After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

The moment the two stopped writing, a palace servant presented the poems they had just written to the emperor.

As is customary, Su Zixiu's work was recited first: "Creation is silent yet full of affection, and spring is felt every time the cold ends. A thousand reds and ten thousand purples are arranged, waiting only for the first sound of thunder."

This poem is perfectly balanced in its parallelism, combining description of scenery with expression of emotions; it is truly a rare masterpiece!

Emperor Sheng did not hesitate to praise such a fine poem: "What a fine poem! Young Master Su truly deserves to be called a renowned talent in Anguo!"

Su Zixiu returned the bow to Emperor Sheng: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing Emperor Sheng say this, Prince Su was very pleased. This poem had at least not tarnished the reputation of his Da'an!

Everyone has already seen Su Zixiu's poems, so naturally they want to see Yang Bo's.

The palace maid recited: "Two or three peach blossoms bloom outside the bamboo grove, the ducks are the first to know when the spring river warms. Watercress covers the ground and reeds are short, just when the pufferfish are about to swim upstream."

Both poems have their own merits, and it's really hard to say which is better!

Poetry is a matter of personal taste; everyone has different preferences. Some people like it lively and expressive, while others prefer it subtle and intricate. Some like seven-character poems, while others prefer five-character poems. It's truly impossible to please everyone!

The ministers on both sides argued their points, but neither could convince the other, and they finally reached a reluctant consensus: this round is considered a draw!

This result, while unexpected, is also reasonable, since it would be difficult for Su Zixiu and Yang Bo themselves to determine who was better.

The second round naturally fell to Su Ziqi and Wen Tingzhu, which was also the round that An Guo was most wary of.

This time, it was Wen Tingzhu's turn to draw a theme. He slowly stepped forward, reached out, and took out a slip of paper from the box that was covered tightly with red cloth.

He spread out his hand, revealing a large character: Cat.

Compared to the first commonly used image, this is indeed a surprising theme.

Many people looked surprised, not expecting anyone to write such a word on such a solemn occasion, and they all wondered who wrote it.

At this moment, in a corner where no one was paying attention, a little boy hid behind a sturdy pillar in the main hall, unable to hide his excitement but also secretly apprehensive, hoping not to be discovered!

Fortunately, since it was agreed that everyone would write down their topics anonymously, no one would pry into the details at this point, and the competition could continue.

Although they rarely write poems on this topic, cats are quite common in daily life, so it's not a difficult subject to write about. The two of them quickly finished their work and submitted it.

Su Ziqi wrote: The small pavilion stands secluded amidst the thickets all day, I sit silently, as if in meditation. The moss quietly connects with the purple bamboo of Xiang River, the deep green shade reflects the red hollyhocks. Hunters playfully catch butterflies flitting among the flowers, sparrows steal leaf-rolling insects from beneath. The slanting sunlight still shines brightly, but the tall willows are few; next year I intend to plant more paulownia trees.

Although the text does not mention cats at all, it is full of descriptions of cats, and it vividly portrays the image of a mischievous pet cat, as if the scene of the cat playing with butterflies is right before your eyes.

Wen Tingzhu wrote: "In autumn, the rats, taking advantage of the cat's death, peek into the jars, overturn the dishes, and disturb my sleep. I hear the cat is about to have several offspring, so I buy fish, thread them through willow branches, and hire a cicada to carry them."

Clearly, the style of this poem is quite different from that of Su Ziqi's poem; one depicts the everyday life of ordinary people, while the other portrays the leisurely daily life of the wealthy.

It's hard to say which one is better; it's just that the poets' environments exposed them to completely different images of cats, which led to their completely different portrayals.

Clearly, the debate between these works, which are not significantly different in terms of literary merit, ended in a draw.