After the milk ball arrived, the father who had no heirs had a string of good luck.

Mr. Du announced loudly, "Welcome everyone to this year's Lantern Festival and the Lantern King Competition. The rules are the same as in previous years. I will present a couplet, and those who can match it can continue. As for those who cannot, I can only say that I am very sorry."

"Without further ado, let's begin!"

Mr. Du cleared his throat and said, "For the first line of a couplet, let me start with something simple: 'Spring is red, summer is green, autumn is yellow.' Please provide the matching line."

Gu Ruoxue smiled and replied without hesitation, "The sun sets, the moon rises, and the stars fade."

As soon as she finished speaking, various other answers were given.

"The seedlings are green, the valley is orange, the rice is white and new."

"Farewell to the old year, welcome the new, and may good fortune come to your door."

"The sun is dim, the moon is bright, and the pines are serene."

...

After all, it's not a very difficult couplet, and many people can come up with a matching one.

Even Situ Wei, who was by the Crown Prince's side, got the answer right: "The top is straight, the middle is crooked, and the bottom is confused."

After saying that, he smiled at Tang Rui and said, "Cousin, many people praise your intelligence, but... can't you even come up with a matching couplet? You need your stepmother's help?"

Tang Rui: "..." Are you sick? Or did you catch it from your sister?

What she didn't know was that Situ Wei just wanted to make a good impression on the Crown Prince.

But she overlooked Gu Ruoxue, who was beside Tang Rui.

Gu Ruoxue's expression softened, and she retorted gently, "My Ruirui is pampered and protected by so many people, so naturally there are plenty of people willing to help her. Unlike some children, who are unloved by their parents and have to fight and snatch whatever they want, getting hurt and no one cares. They are truly pitiful."

What do you mean you can't bully children? Sorry, there's no such rule in her world.

Anyone who bullies the person she protects, no matter who they are, will be met with a swift and decisive response.

Situ Wei's face stiffened, and she could no longer smile.

"Pfft!" Tang Rui laughed out loud, looking at Situ Wei with schadenfreude: "I wasn't talking about you, don't take it personally."

Situ Wei bit her lip and glanced at the Crown Prince, but he didn't even look at her, only saying lightly, "Overestimating yourself."

These literati are quick-witted, and Gu Ruoxue can be considered one of them.

To show off one's eloquence in front of these intellectuals is simply overestimating one's abilities.

Situ Wei: "..."

Quite a few people came up with a couplet in the first round. Master Du had someone count the number of people and then came up with a second couplet: "Buddha's feet, clear spring, floating down two jade ribbons."

Everyone: "..." Goodness, the difficulty has suddenly increased!

Gu Ruoxue remained calm and composed, replying almost instantly: "Living water from a source, bubbling up a string of pearls."

"Hahaha..." Old Mr. Du stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction: "Madam's literary talent is outstanding, no less than it was back then."

Gu Ruoxue smiled faintly: "You flatter me, sir."

The prince's servant whispered something in his ear, and the prince immediately replied, "A face as beautiful as peach blossoms, a string of sweet potatoes burning hot."

"Good, good, this young master is right!" Compared to his attitude towards Gu Ruoxue, Old Master Du's attitude towards the Crown Prince was somewhat perfunctory.

He's not blind; he noticed the servant's subtle actions.

The Crown Prince, however, did not recognize the words. He quickly opened his fan and smiled smugly at Gu Ruoxue.

Gu Ruoxue: "..."

She saw it too.

Speechless!

How come I never realized the Crown Prince was such a shameless person before?

Besides these two, two other people also came up with a matching answer.

They were all students of Mr. Du, who was very satisfied. Then, a third couplet was presented: "A lone boat, carrying two or three scholars, using four oars and five sails, passing through six rapids and seven bends, experiencing eight bumps and nine jolts, alas, they arrived very late."

Everyone: "..." Can we even play this game anymore?

Why is the difficulty level increasing so quickly?

Even Gu Ruoxue was stumped this time, her brows furrowing as she fell into deep thought.

The prince kept glancing at the servant beside him.

The servant was drenched in cold sweat, racking his brains, but to no avail.

Tang Rui's dark eyes swept around, and she inadvertently caught Situ Wei's mocking gaze.

Hey?

If I don't show my power, you'll think I'm some kind of Hello Kitty?

Tang Rui immediately decided to show off, so she took a step forward, puffed out her chest, and patted her small chest: "What's so difficult about it? I can do this."

Gu Ruoxue was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Rui Rui, can you really come up with the answer? This is so difficult, I need to think about it myself."

When Situ Wei saw the Crown Prince's surprised and complicated look as he looked at Tang Rui, she felt a little uncomfortable. For a moment, she forgot to be careful with her words and blurted out, "Cousin, you'd better not be so stubborn. Otherwise, if you're wrong, people will laugh at you."

Other passersby agreed with her and echoed her sentiments.

"Yeah, this child looks only a few years old. I can't even answer the riddle, how could she?"

"Little girl, stop causing trouble here."

"If she can answer the question, I'll become a vegetarian from now on."

...

It wasn't that they didn't believe her, it was just that Tang Rui was too young.

This couplet is so difficult. If Tang Rui can come up with a matching one, then wouldn't they be even less capable than children?

Mr. Du was also surprised: "Young lady... are you sure you can do it right?"

"What's so difficult about this? Listen carefully."

Tang Rui cleared her throat, and the room immediately fell silent, waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

However, the next moment, a sweet, childlike voice rang out throughout the hall: "Ten years of hard study, entering ninety-eight academies, abandoning all emotions and desires, diligently studying the Five Classics and Four Books, taking the exam three or four times, this year I must pass."

quiet!

The scene was deathly silent!

Everyone stared at Tang Rui in disbelief, completely surprised that she had actually answered correctly.

Gu Ruoxue was the first to come to her senses, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she made no attempt to hide her admiration for Tang Rui: "Excellent, excellent! The two lines are naturally connected, the wordplay is clean and efficient, and it all makes perfect sense. Rui Rui, you're amazing!"

"Excellent, excellent, excellent!" Mr. Du exclaimed repeatedly, "Like father, like daughter! The ancients were right!"

The scene exploded the next second!

"I've actually gotten the answer..."

"Good heavens, how old is she? Am I... even less than a child?"

"What happened to the person who just said they'd be a vegetarian from now on?"

"Whose doll is this? It's practically a prodigy!"

...

Situ Wei's face turned pale, as if she had been struck by lightning.

She didn't expect that Tang Rui would actually answer correctly.

How could that be?

Is she really a child prodigy?

Tang Rui chuckled and led Gu Ruoxue onto the stage.

Mr. Du also took down the large dragon lantern and handed it to her, lowering his voice and saying, "Princess, you are so young, yet your literary talent is remarkable. I admire you."

What he didn't say was, "What a pity, it's a little girl!"

If he were a boy, he would surely be a top scholar.

"Mr. Du, you flatter me. It's all thanks to my father and stepmother for their excellent upbringing." Tang Rui didn't forget to be sweet-talking even at this moment, and stood on tiptoe to try and catch the lantern.

The lantern was just too big, so the guards had no choice but to carry it.

Mr. Du was even more satisfied with her.

She's neither arrogant nor impatient, and knows how to advance and retreat... How come she's just a little girl?

If it were a boy, he would take him on as an apprentice no matter how shameless he was.

At that moment, a voice rang out from the crowd: "I recognize her! She is the daughter of Prince Li, the Princess Zhaohua, personally bestowed upon her by the Emperor!"