My Empress From The Future
The Competition

Late at night, there was no more activity in General Li's residence. Only the guards toured the residence to ensure safety.

In the Spring Pavilion, the bright flame of the lantern was only left in Meihua's room, the owner of the room was pacing back and forth with Li Mei's tired gaze.

"Young lady, it's late at night, don't you feel sleepy?" Said Li Mei while yawning. "Tomorrow you will start competing, if you are sleepy during the event, end your history."

"This is not true, it is not true." Meihua continued to speak in frustration.

"What's not true Miss?" Li Mei stood up and began to follow each step her nona.

"Li Mei, I shouldn't have entered that empress selection competition. I shouldn't have to enter the palace either as empress or concubine. I'm afraid my head will disappear at any time."

Suddenly Meihua turned around and almost collided with Li Mei.

"Aiyaa young lady. If you want to turn around, say it first!"

"You're wrong, why follow me?"

"Miss has not stopped since. My head got dizzy looking at it. What's not right anyway? Young miss, every girl in this kingdom expects to be the Emperor's companion, being able to become his concubine is indeed a fortune, let alone being the Empress. Many of them ended up just being the decoration flower of the palace, that cruel Emperor did not touch them at all."

Meihua sighed, "Well then isn't it getting better for me not to enter this competition? I don't want to marry that Emperor at all."

"Miss, don't let out a sigh or later luck will move away! Miss don't carelessly say beheaded, don't say don't want to be the Emperor's wife, absolutely mustn't say that!"

"Haaaahhh, then what should I do?"

"Aiyaaa miss, don't let out a sigh, why are you doing it again?" Li Mei panicked herself.

"Here it is, the one to come, however, I must face it also. Let alone the empress selection competition, going to the end of the world will also do. It's late, go to sleep, tomorrow we go to the palace! Remember we have to be careful!"

"None Miss. Should I help you take your jewelry off?"

"no need. I'll do it myself, you go to bed!"

"Ready lady."

I don't understand, why should I contest the election of the empress? Do I pretend to be stupid tomorrow? Ahh but what is the reputation of father and mother if I humiliate them. After all they were so kind to me, Meihua felt miserable.

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The next morning, at the Queen Mother's palace.

The three main candidates had been present in the company of their personal maids. After paying homage to the queen mother, they then prepared to complete the task which was divided into three stages.

The first stage of art craftsmanship, the second stage of painting, and the third stage of literary art. The first stage for Meihua is very easy, they are only asked to embroider, the most beautiful embroidery will be determined as the winner. Meihua was very confident in her embroidery, as she had been practicing since childhood. Now that he was grateful, his late mother in the future always told him to learn to embroider it turned out to be useful.

The second stage is painting, they are asked to paint whatever they think is suitable to decorate the Queen Mother's room. This stage was almost perfectly completed by Meihua, before the incident made his head feel seething.

"It's over soon," the Meihua monologue told himself.

"Sister, what did you paint ?" Hongmei passed by while carrying his paint palette. "Ah very beautiful painting big brother, my painting is definitely lost far."

"Dadik don't go down, brother see your painting is also very good," Meihua smiled faintly.

"But sister painted Meihua flowers so vividly. Ahhh does the name of the sister come from the Meihua flower ?" Hongmei pretended to be surprised.

"True, Meihua from the word Mei which means beautiful and hwa which means flower,"Meihua explained while pursuing her painting, the girl did not even see Hongmei's sneaky grin.

"Ahh then, I will return to my place," Hongmei walked away from where Meihua painted.

"Yinyaaa." The girl stepped on the edge of her own dress. The colorful paint palette floated and fell on top of Meihua's painting. Quickly the painting that had been so beautiful now became unfounded.

"Aiyaa, my leg," Hongmei who had fallen near Meihua held onto her leg while revealing a face of pain.

"What the...." Meihua exclaimed loudly.

"Sister Hongmei, are you okay?" Mingfen approached the two.

"Hongmei sister you're okay, right? Why did you fall? And...and your palette of my paintings, well what am I supposed to do?" Meihua saw Hongmei's situation.

"Mingfen's sister, Meihua's sister, I'm fine. My feet hurt a little. Sister's painting's broken. I'm sorry," Hongmei stood up with Mingfen's help, after seeing Meihua's painting, the girl started crying sobbing.

"Ahh it's okay. What matters is that your feet are fine. Let me fix it before the time given runs out. You guys just go back to your seats!"

"Good sister."

Meihua began to panic, the time given was almost up, while her painting was completely unsightly. The color of Meihua flowers that were once red blush now mixes with other colors.

In his chair, Hongmei smiled in satisfaction, "look, just the little thing I did and you've burned a beard like that. Who would dare to compete with me? I'll do anything so that I'm the only one who deserves to be empress."

"That's a pity for Meihua's sister. Soon time was up, and the painting had to start over. I'm afraid he doesn't have enough time" Mingfen said softly.

"Sister, don't worry. Surely big brother Meihua can do it," Hongmei smiled. "And for you, see what I can do for you."

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A eunuch came in and announced that their time was up.

"Miss, the time given by the Queen Mother has run out, Miss's paintings can all be left on the table. After this there will be a time off, and resume again after lunch."

Meihua sighed, it seemed like sighing would become her habit in this age. Though Li Mei had reminded him, sighing would have made him unlucky.

Let it be, I've tried. Even if I didn't win in this second stage, wouldn't it be better? I don't need to be the wife of that cruel Emperor.

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"Young lady, how's the competition?"

Li Mei greeted Meihua at the door with a cheerful smile.

"May'er, don't expect much. The painting's broken, splashed with Hongmei's paint palette." Meihua said listlessly.

"Aiyaa, how did that happen? Miss, you have to tell the Queen Mother to get some extra time."

"That's it, let it go. Getting extra time is also useless. Actually, your nona's not good at painting."

"Yesterday Mom took me through the back compound of the palace. There I saw a large artificial lake, the flowers were also good. Let's go there."

"All right, miss."

The two of them immediately passed and headed towards the desolate palace back complex.

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"Ahhhhh fresh air here,"Meihua spread out her hands.

"Miss, please enjoy," Li Mei had arranged the various foods she brought on a cloth.

"alright. Let's eat together. Isn't it like a picnic here" Meihua said as she picked up rice and vegetables with her chopsticks.

The girl ate voraciously, as did Li Mei.

The artificial lake looks quite big. The fish that swim is visible because the water is so clear. From the edge of the lake there is a wooden bridge that is still sturdy and somewhat indented to the middle of the lake.

Enjoying the breeze and the fragrant fragrant lotus flower, Meihua closed her eyes with a smile. He sat on the bridge, his feet swaying but not hitting the lake water.

The young girl did not realize, her behavior had been watched by a pair of sharp and cold eyes.

The gaze seemed to be able to freeze anyone he looked at, but a smile that was rarely seen now adorns the lips of the owner of the sharp eye.

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"Fen'er, bring Mingfen here and let him eat with me" Hongmei ordered quietly on his private lady.

"None right."

Soon, Mingfen, accompanied by his personal lady-in-waiting, reached the gazebo where Hongmei had invited him to eat.

"Sister, there should be no need to bother waiting for sister, but thank you for the invitation," Mingfen bowed respectfully.

"Sister, no need to hesitate. Let's sit down and enjoy our lunch."

Mingfen just smiled and took a seat, Fen'er took out a bowl of rice and vegetables. They eat in silence. The atmosphere was a little awkward, but Hongmei quickly invited Mingfen into a conversation.

" Sister try this lotus cake, it's delicious," Hongmei added a plate of mooncakes.

"Ahh brother, does it feel that good? Lotus cakes everywhere taste the same," Mingfen giggled small.

But for the sake of politeness he took the cake as well. Instantly his eyes sparkled," waahh was really delicious. Brother, I want more."

"Let's eat, don't bother. The chef from my residence is very good at making this cake. This is my favorite cake since childhood."

"By the way, where's sister Meihua? Why haven't I seen him since," Mingfen spread his gaze around the gazebo.

"Ah, I don't know either, even if I've seen it since, I must invite you to eat together."

"Absolutely. The more people it's the more delicious it's gonna eat."

"Miss, the break time is running out, you both have to immediately return to the Queen Mother's palace to complete the third task" said Fen'er.

"Alright, come on sister, we have to finish this last task well."

"Let's brother."

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The third and final stage is the literary arts.

Although he had been studying literary arts since he was a child, Mingfen now felt that something was wrong with his head. The girl momentarily pinched her head, feeling a throbbing pain that made her fail to concentrate. Even now his eyes were very sleepy. Finally the girl could only write a quarter of the answer.

In his place, Hongmei put on a smile, "the medicine had already reacted turned out. Fen'er's smart also looking for the cure I told him to take. Just a quarter of the dose I gave, Mingfen already looks so lousy."

"Miss Hongmei did you say something?"a supervisor appointed by the queen mother asked in full investigation.

"Ahh, not so important. I'm just so happy because I can answer that easily."

"alright. Please continue!"

To Meihua, the question the Queen mother asked was a trap. Finally he wrote down all the answers he thought were correct and added the state-regulatory strategy he learned from the books in his father's library.

The third stage ended well. Mingfen who looked so bad seemed to be assisted by his personal lady to go to the hall of the Queen Mother's residence. One thing that surprised Meihua was the arrival of the emperor Tian Yi accompanied by an entourage of eunuchs and maids.

"Your Majesty the Emperor arrived," eunuch Kang's call made the entire occupants of the residence hall kneel down and began to kowtow.

"May His Majesty the Emperor live for thousands of years."

The queen mother looked down to pay her respects, "Hail Your Majesty."

"Mother, don't be so shy. After all Zhen is your son."

"All of you wake up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

It turned out that this emperor, although cold and cruel, had great respect for his mother, the inner Meihua.

"Yi'er I'm glad you want to visit and decide on the final result of this competition," smiled the queen.

(Yi'er - the queen mother's favorite call to the emperor)

"Mother, this is all for the sake of the kingdom, for the sake of Mother as well, say Mother, who is the best candidate that I think deserves to be Zhen's companion?" The emperor looked towards the three figures of his prospective companion candidates.

For a moment the gaze stopped on Meihua's face, but the one who was seen did not dare to look up under the Emperor's gaze.

"You all tried hard. Go home! The final result will be announced tomorrow, "the Queen Mother's order.

"Good Suri's Mother. Excuse me."

They all left the Hall obediently. Tomorrow is the day of determination. The most talented will be appointed as Queen.