Chapter 3: Unexpected Elimination

  The second trial is for propriety and the third trial is for talent.

  Qing Sang had no intention of entering the palace, so she didn't prepare as carefully as Qing Yu did. She simply played a casual tune, but still passed with ease.

  After "three exams", there were finally only twenty people left.

  The eunuch in the palace announced the imperial edict of the empress, requiring these twenty people to meet at Yuanhua Hall five days later, and the final decision on whether to stay or leave would be made by the empress. In short, they still had to go through an interview.

  Qingyu and Qing Sang returned to the Pu residence with good news, as soon as they entered the door, they saw a group of women from the family sitting together, laughing and waiting for them.

  Since they started selecting their brides, this old lady would often bring her whole family to wait for them and wouldn't rest until she had dragged them into a conversation.

  Going to the palace for selection is a matter of consuming energy and physical strength, and when you come back, you have to deal with this big family, and you can't be short on etiquette. Not to mention that Qing Sang was already struggling to cope, even Qing Yu, who had a good temperament, couldn't bear it either.

  Two people returned today and saw this array, and they couldn't help but sigh secretly. As usual, they paid their respects, took their seats, and the old lady began to ask questions. Finally, she concluded with a smile: "With our Jade's gentle virtue and Sang's cleverness, entering the palace is unimpeded. Amitabha, ancestors bless, Jade and Sang bring glory to our Pu family." Liu Shi, Xiang Yun, and others also echoed in agreement, praising Qing Yu and Qing Sang without end.

  Qingyu and Qing Sang exchanged a bitter smile, saying nothing more, and let the old lady enjoy herself.

  Just as they were in the midst of their lively conversation, suddenly Xiang Shu rushed in with an urgent message, saying that Master and Second Master had arrived.

  Xiang Ye is the father of Liu Shi, the maternal grandfather of Qing Yu and Qing Bi, and the current Prime Minister Liu Lianchun.

  Everyone stood up and bowed to Liu Gong, who was just walking into the hall. After he and Pu Jiayou sat down, they took their seats one by one, while Qingyu, Qingbi, and Qingsang stood behind their mother.

  "Son-in-law, is this Qing Sang?" Liu Gong looked around the family and his eyes fell on the delicate girl behind Wang Shi. Although he suspected that she was Qing Sang, he still had to ask to confirm.

  "Exactly! Sang Er, come quickly and pay your respects to Master Xiang." Pu Jiannian reminded.

  Qing Sang calmly walked out from behind Wang's body, came to the front of the hall, and knelt down to kowtow.

  。

  "No need for such formalities, as she is Yuer's sister, she is also my granddaughter, no need to be so polite." Mr. Liu gestured with his hand for Qing Sang to get up. Taking a closer look, he was also surprised in his heart, no wonder Li Mu from the Ministry of Rites remembered this girl so clearly and strongly recommended her during the imperial examination. Indeed, she is born with a beautiful face and elegant demeanor, now that she is just at the age of budding youth, who knows what kind of heavenly beauty and national color she will become after she grows up? Only her talent is unknown.

  Liu Gong thought for a moment and asked a few small questions, all of which Qing Sang answered appropriately.

  Liu Gong nodded in satisfaction. He praised: "Although it is said that a woman without talent is virtuous, having some insight makes her more dignified and courteous."

  Qingsangyuan had only seen Liu Gong from afar at her younger brother's full moon banquet, and hadn't even gotten a clear look at him. Today, she secretly glanced up at him, and saw that he had a kind face and a gentle voice. Although he held a high position, he didn't have an overbearing attitude, and she felt a bit of affection for him in her heart. When she heard him praising her, she couldn't help but lower her head and say: "Sang'er's learning is shallow and careless, I'm afraid I've made Grandfather laugh."

  The term for great-uncle was a bit too familiar, but Qing Sang also thought that Liu Gong was kind and gentle, so she took a chance.

  Liu Gong burst out laughing and said, "You don't have to be overly modest either. Your father is the new top scholar, with talent surpassing everyone else. The daughters he has will certainly not lose to others." Liu Gong's words were particularly praising Bai Jiayou's several daughters, which was already a high praise for them in this male-dominated era.

  Qing Sang smiled and accepted the praise, bowed to thank her, and retreated to one side. She glanced sideways at Qing Bi, who was indeed furious, her face changed color.

  For some reason, this made Qingzi feel a little sorry for Qingbi. Qingbi's temperament was too high, and in this era, women with such a high temperament were unlikely to have a good outcome.

  Liu Gong said to the crowd, "The Liu and Pu families are like one family. This time, Yu'er and Sang'er were fortunate enough to pass the 'three exams', which is a great joy. Five days later, they will meet with Her Majesty, and if they can get through it, they will be granted titles. The palace has many rules, and I'm afraid that the two of them might lose face due to improper words or actions. Therefore, I have specially invited Wang Daochang, who used to serve the Empress Dowager and is now cultivating at Qing Shui Guan, to teach them etiquette and rules."

  The old lady listened and led Qingyu and Qingsang to thank him. With the support of Xiang Guo, this selection has increased its chances of winning.

  Five days later, Qing Sang moved into Qing Yu's courtyard, and the two of them devoted themselves to learning the palace etiquette. Wang Daochang was originally a palace maid who served the Empress Dowager and had been living with her in the Qing Shui Guan Temple for spiritual cultivation. After the Empress Dowager passed away, she did not return to secular life but continued her spiritual practice. This time, she was invited out of the mountain by Xiang Guo, who must have spent a large sum of money on it, showing how much importance he attached to this selection of imperial consorts.

  Although Qing Sang was extremely unwilling to enter the palace, she also understood that someone like her who had been named by the Emperor, even if not yet of age, would be selected as long as the Emperor was satisfied with her portrait. The possibility of being eliminated was small unless she did something shocking and outrageous.

  But if it were to happen, it would likely bring disaster to the family. The Qing Sang family values are very heavy, and they do not want to commit such a heinous act. So, she also studied with peace of mind, and these things will be very beneficial for her when she enters the palace.

  Qing Sang has resigned herself to her fate.

  The day of the meeting, there were no clouds in the sky, and the vault covered the earth, blue to the point of being dazzling.

  Many noblewomen, from tall to short, lined up in two columns and entered the Tianhua Hall one after another to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Empress.

  After bowing, Her Majesty the Empress would inspect each one individually and occasionally ask some simple questions. If she liked someone, they would stand on the left side; otherwise, they would stand on the right side.

  Then, one by one, the men in front of him began to report their family situations.

  Qing Yu's tall and slender figure stood out in the first row. Suddenly, a shrill voice shouted: "The daughter of Grand Secretary Pu Jiannian from the Ministry of Revenue, Pu Qingyu, is here to pay her respects!"

  Qing Yu stepped forward two steps slowly and made a bow and paid his respects standing in front of the hall.

  The queen carefully looked at it and nodded with a smile.

  "Stay!" With Grandfather's sharp voice, Qingyu stood on the left side.

  Qing Sang saw her sister Qing Yu pass the test smoothly, and she was secretly delighted for her. Unfortunately, she was young, not tall, ranked last, and had to wait a long time.

  After fifteen rounds, nine were standing on the right side, and only six remained.

  When it was the sixteenth turn of the green mulberry, the empress ordered her to lift her head and look at her for a while before asking: "Which child of Minister Pu are you?"

  "Reporting to you, milady, I am the third in line. There are two elder sisters above me." Qing Sang replied with a bow, her voice clear and bright.

  The empress smiled slightly and asked again: "I heard from Eunuch Cheng that when Secretary Li highly recommended you, he said you looked like a celestial being and had extraordinary talent. Indeed, your appearance is elegant and pleasing to the eye. But as for your learning, I ask you, what books have you read?"

  Qing Sang was taken aback, how could the Empress praise her so much in this grand hall? Wasn't this helping her make enemies? Although everyone present lowered their heads and remained silent, Qing Sang clearly felt the hostility emanating from these noblewomen as well as the worried glances secretly cast her way by Qing Yu.

  。

  "Please report back to the young lady, I'm just a rough literate and only slightly understand poetry." Qing Sang replied cautiously.

  "Is that so? Then what about women's 'four virtues'?" asked the Empress.

  In Qing Sang's mind flashed the modern "three from four de" often mentioned by her past life best friend Ye Er. The "four de" referred to "a wife should wait for her husband to put on makeup, remember his birthday, endure his scolding and be willing to spend money". She couldn't help but curve up the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile, and replied: 'Wife's virtue, wife's words, wife's appearance, wife's work'.

  "Out!" With a sharp cry, Qing Sang thought he had misheard. "Out" meant elimination.

  She looked up at the empress in surprise, only to see her expressionless face staring back at her. It wasn't until then that she realized looking up was a breach of etiquette, and hastily took two quick steps to stand on the right side.

  When the next person came forward, Qing Sang secretly glanced at Qing Yu standing opposite him, seeing that she also had a puzzled expression on her face.

  In the end, only eight of the twenty people remained.

  The eight selected were led by the chief eunuch to the Tianhua Hall to pay homage, and were granted titles by the emperor. The rest returned home on their own.

  Qing Sang was still thinking about what had just happened in the palace when he sat in the carriage.

  From Qingyu's doubts, she can be sure that there was no mistake in her conversation with the empress. So where is the problem? The twists and turns of this matter are currently unclear to Qingyu, but regardless of the empress's intentions, many years later, when Qingyu thought back on this matter, she still felt grateful to the empress at the time. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, she did not let her get involved in the brutal and bloody palace struggle of Hongjing 26th year.

  Although Qing Sang didn't know why she was eliminated, she still felt a little pleased in her heart. It was truly an unexpected turn of events, as she had thought that from now on she would be relegated to a life of obscurity within the palace. Who would have known that at the last moment there would be a change? Moreover, in the grand hall, the Empress Dowager's praise of Li Shangshu's words was extremely unfavorable to her; if she had really entered the palace, she would definitely have been the target of everyone's criticism. The Emperor's new favorite and old love wouldn't let her off easily. In this way, she could retreat completely unscathed.

  Thinking so, Qing Sang felt much more relaxed.

  Arrived home, the old lady and others were waiting as usual.

  The news that Qingyu was selected and Qingsang was not had already been sent back, when they saw Qingsang, the old lady didn't say anything, just told Wangshi to take her daughter back to their room to rest early, while they still had to wait for the news of Qingyu's appointment.

  Others also comforted her a little, without blaming her. Only Qingbi showed contempt on her face and coldly laughed at Qingsang twice. Qingsang was too lazy to care about her and leaned against her mother to go back to the room.

  Wang held Qing Sang tightly, shedding tears of joy that she had lost and regained. This daughter had caused her a lot of worry when she was young, and had also brought her a lot of trouble, but after falling into the water and waking up from her coma, it seemed like she had learned her lesson and changed her ways, becoming more considerate. One's own child is always born after ten months of pregnancy, how can one not feel heartache? In the past, when she wasn't paying attention, it was mostly due to the helplessness of being unable to mold her into a better person.

  Qingsang took a handkerchief and wiped away her mother's tears. The mother and daughter sat together, knee to knee, and talked about some intimate things.

  After noon, Qing Sang was lying on the couch for a short rest, when she heard Xue Pan talking to someone outside the window about something that seemed to be related to the case of Qing Yu's certificate.

  Qing Sang called out and invited Xue Pen in, asking her who she was talking to.

  "It's Rui Zhu in the big girl's room," said Xue Pen.

  "Has the news come from the palace?" Qing Sang asked, sitting up on the couch. Qing Yu had always been close to her, and this matter was a major event in her life, so Qing Sang naturally cared about it.

  "Master told the old master that the young lady was granted the title of Yu Cai Ren, and the old master let Xi Mo pass on the message to reassure the old madam and the ladies. Later that evening, the young lady returned, and will enter the palace again in seven days," Xue Pen said quietly.

  "Why was my sister only made a 'cai ren'? What about Su Jue Miss from the Xu Shangshu's household and Wan Ting Miss from the Ma Sifu's household, what were they made?" Qing Sang didn't understand why her sister, who was the granddaughter of the current prime minister and the eldest daughter of the Minister of Revenue, with no lack in looks or talent, would only be made a 'cai ren'. Among the selected noblewomen, she only knew Su Jue and Wan Ting, and their family backgrounds were similar to her sister's, in fact Su Jue's was slightly weaker, so she asked about their titles for comparison.

  "I don't know," Snow Basin replied.

  How would a maid know such things? Qing Sang also felt that she had asked too much and waved her hand to let the maid go.

  After dinner, the sky had turned completely dark. Qing Sang followed her father and a group of women to the gate to welcome Yu Cai Ren, who had just received his new official seal.

  Qing Sang wanted to have a chat with Qing Yu, but unfortunately the old lady and the aunt were holding onto Qing Yu asking her questions left and right, it wasn't until after a long while that they let go and dispersed.

  Qing Sang finally had the chance to get close to Qing Yu, and Qing Yu also had a lot of words that she had been holding back for a long time, wanting to pour them out to Qing Sang.