jdhmnovel Chapter 302 The eve of the draft
Chapter 302 The eve of the draft
The Crown Princess was delighted that her Chu'er had finally come to her senses. To avoid any further complications and prevent him from suddenly changing his mind, she took a short nap after lunch and immediately called over Aunt Xu, who was beside her. She solemnly instructed her, "Aunt Xu, please quickly go to the Ye Ting Bureau and find Manager Liu there. Tell him that we are going to select a concubine for Chu'er and have them begin the preparations."
When Aunt Xu heard this, her face immediately lit up with joy, and she quickly responded, "Okay, your Majesty! I'll go over and pass on the message right away." After that, Aunt Xu ran briskly towards the Yunting Bureau.
Only about two incense sticks of time had passed before Aunt Xu happily returned to where the Crown Princess was.
She came trotting over, breathlessly reporting to the Crown Princess, "Your Majesty, I've already explained this matter in detail to Manager Liu of the Palace Bureau. Manager Liu is incredibly efficient. He immediately said he'll draft a notice for your review today, and it'll be posted tomorrow."
After listening to Nanny Xu's report, the Crown Princess was very satisfied with Steward Liu's efficient work. She couldn't help but smile slightly, revealing a gratified smile. She said softly, "Well, very good. When Steward Liu comes to deliver the notice, remember to prepare some silver in advance and treat him well. Offer him a cup of hot tea to express his gratitude."
Aunt Xu nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, Madam. I will make sure it's all arranged."
The Crown Princess was in a particularly good mood. She leisurely stood up, walked to her dressing table, and carefully examined herself in the mirror. After a moment's scrutiny, she was delighted with her carefully dressed appearance. Turning to the group around her, she said, "The weather is truly beautiful today, with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze. I'd like to take a stroll in the garden to relax and unwind. All of you, please come with me!" With that, the group surrounded the Crown Princess and headed towards the garden. The journey was filled with laughter and joy, creating a lively atmosphere.
Steward Liu moved swiftly, personally delivering the selection notice before dinner time. He bowed and said, "This subordinate pays his respects to the Crown Princess."
The Crown Princess, sitting at the head of the main hall of the Aoxue Palace, called out with a smile and said to Steward Liu, "Thank you for coming here in person, Steward Liu."
Manager Liu quickly declined, saying, "Oh, Your Majesty, what are you talking about? This is what I should do!" After that, he presented the notice.
Nanny Xu took the notice and returned to the Crown Princess, handing it to her. The Crown Princess carefully examined it for a moment, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "Manager Liu is indeed a veteran of the Yiting Bureau. He is very efficient and this thing is well made!"
Steward Liu smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for not objecting. This is all my duty. Since Your Majesty has no objection, I will send someone to post the notice tomorrow."
The Crown Princess nodded in agreement.
Then Manager Liu bowed and said, "Then I will take my leave."
The Crown Princess hummed softly and said, "Madam Xu, please send Steward Liu off for me."
Aunt Xu agreed and led Steward Liu out of the main hall. When they reached the door, Aunt Xu quietly slipped a banknote to Steward Liu. Steward Liu tried to refuse, but Aunt Xu said, "This is a small token of your Majesty's kindness. Please have some tea."
Manager Liu stopped refusing and took the silver into his arms, saying, "Then please ask Madam Xu to convey my gratitude and tell me that I will do my best to make this selection a success!"
Aunt Xu nodded and said, "I will definitely help bring it over."
Manager Liu said, "Madam Xu, please stay." Then he turned and left.
The next morning, sunlight filtered through thin clouds onto the earth. In this quiet moment, a piece of important news exploded through the streets like a thunderclap: a selection of beautiful women would be held in the backyard of the Guangping Prince's mansion! This notice quickly spread throughout the land, causing an uproar and a mix of joy and sorrow.
For those families of minor officials, this news was undoubtedly great news. The conditions for participating in this election were relaxed, and any daughter of an official family could participate.
Those low-ranking officials always hoped for a chance to change their family's destiny. If their daughters were lucky enough to be chosen to marry into the Guangping Prince's backyard, it would be like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, and they would rise to prominence from then on.
If they had another son or daughter, it would bring honor to the family and their status and glory would be incomparable. Therefore, these families of small officials were busy dressing up their daughters, hoping that they could stand out among the many beauties.
However, not everyone was happy about this. Cui Caiping, for example, was deeply upset upon hearing the news. She was inherently narrow-minded, and unlike Dugu Jingyao, who had the unique experience of living a second life, she naturally couldn't be so magnanimous. Upon learning of this, she flew into a rage at home, smashing countless precious porcelain pieces and tearing up several exquisite handkerchiefs to vent her frustration.
In contrast, Gu Shiyi's worries stemmed more from deep-seated worries and fears. The incident she had caused in Chang'an had left her infamous. Even if she ran for the position, she knew she had no chance of being selected and would likely be ridiculed.
More importantly, although they had several sons, she was the only daughter, so she was the only one who could participate. This worried her so much that she immediately went to her father and begged, "Father, I don't want to run."
Lord Gu, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, is also a man who cares about his reputation. After what happened last time, if his daughter runs for election again, wouldn’t that be a slap in his face?
So that night, news came out that Gu Shiyi suddenly fell seriously ill and was unable to participate in the selection, so she reported to the palace.
When the Crown Princess heard the news, she remained silent. She was just the concubine's daughter of the Supreme Court Minister, so she could just not participate.