Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 326 - 324

Chapter 326: Chapter 324

With such rumours buzzing around, those who were keen on marrying their daughters into the royal family began to take action.

Conversely, officials who had no desire for their daughters to marry into the royal family discreetly began to arrange marriages.

Due to this, businesses in cloth shops, boutiques, and jewelry stores in the Imperial City saw a significant increase in sales.

Xiao’er wondered how the Empress Dowager would choose consorts for the princes, whether through a beauty contest, having them choose from portraits, or perhaps throwing a banquet under some pretense to give them a chance to meet potential brides.

Before long, she found out the answer. The Cining Palace issued an invitation to unmarried women to participate in an etiquette competition.

Seeing her own name and Yun’er’s on the invitation, Xiao’er raised an eyebrow: An etiquette competition? Is this to select the lady with the best manners? The Empress Dowager is quite creative!

Aunt Rong, seeing the invitation, felt pleased inside. She was confident that her young lady could certainly win first place in this etiquette competition

While the second young lady may not be as good as the eldest, under her guidance and the influence of the eldest, she stood out among many other young ladies of nobility.

"Can I not participate?" Yun’er looked at her name on the invitation, her eyebrows furrowing. She wasn’t interested in such high-profile affairs.

Xiao’er felt that Yun’er was too reserved. If she were to marry Brother Ri in the future, she would inevitably have to appear in such situations.

"The Empress Dowager’s invitation cannot be declined without a legitimate reason. The world is full of things we don’t like, but there are quite a lot of things that we have to do despite not wanting to. We must adapt to it." Xiao’er handed the invitation to Yang Mei for safekeeping.

"Yun’er, there’s a lot you can learn from this etiquette competition. Think of it as an etiquette lesson," Mrs. Liu comforted Yun’er when she saw her discontent.

Yun’er nodded in resignation.

...

Just as the first rays of sunlight touched the snow, all the ladies invited to watch the etiquette competition were taken to Shangqin Palace.

The Shangqin Palace is where concubines were chosen and received lessons on palace etiquette.

"Didn’t the Princess of Rui’an county already receive a marriage proposal from the Sixth Prince? Why is she participating in this competition?" Someone asked upon seeing Xiao’er there as well.

Although it was called an etiquette competition, everyone knew that it was actually a ceremony for selecting brides for the princes.

The participation of the future Sixth Imperial Consort, who had been formally chosen at an early stage, seemed redundant.

"You’re unaware, I heard the Princess say that the Empress Dowager isn’t pleased with her becoming the Sixth Prince’s wife! So she sent her an invitation as well. If she doesn’t win any rank in this competition, I’m afraid someone will be annulled from their engagement!" Chu Die glanced at someone and murmured loud enough for the whole room to hear.

Xiao’er pretended not to have heard, signaling Yun’er with her eyes not to act rashly.

This was the Imperial Palace, and they were here for an etiquette competition, or from the moment they stepped into the palace grounds, they were already under scrutiny!

They didn’t have to care about rankings, but they couldn’t afford to be impolite!

Currently, she still held the title of the future Sixth Imperial Consort, she should be their prime example.

"Divorce? Are you serious? It was decreed by the Emperor himself." Liang Yanli widened her eyes.

"So what? If the Emperor can issue an edict for a marriage proposal, he can certainly issue one for an annulment!" Chu Die retorted disdainfully.

A chicken will always be a chicken! How could it possibly become a phoenix!

Perhaps this whole competition is just a scheme to get rid of her!

"To be ditched by a prince, gosh! If that’s the case, who would dare to marry her!"

The other girls looked at Xiao’er with sympathy upon hearing this.

Xiao’er remained composed, seeming neither servile nor overbearing, neither sorrowful nor excited.

Although Yun’er felt indignant on behalf of her sister, she knew that this was not the time to argue.

At this moment, two nannies came to remind everyone to form a line and led them to a large hall.

Thirty-six girls divided into three rows stood neatly in the center of the hall.

At the top center, the Emperor, Empress Dowager, Empress, Chang Guiren, and several princes were seated, and on either side were noble ladies.

The Empress Dowager looked at the thirty-six young women below and said, "It’s been a while since I came back to the capital, some of you I watched grow up. But after several years, some faces seem unfamiliar to me! As it’s a competition, the first round will consist of self-introductions to allow me to get to know you all. Let’s start from the first row, the girl on the far left!"

In order to maintain an aesthetically pleasing formation, they lined up based on their height, not their family background.

The first one on the left of the first row was Ma Yuqing, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, who was petite and exquisite.

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager’s words, she lightly moved her jade-like legs, walking with grace, the pearls dangling from her ears barely moved as she walked, and her skirt swayed lightly, not even revealing the tips of her shoes.

She came in front of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, with her hands in front of her, slightly bending her knees to bow, "Ma Yuqing, daughter of the Minister of Rites, greets the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress. May the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress be blessed with good fortune!"

The Empress nodded approvingly upon seeing her.

The wife of the Minister of Rites wore a satisfied smile.

The Empress Dowager closely observed her attire and makeup and silently praised her. However, she thought that the girl was a bit short, half a head shorter than the girl next to her.

The Empress Dowager glanced at the wife of the Minister of Rites. She was old now, and had lost the petite sweetness of her youth, and somewhat resembled a short winter melon.

No! If she were to be matched with her grandson, and if the future great-grandson inherited her height, that would be a problem!

With this thought in mind, the Empress Dowager mentally crossed her off the list.

The next one was Chu Die. Compared to Ma Yuqing’s standard textbook-like walking posture and courtesy, the Empress Dowager crossed Chu Die off the list after she took a few steps.

What kind of girl is Mrs. Chu raising? This girl’s steps made all the adornments on her body shake so much that it almost hurt her old eyes!

Chu Die chose a long dress that dragged on the floor for the day, accompanied by a pair of new flower pot-bottomed shoes. The way she walked was supposed to be alluring, but she was not mature enough and felt shy under everyone’s unabashed gaze. She made a minor misstep, causing the beads on her to make a small clink, which made her even more nervous. The nervousness led to more mistakes, and she walked as if she were stumbling!

Mrs. Chu felt the urge to cover her eyes. Was this a toddler learning to walk for the first time? Unbearable to watch!

The third one was Liang Yanli, eldest daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue. She had grace, a sweet face with baby fat that made her look blessed, as well as a thin waist and round hips. She looked like a suitable childbearing candidate. The Empress Dowager nodded in approval when she saw her.

"Eldest daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, Liang Yanli..." her voice was low and a little husky, like a teenage boy going through puberty.

Upon hearing her voice, the Empress Dowager fell silent. A good young woman, ruined by her voice!

...