Upon hearing this, Lanqin thought to herself: Indeed, if the three of them went to the imperial concubine selection, who would truly catch the emperor's eye? The emperor only appoints women to his princes and relatives; no one pre-selects a woman and then goes to the emperor for the final selection. Isn't this competing with the emperor for women? This selection process, ostensibly, is still about choosing women for the emperor!

Lanqin felt a little uneasy. She realized that she had been thinking too simply. It was only after Fourth Master's reminder that she felt she needed to think things over again, otherwise, if a big misunderstanding occurred, it would be a very serious matter.

"At that time, we'll have to ask Master to talk to Mother. Father Emperor is probably also thinking about this this year's imperial concubine selection. So, let Mother and the other ladies decide," Lanqin said.

"Don't forget there's still Consort Yi. Do you think I'll let the Eighth and Ninth Princes win over the Seventh and Tenth Princes so easily?" the Fourth Prince said.

"Today, Xiuzhu actually took a walk with Eighth Prince. What's going on?" Lanqin said uneasily. She had a feeling that Eighth Prince wouldn't really like Xiuzhu's personality. Eighth Prince's wife was already arrogant enough. As Eighth Prince's concubine, Lanqin felt that she would be gentle and clever enough to please him for the rest of her life.

Sure enough, a hint of displeasure flashed across Fourth Master's face as he said, "Your cousin is too outgoing and easily swayed. Why don't you let her go home?"

Lanqin also disliked Chen Xiuzhu, but if the Fourth Prince sent her back, it would be a loss of face for Anjia.

"After the hunt, I'll arrange for them to go back. They've learned the rules enough; they can practice on their own when they get back," Lanqin said.

Fourth Master nodded and said nothing more, letting Lanqin take out a set of clothes for him to change into.

When they came out, the bonfire barbecue was already underway. They all sat around the bonfire, and each prince had an octagonal table in front of him with wine cups and vegetable soup that Lanqin had made for everyone.

Apart from the servants who were serving the barbecue, the other servants sat around the perimeter. There were no tables in front of them, so each of them held a plate and would cut meat off the animals that were being barbecued to eat later.

Naturally, the servants who were responsible for cutting the meat would first satisfy the princes and distinguished guests, and the rest would be distributed among the servants.

Lanqin and Fourth Master went inside and sat down at the empty table between Third and Seventh Masters.

A deer, skinned and gutted, was roasting over the large central bonfire, its aroma filling the air. Smaller bonfires also held smaller animals like roe deer, badgers, and rabbits, their meat sizzling and releasing a delicious fragrance.

The wild boar that Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master hunted had been cleaned and, because it was too big, cut into pieces and roasted over a fire. The servants tending the roasting were turning the meat over, spraying it with seasonings, and brushing it with the mutton fat they had brought with them.

“I’m looking rather bored, why don’t we sing and dance?” Lanqin said to the Fourth Master.

Fourth Master waved to Da Chun, signaling him to hurry up and prepare. Seeing that Fourth Master and Da Chun seemed quite familiar with each other, Lan Qin said, "Your Excellency seems to value my cousin Da Chun very much?"

"Isn't it good that I value your clansmen?" Fourth Master said to Lanqin, turning his head to look at her.

Lanqin glanced back at Fourth Master shyly and said, "Being too obvious isn't necessarily a good thing. However, it's necessary to have some capable people around you. One Su Peisheng isn't enough, and one Li Wei isn't enough either. Dachun is quick-witted and clever in his actions, making him perfect for doing things that it's inconvenient for you to delegate to others."

Fourth Master nodded and said, "I increasingly feel that Qin'er is a soulmate sent by heaven to my side. You've hit the nail on the head regarding everything I've been worried about. Tell me, can you see through my thoughts?"

Lanqin's heart skipped a beat, but she smiled sweetly and said, "I've been with you for so long, so naturally I understand some of your thoughts. There's no such thing as someone sent by heaven; if that were the case, wouldn't I be a fairy?"

The Fourth Prince gently took Lanqin's hand under the table and said, "You are my fairy."

Meanwhile, Seventh Master had already placed a plate of sliced ​​meat in front of Xin Yi's table.

"Seventh Master, I have a weak stomach and I'm afraid I won't be able to digest it properly," Xin Yi said, looking at the plate full of venison.

"Try just a little bit. I'll give you a very small portion, so eat less," Seventh Master said gently.

Xin Yi looked at the sizzling, golden-brown meat on Seventh Master's plate and felt a strong urge to eat it, but she didn't dare.

Tenth Master also hurriedly took his plate, walked to the deer, picked out pieces of tender meat, and unsurprisingly presented them to Shuhui.

Chen Xiuzhu sat next to Shuhui and saw that Eighth Master and Ninth Master were chatting and laughing, seemingly unaware that she was looking at him with expectant eyes.

Fourth Master also personally went to cut some wild boar meat and some roe deer meat for Lanqin.

Lanqin glanced at Chen Xiuzhu intentionally or unintentionally, and sure enough, she saw Chen Xiuzhu looking expectantly toward the Eighth Master.

Suddenly, a burst of intense drumming erupted. Several men and women dressed in Mongolian attire ran in to the beat of the drums. Lanqin watched in astonishment as these men and women in traditional Mongolian clothing danced the Mongolian dance, and was immediately taken aback.

Was all arranged by the Fourth Master? She was kept completely in the dark and had no idea whatsoever. It's truly astonishing.

When Fourth Master returned with the meat, Lanqin quickly took the plate of meat and said, "When did you arrange this, Master? I had no idea."

Fourth Master smiled faintly and said, "If I had told you earlier, would you still be as happy as you are now?"

Lanqin smiled and said, "Indeed, it wouldn't be as surprising as it is now. Thank you, Master. You are the best to me."

Fourth Master picked up a piece of venison from the plate with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, muttering, "Eat it quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Lanqin, whose mouth was already watering, quickly picked up a piece of roe deer meat. The group enjoyed the Mongolian song and dance performance while feasting, having a wonderful time.

The servants who came along also received meat, and they sat behind their masters, eating and chatting as they went. The atmosphere of the bonfire party gradually reached its climax.

Just as everyone was drinking fine wine and eating meat, the Fourteenth Prince suddenly stood up from his seat, walked straight to the Fourth Prince's table, and said to Lanqin, "Fourth Brother, let's all get up and dance. Everyone, get up and dance."

When Lanqin saw the Fourteenth Prince, she thought of how he hadn't worried about his own brother's safety at all back then, but now he suddenly came to the Fourth Prince and asked him to "dance".