"Is this mark any different from his other works? I can't see any difference." Kangxi looked at it again and again, but really couldn't see anything special about it. Because there were several genuine works by Mi Fu in the palace, Kangxi was quite certain that this mark was no different from the signatures on those works.

“Your Majesty, this calligraphy is a work from Mi Fu’s later period. Because his calligraphy was worth a thousand pieces of gold at the time, many people copied it, resulting in many forgeries. To prevent ‘piracy,’ Mi Fu came up with a solution. This calligraphy is the first to utilize anti-piracy techniques.” Lan Qin mentally mobilized all her “memory” of research on Mi Fu’s calligraphy and painting.

"Piracy?" Kangxi murmured these two words, then nodded and said, "That's not bad, there's a lot of piracy these days. Tell me, what kind of anti-piracy technology was used in this calligraphy?"

Holland and Consort Hui stood aside listening to Lanqin and Kangxi talking non-stop, while they couldn't get a word in edgewise, which made them feel a little uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty, please come here and look at it from this angle against the light." Lanqin gestured for Kangxi to come to her side to look.

Following Lanqin's instructions, Kangxi looked at the sunlight outside the window at a 45-degree angle to the left. Sure enough, he noticed that the two characters "Mi Fu" had undergone a strange change. Under this angle and lighting, the two characters seemed to have changed into a different script. They were still the same two characters, but they were no longer in seal script.

Emperor Kangxi frowned. He had appreciated countless paintings and calligraphies since childhood, and had handled and admired the original works in the palace countless times. Yet, he had never noticed such a change. This was understandable; this "Record of Fangyuan Temple" was indeed Mi Fu's first work using this new seal. On the surface, it was identical to the original seal, but the subtle changes were known only to Mi Fu himself and those familiar with him.

"Such a subtle change is something I've never heard of before. How did you find out?" Kangxi suddenly asked. Holland, who was standing to the side, had the same question. When she was in the palace, she knew that Lanqin knew nothing about calligraphy and painting. But now she saw that Lanqin was not only proficient, but even more knowledgeable than the emperor. This surprised her greatly!

Lanqin had already prepared her explanation. She glanced at Holland, only to meet his surprised look. She then continued, "I have some humble opinions on calligraphy and painting. I usually enjoy collecting various forgeries because I don't have the money to acquire the original works of my favorite masters. So I like to collect their forgeries to study. That's when I discovered that Mi Fu used this secret method to prevent his calligraphy and paintings from being pirated. His Majesty only sees the originals, so naturally he has no way of knowing about the changes."

Hearing Lanqin's words, Holland was even more puzzled, but she had seen the look in Lanqin's eyes earlier and knew that she was telling her not to say the wrong thing.

Sure enough, Kangxi glanced at Holland instinctively. Holland, understanding, immediately said, "Your Majesty, my sister has loved calligraphy and painting since childhood, but we don't usually have enough money to buy genuine works by masters. Therefore, she often collects forgeries to admire." After saying this, Holland looked at Lanqin, who was smiling at her. Anyone who didn't know better would really think they were close sisters, like Consort Hui, who seemed quite pleased with Kangxi, watching the two sisters' harmonious banter.

"You silly girl, I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable about calligraphy and painting. It seems I'll have to show you anything I acquire in the future," Kangxi chuckled. Lanqin smiled slightly. In truth, it wasn't Kangxi's fault for not being able to distinguish the genuine from the fake this time. The discovery that Mi Fu's seals could be authenticated in this way was made by a renowned historian three hundred years later. Lin Mengyao, as a doctoral student in the History Department of the Capital University, had the opportunity to study Mi Fu's works with this professor for a period of time, which is why Lanqin was so knowledgeable about Mi Fu's works.

"Your Majesty, you're going to make things difficult for me. This time it was just a fluke. Compared to Your Majesty, I'm like a lowly soldier facing a great general," Lanqin quickly refused. If she were to become Emperor Kangxi's personal connoisseur, she might offend the emperor, and that would be no laughing matter.

"It's alright, I won't blame you if you're wrong. It just means I have another person to accompany me. When Rongxian was by my side, she often looked at these things with me; she was quite interested in calligraphy and painting." A hint of sadness flashed in Kangxi's eyes when he spoke of 'Rongxian,' but he was, after all, an emperor. The joys and sorrows of ordinary people couldn't linger on him for long. He was the Son of Heaven, representing the heavens to govern the common people; how could he have the joys and sorrows of ordinary citizens!

Upon hearing this, Holland was delighted to find that Lanqin had indeed not lied to her. She then replied, "Your Majesty, I often miss my sister while I am in the palace. May I ask that she come to Yanxi Palace to see me as well?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi laughed and said, "Look, your sister has also spoken up. She should come to the palace more often from now on."

Consort Hui concealed her discomfort and forced a smile, saying, "I also get along quite well with Sister Niu. I wonder if I could have a chat with Consort Lan and Sister Niu together?"

Kangxi nodded and said, "You see, it's not just me, even they all like you to come to the palace often."

Lanqin had no choice but to nod and agree.

After returning to the Lu family, Fourth Master hesitated about whether to go see Lanqin because he was still at odds with her. Su Peisheng followed Fourth Master to the entrance of the courtyard where Lanqin lived. Seeing that he had stopped again, Su Peisheng advised, "Master, why don't I go in and inform her?"

The Fourth Prince stood at the door for a long time without saying a word. He felt both regret for his suspicion of Lanqin and anger: He had come to make amends time and time again, yet the little princess still dared to give him attitude.

Just as the master and servant stood at the door, unsure of what to do, Zi Ran walked in from outside. After greeting the Fourth Master, she asked, "Your Highness, have you come to see the Princess?"

Fourth Master nodded awkwardly.

Zi Ran suppressed a hint of joy in her heart and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, the Princess is not here at the moment. She has gone to Consort Lan's place with Consort Lan's maids."

Fourth Master looked disappointed and asked, "How long have you been gone?"

Zi Ran replied, "She's been gone for over an hour, she should be back soon. Why don't you come in and sit for a while, Master? Maybe the Princess will be back soon."

Fourth Master hesitated for a moment, then said sullenly, "No need, I have other things to do." With that, he strode away. Zi Ran watched Fourth Master's retreating figure with disappointment, as if he were running away from something.