Ordinary clear day

Chapter 186 Primary Election

Shu Ning was wearing a light blue flag dress, with simple big braids, a yellow weed flower on her temples, jade pendants on her ears, and her feet on the bottom of a two-inch-high flowerpot, sitting in the flower hall of the Earl's Mansion. While waiting, she had a strip of white silk hanging in front of her lapel, on which was written "Shuning, the daughter of Zhang Bao under the leadership of Jie Linzuo of the Red Banner".

Sitting opposite her was Wanning, dressed in a blue flag dress embroidered with orchids, and her hair was also braided, but she was wearing delicate gauze flowers inlaid with pearls, and the white silk strip on her chest was just her father's name no the same.

There is also a beautiful girl in the hall, she is quite delicate, she is the daughter of a distant family uncle, her name is Da Niu, because Jinbao is the head of the clan, so she was sent here by her parents.She is 16 years old this year, and it is the second round of the draft. Because she registered her name last time, she is waiting for the result this time.Her clothes were all ordinary, except for the silver bracelets on her wrists and the silver rings on her ears, she didn't have any jewelry.From time to time, he raised his eyes to look at Wanning, his eyes were amazed, but a little embarrassed.

Nala's and Tong's each asked their daughters to pay attention to when they should be elected.Tong kept looking at the bottom of the flowerpot on Shuning's feet, and looked at the sky outside, worriedly said: "The shoes with wooden soles are not waterproof, do you want to change to a pair of porcelain soles?"

Shu Ning smiled and said: "I'm used to wearing wooden bottoms on weekdays. If I change it, I will feel very uncomfortable. Besides, porcelain bottoms are easy to slip. Although this wood is afraid of water, I only wear it for one day, and it's not like soaking in water." In the water, what are you afraid of?"

Tong Shi thinks about it too, so that's all.

After Nala's nagging her daughter, she calmed down the big girl a little, then looked out a little irritatedly, and said, "What's the matter with the second brother and the second sibling? It's time to apply, why don't you come!"

Jin Bao raised his eyes to look at his wife, and said indifferently: "Why are you nervous? This place is not far from Di'anmen, as long as you go there half an hour in advance."

Nala closed her mouth a little discouraged, twisted her handkerchief, and repeated what she had just said to her daughter, Wanning was so annoyed that she was about to roll her eyes.

Finally, Mrs. Li and Zhenzhen walked in and reported, "Second Uncle and the others are here." Then they saw Xingbao and his wife leading Yuanning into the flower hall.Today, Yuanning is also wearing a light blue flag dress, her cuffs and hem are pinched, and she only wears a velvet flower on her head. She looks very dignified and generous.

Xingbao exchanged a few words, then handed over his daughter to Jinbao and his wife, then stared at his elder brother and said, "Young brother entrusts my daughter to elder brother." It is the responsibility of the boss." Then he turned his head and ordered the housekeeper to go to harness the car.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Mrs. Tong took her daughter to give some instructions.After listening to it, Shu Ning smiled, and said with a smile: "Emiang has repeated what she said four times, I remember it. This is just the primary election, and I will be back tomorrow. Emiang doesn't have to worry too much." Embarrassedly wiping his forehead with a handkerchief, he said, "I'm just afraid you'd forget..." Then he straightened his face and whispered to her, "You may feel a little uncomfortable in the first round of the draft, remember to be patient." Excuse me, if you feel wronged, come back and tell Er Niang that it's okay, don't make trouble with others on the spot." Shu Ning was a little surprised, and nodded in agreement.

The sky was gloomy, it had only rained in the morning, and the water in the courtyard hadn't been drained yet.The whole family of Earl's Mansion, except Qing Ning, Shun Ning and Duan Ning who are still on errands in the yamen, are all here.There were four green oilcloth carts lined up in the courtyard, all pulled by mules, much smaller and simpler than the carriages that Shuning and the others usually rode in, and there were signs hanging on the carts, with the characters written on them matching the The white silk cloth strips on their bodies are similar.There are several horses and a carriage next to it, which are used by Jinbao and Nalashi and the escorting family members.They are going to escort the four girls to the election.

Jin Bao asked the eldest girl to get in the car first, then recruited the three Shuning sisters to the side, and said solemnly: "Today's primary election, the three of you are the hope of my family. From now on, you must forget everything! You sisters should support each other and help each other. If someone disregards the sisterhood because of personal grievances and prevents the future of the family, I will deal with it according to the family law!" After finishing speaking, he also focused on Wanning and Yuanning has two eyes.

His words were a bit gloomy, which was very different from his usual amiable image, and the three sisters couldn't help shivering.Yuanning quickly agreed, and Shuning also followed suit, Wanning bit her lip, and then said softly "Got it".

Jin Bao slowed down his gaze, and said softly to Shu Ning: "Third girl, you have always been a sensible person, and you have never caused people to worry. The three of you are participating in the primary election today. If there is any misunderstanding between the sisters, you must help Mediation, you know?"

Shu Ning agreed, but sighed in her heart, it seemed that she was a peacemaker.

Seeing that it was getting late, Jin Bao hastily explained a few more words, and then asked everyone to get on the car.When Shuning was about to pass by, Zhenzhen came over and whispered a few words to her. She smiled slightly, nodded her thanks, and stepped forward to board the car.

The green tarpaulin cart was small and low, quite different from the usual carriage.It was inconvenient for her to wear the bottom of the flowerpot, so she had to sit in it with her legs bent.There are two cloth cushions stuffed with cotton, an umbrella near the door, and a wooden box in the corner, which should be what Zhenzhen said.

After the car started, she opened the wooden box to see that there was a pot of white water and a large bag of snacks inside, which were prepared for her to eat when she was hungry.There was also a small bundle, a homely waistcoat and a light cloak, for when the weather turned cold.Take a closer look, there are even Rendan and medicinal oil at the bottom of the box.Mom and Zhenzhen are really well prepared.

The Earl's Mansion is not far from Di'anmen, and it usually only takes two quarters of an hour to get there.But the weather was rainy and the road was slippery and muddy, so they could only walk slowly.On the way, the mule cart that was also sending the beautiful girl got stuck in the mud, and several people couldn't pull it out no matter how hard they pulled.Jin Bao didn't want to be nosy at first, but because he recognized one of them, he sent two people to help. He also asked someone to borrow a thick wooden stick from a nearby house, and finally pulled the car out of the pit.The other party thanked him repeatedly, and Jin Bao just set off with a few cars on the road again.

When they arrived outside the Di'an Gate, the leader they belonged to was already jumping in a hurry, his eyes widened, and he said with a white beard, "Why is it so late, my lord? Everyone else has arrived. The train will start in another half an hour. If you are late What should I do?!" Jin Bao kept pleading guilty, but Jielin Zuoling didn't say much, he cupped his hands, and then called a few servants from the household department to come and pull the cart, and he pulled Jinbao to the front of the household department. A few tables ahead, hand in the roster.

He moved so fast that Nala, who followed him, didn't even have a chance to give his daughter a few last words, so he just watched helplessly as the mule cart of his daughter and nieces was pulled into Di'anmen.After Jin Bao finished the formalities and came back, he called his wife, and Nala looked at her worriedly for a few more times, and then told the coachman to set off to go home with her husband.

After Shuning entered Di'anmen by car, she waited for a while, and it was getting dark. Someone came to light the lanterns hanging in front of their car, and with a shout, the car started to move.She raised a corner of the curtain and looked out, only to see the cars gradually forming a row.The big girl's car was originally behind the sisters, but was pulled to the front. After a while, someone came to pull Shuning's own car.They have three cousins, and it happens that Wanning goes first, she is in the middle, and Yuanning is last.

After all the mule carts entered Di'anmen, they continued along the palace wall. After turning three turns, they finally arrived at Shenwumen.The servants from the household department ran all the way and told the show girls to get off.Shuning checked the two sleeves, and after making sure that the snacks inside were packed securely, she got out of the car and tidied up her attire.

Here is the same palace gate with red walls and yellow tiles, but against the backdrop of the lights, it seems not as grand as the Tiananmen Square seen before crossing.This should be the back door of the palace.There were already many eunuchs waiting in front of the palace gate. After handing over to the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs, an older eunuch with better clothes waved his hand, and more than a dozen eunuchs came to the show girls.

The eunuchs first asked them to line up according to the flags, and then asked: "Are there any relatives of the ladies in the palace?" Manzhou, where Shuning lived, was in Zhenghongqi. Stand up.Shu Ning thought about it carefully, she and Tong Niangniang were obviously only family relatives and cousins, they should not be within that range, so she didn't make a sound.

Then the eunuch in charge of Zhenghongqi in Manchuria asked again: "Which one is named?" The eldest girl and the other two girls went out and left first.

The remaining people lined up according to age, and one by one slowly walked into the middle doorway of Shenwumen.Shu Ning wanted to see the scenery in the palace, to see if it was the same as the modern one, but the surrounding lights were brightly lit, and there were eunuchs by her side, so she had no choice but to suppress her curiosity so as not to attract attention.But the other show girls were obviously curious too, so the eunuchs ran back and forth from time to time, telling the show girls not to look around.Taking advantage of their inattention, Shu Ning took a quick look around, but it was a pity that they were all palaces with walls and palaces, and there was nothing special about them, so she felt a little disappointing.

When they reached the open space in front of Shunzhen Gate, the show girls stopped.Four long tables were set up in front, and several eunuchs were sitting behind. There were papers, pens, and stacks of booklets on the tables.The little eunuch flipped through the booklet and called out their names, and the beautiful ladies came forward to read it one by one.

Shuning was not surprised that she passed the primary election.Probably because the scope of the draft has been greatly reduced, the number of women in this year's show is much smaller than in previous years.It is said that there were 600 showgirls participating in the primary election last year, but this year there are only [-] or so.There are fewer people, but the demand is not small, so people who are a little bit more straight-faced are selected, even some ordinary people who cannot be more ordinary are no exception.

After Shu Ning passed, when she was standing on the sidelines and waiting with others, she heard other beautiful women whispering beside her, that such and such woman was ugly and low-born, but she was selected, are those father-in-laws blind? ; A certain woman is the daughter of a maid, and she was actually selected; a certain woman is famous for being eccentric, so she must be selected because her father has a high official position; and so on.

Shu Ning laughed in her heart while listening to other people's sour words. Although these show girls were elegant and dignified just now, the gossip nature of the little girls still couldn't be concealed.Wan Ning listened attentively at the side, obviously interested in these gossips, but she felt that too much gossip would lower her style, so she refrained from going forward.Yuanning looked down at the ground, as if there was gold on the ground.

Those show girls who passed by were led one by one to a few smaller rooms next to them, and they said that if they wanted to test their body odor.When it was Shuning's turn, she was a little nervous.There were four old nanny inside, all of them were of the same level as Nanny Rong, and they seemed not to be trifled with, so she couldn't help but take a few deep breaths.Recalling Tong's instructions before leaving, she restrained her uneasiness and walked forward.

It turned out that everything else was fine, she felt very embarrassed when she was about to undress, especially when she was lying on the bed to test her virginity, she felt the greatest humiliation ever.She blushed and tried to hold back her anger, comforting herself that it was just a health check. As soon as the nuns finished their work, she immediately got up and got dressed, but her hands were trembling, and she cursed in her heart that the rulers of the Qing Dynasty established such a The draft system is really perverted!
The nuns have long been used to this kind of reaction from the show girls, so they didn't say anything, but one of them exchanged glances with others, and said slowly: "The girl has no sore smell, no scars, and her body is normal. It's just...the appearance is a bit ordinary, I'm afraid it's not easy to choose..."

She can't wait to be chosen! ! !Shuning fastened the buttons, tidied her hair, and squeezed her sleeves secretly. Fortunately, the snacks were all fine, and she turned around and asked if it was over. The nuns looked at each other in disappointment and nodded.

When Shu Ning came out, she happened to meet Wan Ning coming out from the opposite room, her face was also blue.The two looked at each other, Shu Ning stretched out her hand, Wan Ning also stretched out her hand, and went back to the team.

On the contrary, Yuanning remained calm afterwards, as if nothing happened.It's just that Shu Ning noticed that the pair of jade bracelets and two rings on her wrist were missing, and she was a little surprised.Recalling the situation in the house just now, she was suddenly taken aback. Could it be that those nuns were asking her for bribes just now?

It's a pity that they found the wrong person. She didn't go there with the idea of ​​being selected.It's a pity, it would be nice if they eliminated her because of this, probably because there are few women in this year's show, so they don't dare to be too rampant, right?
There was a bang in the sky, a few drops of rain fell, and it was going to rain again.The eunuchs hurriedly took the show girls who had passed to several big rooms to wait for another selection.Shu Ning was a little puzzled, isn't the primary election over?What else is there to do?

She looked up at Wanning and Yuanning, and asked them this question softly, Wanning was a little stunned: "I don't know, is it just waiting for the rain to stop?"

Yuan Ning said, "Sisters, don't you know? This year's audition is simple, and the first two rounds of auditions have been combined into one. Is there a talent test later?"

Huh?Shu Ning was a little guilty, she hadn't touched the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting for a few months. After Cui Mama left, she practiced a few times again, but she was not proficient.But she soon thought, isn't this just right?So I feel happy again.

The room they were in was very big, and there were 60 to 130 people standing there and they still didn't feel crowded.After the previous audition, the number of show girls has been reduced to [-] and seven.Next, they were taken to the main hall for questioning one by one, so the progress was a bit slow.Shuning, Wanning and the others stood together, feeling a little bored.Wanning even dozed off.

Shuning asked in a low voice: "Second sister didn't sleep well yesterday? Didn't she sleep before lunch?" Wanning muttered a few words: "I'm so excited, I can't sleep..." Shuning pursed her lips and decided to be kind , helped to cover, and pulled her and Yuanning, and the three of them moved to the corner against the wall, and then blocked it with their bodies to prevent others from seeing Wanning's sleeping appearance.

But after a while, she suddenly felt hungry. Looking around, she turned around and took out a piece of snack from her sleeve. When she was about to eat, she heard a cooing sound from the side. When she looked up, Yuanning was staring at the snack. The dim sum in her hand looked hungry.

(Sorry, it's late again today... ^_^b)

(End of this chapter)