The 18th Draft Pick

  On June 20th of the 43rd year of Kangxi's reign, the weather was clear and sunny, a perfect day!

  Today, Lin Qingyu got up especially early. She hoped to have more time to communicate with her loved ones. After all, after the selection, she would be married and the days she could stay in the Lin Mansion were getting fewer and fewer, so she cherished them even more!

  Her heart was filled with anxiety, after all today is the day of the selection show, and who she would be assigned to in the future was unknown! The uncertainty of her future life made her feel terrible and insecure.

  If possible, she really wanted to hide in space to escape the election, but she knew it was completely unrealistic! She couldn't bear to part with her loved ones and was also afraid of loneliness! At this moment, she suddenly had a strong desire to have power, so that she could be in control herself!

  Chen Lanqi came in just as Qing'er was feeling down and her heart was filled with melancholy and reluctance.

  Actually, she didn't want Qianer to be selected into the palace or marry into the royal family to bring honor to her family. She only hoped that Qiang could marry a man from a good family and become a lady of the house! Qiang smiled and said: "Mother's Qianer has already grown up into a big girl, time really flies!"

  "Daughter greets her mother with good wishes! Mother is auspicious!" Lin Qingyu stood up and bowed.

  Chen Lanqi helped Qinger up and said, "Get up quickly! Today is the day of your selection, Mother has prepared some pastries for you. When you're hungry, secretly eat a little to fill your belly! Here's some silver money as a reward for the palace eunuchs and maids, Qinger must remember not to be stingy! As the saying goes, money can make ghosts grind mills! You'll take care of everything, at least it will be more comfortable. Ama and Mother can also rest assured at home. Be extremely careful with food and drink in the palace, it's best to fetch water yourself, don't try to save trouble. Also, don't casually get close to people, beware of them. In short, be cautious in all things!

  Lin Qingyu didn't think Chen Lanzhi was nagging at all, and listened very seriously. Every time Chen Lanzhi reminded her of something, Lin Qingyu would nod, with tears welling up in her eyes, and the deep concern in her words moved her.

  "Alright, Mother, I'll be frugal!" Lin Qingyu replied seriously!

  "Alright, that's all Mother has to say!" Chen Lan Zhi helped Lin Qing Yu adjust her collar and patted her shoulder. "Let's go! Your mother, brother, sister-in-law, younger brother, and Dai Er are all waiting for you in the hall."

  "Yes!"

  Lin Qingyu followed Chen Lanzhi towards the direction of the main hall.

  She wore a pink cheongsam today, with two-inch high heels, simple hair tied up in two buns, and a same-colored pom-pom flower tucked behind her ear. Without any makeup, the round ears were adorned with a pair of simple pearl earrings, making her look even more delicate and fair-skinned.

  Lin Ruhai looked at his daughter in front of him, feeling sad and reluctant. Alas! His daughter had grown up, after all, she would eventually get married and leave the house.

  "Your mother has told you everything she needs to say, I won't say anything else!" Lin Ruhai patted Lin Qingyu's head and said: "Mother is waiting for your return!"

  Upon hearing these simple yet sincere words, Lin Qingyu's tears could no longer be held back, and crystal clear teardrops fell one by one.

  "Sister, don't cry, it's not pretty when you cry!" Lin Daiyu took out a handkerchief to wipe away Lin Qingyu's tears.

  "Our family's eldest is already so big, yet still crying like a child. Be careful not to be laughed at by your younger brothers!" Lin Ziqian teased. But despite his words, his eyes were filled with unconcealed worry and concern.

  "Sister, don't worry! We won't laugh!" Lin Zixuan patted his chest and guaranteed.

  "Right!" Lin Ziyu nodded, "Elder sister, cry your heart out!!"

  This remark drew a collective glare from Lin Ruhai, Chen Lanqi and Lin Ziqian.

  Lin Qingyu burst into tears and laughed, Lin Ziheng's eyes were red, walked up to Lin Qingyu's side and said: "Sister, I will miss you!"

  "Don't worry, big sister will be back soon!"

  "Let's go! The time has come!" Lin Ruhai spoke up!

  "Yes!"

  After bowing to Lin Ruhai and Chen Lanqi, Lin Qingyu glanced at her brother, sister-in-law, younger brother, and younger sister standing aside, got on the mule cart, didn't look back, and went straight in.

  On the mule cart, two lanterns were erected with the inscription "Zheng Bai Qi Cong Er Pin Nei Ge Xue Shi Zhi Di Nu Xi Lin Jiao Luo Qing Yu".

  The camel cart came out of the Shenwu Gate and went to the Donghua Gate. From Chongwenmen Street to Zhabei Street, it also turned into the back door and arrived at the Shenwu Gate. When arriving at the Shenwu Gate, stop there, then according to the order of the flag and age, Lin Jingyu's Zhengbai Flag is one of the top three flags, so it is in a good position. Under the leadership of the little eunuch, they entered the Shunqin Gate.

  The selected women enter the Shenwu Gate and wait respectfully outside the Shunzhen Gate, where there are officials from the Ministry of Revenue managing. At the appointed time, eunuchs lead them in by rank, five at a time, standing but not kneeling.

  Lin Qingyu is now standing outside the Shunzhen Gate to pay her respects. She is extremely grateful that in the 21st century, she was used to wearing high heels! Otherwise, if she were wearing these two-inch thick flower pot soles and standing for so long, her legs would definitely be too weak to stand steadily.

  Lin Qingyu knew that several good friends were also in this year's draft. Unfortunately, Lan Hui and Wan Ran were not under the same flag, only Yue Lian and herself were under one flag, but there were too many people, and they couldn't be seen. They could only wait until the first round was over and then take a look! Maybe with good luck, they would be assigned to live in the same room, that would be great!

  The sun gradually became stronger, and many of the showgirls on site began to complain. However, after being scolded, they didn't dare to complain again. Due to the large number of candidate showgirls, we had to wait for a very long time, until our stomachs started growling with hunger.

  Lin Qingyu took a surreptitious glance around and found that many of the showgirls were secretly eating something. One of them, whose cheeks were bulging when Lin Qingyu looked over, even winked at Lin Qingyu upon being seen.

  Lin Qingyu smiled and saw the eunuchs and palace maids around her all winking at each other, also taking out the food that her mother had prepared for her to eat.

  At this time, eunuchs came out to beat the gong and shout orders. The relatives of the palace ladies and the named beauties from the previous year were taken away separately. The remaining beauties followed the eunuchs as they led them towards the palace.

  Lin Qingyu heard this and quickly swallowed the pastry in her mouth, wiped it with a handkerchief, and hurriedly followed up.

  The high and majestic red palace walls, the glittering glazed tiles, stood towering before Lin Qingyu, under the blue sky and white clouds, looking grand and awe-inspiring. She followed the group with her head bowed and eyes downcast, slowly moving forward, quietly sizing up her surroundings.

  The painted beams and carved pillars are majestic and solemn, the forest is inclined to look at the jade and almost dazed. No wonder from ancient times to the present, there have been so many people who have come one after another wanting to enter this 49 city, it indeed has such an unparalleled charm.

  Left turn right turn, it's simply nine turns and eighteen bends. When Lin Qingyu was almost dizzy from turning, they finally arrived at a spacious courtyard and began the first round of selection.

  The first round of selection is something that everyone is familiar with. It's where you go into a room according to the flower register, take off your clothes and let the aunties examine your body.

  Of course, the so-called physical examination is not just about checking for purity, but also to see if there are scars and unusual odors on the body, which will be eliminated. The initial selection generally looks at family background first, followed by talent, appearance, and character, so those with a good family background, who don't look too bad, and have no obvious defects, usually pass.

  The earlier the better!

  Before long, they arrived at Lin Qingyu's place.

  Lin Qingyu tidied up her clothes, patted the purse in her bosom, and walked in. Seeing a woman in her thirties inside, she went over, took out the purse from her bosom and handed it to her, "Auntie, you've worked hard!"

  The old woman pinched the purse and found it thin. Generally, purses that are bulging with small silver coins weigh one or two taels, while thin purses contain silver notes, at least fifty taels. The inspecting old woman looked at Lin Qingyu and nodded in satisfaction. "Lie down well, I'll be gentle!"

  Lin Qingyu lay on the bed after taking off her clothes, and when Nanny looked over, she was almost stunned!

  To know that I have examined so many courtesans, never have I seen a courtesan with such perfect skin quality.

  She certainly didn't know! Lin Qingyu was almost always soaking in the spring water, so her skin was tender, delicate, smooth, and slightly radiant, just like fine white jade.

  Just a little closer, and you can still smell the fragrance, making people involuntarily want to indulge. Baobao thought to herself: It seems that this Xiū girl is quite talented! Plus, she had received many benefits from her, so she didn't make things difficult for her either.

  After checking, Lin Qingyu put on her clothes with a natural expression, smiled slightly, "Thank you, nanny!" Then, she bowed slightly and walked out.

  Actually, she didn't mind, stripping off her clothes and lying down for the examination, it was really humiliating. However, this is a necessary round of the selection show. No matter how conflicted she felt, it couldn't be avoided, so she could only face it with a smile.

  This round of selection immediately eliminated half of the teams in the draft. Lin Qingyu took a rough count and estimated that there were about 100 people left.