"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—" A eunuch's shrill voice came from outside the door. Li Zhaoxian strode into the palace with an air of arrogance, accompanied by a beautiful woman, none other than Song Tangli.

Anyone who sees this couple will say they are a perfect match. His Highness the Crown Prince should be sitting in the seat closest to the Emperor, but that seat is now occupied by someone else.

Song Tangli's eyes inadvertently swept over the man's face, and she almost stopped breathing. Everyone said that His Highness the Crown Prince was handsome and good-looking, but he paled in comparison to this man. The man kept staring in her direction, so he must have taken a fancy to her!

Song Tangli confidently smoothed her hair. She knew she was very charming and no man could resist her. Judging from his attire, he must be from the Western Regions. If used properly, he could become a great support for her.

It seemed she would have to find a way to talk to him at this celebratory banquet. She believed that with her looks, attracting him wouldn't be a problem. However, after she sat down, she realized that the prince from the Western Regions wasn't looking at her, but at Song Tangxue.

It turned out that the direction he was looking in wasn't where he was being noticed, but rather where Song Tangxue was behind him. What was so great about her that everyone liked her?

"Lord Xie has arrived!"

Xie Qianzhong was the last person to arrive, looking travel-worn as if he had just finished official business. Li Zhaoxian gave him a long face as soon as he saw him, as if Xie Qianzhong owed him hundreds of taels of silver.

As soon as Wen Sizhi saw this person, he knew that this was the man in black he had seen outside the inn. He glanced at Song Tangxue from time to time and understood instantly.

A group of dancers slowly entered from both sides of the palace gate. Dressed in bright colors, their beautiful faces made it hard not to imagine what they were doing. Song Tangxue felt that the opening dance was somewhat familiar, and suddenly remembered that it was the same dance that Song Tangli had performed at the hunting competition.

Song Tangli's face turned pale. The effect presented by these people was obviously much better than hers. In comparison, others would only think that she was a complete fool.

"Go and find out who arranged this dance today." The dancer in the middle suddenly came to Winston and poured him a glass of fine wine.

"Your Highness, please have a drink." People from the Western Regions are fond of drinking, so they naturally wouldn't refuse. After taking a sip, Wen Sizhi praised, "Excellent, fine wine!"

"Now that an envoy from the Western Regions has come here, is there any young lady from an official family who would like to show her off?"

The Emperor clapped his hands, and several eunuchs placed a painting in front of them. The young ladies of each family were naturally proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This was no exaggeration. The young ladies were eager to make a good impression on Winston.

"Since none of you sisters dare to come down, then I'll be the first to demonstrate." Song Tangli bowed gracefully and went to the canvas, where she eloquently completed her idea. It was a landscape painting that showcased the magnificent scenery of the country, which pleased the Emperor.

"Indeed, she is worthy of being the Crown Princess. This is all thanks to the Right Chancellor's excellent teaching."

Mr. Song was beaming with pride and increasingly pleased with his daughter. First, she became the Crown Princess, which brought her great favor in the household. Then, she repeatedly shone at banquets. So what if she was an illegitimate daughter? She was better than Song Tangxue in every way!

Just then, Winston stepped forward and finished his drink first: "This is also my first time here. How about letting the Crown Princess demonstrate her painting skills?"

Song Tangxue was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly heard someone calling her: "Then I won't refuse."

Although as a daughter of an official, Song Tangxue should have learned needlework and studied under a female tutor from a young age, she was always an outlier. Not only had she never read a book, but she also climbed trees every day, which caused her a lot of headaches. Many people thought she was born the wrong gender.

She displayed remarkable talent at the previous banquets, which did not match the rumors. Now everyone is looking forward to what surprises she will bring this time.

Among the crowd, Song Tangli was the most proud. Even though she could do well in everything else, there was nothing she could do with this painting. She remembered that when she was young, Song Tangxue was extremely interested in painting, but she accidentally injured her hand while painting.

As the saying goes, "once bitten by a snake, twice shy," she hasn't even touched a canvas in all these years.

It seems that Wen Sizhi has done him a great favor. After seeing Song Tangxue make a fool of herself, he will definitely be disappointed in her. If he can then perform well, perhaps Wen Sizhi will start to pay attention to him.

Song Tangxue stood in front of the canvas without making any move, while Song Tangli's smile gradually widened; she was ready to see the joke.

"Sister, I've heard you've never liked painting. Although it was the Prince of the Western Regions who asked you to paint this time, you can refuse if you don't want to." Her words were full of concern, but they were also a sarcastic remark that Song Tangxue had tried to save face for Wen Sizhi.

As expected, Winston's expression gradually turned ugly.

What Song Tangli didn't know was that Wen Sizhi was only regretting why he had made such a condition. If he had known earlier that she didn't like painting, he would never have let her come.

“Your Majesty,” Xie Qianzhong stepped forward, “If we only paint, it would seem a bit monotonous. How about playing a piece on the zither?”

Xie Qianzhong's music was renowned throughout the capital, and many people spent a fortune just to hear him play a piece.

"Very well, Your Excellency, you are very kind. I grant your request!" The emperor was overjoyed and waved his hand, ordering a palace maid to bring over a fine guqin.

"The Scarlet Wood Qin." Xie Qianzhong's expression changed slightly. You should know that scarlet wood is something that money can't buy. Even the emperor only has one, and he hasn't taken it out for many years.

"Indeed, the Left Prime Minister has a discerning eye. This is the piece of scarlet wood that we obtained by chance before, which was then made into a zither."

Xie Qianzhong flicked it slightly, his eyes brightening. This was the Immortal Moon, something that was not something that could be sought after.

A melodious tune flowed slowly from his hands as Song Tangxue painted on the canvas. The two of them now resembled a landscape painting, and everyone closed their eyes to feel the artistic conception.

As the music ended, everyone opened their eyes, still wanting more, to find that Song Tangxue had already finished the painting.

The painting simply depicted a lifelike red sun hanging in the sky. Song Tangli felt relieved. She knew that Song Tangxue couldn't create any masterpieces; it was just a red sun, something anyone could do.

"What is the meaning behind the Crown Princess's painting?"

"Your Majesty, your daughter-in-law has created a red sun on the canvas, representing our country's prosperity and our century-long friendly relations with the Western Regions!"

The Emperor was overjoyed and generously rewarded Song Tangxue with a thousand taels of gold. Wen Sizhi was also surprised that she would use this method to resolve the crisis. This woman is becoming more and more interesting.