Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Was this man a demon or an immortal?
He ignored everyone’s gazes and walked calmly to his seat.
The crown prince’s gaze finally shifted away from Meng Ruxue. When he looked at Xuanyuan Ye, his gaze turned even colder.
And it was the kind that he didn’t bother to hide.
A cold and ruthless man who was also absolutely arrogant.
However, when that gaze landed on Xuanyuan Ye, it did not affect him at all.
“Alright, since Ye’er is here, let’s begin.” The empress, who was sitting on the throne, smiled. She was dressed in a bright red dress, which suddenly revealed her identity. Although she was already in her forties, she had maintained herself very well and was still very charming.
“Mhm.” The emperor only nodded his head slightly. There wasn’t much emotion in his low voice.
Beside the emperor were naturally the favored concubines. However, Meng Fuying did not look at them one by one. She had no interest in them at all.
The first question was a poem.
A sheet of paper was sent in front of each person, requesting that each woman write a poem within a quarter of an hour.
Meng Fuying only gave her a cursory glance but had no intention of picking up the pen. It had nothing to do with her in the first place. Besides, everyone had long understood the outcome today. What was happening now was just a formality. It did not matter if she wrote or not. Besides, the Meng Fuying of the past was silly. No one would say anything if she did not write.
However, to her surprise, Meng Ruxue did not seem to have any intention of writing too. Moreover, her eyes would occasionally glance over at her.
Meng Ruxue was a famous talented girl in the Xuanyuan Dynasty. Shouldn’t she start writing quickly?
Her?
Meng Fuying frowned slightly as a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. Could it be that she-?
Meng Ruxue was wary of her.
Meng Ruxue was very clear that she was no longer the original her.
Of course, even if Meng Ruxue knew that she was no longer the same as before, she was confident that she would never admit defeat.
In that case, Meng Ruxue probably had another motive for not writing.
The corners of her lips curled up slightly. Meng Fuying suddenly became interested. She picked up the brush on the table and quickly wrote a poem.
As expected, Meng Ruxue’s brush moved quickly as well.
Although Meng Ruxue had used the handkerchief in her hand to block her writing, Meng Fuying knew from the movement of the brushtip that Meng Ruxue had written exactly the same content as her.
At such a grand ceremony, if one couldn’t write anything, they would at most be ridiculed. However, if they copied someone else’s, then…
Hmph, she actually wanted to use such a method to embarrass her? To frame her?
What a joke.
Since she wanted to play, she would play with her. She had nothing to do anyway.
Meng Fuying kept her gaze lowered, and hence did not notice that when Xuanyuan Ye, who was sitting diagonally across her, looked at her, his brows seemed to crease slightly.
Those who were able to attend this banquet were all young ladies of extraordinary statuses, so it was naturally not difficult for them to write a poem. Thus, in a quarter of an hour, the little palace maid successfully put away all the poems and handed them to the Empress.
Seeing that the empress was carefully looking at each and every one of them, Meng Fuying’s lips once again revealed a trace of ridicule.
Meng Ruxue’s mother and the empress were cousins. Although they were distant, they were still related by blood.
Moreover, the empress’s biological son had died from measles when he was young. The empress now placed all her hopes on Meng Ruxue.
Everyone knew that the emperor favored the Seventh Prince, and Meng Ruxue had the halo that allowed her to rule the world. She would definitely become the future Empress.
Whether it was for public or private reasons, she would support Meng Ruxue.
No matter how ordinary Meng Ruxue’s poem was, the ending would not change.
However, at this moment, there might be a little surprise. She was looking forward to the next surprise…
“Eh, what’s going on?” As expected, the empress frowned slightly and exclaimed in a low voice. At the same time, her pair of eyes also looked at Meng Fuying with slight mockery.
“What?” The emperor looked at her strangely, but there was a harshness in his voice. What in these poems could make her so alarmed?
“Reporting to Your Imperial Majesty, Meng Fuying actually copied Xue’er’s poem.” The empress naturally heard the dissatisfaction in the emperor’s voice. She handed over two pieces of paper with the same content written on them to the emperor.
After what happened, she couldn’t hide it even if she wanted to. Besides, she didn’t want to.
Without even asking, a single sentence was enough to condemn Meng Fuying.
As soon as these words were spoken, the originally quiet hall instantly burst into an uproar.
“She’s a fool to begin with. I’m afraid she doesn’t even know a word. It’s already not bad that she can copy it,” someone said with a low laugh.
“Copying someone else’s when she can’t write one herself. How shameless.” An angry voice cursed.
“Hmph, a fool, and an ugly fool at that. What good can she do?” An even more vicious curse.
Meng Ruxue’s eyes flashed with a smug smile. This outcome was within her expectations. Originally, she was the number one genius of the Xuanyuan Dynasty, while Meng Fuying had always been a fool. Under such circumstances, everyone would naturally believe her.
However, the current Meng Fuying still had a calm expression on her face, as if all of this had nothing to do with her. She even casually picked up a piece of snack on the table and slowly savored it.
Meng Ruxue’s eyes flashed as she looked at her in disbelief. She didn’t understand. How could she act as if nothing had happened at this time? A cold smile flashed across her eyes once again. Hmph, she wanted to see how long she could pretend for.
Xuanyuan Ye’s slender fingers tapped lightly on the table. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his long eyelashes hid his emotions.
When Bai Yichen looked at Meng Fuying, he frowned slightly. A hint of joy seemed to be hidden in the depths of his eyes.
She would be disqualified if she copied someone else’s work at this ceremony. This way, she would not be chosen.
“Meng Fuying, tell me, what exactly is going on?” The emperor glanced at the poem in his hand, then looked at Meng Fuying and asked in a low voice. There wasn’t too much sternness in his eyes, but instead, there was a strange sense of admiration. This girl’s handwriting was rather beautiful. The words were written with style and had a bit of a man’s spirit.
He believed that this girl would not go so far as to copy someone else’s.
“Your Majesty, that poem was indeed not written by me.” Upon hearing the emperor’s question, Meng Fuying stood up slightly. With a calm expression, she answered very naturally.
The entire hall was in an uproar again.
“Hmph, you still have the cheek to say that. How shameless..”