Over there, the five talented scholars grew uneasy as they waited for a long time without seeing anyone, wondering if something had gone wrong. The atmosphere became oppressive, and the palace maids and eunuchs stood by, not daring to breathe.

Lunchtime arrived, and the scholars moved behind the food counter. Eunuchs and maids began serving dishes incessantly. Suddenly, a maid accidentally knocked over her plate, spilling the entire dish all over Gao Xiu. Gao Xiu immediately stood up from his seat. Already in a bad mood, he became even angrier and couldn't help but say, "How can you be so irresponsible!"

Ye Ci smoothed things over by saying, "Brother Gao, I brought another set of clothes. You can borrow it to change into!" Ye Ci then told the kneeling palace maid to get up and serve the dishes. The maid quickly knelt down to thank Ye Ci and Gao Xiu.

Seeing this, Gao Xiu had no choice but to agree. The Emperor might arrive soon, and he couldn't go to see him like this.

"Take Young Master Gao to the Meridian Gate!" Ye Ci said to the eunuch beside him. It turned out that everyone had brought their attendants and were waiting at the Meridian Gate. Gao Xiu followed the eunuch.

The atmosphere improved somewhat after everyone saw Gao Xiu leave.

"We've been waiting for so long, everyone must be hungry. Let's eat!" With that, Ye Ci picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

Looking at Ye Ci, Xiahou Dun couldn't help but admire him. He had previously thought that all those generals were brave but lacked strategy, only knowing how to fight, and were cold-blooded and ruthless. But after seeing Ye Ci today, he realized that everyone in the army was a man of character and wisdom. He was determined to make Ye Ci his friend.

"Hmm... As expected of food from the palace, it's really delicious!" Xiahou Dun also took a bite and praised it. The others also picked up their chopsticks and began to admire the food.

Meanwhile, Lanqin was troubled by Qing'an's situation. She didn't want to make things difficult for Qing'an by forcing her to marry someone she didn't like. She had originally thought that the men she had chosen were all quite suitable, and she never expected things to turn out this way.

If a husband is not chosen for Qing'an, it will be difficult to explain to the prince. After all, this is ancient times, and there is no such thing as a woman not marrying if she does not agree. Everything is decided by the parents. Now it is the emperor's decision. What if the prince blames the emperor?

Would it be better if Qing'an tried to get along with one or two of them? But men and women are different, and women rarely leave their homes. How can I get them to have real contact?

Just as Lanqin was pondering a solution, Lianqiu arrived. "Lianqiu, take this slip of paper, write down the names of the people the two princesses favor, and then return it to me." Lanqin handed the slip of paper that Qingshun and Qingping had given her to Lianqiu. Lianqiu took the slip of paper and then went to Jiaotai Hall.

Lanqin had just glanced at the two princesses and noticed Ye Ci's attire, and found that it was indeed as she had expected. Qing Shun wrote down Ye Ci's name.

Judging by appearances alone, Gao Xiu is the most outstanding, though he seems a bit arrogant and might not be easy to get along with. Then there's Li Jun, refined and handsome. Zhang Youwei is rather ordinary, while Young Master Xiahou is quite good-looking.

Considering the personalities of the three princesses, Lanqin thought she should discuss it with the Fourth Prince again. The fact that the three princesses were not her biological children made Lanqin even more worried, because if things weren't handled properly, it could easily cause gossip.