The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

"I...I..." Yu Yuanxiang hesitated, her words clearly contrasting with Jing Rou's poise and confidence. She then forced herself to say, "Your Majesty, this poem was indeed written by me."

Both women are now claiming to have written the poem. Consort Yu knows that Yu Yuanxiang will not be able to withstand interrogation and is hesitating whether to let Yu Yuanxiang confess herself to avoid implicating herself later.

Just as I was deep in thought, a palace servant announced: "His Majesty has arrived!"

It turned out that the palace maid who had just brought the poems noticed something was wrong and informed Emperor Jing. Although Consort Yu could handle the matter, the flower appreciation poetry gathering was set up by the late Empress, and Emperor Jing would absolutely not allow anyone to openly provoke it.

Consort Yu's heart sank; she hadn't expected to alarm Emperor Jing. Nevertheless, she bowed respectfully, and the other noble ladies followed suit, kneeling and saying in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Consort Yu immediately gave up her seat, and the other palace servants quickly brought over another chair.

Emperor Jing nodded and said, "No need for formalities." He then sat down, and his eyes swept down to see Jing Anle smiling at him. A smile appeared on Emperor Jing's previously expressionless face. However, when he looked at Jing Rou and Yu Yuanxiang who were standing, his smile immediately disappeared.

"Why are your poems the same? What's going on?" Emperor Jing asked, looking at Jing Rou and Yu Yuanxiang. After all, he was an emperor, and his tone was full of intimidation.

Even Jing Rou, who was used to grand occasions, felt a little guilty at this moment, but since things had come to this, she could only forcefully say, "Your Majesty, this poem was indeed written by me at home." She had even copied it yesterday and kept it in her room. Thinking of this, Jing Rou became bolder and continued, "I also have the manuscript at home. Please, Your Majesty, verify it."

Emperor Jing glanced at Jing Rou's composed demeanor, then at Yu Yuanxiang who was bowing her head, and asked, "Yu Yuanxiang, Princess Rou said she has a manuscript as proof. Do you have any evidence to prove that you wrote this poem?"

Yu Yuanxiang was already feeling guilty, and now that the Emperor himself was here, she was even more frightened. She could only tremble as she said, "This subject...this subject has no evidence."

Observing the two's behavior, Emperor Jing had already made a judgment. At this moment, he suddenly seemed to remember something and asked Consort Yu, "Bring that poem for me to see."

Consort Yu quickly handed the poem from the table to Emperor Jing. After reading it, Emperor Jing's gaze darkened. Emperor Jing had been well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood, and was skilled in both literature and military strategy. He had met countless talented scholars and writers, and he could tell at a glance that this poem could not have been written by a woman.

Consort Yu, observing secretly and fearing that Emperor Jing might have discovered something, tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, have you noticed anything?"

Yu Yuanxiang was nothing special, but Jing Rou was the daughter of Prince Qing, a member of the imperial family. If word got out, it would surely bring shame upon the royal family. So Emperor Jing turned to Jing Anle and asked, "What does my son think?"

Consort Yu bit her lip in anger. She was the one who asked Emperor Jing, but he turned to ask Jing Anle instead. Meanwhile, Jing Rou was worried that Jing Anle might take the opportunity to make a scene.

Jing Anle hadn't expected the Emperor to ask her this question. After a moment's thought, she replied, "Father, everyone in the palace knows that Princess Rou is exceptionally talented. Miss Yuanxiang has only been in the palace for a short time, and I don't know her very well. Perhaps I could pose another question and let the two of them compete?"

"My son's suggestion is excellent, let's do it this way!" Emperor Jing's brows relaxed, thinking that Anle was indeed his good daughter. He turned to ask Jing Rou and Yu Yuanxiang, "Do you have any objections?"

Jing Rou breathed a sigh of relief. Composing poems was no problem for her, but Yu Yuanxiang was terrified. Let alone composing poems, even memorizing poems would be difficult for her. She was bound to lose.

But now she had no choice but to accept it. She heard Emperor Jing say, "The two of you shall compose a poem on the theme of lotus flowers. You shall still have half an incense stick's time. This time, you are not allowed to use poems you have composed before."

"Yes." They said in unison.

The two returned to their seats. Jing Rou pondered for a moment, then began to write furiously, while Yu Yuanxiang hesitated to put pen to paper. Some of the noble ladies wondered if she was going to recite poetry verbally like Princess Anle.

With time running out, Yu Yuanxiang could only scribble something down haphazardly, waiting for the palace servants to present the two poems to the emperor.

Emperor Jing showed no expression when he saw Jing Rou's poem. Although the words were well-written and the meaning was clear, it was considered a fine work among young ladies. However, when Emperor Jing saw Yu Yuanxiang's poem, he flew into a rage, "Yu Yuanxiang, how dare you deceive the emperor?"

Yu Yuanxiang was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground. Deceiving the emperor? She didn't expect that she had just written down the poem she had practiced at home. Although it wasn't particularly outstanding, how could it be considered deceiving the emperor?

Everyone was startled. The crime of deceiving the emperor was too serious. Consort Yu knew that her secret had been exposed and was prepared to shift the blame onto Yu Yuanxiang.

Jing Rou was also taken aback, but she breathed a sigh of relief, at least she had won.

"Your Majesty, I dare not! Please spare my life!" Yu Yuanxiang quickly kowtowed and begged for mercy.

Emperor Jing could tell at a glance that Yu Yuanxiang was not very literate; this poem was something a seven-year-old child could write. He then looked at Yu Yuanxiang and said, "Yu Yuanxiang, this poem is no different from that of a child. Why don't you confess the truth!"

Consort Yu's expression shifted rapidly. Looking at Emperor Jing's furious face, and then at Yu Yuanxiang who was kowtowing and begging for mercy, she stood up and pointed at Yu Yuanxiang, saying, "Yuanxiang, how could you do such a thing? Tell me the truth now!" Consort Yu looked grief-stricken, as if she couldn't believe that her niece would do such a thing.

Hearing Consort Yu's words, Yu Yuanxiang was also incredulous. She wanted to refute them, but she understood that Consort Yu was the honor of the family. If Consort Yu fell from power, her own life would be even worse. So she gritted her teeth, raised her head, and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, it was my momentary lapse of judgment. I was too eager to win, so I... I plagiarized someone else's work. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me, considering that this is my first offense!"

At this point, it doesn't matter whose work was copied anymore. Everyone knows that Yu Yuanxiang plagiarized. Perhaps Jing Rou's poem was taken from her home and sold.

Emperor Jing knew perfectly well who it was, but he didn't ask whose work it was copied from, because holding someone accountable for this would only bring shame to the royal family. So he tacitly agreed that Yu Yuanxiang had copied Jing Rou's poem.

Listening to Yu Yuanxiang's words, Jing Anle thought to herself, "This person isn't stupid." Jing Rou, on the other hand, revealed a victorious smile. This was something Yu Yuanxiang herself had admitted. Although she didn't know who wrote the poem, preserving herself was the best thing for now.

Consort Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Yu Yuanxiang was sensible and didn't drag her into it.

Only Emperor Jing knew that Consort Yu was involved in this matter. So Emperor Jing looked at Yu Yuanxiang and said, "You have disrupted the order of the inner palace. Give me twenty strokes of the cane and I shall never enter the palace again." Turning to Consort Yu, he said, "Consort Yu has failed in her duties. She is stripped of her authority over the inner palace and fined six months' salary as a warning to others!"

This not only cut off Yu Yuanxiang's path to the palace, but also meant that all the daughters of the Yu family would have no chance to enter the palace.

In front of so many people, the Imperial Concubine had lost face, but she could only obediently confess her guilt. After all, if Emperor Jing knew the truth, things would be far more complicated. However, she was already planning how to regain power.

Yu Yuanxiang's legs went weak. If those twenty lashes were delivered, she would be in serious trouble. Moreover, if this matter were to spread out of the palace, her family would be disgraced, and no good family would want to take her in. Her life would probably be difficult!

Jing Anle was not entirely satisfied with the outcome, but at least her brother wouldn't have to go through the same ordeal as in her previous life! The fact that the Consort was implicated was also good. As for Jing Rou, she wouldn't let her off easily either!