You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 332 Draft
The selection of concubines had been proceeding at a leisurely pace for a month.

The imperial concubine selection was related to the emperor's choice of concubines, the succession of the imperial lineage, and the stability of the country.

Therefore, neither the Ministry of Rites nor the local officials in charge of this matter dared to deliberately delay.

The selection of candidates by the Great Zhou Dynasty was entirely based on voluntary participation.

If a woman is unwilling to participate or enter the palace to climb the social ladder, no one will force her.

Otherwise, if this woman were to pass the selection process and enter the palace, and then cry and complain to the emperor, wouldn't the official who forced her be digging his own grave?

However, the Great Zhou Dynasty stipulated that all expenses for any woman participating in the imperial selection would be borne by the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Furthermore, as long as a candidate is selected to enter the palace and become a palace maid, her family will be exempt from taxes and labor service for life.

Therefore, countless people would send their daughters to talent shows just for this privilege.

After all, even if they are not selected in the end, they will not spend a penny.

If one were lucky enough to pass the selection process and enter the palace, the privilege of being exempt from taxes and labor for life would be something everyone would be eager for.

and…

If a young woman enters the palace and gains the emperor's favor, her family will instantly become relatives of the emperor.

Where can you find such a highly profitable business?

For the women participating in the talent show, the opportunity to get close to the most expensive man in the world is naturally something they would gladly accept...

This is the fundamental reason why Zhou Chen still managed to select so many women despite issuing an order to limit the talent show to a small number of people.

Unfortunately.

The selection system of the Great Zhou Dynasty was extremely strict.

To stand out from the crowd is to be one in ten thousand.

Across the Great Zhou Dynasty, tens of thousands of women participated in the talent show.

But in the end, only three thousand people were qualified to come to Luoyang, the capital city.

Of these three thousand women, only a handful will ultimately be selected to enter the palace...

This level of difficulty is comparable to the imperial examination.

In fact, the selection process is even more difficult than the imperial examination.

After all, with the imperial examinations, one only needed to study diligently for years to have a high chance of passing.

But talent shows assess your appearance, physique, and temperament, among other things.

Even if you perform perfectly in other aspects, you will be eliminated if you fail in just one area.

Appearance and other aspects are all innate.

Beauty is beauty, and ugliness is ugliness.

Furthermore, the use of cosmetics such as rouge and face powder is prohibited during the talent show.

In other words, you need to be naturally beautiful to be selected for a talent show.

This is predetermined from birth.

Unable to change…

Finally, even if all the women participating in the selection meet the standards, the imperial physicians still need to examine whether the women are fertile...

Is it easy for her to have an heir with His Majesty?

Even if a woman is selected and passes through many stages, she may very well fail at the final stage with the imperial physician and be eliminated by a single sentence from him.

After all, the purpose of the talent show is to pass on the dragon lineage.

It was difficult for women selected for the palace to conceive...

Naturally, she did not meet the requirements for being selected as a candidate for the imperial concubine examination.

……

One day later.

The sun was shining brightly and the breeze was blowing.

Zhou Chen, dressed in casual clothes, stretched his arms and walked straight out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, three thousand beautiful women have been sent to the palace and are waiting for Your Majesty to make your selection."

Cao Zhengchun followed closely beside Zhou Chen and spoke respectfully.

"Let's go!"

"Go and have a look."

Zhou Chen waved his hand casually.

The matter of selecting concubines and choosing consorts will have to happen sooner or later.

Zhou Chen decided to select some young women to fill the harem today in order to shut up the ministers, including the Eighth Prince.

Zhou Chen was already getting tired of the Eighth Prince and his ministers repeatedly submitting memorials on this matter.

If Zhou Chen selects some young women to enrich the harem, then presumably the Eighth Prince and his ministers will no longer mention this matter!
soon.

Zhou Chen arrived at a large white jade square inside the palace.

At this moment, numerous palace guards stood around this white jade square.

On the white jade square stood three thousand beautiful and charming women.

These three thousand beautiful and dignified women waited expectantly...

They knew this was the royal palace.

The most prestigious place in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

A place that hundreds of millions of people in the world can only dream of but never reach.

None of the women among them wanted to stay forever.

Once selected for the palace, their families will be permanently exempted from taxes and corvée labor.

They themselves could potentially rise to great heights and become one of the mistresses within these palace walls.

Who wouldn't want such an opportunity?

Unfortunately, according to the usual practice of the Great Zhou Dynasty, only a handful of these three thousand women would be fortunate enough to be selected to enter the palace.

As for everyone else…

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will all be sent back to their hometowns.

Even so, every young woman's face was still filled with anticipation.

Even if most of them were not able to stay within the palace walls, they would be sent back to their hometowns.

However, this talent show will also become their capital for choosing a good partner in the future, greatly enhancing their status.

After all, the selection of imperial concubines is extremely rigorous, and the fact that they were able to pass through so many hurdles to reach the palace is proof of their abilities.

Even if you fail in the end, you will still be honorable in defeat.

When Zhou Chen stepped onto the high platform in the square, greeted by Du Ruhui, the eyes of the three thousand young women in the square were filled with fervent anticipation.

They know.

The person who could be greeted by Du Ruhui, the Minister of Rites, and ascend the high platform.

Needless to say, his identity is obvious.

That is……

The most honored man in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The supreme ruler of the world.

Zhou Chen stood on the high platform, looking down at the three thousand beautiful women in the square.

These women came from all over the Great Zhou Dynasty; some were innocent, some charming, some alluring, and some sexy.

All of a man's fantasies are included.

The white jade square is very large, and the three thousand women only occupy a small part of it.

A gentle breeze blew.

Some of the women had their hair flowing in the wind, creating a unique and charming effect.

Zhou Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calm, as if he didn't care about these three thousand beautiful women at all.

It's not that Zhou Chen doesn't like women; his senses are already at peace.

For Zhou Chen, however, having three thousand beauties in his harem was merely a matter of a thought.

As an emperor, everything in the Great Zhou Dynasty was his personal property.

Women are just a small part of it.

If he wanted, he could have as many as 30,000 or even 300,000 women, let alone 3,000.

After Zhou Chen stopped, Du Ruhui walked up and whispered, "Your Majesty, these three thousand women are selected from various regions. Please make your choice."

Zhou Chen nodded slightly; "I understand." Zhou Chen's words had barely finished when...

The hearts of the three thousand women standing in the square were in their throats.

They knew it in their hearts.

Next, the moment that would decide their fate arrived.

If they are selected, they have the potential to soar to great heights.

otherwise.

They would have no choice but to be sent back to their hometowns, returning to where they came from.

Even so, not a single woman dared to raise her head.

Because when they entered the palace, the palace maids and eunuchs repeatedly warned them that they must not look up at the emperor's face without his permission.

How noble the emperor was!

They weren't even qualified to glance at the emperor.

Even if someone is lucky enough to be selected as a concubine in the palace in the future, they still cannot peek without permission.

This is the rule.

Rules within the imperial palace.

Three thousand women were deeply moved.

The most powerful man in the world was right in front of them; how could they not be excited?

Even if they were eventually sent back to their hometowns, they would still have met the Emperor...

Zhou Chen slowly walked down from the platform.

For a while.

The woman standing in front, closer to Zhou Chen, began to feel her heart race.

As Zhou Chen walked among the flowers, all sorts of beautiful women passed by in front of him.

A faint, pleasant fragrance lingered around Zhou Chen's nose...

Zhou Chen glanced at the women, lost in thought.

Faced with such beauty, it's unlikely any man could resist.

Whenever Zhou Chen passed by a woman, she would raise her head so that the emperor could take a closer look.

Every woman wanted to present her most beautiful self to the emperor.

As Zhou Chen gazed upon the numerous beauties, the Emperor's Conferring of Gods Technique slowly activated, and his mind became clear.

An ordinary emperor might have become addicted to these beauties.

But Zhou Chen wouldn't.

The country and the beauty.

Without a kingdom, where do beauties come from?
Zhou Chen strolled slowly through the flowerbeds, casually observing the women.

The positions these women were positioned were also carefully chosen; those who were able to stand at the front were definitely not ordinary people.

Just as Zhou Chen walked to the back.

A woman in the back row glanced at Zhou Chen furtively.

How could Zhou Chen possibly miss the woman's actions?

Zhou Chen also looked at the woman who dared to secretly observe him, the emperor.

Two pairs of eyes met.

The woman realized her little action had been discovered and hurriedly lowered her head in a panic.

Zhou Chen didn't pay any attention and continued walking towards the back.

After walking to the last row, Zhou Chen paused briefly next to the woman.

Then, Zhou Chen left Baiyu Square directly.

Seeing Emperor Zhou Chen leave, the three thousand women all looked disappointed.

Wasn't His Majesty supposed to be holding a talent show?
Why did Your Majesty leave without choosing anyone?
Not only were the three thousand women puzzled, but even Du Ruhui, the Minister of Rites, was completely baffled.

His Majesty didn't choose a single woman. Could it be that none of the three thousand women were to His Majesty's liking?
Du Ruhui looked at Cao Zhengchun; "Eunuch Cao, His Majesty left without choosing a single woman. Is it because His Majesty doesn't like any of these women?"

Cao Zhengchun smiled slightly, said nothing, and handed a list to Du Ruhui: "Minister Du, these are the women His Majesty has chosen. Just add the woman third from the right in the last row."

After handing the list to Du Ruhui, Cao Zhengchun followed Zhou Chen and left.

Du Ruhui glanced at the list Cao Zhengchun handed over, his eyes flickering.

Immediately, a bitter smile appeared on Du Ruhui's lips.

"Your Majesty is truly wise and insightful; nothing can be hidden from Your Majesty."

Du Ruhui murmured.

……

Luoyang City.

Inside a restaurant.

A woman sat by the window, watching the bustling scene of carriages and people below, and couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect that Luoyang, the capital, would be so lively."

"It seems like we haven't seen such a scene in a long time."

The woman's tone carried a slight hint of emotion.

A man with a few strands of white hair beside him nodded; "Yes! Such a scene is probably unmatched even by our imperial dynasty!"

The man echoed this sentiment.

The man naturally understood the meaning behind the woman's words about the lively scene.

It's not that other dynasties or empires in the Wilderness Realm didn't have such lively scenes, but rather that the so-called lively scenes in other dynasties or empires in the Wilderness Realm were built on the suffering of ordinary people.

Whether it's a dynasty or an empire in the wild world, there are wild beasts running rampant, demons causing chaos, and cults stirring up trouble, and those in power don't care about the lives of ordinary people.

It can be said that in the dynasties or empires of the Wilderness Realm, order is chaotic. The laws of the court are only prepared for ordinary people. For aristocratic families or people of status, the so-called laws are just a joke.

There wasn't a single genuine smile of happiness to be seen on the faces of ordinary people.

But the Great Zhou was different.

They traveled from outside the pass to inside the pass, and upon arriving in Luoyang, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, they were deeply moved by what they saw and heard along the way.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was well-ordered, the people lived in peace and prosperity, and the privileges of powerful families were almost completely eliminated under the laws of the court, with everyone treated equally.

Such a sight is indeed a rare treat.

"Uncle Yang, what do you think of the Great Zhou?"

The woman looked away and asked the man.

That's right.

This woman was none other than the young lady who had quietly left the Mu Clan Merchant Guild in Xidu City.

And the man with a few strands of white hair was none other than Butler Yang.

Upon hearing the woman's question, Butler Yang looked up at her expressionlessly; "Miss, have you taken a liking to the potential of the Great Zhou?"

The woman shook her head upon hearing this; "It's not that I'm interested, but I'm quite optimistic about it. If the Great Zhou can overcome its first crisis, then we can try to make contact."

The woman said calmly.

They traveled all the way from the western capital city outside the pass to Luoyang, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the sights and sounds they saw and heard were indeed quite impressive.

But what Da Zhou has shown so far is not enough to make a woman interested.

To put it bluntly, everything is judged by its merits.

The current situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty is good, but to maintain this stability, we still need to rely on strength.

otherwise.

Such a prosperous and flourishing scene is nothing but fleeting clouds, a mirage.

It can be destroyed and cease to exist in an instant.

Leaving aside other powerful dynasties and empires, the hundreds of cities scattered throughout the Great Wilderness alone are enough to give the Great Zhou a hard time.

If nothing unexpected happens, the various city powers probably already know that the Great Zhou's secret realm has merged into the Great Wilderness.

This is a test for the Great Zhou.

Moreover, it was a very small test.

If the Great Zhou cannot even pass this small test, then it will be even more difficult to face other dynasties.

……

(End of this chapter)