Yet Old Hai himself approached Yang Mengchen and, upon seeing the papers covered with poetry on the table, asked, "Please tell me, Princess Chen, which two poems do you plan to use?"
"Take them all; you choose whichever you think are the best," Yang Mengchen said nonchalantly.
The snickers below grew even louder. Since there’s strength in numbers, even if the Emperor and others were annoyed, they couldn’t well put a stop to it.
Old Hai immediately gathered all the scrolls.
"What excellent poetry! Princess Yashuang truly possesses overflowing talent!" Several judges, after taking turns reading, all cast appreciative glances towards Xiahou Yashuang.
Xiahou Yashuang displayed an appropriate smile, her demeanor neither arrogant nor restless, seemingly winning the favor of many.
A few judges then complimented Princess Feilan: "Princess Feilan’s poetry isn’t bad either."
Princess Feilan’s pretty face flushed slightly, and she glanced back at her Imperial Brother, who smiled and nodded his head, relieving her anxiety.
Qi Qiuxin labored to learn poetry for Long Xuanmo, but her talents were lacking and naturally, she couldn’t produce good poetry.
The judges left Yang Mengchen’s scrolls for last. After seeing the distinguished handwriting of the other participants, they were disappointed when they saw her neat but unimpressive regular script, yet still persisted in reading her scrolls.
"This... this... could this be the work of a human?" A white-haired and bearded judge suddenly stood up, full of inexplicable excitement.
Qi Qiuxin, seizing the chance, mocked loudly, "Of course, Princess Chen is not an ordinary person!"
The crowd below, mainly consisting of people from the three kingdoms, burst into laughter again.
Most people from Dong Chu lowered their heads. Though they felt ashamed in their hearts, they did not show it on their faces.
Meanwhile, Su Manru, Prince Duan, Prince Jing, their adherents, and those allied with Long Yisi displayed chagrin on the surface but secretly sneered with satisfaction in their hearts.
"It’s simply a masterpiece for the ages, Princess Chen is a genius, no, a divine being!" The elderly man finally shouted out the words that Qi Qiuxin had interrupted, his gaze upon Yang Mengchen no longer scornful but filled with deep respect, "A total of eleven and a half poems, each one a work of unsurpassed brilliance! This old man has never seen such ingenious and exceptional poetry!"
The old man’s complete turnaround in attitude left everyone but Chu Dieyi present completely stunned, and the competition venue fell silent for a moment.
"Impossible!" Qi Qiuxin screamed at the top of her lungs: "How could a base farm girl possibly write such peerless masterpieces?"
Long Xuanmo continued to gaze deeply at his beloved wife, his expression one of calm and composure.
The Emperor and others were at first taken aback, and then became excited. With odds of twenty to one, they had made a fortune!
Su Manru’s face suddenly turned white, and in the blink of an eye, she regained her gentle and graceful composure, but the hands hanging at her side were tightly clutching her sleeves, revealing her inner turmoil.
"Might we have the privilege of sharing Princess Chen’s works with everyone?" Qi Qiuxin still wouldn’t give up.
"Of course." The judges, being scholars, tended to be a bit old-fashioned but held a genuine fondness for those with true literary flair. They found Qi Qiuxin’s tone of mockery distasteful, yet they didn’t quarrel with her. However, the paper was too small for people below to see clearly, so the old man took the initiative to read aloud, "’Peony’ – when fallen petals clear, its fragrance spills, noble title claiming sovereign of blooms; boasting unmatched beauty in all the land, it holds the realm’s foremost perfume alone."
Another judge picked up a different paper and read out loud, "This one is ’Appreciating Peony’ – court peonies alluring without elegance, pond lotuses pure yet lacking passion; only the peony has the true colors of our state, its blooming season stirs The Capital."
Before the audience had time to react, another judge read, animatedly, "’Titling Peony’ – ten thousand springs of red silk all cut away, no painting can match its truth; ninety days of splendor will not linger long, we cherish the time to gift and dedicate."
The same topic produced different poems, each especially a fine work; no wonder the judges were each overwhelmed with admiration and astonishment.
"Only the peony has the true colors of our state, its blooming season stirs The Capital! Excellent, excellent, excellent!" The Emperor could not help but repeatedly praise.
Prince Ning immediately followed up, "Boasting unmatched beauty in all the land, it holds the realm’s foremost perfume alone! This line is also marvelous!"
"I don’t believe it!" Qi Qiuxin evidently couldn’t accept Yang Mengchen’s exceptional performance and screamed, "She couldn’t possibly have written such poetry, she must have cheated!"
"Is Princess Qiuxin questioning us?" one of the judges stood up and shouted angrily.
They, the judges, were respected scholars from various kingdoms, even the Emperors of those lands treated them with great courtesy. As judges, they could not tolerate the slightest insult to their integrity.
Naturally, among the judges were great scholars of Xiliang Country, and hearing Qi Qiuxin’s challenge, they became angrily embarrassed. Unfortunately, before they could express more, Qi Qiuxin was already screaming.
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