Kangxi Harem Ⅰ: Green Years

Chapter 5 ([-]) Selected as a palace maid for the first time in the court
[Once entering the palace, the road ahead is vast, and all the women have different hearts to choose;]

[The fallen return to the side of their husbands and mothers, and the entrants compose the song in the palace. 】

In the early spring of the fifth year of Kangxi, the annual selection of court ladies began. According to the system, the Eight Banners of Manchuria were divided into the upper three banners and the lower five banners, while Baoyi was a domestic slave, and the upper three banners had a higher status and Baoyi was also a bannerman. But it is managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.There is a big difference in status between the Coated Bannermen and the Eight Banners.Women in the Eight Banners are selected once every three years for the selection of concubines and masters in the palace, or those who have marriages from the emperor and relatives of the emperor are presided over by the Ministry of Household Affairs; while women in the upper three banners are selected for the show once a year in the palace. For the palace maids, the Ministry of Internal Affairs presided over them. Of course, the palace maids who entered the palace also had the opportunity to be promoted to concubines by the emperor.Gai Rong'er's family was dressed in Zhenghuangqi, so they were included in the selection of court ladies.

Gai's sedan chair sent Gai Rong'er to the gate of Shenwu. Gai Rong'er got off the sedan chair and bid farewell to the housekeeper who sent him. go.

The selection of this court lady is managed by the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so no one will enter the palace in the primary selection, and it will be held in the deacon courtyard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs next to the Shenwu Gate. If you are selected, you can enter the palace, and if you are not selected, you will return home immediately.

At this time, there were already many girls waiting for election gathered at the gate of the palace, and a eunuch was shouting loudly for the girls who had come to participate in the election. "Hey, what about you, where are you going? Come here, everyone gather at the front, don't run around, this is the palace, not a place for you slaves to rush in."

Seeing this scene, Gai Rong'er walked slowly towards the gathering direction, and she finally approached the sacred and mysterious palace from outsiders. She was very calm about the maid selection, and her natural state of mind kept her calm. , but look up like a view and watch everything happening around here.

"Oh." Gai Rong'er was watching Jing slowly move forward but was bumped by a girl rushing up from behind.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, are you okay?" A sweet-looking girl in a light blue silk dress said in a panic, and Rong'er smiled. "It's okay, sister, slow down."

The girl patted her chest and said, "I'm so nervous. My Ama said that if you enter the palace, you can see the emperor. Sister, do you want to see the emperor? I really want to see the emperor. If you can be accepted by the emperor Fortunately, I can become the master and empress."

Gai Rong'er smiled and didn't speak, the chance of becoming the master was too small because she was born in Baoyi. Instead, I find it funny.

"My name is Yin Ruolan, and my Ama is in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. What about you?" Yin Ruolan introduced herself.

"I'm Gai Rong'er, and my father is Wai Lang, a member of the Ministry of Rites." Gai Rong'er responded politely.

"Sister, let's go there together, I'm really nervous, by the way, I keep calling you sister, how old are you?" "I'm 14 years old this year."

"I'm 13, I'm really a big sister, let's go quickly." Gai Rong'er was dragged by Yin Ruolan and ran towards the crowd.

Gai Ronger looked at the group of top girls who participated in this year's election, and Gai Rong'er only stood firm after visually observing that there were nearly a hundred people.In front of the crowd stood a father-in-law from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, shouting in a shrill voice. "Everyone is quiet, stand still for me." The voices of the crowd gradually died down.

The father-in-law continued with satisfaction: "Listen for a while, and the miscellaneous family will call their names one by one. Those whose names are called go to the table to check their flag registrations. If their identities are correct, go to the next hut, and the aunts will come to give you their names." After you pass the body test, those who do not meet the conditions will be rejected and go home, and those who pass the body test will enter the palace, and from tomorrow onwards, your aunt will teach the selected candidates about the rules for ten days, do you understand?"

Seeing someone whisper, "Understood," the father-in-law went on to say, "Okay, it seems that no one doesn't understand, so the miscellaneous family will start calling names."

But I saw the father-in-law shouting at the top of his voice, "Queen Jingzhi who is in charge of Zuo Ling Wang Yide."

"The girl is here." A beautiful-looking woman in a light green dress came out.

"Well, let's go." The woman named Wang Jingzhi walked to the table, and the father-in-law at the table only checked her father's surname and age again before letting her into the next hut.Then the father-in-law who called out his name started to call out the next one, one by one.

Gai Rong'er didn't know her rank, so she waited quietly beside her. After nearly half an hour, Yin Ruolan had already called out her name, and she didn't know if she had passed. When I felt sore, I finally heard my father-in-law calling my name. "Gai Ronger, the daughter of Wailang Gaishan, a member of the Ministry of Rites."

"The girl is here." Gai Rong'er walked slowly towards the table, and the eunuch at the table looked at her and asked, "Your father is Gaishan, a member of the Ministry of Rites?"

"Exactly." Rong'er replied softly. "Age?" The eunuch who asked at the table raised his voice expressionlessly.

"Minnv is 14 years old." The little eunuch pointed to the next hut, "Well, let's go in."

Gai Rong'er walked into the next hut, and several court ladies were undergoing a medical examination. As soon as they entered the room, an aunt yelled, "There are obvious pockmarks on the face, and Zhang Jingyun, the daughter of Zhang Shengwu, was judged by the Qin Tianjian to be defeated."

This physical examination is to measure the height, look at the body shape, see if there is any disability, and whether the appearance is qualified, and walk in front of several older court ladies in turn, and different court ladies check different items.After Gai Ronger finished her body examination, the last aunt who seemed to be in charge handed her a sign with her name written on it.

"Gai Ronger, the daughter of Gaishan, a member of the Ministry of Rites, has passed the physical examination. Take the sign and enter the palace." So she was asked to go out through a door on the other side. A little eunuch guarded the door and led her through the Shenwu Gate. Enter the palace through a small door next to it, walk along a path next to the high wall for a while, enter a palace courtyard, and come to a room. "The maids who have passed the primary election are waiting here. Ladies, when you enter this room, don't run around, and don't come out of this palace yard. From tomorrow onwards, your aunt will come to teach you the rules of the palace." The little eunuch shook his head after saying this. I left without returning.

"Sister, you've passed too!" Gai Rong'er entered the room with Yin Ruolan's voice immediately, "Sister, come here, you sleep on the bed next to me." Gai Rong'er walked over with a smile, "My younger sister has also passed." Gai Ronger scanned the room. There are about ten beds in the room, and eight of the beds are already occupied. Everyone is making their own beds, and there is little communication with each other. Gai Ronger Started making the bed too.Yin Ruolan read beside her, "Sister, you know, we will have a chance to see the emperor when we enter the palace, and if we can be favored by the emperor, we will have a chance to be blessed." Gai Rong'er smiled wryly, thinking This younger sister really thought far, but she didn't speak.While talking, I saw a woman in pink entering the room and sat on the last bed. This woman had a cold expression, fair skin, raised eyebrows, and eyes like willows. She really looked pretty. , After she entered the house, she didn't talk to anyone.

Gai Rong'er sat quietly on the bed, thinking, after the primary election, it's likely to be a nine out of ten chance to stay in the palace as a palace maid. I hope that if I'm lucky enough to be assigned a better job, there will be more from tomorrow. The older court lady, that is, the aunt, will teach them for ten days, and they will be distributed after ten days. In fact, where they are allocated, for her, it is still the same sentence: resign to fate, hope God will have mercy, can get It's a good job. Before entering the palace, I heard from Er Niang that if I don't perform well in the past few days, I may still be sent out of the palace.

Because tomorrow's teaching is very unknown to everyone, and the women who passed the primary election are all from banner families. They understand etiquette and are not talkative people, so they rarely talk to each other. Yin Ruolan didn't speak much anymore.

In the evening, a eunuch brought dinner. Not long after everyone ate, two aunts came over and brought the maid's clothes, which were all green silk dresses. Many people went to bed early, and Yin Ruolan even went to bed early. He ran to the bed and said he wanted to sleep well so that he would be more energetic tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)