“Since I proposed the poetry gathering, I will take the liberty of composing a poem first.” Song Tangxue smiled gently. “Today’s palace banquet is auspicious, so I will use this as the theme to compose a poem: Spring river, moon and flowers in full bloom, gazing in the mirror, admiring a thousand autumns.”

Everyone praised Song Tangxue's literary talent, saying that her poem was full of artistic conception, as if a thousand flowers were appearing before their eyes, symbolizing eternal life.

"Not bad, a fine poem." Even the Empress Dowager couldn't help but praise it. Song Tangli clutched her clothes, thinking that Song Tangxue had truly stolen the show today!

Next up is her; if she were to write poetry, she'd probably be laughed at.

"My sister boasts of her exceptional calligraphy skills, which I have never witnessed before. I must take a good look today," Song Tangxue said, always eager for a good show.

In her previous life, Song Tangli was all talk and no action; in reality, she was completely ignorant of literature and writing, let alone composing a poem, she probably hadn't even read many books.

"Sister, you flatter me. My talent is nothing to boast about. Why don't the other sisters go first, so I can think it over carefully?" As soon as she said this, Song Tangli regretted it. What if she made a fool of herself by writing the poem last? Wouldn't that make her even more of a laughingstock?

And I have ended up in this predicament entirely because of Song Tangxue!

The other sisters didn't refuse either, and they all showed off their talents. The Empress Dowager's eyes flashed with appreciation. These daughters of noble families were indeed as expected; every word they uttered was a masterpiece.

Finally, it was Song Tangli's turn. Everyone's eyes were on her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

“Since all my sisters are so talented, then I shall compose a poem as well.” Song Tangli smiled and suddenly thought of a good idea: “The feathers fall from the crown, and the sound is like the falling of rosy clouds.”

This poem praises the emperor's ability to govern the country and wishes the land a long and prosperous life, making it a fine poem.

The Empress Dowager's eyes lit up. This Crown Princess was truly doing a good job and was capable of being the future Empress!

All the sisters praised her, except for one person whose face turned pale. This person was Jiang Wanxiao, the only daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites. The poem that Song Tangli had just recited was clearly written by her in her spare time!

"Your Majesty!" She knelt down with a thud. "If I may be so bold as to say that the poem the Crown Princess just wrote was written in my spare time, you are free to search the room if you do not believe me. There are still my words in the room."

It's just a matter of composing poems for fun, yet it requires the talent of others. If this is true, even the reputation of the Crown Prince's residence will be affected.

"Your Majesty, these are lines of poetry that came to mind suddenly and have nothing to do with anyone else. I beg Your Majesty to understand!"

Song Tangli was startled. This poem was indeed not her own idea; she had seen it by chance and didn't know who had written it. She hadn't expected that person to be at the palace banquet. Despite her calm demeanor, her heart was in turmoil.

"Someone come here," the Empress Dowager called out, and several guards responded with a salute. "Go and check if the words of this poem are found in the boudoir of the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites."

"yes."

"This palace banquet is truly fascinating. It's said that the Crown Princess is proficient in all the arts, but seeing her today, it seems that's just hearsay." The ladies whispered among themselves, and their words reached Song Tangli's ears.

Soon, the guards presented a sheet of Xuan paper to the Empress Dowager. After reading it, the Empress Dowager's face darkened, and she threw the paper on the ground: "What a joke! The Crown Princess actually uses someone else's poem. If this gets out, where will our royal family's face be?"

She felt deeply ashamed: "The Crown Princess need not attend this palace banquet. Please invite her back. Remember to inform the Crown Prince about this matter and tell him to discipline his wife properly!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I only came up with this plan because I wanted to make a good impression on you. Please forgive me this time, considering my loyalty!"

The Empress was utterly disappointed in Song Tangli. How could she have thought such a woman was worth befriending? She clearly had nothing of value!

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," Song Tangxue bowed slightly, "my younger sister's mistake was unintentional. Please forgive her, Your Majesty. As her elder sister, I failed to discipline her properly. If you must punish someone, punish me instead!"

The nobles at the palace banquet were all moved by this. Song Tangxue was far too kind to her younger sister, even wanting to take the punishment for her mistakes. In comparison, Song Tangli felt utterly ashamed.

"Alright, since Tang Xue has said so, I'm not unreasonable, so I'll let it go this time."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Even though Song Tangxue helped her this time, she wouldn't feel grateful. It seems there's nothing she can do today; she'll have to find another opportunity later.

......

Song Tangli flew into a rage the moment she saw the replica, sweeping all the ornaments off the table.

"Why is Madam so angry?" Li Zhaoxian slowly stepped into the room, his face as gentle as a spring breeze, and he seemed to be in a good mood.

"Your Highness." Song Tangli gave a soft and weak bow, looking so pitiful that Li Zhaoxian quickly helped her up.

"Your Highness, you suddenly lost your temper today. Why don't you tell me? Has someone bullied you?"

Song Tangli shook her head. She looked pitiful, as if she had suffered a great injustice. This made Li Zhaoxian feel even more sorry for her. He pulled her into his arms, and his tone softened considerably as he held the beautiful woman in his embrace.

"What exactly happened to Ali today?" He glanced at the palace maid beside him.

The palace maids knelt down one after another, trembling, and stammered out a complete sentence: "Today, the Crown Princess suffered a great injustice at the banquet. Not only was she accused of using someone else's poem, but she was also bullied by the Crown Princess."

"The Crown Princess's sister is the Crown Princess's sister, but she can't be bullied like this! The mistress doesn't want to say anything because she doesn't want to cause trouble, but we servants can't stand it!"

The palace maid embellished the story, and Li Zhaoxian's face grew increasingly pale. No wonder he saw Ali throwing such a tantrum as soon as he entered the room.

"Could there be something more to this than meets the eye?"

Song Tangli clenched her hands tightly. This Song Tangxue was really lonely. Now even Li Zhaoxian was infatuated with her. If this continued, she would really have no status in the mansion.

Song Tangli gave her maid a look, and the latter understood: "Your Highness did not want to talk about this matter. It was this servant who overstepped her bounds. But if I do not give you an explanation now, how can others be convinced? Even a concubine dares to be disrespectful!"

"How dare you! I have no right to make decisions that need your meddling!" The maid's words made sense. Song Tangli needed an explanation, otherwise, if word got out that the Crown Prince's concubine dared to challenge the Crown Princess, what would become of the family?

"Bring the Crown Princess here."

When Song Tangxue arrived and saw the pitiful Song Tangli, she roughly knew what had happened and respectfully bowed deeply: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."