"Qin'er, come here..." Fourth Master finally spoke.
Lanqin gently moved closer to Fourth Master.
The dragon boat had limited space, and it would sway from side to side with the slightest movement. Fourth Master deliberately stomped his foot, and Lanqin, as expected, lost her balance and fell right into Fourth Master's lap.
Fourth Master embraced Lanqin triumphantly, and the atmosphere, which had finally calmed down, became heated again.
The Fourth Prince clearly felt the person in his arms stiffen and curl up into a ball. Looking down at Lanqin, whose hands were protectively covering her chest and whose eyes were darting away, he guessed what Lanqin was thinking. The Fourth Prince laughed loudly, tapped Lanqin's forehead, and said, "I won't touch you, don't be so nervous..."
Lanqin breathed a sigh of relief and lamented, "You should have said so earlier! You made me so nervous..."
The Fourth Prince chuckled, brought his nose close to Lanqin, and asked, "Are you implying something to me?"
Lanqin pushed him away, muttering, "Nonsense... I didn't..." Fourth Master couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Lanqin suddenly realized that the Fourth Prince had come to the Yuanmingyuan in plain clothes and without any attendants. She felt a little disappointed, and her expression turned cold.
When the Fourth Master noticed, he asked, "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly unhappy..."
Lanqin shook her head: "I'm not upset, it's just that Fourth Master secretly slipped out of the palace, he's probably in a hurry to go back, and I'm a little reluctant to see him go..."
Fourth Prince knew Lanqin was clever and couldn't hide anything, so he had no choice but to confess: "I did indeed sneak out, but I will come to see you again in the future. You just need to wait patiently for a while longer..."
Lanqin nodded, smiling wryly, "I understand..."
Knowing that Lanqin was sad, the Fourth Prince quickly explained, "The purpose of this imperial examination is to select a group of outstanding talents to recruit as the Emperor's disciples and cultivate them into my own power."
Lanqin knew that there had always been instances of cheating and deception in the imperial examinations, so she asked with concern, "Your Majesty, have all these candidates been vetted? I know that some people..."
The Fourth Prince interrupted Lanqin, laughing, "Your concerns have been considered by both the Thirteenth Prince and me. Therefore, we have been extremely careful at every step, from setting the exam questions to grading them. Not only are the exam discipline strict, but the grading process has also been greatly reformed, adopting a rotating grading system. This is precisely to prevent some people from bribing the examiners and cheating to pass the exam..."
Lanqin was astonished, never expecting that the grading system of the 21st century had already been applied during the Yongzheng era. She couldn't help but admire the wisdom of the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince continued, "This way, we can ensure that those selected are truly talented and capable. I also plan to gradually place these people in various places, so that they can gradually replace those who are disloyal to the court and who have formed cliques for personal gain."
Lanqin was even happier; Fourth Master was finally about to take action.
At the height of his excitement, the Fourth Prince joked, "After the top three scholars on the first and second lists are announced, I will choose a husband for Biechuke from among these six men..."
Lanqin smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your careful selection of a husband for Biecuke. However, I still hope that Your Majesty can let Biecuke see for herself. After all, it is Biecuke's lifelong happiness, and it is best if she likes someone..."
Fourth Master held Lanqin tightly and laughed, "Alright, so you want to let Biechuk meet these six people beforehand?"
“Of course I should meet him, but not as a princess. To truly judge a person’s character, you have to observe how they behave in a crisis,” Lanqin said.
So Lanqin told the Fourth Master about her plan. The Fourth Master nodded in agreement and said he would immediately send someone to give Biechuke the information of the top three scholars in both the first and second lists.
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