The palace selection ended within the morning.
A total of six Fine Ladies were left with their tokens.
Their backgrounds ranged from high to low, and their appearances varied greatly.
The only common ground could be summed up as: troublesome!
Some were ambitious, others overbearing, and some naturally bore a seductive charm.
In any case, none of them were straightforward.
These women were born into official families, well-versed in women’s precepts, and their demeanor seemed graceful.
But they had witnessed the battles in the backyards since childhood.
Some families even taught their daughters from a young age.
A woman must have the means, must hold a man’s heart firmly to establish herself in the backyard.
In short... their hearts were far from being as lovely as their appearances!
Come afternoon.
The unselected Fine Ladies were gradually arranged to leave the palace.
Those who retained their tokens temporarily stayed in the Chuxiu Palace, awaiting their titles, placements, and so forth.
...
Returning from the Ninghe Hall, she hurriedly had her lunch.
Xia Ruqing quickly removed the tightly bound court attire.
After a good bath and change of clothes, she took a nap to relieve her fatigue.
When she awoke, it was already evening.
Xia Ruqing stretched lazily in bed, lingered a bit longer in bed before getting dressed.
And then ordered someone to bring Yue Er in.
"Haven’t seen her all day, I wonder if the little girl has been fussy!"
Zi Yue smiled as she helped her pin her hair.
"I suppose not!"
"The Princess is quite understanding now!"
As they spoke, Yue Er came bouncing in.
"Mother!"
The tender voice carried a cheerful tone.
"Yue Er, come here!"
Seeing her daughter, Xia Ruqing’s eyes filled with joy even before she turned around.
Yue Er tilted her little head, looking at her.
"Mother, why are you still doing your hair, did you just get up?"
"Mother, did you sleep in again!"
Xia Ruqing: "..."
Drat! Even a hundred mouths couldn’t explain the sleeping in issue.
With her hair pinned up, she casually inserted a hairpin, then turned to hold her daughter in her arms.
"Mother was too tired today!"
"I’ll try not to sleep in next time, okay?!"
Yue Er nodded earnestly.
She looked as if she truly acknowledged her mistake.
Xia Ruqing helplessly tapped her on the head.
"What did you do today? Did you practice recognizing words with Sister?"
Yue Er shook her head.
"I didn’t practice recognizing words, I painted today!"
After she finished speaking, she broke free and ran out.
Moments later she came running back, holding up a painting to hand over.
"Mother, this is my drawing of Snow Ball! Does it look alike?"
Xia Ruqing took it for a glance, a bead of sweat instantly formed on her forehead.
On the rice paper were chaotic lines, intermixed with smudgy handprints and... random ink drops.
Uh...
Can this be called a drawing?
But, seeing Yue Er’s big, expectant eyes,
She couldn’t help but praise with a guilty conscience:
"Not bad, keep it up!"
Yue Er giggled.
Xia Ruqing played with Yue Er for a while longer.
As the day drew to a close.
Xia Ruqing originally wanted to wait for the Emperor to have dinner together.
But no matter how long she waited, he was a no-show.
Just as she was planning to send someone to inquire,
Li Shengan suddenly arrived in person.
"Your Highness, the Emperor is discussing state matters with some ministers in the Imperial Study Room, he specially sent me to convey that there’s no need to wait!"
Upon hearing this, Xia Ruqing nodded.
"I understand!"
After Li Shengan left, Xia Ruqing called for dinner.
After the meal,
Xia Ruqing sat by the window, worrying over the list of Fine Ladies.
"What title should be given, where should they stay?"
Being newcomers to the palace, they were bristling with thorns and could easily create trouble.
Zi Yue remained silent.
Faced with such a difficult problem, she dared not offer any suggestions.
It was Zi Su who rolled her eyes and suggested with a smile.
"Why not just let them all stay together?!"
"Even if they cause trouble, it won’t affect others!"
Xia Ruqing nodded slightly.
"That’s a good solution, but if anything happens, it won’t look good on me!"
Zi Su thought for a moment longer.
"Or, find someone strong enough to keep them in check!"
"Your Highness, you only need to subdue the most powerful one!"
Xia Ruqing: "..."
"How would I know which one is the most powerful?"
Xia Ruqing rubbed her temples and tossed the list aside.
"I’ve been busy all day, I don’t want to look at it anymore, I’ll deal with it later!"
With that said, she stood up, yawned, and asked.
"What time is it?"
Zi Yue replied.
"It’s almost the Hai Hour, the palace gates will close in a quarter of an hour!"
Xia Ruqing pondered that Zhao Junyao probably wouldn’t be coming.
So she went to wash up, getting ready for bed.
No sooner had she laid down.
There were footsteps outside, followed by the eunuch’s announcement.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Xia Ruqing could only get up with a face full of woe to greet him.
"Greetings to the Emperor!"
Zhao Junyao entered with a chill on him.