On this day, five talented young men, namely Ye Ci, Li Jun, Gao Xiu, Zhang Youwei, and Xiahou Peng, entered the palace by imperial decree. Since the three of them were men, they could not go to the inner palace, so the Fourth Prince had Su Peisheng take them to the Hall of Union.
The five people sat down in a courtyard, and Su Peisheng told them to wait there before leaving.
The five men looked at each other, each with their own thoughts. They all knew that they were the backup candidates for the position of imperial consort, and that they had come today to choose a consort.
Ye Ci, the son of a great general, did not actually want to be a prince consort. His ideal was to fight on the battlefield. If he had family matters to attend to, he would be bound by them and would inevitably have reservations on the battlefield. Zhang Youwei wanted to enter officialdom, and becoming a prince consort would actually be detrimental to his career, so naturally he was also unwilling to be chosen.
The other three had different ideas; they all wanted to become imperial sons-in-law to pave a path for their future. Li Jun, the son of the Minister of Rites, wanted to become an imperial son-in-law so he could avoid many obstacles in the future.
No one arrived for a long time, and the five people sat there feeling uneasy.
“These are all brothers I’ve never met before. It’s fate that we meet here today!” Xiahou Dun, who always loved making friends, spoke first.
"Yes, my name is Ye Ci. I was suddenly summoned to the palace today. I thought it was some important military matter, but it turns out to be the selection of a consort!" Everyone could hear the regret in Ye Ci's voice. It seemed that he did not want to be a consort.
The five introduced themselves and gradually became acquainted. At this time, palace maids and eunuchs brought fruit.
"I've long heard that Brother Ye has made many great contributions to the court. It's truly a blessing for our Great Qing Dynasty to have you." Zhang Youwei often heard his father mention the name Ye Ci at home, so he had a good impression of him.
Ye Ci smiled sheepishly, "Since everyone is here, you must all have some extraordinary abilities. I am just a reckless person, how could I deserve such praise?"
"Hahahaha, I didn't expect Brother Ye Ci to be not only so capable in the army, but also so humble." Li Jun laughed. He must befriend such a talented person.
Ye Ci stopped arguing. These people were all eloquent, and any further explanation from him would be futile.
"Eh~ Why isn't Brother Gao saying anything? Brother Gao usually loves to have meals together. Could it be that there's no wine today and Brother Gao is unhappy?" The speaker was Xiahou Dun, who usually had some dealings with Gao Xiu.
"I was just worried that I might get aroused since you all seemed to be having such a good time," Gao Xiu said, quickly pulling himself back to reality after being called out. This morning, his father had told him that he absolutely had to make the princess take a liking to him and become her husband.
Xiahou Dun teased, "Could it be that you're thinking about the princesses?"
Everyone burst into laughter, all watching to see how Gao Xiu would respond. "These princesses must be exceptionally beautiful. What's wrong with me, a mere ordinary person?"
Ye Ci thought that Gao Xiu not only did not deny it, but also said that the others were all ordinary men, and must be thinking about the princess just like him. He was really amazing.
Xiahou Chun laughed and said that this made sense. "By the way, do you have any thoughts about the princess?" Xiahou Chun had heard that Qing Shun in the Third Prince's mansion was a beauty, but he didn't know anything about the other two.
"I've heard that these princesses are all reasonable and well-versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting." Li Jun knew that these princesses were originally intended to be sent for marriage alliances, so they were all promising talents.
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