Murong Zhao opened the first sheet of Xuan paper. On it was a portrait of a woman, with a few lines of descriptive text beside it.
He first introduced to everyone:
"Although there are thirty Jinshi participating in the imperial examination, nearly half of them are too old. Therefore, the information I have only includes Jinshi who are under twenty years of age."
The Tenth Prince had the appearance of a cute little cat. Although his cat-like eyes were round, they always appeared half-closed due to his perpetually sleepy demeanor, giving him a hazy, languid look.
He pointed to the woman in the first portrait and said lazily:
"This person is too plump. She already has almost three chins. I don't like it."
Murong Zhao's mouth twitched.
Most noblewomen in this world could be divided into two types.
The first type was physically robust.
This type was related to practicing martial arts from a young age. As long as they weren't too unattractive, women of this type were considered excellent prospective wives for these young noblemen.
The second type was the "plump" category.
The woman in the first portrait was of this type.
Women of this type were usually pampered, rarely exercised, and focused solely on scholarly pursuits. However, they also ate too "well," which led to an abundance of fat and soft flesh.
Many young men from impoverished families were quite fond of this type, as these women were "raised with money."
But for wealthy families, especially those of noble status like theirs, it could be a bit greasy.
Murong Zhao, who had grown up with the Tenth Prince, understood his aesthetic preferences even better.
This Tenth Prince was a complete appearance-conscious person.
He would be more lenient towards anyone, regardless of gender, who was good-looking.
As for ordinary-looking people, the Tenth Prince belonged to the "glance and forget" category.
In fact, the first two types were manageable, but if you belonged to the third type – "ugly" – then you were truly unfortunate.
In the Tenth Prince's eyes, being ugly was one thing, but then offending his sight was a crime.
Therefore, towards servants who were ugly, this seemingly "harmless" Tenth Prince could be described as ruthless. Many palace staff had even lost their lives because of it.
Murong Zhao felt a bit fortunate that this person was a Jinshi from the imperial examination and not a servant. Otherwise, if he had placed this person's portrait in front of the Tenth Prince, he would have been suspected of "murder."
Murong Zhao hesitated and said:
"Then, should I still introduce her?"
The Tenth Prince impatiently said:
"Pass, pass, pass."
Murong Zhao then looked at the other princes and saw that they were all uninterested. He then casually handed the paper to a young servant behind him.
"Next, let's look at the second portrait."
The second portrait was of someone familiar to Nian Jiaojiao – Shangguan Xi.
As Shangguan Xi's portrait appeared, everyone's eyes lit up.
Shangguan Xi belonged to the first typical type of noblewomen. She had been highly trained by the Shangguan family since childhood and was not someone who only buried herself in books.
Due to years of martial arts practice, Shangguan Xi had well-developed muscles and a toned physique. Although her features weren't exceptionally beautiful, they were still regular, and her eyebrows and eyes exuded a hint of heroic spirit.
One had to admit, sometimes handsome men and beautiful women were simply brought out by such contrasts.
After just seeing an "ugly woman," seeing the somewhat heroic Shangguan Xi now, everyone felt a refreshing sense of "degreasing."
Murong Zhao also saw everyone's reaction and silently thought:
"I've done my best."
That's right, Murong Zhao had done this intentionally. He had also been entrusted by the head of the Shangguan family to place the ugliest portrait among the dozen or so in front of Shangguan Xi.
Of course, he himself did not like Shangguan Xi.
As expected, the Eleventh Prince spoke up.
"Oh, this one seems alright."
Murong Zhao nodded, pretending to introduce to everyone based on the text above:
"This one is indeed good. This person is the first-ranked Jinshi, and it is said that she is the most likely candidate to win the Zhuangyuan title."
Upon hearing Murong Zhao's introduction, many princes nodded with satisfaction.
Both appearance and talent were top-notch; she was a good candidate.
However, the Eighth Prince suddenly spoke.
"I've heard of this Shangguan Xi's name. It seems she is preparing to marry the young master of the Cui family."
The Eighth Prince had delicate features but possessed fox-like eyes, so both pure and alluring qualities were evident in him.
The Eleventh Prince disagreed:
"Isn't it normal for a family to have several husbands now? Besides, if you want to be the first husband, that woman might be very young, not even a Xiucai. Who knows what she'll be like in the future? How can such a person be worthy of our princely status?"
The Twelfth Prince had a childlike face, but there was a maturity on his face that was unsuited to his age.
"Exactly. I agree with Eleventh Brother. Moreover, I don't want to be the first husband. In most storybooks, aren't those who grow old and are disliked by their wives the earlier husbands?
So, if you ask me, being ranked later is better."
The Tenth Prince also joined the discussion.
"Disliked? We are princes. Once we marry, who would dare to dislike us? Disregard us?
Little Twelfth, as a prince, you haven't understood what royal dignity is. If she were charged with contempt of royalty later, no one would dare to bully you."
The Tenth Prince's words were met with approval from most princes.
However, Murong Zhao was now a bit troubled.
Princes, have you strayed from the topic?
In the end, although these princes were satisfied, they were not very moved.
Murong Zhao thought of the portrait he had placed last and felt some hesitation.
At this moment, he truly wished they would continue arguing and forget the "main business," so he could take these blueprints and leave the palace.