Lin Yan’s attitude piqued their interest in Lin Yi, not to mention Xu Lin and Cao Ying’s curiosity about Lin Yan’s seniority.
“My generation is quite senior in the Lin family, which is why my uncle brought me here to be raised,” Lin Yan explained.
*You weren’t raised by your aunt, though,* Xu Lin thought wryly.
“This Lin Yi is the grandson of my eldest paternal cousin. He showed great talent from a young age, so my father tutored him for a few years. That’s why I’m quite familiar with him.”
At this point, they heard a few more poems from Lin-surnamed scholars. Only the well-written ones would be copied and circulated.
As it was a plum blossom banquet, the themes were limited, meaning these attendees had prepared their poems in advance.
“Are these from your family too?”
“Yes, the latter few are from my nephews,” Lin Yan replied, recognizing a few familiar names. It seemed they had been busy writing poems these past few days.
“Being senior truly is enviable,” Xu Lin sighed. As the youngest in their group, she was the only one who had to address others with seniority.
Since the male guests’ poems had already been copied, the female guests were not to be outdone.
Cao Ying submitted a poem that was neither outstanding nor poor. Lin Yan and Xu Lin hadn’t written anything. The other two in their small clique had only submitted one poem each that they were moderately satisfied with.
Just then, a gasp was heard from another section. “Miss Tang’s poem is truly excellent!”
After speaking, she read the poem aloud. “And her calligraphy is beautiful too!”
Tang Xin Yi tried to hide her pride, instead offering a sheepish smile.
However, the expressions of others listening to the recitation varied.
“This poem… I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before,” Xu Lin mused, trying to recall.
“Yes, I’ve heard it too,” Cao Ying’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Sister Ying, Sister A’Ling, don’t you remember? You both said this poem was exceptionally well-written before the New Year,” a young lady behind Xu Lin suddenly remembered.
“Yes, I recall now. Weren’t there some poems circulating in front of Sister Ying? This was one of them. A’Yun has a good memory,” Xu Lin finally remembered when she had heard the poem.
“Why would the Third Miss of the Duke of An’s mansion present this poem as her own, with such an air of accomplishment?” Cao Ying looked at the Tang Third Miss, whose every expression radiated self-satisfaction, and felt at a loss for words.
“Perhaps she doesn’t realize others have heard this poem,” Lin Yan said softly.
“This is quite interesting. More interesting than Miss Yang’s talents!” Xu Lin’s gaze was fixed on that side with keen interest, afraid of missing any detail.
“Miss Tang’s poem does sound quite good, but it’s not as if it was just written, is it?” a voice emerged from the crowd.
“Yes, Miss Tang, perhaps you should choose another one,” a young lady standing beside Tang Xin Yi suggested. If she had seen the poem Tang Xin Yi had written earlier, she would have stopped her.
“Why should I change it? I just wrote it!” Tang Xin Yi was utterly perplexed. She was certain this poem wasn’t present here, so she felt no guilt in claiming it as her own.
“We heard this poem before the New Year. There must be at least a thousand people in the capital who have heard it. Does Miss Tang really believe that others wouldn’t know?” Miss Yang from the Marquis of Su Yang’s household stated directly, showing no regard for Tang Xin Yi’s reputation.
*Finally, someone has made a fool of themselves at such a banquet,* she thought. *This Miss Tang is even more embarrassing than I was back then.*
“I…” *What is happening? How could anyone know this poem? Is there another transmigrator in this world?* Tang Xin Yi looked around at the assembled ladies, trying to spot a fellow countrywoman among them.
But she found nothing. She didn’t know if her fellow countrywoman was in the crowd, nor how many poems that person had produced. Thus, she dared not write any further.
Her brush hovered in mid-air, unable to commit to paper.
“Is Miss Tang unable to continue? Would you like me to suggest a few?” With that, she recited a few poems from the collection that had circulated previously.
Upon hearing this, Tang Xin Yi realized they were indeed poems from her world, all familiar to her. *Could it be that this world truly has more than one transmigrator?*
All attention turned to them. Tang Xin Yi became even more hesitant to write.
Seeing Tang Xin Yi’s flustered state, Tang Le Yi felt a surge of satisfaction.
Although they were both from the Tang family, the legitimate and illegitimate daughters did not associate. Even if Tang Xin Yi embarrassed herself, it wouldn’t reflect on Tang Le Yi.
“It was my mistake. I just wanted to warm up my hands and get my creative juices flowing. I didn’t expect Miss Sun to assume I had written it,” Tang Xin Yi quickly shifted the blame.
She placed her brush back on the stand and looked at the Sun Miss who had read her poem with evident disapproval.
“I…” Miss Sun wanted to retort but found herself at a loss for words, as it was indeed her own assumption. Fine, she would accept the blame. However, she wouldn’t let Tang Xin Yi off the hook so easily.
“Yes, it was my fault. Then please, Miss Tang, hurry and write. After all, the other young ladies have already submitted their poems.”
“Alright.” Tang Xin Yi nodded in agreement. But her heart was filled with trepidation. She knew her own capabilities; she genuinely couldn’t write anything.
Suddenly, she remembered a poem about plum blossoms written by her calligraphy teacher. She picked up her brush and began to write.
However, her calligraphy teacher was no master, and the poems she wrote were incomparable to those of renowned poets.
When Tang Xin Yi’s poem was submitted, many showed disdain. The reason was simple: the poem was too simplistic, and there were errors in its rhyme and tonal patterns. *Honestly, why was she so smug earlier?*
Tang Le Yi was somewhat displeased that Tang Xin Yi didn't stumble further. But seeing this person suffer a setback brought her joy.
However, as Tang Le Yi glanced at Lin Yan, she felt that the young lady from the Marquis of Huaiyin’s residence seemed different this life.
She didn’t recall if Lin Yan had attended this plum blossom banquet in her previous life. But she remembered that Feng Fei Yu had written the best poems among the male guests in her past life.
It was precisely for this reason that he had noticed the best female poet, Tang Xin Yi, and remembered her.
But in this life, there was an additional scholar named Lin Yi.
Still, these trivial matters were insignificant. Today, she learned that those poems were indeed not written by Tang Xin Yi. If she possessed such literary talent, she could have written something of similar caliber even if the poems had been circulated beforehand.
Tang Xin Yi’s guilty expression suggested these poems weren't hers, but how could she be certain that no one else knew about them?
It seemed the woman who had occupied her younger sister’s body had an unusual background!
Even if her background was unusual, what of it? Someone who only stole from others, someone who could so brazenly claim another’s achievements as her own, couldn’t be that formidable!
Thinking that she had been defeated by such a person in her previous life, she found it baffling. But it wouldn’t happen again. She would ensure this woman had no chance of redemption.