King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 386 Checking

The gate outside Prince Xiang's Mansion is very open, but it can't handle the large number of people today. At this moment, it is full of people.

I saw a large number of guards from Prince Xiang's Mansion, as well as more than 200 eunuchs in attendance, plus the soldiers escorting Zhu Jinghong this time. There were 800 soldiers crowded outside the gate.

In addition, at the important moment when he arrived, his concubines, elders of the clan, and nobles also sent people to congratulate him. There were at least 400 of these people.

When Zhu Jinghong stepped out of the sedan chair, all he saw were people. Looking carefully at the chaos, they were orderly, and they were obviously arranged according to their status.

"See Your Highness!"

As the fifth most noble man in the world, Zhu Jinghong can afford to be worshiped by everyone.

In fact, according to the ancestral system of Taizu's time, Zhu Jinghong had to accept congratulations from hundreds of officials after being crowned prince. Now this situation is actually not considered grand.

After sweeping around the people paying homage, Zhu Jinghong said slowly: "No courtesy!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Glancing at the gate of Prince Xiang's Mansion, the plaque has been hung, and the golden characters are simply boundless wealth.

As he walked forward, everyone along the way bent down and kept saying auspicious words.

Walking up the steps to the door, Zhu Jinghong looked up at the door again, and then stepped in.

When he disappeared through the gate, he saw Yu Hai walking out and beckoning the guests to come in.

Zhu Jinghong didn't need to worry about how to entertain guests. He was currently wandering around the palace.

Compared with the last time I came here, the palace's furnishings and toys are all complete.

At this moment, Zhu Jinghong was standing in the Chengyun Hall of the Wang Mansion, looking at the throne on the three steps in front of him.

Chengyun Hall is the largest palace in the royal palace. According to the Taizu system, it was the place where the feudal king received congratulations from officials and clan members. However, now it has become a purely ceremonial building and has almost no chance of being used except to receive orders and celebrate the New Year.

Stepping up the steps, Zhu Jinghong came to the throne, observed it, turned around and sat on it.

Although there were no officials present, only Yu Hai and a dozen other eunuchs, Zhu Jinghong had a completely different feeling as soon as his butt fell.

In this vast palace, he is the only one who sits the tallest. Looking out from the gate, he feels even higher, as if he can see the mortal world.

Of course, this was just Zhu Jinghong's feeling for a moment, but he knew that this was the feeling of power.

At this moment, he couldn't help but think of the chair in Fengtian Hall, and wondered what it would be like to sit on it.

Just as Zhu Jinghong was experiencing the throne, Deng An ran in from outside the palace, saluted and reported: "Your Majesty, the Xue family has also sent someone!"

The Xue family has no official or title, and normally cannot enter the palace, but Deng An is really attentive and has told his subordinates in advance to pay attention to the Xue family.

Today, when the Xue family came, they were discovered by their eunuchs, so Deng An appeared in front of Zhu Jinghong.

"Who's here?"

"Miss Xue's brother, Xue Pan!"

"He...bring him over to see me!"

"Yes!"

After about a few minutes, Xue Pan walked into the hall with a pale face, but his legs could not help but tremble.

I said that I couldn't do it, and Bao Yatou had to force me to do it. It didn't matter if I was embarrassed and embarrassed at the moment, but I was afraid that I would offend the prince because of it, and that would be the end of it... Xue Pan felt very anxious.

"See Your Majesty!"

Picking up the tea cup, Zhu Jinghong blew in the hot air and then asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Replying to the prince, today the prince is here, and on behalf of everyone in the Xue family, I am here to congratulate you!"

"Well...I understand, you can go back!"

Originally, Zhu Jinghong wanted to ask a few more questions, but after thinking about it, he felt it was meaningless, so he simply issued an order to expel the guest.

As soon as he heard that he could go away, Xue Pan felt extremely happy, so he immediately kowtowed and said: "Resign, villain!"

After leaving the main hall, Xue Pan's fear dissipated a lot. When he left the Chengyun Gate, his legs stopped trembling.

Besides, in the Chengyun Hall at this moment, Deng An had already selected the most unique gift from the Xue family and handed it to Zhu Jinghong.

What's unique about it is that this gift was given by Baochai. Deng An even asked Xue Pan specifically about this.

After opening the brocade box, there was a scroll inside. Naturally, two eunuchs came forward and slowly unfolded it in front of Zhu Jinghong.

Inside is a painting, which depicts a general on horseback, but people can tell it is Zhu Jinghong at a glance, which shows Baochai's excellent painting skills.

"The iron-blooded and heroic heart will never change, and the valiant and heroic demeanor will move people's hearts..."

After reading a poem on the painting, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but smile.

This cultured person is different. He expresses his love so implicitly, using only three words: touching.

In fact, Baochai wrote this poem very briefly to ensure that Zhu Jinghong could understand it.

"Take it in and find a place to hang it!"

"Yes!" Deng An responded quickly.

Getting up from the chair, Zhu Jinghong asked as he walked: "How is Miss Qin doing these days?"

"Your Majesty, I don't know. Miss Qin has been thinking about you. She asked this servant early this morning and said she didn't know when she would see Master Thirteen!"

Qin Keqing was not sure whether he missed Zhu Jinghong, but he could use this topic to see her.

"I'll go talk to her!"

So Zhu Jinghong continued walking towards the palace, first passing the Cunxin Hall where he formally received guests, and then to the north was his residence, Yin'an Hall.

Yin'an Palace is said to be a bedroom, but it is actually Zhu Jinghong's inner living room. Normally, he would not live here.

Because just to the north of Yin'an Hall is Tongxin Hall where the princess lives.

Unless the couple quarreled, Zhu Jinghong would stay in the Tongxin Palace. If he couldn't afford it, he could spend the night with his concubine or concubine. Living alone in the Yin'an Palace was just for food.

There is a door in the north of Tongxin Hall. After entering, it is the garden of the palace, and Keqing lives in Tingyuzhai on the east side of the garden.

"Girl, the prince is coming!"

Although Keqing is no longer a girl, she still has no status after all, so Baozhu and the two can only pretend to be confused and continue to call her a girl.

In fact, Keqing had been ready early in the morning, and all she had to do now was stand at the door and wait.

Before meeting Ke Qing, Zhu Jinghong even changed his clothes.

After changing the dragon robe into ordinary clothes and wearing a futou hat, he looked like a handsome young man. His majestic demeanor was weakened a lot, making him look more approachable.

Seeing Zhu Jinghong appear, Keqing immediately went to greet him. When he walked to Zhu Jinghong, he was about to pay homage, but was supported by the latter.

"No need to be polite in private!" Zhu Jinghong said with a smile.

Just holding Ke Qing's hand, Zhu Jinghong asked as he walked: "Are you still used to living here?"

"Everything is fine!"

"I'll give you another place to live in a few days. It's not a problem to stay here for a long time!"

Living in Tingyuzhai does seem to have no reputation and status, and the woman is particularly concerned about this at the moment.

At this moment, Zhu Jinghong said that he wanted to change his residence. In fact, he wanted to give Ke Qing a status.

He couldn't decide on the princess and the concubines, but the concubines could still make their own decisions.

"Ok!"

Although she only responded with one word, Keqing was already extremely attentive. At this moment, she could be sure that she was not treated as an ordinary plaything.

Yes, in the current common understanding, it is normal for people of Zhu Jinghong's status to play with women and then abandon them.

This is not only true for the royal family, but also for those high-ranking families. This is the general current situation in society, and helpless women can easily become playthings. "Come on, let's go in and talk!"

"My lord, please!"

They said they were going in to talk, but the two of them didn't exchange a few words before they went to Wushan Yunyu together.

Compared with the first time, Keqing was bolder and more maneuverable this time, which really made Zhu Jinghong very happy.

………………

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was March [-]th.

It was time for Princess Xiang's re-election. This time, the Ministry of Rites and the Shangyi Bureau were still jointly responsible. The women who had participated in the election early were sent to the imperial city, and the selection place was set at the Shangyi Bureau.

At this moment, the selection has not officially started, and hundreds of girls are in groups, talking in low voices in the courtyard.

They are both women from scholarly families. It is rare to meet so many people of the same age, and they still have a lot in common with each other.

Baochai didn't appear too active, she just stayed in the corner alone, thinking about what was going to happen next.

However, the next moment, as a person appeared, she was no longer so calm.

The person who came was none other than Yang Jingting. When she entered the yard, she scanned around and walked over to her when she saw Baochai.

"Sister Bao, long time no see!" Yang Jingting smiled slightly.

"Yes...it's been a long time since we last saw each other. Sister Ting is becoming more and more magnanimous and generous!" Baochai boasted smoothly.

Yang Jingting smiled and then said: "No matter how graceful and generous you are, it will be in vain if you can't choose the princess!"

"If Sister Bao is chosen, you can take more care of her in the future!"

Baochai's smile became warmer and warmer. She found that Yang Jingting had indeed changed. She was not as innocent and pure as before, and now she could also hide the truth in her polite words.

But when thinking of herself, Baochai couldn't help but laugh at herself. After all, she wasn't much better than others.

"Sister Ting is joking. Your Majesty is your dear aunt. If she greets you...how can you not choose!"

Speaking of this, Baochai said very sincerely: "I only hope that I can choose the concubine, thank God!"

Seeing that Baochai was so knowledgeable, Yang Jingting felt much more comfortable.

Although Zhu Jinghong is now more attracted to Baochai, she believes that as long as she chooses the princess and gets to know Zhu Jinghong day and night, she will be able to win her cousin's heart back.

"Sister Bao is very talented and knowledgeable, and she has an all-powerful appearance. I think she will definitely get what she wants!"

"Thank you sister Ting for your kind words!" Baochai smiled.

At least from an outsider's perspective, the relationship between the two of them is very good. They are not sisters more than biological sisters.

Everyone waited outside for more than ten minutes before they saw someone coming out of the main hall of the Clothing Bureau, so a group of girls quickly lined up and stood up.

Undoubtedly, Baochai and Yang Jingting were both standing in front, and were easily noticed by the female officer of Shangyi Bureau.

One is the Queen's niece, and the other is the Crown Princess's cousin and Princess Rui's close friend. The two of them require the female officials of the Shangyi Bureau to treat them with caution.

That's right, after Chen Zhi greeted her, the people in Shangyi Bureau could only think that Baochai and Princess Rui were good friends.

In fact, among these one hundred girls, there are still some who have extraordinary backgrounds, but they are nothing compared to Baochai and the other two.

The female officer of Shangyi Bureau made an impassioned speech first, and then announced the official start of the selection.

The first round of selection is based on physical appearance and further review of family background.

As for the second round of re-selection, the main selection is appearance and talent, which includes skills such as embroidery.

One hundred girls participated in the election. Even with the power of Shangyi Bureau, the selection took two full days. During this period, the girls all lived in Shangyi Bureau.

In the afternoon of the next day, the participating women gathered in the courtyard again. At this moment, the female official was reading out the list of candidates.

There is no doubt that Baochai and Yang Jingting were selected again, along with 28 other people.

As for the remaining 70 people, after receiving routine rewards, they will be escorted home by the government.

And this experience of entering the palace to stand for election will surely become a precious memory for them.

About half an hour later, the unsuccessful women were sent away, and the 30 selected ones will stay in the palace to carry out etiquette teaching for 20 days.

Once the 20 days are up, another 20 people will be eliminated after passing the assessment. Only ten people can go to Kunning Palace, and the Queen will personally select two of them.

Since etiquette teaching is carried out, it is obviously necessary to live in the palace. The Shangyi Bureau has already prepared for this, and they are already familiar with this kind of thing.

In the side room of Shangyi Bureau, Baochai and Yang Jingting were sitting. A female official stood in front of them. She was leaning on her waist and asked with a smile: "You two girls, I don't know if you want to live in Shangyi Bureau!"

"I'd better go back to Kunning Palace and live there. I'll come here on time every day!" Yang Jingting said slowly.

Seeing the female officer glance at him, Baochai smiled lightly and said, "Sister, just arrange it!"

"There is a room on the east side of our inner courtyard. I have already ordered people to clean it out. I wonder if the girl is willing to go!"

Obviously others have to live in a dormitory, while Baochai has the treatment of a single room.

"I'm afraid it's against the rules, so I'd better live with them!" Baochai said with a smile.

The female officer of the Shangyi Bureau was also used to seeing troubles in the palace. Someone as extraordinarily cautious as Baochai was really rare in her opinion.

"Then it's up to the girl!" the female officer replied with a smile.

Although she said so, she immediately thought of a solution. There was no way that Baochai would be forced to squeeze into the dormitory.

Normally, there are four people in a room, and there are exactly two people left in a room out of 30 people. However, since Yang Jingting does not live in Shangyi Bureau, Baochai is the only one left.

In other words, Shangyi Bureau can still arrange a private room for Baochai, but it is reasonable and legal.

At this moment, someone from outside came in to report that it was Daiyu and Xiangyun who were here.

As for Zhen Qin, since she was rejected as a candidate for the princess, she has become decadent and feels that life is no longer fun, so she still has the heart to find Baochai.

Seeing that these two people were coming, Yang Jingting knew that they were not here to see her, so she got up and left.

After they left, Baochai stood up and looked at the female officer in front of him and said, "Sister, please bring them in!"

As the princess's attendants, Daiyu and Daiyu are not humble in the palace. After all, they can see the queen often and can speak in front of the queen.

Daiyu and Daiyu were soon introduced into the room, and the people from Shangyi Bureau left wisely, allowing the three of them to talk in peace.

"Sister Bao, long time no see...how are you doing?"

After Xiangyun finished speaking, he heard Daiyu say: "Sister Bao, how can it be bad? Now I have to choose the princess, and I got what I wanted!"

At this time, everyone knew their cards, and Baochai was not angry when he heard such teasing. Instead, he smiled slightly and said: "Girl Lin... don't talk nonsense. It's not sure whether you can be chosen!"

Daiyu didn't take it seriously and said: "Sister Bao, please don't be modest about yourself. I've seen all the ladies out there, and there aren't many who can compare to Sister Bao..."

In fact, women who have reached this stage are all good, so Baochai will never look down on others.

Baochai looked calm and said, "Really? Have you forgotten... there is also Sister Ting!"

When mentioning Yang Jingting, the Queen's niece, Daiyu and Xiangyun were silent.

They had to admit that Yang Jingting was good enough and had such a special status. It was basically impossible for Baochai to choose the princess.

However, Daiyu is the best at livening up the atmosphere. She smiled and said, "The Thirteenth Master is devoted to Sister Bao. This matter cannot be changed!"

"When the time comes, the Thirteenth Master will hand Ruyi into my sister's hands. The position of princess is destined to belong to Sister Bao!"

The two people who were finally selected, who would be the main concubine and who would be the side concubine, were determined by the emperor and the empress, and then the ceremony was formalized.

Therefore, Daiyu's bold idea really made Baochai feel ridiculous.

Since ancient times, parents have made the final decision on marriage matters, not to mention that the decision is still made by the emperor and empress. In Baochai's opinion, there is absolutely no possibility of changing the matters decided by the emperor and empress.

(End of this chapter)