Chapter 180 Didn’t Even See the Person

Chapter 180 Didn't Even See the Person

Qin Shaojing immediately prepared herself upon receiving the hint.

Since she had come for the imperial selection, she was aiming for the highest position.

However, after hearing this, Lu Lingyun frowned, "Shaojing, perhaps you should choose a light yellow dress instead."

The main focus of this imperial selection was naturally the Crown Prince.

But the Crown Prince was already married to his primary wife.

Lu Lingyun knew that because the Crown Princess had been unable to bear children for many years, the emperor arranged this selection to also choose wives for the other princes and fill the imperial harem.

In that case, it was highly likely that the Crown Princess would be present. If what the eunuch said was true, it could actually backfire.

Moreover, if the eunuch could tell them, many other families' selected girls might know as well.

In this case, if Qin Shaojing wore a powder-blue dress, it wouldn't give her any advantage.

It would be better to choose the safest option, a light yellow dress.

Qin Shaojing immediately refused after hearing this, "How can that work? The light yellow dress is favored by the Empress Dowager. By then, it’s uncertain which prince I might be assigned to."

Her family background was a big issue. The path of winning the Empress Dowager's favor was too risky. Even if she caught the Empress Dowager's eye, she definitely wouldn't be assigned to the Crown Prince's court.

It would be better to take a gamble and aim for the Crown Prince's favor. If the Crown Prince took a liking to her, then none of the family background matters would be an issue.

After listening to their discussion, Lady Qin fell silent, lost in thought.

At this point, Qin Shaojing couldn't care what her aunt thought and turned to change clothes inside the carriage.

When she came out, she was already dressed in a powder-blue gown.

Seeing this, Lu Lingyun didn't say anything more.

Qin Shaojing was too impatient.

She was eager to achieve her goal quickly, hoping to rise to the top in one swift move.

She wasn't willing to stop and slow down for even a moment.

Seeing Qin Shaojing come out with high spirits, Lady Qin sighed deeply, hiding all emotions in her deep eyes, and then helped Qin Shaojing adjust her attire, "Shaojing, you need to perform well. The Qin family is counting on you."

"Hmm."

Qin Shaojing made sure everything was in order, her accessories, and the reward money she carried with her.

Soon after, the palace matron arrived at the palace gate.

Hearing her name called, Qin Shaojing hurriedly said goodbye to Lady Qin and Lu Lingyun.

"Aunt, I'm leaving."

"Shaojing..." At that moment, Lady Qin, as if sensing something, panicked and grabbed Qin Shaojing's hand, "Maybe you should still choose the light yellow. It’s safer."

"Aunt, the light yellow might not get me selected, and it would almost certainly mean no chance with the Crown Prince. Besides, there’s no time now." Qin Shaojing pulled her hand away from Lady Qin, looked at the lady calling the names, responded loudly with confidence, and walked over.

Watching her walk away with such confidence, Lady Qin sighed, her heart heavy with worry.

Qin Shaojing followed the matron into the palace gates with confidence.

Once she officially entered the imperial palace, she immediately saw more than a dozen selected ladies wearing powder blue dresses.

When Qin Shaojing saw this, her heart tightened.

At that moment, a selected lady wearing a light yellow dress approached her. "Miss, which family are you from?"

Qin Shaojing examined her closely, noticing the Hetian jade pendant on her waist and the jadeite hairpin in her hair. She immediately put on a smile. "My aunt's family is the Ningyang Marquisate; you can call me Shaojing."

She didn't mention her own family, the estate of the Duke of Qin, because its status was quite awkward.

Her father died six months ago, and it was only then that the emperor posthumously granted him the title of Duke of Qin. This kind of posthumous honor was only given due to the necessity of inheritance. Under these circumstances, everyone in the Imperial City knew all too well about the Qin family's precarious situation.

If she mentioned that she was from the estate of the Duke of Qin, no one would dare to associate with her.

Sure enough, upon hearing Ningyang Marquisate, the young miss in front of her didn't show any signs of disdain and said with a smile, "My family is the Weiyuan Marquisate, Miss Shaojing."

Being of similar status as marquises, they were equals.

"Alright, Luor."

After stating their comparable family backgrounds, the girl immediately became more friendly with Qin Shaojing. She looked Qin Shaojing up and down and couldn't help but ask, "Miss Shaojing, why are so many of you wearing powder blue dresses today?"

Hearing this, Qin Shaojing's ears flushed with embarrassment. There were about sixty to seventy selected ladies today, and among them, fifteen to sixteen were wearing powder blue dresses.

It was clear that these ladies, like her, were aiming for the Heir Apparent.

"I usually like powder blue," Qin Shaojing said, forcing herself to respond.

"I, on the other hand, like light yellow. Today, when my mother sent me to the palace, she wanted me to change, but I said no. Light yellow is my favorite and might bring me good luck. You see, there are hardly a few wearing light yellow in the entire courtyard."

Qin Shaojing listened and gave an awkward smile. "I think light yellow looks good too."

Just then, another matron came to announce an imperial decree, and the beautiful selected ladies in the garden room quickly lined up.

This time, Qin Shaojing happened to be in the same row as Luor, and even in the first row.

Qin Shaojing felt that she had a good chance of being noticed.

A large group of people followed the matron through the intricate and secluded paths of the palace. Along the way, they listened to various instructions. When they stopped, they found themselves in an enormous garden.

That garden was larger than the entire Marquis's Mansion.

In the large pavilion at the center of the garden sat many people dressed in extremely luxurious attire, adorned with jewels and surrounded by palace attendants. The scene was like a painting of immortals from ancient times.

However, they were too far away to make out any faces.

Qin Shaojing was in the first row among the selected ladies. She wanted to look up to see the people above, but the matron next to her scolded her.

"Have you forgotten the rules! You are not allowed to look at the emperor's countenance!"

Qin Shaojing immediately lowered her head.

But she thought to herself that being in the front row, she would certainly have plenty of opportunities to be seen. Her heart swelled with hope and anticipation.

At that moment, she heard a voice from above.

"Are these all the selected ladies this year?" asked the court lady next to the Empress Dowager.

"Yes," the matron standing in the middle said, "Empress Dowager, shall the selection begin?"

There was a moment of silence from above, as if they were discussing something.

Qin Shaojing's heart raced, waiting for them to finish so she could step forward, see the people above, and let them see her.

However, as the discussion above stopped, an elderly female voice, displeased and disdainful, called out, "Dismiss all those wearing pale blue clothes!"

Qin Shaojing was speechless.

Just as she started to lift her head, she was sharply reprimanded.

"What are you staring at?! Hurry up and leave!" the attendant who had brought them immediately shooed them away.

Qin Shaojing could only stand there, speechless.

She didn’t even get to see the Crown Prince, and she never got the chance to see the Empress Dowager or the other ladies before being dismissed.