The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Just then, a palace attendant from Emperor Jing's side came to report, bringing the poem of the first-place winner of the first round of the men's competition.

"Your arrival is just in time, Eunuch. Liu Lan, give the things to your father-in-law!" Consort Yu said with a smile, instructing Liu Lan to hand Jing Anle's poem to her father-in-law.

After the first place was determined, since Jing Anle's name was not written on paper, the judge copied it down and signed it with Princess Anle's name.

Watching the palace maids leave, Consort Yu then ordered another palace maid, who had just read aloud, to open the poem that had been delivered: "Who planted the peony? How many places does the hibiscus grow? Red skirts flutter in the embroidered pavilion, emerald feathers adorn golden stems. Powder falls, fragrance fills the face, makeup complete, dew covers the tassels. Unconcerned about bees and butterflies, freely enjoying the autumn sunshine."

Everyone listened intently, wondering which prince or minister had written it. Like Jing Anle, it consisted of eight lines, and the poem was beautiful, showing that the poet was extremely talented.

Seeing the expectant and curious looks on the faces of the noble ladies, Consort Yu asked the palace maid who was reading the poem, "Who wrote this poem?"

"Your Majesty, it was written by Xiao Heng, the Crown Prince of Li Kingdom," the palace servant replied.

Only Jing Anle and Jing Rou had met a few of the crown princes. The other noble ladies only knew that those crown princes were in the palace, but they did not know their character, talent, or appearance. However, they thought that since they were the crown princes of the country, they must be both literate and martial.

Some noble ladies even began to look forward to seeing the true face of this Crown Prince Xiao at the banquet. Jing Anle, however, was not surprised at all when she heard that Xiao Heng had won first place. She had known about his talent since their last conversation at the General's Mansion, but she was surprised that he had shown it this time.

Jing Anle was unaware that Xiao Heng had known about Jing Anle's ambition ever since the last time at the General's Mansion. He knew that Jing Anle would definitely stand out in such an occasion, and he was doing this simply to stand shoulder to shoulder with Jing Anle.

The competition moved on to the second round, this time with the theme of orchids.

"Very good, now we've finally arrived at the main event," both Jing Anle and Consort Yu thought.

Jing Rou was taken aback. How could it be such a coincidence? Yesterday, when she returned home, someone had left a poem in her carriage. The poem was exceptionally well-written, and the topic was indeed orchids. The couplets were perfect, rhyming, and the meaning was beautiful. She had even thought that she could change a few words, but who knew that today's test topic would be orchids.

With the sound of a gong, the competition officially began.

The ladies continued to pick up their pens, some bowing their heads in deep thought, others writing furiously. Jing Anle was still looking at the orchid, but her peripheral vision was on Jing Rou and Yu Yuanxiang.

Yu Yuanxiang looked up and met Consort Yu's gaze for a moment before quickly lowering her head. If one looked closely, one could see that her hand was trembling slightly as she wrote. However, Yu Yuanxiang secretly pinched her thigh with her left hand, trying to calm herself down. This was the first time she had done something like this, but for the sake of future wealth and status, she had to do it.

Meanwhile, Jing Rou was also looking at Jing Anle. The other noble ladies in the capital were naturally no match for her, but she was actually a little scared. What if... what if Jing Anle won again? No, she couldn't allow that to happen. At this moment, Jing Rou thought of that poem again. Perhaps... Jing Rou was very worried. What if this was a trap? No, no, no, that's impossible. So Jing Rou changed those words and wrote yesterday's poem on the white paper in front of her.

When the gong sounded again, everyone stopped writing.

Consort Yu looked at Jing Anle and said, "Princess?" implying that Jing Anle should read it aloud herself.

Jing Anle nodded, her voice melodious and pleasant, and slowly recited: "Orchids bloom in the south, osmanthus trees stand secluded on the eastern mountain. Twin towers rise high in the clouds, a single star flows across the Milky Way."

Everyone listened and nodded in agreement, but Consort Yu couldn't help but feel happy, thinking to herself: You're bound to lose this time.

When Jing Rou heard Jing Anle's poem, she felt relieved. Although her poem was good, it was still inferior to Jing Rou's.

After Jing Anle, it was Jing Rou's turn. No one noticed the smile on Jing Anle's lips. The first line read by the palace maid was: "A stormy night in Jiangnan, a faint fragrance lingers on the body." As soon as these words were spoken, Consort Yu and Yu Yuanxiang's expressions changed immediately. This poem was clearly prepared by Consort Yu for Yu Yuanxiang, so why did Jing Rou also write it?

Consort Yu and Liu Lan exchanged a glance, and Liu Lan whispered in Consort Yu's ear, "Consort, don't be in such a hurry, perhaps things will be different later!"

Consort Yu couldn't stop it. She couldn't imagine the scene if they waited until Yu Yuanxiang's poem was read aloud. Not making a splash would be a minor matter; losing face would be a major one. Just as Consort Yu was extremely anxious, she heard the next few lines of the poem, which were exactly the same as Yu Yuanxiang's. At this moment, Consort Yu's heart sank completely.

That's right, those words were deliberately changed by Jing Anle. She knew all along that Jing Rou was a cautious person, so that she could willingly fall into Jing Anle's trap.

Consort Yu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Her mind was filled with thoughts of what to do next. She couldn't very well pull out Yu Yuanxiang's card in front of everyone. Yu Yuanxiang was also looking at Consort Yu anxiously, her palms sweating.

Jing Rou was waiting to confirm that everyone's poems had been read before stepping on Jing Anle, but no one expected that Yu Yuanxiang's poem, which should have appeared last, would follow right after Jing Rou, leaving Consort Yu no time to react.

The palace maid who was reading the first sentence knew something was wrong, so she immediately shut her mouth and looked at Consort Yu.

At this moment, Jing Rou's face turned pale, and everyone was shocked. Without saying a word, everyone knew what had happened: Jing Rou and Yu Yuanxiang's poems were the same! Either one of them plagiarized the other, or both of them plagiarized from others.

One was a princess, and everyone knew she was exceptionally talented; the other was Consort Yu's niece, who was entering the palace for the first time. Everyone sided with Jingrou for a while.

The entire room fell silent. Only the Imperial Concubine Yu, with a dark face, asked, "What's going on?" Imperial Concubine Yu had originally wanted Yu Yuanxiang to make a name for herself, but unexpectedly Jing Rou appeared. She began to suspect that the person who wrote the poem had sold it again, but now she had no choice but to step forward and face the situation.

The two women stood up from their seats and stood in the middle. Yu Yuanxiang was not very brave, and under everyone's gaze, she actually seemed a little defeated. She even couldn't help but tremble. Jing Rou, after all, came from the royal family. Although she knew that the situation was not good for her, she saw that the other party's momentum had weakened and knew that as long as she persisted, she still had a chance.

Seeing Yu Yuanxiang's frightened expression, Consort Yu was disappointed in her, but she couldn't show favoritism. In fact, she had to sacrifice Yu Yuanxiang if necessary, since a niece couldn't compare to her status as a consort.

"Princess, Yuanxiang, why are your poems exactly the same? I urge you both to give me and everyone present an explanation," Consort Yu asked with an iron-fisted expression.

Jing Rou spoke first, her voice gentle yet powerful, "Your Highness, this poem was written at home in my spare time, and it happens to fit the question today, so I am using it as my answer."

She phrased it cleverly, both telling everyone that the poem was written by herself, but it was written in the past, so it was very likely that it had been plagiarized.