Chapter 5, The Turmoil of the Beauties

At this moment, Fu Luo's gaze followed Wan Quan's figure to a tall and graceful woman. This woman's appearance was only average among the beautiful women, yet her pride was unparalleled, resembling a hen ready to fight at any moment

Princess, are you really going tomorrow? What if—

That is only natural, as in the end, there are only about thirty to fifty individuals selected for each generation of this harem

In the fourth level, Fu Luo disguised herself as a palace maid, but unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she could not conceal her breathtaking beauty. She had no choice but to apply a palm-sized mark of ink on her left cheek, making her appear almost unrecognizable. Such is the nature of beauty; with a little enhancement or reduction, it can lose its luster significantly, especially with the addition of such a large "birthmark".

Unfortunately, the chamber for verifying virginity is inaccessible to Fuluo; only the midwife and the senior wet nurse from the palace are allowed entry. Just as Fuluo was feeling extremely bored, she suddenly saw Nurse Li emerge from within, her face contorted with anger, yet Fuluo sensed a hint of glee in her expression. "Someone, drag this unchaste woman out and punish her with the rod."

Xiao Dengzi took half a day to regain her senses, "You don't know? She is Miss Ling, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, the most beautiful woman in the capital. She and Miss Shangguan, the daughter of Prime Minister Shangguan, are known as the two great talents of our Yanxia Dynasty. Miss Shangguan has become the Princess of Yu, and she is the apple of our Emperor's eye. I never expected Miss Ling to enter the palace as well; I wonder how the Emperor dotes on her. How could the Emperor not cherish such a beauty?" After saying this, Xiao Dengzi gave Fu Luo a strange look and added, "If you were also a woman, you would definitely be no less than Miss Ling."

Among the second group of talented women who entered, one person instantly captured the attention of Fuluo, as well as the gaze of everyone present

Two young eunuchs waiting outside quickly ran into the secret chamber, carrying a pale-faced beauty. Fu Luo recognized her. She was from the south, and her father held the position of a circuit inspector, which allowed her to pass the first three trials without any issues. She was beautiful and endearing, but from the very beginning, she spoke little and appeared to be burdened with worries. It was unexpected that such a woman was about to meet her tragic end. Fu Luo knew she should not meddle in others' affairs, and this matter was beyond her current status to intervene.

After Bi Ye lowered the curtain for Fu Luo, she retreated to the outer chamber, feeling quite puzzled. The princess's temperament had changed significantly; for over ten days, she had not seen her hit or scold the servants. The emperor had not come and no longer threw things in anger. It was truly unclear what had happened on the night the emperor stayed overnight, as it seemed to have tamed the princess completely.

"Do you know who she is?" asked Fuluo

Flora looked at Little Deng in surprise, realizing that this young eunuch was quite well-informed, and she immediately took note of it in her mind

Such a beauty does nothing at all, and even the prominent eunuchs like Da Taijian and Wan Quan cannot dismiss her. Moreover, she is the daughter of a high-ranking official in the court. "Miss Ling, are you tired from standing? Xiao Guizi, why don't you assist Miss Ling to rest?" Wan Quan said to the eunuch behind him. It seems that Wan Quan holds this Miss Ling in particularly high regard, and countless concubines in the harem will surely be restless due to Miss Ling's entry into the palace.

Having seen the young ladies of noble families, those delicate beauties also possess their own charm, among which there are certainly outstanding individuals. Although they may not be as striking as Miss Ling, who shines like the sun, they can still be considered radiant in their own right. Ultimately, it all depends on the Emperor's tastes and preferences

Returning to the Han Dan Pavilion, Bi Ye let out a sigh, "Princess, nothing happened, right?"

Yet her eyes could not leave that body, which swayed and fell to the ground like autumn leaves in the wind. Her feet stepped out of the door before her heart did

Flora appreciates such discerning individuals, but why cling to just one man? He is no different from an ordinary person with two eyes and a mouth. The women in the harem seem akin to high-class courtesans, with the only difference being that they have but one patron. Every day, they must adorn themselves splendidly, smiling in the wind, which makes them no different from those courtesans. In fact, some courtesans are more carefree, as they can choose their own guests. The women in the harem seem akin to high-class courtesans, with the only difference being that they have but one patron. Every day, they must adorn themselves splendidly, smiling in the wind, which makes them no different from those courtesans. In fact, some courtesans are more carefree, as they can choose their own guests. They need not cling to the meager drops of favor from the palace, and can indulge in their desires as they please.

She, like the noble lady of the osmanthus palace cast down to the mortal realm, like the dragon girl of the East Sea rising from the water's surface, gains a measure of beauty with every fraction added and loses a measure with every fraction subtracted. Her cheeks are as if dusted with powder without a brush, her lips are as if stained with rouge without application. Beautiful as the new moon, resplendent as the peach blossom, the new moon is less radiant by a fraction without her, and the peach blossom is less noble by a fraction without her. She possesses the grandeur of the noble concubine Yu and the charm of the beautiful Jieyu, further enhanced by a touch of elegance akin to that of a favored consort. She is undoubtedly the most beautiful woman that Fu Luo has encountered in this sweltering summer dynasty.

At this moment, Xiao Dengzi leaned closer to Fu Luo's ear and spoke, "The ladies at the front of the line are all relatives of the various noble ladies in the palace, while those behind them are daughters from the families of high-ranking officials or those who have been favored for generations. At the very back are the ladies selected from various counties across the nation."

"Stop!" shouted Frollo

Little Deng, who was standing by, was drooling.

The selection of beautiful women was first conducted by the chief eunuch among the inner court eunuchs, who would dismiss those who were slightly overweight, slightly underweight, slightly tall, or slightly short. After the beautiful women had been shortlisted by the inner court eunuchs, they would gracefully walk past Lord Wanquan. With a sharp gaze, Lord Wanquan scanned the line of beautiful women as they passed by, then approached one of them and said, "Too thin." Upon hearing this, the expression of the beautiful woman immediately fell, and she silently followed the guiding young eunuch out of the line, evidently eliminated. Although bribes had been given to those chief eunuchs, it was still ineffective if they could not truly bribe Lord Wanquan, who was known for his decisiveness.

Oh. At that moment, Fu Luo understood; no wonder the girls at the front were all so arrogant.

After passing these three stages, there are only about 1,000 women, all of whom become palace maids. However, whether they can become consorts still requires further observation. Upon entering the palace, the palace midwives will lead these maids into a secret chamber to examine their breasts, smell their armpits, feel their skin texture, and assess their chastity. There must not be a single scar on their bodies, and their skin must be delicate and lustrous, for fear of harming the dragon's body. From this group of 1,000, another 300 will be selected as head palace maids. After living in the palace for more than a month, based on their temperament, behavior, and the emperor's preferences, 30 to 50 will be chosen as consorts or assigned to various princes, grandsons, and noble officials.

Flora secretly gasped, the elimination rate is so high

One by one, the beautiful women approached like willows swaying in the breeze, moving gracefully. It was the first time that Fu Luo had seen so many beautiful women gathered together.

In the third round, the internal supervisor measures the hands and feet of the women with a ruler, then instructs them to walk several dozen steps to observe their "abundance." Those with slightly shorter wrists, larger toes, or somewhat restless demeanor are eliminated, resulting in thousands being disqualified.

No, it's very good. I will go to Biyue again tomorrow. Today is the preliminary selection, and I didn't expect that half of the three thousand contestants have already been eliminated.

I heard that she is the sister of the favored Li Jieyu in the palace. A few days ago, I saw Li Jieyu asking Eunuch Wan to deliver quite a few valuable gifts

Then came the voice of Wanquan, saying, "Tall, short, fat, thin—" With just these few words, how many women who had traveled thousands of miles to audition were dismissed, some feeling happy, others dejected

Indeed, the previous talented lady was eliminated due to her height, yet this Li Jieyu's younger sister, who is even taller than that woman, remained.

The next day, the first round of interviews for the talented women continued, but Fu Luo, seeking something new, slipped into the venue for the second round. This round was primarily conducted by the internal supervisors who examined the ears, eyes, mouth, nose, hair, skin, collar, shoulders, and back; anyone with any imperfections was eliminated. The remaining candidates were then asked to state their place of origin, name, and age, while their voices were assessed. Those with slightly deep, coarse, unpleasant, murky, or stuttering voices were also eliminated. Fu Luo observed that many talented women, who had previously spoken fluently in private, pretended to stutter during this round, indicating that there were indeed many who did not wish to be selected.

In the unlikely event that something does happen, just support me through it. After all, the Emperor is not returning, and the others will not seek to make things awkward for themselves. There should be no issues at all, so you can rest assured, my dear Biye. I am tired; please assist me with my bath.

Flora awkwardly turned her head, fearing that he might detect something amiss