CHAPTER 1502: CHAPTER 1509 EMPRESS DOWAGER MO’S TRANSFORMATION (4)

Before Cai Wei appeared this morning, her heart was in despair, believing that the Great Jin Nation would fall into ruin at the hands of Li Kaifeng. However, when she saw her seemingly unbeatable rival effortlessly defeated by Cai Wei, she was shocked.

Cai Wei was simply too powerful, not only able to summon indestructible Divine Beasts but also capable of appearing or disappearing at will. These were just the powers she could see with her own eyes; who knows what other incredible abilities she has that remain unknown to others?

Thinking about this, she couldn’t help but fear for the things she had done, realizing how foolish she had been. Just because she didn’t like Cai Wei, she went as far as to use Gu on her own son; forcefully introduced women to him; and publicly humiliated her...

Now, recalling those memories, Cai Wei seemed magnanimous. She had done so many excessive things, yet Cai Wei never stooped to her level. Otherwise, with just a flick of Cai Wei’s fingers, she would have died who knows how many times over. If Cai Wei were displeased, destroying the entire Great Jin Nation would be as easy as flipping one’s hand.

After being frightened, she felt regret. A month ago, she realized that the Empress was not inside the palace and hadn’t been there for quite some time. So, she deliberately asked The Emperor about it, but The Emperor brushed her off.

Latter, she sent two beauties to probe, and The Emperor ordered them to be beaten to death with clubs.

The Emperor’s fury surprised and delighted her, sensing that there must be a problem between them. Consequently, using her authority as Empress Dowager, she issued an imperial edict, ordering a large-scale talent selection of maidens from various provinces, prefectures, and counties.

In the past, the selection process used to be as follows: the maidens were generally 10 to 13 years old, and from families of unblemished birth, not doctors, shamans, merchants, or artisans. Out of the entire world, five thousand were chosen, and after strict screening, only one thousand could enter the palace as palace maids. Once becoming palace maids, the female officers would then have the stable women lead them to secret rooms to examine their breasts, smell their underarms, and check their skin texture; from there, three hundred would be selected as head palace maids. After living inside the palace for over a month, based on their temperament, behavior, and the emperor’s preferences, fifty would be selected as ladies-in-waiting, the lowest rank of the imperial concubines. If they gain The Emperor’s favor, their status will naturally rise.

Besides maidens from polite society, some palace maids also came from bureaucratic aristocrat families. Some bureaucrats and aristocrats would do everything they could to send their daughters into the palace, seeking The Emperor’s favor to help their entire family clan climb up the ranks through this connection. Such women were more likely to catch The Emperor’s eye than ordinary maids, and with their families’ backing, they would ascend quickly. Indeed, among those fifty ladies-in-waiting, a few favored consorts emerged, such as Consort Huo, mother of King Jing, who was chosen in this manner.

However, those were the old rules of the old emperors. Now, the selection of maidens has new regulations set by Empress Mu, requirements are only that the selected maidens are healthy and of good character, with other factors such as birth and looks being completely negligible.

Empress Dowager Mo disagreed, as the talent selection was not only about serving inside the Palace but could also lead to becoming The Emperor’s Imperial Concubine. When issuing the decree, she particularly emphasized the appearance of the maidens, insisting they be fresh and pleasant, likable in joy and temper.

Externally, her explanation for this selection was that the Empress had let out most of the palace maids previously, and this year, many palace maids would turn eighteen, reaching the age to leave the Palace, and another batch would need to be released. Although there was only one Empress inside the palace, the empty palaces and gardens still required maintenance to prevent them from falling into disrepair.

Her actual thought, however, was to take advantage of Empress Mu’s absence and select several gentle and beautiful maidens to stay by The Emperor’s side. Even though The Emperor had eyes only for the Empress, anything consumed too much can become tiresome. The Emperor facing her day-in and day-out would eventually grow weary of her. And those palace maids, like fresh and dewy flower sprouts, flittering before The Emperor all day long, she didn’t believe The Emperor could stay restrained forever and would always stick to just one.