It was an hour later when Bai Tuantuan finally understood what had happened.

Before leaving, Bai Tuantuan said slowly, "Although I am participating in the poetry competition, this time, I will definitely be fair and just."

After Bai Tuantuan left, the three women looked at each other and saw excitement and joy in each other's eyes.

After Bai Tuantuan came out, she went straight to the organizer of the Poetry Pavilion. Looking at the prefect's wife in front of her, Bai Tuantuan sneered.

The prefect's wife, Huang Qian, was chatting with the prefect, Zhou Ke, when she saw Bai Tuantuan and frowned: "Who are you?"

"Madam!" The little maid rushed in. "Madam, I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop her."

Bai Tuantuan stepped forward and looked at Zhou Ke, asking, "Did you organize the Poetry Retreat?"

Huang Qian slammed her hand on the table with a "bang": "Who exactly are you! How dare you speak to us like that?"

Bai Tuantuan looked at Zhou Ke and said, "Lord Zhou, why don't you explain why this supposedly fair and just poetry competition has turned into a pre-arranged event?"

Upon hearing this, both Huang Qian and Zhou Ke frowned.

Bai Tuantuan took out a jade pendant and handed it to Zhou Ke: "I wonder if Lord Zhou recognizes this?"

Zhou Ke took it, looked at the words on it, and was shocked. He quickly knelt down: "This humble official was blind and did not know that people from the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion had arrived. Please forgive me!"

"Lord Zhou, please rise." Bai Tuantuan sat down and looked at Zhou Ke. "Can we speak now?"

Zhou Ke quickly dismissed the servants and then gave Huang Qian a meaningful look.

Huang Qian's face was full of smiles: "Miss, I didn't know you were from the Marquis's mansion. Please don't take offense. As for the poetry competition, fairness is the only requirement. How could it be pre-arranged? You must have made a mistake."

Bai Tuantuan looked at Huang Qian's ingratiating smile, then at Zhou Ke: "Does Lord Zhou have anything to say?"

Despite the extremely ordinary tone, Zhou Ke felt pressured and stammered, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Only after Huang Qian glared at him fiercely did Zhou Ke lower his head and say, "How could it be pre-arranged? Miss must have made a mistake."

Bai Tuantuan chuckled softly and said slowly, "This poetry competition was started by Lord Zhou ten years ago to find and nurture talented young people. The woman is here to give the prefect a handwritten plaque, fulfilling one of her wishes."

"But in recent years, the champion of the poetry competition has become predetermined. If it were someone with real talent, that would be fine, but the predetermined ones are all people whose poems are worse than those of children. Isn't Lord Zhou ruining his own reputation?"

"This time, Lord Zhou even gave the spot to his own nephew. I just want to know, is a poetry competition really that important?"

"I've also heard that Lord Zhou originally had the opportunity for promotion, but because of the poetry competition incidents over the years, his reputation has suffered, so he hasn't been able to get promoted. Lord Zhou and Madam Zhou must be aware of this, right?"

"So, Lord Zhou, why don't you tell us what exactly is it that makes you disregard your own future and insist on pre-selecting the champion at a small poetry competition?"

Bai Tuantuan's words made Zhou Ke wipe the sweat from his forehead. He hadn't expected that Bai Tuantuan would have found out so much!

Huang Qian also looked a little uneasy, muttering, "It's just a poetry competition, we can't even make the decisions..."

“Of course we can make the decision,” Bai Tuantuan smiled slightly. “But since it’s pre-determined, let’s not pretend to be fair and just.”

Suddenly, Bai Tuantuan waved her hand, and a "bang" sound rang out.

Huang Qian rushed to the window and saw that the plaque that read "Fairness and Justice" was lying on the ground, broken into several pieces!

Huang Qian gasped, staring at Bai Tuantuan in horror.

Bai Tuantuan stood up and walked to Zhou Ke's side: "Lord Zhou, are you still not going to tell the truth? In that case, I will speak for you."

Inside the space, Tang Shao told Bai Tuantuan that Ning Nanxiao had just come out.

Bai Tuantuan glanced coldly at Zhou Ke and Huang Qian, and said indifferently, "You're doing this to pave the way for Peng Youcai, aren't you?"

"You've received word that every place is looking for talented men and women, so for the past two years, the top candidates you've chosen have been your own daughters and sons, or your nephews and nieces, or grandnephews and grandnieces—all your own people. And next month someone will come and take them to the capital."

"Women enter the palace, while men go to the capital's academy to study, right?"

"How did you know?" Huang Qian blurted out, then quickly covered her mouth, her face turning pale.

Zhou Ke also stared at Bai Tuantuan in shock, his face full of disbelief.

Bai Tuantuan chuckled: "I don't know where you got this information from, but I'm telling you, it's fake."

"Impossible! This was said by one of King Ping's men! How could it be false!" Huang Qian screamed.

“Prince Ping has already been dismissed from his post by the Emperor and is now imprisoned in his residence. How could such an order be issued?” Bai Tuantuan raised an eyebrow at the two of them. “If Madam Zhou doesn’t know, does Lord Zhou not know either?”

Zhou Ke pursed her lips, her expression grave: "But the person who came had a token from the Prince Ping's residence... this..."

"Lord Zhou, is the person who came dressed in black?" Bai Tuantuan suddenly asked.

Zhou Ke immediately nodded: "Yes!"

"That makes sense. It's not surprising that they have the token from the Prince Ping's residence."

Bai Tuantuan thought for a moment and slowly said, "Here's what you do: contact him and say that the poetry competition can't go on because of the pre-selection, and ask him if he can come and take the champion of the poetry competition away tomorrow."

Zhou Ke hesitated: "How could they possibly agree to this?"

"Just do as I say."

Bai Tuantuan narrowed her eyes: "If you want to live, do as I say."

Huang Qian hid behind Zhou Ke in terror: "You, you want to kill us?"

"It's not that I want to kill you, it's that you yourselves have already been poisoned by the Gu."

Bai Tuantuan took out a bottle and placed it on the table: "The antidote pills are here. Whether you want to take them or not is up to you."

"As for those people asking you for the champion, it's just a pretext to make you believe that they are looking for someone with talent. They would even take someone who is illiterate."

Bai Tuantuan rested her chin on her hand: "If you don't believe me, you can hold this poetry competition fairly and justly this time. When they come tomorrow, you can bring Peng Youcai with you."

"Lord Zhou, do as I say, and they will come tomorrow."

Huang Qian bit her lip and forced herself to say, "Why should we believe you? If we offend the Prince Ping's mansion, we..."

"If you don't do as I say, believe me, I'll kill you right now!"

As Bai Tuantuan finished speaking, the sword at her waist suddenly came out of its sheath and stabbed directly at Huang Qian!