Since they are all worn by the Qing Dynasty, you might as well be bold and choose Kangxi!

By noon, the preliminary selection of all the beauties had finally ended, and they gathered together in Chuxiu Palace. Nanny Yang and another Nanny Zhang stood in front and gave a speech to everyone.

"The Qing Dynasty holds a beauty pageant every three years. All candidates must be from the Eight Banners of the Manchus, have noble status, and be well-mannered. You are all the candidates who have passed the preliminary selection. In the next month, you will all need to learn the various etiquette and rules of the palace..."

Shi Nanxi stood in the team and listened carefully. However, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Shi Rongyue next to her looked a little strange. She asked in a low voice:

"Sister, what's wrong with you?"

"My feet hurt." Shi Rongyue couldn't help but move her feet.

Looking down the Heath Brook,

I understood it immediately.

Unlike modern high heels, the flower pot-soled shoes of the Qing Dynasty were made of wood. The heels were very high and required effort to balance the body, making it inconvenient to walk. Moreover, due to the material problem, they were very uncomfortable to wear. If you were not used to wearing them all year round, your ankles would hurt after wearing them for a long time.

It was very hard for her to endure, but in the Qing Dynasty, wearing flower-pot shoes was a symbol of noble status. No matter how hard it was, she would endure it until she got used to it.

"Eldest sister, please be patient for a moment. Wait until Nanny finishes talking, then go back and let Zixia massage you."

Shi Rongyue nodded reluctantly. Suocho Luo Jiahui, who was sitting behind him, closed her ears and looked at Shi Rongyue's feet.

Seeing that the other person's feet were trembling slightly, his eyes narrowed and a malicious smile suddenly appeared on his face.

The next moment, she quietly reached out to touch the pearl bracelet on her left hand, and with a slight tug, the string broke immediately. At this moment, Nanny Yang had just finished speaking and was asking everyone if they had heard clearly what she had just said. The sound of the pearls falling to the ground was covered up by everyone's responses.

The broken pearl bracelet fell and scattered, and one of the pearls happened to fall at Shi Rongyue's feet. At this time, Nanny Zhang took over from Nanny Yang and stepped forward to explain the arrangements for tomorrow.

"Tomorrow, old slave..."

"what!"

A scream suddenly interrupted her words, and Shi Rongyue below suddenly screamed and fell to the side.

No one was able to react in time, except Shi Nanxi, who was concerned about Shi Rongyue because of her clogs. She was the first to react when the accident happened, and held the other's arm in time. She managed to stabilize Shi Rongyue's body at the last moment and stopped her from falling.

When Socho Luo Jiahui saw this scene, the corners of her mouth that were slightly raised froze on her face. It was then that Nanny Yang reacted.

"Someone come and help Princess Shi."

Zixia, who was waiting on the side, rushed over when she heard the words, took Shi Nanxi's hand and supported Shi Rongyue.

Shi Nanxi then let go of his hand, held his chest, and took a deep breath. This body was indeed weak. Then he looked at Shi Rongyue who was still a little dazed, and said with concern:

"Eldest sister, are you okay?"

Shi Rongyue finally came back to his senses, shook his head and said, "I'm fine." But his face turned pale as he said this.

Nanny Zhang knew that the other party was the designated Crown Princess, but she was still a little unhappy about being interrupted, so she frowned and asked:

"Why did Princess Shi suddenly fall down?"

Shi Rongyue couldn't explain what happened just now. She frowned and thought: "...I don't know either. It seems like I stepped on something?"

thing?

Shi Nanxi looked at the ground and just happened to see Socho Luo Jiahui's foot flash past from behind, as if she was kicking something away.

She looked over and found that it was a pearl that had sunk behind the flower bed nearby. She immediately knew what was going on.

At this time, I heard Aunt Zhang asking Shi Rongyue:

"Princess Shi was standing there listening to what the old slave was saying. According to etiquette, she shouldn't move. How could she have stepped on something?"

The implication is that the other person was inappropriate.

Shi Rongyue didn't know how to answer this time. Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming more serious, Shi Nanxi timidly grabbed Shi Rongyue's sleeve and whispered:

"Eldest sister, I seemed to see some pearls on the ground just now. Did you almost slip because you stepped on them?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Rongyue subconsciously looked in the direction Shi Nanxi pointed, and sure enough, she saw a white pearl peeking out from behind the flower bed.

At this time, I heard Heather murmur softly:

"Why are there pearls on the ground for no reason?"

Having read countless Qing Dynasty novels, Shi Rongyue suddenly realized that someone must have framed her.

She immediately pointed at the pearls on the ground and looked at Aunt Zhang angrily:

"Madam Zhang, let's not talk about whether I am impolite or not. Why are there pearls on the ground? Someone must have tried to harm me."

Nanny Zhang looked over and saw the white pearl, and her brows furrowed. At this time, Nanny Yang, who had been silent all the time, suddenly went over and picked up the pearl.

The pearls were round and shiny, with full and large grains. They were top-quality pearls that not everyone could have. The ground had just been swept, so it was impossible for such treasures to fall to the ground without anyone picking them up.

She immediately understood what was going on, looked at the group of ladies, and asked in a deep voice:

"Whose is this?"

No one spoke. Li Jiamingxiu remembered that her cousin Socho Luo Jiahui wore a pearl bracelet on her wrist, but when she looked over there, it was empty. She understood what was going on instantly, but she said nothing.

Suochao Luo Jiahui didn't expect that someone would actually see the pearls on the ground. She covered her wrists with her hands in panic. Then she heard Nanny Yang's serious tone:

“There is no mistress or concubine in Chuxiu Palace, so there won’t be such top-quality pearls. Only people of your status can have them. The floor was just cleaned, so the pearl fell on the ground not long ago.

That was a certain princess at the scene. If she comes forward now, she can explain. Otherwise, I will report it to the Empress Dowager for a thorough investigation. I don’t know what the consequences will be.”

After the words fell, the atmosphere became more serious and tense. At this time, Suochu Luojiahui gritted his teeth and suddenly stood up:

"This is mine. My pearl bracelet fell off at some point, and I just discovered it now."

"Oh, it's you. You must have hurt me on purpose."

Shi Rongyue saw that the other party understood instantly and questioned loudly.

"Gege Shi said you must provide evidence. I've already said that I don't know when the string of the pearl bracelet broke..."

Suochao Luojiahui became calmer as she spoke:

"Besides, if you hadn't moved your feet around, how could you have stepped on the pearl and nearly fallen down?"

He said this with a smug look on his face.

"You..." Shi Rongyue was almost angry to death. It was reasonable to harm others.

At this time, Madam Yang said sternly, "Alright, stop making such a fuss!"

Her sharp gaze swept across Shi Rongyue, and finally stopped at Suochuoro Jiahui:

"So it was Princess Socholuo's pearl. You said you didn't know when the string broke, but this kind of pearl is usually paired with a gold string, so it won't break easily without external force..."

Suochao Luo Jiahui's heart skipped a beat, and she clutched her handkerchief tightly to pretend to remain calm.

Madam Yang narrowed her eyes, knowing that the other party had deliberately framed her, but just like she said, there was no evidence, and she dared to provoke like this on the first day, not taking the palace rules seriously...

Her eyes became more severe:

"I will not make a judgment without evidence, but since you almost hurt someone, you must be punished according to palace rules. I will punish you to stand here for an hour before you can eat."

Suochao Luo Jiahui bit her lips tightly. She had gotten up in the middle of the night and eaten a piece of osmanthus cake. She was already hungry now. If she waited an hour to eat, she would definitely feel very hungry. She had never been hungry since she was a child.

Nanny Zhang thought of Suochuo Jiahui's uncle who was the deputy chief steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so she stepped forward and advised:

"Madam Yang, these are all concubines, and the other party was unconscious. Isn't this punishment a bit harsh?"

Hearing this, Shi Rongyue became unhappy.

"When I move my feet while standing, I am questioned, but when the other party hurts others, the punishment is severe. What's the logic behind this? Or is Aunt Zhang trying to protect the other party?"

Shi Nanxi on the side supported Shi Rongyue this time. She could guess that since Aunt Zhang was willing to speak for Suochao Luo Jiahui at this time, the other party must have some background. However, if you are treated unfairly and dare not speak up, it will only make things worse. Others will treat you twice as unfairly next time.

When Aunt Zhang heard what was on her mind, she immediately became angry and embarrassed:

"Princess Shi, please don't lie!"

"Alright!" At this time, Madam Yang said with an unpleasant expression. She looked at Shi Rongyue sternly:

"I am the head nanny during the re-election. I have the final say. If I decide to punish someone, I will punish him. No one can ask for mercy."

The last sentence was addressed to Socho Luo Jiahui and also to Aunt Zhang.

Nanny Zhang was humiliated in public, and her expression suddenly turned bad. However, she was only the deputy housekeeper, so she had nothing to say even if she was angry. However, her impression of Shi Rongyue plummeted.

Seeing this, Socho Luo Jiahui had no choice but to accept the punishment.

Finally, Nanny Zhang told everyone expressionlessly that she would lead everyone to the Imperial Garden tomorrow afternoon, and then they dispersed. People who knew Shi Rongyue came forward and surrounded her, showing concern for her, and pointed fingers at Socho Luo Jiahui.

Socho Luo Jiahui clenched her fists tightly, her heart burning like fire. When the meal arrived, everyone went back to their rooms to eat. She was the only one standing there, smelling the fragrance of food coming from each room, feeling cold and hungry.

In the end, she held her stomach, her stomach cramping with pain from hunger, and stared at the room of the Heather Creek sisters with gloomy eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.