Princess, something terrible has happened! The prince consort has attempted suicide again!

Chapter 56 Ancient Famous Poems

"You conspired with another country to murder the daughter of the current emperor's tutor, intending to rebel. Don't you think you're finished?"

As soon as Zhang Xiaomeng arrived, he saw through the situation and exposed Chen Wenxuan's conspiracy, accusing him of confiscating his property and exterminating his entire family.

Chen Wenxuan sneered, "This is utterly absurd! I merely introduced Tang Wan to a friendly exchange of poetry and literature with the talented woman from Nanzhao. It was Tang Wan who fainted due to the pressure. Boy, you're making baseless accusations against me. Who do you think you are?"

The man beside Liu Qingrou nodded in agreement, saying, "Young Master Chen is right. This is just a simple poetry competition; how dare you slander it like this!"

"Young man, everything must be based on evidence. If you dare to spout nonsense again and damage diplomatic relations between our two countries, can you bear the consequences?"

Chen Wenxuan was certain that the other party could not have any evidence, and he wanted to use this to intimidate Zhang Xiaomeng and make him back down.

Zhang Xiaomeng was not going to be dismissed with a few words, and snorted coldly.

"Since we can't reason with them, let's report this to the authorities and see if you, Chen Wenxuan, are upright and honest, or if my Tang family's connections are stronger."

Zhang Xiaomeng tossed a token to Yue'er; it was a Ministry of Justice token given to him by Zhao Changning.

"Take this token to the Ministry of Justice and summon Lord Lin Youwei!"

Chen Wenxuan's heart tightened.

Who exactly is this person? How did he come to possess a Ministry of Justice token?

If the Ministry of Justice gets involved, things will escalate, and I won't be able to handle it.

"Wait a moment!"

Chen Wenxuan quickly called out to Yue'er, his tone softening.

"There's no need to make a scene at the Ministry of Justice over a poetry gathering, lest we become a laughing stock of Dongling for foreign envoys."

Zhang Xiaomeng was just trying to scare Chen Wenxuan; he wouldn't actually call the Ministry of Justice over, because then his identity would be exposed.

So, taking advantage of the situation, he asked, "Do you have any objections if I take the men away now?"

Chen Wenxuan never expected that a Cheng Yaojin would suddenly appear and ruin the scheme he had painstakingly set up.

He harbored resentment in his heart, but forced a smile on his face, "Sister Tang Wan is a member of your Tang family, so of course you can take her away."

Having achieved his goal, Zhang Xiaomeng prepared to leave.

As for Chen Wenxuan, I will definitely find a chance to kill him before I travel back in time.

"Wait a minute!"

The man next to Liu Qingrou suddenly called out to Zhang Xiaomeng.

"What else do you want to do?" Zhang Xiaomeng looked at the other person with displeasure.

The man slowly rose, his gaze deep and wise, and said calmly, "The competition is not over yet, she cannot leave."

Zhang Xiaomeng raised an eyebrow. "She's fainted, how can we compete?"

"Who knows if she's really dizzy or faking it? Maybe she knows she can't beat us, so she's pretending to be dizzy."

Depend on!

Zhang Xiaomeng got angry as soon as he heard that.

That bastard is a real piece of work.

"Are you really dizzy or faking it? Get a doctor to come and examine you, and we'll know," Zhang Xiaomeng said, suppressing his anger.

"We're busy and don't have time to wait. Besides, this is your Dongling territory, and we don't trust the doctors you find."

Zhang Xiaomeng realized that this guy was deliberately picking a fight.

The purpose was probably to use Tang Wan to dampen the spirits of the literary world in Dongling.

Zhang Xiaomeng didn't want to get involved in this mess, but since he'd run into it, he had no choice. He asked, "What do you want? Just say it."

The man smiled slightly, "It's simple, just admit that your Dongling Twins are no match for the Glory of Nanzhao."

Upon hearing this, the scholars present all showed their dissatisfaction.

If she were to admit it, not only would Tang Wan be disgraced, but the literary world of Dongling would also be ridiculed by Nanzhao.

"You're taking advantage of our vulnerability! We won't stand for it!"

"That's right! If you're so capable, let's have a fair and square competition when Miss Tang wakes up!"

"How can the literary circles of Dongling compare to those of your Nanzhao?"

The group of scholars shouted and cheered, some so excited that the veins on their necks bulged.

The man seemed to want this effect; the bigger the commotion, the wider the influence, and the more disgraced Dongling would become.

He said calmly, "Since you are not convinced, you are welcome to come out and compete in place of Tang Wan."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of paper from the table.

The poem that Liu Qingrou had just written was displayed on it and presented it to everyone.

A hundred-foot-high building connects to the nine thoroughfares.

A pot of fine wine gathers learned scholars.

Do not let wine distract you from the beauty of nature.

With a heart full of ambition, one is never alone.

Upon closer inspection, the previously noisy hall fell completely silent.

This poem is absolutely a masterpiece; it is virtually impossible to surpass it within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"What? Nobody here? You Dongling literati only know how to bark and howl, but when it comes to actually fighting, you become mute?"

The man's sarcastic remarks made the group of scholars blush and become extremely angry.

But with other people's poems right there, they didn't have the ability to stand out, so they could only reluctantly shut up.

Are we really going to be humiliated like this by Nanzhao today?

They shook their heads and sighed, filled with helplessness.

"Does anyone have any objections to what I just said?" the man asked arrogantly.

Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.

Just when they thought the literary world of Dongling was about to be severely trampled by Nanzhao, Zhang Xiaomeng suddenly walked to the table, rolled up his sleeves, and picked up his brush to write on the Xuan paper.

What is he going to do?

"Are you going to compose a poem?"

"He's too impulsive; he'll only bring shame upon himself."

Although the group of literati admired Zhang Xiaomeng's courage, they believed that poetry could not be written solely based on passion.

Even if Tang Wan were to wake up, she would probably find it difficult to surpass such a masterpiece.

The other man sneered, thinking that Zhang Xiaomeng was being hesitant to act for fear of harming the innocent.

Liu Qingrou, standing to the side, was not worried at all. She was full of confidence in her poem and felt that the other party was an unknown nobody who was not worth worrying about.

Ignoring the disdain of the crowd, Zhang Xiaomeng quickly finished writing and put down his brush. Without saying a word, he picked up the unconscious Tang Wan, took Yue'er, and turned to leave the restaurant.

His actions were perceived by others as a hasty retreat.

"A clown jumping around like a tree trunk."

The man scoffed dismissively, too lazy to even look at Zhang Xiaomeng's poem.

Instead, Liu Qingrou curiously leaned over, glanced at it casually, and the contempt on her face vanished instantly, replaced by indescribable shock.

"The literary scene in Dongling is nothing special. Qingrou, let's go."

Although they failed to ruin Tang Wan this time, they still dealt a heavy blow to the literary world of Dongling, so they achieved their goal and prepared to leave.

But Liu Qingrou stood motionless, seemingly oblivious.

"Qingrou, what are you standing there for? Let's go." The man called out again.

Liu Qingrou finally came to her senses and managed to squeeze out, "Your Highness, I...I lost."

The voice was very soft and trembled slightly.

But everyone clearly heard what she said, and they were all taken aback.

"What nonsense are you talking about? He..."

The man didn't believe it, but he stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Everyone's curiosity was piqued, and they all crowded around to look at Zhang Xiaomeng's poem.

Someone began to read it aloud slowly.

Smoke shrouds the cold water, moonlight veils the sand.

I moored my boat on the Qinhuai River near a tavern.

The courtesan, oblivious to the sorrow of a fallen nation,