Andrew bowed and withdrew. It wasn’t long before he returned to the hall with a young woman.
Fan Yingying was dressed today in an aqua-green ruqun. The hem of her skirt was embroidered with Silver Thread lotuses, and when she walked, it rippled like jade-green waves, a particularly beautiful sight.
She was indeed exquisitely beautiful, with a melon-seed-shaped face and willow-leaf eyebrows. What was most captivating were her eyes. The corners naturally tilted upward, her irises were a light brown, and the touch of panic in them now only added to her pitiful, lovely appearance. Even Xia Wuyang felt a slight stir in his heart.
"This servant, Fan Yingying, pays her respects to Your Highness and to Eunuch Wang." She curtsied gracefully, her voice as soft and sweet as a spring pond in Jiangnan.
Eunuch Wang’s eyes widened. ’The resemblance... it’s truly uncanny.’
Especially those eyes—they were a perfect mirror of Consort Ji’s!
’And that figure, that voice... His Majesty will surely be delighted to see her. Perhaps she is the next opportunity.’
"Excellent, excellent! Miss Fan is truly a heavenly beauty. Your Highness, this old servant will take her away now. Many thanks to Your Highness," Eunuch Wang said with a clap of his hands and a smile.
Xia Wuyang nodded and said to Fan Yingying, "Yingying, once you go to Qianqing Palace, serve Father Emperor well. Do not disappoint the expectations I have for you."
His words were deeply meaningful, but to Eunuch Wang’s ears, they were nothing more than the elder Crown Prince’s final, useless struggle.
Hearing that she was going to Qianqing Palace to serve Emperor Xia, Fan Yingying’s eyes lit up. She quickly knelt and kowtowed, her face filled with unconcealed joy.
Clearly, she preferred Emperor Xia to this dying elder Crown Prince.
"Your Highness can rest assured. With a talent like Miss Fan, His Majesty will certainly treat her well," Eunuch Wang said with a beaming smile. He, too, had noticed the joy on Fan Yingying’s face, and a mocking sneer crept onto his lips.
With that, he waved his hand, and two Little Eunuchs behind him stepped forward. Flanking Fan Yingying, they led her out of the hall without another word.
Fan Yingying glanced back at Xia Wuyang, her eyes holding a trace of smugness. It was obvious she had no desire to serve the elder Crown Prince here.
A dead silence fell over the hall. No one uttered a sound.
The beauties all lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
Anyone could see that the elder Crown Prince had just had someone stolen from him—and his own woman, at that.
But no one dared to say anything. In the depths of this palace, who would dare refuse something His Majesty wanted?
Let alone a serving Palace Maid, even one’s own concubines would have to be handed over obediently, to be ravaged by Emperor Xia at his whim.
Xia Wuyang collapsed onto the soft couch, seeming to age ten years in an instant.
His hand trembled as he raised his wine cup and drained it in one gulp. He then began to cough violently, his face flushing red as he nearly choked, looking as if he might cough himself to death right then and there.
"Your Highness, take care of yourself..." Su Ling’Er hurriedly stepped forward to pat his back.
"I... I am fine. She’s just a Little Palace Maid who recently arrived, what does it matter?" Xia Wuyang waved his hand dismissively, his voice hoarse. "Everyone, continue. Let the music play, let the dancing resume. I want more."
The beauties tittered and gathered around Xia Wuyang.
Xia Wuyang once again immersed himself in the embrace of beautiful women, as if what had just happened had no effect on him at all.
In the eyes of the surrounding Palace Attendants, it shouldn’t have had any effect.
After all, she was just a Little Palace Maid who had arrived a few days ago. He hadn’t even bedded her, just touched her a little. Besides, the girl couldn’t wait to go serve Emperor Xia. Under these circumstances, what grounds for dissatisfaction could Xia Wuyang possibly have?
It was unnecessary and not worth it.
What they couldn’t see was that while Xia Wuyang wore a smile, the depths of his pupils were filled with an icy coldness.
A frigid glint swirled in his eyes. Where was there even a trace of the old, muddle-headed man from before?
He softly muttered Eunuch Wang’s name. ’Wang Youde. Good. Very good. You dare touch my people, so don’t blame me for touching your master’s. This happens to be a good opportunity. If you hadn’t come to remind me, I would have almost forgotten.’
「11:45 PM. All was silent.」
In Chuxiu Palace, in the northwest corner of the Imperial Palace, the lights burned brightly tonight.
This was the temporary residence for the newly selected Beauties. The beautiful women gathered from all over had to learn Palace etiquette here. Only after passing an assessment could they be assigned to the various palaces or serve His Majesty directly. This was to prevent them from doing anything inappropriate.
Because of the matter with Consort Ji, Emperor Xia placed particular importance on "look-alikes," as this was related to his opportunity and advancement.
Wang Youde had specially housed this group of women, who bore a striking resemblance to Consort Ji, separately in Ningxiang Pavilion within Chuxiu Palace. Their treatment was exceptionally meticulous, and he had even invited the best Nanny in the Palace to teach them etiquette, ensuring they would be flawless when they met the Emperor and that no mistakes would be made.
Ningxiang Pavilion was a three-story building, exquisitely crafted with carved beams and painted rafters, far surpassing the surrounding pavilions.
At this moment, the building was thick with the scent of cosmetics. A dozen or so young women were following a Nanny, practicing their curtsies. The sooner they learned, the sooner they could go serve Emperor Xia.
"Your waists must be supple, your eyes alluring, your smiles sweet..." the Nanny demonstrated, her voice pinched. "His Majesty likes gentle, understanding flowers, not blocks of wood. Don’t be so cold and stiff. Again. Don’t make any more mistakes."
The women forced themselves to pay attention, repeating the tedious movements. They had already been practicing for several hours with no end in sight; it was only normal to feel a bit exhausted.
Fan Yingying was among them, and she was practicing with extreme diligence.
She wore a light pink palace dress, her hair styled in a simple double-bun chignon. Though her eyes were downcast, her spirit was soaring.
Even though it had been twelve hours since she was brought here from Wenhua Hall, and she hadn’t had a drop of water or a grain of rice, her heart was still full of joy. Compared to the brilliant and mighty Emperor Xia, what did that dying elder Crown Prince amount to?
’Even if I know I’ll just be His Majesty’s substitute and it’ll be hard to become one of his concubines, it’s still better than staying in Wenhua Hall.’
’But will that notoriously tyrannical and gloomy Emperor really treat me well?’
’Or will it be as the palace rumors say—that he plays with many Palace Maids until he’s bored and then casts them aside like worn-out shoes?’
Just as she was thinking this, a sudden commotion arose from outside the building.
"Eunuch Wang has arrived!" someone shouted loudly.
The women hastily knelt, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
Wang Youde walked in, his face beaming. His gaze swept over the women’s faces before finally landing on Fan Yingying, his smile widening. "Miss Fan, I’ve heard your zither skills are outstanding. I have specially brought you an Ancient Zither Jiaowei so you can practice well and perform before His Majesty as soon as possible for him to see."
A Little Eunuch behind him presented a jet-black ancient zither. Its body was carved with exquisite phoenix patterns, and its strings gleamed with a faint golden light under the lamps. It was actually a Low-Level Mortal Artifact with the effect of Concentrating and Calming the Mind, making it quite valuable.
Fan Yingying quickly kowtowed. "Thank you for His Majesty’s grace, and thank you for the Eunuch’s reward."
Wang Youde said meaningfully, "Practice well. If you can satisfy His Majesty, your good days are still ahead of you. Glory and wealth will be yours for the taking."
With that, he scanned the crowd and announced in a shrill voice, "All of you, listen up! In a few days, His Majesty will personally come to Ningxiang Pavilion to make his selection. Whoever can make His Majesty smile will be able to ascend to the heavens in a single step. But if you displease His Majesty... hmph, life in the Cold Palace is not easy!"
The women shivered, repeatedly murmuring their assent, not daring to look up.
Wang Youde nodded in satisfaction. After giving a few more instructions, he finally led his people away.

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