Playing bad and eating melons: The whole court is laughing? No, no

Jiang Yueyang stood up and bowed, "Your Majesty, I am now in good health and there is no need to call for a doctor."

Speaking of this, she couldn't understand why her parents announced to the public that she was in poor health.

Her body is obviously as strong as a bull!

"That's good." The Queen nodded with a smile, then looked at the other noble ladies. "I've heard about the talents of each of these girls before, and now I can't wait to see them for myself."

Upon hearing this, the Princess immediately said to the senior palace maid beside her, "Fuling, why don't you quickly present the poems written by the girls from each family?"

"Yes." Fuling responded respectfully and raised her hand to signal the palace maids below to collect the poems written by the noble ladies.

When Jiang Yueyang saw the palace maid collecting the poems from behind like papers, she hurriedly grabbed the brush and racked her brains to search for the ancient poems in her memory.

Peony poems, peony poems, peony poems, Li Bai? Du Fu? Got it!

Jiang Yueyang picked up the pen and quickly wrote a poem on the paper. She hadn't finished writing when the palace maid received it from her.

"Wait, just a few more words, it will be ready soon."

"Don't be anxious, Miss Jiang. Take your time." The Queen said considerately.

But Jiang Yueyang didn't dare to let the Queen wait for her. She quickly put down the last stroke, blew on the ink that had not yet dried, and handed it to the palace maid waiting in front of her.

The palace maids presented the peony poems written by the ladies of various families to the Queen's desk. The first one was the masterpiece by Wen Shuyan, the daughter of the Left Prime Minister.

After seeing it, the Queen nodded repeatedly with a bright smile on her face, showing that she was very satisfied.

He seemed quite satisfied with the next few poems, but the smile on his lips faded a little.

Then there are the occasional frowns and occasional smiles, with both satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

It was not until she saw the poem written by Jiang Yueyang that she stopped reading and handed the poem in her hand to the person beside her.

"Aunt Shang, please read this poem to everyone and see if you can win the first prize today."

Aunt Shang took it with both hands, glanced at the contents, then stepped forward and read aloud: "The peonies in the courtyard are wild and without character, the lotus in the pond is pure and sentimental. Only the peony is the true national beauty, and when it blooms, the capital city is moved." (From Liu Yuxi's "Appreciating Peonies")

All the noble ladies were surprised when they heard this poem, especially the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor and the daughter of the Left Prime Minister, who were both known for their talent.

They originally thought that the champion today would be either themselves or the other party, but they didn't expect that there would be someone better than them.

Jiang Yueyang was not at all surprised by this. After all, the poem she wrote was a masterpiece by the Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi.

There's just one downside: she'll be too much of a star, and the Queen might very well take a fancy to her.

She didn't want to be a princess at all.

It’s all my fault that I handed in the paper in such a hurry that I forgot that the Queen was choosing a concubine for the Crown Prince.

"Girls, do you think this poem deserves the first prize today?" asked the Queen after taking a look around.

The Grand Tutor's granddaughter, Gu Ruo, stepped out first and said, "Well-deserved."

The Empress nodded in satisfaction, "Miss Gu Ruo's poem is also very good, tied for second place with Shu Yan from the Zuo Xiang family."

Wen Shuyan came out upon hearing the voice and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I would like to ask, which girl wrote that poem just now?"

"It's the girl from the Jiang family."

After he finished speaking, everyone looked at Jiang Yueyang who was still sitting upright in his seat.

It turned out to be her.

Jiang Yueyang quickly stood up, then gritted her teeth and knelt down again in order to avoid becoming the Crown Princess. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"Miss Jiang, what are you doing? Get up and talk."

Jiang Yueyang did not stand up, but leaned over and said, "Your Majesty, that poem was seen in my dream, not written by me.

"What you saw in a dream?" The Queen asked in surprise. "That's quite novel. Miss Jiang, please get up first."

Jiang Yueyang then stood up and stood there with his head down.

"Such talent, even if it was acquired in a dream, is also a blessing for Miss Jiang." The Queen smiled and said, "I wonder how knowledgeable Miss Jiang is?"

"Your Highness... Your Highness..." Jiang Yueyang stammered, "Your Highness dares not deceive the Empress. The teachers who taught me all said that they were too incompetent to teach me. My father spent a lot of money, but they were unwilling to continue teaching me."

In this case, she shouldn't be chosen as the Crown Princess, right?

The smile on the Empress's lips froze. How bad must her condition be for the teacher to prefer to say self-deprecating words rather than teach her anymore?

"Miss Jiang is a...honest girl."

Jiang Yueyang smiled embarrassedly, "The main reason is that I dare not deceive the queen."

"Studying is so tiring. Why should I, a daughter of an official family who has everything I need, including food, clothing, and money, work so hard? It's so much easier to just eat and play every day! Don't you agree, little melon?"

[Yes! Those scholars study to gain fame and fortune, and to secure high positions and generous salaries. The host has been well-fed and well-clothed since birth, and is loved by his parents and brothers. He doesn't need to work as hard as they do.]

Her Majesty: This Miss Jiang is quite uneducated!

The noble ladies nodded in agreement in their hearts: Yes, yes, you are right, don’t try too hard, let me be the Crown Princess.

The Queen looked calmly at the noble ladies present and made a preliminary judgment on the candidate for the future Crown Princess.

At this time, there was hearty laughter and approaching footsteps, as well as the eunuch's announcement, coming from not far away.

After a while, the Emperor of Daxia appeared in everyone's sight with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

The Queen stood up, and everyone present stood up as well.

"Your Majesty, your Highness, and your Highness the Crown Prince."

The Great Xia Emperor walked to the side of the Empress before raising his hand to excuse everyone from their formalities. "Excuse me, I happened to be passing by the Imperial Garden and heard from Li Fuquan that the Princess was hosting a banquet to appreciate the flowers there, so I came over to join in the fun. But am I disturbing you all?"

"No."

What's wrong with this couple? They both come here with the same excuse to help His Royal Highness choose a concubine. But I have to say, our Royal Highness is really handsome!

The emperor, who was about to reach out secretly to pull the empress, paused. Was someone talking just now?

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also looked around in confusion when he heard someone mention him.

The Empress was embarrassed and felt even more resentful towards the Emperor. She dodged the Emperor's outstretched hand and ignored him.

System: [Hahahaha... The Emperor is not here to help His Royal Highness the Crown Prince choose a Crown Princess.]

【Then what is he doing here? 】

[He came to appease the Queen.]

[Oh~ Sounds like a big deal! Tell me quickly, how did Your Majesty offend the Empress?]