The Regent Princess has run away again

After the middle-aged woman finished speaking, Xue Yumei stepped out from the group of noble ladies and bowed to Li Lian, "Madam Li, I am not talented enough to perform."

When Li Lian saw the person coming out, a smile appeared on her originally serious face. She liked this eldest daughter of the prime minister's family very much. She was not only knowledgeable, but also generous and decent. She was also awarded the title of talented woman last year.

"Then let's get started."

Xue Yumei looked at the roses outside the palace and recited the poem she had prepared: "The green trees are thick and shady in the long summer, the reflections of the pavilions are reflected in the pond, the crystal curtains move in the breeze, the roses are full of fragrance in the courtyard."

Li Lian felt as if she was in a yard full of roses. She seemed to really smell the fragrance of the flowers, which made her feel instantly relaxed and happy.

The other noble ladies could not help but look at each other in bewilderment. If this was considered embarrassing themselves, then wouldn't they be disgraced?

"As expected of Miss Xue, your writing is as good as ever."

Xue Yumei smiled modestly, then as if she had thought of something, she turned her head and looked at Xue Zhiyu: "When it comes to literary talent, my third sister's poems are first-rate. Zhiyu, come here quickly."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xue Zhiyu felt that all the noble ladies present were looking at her with disdain in their eyes. She laughed secretly in her heart, wondering if this elder sister was really stupid or just pretending to be stupid. How could she, a young lady who had just recently consulted a tutor, be able to compose first-class poems?

However, not only did she receive nine years of compulsory education, but Chinese was also her strong point.

Upon hearing this, Li Lian looked at the newly-appointed princess with a hint of anticipation in her eyes. She had heard a lot of stories about this princess. There were very few women practicing medicine, and their medical skills were so unique that it was simply unheard of.

"Thank you for your compliment, elder sister. How can my poems be compared with yours? There is a world of difference between them."

Xue Yumei thought Xue Zhiyu was admitting defeat, and didn't think carefully about why she said these words out of character today. She said slowly, "Third sister, don't be so modest. Today is the first time you've shown your face in front of everyone since you got married. Just act like usual."

"The spring eye silently cherishes the trickle, the tree shadow shines on the water and loves the gentle sunshine. The little lotus has just revealed its pointed tip, and a dragonfly has already landed on it."

The noble ladies who were originally whispering about the poem froze in laughter on their faces. Was this poem really said by that idiot?

Xue Yumei's smugness did not last long. After listening to Xue Zhiyu's poem, she narrowed her eyes and clenched the handkerchief tightly under her sleeve, but on the surface she still maintained the demeanor of a lady from a noble family, with a smiling look on her face.

Li Lian was still in shock and kept pondering the last sentence. This poem was different from the one by Xue Yumei. The line "The young lotus has just shown its pointed tip" reminded her of the lotus flowers that had just bloomed in a pond in the countryside, with a dragonfly standing playfully on the tip, as if it was also admiring the beautiful scenery.

At that moment, I was overwhelmed with emotions, and homesickness surged into my heart. My eyes unconsciously turned red. Although the capital city is good, there is always something missing.

Xue Yulu also saw this scene among the noble ladies. She thought that Xue Zhiyu had made Madam Li cry. She walked forward and pretended to be helpless and said, "Madam Li, my third sister has been free from restraint since she was a child. I hope you can forgive her for the sake of my young age."

What a carefree person! They just want to say that she is uneducated. The two sisters just want to see her get into trouble and will not miss any opportunity to say bad things about her.

Li Lian came back to her senses and wiped away the tears with a handkerchief. She shook her head and said, "No, the princess's poem is very beautiful. The last line, 'The little lotus has just shown its pointed tip, and a dragonfly has already landed on it', brought back some memories for me."

Xue Yulu was suddenly embarrassed. Feeling the contemptuous gazes from behind her, she bit her lip and took a few steps back without saying a word.

Let’s see how long she can remain so proud!

"Thank you for your praise, Madam Li."

Li Lian was very satisfied with Xue Zhiyu's neither humble nor arrogant attitude. Although she was a concubine's daughter, her manners were graceful and elegant, not inferior to other legitimate daughters at all.

Then it was the turn of other noble ladies to recite poems, but Li Lian's emotions did not fluctuate much. She was still thinking about Xue Zhiyu's poem. The more she thought about it, the more excited she felt. She wanted to take a piece of paper and write it down on the spot.

After everyone finished, Li Lian glanced at everyone and coughed a few times, "The poems of the noble ladies each have their own merits. This year, in addition to Miss Xue's poem, there is another lady whose poem left a deep impression on me."

Song Yaxuan hurriedly came to Zhao Hanming and flattered him, "Madam Li must be talking about you. When you were writing a poem just now, Madam Li praised your poem as unique."

"That's right, it couldn't be anyone else," Jiang Wenwen glanced at Xue Zhiyu meaningfully.

Xue Zhiyu just thought it was funny. She didn't want to argue with them, but she had to teach them a lesson about what it meant to be careful when talking too much!

"The one I'm talking about is Princess Kangle. Both Miss Xue and the princess' poems are excellent. Both poems exude a strong summer atmosphere."

These words were like an invisible slap in Zhao Hanming's face. The slightly smug smile on her face disappeared completely, and she glared at Xue Zhiyu fiercely.

Damn it! She was so embarrassed!

Li Lian continued, "But I still think the princess's poem is more relevant to life, so the princess wins this round of poetry competition."

This sentence made Xue Yumei's smile froze. She felt like she couldn't keep pretending any longer, but she still had to smile and congratulate: "Congratulations, sister Zhiyu. Finally, everyone can see your talent."

Xue Zhiyu was a little surprised that Xue Yumei, the elder sister, could pretend so well. If she didn't know her true nature, she might have actually believed her words.

Xue Yulu was extremely dissatisfied with this result. This little bitch just wrote a crappy poem. What's so great about that?

Li Lian really likes this princess. Her intuition tells her that this princess is definitely not an ordinary lady. Her calmness in the face of praise or criticism means that she is destined to achieve great things.

Xue Zhiyu met Li Lian's kind eyes and nodded at her. "As the saying goes, there are many good horses, but few good horse trainers. Madam Li, you are my good horse trainer. No matter what the result is, I am very happy to be appreciated by you."

"The princess is really good at talking. Go and prepare for the next round of competition. I will report everything to the Queen then." Li Lian usually didn't like compliments, but Xue Zhiyu's words were just right, making her feel comfortable.

After Li Lian left, the noble ladies felt that there was no point in staying any longer and left the palace one after another.

Chen Shanrong walked over quickly, looking at Xue Zhiyu with admiration, "Zhiyu, you are so amazing. I already have the image of that poem in my mind. How did you come up with it?"

Xue Zhiyu felt a little guilty. After all, she didn't write the poem originally, she just borrowed it. She laughed a few times and said, "I just suddenly remembered it. Can you tell me what the extra games in previous years were like?"

Chen Shanrong didn't hesitate and followed her words, "In previous years, the extra round was set by the Queen, and it seemed to be a lantern riddle. As for the specific content, only the young ladies who can advance know it. However, the extra round questions are different every year, and I don't know if it will be a lantern riddle this year."

Xue Zhiyu nodded. In that case, she would just deal with it as it came. She didn't really care about the reputation of this talented woman anyway.

The two of them also walked out of the palace together, leaving only Xue Yumei and her sister.

Xue Yulu looked at Xue Zhiyu's receding back, her eyes seemed to be spitting fire.

"How are you preparing?"

"Humph, I've already prepared for this. This time she won't be able to escape even if she has wings!"

Xue Yumei responded indifferently and left without looking back. She had something important to do.

After Xue Zhiyu returned to her seat and sat down, the serving maid came forward and poured tea for the two of them. The Queen also received the results of the competition.

Seeing Xue Zhiyu's name on the list was somewhat unexpected. After all, this princess had just recently hired a teacher. It was already amazing that she was good at medicine. I didn't expect that her poetry was also so brilliant.

The other noble ladies also returned to their seats one after another, and they were all looking forward to the result this time. They were even privately wondering whether the eldest daughter of the Xue family would win the first prize again.

Yu Jingshu picked up the list handed over by the palace maid next to her, and glanced at the noble ladies sitting below. "I won't say much about the others. The winner of the piano art is Bai Wei, the winner of the chess art is Huang Li... The winner of the poetry art is Xue Zhiyu."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an immediate uproar among the noble ladies. They couldn't believe what they heard. This time, the princess who had never been to college actually won the first place. How could they accept this?

If they said that the first prize went to the eldest daughter of the Xue family, they would also be convinced. Miss Xue is a top-notch talent in the academy, and it is only natural that she won the first prize.

But the young ladies who participated in the poetry competition remained silent, because the poems sung by Princess Xue that they heard on the spot were indeed remarkable.

"Your Majesty, I have an unwelcome request. I would like to hear the princess's poems. Do I have the opportunity to do so?"

The girl in a goose yellow floor-length fairy dress stood up, bowed to the queen, then glanced at Xue Zhiyu and slowly asked.

The girl was very pretty, even a little arrogant, with a fair face, curved slender eyebrows, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes that added a bit of charm to her looks. She had an elegant posture, and although she was resentful in her heart, her words were just right and she did not act rudely to others.

Yu Jingshu frowned slightly when she saw the girl. She recognized this woman, Zhao Guifei's concubine sister Zhao Manrou, who was also on the list of concubines to be selected.

She did not rush to answer, but looked at Xue Zhiyu who remained silent and asked, "Princess, what do you think?"

Xue Zhiyu stood up and bowed to Yu Jingshu. "Since the young lady wants to hear my poem, I have no choice but to perform my poetry." After saying that, she recited the poem again.

Although Yu Jingshu had read it once, she still felt refreshed when she heard it in person. She looked at the princess a few more times and waved to the maidservant beside her. "The princess's poem is very beautiful. I was also brought to a different realm by it. Come, give my agate bracelet to the princess."

The queen took off the bracelet on her wrist and placed it on the wooden tray of the palace maid.

The noble ladies were now very upset. This was the bracelet worn by the Queen, and it was not comparable to ordinary rewards. How could it be given to the princess like this? !

After Xue Zhiyu received it, she quickly bowed to express her gratitude. She herself had never thought that the Queen would actually reward her with a bracelet that she could wear close to her body.

When Zhao Manrou saw this, she felt very disdainful of the Queen's actions. She had heard that the Queen was not favored and was even worse than Chen Zhaoyi.

"Your talent is truly enough to put me to shame. I never thought that after so many years of studying in the academy, I am still not as good as you. It seems that the academy should ask you to be a teacher. I hope you will teach me more in the future."

Xue Zhiyu saw Zhao Manrou's sincerity, as if she really wanted to learn from her. But the meaning behind her words was intriguing. On the surface, she was praising her, but in fact, she was making enemies for her. If she didn't answer well, she would not only offend the officials and gentlemen of the academy, but also all the young ladies. It was really cruel.

Sure enough, after Zhao Manrou finished speaking, the other noble ladies' faces suddenly became very ugly, and they felt even more resentful towards Xue Zhiyu.

Yu Jingshu could also understand the meaning behind Zhao Manrou's words, and couldn't help but sneer in her heart. There were few people in the Zhao family who were worry-free. She didn't know what His Majesty was thinking. Why did he want a girl from the Zhao family to enter the palace as a concubine?

"Miss, you are too kind. How dare I show off my skills in front of the college teachers? I don't deserve this compliment. The ladies all have their own strengths. How can I generalize them all? And I just happened to have some understanding of poetry, so I wrote this poem."

This sentence was said neither humbly nor arrogantly, and the words were not harsh, but one could hear the humility of the speaker, which made Yu Jingshu look at him with higher regard.

Zhao Manrou didn't expect that the trap in her words could be easily resolved. She became more wary of Xue Zhiyu. It seemed that this princess was not someone who could be easily dealt with.

"The princess is indeed very talented. I really admire her."

"Okay, this extra test will be a bit difficult. Please talk about your understanding of civil officials and military commanders. I hope you ladies will not disappoint me."

Xue Zhiyu raised her eyebrows at this topic. She didn't expect the queen to ask such a question.

Bai Wei, who won the first prize in Qin Art, thought for a moment and said, "I think civil officials cannot be compared with military generals. Military generals are very brave in fighting the enemy, but without civil officials giving advice and suggestions behind the scenes, it is impossible to win the battle."

"I disagree. Civil officials certainly have merits, but how can they be compared with military generals? Military generals win glory for the country, while civil officials are just talking."

The ladies were talking to each other, and in the end they wanted to strangle each other to death.

Yu Jingshu looked at the young lady below who was arguing with red face and thick neck. She no longer had her usual composure and looked no different from a shrew on the street.

"This is not a place for quarreling. Please pay attention to your image." There was a hint of coercion in the tone, which made people shudder.

The young lady who was still arguing suddenly shut her mouth and knelt down tremblingly, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

"Just remember where this is and don't do anything that would be beneath your dignity."

"Yes."

Yu Jingshu looked at Xue Zhiyu who was silent, and said, "Princess, what do you think?"

Xue Zhiyu stood up calmly, walked to the center, bowed and said, "Regarding the relationship between civil officials and military generals mentioned by the Queen, I think both are indispensable. Civil officials provide protection for the soldiers in the rear, while military generals resist foreign invasions. The two do not interfere with each other, and can even be said to be mutually beneficial."

At this time, outside the Baihua Garden, Xia Yu signaled the palace maid not to go in to report for the time being, and listened quietly to Xue Zhiyu's speech. Nangong Ye behind her naturally knew who was speaking, so he did not say anything.

After Xue Zhiyu finished speaking, Nangong Ye found that he had a better understanding of this princess. She was like a bottomless treasure chest, and one never knew how many surprises were inside.

Xia Yu was obviously a little surprised by her remarks, but she was more curious about where this princess had learned this knowledge.

"how do you feel?"

Nangong Ye said truthfully: "The princess's answer is very good. I didn't expect the princess to think of this. But nowadays, there are still conflicts between civil officials and military generals. Although it has not been noticed in the court, it can still be seen in private."

Xia Yu didn't say anything for a while. From his position, he could have a clear view of the banquet. He originally planned to just take a look and leave, but when he saw a familiar figure, his eyes paused, pursed his lips, turned around and left.

Nangong Ye followed his gaze, thought about it thoughtfully, and finally stopped at Xue Zhiyu.

The woman was wearing a lilac-colored gauze dress today. She had an indifferent expression and a hint of nonchalance between her eyebrows. Her bright and beautiful peach blossom eyes were still as dazzling as ever, making people unable to look away.

Nangong Ye only felt that something seemed to pop up in his heart, and a terrible thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly ignored it. His originally calm eyes were filled with strange emotions.

She stood alone in the center, but her confidence did not diminish. Even though the queen was dressed elegantly, her aura was not inferior at all.

He looked for a while and finally turned and left.