Cui Xi exclaimed in horror: "The Crown Princess is far too vicious!"
Song Tangxue lowered her eyes; her wickedness was more than just what appeared on the surface.
In her previous life, when Li Zhaoxian ascended the throne, in order to stabilize the court and expand his harem, Song Tangli destroyed the concubines and imperial heirs in the harem, which indirectly led to the turmoil in the previous dynasty.
This hastened Li Zhaoxian's death. The number of lives lost at Song Tangli's hands cannot be counted in the hundreds or thousands, but in the tens of thousands.
The palace servants were terrified. During the time Song Tangli held the Phoenix Seal, the entire imperial city was on edge.
After changing her clothes and composing herself, Song Tangli came out smiling again, only to be told by Granny Lin that she had almost given the position of head of the household to Song Tangxue.
His carefully crafted facial expression shattered instantly, and he gritted his teeth: "Doesn't she think highly of Song Tangxue? I'll show her that Song Tangxue is nothing but a pretty face!"
Granny Lin wanted to offer a few words of advice, but Song Tangxue's shop was not easy to run, so how could she be a good-for-nothing?
However, Song Tangli was already consumed by hatred and naturally wouldn't listen to these words, so Granny Lin wisely shut up.
As Song Tangli stepped into the flower hall, the ladies' gazes turned colder, and their laughter subsided. Song Tangli seemed not to hear them and forcefully squeezed into the circle of ladies.
The ladies glanced at her with some disdain, but refrained from saying anything due to their status.
When Song Tangxue re-entered the flower hall, several ladies and young misses came forward to comfort her. Song Tangxue bowed her head and thanked them one by one, and then chatted with them.
She was knowledgeable and had experience in many areas, so she could talk to them all. In contrast, Song Tangli gave the impression that she didn't know anything but insisted on interrupting.
This angered the ladies on the side.
“Chatting like this is too monotonous today. How about we play a riddle game?” Song Tangli glanced at Song Tangxue out of the corner of her eye.
After her appearance was ruined in her previous life, Song Tangxue stayed at home and read a wide variety of books, so solving riddles was naturally a piece of cake for her.
So she just smiled and remained silent. If Song Tangli wanted to show off her cleverness, then she would just watch as the reality went completely against her own assumptions.
The ladies rarely thought the suggestion was good, so Song Tangli began to demonstrate: "Two wings make it hard to fly, it serves as both clothes and a house, it would rather be swept away by the flood than let the sun dry its house, guess an animal."
The ladies and young women in the room fell into deep thought, whispering among themselves. Jiang Chun leaned closer and said, "Tang Xue, do you know? We can't let her act so arrogantly."
Because of what had just happened, Jiang Chun quickly brought Song Tangxue into his camp.
"Clam." As soon as Song Tangxue said that, Jiang Chun was shocked and covered her mouth: "If you don't know, don't encourage her. What's so great about her?"
The lady beside him thought for a moment, then burst into laughter and teased Jiang Chun: "The answer to this riddle is a clam!"
Jiang Chun suddenly realized, and a look of appreciation flashed in his eyes.
Song Tangli's expression changed. She hadn't expected Song Tangxue to guess it so quickly. She chuckled and said, "These riddles are just low-level ones. They're not really difficult."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the ladies and young women who hadn't expected it earlier darkened. It's no wonder that Song Tangli was spoiled and spoke without thinking.
“These clams are rare, and their meat is not as good as other kinds. Since you ladies have never seen them before, you naturally wouldn’t be able to guess,” Song Tangxue said with a smile, giving the ladies a way out.
Undeterred, Song Tangli continued to pose riddles. Some of them were solved by the others, while the ones that couldn't be solved were solved by Song Tangxue, who revealed the answers.
After several rounds, the ladies and young women all looked at Song Tangxue with new respect. Whether it was guessing poems or plants and animals, Song Tangxue could answer fluently and even explain them.
Song Tangli's face was no longer unpleasant. She barely managed to hold onto the table, looking at Song Tangxue who was being fawned over. She felt resentful, realizing that she had done all the work for someone else!
The Empress also had a smile on her lips, glancing indifferently at Song Tangli sitting below. She looked down on her, after all, she was an adopted daughter who couldn't even be considered a concubine's daughter.
They have a narrow perspective and can't see the bigger picture.
The Empress Dowager's eyes were full of praise: "Well done, Tang Xue is a girl with real talent and learning."
Granny Geng chimed in with a compliment: "Yes, she's beautiful too."
Surrounded by those ladies and young women, she was also the most eye-catching one at first glance.
Jiang Chun was the happiest when Song Tangli's smugness was dampened. She grabbed Song Tangxue's arm and said, "Why don't you give us the answer to the riddle too?"
After thinking for a moment, Song Tangxue looked at Song Tangli in the distance and realized Jiang Chun's plan. She then said, "A three-lobed mouth yawning, what is the idiom?"
Everyone was baffled. They looked at each other and tentatively suggested a few things, but Song Tangxue just smiled and shook her head without saying a word.
Jiang Chun then turned to Song Tangli and asked, "Your Highness, what do you think is the answer to this riddle?"
Song Tangxue was able to answer all the riddles that Song Tangli had just given. If the roles were reversed, Song Tangli should be able to answer them too. If she couldn't, she would be outdone by Song Tangxue.
Song Tangli's mind raced, but her head was completely blank and she couldn't guess the answer. She could only smile awkwardly and say, "Sister, are you trying to make things difficult for us sisters? We've never even heard of this question before."
"I was overthinking it. The riddle was a bit too obscure. The answer is 'evil winds and evil spirits.'" Song Tangxue said this while looking at Song Tangli. Anyone with eyes could see what she meant.
Jiang Chun raised his eyebrows and clapped, saying, "This is a corrupt and evil trend! Good!"
Faced with her veiled insults, Song Tangli could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger. What else could she do? "Sister's riddle is truly ingenious."
No one spoke up for Song Tangli; they all echoed Song Tangxue's words, making Song Tangli so angry she felt like she was about to vomit blood.
The Empress shook her head silently as she looked at Song Tangli, whose emotions were clearly on full display. In the palace, people's hearts are hidden from each other, and someone like Song Tangli would be devoured without even a bone.
Living off a man's favor is the most foolish plan.
Song Tangxue also saw the scheming in the Empress's eyes, and in her heart she lit a candle for Song Tangli, her strongest supporter began to hesitate.
Song Tangli was completely unaware of this. Seeing how well he was getting along among the women, Song Tangli was furious.
If this doesn't work, she still has other options; she can't let Song Tangxue leave this palace banquet unscathed.
Taking this opportunity, Song Tangxue chatted and laughed with everyone. Since Song Tangli had organized this riddle-guessing event, she would reciprocate with a poetry gathering.
"Ladies, the palace banquet is halfway over, why don't we hold a poetry gathering?" Song Tangxue stood up. The young ladies of the official families were all well-read and skilled in poetry.
Everyone chimed in, and Song Tangli's face turned pale. She was illiterate and her poetry was a disgrace!
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