Volume 1, Chapter 28: Seizing the Crown!
The final round of the poetry competition propelled the entire Lantern Festival to its peak excitement.
The ceremonial officer once again unfurled an imperial edict and loudly announced the theme for this round—“Home and Country.”
The moment those two words were spoken, they weighed heavily like a thousand-pound burden on the hearts of all the noble ladies participating.
The topic seemed broad, yet it was the most difficult to grasp. To write too narrowly would be mere whimpering; to write too broadly risked emptiness and meaninglessness.
This challenge tested not only literary talent but also breadth of vision and magnanimity.
After the stunning performances in the previous rounds, Xiao Ningshuang had become the center of attention. Everyone was curious to see what extraordinary and unconventional poem this rebellious Crown Princess would produce.
Yet this time, Xiao Ningshuang truly felt the pressure.
When playing the qin, she could express the war spirit in her heart; when painting, she could depict the mountains and rivers before her eyes.
But poetry was her greatest weakness.
She could recite countless magnificent poems about home and country from the ancients, yet she struggled to organize her own emotions into lines with proper rhythm and tone.
She stood there, unable to put pen to paper, her brow furrowed deeply.
Seeing this scene, Li Zhan’s heart, which had sunk to the depths, rekindled with hope.
He knew the opportunity had arrived.
He gave a slight nod to Shangguan Wan’er, who sat quietly in a corner, as if tonight’s events did not concern her.
Receiving Li Zhan’s signal, a sharp glint flashed in her calm, inscrutable eyes.
She stepped gracefully into the center, took up the brush, and wrote swiftly, smoothly:
“Jade Tower warms with phoenix flute’s song,
Sun and moon shine bright in Chang Le Palace.
The sage ruler’s benevolent heart embraces all seas,
No need for iron horses to trample frozen rivers.”
Having finished this seven-character quatrain, she set down her brush and recited it clearly.
The entire hall was stunned.
On the surface, the poem celebrated peace and prosperity under the emperor’s benevolence.
But between the lines lay a cunning subtlety.
“The sage ruler’s benevolent heart embraces all seas,
No need for iron horses to trample frozen rivers.”
These two lines were clearly a veiled satire! They set “benevolence” against “iron horses,” implying that a truly kind ruler governs by virtue, not by force.
Was this not a direct critique of Xiao Ningshuang’s earlier poem, filled with martial aggression, “Ambush from Ten Sides”? Was it not an insinuation that Crown Prince Li Xuan’s recent actions were too sharp and lacking in kindness?
This poem seemed to praise the emperor but in truth exalted the second prince Li Zhan, known for his “gentle and refined” demeanor, while firmly pointing the finger at the Eastern Palace.
A brilliantly ruthless “praise to destroy” maneuver!
Li Chengye’s expression darkened slightly. Such a man could not fail to perceive the poem’s hidden meaning.
A victorious smile appeared on Li Zhan’s face. This was his way of telling the emperor that the Crown Prince favored violence, whereas he himself was the rightful heir capable of maintaining the realm with benevolent governance.
All eyes turned once more to Xiao Ningshuang.
Shangguan Wan’er’s poem was like an invisible net, trapping her tightly.
If she refuted it, she denied the “sage ruler’s benevolence”; if she agreed, she admitted that her own “iron-blooded war spirit” was wrong, opposing the path of benevolent rule.
She was caught in an inescapable dilemma.
Xiao Ningshuang’s complexion paled. Her hand holding the brush trembled slightly.
Just as her mind was in turmoil and she was about to give up, a steady and resolute gaze pierced through the crowd and fixed upon her.
It was Li Xuan.
He sat calmly as before, seemingly unfazed by Shangguan Wan’er’s provocation. He looked at her silently, mouthing two words without sound:
“Trust me.”
For some reason, seeing his lips form those words, and meeting his deep, ocean-like eyes, Xiao Ningshuang’s frantic heart suddenly calmed.
She recalled their pact, his passionate speech on Zhuque Street, his swift killing of the mad bear at the autumn hunting grounds, and the moment he shielded her from the hot tea.
This man always seemed able to create miracles in desperate moments.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, the confusion was gone, replaced by unprecedented determination.
She did not write a regulated seven-character poem nor a five-character quatrain.
Instead, she simply took up the brush and wrote a ci poem on the pristine rice paper—a poem unbound by strict form yet filled with power and emotion.
When she finished the last character, the entire hall held its breath.
She did not recite it aloud but handed the scroll to the ceremonial officer.
The officer unfurled the paper, momentarily stunned, then his voice began to tremble as he loudly and passionately read:
“The north wind sweeps the land,
A lone wild goose cries in the western wind.
Cold moon at the frontier shines upon my iron armor, drinks my icy blade.
Fathers and brothers fight countless battles, wrapped in horse hides upon death, to exchange—for—
The lanterns blaze in layers on Zhuque Street.
You ask what is home?
Home is the sand within the tent, the frost upon the pillow.
You ask what is country?
Country is peace under heaven, the well-being of all people.
Fear not the barren road ahead,
Only wish to serve the nation long with this body.
With my martial strength,
I guard your lifetime of prosperity!”
This poem contained no ornate words, no exquisite parallelism. Like an uncut jade, it was simple yet profoundly stirring.
“North wind,” “lone wild goose,” “cold moon,” “iron armor,” “icy blade”—in just a few phrases, it painted a bleak and heroic scene at the frontier.
“Fathers and brothers fight countless battles, wrapped in horse hides upon death, to exchange—for—lanterns blazing in layers on Zhuque Street!”
This line struck like a hammer upon everyone’s heart! It used the cruelest contrast to reveal the price of peace, embodying the gravest meaning of “home and country.”
What of the opposition between “benevolence” and “iron horses”? In the face of such bloody reality, it seemed pale and laughable! Without the soldiers’ iron horses and frozen rivers, where would the Jade Tower’s spring warmth come from?
“With my martial strength, I guard your lifetime of prosperity!”
The final line was the perfect finishing touch—a portrait of the entire loyal Xiao family, the deepest confession of a daughter of a military household, and a flawless embodiment of the Crown Princess’s identity.
The hall fell into a deathly silence.
Shangguan Wan’er’s face drained of color instantly. Her petty schemes seemed like dust before the overwhelming patriotism of this poem.
Li Zhan’s smile froze completely, then shattered bit by bit.
“Excellent!”
Li Chengye suddenly rose from the Dragon Throne, his eyes bloodshot, voice trembling with excitement.
“‘With my martial strength, I guard your lifetime of prosperity!’ Excellent! This is my daughter-in-law! This is the Crown Princess of our Great Zhou!”
He descended from the throne platform, personally took the scroll from the ceremonial officer, raised it high, and proclaimed to all subjects:
“Tonight’s Lantern Champion, Crown Princess Xiao Ningshuang! This poem shall be the anthem of our Great Zhou, sung throughout the realm!”
“Long live the Crown Princess!”
“Long live the Crown Princess!”
The thunderous cheers drowned out the entire Zhuque Street.
Xiao Ningshuang stood amidst the masses, looking at the emperor who was so moved on her behalf, at her father who sat with tears in his eyes, and finally, her gaze settled on the man who had smiled at her all along.
Beneath the brilliant lantern lights and deafening cheers, she gave him a radiant smile from the depths of her heart.
That smile was like an iceberg thawing, a snow lotus blooming—instantly overshadowing all the city’s lights.