Chương 749: Still in the process of selecting a concubine

"Forget it, they'd only choose one person from the whole country. How could it be a chance for us ordinary folks? Besides, the palace is nothing like home. There are so many rules. I can't bear to see my daughter suffer like that."

"You can't say that. If you are chosen, it would be a blessing you've accumulated over many lifetimes. Besides, His Majesty and Empress are both kind-hearted people, and the Crown Prince is also benevolent. He wouldn't be able to endure any hardship in the palace."

Some were interested, some were hesitant, some thought it was unreliable, and some couldn't bear to part with their daughters. Every family had its own set of concerns, and everyone had different ideas.

At Xu Mingren's home in Jinling City.

Xu Mingren was a teacher at Jinling University. He was a learned man with a steady temperament, and his family were all upright scholars.

The daughter-in-law, Zhao, sat in the main room with her needlework, talking to her husband:

"Jingxian is twenty-two this year, just graduated from university, and just barely meets the age requirement. Our family has a clean record, we've never committed any crimes, so how about... we sign up and give it a try?"

Xu Mingren frowned, put down the book in his hand, and hesitated:

"The palace has strict rules, and our daughters are gentle and speak softly. I'm afraid she'll be mistreated if she goes in."

Besides, with so many candidates, it's more than one in a thousand; it's not that easy to be chosen. It's a wasted trip, and it might even make the girl's heart waver.

Hearing this from inside the room, Xu Jingxian lifted the curtain and came out.

The girl had gentle features and fair skin. She was dressed in a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and looked very gentle and kind.

She smiled faintly, spoke softly, yet was very opinionated:

"Father and Mother, it is entirely up to the family to make the decision. If I am chosen, it will be my good fortune, and I will certainly serve the Crown Prince well and be filial to His Majesty and the Empress."

Even if she doesn't get selected, it's fine for our daughter to stay home with her parents, studying and doing needlework. We can consider it a trip to the capital to broaden her horizons.

She has a very stable personality, doesn't compete or fight, and has no desire to climb the social ladder. She has an attitude of "if I get it, I'm lucky; if I lose it, it's my fate."

At home, she either reads books or helps her mother cook and sew. She also learned arithmetic and physics from her father. She knows a lot, and everyone in the neighborhood praises the Xu family's daughter.

Seeing how sensible her daughter was, Zhao felt both gratified and a little reluctant to part with her.

After discussing it, the couple decided to apply. They figured it would be a good opportunity for their child, and even if the child wasn't selected, it wouldn't be a loss; a trip to Beijing would be nice too.

..................

During the two-week registration period, more than 150 girls from Jiangning County, Nanjing City, registered.

There were even more in neighboring counties, and in the Jiangnan region, where education was more developed, many girls were literate and educated, so they were even more enthusiastic about signing up.

Long tables were set up in the main halls of the county government offices in each county, and the county magistrates, along with officials from the household registration office and the criminal office, checked each case one by one, like sifting through a sieve.

The first step is to check the household registration and family genealogy.

If a family has committed serious crimes such as exile or beheading within three generations, or if they were born into prostitution, prostitution, or slavery, those with unclean backgrounds are immediately disqualified and don't even need to be seen.

There was a girl whose father had committed theft and was exiled for three years. He was immediately dismissed from the job, and her mother's pleas for mercy were useless; the rules were in place.

The second step is to meet him in person.

Those who are lame, blind, have large scars on their faces, or stutter will be eliminated on the spot.

After all, it's about choosing a Crown Princess, so a decent appearance is a basic requirement. She doesn't need to be stunningly beautiful, but she should at least be pleasing to the eye.

A girl fell when she was little and had a light scar on her face, which was unfortunately removed from the list.

The third step is to register and compile a list.

Name, age, place of origin, father's name, occupation, date of birth, all must be written clearly, stroke by stroke, without the slightest error.

We also need to have the girl write a few words to see if she can read and write, and how well she writes.

Xu Jingxian stood in the crowd, not eye-catching but pleasing to the eye.

He had fair skin, a good posture, stood straight, spoke calmly and unhurriedly, and wrote neatly and elegantly.

The magistrate nodded repeatedly after reading it and approved it on the spot, even praising her: "The Xu family's daughter is quite good, poised and generous."

After screening the entire county, only 30 out of 150 people remained, meaning more than half were eliminated.

Once the register was completed, it was sent to Jinling Prefecture along with the person.

The prefecture will conduct another round of screening, keeping ten out of thirty, eliminating two-thirds, and then report to the provincial government of Jiangnan Province.

The provincial governments were overwhelmed by the lists submitted by their respective prefectures.

In particular, the Jiangnan province was well-educated and cultured, and the girls were well-mannered and beautiful, so there were a lot of applicants, with more than two hundred people from various prefectures coming together.

In the end, only ten spots were left for those going to the capital, making it even harder than passing the imperial examination for the title of Juren.

There are at least dozens or even hundreds of places available for the imperial examination for the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), but for the selection of imperial concubines, there are only ten places available in the entire province.

The provincial governor personally oversaw the process, accompanied by his staff, matchmakers, and an elderly lady he had invited, to conduct another round of screening.

Check their family backgrounds again to prevent favoritism from those below; select them again based on their appearance, eliminating any unattractive or deformed individuals.

They even added extra tests on the spot... asking the girls to write a few words and do some needlework to see if they were skillful and literate.

They'll also ask a few casual questions to gauge his manner of speaking and his personality.

The scene was very lively.

There was a pretty girl with a fair and clean face, but her hands would shake as soon as she picked up a needle, and the stitches she made were crooked and looked like earthworms crawling, so she was rejected immediately.

The matchmaker shook her head: "She can't even hold a needle and thread properly, how will she manage the household affairs in the future? No way."

There was another girl who could speak eloquently and was proficient in poetry and prose, but she was too arrogant, spoke sharply, and looked at the other girls with disdain, so she was also crossed out.

The old lady frowned: "Too spoiled, intolerant of others, how will she manage the Crown Prince's Palace in the future? No way."

Xu Jingxian remained quiet and unassuming throughout, without arguing or competing.

Her handwriting is neat and beautiful, her needlework is fine and tidy, and she answers questions appropriately, neither servile nor arrogant, and never interrupts.

The governor and several examiners nodded secretly, thinking that this girl was steady and capable of achieving great things.

Without a doubt, she secured a spot to go to Beijing.

When she went home to pack her luggage, Zhao stuffed a whole suitcase full of changes of clothes, homemade snacks, and commonly used medicinal herbs into it, and kept talking on and on:

"Don't talk nonsense after you arrive in Beijing. Listen more and do more, and don't stand out. Take good care of yourself, wear more clothes when it gets cold, and don't catch a cold."

It's okay if you don't get selected, okay? Just think of it as a trip. Mom will be waiting for you at home. Don't make yourself suffer.

As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.

Xu Mingren personally escorted his daughter to the capital. She followed the procession arranged by the government, and her food and drink were taken care of, so she was very safe.

The nine girls traveling with me included daughters of a minor official, farmers, and a merchant who owned a cloth shop.

They chattered all the way, both nervous and excited. Some talked about their families, some about what the capital was like, and some even imagined what the crown prince would look like.

Xu Jingxian mostly listened with a smile, occasionally interjecting a few words. With her gentle nature, she quickly became familiar with everyone.

More than 300 girls from over 30 provinces across the country, plus border provinces like Southeast Asia, gradually arrived in Luoyang.

The Ministry of Rites staff checked identities one by one at the city gate, handed them over to Zhang Mama of the inner court, and arranged for them to stay in the princes' quarters.

Food and lodging were provided, and palace maids were to serve them; all that was left was to wait for the second round of selection.

More than three hundred girls, from all over the country, with different accents and personalities, all waiting for their fate to unfold with feelings of excitement or trepidation.

On the first day of the preliminary rounds, the girls in the Princes' Hall got up especially early.

As soon as it was dawn, everyone got up and dressed in front of the mirror, looking neat and tidy, hoping to leave a good impression on the examiners.

Some girls were so nervous that their palms were sweating and they were restless; others tried to appear calm, but were actually very anxious.

Granny Zhang entered with a group of female officials and midwives, her face as stern as iron.