334. Something's not right.

Praises rose and fell from the crowd. If Wei Xiuming hadn't recently expressed his admiration for the little dumpling, and if Xie Wenling hadn't just succeeded as prime minister and the little dumpling hadn't been at the height of his fame, many people would probably have started to make dark speculations.

For example, is it possible that the Marquis of Beiding's family has ulterior motives in keeping someone as talented as Tao Wanbi hidden away? Is it to pave the way for the little dumpling?

Even more seriously, did the little dumpling steal Tao Wanbi's credit and claim it as her own?

After all, even Wei Xiuming couldn't help but nod in approval of Tao Wanbi's talent: "Not bad, not bad at all, exceptionally talented, truly rare. Speaking of which... are all these poems and lyrics your own work?"

Wei Xiuming looked at her with a smile, his attitude was amiable, but his gaze was heavy and fixed on her.

Tao Wanbi's heart tightened, and her palms sweated. She could only nod as the system had instructed, "Your Majesty, these are all things I've thought of over the years. Today is a special day, so I'm taking the liberty of offering them."

"Oh..." Wei Xiuming responded meaningfully and then said nothing more.

Tao Wanbi was a little unsure.

They must have gotten away with it, right?

[Perfect, now all that's left is for the little prince to come and talk to you.]

It's rare for things to go so smoothly; the system seems to have already envisioned the host reaching the pinnacle of life.

But when Tao Wanbi looked around, the little prince still didn't react.

He was bending down, patiently wiping the crumbs from the little dumpling's mouth: "Don't rush, eat slowly, no one will take it from you."

The little dumpling happily ate the pastries, completely unaffected: "So delicious!"

The young prince looked at her with a smile and ruffled her hair: "Yes, as long as you like it."

Tao Wanbi: "..."

I didn't even notice her.

Tao Wanbi felt that something was wrong.

The system also sensed that something was wrong, but it knew it couldn't panic, or it would be ruined. It could only try to remain calm.

[Host, it's alright, we can't lose. Let's recite another one. We'll use Du Fu's "Responding to the New Year's Banquet," which was specifically written for the Emperor. It's sure to please His Majesty, and then the little prince will have to pay attention to you.]

Tao Wanbi took a deep breath, about to speak, when she heard a clear, cold voice beside her: "Miss Tao has composed three excellent works, all with profound artistic conception and gorgeous language, but..."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Xie Wenling who was speaking.

Xie Wenling sat there, looking calmly at Tao Wanbi: "But these poems are very different in style, and are far removed from the mindset of a three-year-old child. They seem to be... borrowed from the works of predecessors."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

But many others were secretly nodding in agreement.

Most of the people sitting here aren't fools.

Some people already had doubts before Xie Wenling even spoke.

After Xie Wenling spoke, most people thought about it carefully and indeed felt that Tao Wanbi's poem was too mature.

Tao Wanbi's heart skipped a beat, but she had no choice but to stubbornly insist, "Nonsense! I wrote all of this myself!"

[Yes, that's it. Don't panic, host. He has no evidence; just insist that you wrote it yourself.]

If all else fails, we can recite another one to prove your talent.

Xie Wenling simply looked at her coldly: "Are you sure you made all of these on the spot?"

"I'm sure!" Tao Wanbi said loudly, though she felt guilty.

"Oh, in that case..." Xie Wenling directly posed the question, "Then please, Miss Tao, compose a seven-character poem on the theme of 'New Year's Day Palace Banquet Snow Scene,' incorporating the characters 'lantern,' 'plum blossom,' and 'year.' Miss Tao's thoughts flowed like a spring just now, surely this won't be difficult for you?"

You definitely can't make it yourself.

Tao Wanbi frantically cried out in her mind, "System! Quickly find a poem that meets the requirements!"

[Wait, searching, please wait...buzz...wait...no...buzz buzz buzz...]

The system in my mind suddenly lost contact, accompanied by a series of electrical noises.

The system is down.

Tao Wanbi was stunned.

She never expected the system to fail at this crucial moment.

"Miss Tao, aren't you going to compose a poem?" Xie Wenling pressed closer from the other side.

Tao Wanbi opened her mouth, her throat tightening.

The famous ancient texts she had just memorized were all instilled into her by the system.

Now, with the topic, meter, and word choice all set, she couldn't even string together a complete sentence. She could only stand there, her eyes red, stammering, "I...I..."

The hall was completely silent.

The guests, who had just praised Tao Wanbi and were dissatisfied with Xie Wenling's criticism, looked at each other with growing doubt.

Qu Zijin took half a step forward, his long sleeves sweeping across the table, his gaze carrying a hint of caution: "Your Majesty, I have a question."

His gaze fell on Tao Wanbi, full of inquiry: "Miss Tao's three poems just now, some vigorous and expansive, some melancholic and poignant, all reflect the state of mind that only someone who has experienced the world can write."

"But you are the adopted daughter of the Marquis of Beiding's family, and you grew up in the countryside. How could you understand the vicissitudes of 'forty years have passed', or know the palace scene of 'dancing leisurely in front of the emperor'?"

Qu Zijin had a deeper understanding of poetry and was better able to appreciate the value of Tao Wanbi's poems.

In fact, he was shocked when Tao Wanbi wrote her first poem, wondering whether she was a true genius or had plagiarized someone else's work and put it under her own name.

When the second poem was written, he was certain.

There's definitely something wrong.

Tao Wanbi was shocked. Her loophole had been exposed, and the system's inexplicable disappearance, coupled with the scrutinizing gazes of everyone, was constantly increasing her psychological pressure.

She couldn't take the pressure anymore: "I...the system made me copy...no, that's not it!"

She almost blurted out the system's secret, and hurriedly covered her mouth.

An uproar erupted inside the hall.

"So it was copied! No wonder a three-year-old couldn't possibly have such talent!"

"How dare they deceive the emperor at a palace banquet! They've got some nerve!"

"How could the Marquis of Beiding's household raise such a dishonest child!"

Marquis Beiding and Jiang Xiyue's faces were so dark they could drip water; they were both angry and anxious.

I knew Tao Wanbi had ulterior motives, but I never expected her to dare to play such a trick in front of His Majesty!

The second brother glared fiercely at Tao Wanbi. If it weren't for the fact that they were at a palace banquet, he would have already stepped forward to argue with her.

Honestly, good things have nothing to do with the Marquis of Beiding's mansion, but bad things immediately implicate them.

The little dumpling looked up in confusion. She didn't quite understand why everyone was looking at them with such strange eyes.

Xie Wenling frowned, beginning to think about how to separate the Beiding Marquis's residence from Tao Wanbi, at least to protect the little dumpling and prevent her from being affected.

Qu Zijin, however, had a sudden inspiration.

His gaze fell on the little girl, his tone softened, and a confident smile even appeared on his face: "Your Majesty, Princess Fukang is intelligent and quick-witted. I have had the honor of seeing her recite poems casually, which were innocent yet charming. Why not let Princess Fukang try this acrostic poem? I believe she will definitely bring surprises to everyone."

When he said this, his eyes showed genuine expectation, not just politeness.

He had seen Xiao Tuanzi's poems when he taught these children to write poetry before. Although they did not follow the rules of poetry, they were full of the purity and spirit unique to children.

He found Tao Wanbi's copied "talent" even more valuable.

Wei Xiuming, who already found Tao Wanbi's affair a downer, immediately laughed and said, "Alright! Princess, show everyone what you've got!"

The little dumpling was holding a piece of lotus seed paste cake, its cheeks bulging. Upon hearing this, it paused for a moment, blinked its big round eyes, and looked at Qu Zijin with a confused expression.

Like that bewildered child who was suddenly called upon by an elder to perform during the Lunar New Year: "Grand Tutor, what is that? Do I have to recite long sentences like Sister Tao?"

Her voice was soft and childlike, which eased the solemnity in the hall.

Jiang Xiyue quickly wiped the rice flour from the corner of her mouth and gently encouraged her, "Yue'er, don't be afraid. Just say whatever comes to mind. The Grand Tutor and your parents believe you."

The second brother patted his little sister's shoulder, full of confidence: "Go for it, little sister! You're definitely better than that lying Tao Wanbi!"

Jin Qizhi hesitated, wanting to say that her sister was only three years old, and that impromptu poetry with many restrictions was too much to ask.

Xie Wenling, standing to the side, glanced at Qu Zijin subconsciously, somewhat disapproving.

Why wake the little dumpling up at a time like this?

If she could accomplish this, it would certainly give people the impression that she was capable of turning the tide and possessed genuine talent, while also salvaging the reputation of the Marquis of Beiding's mansion and letting everyone know that they had their reasons for not bringing Tao Wanbi along.

But what if we can't make it?

Wouldn't that be a bad thing?

---

A note from the author:

As I was writing, I suddenly felt like something was off...

Because the foolish author always thought that New Year's Day and New Year were separate in ancient times, like in modern times... but not knowing what New Year's Day was like in ancient times, he first imitated New Year's Day.

While writing this, I suddenly remembered something—modern New Year's Day is based on the Gregorian calendar, but there was no Gregorian calendar in ancient times!

Then I quickly went to check the information and found that the term "New Year's Day" first appeared in the Book of Jin, but the specific date was not determined.

During the Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin dynasties, New Year's Day was celebrated separately from the modern New Year, just like today.

However, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (104 BC), the Taichu Calendar was promulgated, officially stipulating that the first day of the first lunar month would be New Year's Day. This tradition continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty.

From this point on, New Year's Day and the Lunar New Year are combined into one.

Sigh... But since I've already written it, let's just separate New Year's Day and the New Year like we do in modern times. Here, let's treat New Year's Day as a mini New Year.

Well, it shouldn't affect viewing.

In addition, this book will be completed at the end of the month. Although two storylines have not yet been developed, they will all be brought to a close and the book will be completed normally.

It has existed for much longer than I imagined. Thank you so much for your support and reading!

Some readers may wonder why the author doesn't read comments much anymore. Well, the author went out to work (sadly).

To make ends meet and avoid starvation, the author found a job with 12 hours a day, one day off a week, and a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan... Fortunately, it was easy to slack off and write books, but it was also exhausting and affected his mental state.

Going to work really makes me look haggard (weak), it's even changed my writing style and content.

As for the villain Tao Wanbi, I actually wrote her according to my original outline in the end, only making minor adjustments.

The author originally intended to wait for feedback from readers, but after only two days, he went to work and came back to find that some readers said they didn't want the character to be redeemed, while others said they hoped the character was a good person... So in the end, he wrote according to the outline.

Well, I've been rambling on and on, but it doesn't really make any sense. I guess I just wanted to say goodbye.

Thank you so much to all the readers who have made it this far. I'm sad to say goodbye, but the ending is inevitable. Thank you for reading and your support.

(The main text length remains at 2500 words. The author's note did not affect the main text length, and the author did not add any filler content.)