Carriages formed a long queue at the Palace Gate. Ye Wanning helped her younger sisters alight from the carriage, having previously instructed her third sister not to deliberately maintain composure when meeting the matrons later.
Today was the preliminary selection at the palace. Any young lady who made it this far was undoubtedly fair in appearance.
They lined up in groups of six, first to be inspected by the matrons.
As hoped, Ye Wanhua did not advance to the second selection. Upon hearing this news, Ye Wanning quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
She had spent some silver to share a room with her second sister. Also assigned to the same room were Xie Lingyi, the third daughter of the Xie Family, and Wang Chuchu, the second daughter of the Wang Family.
Xie Lingyi, the legitimate daughter of the Xie Family’s second branch, came from a noble background. She lifted her chin to glance dismissively at the others, then walked up to Ye Wanning. “You’re Ye Wanning, right? Move aside. This spot gets the sun—I want to sleep here.”
“What’s wrong with you? We were here first,” Ye Wanyu retorted sharply.
Xie Lingyi glanced at her maid, who tossed out a money pouch. “Will this suffice now?”
Ye Wanning smiled faintly. “When the matron brought us here, the sleeping arrangements were already settled. If Miss Xie insists on switching, why not ask the matron to come over?”
Xie Lingyi, mindful of her reputation, naturally wouldn’t involve the matron. Deep down, she looked down on the Ye Family, which was why she treated Ye Wanning and her sister with such disdain.
“Fine. Since you insist, I hope you won’t regret it later.” Knowing it was unwise to cause trouble so soon after entering the palace, Xie Lingyi swallowed her anger, planning to settle the score with Ye Wanning once she became a Jun Wang’s consort.
Ye Wanning patted her sister’s hand, signaling her to say no more. It was only their first day in the palace, and further arguments were best avoided.
They each settled in until a commotion arose in the courtyard. Hearing that Zhao Yun Jun Zhu had summoned everyone outside, some muttered about her lack of decorum, while others, eager to please her, hurried out.
Ye Wanyu asked if they should go out. Ye Wanning whispered, “Let’s follow the crowd and not stand out. Zhao Yun Jun Zhu has a short temper—provoking her would lead to trouble.”
Once everyone gathered in the courtyard, Zhao Yun Jun Zhu scrutinized them one by one, singled out two young ladies, and then detained Ye Wanning and her sister.
Ye Wanning’s heart sank. They had never had any interaction with Zhao Yun Jun Zhu—what could she want with them?
When Zhao Yun Jun Zhu asked if they were acquainted with Xie Bohuai, Ye Wanning spoke up before her sister could answer, “Your Highness, Lord Xie is only a distant relative of ours. We are not particularly familiar.”
“Oh, you’re Ye Wanning, aren’t you?” Zhao Yun Jun Zhu looked her over. “Then why did I hear that Xie Bohuai was present when you drove Xu Zhuling away?”
“It was merely a coincidence. That day, I had a dispute with Xu Zhuling at the gate. Lord Xie happened to be handling affairs at Zhenfu Si and stopped by, thinking there was a disturbance, to keep order.” Ye Wanning understood that Zhao Yun Jun Zhu was infatuated with Xie Bohuai and realized she was taking her frustration out on them.
“You’d better not lie to me, or you’ll face the consequences.” After questioning Ye Wanning, Zhao Yun Jun Zhu interrogated the others. Ye Wanyu, clever as she was, echoed her sister’s account.
By the time the ordeal ended, it was already dark. The other two young ladies harbored resentment but dared not voice it, groping their way back in the darkness.
Ye Wanning held her sister’s hand, her heart pounding in her throat.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Xie Bohuai halfway.
At this hour, Xie Bohuai should have been preparing to leave the palace. He stepped aside to make way for Ye Wanning and her sister, simultaneously humming, “Not familiar?”
Ye Wanning’s brow twitched violently. While marveling at the omnipresence of Zhenfu Si, she dared not respond to Xie Bohuai’s remark and hurriedly pulled her sister away.
The second selection was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Ye Wanning barely slept all night. The next day, she was summoned by a young eunuch. Wondering what was happening, she saw Xie Bohuai leaning against the red wall.
“Lord Xie, feel free to speak. This servant will keep watch for you,” the eunuch said with bowed head.
Ye Wanning looked at Xie Bohuai in confusion.
“Ye Da Guniang has a way to make your third sister fail the selection while remaining herself. It seems your ambitions are grand,” Xie Bohuai lifted his gaze to meet hers.
Ye Wanning didn’t understand why Xie Bohuai had summoned her. Fearful of being discovered, she hastily explained, “All three of us sisters entered the palace together. If we were all eliminated for the same reason, it would be quite suspicious.”
“Then do you want to be selected or not?”
Want to or not?
Of course not.
But Ye Wanning didn’t understand who had sent Xie Bohuai to ask this question. He was the Emperor’s man, yet the Ye Family wasn’t significant enough to warrant the Emperor’s attention.
Was this Xie Bohuai’s own idea?
But she and Xie Bohuai had barely met—they truly couldn’t be considered familiar.
“Ye Da Guniang, do you remember I said I owe you a favor?” Xie Bohuai said. “If you don’t wish to be selected, I can help you.”
Hearing this, Ye Wanning breathed a sigh of relief. “What method does my lord have in mind?”
Ye Wanning decided to take a gamble. “I do, but could my lord…”
“Done.” Before Ye Wanning could finish, Xie Bohuai agreed.
“Thank you, my lord. I thank you again on behalf of my second sister.” With Xie Bohuai’s promise, Ye Wanning felt much more at ease. “This time, I owe you a favor. Zhao Yun Jun Zhu holds considerable affection for you. She seems to be searching for someone. If you intend to protect her, you should make preparations in advance.”
As they reached this point, the eunuch came to remind them that time was running short. Ye Wanning followed the eunuch back.
Their every move here was being watched. As soon as Ye Wanning sat down, Xie Lingyi snorted, “So you’re the one hiding your talents. You were gone for so long—did you meet some noble person?”
With Xie Bohuai’s help secured, Ye Wanning was in good spirits and no longer needed to take risks with her sister. She even found Xie Lingyi more tolerable, though she couldn’t afford to lose face in their exchange. “No matter what, I still can’t compare to you, Miss Xie. Today, you’ve already been summoned by a consort. In the future, when you rise to great heights, your blessings will be immense. You needn’t concern yourself with someone as insignificant as me.”
Though the words sounded complimentary, Xie Lingyi found them deeply irritating. Before entering the palace, her parents had specifically warned her not to be willful, yet Ye Wanning repeatedly provoked her. She would remember Ye Wanning.
However, their time living together wasn’t long. As Xie Bohuai had promised, Ye Wanning and her sister failed the second selection and weren’t chosen.
Having received such a great favor, Ye Wanning desperately wanted to thank Xie Bohuai in person. But the palace was full of prying eyes, so she suppressed her excitement and only breathed a sigh of relief after passing through the Palace Gate.
Ye Wanyu still hadn’t grasped what had happened. Her sister had only told her to stay calm, but now she couldn’t help asking for an explanation.
Before Ye Wanning could speak, the carriage suddenly jolted to a halt. She asked the coachman what was wrong, and he replied that the carriage had broken down unexpectedly.
With no other choice, Ye Wanning could only go with her younger sister to wait at a nearby teahouse.
Unbeknownst to them, several men had stopped in the distance, watching the Ye sisters. One of them asked curiously, “That carriage came from the palace. Today is the final selection day. How could such a stunning beauty fail to be chosen?”
“Your Highness, the selection of consorts involves more than just appearance; there are many considerations,” the Imperial Servant beside him replied.
“What a pity,” the Crown Prince sighed inwardly,