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At the flower appreciation banquet.

The Noble Consort flipped to the last poem and began to read, "In autumn when the cool winds blow, the rice fields and fruit trees are a golden glow. Steamed buns, one, two, three, four, secure the five grains and six animals, peace galore."

Reaching the end, the Noble Consort couldn’t help but snort with laughter. Not to mention the poem’s balance and tonal pattern, the wording was just too forthright.

The Emperor, upon hearing this, nearly choked and struggled to suppress his laughter so as not to lose his composure.

He thought to himself how much the Little Concubine must love to eat to even include steamed buns in her poem, and as he pondered over it once more, the Emperor found it increasingly amusing, the smile on his face growing broader.

The concubines below also covered their mouths and began to laugh, wondering how someone could produce such an outspoken piece of poetry. At least use some metaphors!

They exchanged glances, each trying to guess who had written it.

The scene suddenly became noisy.

Observing this, Lian Hua’s face flushed with embarrassment, her mind screaming in mortification, especially at the thought of facing His Majesty again, ah!

After laughing for a while, a subtle scorn flickered across the Noble Consort’s eyes, and she said in the direction of Lian Hua, "Is this written by Daying Lian from the Canglan Court? This poem is quite amusing."

The poem lacked any standard, and the handwriting wasn’t much either; clearly, this Daying had not an ounce of literary grace.

The Emperor nodded with a smile in agreement.

Red-faced and uneasy, Lian Hua stood up, thinking that her poem had no artistic conception, nothing at all, so wasn’t it just amusing? The Noble Consort was such a smooth talker, taking such good care of her dignity.

She bowed to the Noble Consort and His Majesty, muttering, "It was indeed this servant, this servant... this servant..."

She didn’t know what else to say; it certainly wouldn’t be appropriate to thank the Consort for the praise and vow to continue the hard work.

She mumbled unintelligibly, unable to choke out even a single sentence.

Xu Zhaoyi glanced at Lian Hua, feeling not that the poem was vulgar, but that it was rather cute. She thought the disconcerted way that Little Daying stood there was much more genuine than the others.

The Emperor looked at Lian Hua with a smile, finding this Little Concubine so endearing, always acting in unexpected ways that brought him so much joy. This trip to the flower appreciation banquet wasn’t a waste at all.

Just then, a scoffing voice stood out amid a group of snickers, drawing everyone’s attention to its source.

It was Beauty Li!

With a mocking smirk, and noticing everyone looking her way, she said somewhat acidly, "My lady, in my view, it’s very likely that Daying Lian is simply famished.

Look at her, she can’t even get her words out, and her poem is all about steamed buns and animals, so crude.

Could it be she’s never had her fill and just writes whatever’s on her mind? " She then burst into laughter.

When the Noble Consort had read Lian Hua’s poem, causing everyone to laugh, Beauty Li had been the loudest, but at the time it was drowned out by the general uproar.

In her opinion, that piece dared to call itself a poem? It was an affront to the Consort’s and His Majesty’s ears!

Later, seeing that the author of the poem was that annoying Daying who had worn the same outfit as her on a previous day, and feeling as if bad luck had followed her since that encounter, she was particularly put off by her.

Now that she had the chance to deride her, she did so with marked persistence.

Moreover, others were laughing at her too, so why should Beauty Li hold back?

The atmosphere became awkward in an instant.

Initially, everyone was merely laughing innocently, though they too felt the leading poem was far from elegant, but they maintained face, without openly mocking others—in the palace, giving face was of utmost importance, unlike what Beauty Li did.

Lian Hua bowed her head, overwhelmed with embarrassment. If it had been just another day being targeted by Beauty Li, being punished, made to kneel, and ridiculed would be bearable.

But in such a setting, especially being humiliated in front of His Majesty, she felt a humiliation ten thousand times worse than usual.

The Emperor’s expression darkened instantly.

Seeing that the mood was off, Changzai Zhou started to smooth things over, "Elder Sister Li, you shouldn’t say such things. The beginning of Daying Lian’s poem is actually quite good. Perhaps due to the rush, she failed to perform well later on."

It seemed as though she was finding an excuse for Lian Hua, but in essence, she was also suggesting Lian Hua’s poem was poor, indirectly agreeing with Beauty Li. Otherwise, if everyone had the same amount of time, why did her poem end up like that?

Beauty Zhao glanced at Beauty Li and followed up, "Younger Sister Li, Daying Lian’s poem might not be great, but it is genuine and natural, something we all can understand.

Your poem, on the other hand, Sister has read several times and still cannot grasp the meaning.

I wonder what Younger Sister is trying to express.

" She stopped just short of calling Beauty Li’s poem utter nonsense.

She and Beauty Li had never gotten along, being of the same rank. Beauty Li everywhere sought to oppose her, much to her displeasure.

And since Beauty Li was younger, she resented always being addressed as the younger sister by Beauty Zhao. In the palace, it was common for those of higher rank to call those of lower rank "younger sister," feeling that being called so implied being looked down upon.

Thus, Beauty Li also disliked Beauty Zhao and, hearing this, she exploded, "If Sister doesn’t understand, it’s because Sister lacks learning. It would be wise to read more books."

Upon hearing this, Beauty Zhao was also displeased and prepared to retort.

"Enough, each of the poems written by our sisters has its own merits, and both His Majesty and I shall reach our own verdict," said the Noble Consort, visibly annoyed.

The atmosphere had been pleasant, and His Majesty had seemed quite happy; she hadn’t expected Beauty Li, who lacked tact, to ruin it all at once. She had to suppress her anger to stop their dispute.

Having spoken to those below, the Noble Consort turned back with a smile, addressing His Majesty, "Your Majesty, we have now seen all the sisters’ poems; it is time to select the winner."

Hearing the Noble Consort say this, everyone’s attention shifted, all looking expectantly towards the main seat.

Lian Hua alone still stood, head low and gazing at the ground. No one asked her to sit down, like a lamb to the slaughter, seemingly cut off from the feast of flowers.

The Emperor didn’t say a word, his face sour as he stared at Lian Hua in the last seat. He couldn’t see her face, didn’t know how she was faring, and grew increasingly anxious and angry.

Seeing the Emperor’s gaze fixed on Lian Hua and his silence, the Noble Consort started to feel uneasy. Seeing Lian Hua still standing, she added, "Daying Lian, please sit down. Do not take the sisters’ jest to heart."

Lian Hua felt terrible, her eyes stinging, holding back tears, her lips pressed together in silence. She curtsied to the Noble Consort and sat down, head still bowed.

"Snap!" Upon hearing the Noble Consort’s words, the Emperor threw his teacup onto the table. The cup overturned, spilling tea across the tabletop.

He let out a cold laugh, his eyes sweeping over the numerous concubines before berating them fiercely, "Jests? Coarse? Is it the bread that’s coarse, or the grains and livestock? What you eat, is it not these very ’coarse’ things?"

This stern questioning silenced everyone, no one daring to reply.

The Emperor stepped down from the main seat and approached the concubines, continuing angrily, "As my concubines, you live in luxury, enjoying what the folks provide, yet you know nothing of their hardships, unaware of the importance of grains and animals to the common people.

How many of them eagerly await a good harvest in autumn to have a filling year. Are you aware of this?"

Those who had spoken earlier now trembled violently, not daring to meet the imperial gaze.