Facing the Queen Mother's tricky questions, Lihua was speechless.
She murmured in her heart that the big boss of the harem was too kind to her. He asked other people questions about how they were fed, clothed, and housed in the palace, and what they had learned at home, but he asked her such sharp questions.
However, Lihua knew that the question was meant to investigate, which meant that she had attracted the attention of the Queen Mother, which was an opportunity.
But it cannot be directly refuted. People in the palace have poisonous eyes and naturally think too much. Instead of explaining to others that it is sophistry, it is better to recognize it first and then explain.
While her mind was racing, Lihua didn't refute, she took a dangerous step and admitted directly: "Yes."
The Queen Mother did not expect Lihua to be so straightforward, openly admitting that she did not want to teach other show girls, without explaining a single extra word.
She had heard Nanny Qin talk about how good pear blossoms were before, but now she really saw them, and the Queen Mother began to think more about pear blossoms.
She solemnly asked, "But why?"
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.
Nanny Qin immediately sweated for Lihua, thinking that the answer was too direct, how could she just admit it like that, at least explain a few words.
But I heard Lihua reply neither humble nor arrogantly: "Returning to the Queen Mother, based on what I have seen these days, the sisters selected for the palace are all outstanding and have their own talents. I only know a little about arithmetic, and I was not confident that I could teach the sisters well before.
"
In one sentence, he praised all the beautiful women, including himself, and by the way, he even praised the Queen Mother.
Because all the beautiful ladies selected for the palace have been inspected by the Queen Mother, and some of them were specially selected by the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother's expression softened and she felt a little relieved, but she asked: "Hearing what you said, do you think you are also outstanding?"
"This..." Lihua's tone was a bit awkward, as if he hesitated for a while, but decided to tell the truth: "I have to choose to enter the palace before I know..." her tone weakened.
Just this sentence successfully made the Queen Mother laugh.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly relaxed.
Although this is not self-effacing enough, the advantage is that it is generous and generous. You can say whatever you want without making people offensive.
Unlike some people who speak modestly but feel very complacent in their hearts, we see many such people in the Queen Mother, but we rarely see people like Lihua.
She smiled and said to Nanny Qin beside her: "Oh, look at this kid, how can he be so honest."
Nanny Qin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and said: "Empress Dowager, Master Wu has always been like this."
The Queen Mother nodded with a smile, and then looked back at Lihua: "The Ai family has seen the arithmetic test questions you gave, which are beyond the reach of those who are proficient in them. But just listening to them, why do you think they are not good? Sometimes it is not good to be too self-effacing."
Lihua knew that this was because she was praising herself for being outstanding and saying that she knew a little bit about arithmetic. The inconsistency made the Queen Mother worry.
She sighed a little: "What the Queen Mother said is absolutely true. But the gentleman who taught me before said that I would be mediocre in arithmetic and would never achieve anything. I have always kept this in mind and deeply believed it.
Therefore, I dare not teach others easily."
In modern times, her college mathematics teacher sighed and felt sorry for her, saying that she had a certain talent in mathematics, but her research was not deep enough or focused enough.
She studied three majors in college and graduate school, all of which are different. It is said that she can bite off more than she can chew, and it is difficult to achieve success in mathematics.
"Is your arithmetic good?" The Queen Mother was a little confused.
From what she saw, Lihua's arithmetic was already very good, and women in the boudoir seldom learned this except for learning the art of running a household.
She heard what Lihua said and asked her husband to learn arithmetic specifically. Did she learn a lot about it?
But how deep can it go? This involves the Queen Mother’s blind spot in knowledge.
Lihua nodded affirmatively: "Empress Dowager, please listen to this servant. Arithmetic is as profound and broad as the vast ocean, and I can only understand a small amount of it..."
In order to prove her words, Lihua was not polite and immediately talked about mathematical problems to the Queen Mother.
From small things to people's livelihood, to big things like the country, the mathematical problems involved were mentioned in all aspects, and then several difficult mathematical problems and their meanings were cited in popular language. The explanations were clear and logical.
Finally, he said: "Look, there are so many arithmetic problems in the world that need to be solved urgently, so what does your arithmetic mean?"
The Queen Mother and all the palace people present, including Nanny Qin, felt dizzy and dizzy after hearing this, and were carried away by Lihua.
Even if she didn't understand, the Queen Mother agreed: "That's true."
The Queen Mother refreshed her understanding of arithmetic. After what Lihua said, she realized that arithmetic is more profound and useful than she imagined, and the country cannot function without it.
She was convinced that Lihua was telling the truth. She didn't want to teach Xiu Nu because she felt that she was not good enough, but she didn't really want to teach.
In this way, Lihua passed the Queen Mother's temptations and tests, leaving a deep impression on the Queen Mother, and received a generous reward.
When it was the next show girl's turn, the Queen Mother was still immersed in the arithmetic problems that Lihua mentioned.
When Wu Fang was a child, the Queen Mother refreshed herself, came to her senses, and asked for a long time.
At the end of the question, the Queen Mother was silent. She really couldn't praise her enough. She just said: "She is a special girl. Thank you."
Raise your hands and let others give the prepared rewards.
After the Queen Mother saw each beautiful girl, she would reward them according to their performance. Among them, Chen Sisi and Lihua received the most rewards, followed by Wu Fang'er.
The show girls only need to roughly compare the rewards they get with those received by others to guess whether they will stay.
The beautiful lady who was generously rewarded performed well, and her face showed joy, but she tried her best to suppress it and did not dare to show it.
The beautiful girls who received mediocre rewards also knew that their performance was not good. When the dust settled, there were no unwillingnesses and everyone became depressed.
But when the show girls saw that Wu Fang'er had also received a huge reward, they were all shocked as if they had been struck by lightning.
Is this Wu Fang'er?
After learning "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic" badly, and planting the land badly, the vegetable seedlings in the small flower pots will be unhappy if their leaves turn yellow.
This guy doesn't know anything, he just shows off and shows off his power, and looks like he's not worthy of being on the stage.
When I saw the Queen Mother, she couldn't even speak clearly, her legs were shaking like chaff, and her movements were awkward.
Does she deserve a generous reward?
Which show girl is not better than her!
However, Wu Fang'er had bad luck and fell into the eyes of the Queen Mother. The situation was stronger than others.
The beautiful lady had no choice but to suppress her shock and did not dare to make any mistakes.
There was a smarter Xiu Nu who thought about it and figured out why.
It was not Wu Fang'er who was rewarded so generously by the Queen Mother, but the emperor's face.
The Queen Mother couldn't tell what the ladies were thinking, but...
Alas, it is rare for an emperor to treat a woman so special, so let it be.
What follows is extremely fast-paced.
The Empress Dowager followed the "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic", the good showgirls in farming and Zhenghui Pavilion, and after comprehensive consideration, she selected the showgirls she liked.
In addition to the emperor's original decision, a total of ten show girls will be retained in this election, which is not too many.