emperor Empress Dowager who had helped the Emperor of the Three Dynasties when they were chatting. To the right of the empress dowager sat a very simple, middle-aged woman. This was probably the empress dowager. It was only now that she remembered that she had never spoken since they had entered the empress dowager's room. Previously, Aunt Ning had said that this empress dowager wasn't the emperor's birth mother. Her birth mother died the second year after she ascended the throne, and now, this empress dowager was the late emperor's empress dowager. On the empress dowager's left sat a youth dressed in dragon robes. Although he was only 13 years old, he looked much more mature. His face was filled with valor and dignity, and he was extremely handsome. Gai Rong'er thought to himself, I really didn't expect the emperor to be so good-looking, and he couldn't help but have a thought.

As he was thinking, Su Ya, who was standing in front of him, finished introducing herself. It was her turn, and Jia Rong'er was so nervous that he seemed to be able to hear the sound of his own heartbeat. "Still, he composed himself and introduced himself." "This servant is dressed in the yellow banners, and my father is the Minister of Rites' Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gai Shan. He is 14 years old this year."

"Oh, you are the daughter of the Minister of Rites' Minister. Have you ever learned how to write and read poetry?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, my father taught me a few things since I was young." "Yes," Gallant replied.

The empress dowager nodded and said no more. Eunuch Cao shouted, "Next."

Ling Xiu-er, who was standing right behind her son, immediately answered, "This servant is Ling Xiu-er, 13 years old, dressed in yellow, and my father is Ling Xuanzong, a third-tier imperial bodyguard."

Xuan Ye looked at the row of women standing in front of him. The beauty of the Lingxiu Peak was so outstanding that it could be said to be the epitome of beauty, especially the slight smile that made the surrounding people lose their luster. When the empress dowager finished her introductions and asked Xuan Ye if there was anyone he wanted to talk to, he didn't hesitate to order her.

"This girl looks pretty good, it's just that she looks a little less happy. If the emperor likes her, then send her to the Preservation Hall. Let the imperial aunt teach her well." The empress dowager continued, "Cao Zhong, just now, the two palace maids that the emperor ordered were assigned to the Preservation Hall and the other two to the empress of Kun Ning Palace. Un, I think …" As the empress dowager spoke, her gaze swept across the palace maids standing below her. "That Gayong and Wang Jingzhi, right? They're all good people who came, so serving the empress should be alright."

"Yes, your servant obeys." Eunuch Cao replied.

"Oh right, let's also send two more girls to the Zhang family. Since the emperor has given her a promise, we should divide them into two maids as per usual, and that's right, we should give her a decree of promotion tomorrow, then arrange a room for her. Hmm, let's arrange for them to be at the Kunning Palace. From tomorrow onwards, we will supply them according to the promised monthly supply."

"Yes, this servant will follow the instructions of the Old Ancestor." Eunuch Cao answered.

The Emperor and Empress Dowager replied. Eunuch Cao raised his voice and shouted, "Your Majesty, the empress dowager, and the empress dowager, take over the carriage of Kun Ning Palace." Everyone respectfully sent him off.

Looking at the people walking away, Gai Rong'er couldn't help but feel a little sad. After all, there was still a tiny sliver of hope in her heart, thinking that she had always taken her own life naturally. She didn't know why, but after seeing the Emperor, her mind suddenly became less indifferent.

Soon after, Auntie Xiao led everyone back to the North Second Department.