Chapter 6 — The Voice of the Heart Unmasks the Fake

She quickly changed cards and read the first four lines of the song "Nguyet Ha Doc Moi" by Ly Bach. This time, there was no mistake. In the banquet, another burst of praise rang out. The young editor of Han Lam Academy looked at her until his eyes were almost glued together, continuously exclaiming:

"In the palace, there is such a strange lady! Your Majesty, this lady is truly..."

Before he could finish his words, he realized that he had lost his temper and shyly shut his mouth. The pink color on Tham Thanh Dao's face became even darker. She bowed her head and twisted the hem of her shirt. The look of wanting to speak again had captivated more than half of the young men present. 【See it yet? This is the power of culture. Give me one more month, and I will make the entire civil and military court kneel under my skirt. At that time, don't talk about being a maid, even if you guys beg me to be your wife, I still have to think.] When she retreated, her steps were as light as flying. But when the corner of his eyes looked towards his father for the third time, he still did not look at her. The person tilted her head and said something to the mother. A smile finally appeared on the mother's face, and the two leaned close to each other as if they were having a private conversation. The corners of Tham Thanh Dao's lips darkened for a moment. 【Don't rush, just take it slow. Today the old emperor doesn't look at me, tomorrow it may not be like that. For men, soft ties tied tightly are effective. Let him cool down for a few days first.】 ## 11 She carried the empty wine bottle and retreated into the darkness of the hallway, like a snake crawling back into the grass. The banquet continues. Singing and dancing started up again, wine cups mixed together, as if the musical accompaniment just now was just a little spice in the party. But the atmosphere between the tables was clearly different. A few civil servants gathered together to discuss in low voices about the "more talented palace maid", some even shook their heads and recited the phrase "The sea gave birth to a bright moon". The crown prince looked at me across the banquet table, frowning slightly, as if he was worried about something. I smiled at him, signaling that it was okay. The banquet entered the second half, and the emperor suddenly spoke:

"Can Nuong, it's been a while since you returned to the palace, I still haven't seen your words. While you're having fun tonight, please write an article."

Everyone's eyes immediately focused on him. I don't know when Tham Thanh Dao came back from the hallway. She stood in the corner, holding a new bottle of wine, her eyes sparkling like a cat waiting for its prey to lose face. 【Finally, it's the princess' turn to show her ignorance. A girl who grew up in the countryside from a young age, knowing a few words is not bad, but still wants to write poetry? Just wait and lose face! After tonight, everyone will know that I, Tham Thanh Dao, am a true talent. Hua Can Nuong is nothing more than an empty shell based on her bloodline.】 I put down the wine cup, stood up and bowed to my father:

“The daughter obeyed.”

The palace lady spread out the Tuyen paper, sharpened the ink, and got ready. I walked up to the court, holding a pen soaked in ink. Tham Thanh Dao stood in the corner staring at me. The sound of her heart was so loud that it made my head hurt: 【Looking at that pose, pretending is very similar. Later, what is written will certainly be nothing. I'm waiting to see the joke, waiting to see how it goes down.】 I put down my pen. I wrote a wordless article about improving water wheels in Jiangnan. That's what we just discussed discussed with the Ministry of Public Works two days ago. Although this night was written as a poem to suit the scene, inside it was a practical matter of water management. After writing, I put down my pen. The emperor himself stood up and went to see. The person watched for three breaths and suddenly smiled. That smile carries deep satisfaction. He raised the paper, turned to everyone at the banquet, and read:

"The water flows naturally through the rivers and rivers, and the old yellow ox is useless in Phu Le. One stick leads to the fullness of the three autumns, and serves the farmer without limit."

The spinning wheel carries water throughout thousands of rivers. Plowing the fields does not require the strength of an ox. One trough leads to three enough crops. From now on, farmers don't have to worry about dryness. The banquet was silent for a moment. Then the Minister of Rites was the first to stand up and stared at the paper:

"This... is this written about water wheels? Improving water wheels? Two days ago, the Ministry of Justice submitted a petition saying they wanted to improve water wheels to lead irrigation canals, but has the eldest princess already written it in poetry?"

“It's not just about writing poetry.”

The minister also stood up, staring at the four verses, his fingers shaking:

"In this poem, half of the improvement method is mentioned! 'The rotating wheel carries water throughout thousands of rivers'... Could it be that your highness is talking about a horizontal water wheel that does not need a person to step on it? The other day I just casually mentioned to the eldest princess how in the South when there is drought and flood, has your highness already thought of a way to deal with it?"

12 The whole banquet immediately became noisy. Tham Thanh Dao stood in the corner, her face sometimes white, sometimes blue, sometimes blue then white. Her heart sounded like a punctured bellows: 【What is that? Isn't he writing poetry? Why is it related to water wheels? That's not right, how can an ancient girl like her understand these things? Could it be... No, it can't be. There are so many time-traveling people in this world...】 I lowered my eyes, not revealing my emotions. The emperor's father passed the poem down. The minister seemed to have found a precious treasure, repeatedly saying that he must copy this poem and send it to the three southern districts for testing. The literati of the Academy looked at each other. They wrote about the wind, flowers, snow and moon all their lives, never thinking that poetry could still be used for practical work.

“The talented princess!”

The leading minister knelt down:

“Not only is the literature outstanding, but it also always puts the people's lives in its heart, truly a blessing of Dai Zhou!”

Next, the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Protection, and even a few military officials all knelt down at the same time. The whole banquet was like a rice field blown by the wind, rows of people prostrated themselves, chanting in unison:

“Chief Princess Thien Tue!”

The banquet is over. The officials retreated one by one, and the palace staff tidied up the banquet table. The sound of plates and dishes colliding echoed on the empty moon platform. The queen mother was tired, so the palace maid helped her back to Phuong Nghi palace.