Since she was confident, Consort Sheng had nothing more to say.
"Ladies, the contest today is about your calligraphy skills. Feel free to showcase your best handwriting."
But what should she write?
Gu Youyou gripped her fine wolf-hair brush and quickly came up with an idea.
Her writing flowed naturally as she penned the characters; it had the delicacy of a woman's touch, yet the boldness of a man's spirit.
The Empress understood calligraphy, but she wasn't in charge of the contest, so she was mostly there for the excitement.
However, the judges, Consort Sheng and the Empress Dowager, were former maids; they recognized a few characters, and even with chicken-scratch handwriting, they could tell the good from the bad. But when everyone wrote well, they couldn't distinguish who was better and who was worse.
Thus, it was up to the female officials of the palace to decide.
The girls stepped back, and the officials began to inspect their work.
