Chapter 2: Chapter 28

Meng Fuying had kept her eyes slightly lowered, so she did not notice that when Xuan Yuanye, sitting diagonally across from her, looked toward her, his brow seemed to furrow slightly.

All those attending this banquet were ladies of extraordinary status, so writing a poem was naturally no difficult task. Thus, within fifteen minutes, the little palace maid had successfully collected all the poems and handed them to the Empress.

Seeing the Empress pretending to be serious as she examined them one by one, a trace of mockery curled once again at the corner of Meng Fuying's lips.

Meng Ruxue's mother and the Empress were cousins; although the relationship was somewhat distant, there was still some degree of blood relation between them.

Furthermore, the Empress's biological son had died of measles in his childhood, and now the Empress placed all her hopes upon Meng Ruxue.

It was common knowledge that the Emperor favored the Seventh Prince, and Meng Ruxue carried the aura of "to possess this girl is to possess the world"—she was destined to be the future Empress.

Whether for public or private reasons, she would support Meng Ruxue.

Even if the poems Meng Ruxue wrote at this moment were mediocre or ordinary, the outcome would not change.

However, at this moment, there might be a slight unexpected turn; she was actually looking forward to the upcoming surprise...

"Eh, what is going on?" Sure enough, the Empress frowned slightly and let out a low gasp of surprise. At the same time, her eyes turned toward Meng Fuying with a hint of mockery.

"What is it?" The Emperor looked at her with some confusion, though his voice carried a hint of sternness. What could be in these poems to cause such a fuss?

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Meng Fuying has actually copied Xue'er's poem." The Empress naturally heard the dissatisfaction in the Emperor's voice, and she repeatedly presented the two pieces of paper containing identical content before the Emperor.

Since such a thing had happened, she could not hide it even if she wanted to; moreover, she had no intention of hiding it.

Without asking a single question, she had subjectively judged Meng Fuying guilty with a single sentence.

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally quiet grand hall instantly erupted into a frenzy.

"She was a fool to begin with; I doubt she even knows her letters. To be able to copy something is already quite an achievement," one person laughed lowly.

"If you can't write it yourself, you copy others. Truly shameless," came an indignant insult.

"Hmph, a fool, and an ugly-to-death fool at that. What good could she ever do?" came an even more vicious slur.

In Meng Ruxue's eyes, a trace of triumphant laughter flashed. This outcome was within her expectations. After all, she was the number one talented woman of the Xuan Yuan Dynasty, while Meng Fuying had always been a fool. Under these circumstances, everyone would naturally believe her.

However, at this moment, Meng Fuying still maintained a face of calm, as if none of this had anything to do with her. She even casually picked up a piece of pastry from the table and began to savor it slowly.

Meng Ruxue's eyes flickered, looking at her with some disbelief, unable to understand how she could still act as if nothing were wrong at this time. A cold sneer flashed in her eyes again. *Hmph, I'll see just how long she can keep up this act.*

Xuan Yuanye's slender fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, while his eyes were slightly narrowed, his long eyelashes concealing his already sparse emotions.

When Bai Yichen looked at Meng Fuying, his brow furrowed slightly, and a trace of joy seemed to flash deep within his eyes.

In a grand ceremony like this, copying someone else's work would result in disqualification. That way, she would not be selected.

"Meng Fuying, you tell us, what exactly is going on?" The Emperor glanced at the poem in his hand, then looked toward Meng Fuying and asked in a low voice. There wasn't much sternness in his eyes; instead, there was a strange sense of appreciation. This girl actually had beautiful handwriting; the spirited calligraphy possessed a certain masculine vigor.

He believed that this girl would not go so far as to copy someone else.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, that poem was indeed not written by me." Hearing the Emperor's question, Meng Fuying finally stood up slightly, her expression calm as she answered very naturally.

The entire hall erupted once again.

"Hmph, she actually has the nerve to say that. Truly shameless."

The insults rose again.

"I've seen thick-skinned people, but I've never seen anyone this thick-skinned. To copy someone else and then act as if it's only natural," Xuan Yuanmo also cursed with a look of contempt.

"She certainly has the courage to act and the courage to take responsibility." A trace of a light smile drifted across Xuan Yuanfan's lips; there was no mockery in his eyes, but rather a sense of something unusual.

Xuan Yuanye's hand moved again, but his eyes remained slightly lowered, unmoving.

"Your Majesty, according to the rules, in a grand ceremony such as this, once a contestant is found to have plagiarized, they must be disqualified and subjected to the punishment of finger-squeezing (zan zhi)," the Empress said in a low voice to the Emperor after hearing Meng Fuying admit it herself.

*Zan zhi* was an ancient form of torture involving five small wooden sticks threaded through a rope, placed around the fingers, and tightened forcefully.

The corner of Meng Fuying's mouth curled into another cold sneer. It seemed the Empress was quite impatient.

"Empress, Fuying did not do it on purpose. I beg the Empress to forgive her," Meng Ruxue immediately stood up, pleading for Meng Fuying with an anxious expression.

It had to be admitted that Meng Ruxue was indeed very good at acting. However, Meng Fuying wanted to see just how long she could keep acting.

"She copied you, yet you still protect her. You are such a kind child," the Empress said with a satisfied smile as she looked at Meng Ruxue.

However, when she looked back at Meng Fuying, the smile vanished instantly, replaced by a stern expression. She said coldly, "But the rules cannot be broken. Meng Fuying, do you admit your crime?"

"《Hua Yun Lu》, page 132, line eight, line eleven." Meng Fuying's eyes darkened slightly, and her red lips moved as she spoke word by word, slowly. This statement was clearly non-responsive to the question.

Everyone froze, not understanding what she was talking about.

"I am asking you a question, why are you answering with such nonsense?" The Empress's almond eyes flared as she let out an angry, low growl.

Xuan Yuanye's brow twitched slightly. His hand suddenly rose, giving a light wave to Sufeng behind him.

"Yes." Fortunately, Sufeng reacted extremely quickly. Understanding his meaning immediately, he prepared to walk out, but then suddenly remembered that this was the Imperial Palace, not a Prince's manor. Was he supposed to go to the Imperial Study on his own?

And if he returned to the Prince's manor, the round trip would take a great deal of time.

Thus, he called out with some difficulty, "Your Highness..."

"My study has that book. Go and find it," the Emperor realized at that moment and spoke to the guard behind him.

However, when his eyes turned toward Xuan Yuanye, a trace of something unusual flashed through them.

Was Ye'er helping that girl? If so, including the last time at the Marquis of Hou's manor, this was the second time he had helped her.

And that girl actually read such a book, and she even remembered which line of which poem was on which page?

Only then did everyone understand. When they looked at Meng Fuying again, their gazes had changed.

Especially Xuan Yuanfan; beyond his astonishment, there seemed to be even more of something else. Now, who would still dare to call her a fool?

Meng Ruxue's face suddenly stiffened, and a trace of panic flashed deep in her eyes. Especially when she saw Xuan Yuanye helping Meng Fuying again, her hatred reached an extreme, and so did her fear.

Xuan Yuanye returned to his unshakeable indifference, as if his previous action had merely been an illusion perceived by others.

A moment later, the guard brought the copy of 《Hua Yun Lu》, flipped to page 132, and presented it before the Emperor.

Page 132, line eight, line eleven—it was indeed those two lines of poetry.

The Empress compared the poem in the book, and her expression changed slightly, but she reacted quickly, laughing repeatedly. "The two sisters are quite close; they read the same books, and even in this situation, they managed to think of the same thing."

Women who had long lived in the deep palace were all shrewd. In this situation, she used a single sentence to skillfully cover for Meng Ruxue, completely discarding the sternness she had just shown toward Meng Fuying.

"Yes, my sister and I truly share a telepathic connection," Meng Ruxue naturally understood the Empress's meaning and followed up with a slight smile. When it came to lying, her face did not redden, nor did her breath quicken.

The Emperor's eyes darkened slightly, and a hint of dissatisfaction flashed across his expression, but under these circumstances, he naturally could not directly accuse the Empress.

How could he not understand the Empress's intentions? Moreover, for all these years, it seemed that the only woman Ye'er did not reject was Meng Ruxue. The person Ye'er chose today was very likely to be Meng Ruxue.

Most importantly, at this moment, there was no evidence to prove that Meng Ruxue had indeed copied Ying'er.

However, it also cleared Ying'er of the suspicion of plagiarism. This matter could only be settled this way.

*Hmph,* Meng Fuying snorted inwardly. *Telepathic connection? Her and me?*

How ridiculous.

To think she could gloss over this with such a phrase—hmph, as if it were that easy.

Finger-squeezing. Those who copied other contestants would be subjected to finger-squeezing. If she hadn't seen through Meng Ruxue's scheme long ago, her fair little hands would be suffering right now.

Therefore, she would not let Meng Ruxue off so easily today.

She was someone who always repaid kindness with kindness and vengeance with vengeance. Meng Ruxue had schemed against her time and time again; this time, it was time to give her a taste of her own medicine.

With a slight smile curling at the corner of her lips, Meng Fuying slowly raised her head again, looked toward Meng Ruxue, and then spoke word by word, slowly...