As soon as they reached the gate, Tang Wenli, Fang Jue, Tang Wanying, and several scholars chased after them. The Tang siblings apologized to Tian Yu and Li Xingyun repeatedly, and Li Xingyun smiled calmly and said, "It's alright! I'm sorry to have disappointed everyone."
"Brother Li, it was my oversight. I had thought that since you had just arrived in the capital, I could take this opportunity to introduce everyone to you, but who would have thought it would turn out like this."
"Xingyun, I'm sorry. I made my brother do this. Please don't blame him," Tang Wanying said.
"Since you're here, everyone will probably know me by tomorrow, and you've achieved your goal."
"That's not it, I just wanted to help you, I'm sorry," Tang Wanying said.
"Brother Li, blame me if you must; it was my fault for not handling it well," Tang Wenli said.
"Alright, you can all go back now. The Crown Prince and the Prince are still waiting. That's the truth, and I don't blame anyone," Li Xingyun said.
"Mr. Tian, please forgive us for our rudeness today; it was our oversight," Fang Jue said, bowing slightly.
"She's fine! You don't need to apologize," Zhao Moyan said, as Tian Yu leaned against him, almost falling asleep.
"However, I still feel ashamed. I had intended to invite Mr. Tian to discuss poetry and literature with me, but who would have thought..."
"Alright, it's not your fault. Let's continue another time!" Tian Yu waved her hand and said, then tilted her head and said to Zhao Moyan, "Mr. Zhao, I want to go home!"
"Okay! I'll head back now!"
"Lord Marquis! Mr. Tian and Brother Li have offended us greatly today, please forgive them!" Everyone bowed and greeted him, and Zhao Moyan carried Tian Yu into the carriage.
After bidding them farewell, Tian Yu and the others returned to Qinyuan. Meanwhile, at the banquet on the other side, the young master who had been publicly humiliated was Cui Shi, the young master of Minister Cui's family. He was kneeling before the Crown Prince, pleading, "Your Highness, the Marquis of Zhenbei and his wife have no respect for you at all. They left without a word and even attacked me. You must seek justice for me!"
"Meddlesome! Why didn't you say anything earlier? Now that everyone's gone, you're still getting worked up," said Prince Wu.
"This Tian Yu is indeed arrogant. Because of Mr. Jiang, everyone respectfully calls her Mr. Tian, but she doesn't know the proper etiquette," someone chimed in.
"Exactly! I've heard that all his poems are plagiarized; he's all talk and no action."
“Yes! We’ve never seen her write poems herself; they’re all just passed down from others. Who knows if they were copied?”
"I've also heard some things. Tian Yu is just an illiterate countrywoman. Who knows how she got these poems?"
"I would believe it if you said it was written by the Marquis of Zhenbei, but I really don't see how Tian Yu can write any good poems."
A murmur of discussion immediately arose at the banquet, but the Crown Prince remained silent. They had all heard the poem, but were still unconvinced. Tang Wenli and the others had heard this when they entered and were very angry. They shouted, "Shut up! Stop talking nonsense! His Majesty already decided on Mr. Tian's character in court that day. How can you say something contrary to His Majesty's opinion?"
"I understand now. If I were Mr. Tian, I would also choose to leave. I really have nothing to say to you so-called literati," Fang Jue said angrily.
"What about the fact that she hit me? My father is the Minister of Rites, after all. How could she, a country bumpkin, humiliate me in public like that? How do you settle this score?"
"You were the one who spoke out of turn and insulted her brother first. So what if I hit you, you country bumpkin? Don't forget that she is a first-rank lady personally appointed by the Emperor. She can send you to the authorities even if she has to hit you," Fang Jue said angrily.
"You!? Don't think I don't know. You were their son's tutor. How come you've already sided with them so quickly? Don't forget you're a retainer of the Tang family."
"I think you've misunderstood. It should have been our Tang family who taught you a lesson, but my brother and I tolerated it out of politeness. However, you shouldn't be so aggressive. Don't even mention Mr. Tian; go and ask around and see if you can humiliate Doctor Li. I advise you to leave as soon as possible," Tang Wanying said slowly, stopping Fang Jue who was about to step forward.
"Your Highness, I am indeed the tutor of the Marquis's son, but I sought this position because I admired Ms. Tian. Although it has not been long, I know Ms. Tian's character well. As for her poetry, I am far inferior to her. This collection of poems was obtained by me at Qinyuan. It is a daily reading book that Ms. Tian wrote for her son. Please take a look, Your Highness." After Fang Jue finished speaking, he took out the collection of poems he carried with him and presented it.
The crown prince took the collection of poems presented by the servant, flipped through a few pages, and then looked up in surprise, asking, "You're saying this was just something she casually wrote for her son to see?!"
"Yes, there are fifty poems in total. This is a copy I made with your permission. Mr. Tian said that they are just some simple verses, and he was afraid that the children would not be able to understand them, so he wrote them simply."
"Your Highness! Tian Yu attacked first, you must do justice for me!" Cui Shi pleaded, kneeling down.
After thinking for a long time, the Crown Prince said, "Cui Shi! You were in the wrong today. In my opinion, let it go and go back first."
"Crown Prince! Crown Prince!" Cui Shi wanted to say something, but his eyes turned to the Li siblings, hoping they would help him.
Just as Li Weiwei was about to get up and speak, Li Li stopped her. Seeing this, the Sixth Prince said, "Alright, someone take this Cui Shi out. Don't spoil our enjoyment."
So everyone continued drinking tea and discussing poetry, but this time they were reading Tian Yu's poetry collection. When they got to the last poem, "Prelude to Water Melody," the Crown Prince asked, "This poem is quite different from the others, isn't it?"
"Your Highness, this poem was not originally here; I added it myself later."
"So this was also done by Mr. Tian?"
"Yes! Mr. Tian invited everyone to have hot pot on the day of Lidong (the beginning of winter), and this poem was recited by Mr. Tian to add to the festivities that day."
"Hot pot, could it be the hot pot that's been popular in the capital lately?" the Third Prince asked.
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