Qu Qingxi picked up her teacup and casually glanced at Ren Nuanyun, only to see Ren Nuanyun staring blankly at the Crown Prince, her eyes filled with infatuation.
At the same time, a cold voice came.
[Host, this is His Highness the Crown Prince, the male lead you are supposed to win over.] The system's voice rang in Ren Nuanyun's mind.
Ren Nuanyun snapped out of her daze and then revealed a satisfied smile. Putting everything else aside, she was very satisfied with the Crown Prince's appearance and demeanor. Now that the male lead had appeared, she was determined to gain the Crown Prince's special attention today.
Qu Qingxi also heard the voice, glanced at Ren Nuanyun, and then looked at the Crown Prince. She thought to herself, "So the Crown Prince is the male lead that Ren Nuanyun wants to win over. This identity is a bit tricky. I hope the Crown Prince won't be bewitched by Ren Nuanyun and do anything excessive."
“The princess’s poem is indeed excellent. I’ll write the next one.” Ren Nuanyun suddenly stood up and looked at He Xueying with a smile.
Seeing everyone's eyes on her, Ren Nuanyun was extremely pleased with herself and leisurely began to recite, "After the rain, the pond's surface is calm, like a polished mirror reflecting the eaves. Suddenly, the east wind rises and the willows dance, making a myriad of sounds from the lotus leaves."
As soon as Ren Nuanyun finished speaking, the hall fell silent, followed by even more enthusiastic applause and exclamations of praise.
"What a beautiful poem! What a beautiful poem!"
"This young lady's writing is truly remarkable and astonishing." The same voice rang out again.
The crown prince even stood up, looking at Ren Nuanyun with a mixture of shock and admiration.
"May I ask which family this young lady comes from?" The Crown Prince smiled, his smile as gentle as a breeze. Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, as if the sun had lost its heat.
"I am Ren Nuanyun, the fourth young lady of the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion." Ren Nuanyun was slightly embarrassed. Although she knew in her heart that this was the Crown Prince, no one had introduced him to her yet, so she could only pretend not to know.
"So you're the young lady from the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion. You are indeed exceptionally talented," the Crown Prince exclaimed repeatedly.
"Nuanyun, this is His Highness the Crown Prince," someone reminded Ren Nuanyun.
Ren Nuanyun smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness is too kind. I was just reciting a poem offhand."
"Yongchang, this poem by Miss Ren can be called a masterpiece. I wonder if it can be considered as winning first place?" The Crown Prince smiled and looked at Princess Yongchang.
“Brother Crown Prince, Miss Ren’s poem is indeed excellent. However, there are still others who haven’t written poems yet. We will decide on our response after they have written their poems,” Yongchang explained with a slight smile.
Yongchang didn't know why, but when she saw Ren Nuanyun appear, she felt inexplicably displeased, even though she had never met Ren Nuanyun before.
Today's poetry recitation activity has just begun, and who knows what amazing poems will follow.
"That's true, I was too hasty." The Crown Prince nodded with a light laugh and sat down again.
Several other noble ladies then composed a few poems, but with Ren Nuanyun's masterpiece preceding them, no matter how good the later poems were, everyone felt they were nothing special.
Although Ren Nuanyun didn't understand poetry, she believed in the profound cultural heritage left by China's five thousand years of history. Among those present, how many could surpass her?
Today's first prize was undoubtedly hers, and she even won the Crown Prince's praise. Ren Nuanyun felt that she had gained a lot today.
Unsurprisingly, Ren Nuanyun won first place in the poetry competition.
"It seems that among all the poems today, Fourth Miss Ren has won." Yongchang looked up at everyone and, seeing that no one had any objections, turned to the maid beside him.
The maid nodded and stepped forward slightly. "Today, Miss Ren won first place and won the red coral bonsai. The princess won second place and the eldest daughter of the Grand Tutor's family won third place."
He Xueying was always proud, but she never expected to be overshadowed by a mere concubine's daughter today, and she was filled with resentment towards Ren Nuanyun.
"Miss Ren is indeed very talented. I never expected that a concubine's daughter would be more talented than a legitimate daughter. Nuanqing, you must keep up the good work." He Xueying glanced at Ren Nuanqing meaningfully.
Ren Nuanqing's face paled slightly, and she lowered her head without saying a word.
Ren Nuanqing is the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Dingguo's family. However, after Ren Nuanyun transmigrated, she gained the Marquis of Dingguo's favor, and he was extremely biased towards her. Everything Ren Nuanyun did was right, while everything Ren Nuanyun did was wrong.
If he showed the slightest dissatisfaction with Ren Nuanyun, the Marquis of Dingguo would fly into a rage and scold him. Not only that, even his mother seemed to be bewitched, always favoring Ren Nuanyun, as if Ren Nuanyun was her biological daughter and he was just an adopted child.
No matter what method Ren Nuanqing came up with, Ren Nuanyun would always find out in advance and end up harming her instead. Now, no matter how unwilling Ren Nuanqing was, she dared not do anything.
She felt that as long as she stopped provoking Ren Nuanyun, maintaining the status quo would be fine.
Everyone was surprised to see that the usually proud Ren Nuanqing had lowered her head under the princess's words. What was wrong with Ren Nuanqing?
In the past, if anyone said anything bad about Ren Nuanqing, she would definitely retaliate on the spot. Why is she acting so strangely today?
Before anyone could even wonder what was going on, another voice rang out.
"Whether they are born of the principal wife or a concubine, they are all daughters of the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion, and they are all human beings. All people are born equal. The distinction between principal wife and concubine is merely a shackle of the times. Why does the princess have to say such things?"
Ren Nuanyun smiled at He Xueying, but her eyes were full of sarcasm. What does it matter if she is a legitimate daughter or an illegitimate daughter? As long as she has enough ability, who cares about her birth?
"Hmph, if people were born equal, wouldn't things be chaotic? There is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. Your talent is indeed quite good, even surpassing that of your legitimate sister. I recently heard that the Marquis of Dingguo also dotes on you, his illegitimate daughter, and even your concubine is favored, with her status even approaching that of the head mistress."
"It inevitably gives people the impression that the Marquis of Dingguo favors his concubine over his wife." He Xueying sneered and slowly retorted.
Favoring a concubine over one's wife is a serious crime nowadays, and in severe cases, it can even lead to demotion and salary reduction.
Qu Qingxi raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at everything in front of her. Every era has its own rules. In ancient times, there was a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. If Ren Nuanyun insisted on imposing the modern system, it would eventually cause trouble. What would Ren Nuanyun say in this situation?
Ren Nuanyun and Ren Nuanqing's expressions changed at the same time. Ren Nuanyun knew what those words meant and was about to speak in defense when she heard the Crown Prince speak.
"Xueying, it's just a poem, there's no need to make such a fuss."
Since the Crown Prince had spoken, He Xueying, no matter how dissatisfied she was, remained silent.
Ren Nuanyun was overjoyed that the Crown Prince would stand up for her. She glanced at him gratefully and thought to herself, "As expected of the male lead, he will still help me. So what if He Xueying is a princess? She still has to shut up."
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