Shaohua is Junqing

On the second day, all seventy selected beauties gathered in front of Jieqi Tower.

The Emperor and the Dowager Queen sat in the main seats in the main hall on the first floor, while Siyu, Liu Mu and Nanny Kong sat beside them in the guest seats.

Eunuch Zhou summoned the beauties to the emperor according to the list, ten at a time. After looking at them all, he eliminated ten more.

"Madam Kong, take these ladies to settle down first. I will decide their positions after discussing with my mother."

"Yes, I'll take my leave."

"Master Liu, you have worked hard. Come here, give me fifty taels of silver and fifty stone of rice as a reward."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Eunuch Zhou, let the Inner Court Bureau reward the rest of the people who participated in this selection according to their ranks."

"Yes, I have remembered it."

"Master Liu, please go down and rest first."

"Yes, Wei Chen is resigning."

"Shaohua, this talent show was very well done. My mother and I are very satisfied. What reward do you want?"

"I am just following orders. I feel very good that I have done a good job and have satisfied the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. I do not ask for any reward."

"You have worked so hard for so long, I would feel bad if I didn't reward you with something."

"Then let the Emperor and the Queen Mother decide."

I am already satisfied if you don't blame me. I just want to finish this matter quickly so I can go back to sleep. I am almost exhausted these days. Siyu thought to herself.

"Ten pieces of brocade, a string of southern pearls, and a round fan with golden thread."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Your Majesty."

"I am a little tired. I will go back to the palace first."

"Farewell, mother. Farewell, Queen Mother."

After the empress dowager left, Siyu winked at the emperor, as if she had something to say, and the emperor dismissed his attendants.

"If you have anything to say."

"Your Majesty, there are a total of sixty girls selected for this pageant. Don't you think that's a bit too many?"

"I also think it's a bit too much, but my mother is very happy, so I can't say anything more."

"The Queen Mother did this because, firstly, she wanted someone to take care of the Emperor, and secondly, she wanted to continue the royal family's lineage. Naturally, the more people the better."

“That’s understandable.”

"But when there are too many people, trouble can easily arise, especially when there are so many women together. It is more likely to cause trouble. It is not uncommon for concubines in the harem to compete for favor in all dynasties."

"I am busy with state affairs every day, and sometimes I really don't have time to take care of the affairs of the harem. It would be best if they could live in peace."

“This is a beautiful wish, but it is difficult to achieve.”

"So I want to let some of them leave the palace and let them marry elsewhere. I really don't need so many people in my harem."

"This is a good idea, but don't be impatient. The selection has just ended and the Queen Mother is still in high spirits. Take your time before doing it, so as not to displease the Queen Mother."

"What you said is, I still need to think carefully about who to let out of the palace."

"Your Majesty, I have looked at all the concubines. Just like the Queen Mother said, have you picked out the ones you like?"

"Just from the looks of it, there are four or five that I like."

"Who are they? Tell me."

"It seems that one of them is the daughter of the president of the Hanlin Academy, and the other is the daughter of the Minister of Guanglu Temple."

"Your Majesty has good taste. They both performed very well in all aspects in this talent show. I am very impressed by them."

"It seems that your appreciation level is very similar to mine."

"Since we are talking about this, let me recommend two more. The daughter of the governor of Lingzhou and the daughter of the governor of Jinzhou. Their performance is also acceptable. Your Majesty can have more contact with them. Perhaps you can really find a flower that can speak well."

"Okay, I'll take note. You must be very tired after being busy for so long. Go back and rest."

"Yes, I will retire."

After leaving the palace, Siyu did not return to the palace immediately, but went to the market. From the beginning to the end of the talent show, it lasted for two months. Since Siyu was appointed as the chief examiner of the talent show, she has been busy with this matter. Now that it is finally over, she wants to relax.

She first went to Chunfeng Baozi Shop to eat a bowl of wontons and a basket of buns, then went to the teahouse to listen to a story, and finally went to the dim sum shop to buy some dried fruits and dim sum before returning to the palace.