roccoschili Chapter 132 Confidence
Chapter 132 Confidence
Su Wan'er, standing in the crowd, looked up at Su Fuying in disbelief. "Princess Yongle, there was no clear winner that day, so how can you say that Wan'er suffered a crushing defeat?"
The woman smiled slightly, looking genuinely pleased. "It seems only today can I make you admit defeat."
"You!" Su Wan'er didn't expect Su Fuying to make such a boastful statement, but the thought of being thoroughly humiliated later made her feel quite pleased.
"Alright, since it's Princess Yongle's suggestion, I can't refuse. I grant it." A glint of light flashed in the Empress's eyes. She hadn't expected Su Fuying to make this request. What a coincidence! How could she possibly refuse?
He exchanged a barely perceptible glance with Consort Li, who also wore a smug smile and nodded slightly to the Empress.
The empress then leaned back with peace of mind, waiting for the performance to begin.
Consort Li turned to look at Su Fuying, only to find that the other was calmly looking ahead, as if everything was under her control.
Seeing Su Fuying's confidence, Consort Li felt a little uneasy.
She had a feeling that things weren't going to be that simple today. Could it be that Su Fuying really had some backup plan?
Meanwhile, Su Wan'er was beaming with pride, confident in her abilities and certain that she would defeat Su Fuying this time.
She gave Su Fuying a defiant look, as if she could already foresee the miserable state of the other party after his defeat.
However, at this moment, Su Fuying suddenly spoke up: "Miss Su, considering that you lost once last time, I'll let you go first today?" Her eyes were gleaming with a smile, the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, and her gaze was contemptuous.
But that smile, when seen by Su Wan'er, felt extremely ironic. Bringing up the last incident again, wasn't it just to slap her in the face in public?
Su Wan'er's face flushed with anger, but she quickly took a deep breath and calmed herself down.
She thought to herself that she must not be provoked by Su Fuying, otherwise she would lose her temper and make more mistakes.
She needs to stay calm and play her best to defeat this bitch.
With her mother, still in confinement, in mind, Su Wan'er bit her lip and thought, "Today I must humiliate Su Fuying and gain the Empress's favor so that I can plead for my mother's life."
So she smiled and replied, "Your Highness is too kind. The matter last time didn't have any real results. As my former elder sister, you should go first."
Her voice was gentle yet firm, revealing no trace of anger.
What good is being good-looking? She's just an empty shell. Today, she'll show the people of the capital that the title of princess rightfully belongs to her.
Thinking of this, Su Wan'er couldn't help but let a confident light shine in her eyes.
Su Fuying's eyes flickered slightly, and she no longer declined, saying directly, "The green leaves and branches are like those of the osmanthus, and the flowers bloom with soft stems, timidly facing the wind."
"Good poem."
As soon as she finished speaking, a familiar voice rang out from the crowd. Su Fuying looked down and saw that Madam Pei had arrived sometime earlier and was now looking at her with admiration from the crowd.
Su Fuying returned a gentle smile, then her gaze fell on Su Wan'er.
At this moment, Su Wan'er's facial expression was somewhat stiff, and she looked at Su Fuying with a puzzled expression.
"It's your turn, my dear sister."
Su Fuying's cold voice brought Su Wan'er back to her senses instantly. She composed herself and confidently said, "The fragrance of osmanthus is cold in the mist, and the shadows of paulownia leaves are cast by the west wind."
Everyone was amazed by Su Wan'er's talent, while Su Fuying smiled slightly, a sly glint in her eyes.
"Not bad, Su Wan'er," Su Fuying said softly. "However, I hope you can maintain this level of performance from now on."
She cleared her throat and slowly recited: "The moon moves, the flower shadows sway, the wind carries a rich fragrance."
Su Wan'er frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then slowly said, "Where the flower shadows sway, a fragrant breeze caresses the face."
Su Fuying smiled slightly and nodded gently.
However, at that moment, Su Wan'er suddenly raised her voice and shouted, "Sister, it's your turn!"
Everyone was startled by this sudden action and looked at Su Fuying. She remained calm and smiled, saying, "Good sister, don't be in such a hurry."
She paused, then said, word by word, "The autumn wind blows bleakly, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus wafts far and wide."
Everyone was taken aback, praising the two men's talent and wit. This poetry duel had become a truly spectacular contest.
"With thirty thousand bushels of Qiu Xiang already, who else would look up at her in the moonlight?"
"Jade beads fall gently from the moon, and fresh dew is gathered before the palace."
......
The two exchanged blows for more than a dozen rounds, and everyone could see that Su Wan'er's face was becoming increasingly stiff.
Even in this late autumn season, large beads of sweat continued to slide down his forehead.
When Su Fuying recited the poem again, Su Wan'er finally couldn't bear the pressure and shouted emotionally, "How do you know these poems?"
Su Fuying smiled slightly, gently smoothed her wind-blown hair, and answered unhurriedly, "Why does Miss Su ask such a question? Does this princess not even have the qualifications to compose poetry?"
“Princess Yongle, Wan’er has no such intention.”
Consort Li was completely bewildered. The poetry recitation had been going quite smoothly, so why did Su Wan'er suddenly change her expression?
But to prevent Su Fuying from hitting anyone again, she quickly stepped in to smooth things over. After all, the purpose today was to please the Empress, and if she could gain the Empress's approval, Su Wan'er would be one step closer to becoming the Crown Princess.
"What does she mean?"
Su Fuying's lips curled up slightly, and she suddenly said as if she had just realized something, "Oh, so Miss Su wants to admit defeat!"
"Nonsense! How could I possibly admit defeat!" Su Wan'er immediately roared, her facial expression now described as one of utter fury.
She glared at Su Fuying with wide eyes, as if she wanted to devour her alive.
However, despite her outward appearance of anger, Su Wan'er was actually filled with anxiety and unease.
Because she had run out of ideas, she was unable to continue writing poetry. Faced with this situation, she felt extremely embarrassed and ashamed.
"Then it's your turn, Miss Su, please continue." Su Fuying's tone remained calm and indifferent.
Her eyes were filled with disdain, seemingly unconcerned about Su Wan'er's performance. This dismissive attitude infuriated Su Wan'er even more, but she was helpless to do anything about it.
Su Wan'er clenched her teeth, trying hard to control her emotions.
Her fingers kept fidgeting with the hem of her dress, trying to ease her nervousness.
At the same time, she quickly searched her mind for other verses, hoping to find a suitable one to salvage the situation.
At the same time, Consort Li also appeared very anxious. She stood up from her seat somewhat restlessly, glancing at Su Wan'er from time to time.
Seeing Su Wan'er's embarrassed expression, Consort Li inwardly groaned. She glanced cautiously at the Empress, whose face had darkened, and silently prayed not to anger her.
She thought to herself, "This is bad. Su Wan'er is a good-for-nothing who only makes things worse. Yesterday she was so sure that she would bring down Su Fuying today."
Consort Li couldn't help but complain about Su Wan'er, feeling that she was really too disappointing.
If it weren't for her confidence, Consort Li wouldn't have gone to plead with the Empress in the middle of the night. Now that things have escalated to this point, if she offends the Empress, her position as a concubine might be in jeopardy.
Thinking of this, Consort Li couldn't help but shudder, and her face turned even more pale.