The sun is like fire and the flowers are in full bloom.
It's a good time for the draft.
As soon as the news came out, everyone in the court was excited, and everyone got busy. The daughter was entrusted with giving gifts and wanted to send her daughter to the palace.
The noble ladies from various families were also eager to give it a try and bought their outfits, jewelry and clothes one after another.
Shen Que's shop made another steady profit.
In this world, some people like to be ordinary, while others want to be prosperous, rise to the top, and help their families shine. This is the battlefield for women, no less important than the officialdom of men.
Only you know the bitterness and joy in it.
Shen Que took the selected list and asked: "Are these all selected by His Majesty?"
The little eunuch replied: "No, His Majesty didn't even look at them. He just said that Mr. Chen would take the lead and just choose a few."
The young eunuch presented a list of selected candidates, as well as portraits.
"There are six people in total, which is not too many." Shen Que nodded, "Master Chen is thoughtful and takes care of not only the aristocratic families, but also the women of the private and foreign races."
Zelan curled his lips and said: "How come the queen is still very satisfied? There is nothing to praise about this."
Shen Que was stunned and looked back at her. Seeing her pouting and looking unhappy, he laughed and said, "Why are you even more unhappy than me?"
Zelan said no, "This is the person who came to steal your favor. Why does your Majesty still have the heart to take a closer look?"
Shen Que said: "If your Majesty has favor, no one else can take it away. If not, it is useless to drive them away."
The little eunuch knelt down and hurriedly agreed: "Your Majesty is smart and thinks thoroughly. That's exactly what happened."
Shen Que smiled and said: "You don't have to rush to flatter me. I am not a generous person. If one day I become stingy, wouldn't I be sorry for what I said to you?"
The young eunuch hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty is kind-hearted, but these words are going to hurt this slave. I am not talented, and I have only glanced at the records of these ladies. Why don't I report it to your Majesty?"
Shen Que said yes, "Then you tell me."
The little eunuch is not very old, he looks like he is only fourteen or fifteen years old, but he speaks eloquently:
"The first lady, Abu Zai, is the sister of the Khan King of the Tadan tribe. She is eighteen years old. She has a bold and cheerful temperament, but she does not read much and likes riding horses."
Shen Que nodded. The first age was recorded in the case file, and the latter's personality and characteristics were the work done by the little eunuch in private.
She came from a merchant family and had a shop with thousands of people to manage. She could tell at a glance which one was attentive and which one was lazy. This little eunuch was attentive.
"The second daughter of the Cheng family, her father Cheng Zhidong was granted the title of Marquis of Ping'an. She is a cousin of His Majesty. She is seventeen years old. She is well-read in poetry and books and was once known as a talented woman in the capital. She has a quiet personality and is taciturn but extremely intelligent and sensible."
Shen Que nodded, and Zelan said quietly: "If you are sensible, you will not wade into this muddy water."
Shen Que said otherwise, "Maybe they can't help themselves."
"The third Xia Chunlan comes from the common people. Her parents are farmers. Her family owns farmland. She is sixteen years old." The young eunuch looked at Shen Que and added: "This Xia Chunlan has the charm of the Queen. I want to come to Chen Que." Your Excellency also liked it, so he chose it."
Shen Que picked up the portrait and looked at it, and when he tasted it carefully, it was indeed very charming. Zelan said: "The newspaper is far worse than the empress."
The little eunuch said, "Being able to win one ten thousandth of the queen's position is already a blessing that has been cultivated in several lifetimes."
Shen Que smiled and motioned for him to continue.
"The daughter of the fourth Wenhua Palace scholar Su Jun, Su Wan, is eighteen years old. This woman is quiet and elegant, and has a beautiful country. She is indeed a beauty."
Shen Que looked at the portrait, and it was true that his charm and demeanor were extraordinary.
"The fifth place is Chen Yirong, the sister of Zhenwu General Chen Naiping, who is sixteen years old. This is a hero among women. She has been practicing martial arts since she was a child. She is handsome and elegant. When the empress sees her, she will know what it means to be a woman without giving way to a man."
Shen Que smiled and said, "Then I really want to meet him."
"The sixth place is Sun Xiaoxiao, the daughter of Sun Maocai, the Minister of Household Affairs, who is seventeen years old. Because Sun Maocai has a daughter in his old age and she is a youngest daughter, she is deeply loved by the whole family. This girl is lively, smart and very cute."
"Well, very good." Shen Que praised, "You are a thoughtful person. Where are they now?"
"Back to your Majesty, the ladies are waiting outside the palace. If your Majesty happens to be free, I will meet you. If not, we can meet you some other time." The little eunuch's words were tactful and thoughtful.
Shen Que said: "Since you are here, please come in."
He turned around and ordered: "Zelan, go to the small kitchen to get some snacks I made to entertain you ladies."
The little eunuch was pleasantly surprised: "Your Majesty is indeed extraordinary. If they knew they were being treated to snacks made by Your Majesty, they would be extremely happy."
After saying that, he bowed and went down to invite people.
Zelan came in with snacks and said: "Do you really want to entertain them with these cakes? In fact, you don't need to..."
"Zelan." Shen Que glanced at the door and found that no one had come over yet, so he said: "Of course I know that you are wholeheartedly for me, but you can't lose the courtesy you should have. Stay calm in everything and don't mess up. It's not like you can't. solved problem."
"They are all that smooth-talking little eunuch. I see that he is not devoted to the queen." Zelan complained.
"You are smart." Shen Que looked out the door thoughtfully and said, "Now that we know this, we should be more cautious in our words and deeds and not teach others to make mistakes. This palace is not entirely our own at the moment. Take your time and everything will get better.”
Zelan nodded silently, understanding in his heart.
After a while, the young eunuch led several ladies slowly over.
Under the sun, the train of her skirt is flying and fluttering like a fairy. The orange, red, yellow and green dress and the shining hairpin, coupled with the beautiful face of the sky, are really hard to take away.
Shen Que sighed in his heart: He is young after all, and it is indeed pleasing to the eye.
After everyone knelt down in obedience, Shen Que asked them to sit down, served tea and snacks, and rewarded the articulate little eunuch in front of them, and the little eunuch retired.
"Young ladies, don't be polite. Don't be intimidated by the rules when you first enter the palace. Just act as usual." Shen Que smiled warmly.
"Yes." Everyone agreed in unison.
Shen Que glanced around carefully and found that the person was indeed more beautiful than the painting.
The six people showed different attitudes towards Shen Que's gaze.
Abu Zai was very outgoing. He met Shen Que's gaze and looked at her with a smile. Cheng Yanyan followed the rules and could not look at the queen. He also sat upright, but was a little reserved.
Xia Chunlan was the most ignorant. Perhaps because she was chosen by the people and she was young, she looked at everything with curiosity.
The other three high-ranking ladies each have their own prides. Chen Yirong, the sister of General Zhenwu, sits upright and looks really heroic.
Sun Maocai's youngest daughter is very fond of cakes and eats them very deliciously.
Only Su Wan, Su Jun's daughter in college, looked a bit eager to try.
"I wonder what you sisters like to do on weekdays." Shen Que opened the topic.
"I like horse riding. I grew up on the grassland. I'm afraid I won't be able to ride horses again in the future when I come here." Abu Zai looked very frustrated.
Shen Que said no, "If the princess likes it, she can ride a horse in the imperial garden."
"Really." Abu Zai cheered.
Shen Que nodded.
"Your Majesty is really kind." Chen Yirong said, "You can't really let yourself go while riding horses in the Royal Garden. I don't care. I'm not afraid of everyone laughing. I usually like to read story books."
Some people covered their faces and smiled shyly.
Originally, military generals didn't pay much attention to reading, but Chen Yirong's hobbies were very down-to-earth.
Shen Que stroked his palm and said, "That's very good. The eldest princess Li Le loves to read storybooks. I once gave her many books that are not available in the market. Now the eldest princess has to serve the newborn baby every day. My little princess, I'm afraid I won't have time to look at that because I'm too busy. I'll have someone pick it up and bring it to you another day."
Chen Yirong was flattered and thanked her with a smile.
"Sister Chen is really lucky, and she has been favored by the empress since she came here." It was Sun Xiaoxiao who spoke, "I don't have anything in particular, so what about eating? I like to eat all kinds of pastries and fruits at home, but the snacks here are Is it really delicious? I just heard that the little eunuch said that it was all made by the empress herself?"
Shen Que said yes, "I like to make some at home on weekdays. You guys can enjoy it."
Everyone nodded and praised: "It's delicious."
Everyone was talking a lot, and the topic of cake tasting made the atmosphere in the hall lively.
"Sister Cheng, what books do you usually like to read?" Shen Que took the initiative to ask Cheng Yanyan.
This is the daughter of Ping'an Hou and Li Luansong's cousin.
Cheng Yanyan stood up and saluted and said: "In response to your Majesty's words, I read everything on weekdays. I heard that your Majesty is good at medicine and writes good articles. I would like to ask you what books your Majesty reads on weekdays."
Everyone looked at Shen Que. Everyone from the Prime Minister to the common people knew about Her Majesty the Queen. They had long heard about the great achievements and outstanding talents of the Empress, and everyone was very envious of her.
Shen Que said: "I don't have a certain personality, but I read everything. I like to read a little bit of any book."
Cheng Yanyan nodded: "In this way, only by reading a lot of books can we take advantage of the strengths of everyone."
Su Wan asked: "My daughter, seeing your beauty and white skin, dared to ask your Majesty what kind of skin care she uses and how she maintains her health."
This is the favorite topic of the boudoir girls. Now that someone asked about it, everyone looked at Shen Que with wide eyes.
Shen Que subconsciously touched his face, pondered for a moment and smiled: "I really don't know how to answer this question. I don't have any fixed rouge or gouache on weekdays. I have all kinds of them at home, but I have one." I’ve used it since I was little.”
"What is it?"
"Pearl powder." Shen Que said: "The pearl powder from Tongmaochang is natural pearls and absolutely genuine. It is my own shop. If ladies like it, ask someone to pack it and try it out."
"How does the empress use it?" someone asked again.
"Applying it or drinking water are all fine." Shen Que said, "After much thought, this is the only one I have used without interruption for twenty years."
Everyone nodded, as if they had found a treasure.
As soon as this kind of topic started, they got closer to each other, and someone asked Shen Que: What kind of lipstick does he use, and the color is so beautiful; what materials are he wearing? What kind of tea do he drink on weekdays, what do he like to eat and drink...
The atmosphere suddenly became lively, like a sister's gathering, and they were still not satisfied until they had dinner together.
During this period, Li Luansong came twice to find Shen Que, but when he heard that all the ladies were there, he was scared away.
This was the first day of the draft, and he could only stay in the study room.
Because the show girls really like the Queen Empress so much. She is like the eldest sister in the family. She always answers all questions, is patient and gentle, and knows everything about heaven and earth. She can have a lively conversation with anyone.
Shen Que himself was also surprised. He didn't expect to be so interested in everyone. He simply touched his palm and decided: "Let's stay here today and let's have a good chat."
