After the death of the host: the tyrant cried red eyes

Han Lingyi bowed slightly, with elegant manners and humble words: "The Queen Mother is too kind to praise me, Han Ling does not deserve it."

Empress Dowager Xu's smile was as beautiful as a blooming spring flower, full of admiration: "Of course, Princess Lingyun deserves the title."

The appearance of the third prince of Wei State failed to arouse the same enthusiasm of Empress Dowager Xu. Her smile seemed a little forced, and her response was just a polite courtesy.

Shen Bingning stood beside Xiao Yi, quietly capturing the subtle emotional fluctuations of Empress Dowager Xu, and secretly commented in her heart that this empress dowager was indeed a master in the palace, good at guessing people's hearts, but facing the weaker Wei State, her attitude was inevitably reserved.

Wei Yuchen, the third prince of Wei State, seemed a little embarrassed in the face of Shen Bingning's friendly smile. There seemed to be some kind of resonance between the two. As both were strangers in a foreign land, Shen Bingning empathized with his situation.

She quietly recommended the pear blossom cake on the table. Wei Yuchen was slightly surprised, and then tasted it. Her innocent and slightly shy look made people feel pity for her.

Shen Bingning's favorable impression emerged naturally, and she recommended fruit wine. Wei Yuchen gladly accepted it, but coughed slightly because he drank too quickly. This scene made Shen Bingning concerned and wanted to reach out to comfort him, but when she touched him, she felt Xiao Yi's gaze, which contained both a smile and a hint of warning.

"My beloved concubine is in a good mood. It seems that you are confident about today's competition."

There was a hint of sarcasm in Xiao Yi's words, reminding Shen Bingning not to forget the occasion.

Shen Bingning responded tactfully, and cleverly turned the topic to her own experience of being rescued to explain her care for Wei Yuchen.

Xiao Yi seemed to be playing with the empty wine glass in his hand nonchalantly, but he was actually testing Shen Bingning's reaction. She quickly understood and filled it with wine.

Every request of Xiao Yi seems unreasonable, but in fact it is a test for Shen Bingning, and she can always respond cleverly in her own way.

In the palace, Shen Bingning and Xiao Yi became the focus. One was the legendary emperor of Yan State, and the other was the newly-promoted favorite concubine. Their interaction was like a silent drama, attracting everyone's attention.

The discussions of the surrounding officials, Xiao Yi's eccentricity, and Shen Bingning's witty responses together weave a complex and splendid palace picture.

In this contest of power and wisdom, Shen Bingning not only demonstrated her intelligence and cleverness, but also inadvertently revealed the subtlety and complexity of court life.

And Xiao Yi, the seemingly cold-blooded King of Yan, inadvertently revealed his special feelings for Shen Bingning, which added a bit of warmth and expectation to this court gathering.

In the center of the hall, four court attendants dressed in gorgeous palace costumes stood solemnly, each holding a tray inlaid with gold edges and covered with exquisite brocade, looking mysterious and solemn.

The sunlight shines through the gaps in the high-hanging glazed tiles, reflecting the gold edge on the tray, shimmering a faint glow.

Empress Dowager Xu spoke in a gentle voice with unquestionable majesty. She said, "In these four trays, there are exam questions that will determine the fate of the scholars from the four countries. The rules are simple and clear: After the competition, the scholars will be judged by everyone present."

After she finished speaking, her eyes swept across everyone present, revealing a bit of anticipation.

At this time, Eunuch Sun beside Xiao Yuji slowly walked to the center. He moved lightly and gracefully. He gently lifted the brocade covering the first plate and meticulously examined the question hidden underneath.

After he confirmed that everything was correct, he turned his gaze to Cui Rong, who had an elegant temperament, and announced solemnly: "The first competition is a literary competition. You are required to complete a poem within a limited time. The judging power will be held by the King of Qi, the King of Yan, the Regent of Han, and the three princes of Wei. Please ask the representatives of each country to step forward."

When Xiao Shengzi introduced the contestants from other countries one by one, Cui Rong secretly sighed inwardly that each opponent had obviously been carefully selected and well-prepared, and was undoubtedly a strong competitor.

On the other hand, Song Yanyi, the monarch with a violent temper, threw all the responsibility of the competition to her until the moment he arrived in Beijing. He himself became a hands-off boss and even excessively demanded that she win every game beautifully.

At this time, Queen Xi Yan of Chu, who was standing beside Xiao Yuji, had a faint smile on her face and said softly, "Recently, the palace was lucky enough to get two poems written by Lady Liu. Her talent is amazing. I dare to assert that there are probably very few poets in this world who can surpass Lady Liu. Today's competition is more about appreciating the elegance of each hero. If Lady Liu participates in the literary competition, then the winner will be a foregone conclusion."

These words not only highly praised Cui Rong, but also quietly made enemies, and implicitly expressed that Cui Rong should not participate in the competition, but people could not find any reason to refute it, which was full of clever diplomatic skills.

Normally, such words would be enough to shake people and make them withdraw from the competition, but Cui Rongrong did not participate voluntarily. She had no choice but to face the challenge.

She stood up and walked to the center with great grace, her voice clear and firm: "Thank you Queen Chu for your compliment. In that case, I will not refuse the crown today."

Her neither humble nor arrogant attitude made Xi Yan, who had expected her to humbly decline, stunned for a moment and didn't know how to respond.

Wei Yuchen lowered his head and chuckled, expressing his approval of Cui Rong's pride, which was similar to Song Yanyi's. She was worthy of being Song Yanyi's princess, even the pride in her bones was exactly the same.

The new champion An Mingyuan scoffed at this. He thought, how could Cui Rong, who was born a slave, know how to write poetry? Her previous works must have borrowed the wisdom of others, and this time the topic was far away from the usual flowers and birds and the sadness of autumn, so she would definitely show her true colors.

If Cui Rong knew what he was thinking, she might even find his "insight" funny because it just happened to inadvertently reveal her secret identity.

Yang Qing, the Korean contestant, put his hands behind his back and said to Eunuch Sun, "Please announce the topic of the essay contest as soon as possible."

After receiving a signal from the host, Eunuch Sun unveiled the brocade and the title appeared: "With the border as the theme, complete a poem within the time of one stick of incense."

An Mingyuan was secretly happy. Women often prefer to write poems about the joys and sorrows of flowers and birds, but Cui Rong might find it difficult to handle such a majestic theme as the frontier.

Although the topic was not complicated and she had many poems of this type in her memory, Cui Rong frowned as to which one to choose.

These poems often involve specific place names, but this fictional world does not have corresponding geographical locations. Once the wrong choice is made, it may be difficult to justify oneself.

While others were deep in thought, Cui Rong suddenly picked up the pen, and the ink danced rapidly on the paper as if it were given life, arousing the curiosity of people around.

Contestants including An Mingyuan, Yang Qing, and Zeng Xingxue each started their own creations, while Cui Rong's actions even made Xiao Shengzi stand on tiptoe.