Ming Dynasty: Is a mere unruly commoner rebelling against heaven?

Chapter 62: Zhu You樘's Selection of Consorts!

Zhu You樘 smiled slightly and walked towards Empress Dowager Wu.

"I've troubled Mother Empress."

Zhu You樘 walked to the main seat in the Consort Selection Palace and sat down.

"His Majesty's selection of consorts is the biggest event in the palace; how can you say it's a trouble?"

Empress Dowager Wu also sat down next to Zhu You樘.

Eunuch Cui stood aside, eyes lowered and hands clasped, not daring to say much.

The Consort Selection Palace was lit with warm lamps and hung with垂幔 (hanging curtains), so it wasn't too cold.

Thirty-odd carefully selected young women waited anxiously in the Consort Selection Palace.

Today was the watershed moment in their lives.

If Zhu You樘 took a liking to them, they would become masters in the palace, owning their own palaces and servants at their disposal.

If they weren't favored by Zhu You樘, they could only become ordinary palace maids, wasting their youth in the palace.

Thinking of this, the thirty-odd young women present felt immense pressure and didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

After Zhu You樘 was seated, Empress Dowager Wu nodded to Eunuch Cui.

"You may begin."

"Yes."

Eunuch Cui nodded and began to arrange the selection.

"The first row of young women, step forward."

Upon hearing Eunuch Cui's command, these young women, who had been training in the palace for a month, quickly followed Eunuch Cui's instructions and slowly walked to Zhu You樘.

A row of five young women, with graceful figures, stood elegantly before Zhu You樘 and Empress Dowager Wu, and respectfully performed a curtsy.

Zhu You樘 sat on the soft couch, casually picked up a mandarin orange from the table, and began to peel it.

At the same time, he was also looking at the five young women.

"Raise your heads and let朕 (I, the Emperor) take a look."

"Yes."

The five young women forcibly suppressed their excited hearts and raised their heads with some shyness and trepidation.

Zhu You樘 glanced over them and waved his hand with a lack of interest, lowering his head again to peel the mandarin orange in his hand.

Instantly, the faces of the five young women turned pale, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

One of the young women even burst into tears on the spot.

Seeing that Zhu You樘 wasn't satisfied, Empress Dowager Wu's expression also became slightly anxious.

Eunuch Cui quickly called out: "First row of young women, step back. Second row of young women, step forward."

The young women behind felt even greater pressure.

The Emperor didn't choose any of the previous five young women, causing their mood to plummet to the bottom.

Ma Xianglan stood in the second row, feeling uneasy, even feeling fear about the upcoming selection.

What would happen if she wasn't chosen by Zhu You樘?

Standing behind her, Chen Yuanyuan, Liu Rushi, and the others were also very conflicted.

They were afraid that Ma Xianglan wouldn't be chosen, and they were also afraid that Ma Xianglan would be chosen, but they wouldn't be.

If some of the eight of them were chosen and some weren't.

Then their lives in the palace afterward would be vastly different.

The second row of young women slowly stepped forward to pay their respects, and at this moment, a ceremonial announcement suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Empress Dowager Wang arrives!"

A moment later, a dignified and luxurious woman walked into the Consort Selection Palace.

"Greetings, Empress Dowager Wang."

The surrounding palace maids, eunuchs, and young women all saluted Empress Dowager Wang.

Even Empress Dowager Wu stood up from her seat and nodded to Empress Dowager Wang.

Only Zhu You樘 was still sitting in his seat peeling a mandarin orange, not even raising his head.

When Empress Dowager Wang saw Zhu You樘, her face lit up with joy, and she quickly walked over.

"Your Majesty, you've arrived."

Zhu You樘 raised his head and looked at his stepmother, the Empress Dowager.

This was the first time Zhu You樘 had seen Empress Dowager Wang since he ascended the throne.

Wang was the 正宫皇后 (Empress Consort) of Emperor Xianzong and held a lofty position.

Even if Zhu You樘's birth mother, Ji, was still alive, she could only be called the圣母皇太后 (Holy Mother Empress Dowager), whose status was lower than that of Wang.

According to etiquette, Zhu You樘 should have saluted Empress Dowager Wang first as his stepmother, the Empress Dowager.

However, Zhu You樘 didn't have much affection for this stepmother, the Empress Dowager.

Even if he didn't salute, no one in this harem would dare to say a word against it.

Zhu You樘 nodded slightly: "Yes,朕 (I, the Emperor) came to select consorts. Why does Empress Dowager Wang have time to come to the Consort Selection Palace?"

Empress Dowager Wang also sat down next to Zhu You樘 and said with a light smile: "Look at what Your Majesty is saying.哀家 (I, the Empress Dowager) am, after all, the Empress Dowager. The selection of consorts is a major event in the harem, so how can 哀家 (I, the Empress Dowager) not pay more attention to it?"

Zhu You樘 stared straight at Empress Dowager Wang, with a warning in his eyes.

Empress Dowager Wang was startled in her heart, and the smile on her face froze.

However, Zhu You樘 quickly shifted his gaze: "Then thank you, Empress Dowager Wang."

"Hehe, it's nothing."

Empress Dowager Wang sat down, but unconsciously frowned.

The selection continued.

Zhu You樘 looked at the five young women again, but still, none of them pleased him.

Zhu You樘 shook his head lightly, which made Eunuch Cui feel a little nervous.

There were only thirty-odd young women to be selected, and none of the first ten young women had caught His Majesty's eye.

If His Majesty didn't like any of them, then this would be a huge dereliction of duty for Eunuch Cui.

Empress Dowager Wu also felt a little anxious at this moment and initially wanted to speak, but she swallowed her words back.

Ma Xianglan only felt that her heart was empty, as if she had fallen from the clouds all the way to the bottom of the valley, and even her legs were weak.

Zhu You樘 hadn't taken a fancy to her. From then on, she could only live as an ordinary palace maid in the harem.

Such a blow made it impossible for her to accept it for a while.

Eunuch Cui felt that his palms were full of sweat.

"Second row of young women, step back. Third row of young women, step forward."

Instantly, Chen Yuanyuan and Zhang, who were in the third row, were both shocked.

They were really too nervous. In this high-pressure environment, even breathing was a difficult task.

Ma Xianglan had already been eliminated by Zhu You樘, which cast a shadow over Chen Yuanyuan's heart.

She originally thought that with the beauty of the eight of them, it wouldn't be difficult to win the Emperor's favor.

But she didn't expect Zhu You樘's standards to be so high.

Even Ma Xianglan hadn't entered his sacred eyes.

Now it was her turn, but Ma Xianglan's experience had already made Chen Yuanyuan less confident.

Now, she could only pray desperately in her heart, hoping that Zhu You樘 would take a liking to her.

Similarly, Zhang, who was standing in the same row as Chen Yuanyuan, didn't feel much better than Chen Yuanyuan.

She also had no confidence in her heart and could only entrust everything to the Emperor's will.

Their fate was entirely in Zhu You樘's hands.

The third row of young women walked slowly, with graceful bearing and dignified manners.

"Raise your heads."

Zhu You樘's tone was indifferent.

"Yes."

Chen Yuanyuan and Zhang suppressed the little deer that was about to jump out of their chests and slowly raised their heads to look at Zhu You樘.

Zhu You樘 glanced at them and suddenly revealed a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Turn around."

"Yes."

The five young women all took a deep breath and slowly turned around.

When they met Zhu You樘's eyes again, Zhu You樘 suddenly asked one of the young women.

"Not bad, do you have a name?"

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