Seeing no one applauding, Fourth Prince felt he couldn't save face and thus proposed.

Rarely today do we have Lin YI graced with artistic inclination; let us compete once more.

Fourth Prince was very confident in his own poetry, and even prided himself as being the most outstanding amongst all the Princes in poetry and prose.

Following that, under the watchful eyes of all, Fourth Prince freely and gracefully penned a new line of poetry.

"Only because a glance from you my love, has me thinking of you from dawn till dusk."

The gist of it is that a single glance from the beloved is enough to have one yearning day and night, their soul entwined in their dreams.

"Brilliant! Fourth Prince truly shows his undiminished talent; this line of poetry could ascend to the heavens, capturing the essence of love at first sight!" The five grand scholars nearly kowtowed in submission, endlessly praising Fourth Prince's poetry.

Yet Bai Lu, with an unwilling expression, said: "Don't be hasty, everyone; Lin Yi has yet to write. Who will come out on top is still uncertain."

Upon hearing this, the five grand scholars could only insincerely invite Lin Yi to participate.

Little did they know, while they were lavishing praise on Fourth Prince just a moment ago, Lin Yi had already finished writing his poetry.

"In my eyes, all beings are mere vegetation, but only seeing you do I see evergreen mountains."

As this line emerged, everyone present was stunned; clearly, this line surpassed that of Fourth Prince, especially in its use of contrast.

The vivid contrast between vegetation and evergreen mountains clearly reflects the elevation of the beloved's status after love at first sight.

The five grand scholars really wanted to applaud, but seeing the displeasure on Fourth Prince's face, they found themselves in a difficult position.

It was Bai Lu, with some understanding of poetry, who first spoke: "Lin Yi's line is truly marvelous. All beings are vegetation, but you are the evergreen mountain; it is the greatest affirmation of one's beloved!"

"How about it, everyone? Is this line of poetry good?"

With Bai Lu's impassioned shout, the pious men and women below raised their voices enthusiastically, even expressing the desire to copy the line and present it to their own beloveds.

Seeing this, the five grand scholars awkwardly lowered their heads, one of them clutching his stomach and saying.

"Excuse me, my stomach hurts, I can't take it, I need to step away for a moment." Having said that, he feigned a stomach ache and hastily fled from the grand stage where the Qiqiao festival was being celebrated.

The remaining four grand scholars, following suit, all feigned stomach aches as excuses to leave.

"Haha, what opportune stomach pains," Lin Yi couldn't help but sneer sarcastically, as it was clear these five grand scholars were simply afraid of offending Fourth Prince and had thus become deserters.

Even with the absence of the five grand scholars on stage, the enthusiasm of the crowd clapping was not in the slightest affected.

Perhaps the applause was too loud; the young Emperor within the Dragon Chariot woke up groggily.

"Little Lin, Little Lin!"

The young Emperor softly called twice, and Ying Qi immediately stepped forward to serve.

"Your Majesty, Lin Yi is engaged in a poetry contest; would you like to eat something first?"

Just now, Lin Yi had instructed that under no circumstances should Your Majesty be left hungry, so the moment Your Majesty awoke, Ying Qi brought forward a steaming bowl of fried sauce noodles.

The young Emperor shook his head, looking in Lin Yi's direction, "Help me up, I want to see how the poetry contest is proceeding."

"But?"

Ying Qi hesitated to speak further; Your Majesty was nearly five months pregnant, truly not suitable for appearing on stage amidst such chaotic crowds. Any jostling or bumping could lead to unimaginable consequences.

Seeing Ying Qi disobeying, the young Emperor immediately exerted the authority of an Emperor, and said sternly.

"I am the Emperor, dare you defy my will? Do you no longer wish to keep your head?"

Ying Qi, terrified, knelt down on the ground and trembled, "Your Majesty, I beg you to prioritize your health. Lin Yi commanded that you must not leave the Dragon Chariot."

"Fool!"

The young Emperor flew into a rage, knocking over the Zhajiang noodles from Ying Qi's hands, and scolded furiously.

"Have you all turned against me? Am I the Emperor, or is it that Lin surname? I just want to be capricious for once, what's the problem?"

Ying Qi was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound.

"Aren't you coming over quickly to support me?"

Ying Qi, unsure of what to do, glanced at Lin Yi, who was full of pride on the Qiqiao stage, and could only steel himself to step forward.

The commotion caused by the young Emperor and Ying Qi was quite significant, but unfortunately, the noise from the Qiqiao stage was so loud that Lin Yi couldn't hear the young Emperor's voice at all.

Just as Lin Yi was proudly watching the devoted men and women copying down his poems, the Fourth Prince's face turned as unsightly as a frost-stricken eggplant.

But he was the first to notice the young Emperor slowly ascending the grand Qiqiao stage.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!" The Fourth Prince bowed respectfully to the young Emperor.

Startled, Lin Yi suddenly turned his head and saw the young Emperor's foot about to step onto the grand Qiqiao stage. He rushed over quickly.

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

The stage was not built with the young Emperor in mind, so the steps were exceptionally high.

For the young Emperor, who was nearly five months pregnant, climbing the steps was somewhat difficult.

Lin Yi bent down and lay on the steps to act as a footrest for the young Emperor.

"This?"

The young Emperor felt uncomfortable. After all, how could he step on the back of his own man?

Seeing the young Emperor hesitate to step down, Lin Yi urged, "Your Majesty, don't worry, this Lin child is strong."

But after Lin Yi finished speaking, the young Emperor remained unmoved, which made Lin Yi extremely anxious.

'Oh dear, my darling wife, I've been looking forward to you waking up for so long, and if you don't come over now, the Fourth Prince will take all the spotlight today.'

'What are you dawdling for, the people are waiting to see your true face. We agreed to show affinity with the people, come on up, my back is strong enough.'

Knowing Lin Yi's thoughts, the young Emperor slightly furrowed his brow, glanced towards the Fourth Prince, and hesitated for a moment.

'My Fourth Imperial Uncle sure knows how to seize the moment, taking advantage of my absence to win over the people's hearts.'

'Hmph, blame that seducer, you must have put sleeping pills in those soup dumplings, making me sleep so long. I'll see how I shall punish you!'

Although those were the young Emperor's thoughts, when the words reached his lips, he began to feel heartache again.

"Ying Qi, come over and support me."

Thus, with Ying Qi's assistance, the young Emperor cautiously stepped onto Lin Yi's back and carefully ascended the steps.

Upon seeing the Emperor in the Dragon Robe, all the citizens of the city kneeled to pay their respects.

"We greet Your Majesty, long live the Emperor, long live, long live!"

The young Emperor, seeing his subjects participating in the Qiqiao Festival, was very pleased.

"Rise, all of you. Today is the Qiqiao Festival; I celebrate with all of you as one nation, sharing in this prosperous era of peace and the well-being of our people."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

As the cheers of the people surged once again, the Fourth Prince's face became even more unsightly.

The sense of superiority and pride he had cultivated before the Emperor's arrival was shattered in an instant.

Seeing his people supporting him so enthusiastically, the young Emperor was even more determined to manage the state of Dayu well, to bring about a prosperous and peaceful era for his people.

…End of chapter…

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