Red Mansion Daiyu, the Rise of the Lin Family

"Of course there must be a punishment." Huo'er showed a sly smile, "Who would have thought that the selection of the princess's mansion would contain such a test?"

"Huo'er, you are right." Princess Chaoyang nodded, "However, the punishment this time is not as simple as before." After saying that, she motioned for the housekeeper to come forward.

The housekeeper understood what she meant and turned around to take out a bundle of red ribbons from a box nearby.

She unfolded the ribbon, on which hung crystal clear pearls, sparkling with alluring luster under the light.

"Look, each of these pearls is worth a fortune."

Princess Chaoyang smiled and said, "Whoever can pass the next test will get a string of pearls as a reward. However, the loser will be punished."

Lin Daiyu and the other ladies looked at each other, wondering what other punishment Princess Chaoyang had prepared.

At this moment, the housekeeper suddenly came out, holding a long bamboo whip in her hand and a cold smile on her lips.

"The punishment this time is that the person who runs the slowest among you will be punished with five lashes." The housekeeper said coldly.

"Five whips?" someone exclaimed in a low voice.

"That's right, five lashes." Princess Chaoyang sneered, "And, these five lashes will be carried out by me personally."

Lin Daiyu and other ladies gasped. They didn't expect that Princess Chaoyang would carry out the punishment personally.

You are so bold that you dare to hit the lady. Does His Majesty care?

Lin Daiyu is not afraid of these tests, but it is very interesting to test literary talent. There is no standard, so Princess Chaoyang can just say whatever she wants.

Lin Daiyu touched the soft whip at her waist, hoping not to use you.

"Okay, let's get started without further ado." Princess Chaoyang said with a smile, "The first item is to test your literary talent."

Lin Daiyu and other ladies looked at Princess Chaoyang nervously, waiting for her to announce the content of the test.

Princess Chaoyang smiled slightly, and she said calmly: "You are all talented women, I believe you all have a certain understanding of poetry and songs."

"For this test, we will use a poem as the theme. You need to complete the creation within the specified time. The title is "Spring Dawn."

"That's an interesting request!" Princess Chaoyang reminded maliciously.

After giving the reminder, he stopped paying attention to everyone and went on chatting with Huo'er.

When the ladies heard this topic, they were immediately shocked.

This topic seems simple, but it is not an easy task to write a poem with beautiful artistic conception and profound meaning in a short period of time.

And it has to be interesting. What is interesting? Everyone was at a loss and pondered over it.

Lin Daiyu pondered for a moment, then picked up a pen and began to write quickly on the paper.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of spring scenery, the tranquility of the morning, the vitality of all things coming back to life.

I’m not good at writing poetry, but I find it interesting!

As time passed, the ladies were busy creating.

Some people frowned and thought hard; others were full of ideas and wrote eloquently.

Princess Chaoyang turned around and observed everyone quietly, her gaze especially lingering on Lin Daiyu for a moment.

This seemingly weak woman has a unique temperament that makes her impossible to ignore.

Finally, the allotted time was up. Princess Chaoyang signaled everyone to stop creating, and then began to examine their works one by one.

When she saw Lin Daiyu's poem, she couldn't help laughing. Good! Good! Good! It's really interesting.

Lin Daiyu's poem is as follows:

Chun Xiao

The green willow catkins are half yellow, chickens are flying, dogs are jumping, and parrots are busy.

Orioles are singing and dancing on the branches, and maids and old women are changing into new clothes.

Princess Chaoyang nodded approvingly. Good, she is indeed the girl I like.

As for other ladies, their works also have their own merits, but they are too pedantic.

Princess Chaoyang selected eight people as winners based on her own choice, including Jia Tanchun and Xue Baochai.

According to the previous agreement, the winner will receive a string of pearls as a reward, while the loser will be punished with five lashes.

Princess Chaoyang ordered her men to give the pearls to Lin Daiyu and eight other people, and then turned to the ladies who failed the test.

She pulled out the whip from her waist and her eyes turned cold.

"Now, begin the punishment." Princess Chaoyang said coldly.

The others began to tremble, but Princess Chaoyang said indifferently,

"Which of you comes first?"

At this moment, a woman suddenly shouted, "Chaoyang, you are so cruel. My father is the Left Censor-in-Chief. Aren't you afraid of being impeached in the court?"

Princess Chaoyang laughed, "Oh! I almost forgot, you are the concubine's daughter of Zuodu Yushi's family, right?"

"I'm afraid of impeachment. How many of you here are the favorite daughters of your families?"

"It's just a tool thrown out by the family to curry favor with the rich and powerful."

"Believe it or not, I just need to tell His Majesty that you have made me unhappy."

"Do you think your father will tie you up and send you here?"

Everyone was disheartened when they heard this. Yes, they were all sent here by their fathers when they heard that the princess was looking for study companions.

But Lin Daiyu is not like that.

Besides, she had long been annoyed with Huo'er who was eager to try.

This is a girl with a vicious mind. It is best not to let her stay out of this. Maybe all these bad ideas are from her.

Thinking of this, Lin Daiyu added fuel to the fire sarcastically.

"Princess, what kind of girl is this from the family of the Left Censor-in-Chief? I didn't expect that she has no talent at all. Isn't it just a funny poem?"

"That's just a mouthful. Princess, although we were all thrown out of our families, there is one person here, right? Miss Huo'er is also participating in the selection?"

"Does she need to write poetry?"

"I think Miss Huo'er must be very talented, otherwise how could the princess be lenient with you and admit you in advance?"

"How dare you! Lin Daiyu, how dare you criticize the princess?" Huo'er heard that Lin Daiyu was actually taking the blame on herself when he heard that she hadn't even found fault with her yet.

"I'm not criticizing the princess. I'm speaking up for her. The princess is a descendant of a royal family. How can she be surrounded by such an uneducated person?"

"If Miss Huo'er doesn't write poetry, I won't accept it."

"What made Miss Huo'er selected? If everyone wants to do the same, what do you want the princess to do?"

Princess Chaoyang listened to Lin Daiyu's instigation but did not express her opinion.

Lin Daiyu's eyebrows drooped.

"This is such an unfair competition. I'm going to quit, Your Highness."

Lin Daiyu spread her hands forward. She was not doing this for those failed girls.

For her own sake, she had to prevent the princess from hitting her.

Upon hearing this, Princess Chaoyang glared at Lin Daiyu inexplicably and a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"Huo'er, what do you think?" She turned to look at Huo'er, with a hint of inexplicable expectation in her eyes.

I hope this fire will live up to its promise.

Huo'er was stunned for a moment. She obviously didn't expect Lin Daiyu to suddenly point the finger at her. "Princess, I..." She hesitated, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

Seeing this, Lin Daiyu was secretly delighted. She continued, "Since Miss Huo'er thinks she is so talented, why don't you dare to accept the challenge? Are you afraid of losing? Are you afraid of being whipped?"

Huo'er was so angry that her face turned red. "Who's afraid? It's just writing a poem, what's the difficulty?" She said angrily.

Princess Chaoyang looked at Huo'er, a gleam of satisfaction flashing in her eyes. "Okay, then write a poem and let me see your talent."