CHAPTER 484: CHAPTER 273 DRAFT_3

Realizing Ning Yuan’s gaze, Shu Wan felt uneasy and adjusted her peach blossom, "It’s from my maid, my father sent her. She insisted on me wearing this, but I followed your advice and made a Magnolia hairpin, I’ll put it on later."

Ning Yuan could do whatever she wanted, Shu Wan didn’t care. She looked towards the palace gate, "There are already nine tokens left."

"Oh?!" Ning Yuan’s eyes widened, "Did you count them right? Does that mean there’s only one spot left for our batch?"

The selection was meant to expand the harem, but it couldn’t be expanded indefinitely. Based on past experience, there were generally ten spots each year.

Now that nine daughters of fourth-rank and higher officers had been selected, Ning Yuan looked at Shu Wan’s exquisite profile with a somewhat panicked expression.

"Enter the palace gate, start the selection."

Following the eunuch’s announcement outside, everyone stood up.

The eunuch brought wooden tokens for everyone to draw, and the order of selection was determined by the numbers on the tokens.

Ning Yuan got her token, glanced at it, and her expression darkened.

With only thirty contestants in total, she was number 27.

Ning Yuan glanced at Shu Wan, "What’s your number?"

"Three."

Ning Yuan’s eyebrows furrowed, Shu Wan was almost certainly going to be selected. Shu Wan being third meant there was hardly any hope for those after her.

At that moment, as the eunuch began collecting the tokens, Ning Yuan bit her lip and snatched the token directly from Shu Wan’s hand, "Can we switch, please? You’re so beautiful, the order really doesn’t matter for you."

Shu Wan took one look at Ning Yuan, then surprisingly nodded, "Okay."

Ning Yuan was delighted, "I knew you were the best!"

Shu Wan didn’t say anything, taking Ning Yuan’s token, "You go ahead."

"Mm!"

According to the selection procedure, everyone handed in their tokens and followed the eunuch to the selection area.

Shu Wan stood at the back of the line, unable to see what was happening up front, quietly waiting under a tree.

The selection had just started when there was a commotion at the front of the line, "Did Ning Yuan get selected? Does that mean we have no chance?"

"Lucky her, Your Majesty didn’t seem interested at first. She was about to leave when His Majesty suddenly changed his mind."

As people talked, Ning Yuan came out with a smile, although taking a different path; she had been left a token and could now be addressed as a master.

Everyone’s envious gaze was cast upon Ning Yuan, and Shu Wan looked over as well.

At that moment, Ning Yuan’s head was devoid of the peach blossom, only a white Magnolia hairpin remained.

Including Ning Yuan, the ten spots for the year were filled.

Inside the palace, Qi Yuan stood up, no longer interested in continuing, "Give the rest incense bags and send them out of the palace."

Saying this, Qi Yuan prepared to leave.

At that moment, the Empress Dowager sitting beside gave the nearby eunuch a look. The eunuch nodded slightly, his hand trembled, and the portraits of the contestants fell to the ground, scattering everywhere.

"This servant deserves death, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

The little eunuch kowtowed while gathering the portraits.

A deep voice then sounded overhead, "Wait."

Then, a hand smooth as jade picked up a portrait from the ground. Qi Yuan examined it for a moment, then sat back down, "Continue the selection."

"Yes."

The eunuch, receiving the order, immediately announced that the temporarily halted procedure was to restart.

One by one, the contestants came in, and all, without exception, received incense bags.

Until the eunuch called out, "Daughter of the County Magistrate of Shangnan County, Shu Wan, approach."

Hearing this name, everyone’s expression became a bit strange; after all, the name was the same as Empress Huiyi’s.

As Shu Wan, dressed in a light aquamarine long dress, walked in slowly, everyone was more surprised.