Chapter 49 says she plagiarized.

Bai Mei gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

"My goodness! Miss Ruan, you are truly... incredibly wealthy! If I had known this would happen, I would have gladly slapped them all across the face!"

Qingzhu tugged at Baimei's sleeve helplessly:

"Sister Bai Mei, you really do eat and take!

Song Yiqiu pushed the gold cake back, her expression serious:

"This is too valuable, I cannot accept it. I helped you not for any reward."

Seeing this, Ruan Tianxin's lips trembled, and her eyes instantly reddened, on the verge of tears.

"Sister Yiqiu, could it be that... you, like those others, think that I come from a merchant family and reek of money, so you look down on me and don't even want my things?"

Song Yiqiu: "..."

That's not what I meant.

Ruan Tianxin looked aggrieved, as if to say, "If you don't want it, you're looking down on me," which gave her a headache. Finally, she sighed helplessly and accepted the gold coin.

"Alright, I'll accept it. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to me."

She weighed the heavy gold in her hand and thought to herself:

Having a friend with such abundant wealth... doesn't seem like such a bad thing?

Just then, a slightly languid male voice suddenly came from beside them:

"I originally thought that General Song was just a man of exceptional martial prowess, able to take the head of an enemy general from among ten thousand soldiers as easily as taking something out of a bag."

"Only after seeing you today did I realize you possess such talent for debating with a group of scholars. So General Song was hiding his true abilities all along, playing dumb to outwit his opponent? How truly... interesting."

Song Yiqiu's body stiffened, and she turned her head to look.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince appeared silently beside her, looking at her with a half-smile, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

She regained her composure and spoke with sarcasm:

"Your Highness, is your position as the head of the Eastern Palace some kind of leisurely and idle post? How come we can see you at every occasion, big or small, from poetry gatherings to literary gatherings, and even in the streets? Isn't that a bit too considerate of the people's plight?"

Ruan Tianxin, who was standing to the side, turned pale with fright when she saw that it was the Crown Prince. She quickly lowered her head and didn't dare to breathe.

Hearing that Song Yiqiu dared to speak to the Crown Prince in such a disrespectful tone, he was shocked and his eyes widened, which then turned into strong admiration.

The crown prince ignored her sarcasm, instead chuckled lightly, and glanced at the bustling pavilion not far away:

"They're playing a drinking game over there, it's quite interesting. General Song, would you be interested in joining us?"

Song Yiqiu refused decisively:

"Thanks for the invitation, but I'm not interested!"

The prince's smile faded, and his voice deepened. "That damned woman..."

"Song! Yi! Qiu!"

Song Yiqiu: "..."

She stared at the Crown Prince for a moment, and finally, too tired to argue any further, she compromised:

"...Okay, I'll go, alright?"

His tone was full of perfunctory attitude.

Just as Song Yiqiu was about to leave, the Crown Prince brushed past her seemingly unintentionally, whispering something in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Be careful, that poor Miss Ruan beside you may not be the innocent little rabbit you see."

Song Yiqiu didn't stop walking, and retorted in a low voice, her tone indifferent:

"His Highness the Crown Prince's skill in sowing discord is becoming increasingly refined."

The Crown Prince snorted coldly:

"I am only reminding you out of kindness, don't be ungrateful."

...

Inside the pavilion, the drinking game was reaching its climax.

The talented Su Xinjiu was clearly the key figure among them; he had just loudly recited the first line of a couplet:

"Bamboo has no heart, yet branches and leaves grow beyond its joints."

This couplet immediately drew cheers.

"Wonderful! Brother Su's couplet is exquisite in its imagery and every word is ingenious. It is truly a masterpiece of nature and a rare find in the world."

"The wit of the double entendre is truly admirable! Brother Su, you're amazing!"

"This couplet is extremely difficult, and I'm afraid it will be hard to find a matching second line! It's a real pity. Why don't you just provide a matching second line, Brother Su, and leave a way for everyone to make a difference?"

"It seems this drinking game will be stuck with Brother Su tonight!"

Everyone racked their brains, but all shook their heads and sighed, believing that no one could come up with a perfect matching second line.

His Highness the Crown Prince smiled slightly, paused for a moment, and calmly replied:

"Though the lotus root has holes, its heart remains unstained by dirt and dust."

The second line is perfectly crafted, and its artistic conception is even more transcendent and refined. It not only echoes the plant and double entendre of the first line, but also cleverly elevates its own artistic level.

The crowd erupted in even more enthusiastic flattery:

"Your Highness is truly talented! This couplet is not only perfectly crafted, but its artistic conception far surpasses that of the first line!"

"Lotus root matches bamboo, hollows match heartless, heart matches joints outside, unstained by dirt matches branches and leaves growing outwards! A perfect match!"

"Your Highness is skilled in both literature and martial arts, truly a pillar of the nation and a role model for all of us!"

"I am truly impressed! Your Highness's talent is beyond our reach!"

Amidst the flattery, Song Yiqiu slowly put down her wine cup and spoke in a cool, clear voice:

"His Highness the Crown Prince answered very well, but... upon closer examination, there seems to be a slight flaw."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, poured on everyone's hearts.

Immediately, discontented murmurs arose:

"A minor flaw? Miss Song, you've got quite the nerve! If you're so capable, then you do it!"

"Indeed, could it be that you can come up with a better matching couplet than Your Highness?"

"Stop trying to attract attention! How dare you be so insolent before His Highness!"

Song Sangyu spoke softly, seemingly offering advice but actually fanning the flames:

"Sister, it's okay if you can't match it, why force yourself to be so stubborn..."

Song Yiqiu seemed not to hear these questions, pondered for a moment, and then said loudly:

"Though the plum blossom is slender, it blooms alone in the snow."

Upon hearing this couplet, Su Xinjiu slammed his hand on the table and excitedly exclaimed "Excellent!" three times.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Plum blossoms are paired with bamboo, slender and graceful with unfeeling, snow-covered with unyielding, blooming alone with branches growing wildly. The antithesis is perfect, the tones are harmonious, and the artistic conception is lofty and proud."

"Compared to the helplessness and lament of the first line, it shows a more positive and resilient attitude. This is the most well-crafted and ingenious second line I have ever heard, with a perfect harmony of meaning and imagery! Miss Song... is truly an extraordinary woman!"

His gaze toward Song Yiqiu was filled with admiration, completely overturning the previously heard impression of her as rude and uncouth.

Unexpectedly, just as everyone was marveling at the excellent couplet, Ruan Jiawen suddenly spoke in a shrill voice:

"Wait a minute! This poem... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before! Song Yiqiu, you plagiarized this second line!"

She immediately turned to her maid:

"Quickly go to my carriage and get that book of 'Collected Witty Sayings' to look through!"

Song Yiqiu simply sat there calmly, continuing to sip her wine, as if it were none of her business.

A moment later, the maid came running back, panting, holding an old book in her hands. She turned to a certain page and pointed it out to Ruan Jiawen.

Upon seeing this, Ruan Jiawen immediately felt as if he had seized upon a huge incriminating evidence and shouted loudly:

"Indeed! Look, everyone, this book clearly records a complete poem, and these two lines are: 'Bamboo has no heart, yet branches and leaves grow beyond its joints. Plum blossoms, though slender, bloom alone in the snow!'"

"Song Yiqiu, you plagiarized the poems of your predecessors and still dare to seek fame and fortune here!"