Chapter 39

Meng Guxue felt immensely regretful, and the only one who could empathize with her on the scene was Sheng Xiuran.

She had carefully crafted her words just now, thinking she had written a good poem. She was about to stand up and hand it over to Mr. Gu and Mr. Zhao, but the Second Prince was driven away by the Qiao family girl!

Thinking about how she had been looking forward to this Dongjiao Poetry Festival for half a year, Sheng Xiuran felt heartbroken.

Now she could only hope that her poem would be appreciated by Mr. Gu and Mr. Zhao, and that her reputation as a talented woman would spread.

In this way, the Second Prince would surely see her in a new light through the mouths of others!

It had to be said that Sheng Xiuran and Meng Guxue were on the same wavelength again.

While Meng Guxue was still feeling frustrated, Sheng Xiuran had already walked up to her.

With an air of arrogance, she couldn’t help but sneer when she saw Meng Guxue standing there in a daze.

Who is this young lady from? She looks so young, yet she’s so eager to stand out.

Ridiculous!

Full of disdain, but when she faced Mr. Gu and Mr. Zhao, she immediately put on a dignified and graceful appearance.

“Sheng Xiuran’s humble work, please have a look, gentlemen.”

A young servant on the stage immediately took Sheng Xiuran’s paper.

Meng Guxue snapped out of her reverie and, seeing Sheng Xiuran’s affected appearance, couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

In the face of my poetry, no matter who you are, you can’t outshine it!

“Hello, this is my poem. Could you please pass it along too?”

Meng Guxue walked to the stage in three or two steps and handed her poem to the young servant.

“You!”

Sheng Xiuran saw Meng Guxue put her poem on top and immediately looked displeased.

However, Meng Guxue ignored her and calmly returned to her seat.

Sheng Xiuran told herself that she couldn’t lose her composure in public, so she suppressed her anger and calmly returned to her seat behind the desk.

On the other side, Qiao Diyi immediately carried Qiao Jiaojiao through the peach forest, with Aunt Liu waiting outside the forest.

“Second Brother, hurry! Faster! Meng Guxue’s poem is about to be recited. I don’t want to miss it!”

“Ah!”

Qiao Jiaojiao urged too anxiously, and Qiao Diyi first used lightness skill to take her breath away, scaring her “ahh” into “aaah”.

Aunt Liu was very quick with her hands and feet. In just a few moments, she changed Qiao Jiaojiao into clean clothes.

Seeing this, Qiao Diyi didn’t need Qiao Jiaojiao’s urging. He flew out in a flash.

“Wow! Second Brother, you’re amazing!”

As soon as Qiao Diyi carried Qiao Jiaojiao out of the peach forest, he heard Mr. Gu on stage asking, “Who is Miss Meng from the Meng family?”

Qiao Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up at the words.

“Oh, caught up! It’s time for the female lead to show off!”

Meng Guxue stood up slowly, and with proper etiquette, said, “Greetings, Mr. Gu. I am Meng Guxue from the Meng family.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Meng Guxue. Seeing Mr. Gu mention her name, they couldn’t help but be surprised.

After all, everyone whose name was called just now had their poetry recognized.

This Miss Meng seems young, does she still have some hidden talent for poetry?

Below the stage, Sheng Xiuran clenched the handkerchief in her hand, almost biting her silver teeth.

Her poem and Meng Guxue’s were submitted together, but Mr. Gu only called Meng Guxue’s name and not hers.

Could it be that her poem is still inferior to the unknown Meng Guxue’s?

As everyone was discussing, Mr. Gu suddenly spoke up, “Miss Meng’s poem is exceptionally well-written.”

As soon as these words came out, everyone gasped in shock.

The words “extremely good” spoken by Mr. Gu truly constituted high praise!

“The full poem is as follows: ‘Vowing to sweep away the Xiongnu regardless of one’s own life, five thousand sable coats lost to the Hu’s dust. Pity the bones by the undetermined river, still the dream woman in the spring boudoir!'”

As Mr. Gu’s voice fell, the entire venue fell into silence, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Qiao Diyi couldn’t help but look shocked.

If it weren’t for knowing from his little sister beforehand that these verses were all written by Meng Guxue’s predecessor in that world, even he would have admired Meng Guxue’s poetic talent.

Unlike others who either praised the soldiers or vented their anger at the Northern people, Meng Guxue linked “riverside bones” and “spring boudoir dreams” together, truly touching the hearts of listeners and fitting her identity as a girl from a noble family.

“Tsk tsk tsk, Meng Guxue’s poem is indeed well chosen.”

Even Qiao Jiaojiao nodded repeatedly, affirming Meng Guxue’s move.

The Crown Prince looked somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected the ten-year-old daughter of the Meng family to have such talent, overshadowing everyone present.

Gradually, whispers began to rise in the crowd, with expressions of astonishment and skepticism.

“She’s so young, how could she write such verses? She probably had someone write them for her in advance, just to show off, right?”

“Exactly, resorting to deception just to show off like this shows her lack of integrity!”

These words were incited by Sheng Xiuran, with the support of her cronies.

And as soon as these words came out, they were immediately echoed by the majority.

Seeing this, Qiao Jiaojiao snuggled comfortably in Qiao Diyi’s arms, looking as if she were enjoying the show.

“What will the female lead do in response? If only she could come and offer some melon seeds at this moment, cracking them open while watching the spectacle is the standard!”

Qiao Diyi heard this and took out a carefully wrapped teething biscuit from his arms, smiling as he handed it to Qiao Jiaojiao.

Qiao Jiaojiao accepted it with a smile.

“Ah, such a thoughtful big brother, he’s going to win over my sister-in-law!”

Qiao Diyi: “…”

Little sister, can’t you keep your mouth shut even while eating?

Seeing the increasing doubts in the crowd, Mr. Gu stood up slowly.

His expression was solemn, and he looked very serious.

For a scholar, character is the most important, followed by talent.

If Miss Meng truly had such literary talent, he would not wrongly accuse her today.

But if Miss Meng was truly seeking fame and reputation, then she would have no place in future Dongjiao Poetry Festivals!

Meng Guxue took a deep breath. She also knew that today’s poetry festival was crucial for her!

“Miss Meng, I have a few questions for you.”

Meng Guxue immediately nodded. “Please, Mr. Gu.”

Mr. Gu presented Meng Guxue’s paper to everyone, and Qiao Jiaojiao couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw the dog-like handwriting.

It was indeed a modern person who couldn’t write with a brush!

“Firstly, about this handwriting…”

Meng Guxue immediately raised her hand in public, secretly relieved.

“Mr. Gu, my right hand is injured, so I have some difficulty holding the pen. It was not my intention to tarnish the eyes of the two gentlemen.”

She slowly unwrapped the cloth from her hand, revealing the blood-stained back of her hand. This reason was indeed impeccable.

Qiao Jiaojiao secretly gritted her teeth.

“My goodness, Meng Guxue really has some guts.”

Seeing this, Mr. Gu nodded silently, finding this excuse acceptable.

So he continued, “Secondly, where do these Xiongnu and the undetermined river come from? Is there any textual basis?”

Meng Guxue hadn’t expected these old scholars to be so meticulous, but fortunately, she had already prepared her answers.