This was a matter of universal celebration, and the people all cheered.
When Lu Bo first passed by An Qien, his eyes swept over her gently.
An Qi'en lowered her eyebrows slightly. When he passed by, she raised her eyes again to look at Lu Bochu's back. For a moment, her mind was filled with images of him asking her why she didn't want to be a princess.
An Qi'en immediately stopped his thoughts and warned himself not to fall into such inappropriate emotions.
There were three maids standing beside her, talking to each other.
"Your Majesty is so powerful. He can actually buy food from Qi Guo."
"No wonder I haven't seen the prince in the past two days. It turns out he has such a big event."
"My servant thought that the prince was in a bad mood because he was being urged to get married, so he went to enjoy the mountains and rivers to relieve his mood."
It was Bai Lu who said this. She accidentally heard from Agui that every letter sent by His Majesty urged the prince to get married as soon as possible.
An Qi'en was stunned and suddenly seemed to want to understand something. No wonder Lu Bochu suddenly lost his sense and said such words to her.
It turns out that he was forced to have no other choice, so he asked her to be the princess as if he was seriously ill and sought medical treatment!
An Qi'en thought to herself that maybe she was easy for Lu Bochu to handle, and he could just ignore her by marrying her with just a title, but if he married someone else, he would have to fulfill his duties as a husband.
She suddenly felt funny that she was still thinking too much. It turned out that it was just her overthinking.
At this time, Bai Lu whispered again: "I heard from Agui that if the prince doesn't find the princess again, your majesty will give him the princess from the border area."
Minghua: "The prince has always been against marriage, but at his age he really should get married."
An Qien turned around and went back to the shop. Seeing her gloomy expression, the three maids quickly shut up and started working.
Lu Bochu brought all the grain to the open space and ordered the officers and soldiers to count the number of people. Each household received a bag of grain. The disaster grain allocated by His Majesty was about to arrive. By then, the grain in the hands of the people would last until the autumn harvest. This is an urgent need. It's solved.
As soon as he returned to the palace, Agui gave the letter from the palace to Lu Bochu. Lu Bochu was originally very happy because he solved the people's food problem, but after seeing the content of the letter, his face darkened.
Lu Bo immediately returned to his study and wrote a reply. Emperor Changshun said that he would betroth a princess from the border area to him. This time, he did not discuss with him but gave an order. In his first letter, Lu Bo asked Emperor Changshun to give him one month. If he did not If you choose a suitable princess, you will marry a border princess.
After the letter was written, Lu Bochu had people rush to send it out.
At the same time, the old lady of the Zhao family also received a letter from the Queen Mother in the palace. She was an old man next to the Queen Mother, and it was because of the Queen Mother that she was able to marry into the Zhao family. Old Madam Zhao was extremely grateful to the Queen Mother.
In the letter, the Queen Mother asked Mrs. Zhao to help the wise king find a candidate for the princess. Mrs. Zhao did not dare to be careless at all. She did know a few girls from wealthy families in Jingyang who were well-educated and virtuous, but to be on the safe side, she had to be careful. Consider.
So she informed the reputable people in Jingyang about the prince's intention to choose a princess in Jingyang.
Lin Yanyun naturally knew the news, and she was extremely excited. Her beauty was one of the best in Jingyang.
Both Zhu and Lin Zhehua were more concerned about this matter and immediately asked their nanny to re-teach Lin Yanyun the rules and female workers.
As long as Lin Yanyun learns the rules of female workers, the probability of her becoming a princess is very high.
The rich ladies of other wealthy families also worked hard at home to train as female workers. Mrs. Zhao gave them a week. After a week, those who were interested in being elected princess went to the Zhao Mansion to participate in Mrs. Zhao's assessment.
Lu Bochu also knew about this, because it was the Queen Mother who ordered Mrs. Zhao to do it, so he acquiesced that at most he would not choose anyone that day.
This matter naturally reached An Qien's ears, and she smiled when she heard it. In her heart, she also hoped that Lu Bochu could find a virtuous, kind, and well-matched princess.
The drug store has started operating here, and a drug seller has been hired to look after the store. She will also bring three girls here during the day, and she will prescribe prescriptions for any problems that arise.
At noon, Zhao Yan came and told her that on the day of the assessment, Mrs. Zhao hoped that An Qi'en would also come and make suggestions.
Although she was a concubine, she also came from a wealthy family. She knew all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, which left a very good impression on Mrs. Zhao.
When Mrs. Zhao opened her mouth, she didn't want to gain face from the old man, so she agreed immediately...
The assessment day soon arrived.
An Qi'en arrived at the Zhao Mansion early and chatted and laughed with Mrs. Zhao for a while, with Zhao Yan also interjecting words from time to time.
Mrs. Zhao picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea. She glanced meaningfully at An Qien and Zhao Yan. During this period, the two of them had been in frequent contact and must have become familiar with each other.
She said: "The lean meat porridge you and Yan'er made by Qi'en won the favor of many people. Even now, some people still miss your porridge. You two cooperated very well on this matter. There are very few people." Such a tacit understanding.”
Zhao Yan said gently: "The main thing is that Mrs. An knows the ingredients so that the porridge can be fresh and fragrant."
An Qi'en smiled lightly: "Thank you."
Mrs. Zhao brought the topic to the topic of choosing the princess again. She said thoughtfully: "Today, all the distinguished ladies are here. There are fifteen girls. These girls all want to enter the prince's palace, but how can the prince's palace be so different?" Easy to get into."
Zhao Yan thought seriously and said, "Grandma, the prince will come here to make a selection today. This is also a matter of chance, so you don't have to worry too much."
Mrs. Zhao raised her eyelids and glanced at Zhao Yan with a meaningful test: "Yan'er, you are not young anymore. When will you marry the head mistress of the Zhao family? Grandma will be uneasy every night because of your affairs."
Zhao Yan subconsciously glanced at An Qi'en out of the corner of his eye. Madam Zhao had long urged him to express his feelings to An Qi'en, but he kept putting it off and did not have the courage to talk about it.
Zhao Yan replied a little cautiously: "Grandma, this matter is all about fate."
Mrs. Zhao finally figured it out. When the boy took the initiative, the day lily was cold. She looked at you like An Qien and asked tentatively: "Qien, you are the best at judging people. Do you think my grandson can still find a good wife?" Well."
An Qien replied meekly: "Young Master Zhao, who is gentle and gentle as jade, will definitely find a virtuous and virtuous wife."
Mrs. Zhao knew that this was just a scene, and she could also see that An Qi'en had a good feeling for Zhao Yan.
At this time, the maid came in and reported: "Old madam, the girls are all here."
Mrs. Zhao stood up and Yan's mother immediately stepped forward to hold her arm: "Come on, let's go take a look."
An Qien and Zhao Yan followed the old lady to the main hall.
When they arrived at the main hall, fifteen girls stood in two rows. Those in the first row were from better families, while those in the second row were from ordinary families.
Lin Yanyun and Yu Lan were both standing in the front row. She was surprised when she saw An Qi'en. She couldn't understand when An Qi'en's relationship with the Zhao family was so good.
Today was a very important occasion, and Lin Yanyun looked well-behaved, unlike when An Qien would usually look at her with sideways glances.
An Qien saw Yu Lan nodded and smiled slightly at her.
At this time, Yan's mother and the fifteen girls said: "The first test for you girls is to make tea. The tea sets are all ready. Please come here."
Yan's mother made a gesture of invitation, and the girls all went to the tea sets next to them and started making tea.
The fifteen girls were all very skilled at making tea, and it was obvious that each of them had put in a lot of effort.
Mrs. Zhao was sitting in the main seat, drinking tea slowly and watching the girls making tea.
After the girl's tea was brewed, Yan's mother watched and tasted it one by one for the old lady and then scored each one.
The one with the highest score in the first round was Yu Lan, who made tea with seven points, and the highest was ten points. Lin Yanyun got four points, and she was as anxious as an ant in a hot pot. She thought she could make tea better than Yu Lan, and secretly thought that she could make tea better than Yu Lan. After poking and scolding, the old lady was blinded.
The second round was for the female workers. They started with embroidery, and after burning incense, the girls presented their masterpieces one after another.
Mrs. Zhao and An Qien watched it together and rated each girl one after another.
The last round was to play the piano, each person played a piece of music. Everyone played well, but since it was an assessment, there had to be a winner or loser. After Mrs. Zhao scored, the teams were rearranged according to their scores.
Lin Yanyun's score was middle-to-lower. He couldn't stand in the first row and was moved to the second row.
The top three are Yu Lan, the legitimate daughter of the Wang family and the legitimate daughter of the Li family.
The three of them stood at the front.
At this time, the maid came in and reported: "Old madam, the prince is here."
The fifteen girls were very nervous when they heard that the prince was coming. They all came against the fate of their families.
Lu Bochu is here.
Everyone bowed their knees and saluted.
The moment he saw An Qien's presence, a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he was also a little uncomfortable. Was she so close to the Zhao family? The Zhao family actually asked her to come over for such a big matter!
Mrs. Zhao said respectfully: "Your Majesty, these girls have all passed the assessment. The top three are standing in the front, and the ones behind are all ranked according to their scores. The further back, the lower the scores. Please choose, Your Majesty, to see if there are any suitable ones."
Lu Bochu said to Mrs. Zhao gently and politely: "Thank you for your hard work, Mrs. Zhao."
Mrs. Zhao: "This is what I should do. It is my blessing to be able to share the worries of the Queen Mother and the Prince."
Lu Bochu glanced at the fifteen girls roughly, then looked at An Qien seriously and asked: "Which girl does Mrs. An think is suitable for me?"
An Qi'en was asked so abruptly by Lu Bochu. She was stunned for a moment and then replied naturally: "Back to the prince, Qi'en thinks the top three are all good. The key depends on whether they are in line with the prince's wishes."
Lu Bochu looked at Zhao Yan again and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Zhao?"
Zhao Yan was also startled for a moment and then replied with clasped fists pretending to be natural: "Back to your lord, I think it is quite suitable for Miss Yu, the top three, to be well-educated and sensible."
Yu Lan is the one with the best family background and the most beautiful appearance among the top three, so he is also the most confident in his answer.
Lu Bochu looked at Yu Lan thoughtfully. Yu Lan's cheeks were slightly red with shyness. She was indeed a woman with bright eyes and white teeth.
Mrs. Zhao also echoed: "Miss Yu's reputation is also top-notch in Jingyang. If she can serve the prince, I think she will do her best to serve him very thoughtfully."
