When spring arrives, who will be the master of youth? (Three)

  That night, after putting down the curtains, Yunzhu sat quietly on the bed for more than half a time, and only when she confirmed that there was no abnormality around her did she turn out her palm. With a movement of her mind, the Bi Shu Yu Lan immediately appeared, shining brightly. The fragrance filled the entire space inside the bed in an instant, swirling around her without dispersing, either entering her skin or directly flying into her body through her breath.

  This is why she became more cautious, since entering the imperial palace, she felt a strange and inexplicable joy, as if some kind of spiritual energy was being absorbed by her one wave after another - it should be absorbed by the jade orchid tree in her body, because the originally pure and flawless jade orchid in her hand had been affected by that mysterious spiritual energy since entering the palace and had grown a layer of faintly shimmering treasure light on its surface, which was dazzling in the dark night.

  The fragrance is also more noticeable, every day at dawn, the not-so-sensitive-to-smell Ilgner, Shulan and Koleit will feel that the air in the house smells fresh and sweet...

  The original two-meter-tall Yulan tree, which only bloomed white and yellow flowers, grew to over three meters tall in just half a month. Not only did it grow more luxuriantly, but it also bloomed red and purple flowers. The red ones were like fiery red lotus, while the purple ones lived up to their name "Jade Hall Spring", embodying elegance, nobility, mystery, and grandeur all at once. No wonder every time the Yulan tree blooms, its fragrance wafts through the air.

  To be honest, Yunzhu really wanted to see the Yulan tree grow up. She wondered how many colors of flowers it could produce and what surprises its growth would bring her. She didn't forget that in her previous life, before the explosion at the end of the world, this Yulan was still standing by a clear pool. After crossing over, the Yulan tree came with her, but where did the clear pool go?

  Wasn't it really absorbed by the Yulan tree?! Yunzhu had been sitting in stillness, meditating, practicing yoga and tai chi every day for over a decade, his spiritual power growing stronger and stronger. Gradually, he could sometimes catch some information transmitted from the Yulan tree, but it was too intermittent and vague, and she couldn't confirm it.

  It was unexpected that the jade orchid tree had grown at an incredible speed in just over a dozen days, reversing its slow growth rate of the past decade. It's really astonishing! What could be in this palace that would give such benefits to the jade orchid tree? She asked herself, being meticulous, and having walked around the surroundings once, she didn't see anything particularly remarkable or precious...

  Could it be the imperial purple energy or the dragon pulse spiritual energy?

  Yunzhu laughed halfway and stopped, looking at the trembling Yulan tree with a bewildered face, and her casual words actually hit the red heart?!

  Yunzhu suddenly remembered the strange stone seeds in the jewelry box that her mother had given her, and at that time she also felt the excitement transmitted by the Yulan tree. She thought to herself, "Those things might be beneficial for it too?" Unfortunately, they were all stored in Xinyi Gorge, otherwise she could have taken them out to try...

  "I don't know what I'm going to do today, the past few days have been walking and now my feet still feel sore." This is because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep up so I practiced hard.

  "And to make matters worse, I ate so much yesterday that my stomach hurts... It's not like there was a lot of food, it's just that I was too nervous."

  Yunzhu heard the low voice coming from next door, opened her eyes to finish the last yoga move, got out of bed and poured out the water she had prepared the night before to wash up.

  "Yunzhu sister——"

  After finishing breakfast, Zhao Jia and Yu Gui came running over with a water jug, smiling brightly: "Let's go fill up on water together." Yiren Gen Luo Shulan snorted disdainfully and began to touch up her makeup. She had already received the news that from today on, she no longer needed to check the rules of etiquette. From now on, she was going to prepare well for the final round of the talent selection, waiting at any moment for the summons of the various palace ladies. Ke Li Ye Te Guo Xin then came out from the right wing room with a water jug, "I'll go with you guys."

  Every time she fetched water, she quietly followed Yunzhu and the others. The Xiu girl who lived in the same courtyard thought she was with Yunzhu's group all along, so she didn't dare to bully her too much because of Yunzhu's face. But what people don't know is that this Xiu girl from a high-ranking family in the capital would often secretly gang up and suppress other Xiu girls who came from outside and had lower social status. Little did they know that she usually kept a distance from Yunzhu and the others.

  Yunzhu was tolerant of Keliye Tejina, and her small thoughts were clear in her mind, but she didn't care about it either. If she showed any dislike, it would be said that she couldn't tolerate others. As a fellow member of the household, Xiunu couldn't treat Keliye Tejina with the same cold ridicule as Yiru Genro Shulan did.

  This is the imperial palace, let alone the walls have ears, even the eyes and ears on the surface are too numerous to count, Yunzhu doesn't dare to underestimate those little eunuchs and palace maids who run errands.

  Moreover, Ke'erqiete's performance in the selection has been mediocre, but she has shown that she is a person who can endure and has a good sense of strategy. This is quite different from her initial attitude towards Yunzhu and Yilun Shulan, whom she had viewed with hostility due to their noble birth. At least on the surface, Ke'erqiete has been very proper, whereas Yilun Shulan has lost her temper several times due to Ke'erqiete's attitude.

  After a day of drinking hot water, they returned to the house, and Yu Gu asked Yunzhu what talents she had prepared for the last time. On the way here, they had already heard many show girls mention this matter. Some were complacent and told others about their new clothes and talents, some said they hadn't thought it through yet, and others remained silent, calculating something...

  "It depends on what kind of questions the hostesses come up with during the grand election, right?" Yunzhu smiled lightly, "I think as long as it's not too difficult, I should be able to pass."

  Korie glanced at Yunzhu with a hint of jealousy, but said nothing. Yugui stuck out her tongue: "Sister is really confident."

  "This is not confidence." Irgen Sulan sat elegantly on her own couch, holding a needle and thread to practice her hand, "People like us have to learn a bit of everything, even if we're not skilled, it's not too messy..." As she spoke, she glanced at Koriya with a meaningful look.

  Looking down on people's attitude made Korriet's eyes flash with anger, her hands clenched into fists, and she snorted: "What's the use of having talent but no virtue? You should know that 'virtue, appearance, speech, and work' are ranked first." In this house, she wouldn't let Ilgneros bully her like this.

  Is this a direct stab at her moral character? Irgen Aoro Sulan threw the needle and thread in her hand to one side, stood up and glared fiercely at Koriyet with a smile on his mouth. "Are you saying we have no virtue?" She didn't forget to drag Yunzhu and Yugui down with her.

  "I didn't say that."

  ……

  Anyway, they can't fight, Yunzhu was too lazy to mediate, and asked Yugui: "What have you prepared?"

  "My talents are just average, nothing special." Yuguang knew her own situation and didn't have the desire to climb higher, saying: "I'm still young, it's very possible that I'll stay in the competition and participate again next time..." She really didn't want to, but compared to being eliminated, she'd rather participate again.

  Yunzhu nodded, like Yu Guixiang, who was from a prominent Manchu clan with three flags and a surname, but whose father and brothers held low-ranking official positions. Such talented women would be assigned to either a prince of the imperial family or an outstanding Manchu official (as a concubine) or a young nobleman (as a legitimate wife). There was also a possibility that they might be assigned to an imperial prince as a princess, such as Empress Xi.

  The next day, the results of the first round of re-selection were announced. Among the 209 women who stayed in the palace to participate in the re-selection, 37 were eliminated due to unqualified etiquette and rules, leaving 172 to continue with the selection process.

  The most difficult pass is over, whether it's a phoenix or a chicken depends on the next one. The enthusiastic girls are preparing for the final dress and their best skills to show themselves. Many of the girls have heard from their mothers or nannies that in the last round of selection, the emperor and empresses usually let them show off their best skills...

  This is just in general.

  The entire Qing dynasty's upper echelons knew that this selection of consorts was essentially to choose the future empress for the next ruler of the Qing, and as the highest ruler of the Qing, Yongzheng would not take it lightly. This predetermined that the final hurdle for these consorts would be difficult to overcome.

  The process of selecting the top beauty was very grand and majestic, with the final round taking place eight days later. During these eight days, the beauties broke away from their usual routine since entering the palace. They wore beautiful ceremonial robes and dazzling headpieces, either playing and frolicking in the imperial garden or practicing their talents, such as playing the zither or dancing - some had even prepared dance routines. It's worth noting that it was rare for young women from good families to dance in public, as it could be seen as unseemly and frivolous.

  Lian Yirong couldn't help but practice her guqin, while Korite looked at Yunzhu with a calm and serene expression as she read books and wrote. She lightly bit her lip, for even in her own room, she was diligently practicing needlework and chess... There were many times when she wanted to tamper with Yunzhu's and Shulan's food or clothes, but thinking about it again, she restrained herself. Not only might such actions not achieve the desired effect, but also she feared being discovered.

  In these eight days, many such things have happened. Either the clothes of the showgirls were cut and damaged, or the props for their performances were mysteriously destroyed, such as broken zithers and missing colored silks. Some cases were solved, while others remained unsolved. Without mentioning those that were solved, the outcome was directly being expelled from the palace. Even if they weren't caught, the reputation of all the showgirls in the house would be more or less affected.

  Fu Cha: Yun Zhu and Yiru Gen Ruo Shulan were born into a prestigious family with a good reputation, so they didn't need to do anything as long as they took care of themselves, they would naturally get a good outcome. Unlike her, who had to consider everything.

  Forget it, stability is the most important. Even if it weren't for those two, she wouldn't have a chance at becoming the legitimate wife... They're just not from the same social class. She thought to herself, even though she found both of them quite displeasing - one always looked down on others with disdain, and the other seemed so insignificant despite doing nothing.