That Day I Found The Strangest Egg

6.8 The Empress's Rite

The 'boring' discussion ended after an hour. The next topic would be about the competition of getting the Empress position. Everyone's attention shifted automatically showing interest to this awaited event than the political talk. Most of the people, aside from the scholars, are either only knows how to fight or farm so there's no question if they did understand the reports.

Zhong Song who is clad in his formal green scholar robes embroidered with the imperial emblem stepped up whilst holding a scroll. He opens it up in front of the people and clearly announced what is written on the text.

"Greetings to the Emperor and to the Imperial Court," Zhong Song said. "In this script, what is written are the abiding rules concerning the competition for the Empress position. Any form of misbehavior against the rules will be punished by the heavens. The punishment will be dependent to the severity of the misdeed, ten lashes of the whip being the lowest punishment and eviction from the Imperial Harem would be the maximum. This decision was approved by the Imperial Court, the Empress Dowager, and the Lord Emperor."

"The challenges are hence decided by the Imperial Harem with the Empress Candidate's permission. Five challenges are listed, with the first three that will be announced for today's meeting and the following two to the succeeding days. The candidate that will receive the highest possible score from the respected individuals will be crowned as the Empress. Any objections will be nullified once the competition starts."

Everyone can feel the tense emotions wavering from the harem's point of view and the singled out Lang Yuan. This competition will surely become wild. Of all, Lang Yuan is the only one human in this realm. It only made him feel more pressured by the intense gazes of the dragon kin. He wanted to wipe the invisible sweat out from his forehead but he can no longer move from being stiff for so long.

"After the first three challenges, only five candidates can proceed to the fourth and fifth challenge. Any eliminated member will still remain inside the harem as long as no rules are violated. Objections will be accepted..."

Nobody spoke. It seems that everyone is agreeing. Zhong Song looked over the ministers to see some reactions but the old men only nodded at him. There are twenty concubines inside the harem. It would be a lot of hassle if all of them will stay until the next round. By doing the elimination, the ladies will do their best to continue.

"I will now announce the first three challenges," Zhong Song cleared his throat. "First Challenge, Flower arrangement. Second challenge, arithmetic competition. Third Challenge, performing talents."

The following challenges are common amongst the concubines. After all, they have a lot of free time on their hands. The thousand years of living did no go to waste. Some of them had already mastered the art of flower arrangement, or has the talent of singing and dancing. As for the arithmetic competition, they can at least know the basics and can handles problem solving cases. The concubines secretly peaked on the side where Lang Yuan is listening still with a poker face.

Outwardly, Lang Yuan might look calm and composed ba. But inwardly, the adorable modern youth is screaming wanting to just stand up, give up his position, snatch JiDan, and ran away as fast as he can and as far as he could get.

What flower arranging ba? What performing talent? Whose mother is it to place such challenges to the court? Aside from the second task, he has no idea how to do the others. Even though he's happy that it's not some brawl competition but the challenges are too much. He can't read, what's more of having a talent?

But this panic-stricken thought was covered by a calm facade so everyone thought that Lang Yuan is not worried. Actually, some of the concubines felt fear knowing how Lang Yuan simply defeated Sun Shuang and her thousand years of knowledge in tea making.