Want to win the palace fight? Better to be crazy than to be idiotic!

As soon as the door of the hall was closed, the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

Su Feiran looked at the tightly closed palace door, not knowing whether the eunuch was guarding outside the palace or had left to do other duties. Although she was not familiar with the eunuch and was confused when she first came here, and didn't even ask his name, she was at least the first person she met in this strange place. Su Feiran was a little flustered when she couldn't see him at this time.

"The number one beauty is Xie Zhiqi, the daughter of Grand Tutor Xie Huaiqing." The maidservant beside Concubine Xian announced loudly while holding the name list.

The more Su Feiran listened, the more uncomfortable she felt. "Beauty Number One" sounded like a contestant on a variety show.

"My daughter is here."

A petite girl with a lovely face stepped out from the right, stood in the center of the hall, bowed gracefully, and accepted Concubine Xian's scrutiny.

Xie Zhiqi was wearing a moon-white silk dress with twined branches, a pair of spirals on her head, aqua blue silk Monstera flowers in her hair, silver and jade Lamborghini bull earrings on her ears, and a silver silk purse embroidered with two tigers playing with pearls hung around her waist. The color combination was fresh and elegant, but the delicate patterns and interspersed silver threads did not make her look shabby.

As expected of the daughter of the Grand Tutor, her etiquette and clothing are impeccable.

but......

"That one on the ear is the Lamborghini logo, right? And the Monstera on the head..."

While Concubine Xian was looking at Xie Zhiqi, Su Feiran pinched her forehead hard.

"Xie Zhiqi, what talents have you prepared?" Empress Xian asked after finally looking enough.

Xie Zhiqi replied in a sweet voice: "In reply to Empress Xian, I have prepared a unique skill - biting the fire stick."

After saying that, Xie Zhiqi took out a small bamboo tube from her not-so-wide sleeves, opened the lid and blew gently. The tinder in the tube suddenly started to burn, and the flame jumped on the top of the tube like a living thing.

Fire can hurt people. Seeing this, Empress Xian frowned and ordered the maidservants to prepare some water. But Xie Zhiqi seemed to be not afraid of the burning flames. She held the burning fire starter in her mouth and walked around the hall a few times.

Not only Su Feiran, everyone was stunned.

This is truly a brilliant idea!

Xie Zhiqi was very satisfied with the reactions of the people around her, so she put away the fire stick. Empress Xian looked at her and nodded in appreciation: "It's really unique. Leave your name."

"Thank you, Empress Xian!"

After receiving the recognition from Empress Xian, Xie Zhiqi was immediately delighted and proudly returned to the team.

Because the talent show of Xie Zhiqi was too amazing, the other girls suddenly felt a heavy pressure coming upon them.

"The second selected lady is Zeng Wenxin, the daughter of Grand Secretary Zeng Yishu."

A young girl wearing a Xiangfei pink peony vest and a long skirt with cloud pattern and gold thread embroidery stepped out from the left and said softly, "I am here. The talent I have prepared today is a performance without physical objects."

Su Feiran suddenly felt very unhappy.

What on earth is this place? A harem of outstanding people? !

Zeng Wenxin's talent show ended, and she was also selected by Empress Xian. Su Feiran stood in the queue, watching the girls in front of her show off their skills: some stood upside down with a bowl on their head, some recited pi backwards, and some did quantum speed reading... Finally, it was Su Feiran's turn, who had just arrived late.

When Su Feiran heard the palace maid calling his name, he was completely stunned.

She doesn’t know any special skills! ! ! ! !

"Forehead......"

Su Feiran stood woodenly in the hall, thinking over and over, but couldn't think of a job that could rival the hard work of her sisters.

"Su Feiran, you're here to participate in the beauty pageant, don't you have any talent to prepare?"

Seeing Su Feiran standing there in a daze, Empress Xian raised her eyebrows slightly, leaned back, looked down at her and asked as if she was interrogating a prisoner.

The arrow is on the string, it has to fly!

Su Feiran gritted his teeth and replied, "I can speak foreign languages."

"foreign language?"

"Foreign language."

"What language?"

"The language of the countries west of Western Turkestan," Su Feiran was a little unsure of how to express English at this time, "English, English."

"Eng...Tribulus?"

Empress Xian looked bewildered; Su Feiran's words touched upon her blind spot in knowledge.

Empress Xian's bewildered expression also made Su Feiran feel uncertain. Could it be that Britain does not exist in the world today? Or is Britain still Albion? Or is the Roman legion not yet in Gaul?

Damn it, there are already enough outrageous things about it, but it can’t be so realistic in terms of geopolitics!

Empress Xian was still thinking. The maid beside her seemed to be thinking about something. After a moment, she whispered to her, "A few days ago, His Majesty received a foreign guest who seemed to be from a country 'west of the Western Regions'. However, few scholars in the court could communicate with him. Now the foreign guest is staying in Linghua Garden temporarily. How about letting her go and try?"

"Do you still remember what that foreign guest said?" Empress Xian asked in a low voice.

The maid thought for a moment and asked Su Feiran, "How do you say 'one' in English?"

"One." Su Feiran replied.

"What about 'two'?"

"Two."

"What about 'three'?"

“Three is three, four is four, five is five, and six is ​​six.”

The maid rolled her eyes and reported to Concubine Xian: "It seems the pronunciation is similar."

"We can't rush this matter. Ask her again. If she really knows this language, it will be of great benefit to our dynasty." Empress Xian ordered solemnly, "Numbers are easy to learn. Ask her something difficult, such as asking her to make a sentence."

"Yes."

After the maid responded, she raised her voice and asked, "Can you make sentences in English?"

Su Feiran nodded, thinking that she could not only make sentences in English, but also recite poems and even write them on paper.

But since Empress Xian didn't ask, there was no need for her to overreact.

"I would like to give a poem to Her Majesty the Concubine Xian."

Su Feiran bowed, and after getting Empress Xian's permission, he recited from memory.

“Twinkle twinkle little star,

how I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle twinkle little star,

how I wonder what you are.”

Su Feiran stopped talking at the right time. If she continued reading, she would be singing out of tune.

"The music is very beautiful, but what does it mean?" Empress Xian asked, unable to hide the curiosity in her eyes any longer.

"When I see Empress Xian, it's like people on earth looking up at the stars in the sky. Although we can't reach them, our hearts yearn for them." Su Feiran replied respectfully.

Empress Xian curled her lips and said with a smile: "You are good at praising people. Leave your name."

"Your servant thanks Her Majesty Empress Xian."

Su Feiran bowed, as docile as a premature kitten.

Today's ceremony alone was more than Su Feiran's entire day's exercise, not to mention the long distance she had walked with the eunuch. Su Feiran felt her legs were so sore that they were about to break. If this outrageous talent show didn't end, she would probably have to crawl tomorrow.

Fortunately, Empress Xian ended the selection in time, ordered the palace maids to settle the selected beauties, and properly dismissed the other girls from good families.

As an outstanding young lady among the concubines, Su Feiran was directly placed in the east attic of the Zichen Palace where Concubine Xian lived. The concubine living with her in the Zichen Palace was none other than Xie Zhiqi, who had bitten the lighter...the fire stick.

Finally a safe place to sleep.

As soon as Su Feiran entered the attic, he fell headfirst onto the small bed in the bedroom.

It is said that Empress Xian was only responsible for the first round of the selection, and the selected girls were not considered as proper concubines in the imperial harem. In the Ming Dynasty, all the selected girls had to go to the emperor and the empress dowager for personal selection, and only those who were favored by them could get a proper status in the palace.