Iron Dynasty

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The poetry gathering fell into dead silence at these words. All eyes turned to Xiao Ming and his three companions.

Then another voice rang out, “Pan Yu, you mustn’t make baseless accusations. What evidence do you have that the Prince of Qi cheated?”

“What a surprise—I didn’t expect the Prince of Shu to be in Chang’an as well,” Xiao Ming said, looking at the speaker. It was none other than the Fifth Prince, the Prince of Shu.

“Your Highness, I am not speaking recklessly. Qin Rui, Zhu Yushu, and Du Boyuan—are they not all talentless fools? How could their poems possibly catch Her Highness’s eye? I saw the Prince of Qi whispering to them earlier—he must have fed them the lines!” Pan Yu declared.

Zhu Yushu frowned. “Pan Yu, what grudge do you hold against us? How dare you slander us like this? Explain yourself—what exactly do you want?”

The Prince of Shu interjected with a smile, “Pingshan, there’s no need for anger. If Pan Yu doubts your talent, simply compose another poem in front of Her Highness to prove yourself.”

Xiao Ming’s gaze shifted between the Prince of Shu and Pan Yu. It was clear they were putting on an act—one playing the villain, the other the mediator.

Xiao Ming had already been furious with the Prince of Shu for obstructing his access to saltpeter. Combined with their past enmity in Chang’an, his anger flared even hotter.

Had he not mobilized the entire population of his fiefdom to search for saltpeter, the siege of Cangzhou might have ended very differently.

And now this bastard had the audacity to stand before him and cause trouble again?