In the days leading up to the imperial selection, the entire Ye Residence was thrown into a frenzy.
After all, two young ladies from the household would be participating in the palace selection. This was a matter of great importance, and no one dared treat it lightly.
The maids and servants even walked more quietly than usual, afraid of disturbing the young ladies while they rested.
As Ye Jinyun looked at the stern-faced etiquette instructor standing before her, she felt a headache coming on.
Even her high school mathematics classes in her previous life had never made her feel this overwhelmed.
There were countless forms of greetings and ceremonial bows to learn.
Every movement had to be executed perfectly before the instructor would approve it.
If it wasn’t perfect, the student had to keep practicing.
At that very moment, Ye Jinyun was balancing a book on top of her head while practicing her posture.
Her legs were already numb.
The truth was, it wasn’t that she couldn’t do it.
She had the System.
Her flexibility, coordination, and comprehension abilities far exceeded those of ordinary people.
After seeing a movement demonstrated once, she already understood it perfectly.
But her third sister needed several attempts before earning the instructor’s approval.
If Ye Jinyun stepped forward and performed flawlessly right away, her younger sister would probably hate her even more than she already did.
Thud!
The book fell.
While her thoughts wandered, her body unconsciously tilted slightly, and the book slipped off her head.
The instructor’s face darkened.
“Second Miss, continue practicing for another quarter of an hour.”
Ye Jinyun: “…”
Ye Jinrong had already mastered the sequence and was now sitting nearby, sipping almond tea brought by a maid.
Privately, she was feeling quite pleased with herself.
Her mother had already spoken to the instructor beforehand.
Whenever she felt tired, she was allowed to rest.
Besides, she was naturally gifted and beautiful. Learning these manners and etiquette was effortless for her.
Even the instructor had praised her performance.
“Second Sister,” Ye Jinrong said with a sideways glance, “why are you so slow? This set of movements is so simple. You’ve been practicing for nearly half an hour and still can’t get it right?”
Inside, Ye Jinyun rolled her eyes.
Who exactly is the foolish one here?
If I had learned it too quickly, would I have been able to pretend for this long?
My waist is practically broken from all this standing.
At last, the additional quarter hour ended.
The instructor finally released her and allowed both sisters to return to their rooms to rest before resuming lessons that afternoon.
Ye Jinyun rubbed her aching arms and legs and returned to her courtyard with Qing’er.
Over the following days, she and Ye Jinrong continued studying palace etiquette under the instructor’s guidance.
The instructor also explained the current situation within the imperial palace.
This information had been obtained through Madam Yang’s careful efforts and generous spending.
She was worried that her daughter might accidentally offend an important figure after entering the palace.
The ranks of imperial consorts were as follows:
Empress, Imperial Noble Consort, Noble Consort, Consort, Concubine, Zhaoyi, Jieyu, Beauty, Talented Lady, Noble Lady, Selected Attendant, and Gentlewoman.
Although the emperor’s harem was enormous, he had never officially established an Empress.
At present, the Imperial Noble Consort managed palace affairs on his behalf.
There were also four high-ranking consorts: Consort Shu, Consort Xian, Consort Jing, and Consort Qi.
As for the lower-ranking women beneath them, they were too numerous to count.
The emperor’s favorites were the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort Shu.
Consort Qi was also highly favored because she had given birth to the emperor’s only princess.
Although Consort Qi came from an unremarkable family and possessed only average beauty, the emperor’s affection for the princess naturally extended to her as well.
As Ye Jinyun listened to these descriptions of palace life, she could not stop rolling her eyes internally.
In her opinion, the emperor was an enormous scumbag.
He already had countless women in his harem, yet he still wanted another selection?
Maybe the reason he had so few children was because he had too many concubines and not enough energy to go around.
Of course, she only dared think such things.
In this era of absolute imperial authority, saying them aloud would be a quick path to execution.
This wasn’t the twenty-first century, where people could hide behind screens and criticize anyone they wanted online.
While entertaining these rebellious thoughts, Ye Jinyun secretly glanced at Ye Jinrong.
Her younger sister was listening with complete concentration.
When she heard that the position of Empress remained vacant, a bright light immediately appeared in her peach-blossom eyes.
She raised her chin slightly, her entire demeanor radiating confidence and ambition.
It was as though she had already decided that the throne of the Empress belonged to her.
Ye Jinyun couldn’t help shaking her head inwardly.
Her sister really was somewhat naïve.
Countless powerful families throughout the empire were undoubtedly eyeing the position of Empress.
With Ye Jinrong’s limited abilities and shallow scheming, how could she possibly compete against women who had spent years surviving and maneuvering within the depths of the imperial palace?
Besides, the emperor already had so many women.
Yet countless young ladies still rushed eagerly into the palace.
Ye Jinyun truly couldn’t understand what was so appealing about it.
The emperor had set the eighteenth day of the month as the date for the selection.
As the days passed one by one, that day finally arrived.