Chapter 61: Poisoning

Every person at the imperial banquet harbored their own hidden agendas.

This included Zhao Mengyue, who sat beside Elder Madam Tang.

The Third Prince, Murong Si, exchanged only a few words with her before making an excuse to leave.

This left Zhao Mengyue in a rather foul mood, though she quickly managed to compose herself.

Today's imperial banquet was meant to be her grand stage.

Once she shone brilliantly, crown princes and imperial sons alike would surely become captivated by her.

At this thought, the corners of Zhao Mengyue's lips curved upward.

Tang Yuntao, however, did not harbor ambitions as grand as Zhao Mengyue's.

Her only thought was to win back the affections of the Crown Prince, Murong Bo.

Unfortunately, ever since entering the hall, Crown Prince Murong Bo had not glanced in Tang Yuntao's direction even once.

This cast a trace of sorrow over Tang Yuntao's delicate face.

Sitting beside Song Rongzhi, Tang Chaochao focused entirely on eating, paying no attention to the silent rivalry among the noble young ladies within the hall.

Her cheeks puffed out like those of a greedy little hamster.

In the eyes of Prince Lin, she appeared utterly amusing.

Within Song Rongzhi's mind, the words her daughter had spoken earlier were still replaying.

From time to time, she cast worried glances toward Lin Guanguan.

Lin Guanguan also noticed her gaze.

Unaware of the reason behind it, she merely offered a faint, polite smile in return.

Seeing her mother's restless demeanor, Tang Chaochao felt a slight pang of regret for telling her about that matter so soon.

She reached out and pressed down on Song Rongzhi's hand, which was clenched tightly due to inner turmoil.

She whispered softly, "Mother, do not worry. You still have me here."

Hearing this, Song Rongzhi's eyes lit up.

Indeed, Chaochao's medical skills were extraordinary; she had simply been flustered by her own anxiety.

"Chaochao, you have a way to fix this, don't you?"

Tang Chaochao grinned widely and nodded.

Seeing the mother and daughter speaking in cryptic riddles once again, Tang Wu chimed in with a soft question, "What on earth are the two of you whispering about?"

Tang Chaochao blinked.

Only then did Song Rongzhi softly and concisely explain the matter of Lin Guanguan's poisoning.

Naturally, Tang Wu was acquainted with Lin Guanguan as well.

Years ago, the smooth pursuit and eventual marriage to his beloved had been thanks in no small part to Lin Guanguan acting as a matchmaker.

Upon hearing that Lin Guanguan had been poisoned, Tang Wu's brow furrowed slightly.

He spoke in a low voice, "I will have someone look into the Bai household."

The Bai household was Lin Guanguan's marital home, and also the residence of the Hanlin Academy Scholar, Bai Tianyu.

Song Rongzhi nodded upon hearing this.

Seeing that her mother had finally returned to normal, Tang Chaochao resumed her battle with the pastries on the table.

At that moment, a gaze full of malice was cast from the direction of the upper seats.

Tang Chaochao did not look up to meet it.

She knew that the person watching her was none other than Empress Duanmu.

Because of her, the Second Prince, Murong Tian, was still confined to his own residence.

How could the current Empress not hold a grudge against her?

Consort Jing noticed Empress Duanmu's gaze and the corners of her lips curled upward.

"Your Majesty, since today is such a joyous occasion, why not let the young ladies of various noble families display their talents to add to the festivities?"

Emperor Kangjian nodded with a cheerful smile.

"That is a fine idea. However, we cannot let them exert themselves in vain. Tell them that if they perform well, We shall bestow generous rewards."

Performances were customary, and with a single word from Emperor Kangjian, the noble ladies below became even more delighted.

This was a moment to bring glory to their respective families.

At the suggestion of Consort Jing, the performances by the noble ladies officially commenced.

Those who had made preparations beforehand left their seats one after another to get ready.

The waiting period was naturally the time for the young gentlemen to showcase their talents.

When junior eunuchs carried in chairs, writing brushes, and inkstones, Consort Jing spoke once again.

"The young ladies will still need some time to prepare. Why not seize this opportunity to let the young gentlemen compose impromptu poetry?"

With her proposal voiced, naturally no one raised any objections.

Soon, several young men volunteered to step forward and display their literary skills.

Several consecutive youths stepped up, and though the impromptu poems they recited were somewhat bland, they were at least metrically sound.

Listening to them, Emperor Kangjian showed a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Zhao Mengyue knew that her moment of glory had arrived.

She slowly stood up and walked to the center of the grand hall.

She curtsied gracefully toward Emperor Kangjian, the Empress, and Consort Jing seated above.

"This humble maiden takes plum blossoms as her theme and dares to present her clumsy work."

Those who had performed previously were all male.

Zhao Mengyue was the first female to step forward and recite poetry.

Whispers discussing her identity were already spreading through the surrounding crowd.

Emperor Kangjian looked up at her, finding her face unfamiliar.

Yet, he certainly did not know the daughters of every single official.

Although Consort Jing did not recognize this young woman either, she nodded with a smile at the corners of her lips.

"You may begin."

Hearing this, Zhao Mengyue curtsied once more before walking over to the desk.

As she picked up the brush, she silently thanked her fortune for inheriting not only the original owner's memories but also her handwriting.

Otherwise, for a modern person like her, attempting to write with a traditional calligraphy brush would have been an insurmountable challenge.

Zhao Mengyue's movements were swift.

When she finished her stroke, a young eunuch stepped forward and held the sheet of xuan paper aloft.

As the eunuch loudly recited the poem, the crowd shifted from casual indifference to focusing their gaze entirely upon Zhao Mengyue.

*Several calyxes newly hold the snow,*

*An isolated elegance difficult for a painter's book.*

*Amidst the fragrance lies a distinct charm,*

*So pure it knows no biting cold.*

*Listening to the horizontal flute through melancholy,*

*Leaning slantwise against slanting branches in illness.*

*If the northern wind could understand my feelings,*

*Pray do not easily crush and ruin it.*

As the young eunuch finished his recitation, even Emperor Kangjian looked toward Zhao Mengyue in astonishment.

Zhao Mengyue lowered her head slightly, yet she could feel the gazes of everyone converging upon her.

Until Emperor Kangjian called out, "Fine poetry!"

Soft murmurs arose from the surroundings.

Praises of a talented woman, wonderful poetry, and the like echoed endlessly.

Zhao Mengyue offered a slight curtsy.

She spoke with deliberate modesty, "This humble maiden has displayed her clumsy work, and Your Majesty flatters me too much."

In her heart, however, she thought with smug satisfaction that such poetry existed in her mind in endless abundance; she could produce as many as she pleased.

"To which family do you belong? Why have We never seen you before?"

"Possessing such literary talent is truly rare. We shall heavily reward you."

Emperor Kangjian beamed with great delight and spoke with pleasure.

When asked about her family background, Zhao Mengyue's face showed a trace of hesitation.

Elder Madam Tang hurriedly stood up and said, "Replying to Your Majesty, this is the granddaughter of this old subject's maternal older brother. Hearing not long ago that this old subject was ill, she came specifically to pay a visit."

"As for her father, he passed away from illness when she was still very young."

"This old subject took pity on her and temporarily kept her by my side."

Emperor Kangjian nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"So that is how it is. Nevertheless, this child possesses extraordinary literary grace, and being so sensible and filial is truly rare."

Receiving Emperor Kangjian's praise a second time, Zhao Mengyue felt boundless joy in her heart.

Then she heard Emperor Kangjian say, "Since that is the case, she should remain in the capital for some time longer. Such fine literary talent is well worth studying by the youths of the capital."

Emperor Kangjian's words elevated Zhao Mengyue to a very high status.

Following this, he bestowed numerous gifts of gold and silver.

Zhao Mengyue could be considered to have gained both fame and fortune.

The capital she needed for her business ventures had grown by yet another sum.

With Zhao Mengyue's brilliant display setting such a high standard, no one else dared to step forward and court embarrassment.

Zhao Mengyue's poem was naturally considered the finest of the day, and apart from her, the happiest person was undoubtedly Elder Madam Tang.

Taking Zhao Mengyue's hand, she said, "Mengyue, my child, with such magnificent literary talent, why didn't you mention it to your great-aunt beforehand?"

This time, Zhao Mengyue had truly won immense prestige for Elder Madam Tang.

The envious gazes cast by the surrounding matrons were felt by Elder Madam Tang quite clearly.

Watching from the side with her head tilted, Tang Chaochao could not help but think that this cousin of hers was actually capable of composing poetry—and even wrote better than her older sister.

Yet, for some reason, she felt something was amiss, though she could not quite put her finger on it.

Furthermore, she simply did not care for this feeling at all.