The wish of the Qing Dynasty is fulfilled

Xia Dongchun, dressed in gorgeous clothes, pointed at Zhen Huan's nose and questioned her. Zhen Huan introduced herself calmly. Normally, if others heard that she was a concubine of the same rank as her father, they would have kept quiet. But Xia Dongchun was of course different from others because she had no brains.

"Shaoqing of the Dali Temple? It's not a very high position."

Xia Dongchun looked at Zhen Huan with squinted eyes. The more she looked, the more she felt that the woman in front of her must have a lot of calculations in mind for dressing so freshly and simply. Otherwise, why would she look so special when compared with others?

When the other concubines heard the noise and commotion, they watched quietly from the sidelines and dared not go forward. In the royal palace, near the emperor, no one dared to cause trouble.

Seeing that the two were in a stalemate, Shen Meizhuang, who was far away, was about to be attracted over after hearing the noise, so An Lingrong stepped forward.

"Sister, you'll be going to see me soon. You're so stunningly beautiful, you must get ready quickly."

Xia Dongchun was feeling a bit embarrassed by Zhen Huan's eloquent speech when she suddenly interrupted and, without thinking, poured out her anger, "Who are you? How can you have the right to speak?"

An Lingrong seemed to be frightened and shuddered unconsciously. Her round deer eyes seemed to be filled with tears. Xia Dongchun turned around and saw her, and it was like a bucket of water extinguishing her anger.

"You...whose daughter are you from? Why are you dressed like this?"

Xia Dongchun glanced up and down at An Lingrong, looking closely at the slightly wrinkled cuffs and the rough stitching. What caught her eye the most was the old-fashioned hairpin in An Lingrong's hair. The servants and old women in her family didn't use such an ugly gilded hairpin. It was really an eyesore to have it stuck on the head of such a lovely girl in front of her!

Zhen Huan also looked at the girl in front of her whose hands were shaking slightly. She was obviously very scared, but she still quietly took two steps to shield herself behind her and tried her best to protect herself. Her heart was deeply moved.

"Tell me, which family's daughter are you from?"

Xia Dongchun has never been very tactful. She just wanted to ask where this unfamiliar girl came from, and if possible, she could get to know her after the audition. However, she didn't expect that her tone sounded questioning as soon as she opened her mouth, which seemed to scare the person in front of her again.

"My name is An Lingrong, my father is... An Bihuai, the magistrate of Songyang County..."

An Lingrong's face flushed red. She had been brave enough to help someone out just now, but now she lowered her head as she spoke.

Xia Dongchun wanted to slap himself for what he had done just now. A girl who could dress so simply must be from a good family. He had to force her to speak in public. Didn’t he see that the little girl was about to cry? Damn himself!

"Alright, alright! What are you doing? Don't act like I'm bullying you. Here, I'll give this to you, okay?"

Xia Dongchun raised her hand and fumbled for a moment, then pulled out her favorite gold filigree and emerald hairpin and handed it to An Lingrong. Seeing that she was reluctant to accept it, she put it on An Lingrong's head herself, looking at it carefully and feeling very satisfied.

An Lingrong pretended to be a frightened deer, but in fact she was trying her best to control her facial expression and not to grin. The Xia Dongchun sisters had really strong hands, and it hurt when they inserted a hairpin into her.

"Whether you are selected or not, you must come to the Xia Mansion to find me in two days. My name is Xia Dongchun, so remember it."

Satisfied with having "made an appointment" with the sisters, Xia Dongchun turned around to tidy up her clothes, not caring at all whether An Lingrong agreed or not. What a joke. This was her most polite moment, so don't expect too much from her.

Seeing Xia Dongchun leave, An Lingrong's back, which had been straight just now, relaxed instantly. She quickly raised her hand and patted her chest, then turned to face Zhen Huan, who had been standing behind her without saying a word.

"Sister, are you okay? Don't be afraid. The sister just now has passed away. It's okay now."

Zhen Huan selectively forgot that she wasn't afraid at all. She simply reached out and took An Lingrong's hand, saying, "Thanks to Miss An just now, otherwise, I don't know how much more trouble she would have caused."

Zhen Huan's gratitude was genuine. Even though she was known as the "female Zhuge Liang", her advantage was only her quick thinking. It was difficult for her to withstand a rough man like Xia Dongchun who could defeat a man with his strength.

"No, I was actually a little scared, but I didn't expect...she was quite easy to talk to."

An Lingrong smiled shyly, looking naive and innocent, which directly touched the heart of Zhen Huan, who was secretly attracted to cute sisters.

Zhen Huan was a thoughtful person. When she heard the conversation between An Lingrong and Xia Dongchun, she knew that An Lingrong was not from a high family. She raised her eyes and glanced at the hairpin Xia Dongchun had inserted, then took off the earrings she was wearing today and put them on An Lingrong herself.

"My name is Zhen Huan, and my father is the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. After the palace selection, you must come to the Zhen Mansion to find me. I will be waiting for you."

An Lingrong touched her earrings, smiled, and answered Zhen Huan. She then took out a sachet from her bosom and handed it to Zhen Huan. "I don't have much, but this is the sachet I embroidered when I had some free time. I'm giving it to you today, and I wish you all the best in your future."

Zhen Huan took the exquisite sachet and was about to say something when Shen Meizhuang, who had finally squeezed over, interrupted her, "What exquisite embroidery! It's truly unique."

"Sister Mei?"

Zhen Huan was surprised, and Shen Meizhuang also looked happy.

"I just heard the commotion over there. I hadn't planned on coming over, but I didn't expect to hear the words 'Minister of the Dali Temple' and 'conflict.' When I finally squeezed over, I saw that Xia had finished her impressive show and left, while the two sisters were still hanging on."

Shen Meizhuang's words were tinged with teasing, but her eyes were full of kindness. She had just seen from afar how An Lingrong protected Huan'er, and had originally thought of just saying a few words of thanks, but when she got closer and saw An Lingrong's clear and lovely appearance, she immediately felt a bit of favor in her heart.

"Huan'er calls me sister, but I see you're still quite young, so I'm being generous and calling you sister. Your dress is very elegant, without any distracting patterns, but it seems to be missing something. So, I'll give you this piece of silk. I wish you a bright future."

An Lingrong obediently accepted another gift today. Seeing her unabashed demeanor, Shen Meizhuang nodded secretly. She had been worried that An Lingrong would be influenced by the timidity of those from lesser families, but now she looked just right.

The crowd surged, the air wafted with fragrance, and the concubines became agitated. It turned out that the palace selection was about to begin. An Lingrong said goodbye to Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang, and quietly went to find her own line, waiting for the next audience.

The maids directed the concubines to line up according to the rules. Taking advantage of this time, An Lingrong quickly stuffed a handkerchief into the hand of Xia Dongchun, who had just returned with her clothes tidied. She winked playfully and mouthed "Thank you, sister".

Xia Dongchun snorted, but looked at An Lingrong twice more, his hands tightly stroking the handkerchief he had just received. The corners of his mouth could not help but curl up, and he grinned a cheap smile.