The next day, Ning Yuzhen got up early. The clothes she would wear for today's draft had to be scented two hours in advance.
After Qilan took the clothes and scented them, she came back to dress her up.
"Miss, is the aroma too strong?"
Ning Yuzhen likes light fragrance. In the past, if she went out, she would only smell a stick of incense.
"No." Ning Yuzhen sat at the table, her green-white fingers gently brushing the light green under her eyes, "I have a low status and a position at the back, and today's draft is in the Imperial Garden, so there must be a lot of distance between us. It’s not effective at all.”
Qilan nodded and sped up her hands. Outside the house, Nanny Cheng was already rushing past one room after another.
As the early morning light illuminated the capital, the side door of the palace opened wide, and carriages drove into the magnificent palace gate.
When they arrived at the inner court, all the beautiful ladies had to get off the car, led by the nuns in the palace, and walked to the Chengguang Gate.
Everyone has a sign hanging on their body, with their name, age and family background written on it, and then they are arranged according to their family background, and they enter one by one.
At this time, the Emperor and the Queen Mother were not yet here, and the nuns were not lenient. Although the ladies were nervous, they were still in the mood to gather together and chat.
The Ning family is a foreign official in Beijing. Ning Yuzhen has almost never been to the capital in the past years, let alone having good friends here.
Simply stand aside, open your ears, and listen quietly to others, and you can still get some useful information from them.
Ning Yuzhen has fair skin and wears a pink lotus-colored butterfly flower skirt, which makes her look more delicate than a flower. The color of the hosta on her head is transparent. You can tell at a glance that it is not a cheap product. Even the fragrance of incense on her body is particularly special. different.
Even though he was a stranger, some people wanted to make friends.
"The style of the hairpin on this sister's head is so unique." Among them, the beautiful girl with a slightly round face and a slightly plump figure shouted softly after seeing the sign hanging on her body: "Sister Ning is from Chuzhou? Langya Crispy Candy from Chuzhou It tastes pretty good!”
Ning Yuzhen was stunned. At first she thought the other party was mocking her for coming from outside the capital, but it turned out he was just a heartless and greedy person.
Another beautiful lady with a cool temperament who came with her helplessly held her forehead, "Fangshu, don't scare people."
He turned to Ning Yuzhen and smiled and said, "She is Xia Fangshu, the second daughter of the fourth-rank minister of Honglu Temple. I am the eldest daughter of the fourth-rank city gate, Lin Yiliu."
"Just now we saw Miss Ning standing here alone. I guess she didn't know anyone. Fang Shu thought the hairpin on Miss Ning's head was pretty, so she came to say a few words."
The woman in front of her had a sincere tone and clear eyes. She didn't seem to be a thoughtful person for the time being.
Both of them had good looks and good family backgrounds. Ning Yuzhen had a strong hunch that there was a high chance that they would be labeled as such.
If you can make friends, the palace walls are deep, and you won't be alone.
"Nothing." Ning Yuzhen raised her lips and smiled. She glanced at the ages marked on the wooden plaques on the two people's chests and followed the trend. "The two sisters look like kind people at first glance. I have no acquaintances in the capital. Sisters I am very grateful that you are willing to come and talk to me.”
Xia Fangshu moved forward to hold her hand naturally, and smiled, with two deep dimples appearing on her cheeks.
"When I was far away, I felt that my sister was a good-natured person. Now that I'm in contact with her, it's just as I thought. Not only is she beautiful, but the scent of incense on her body is also very good."
"I made this incense myself. If the two sisters like it, I will ask the maid to deliver it to my house."
The three of them gathered together and chatted for a while. Finally, there was movement in the imperial garden. Nanny led the first batch of beautiful women into the Chengguang Gate.
"Sister Ning, see you at the palace gate."
Xia Fangshu and Lin Yiliu were at the front. After saying goodbye to Ning Yuzhen in a hurry, they returned to their own team.
The sun was getting higher and higher, and Ning Yuzhen watched batches of beautiful girls go in. The sun was getting higher and higher, and finally grandma came to usher them in.
Ning Yuzhen lowered her head slightly, not daring to look around. In her peripheral vision, she could see the surrounding flowers, many of which she had never seen before. She couldn't help but sigh at the extravagance of the royal family. All the new things in the world must be in this huge palace.
As she was thinking, the people in front slowly stopped, and a group of six people lined up in front of Qianqiu Pavilion.
The eunuchs reported them one by one, and those who fell into the eyes of the emperor or the queen mother were given a flower and had wooden plaques removed from their bodies.
Those who have fallen into the eyes of the emperor and the queen mother will be presented with sachets by nuns, their wooden signs will be collected, and they will be handed over to the guest room after the ceremony. When they enter the palace again, they will be the masters.
Ning Yuzhen was in the middle, standing there with a low eyebrow, waiting for the eunuch to tell her name.
"Ning Yuzhen, the daughter of Ning Jianshan, the seventh-rank Chuzhou prefecture judge, is sixteen years old!"
"Your Majesty, Ning Yuzhen, is here to see the Emperor and Queen Mother. I wish the Emperor and Queen Mother good fortune and peace." Ning Yuzhen stepped forward and bowed respectfully, waiting for questions.
A slightly older voice came from the pavilion, "Raise your head and let Aijia take a look."
Hearing this, Ning Yuzhen raised her head obediently, but kept her eyes on the ground, not daring to look forward.
When her whole face was exposed in front of everyone, even the Queen Mother sitting in Qianqiu Pavilion couldn't help but praise her in a low voice.
"Are you good at playing chess, calligraphy and painting?"
"My daughter is good at the flute."
"The girls next to me are either learning the piano or the zither, but you are different."
The Queen Mother asked, and Ning Yuzhen answered. The two of them talked back and forth. Emperor Wei Cheng, who was sitting next to the Queen Mother, kept his eyes closed, as if the current draft was not to fill his harem.
"Emperor, what do you think of this girl?"
After all, she is choosing a concubine for the emperor. Although the Queen Mother is quite satisfied with Ning Yuzhen, her family background is a bit low, but she has a docile temperament, good looks, and the same temperament as the Yigui man in the palace. She can still check and balance her, but she needs to be more careful. Ask Wei Cheng for his opinion.
Wei Cheng opened his eyes just a slit, glanced at the woman standing below him casually, resisted the urge to cough, and said softly: "I listen to my mother, my son has no objection."
Seeing him like this, the Queen Mother knew that Wei Cheng was no longer interested in Miss Ning's family. Just when she was about to ask someone to give flowers, a strong wind blew and pushed the fragrance to Wei Cheng's nose. It flowed down the nose into his lungs, making him originally restless. My throat was relieved a lot.
Wei Cheng soothed his brows. He had been tortured by coughing for a long time. After breakfast, he spent a long time watching the show in the pavilion. Before taking the medicine, his lungs were already restless, and his mood was also irritable. A fragrant breeze came. in time.
Under the stunned eyes of the Queen Mother and the eunuch Fu Hai, Wei Cheng walked down from the pavilion and stood in front of Ning Yuzhen.
"What does it smell like on you?"
Ning Yuzhen was shocked. She didn't expect the emperor to come down suddenly. Before she could take her eyes back, she looked straight into his eyes.
His face has sharp edges and corners, and there is no trace of happiness or anger in his red phoenix eyes under his sword-shaped brows. His nose is high and his thin lips are slightly pursed, giving him the appearance of an emperor.
She lowered her head in panic and replied: "To the emperor, it's the Xuantai purple lychee incense made by my daughter."
