The Princess of Lin'an is the Emperor's own sister.
She is already sixteen.
The Empress Dowager has always been concerned about her marriage, having examined many candidates and finding none to her liking.
She thought about waiting for the results of this year's Imperial Examination to seek out young men.
To her surprise, she really took a fancy to one.
A mere fifteen-year-old Number One Scholar, the Empress Dowager even made special inquiries about him; he had topped the list all the way through his examinations.
During the Rural Examination, his exquisite essay caught the attention of the Grand Tutor.
The Empress Dowager is not an ordinary woman of the inner court, almost nothing in the Imperial Palace can be concealed from her except for the Emperor himself.
She knew that during the Palace Examination, the Number One Scholar's discursive essay had astonished all the examiners who were present.
This is a true scholar, young as he is.