Chapter 51 "Does Yuanyuan recognize this painting?"

Meng Yuanxiao was stunned for a moment, "Really?"

"Yes!" Zhang Mingyue said irritably, "Isn't my cousin at the Imperial Academy? I'll ask him to help me pass it in."

Meng Yuanxiao immediately beamed, "Good Mingyue, I won't use my own name, just submit it for me. Don't worry, the imperial court's selection of painters is definitely one in ten thousand, and with my painting skills, I might not be able to pass."

*

A few days later, Zhang Mingyue indeed sent a letter saying that the painting had been delivered to the Imperial Academy.

Meng Yuanxiao was uneasy, yet couldn't help but feel a little expectant. He was absent-minded for several days. He almost made a mistake while looking at the account books that day, and only realized it after being reminded by Chen.

Madam Chen looked worried. "Young Madam, are you tired?"

Fearing that Chen would notice something amiss, Meng Yuanxiao quickly composed himself and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing."

That day, Meng Yuanxiao went to the village below with Chen. They set off early and returned in the evening.

The carriage returned to the Cui residence. As soon as the passenger stepped off, the gatekeeper announced, "Young Madam, the eldest young master has returned and is waiting for you!"

Meng Yuanxiao was stunned upon hearing this.

Not only was she unaware that he was away on business, but she also didn't know he was returning today.

Meng Yuanxiao's face remained expressionless; he simply replied, "I understand," and then led Hongshao back to the backyard.

When they returned to the backyard, Qingzhu was guarding the gate. The yard was very quiet, and there was no one else in sight.

Upon seeing Meng Yuanxiao approach, Qingzhu bowed and greeted her as "Young Madam."

Meng Yuanxiao ignored him and went straight into the courtyard through the moon gate.

Pushing open the door, one sees Cui Xintang sitting upright in the hall.

Hearing her come in, Cui Xintang glanced at her, poured her a cup of tea, and asked, "You're back?"

Meng Yuanxiao didn't speak. She was tired and thirsty after a long day of running around, so she didn't hesitate and went over to pick up the teacup and bring it to her lips.

Out of the corner of his eye, Meng Yuanxiao noticed Cui Xintang's gaze fixed on the couch inside. He paused for a moment, then ignored her.

The jade bracelet that Manager Lin delivered that day was still lying on the small table on the couch.

The box was still open, and the bracelet was still there, just as it was before Cui Xintang left. She hadn't touched it at all.

If she didn't touch it, the maid who was in charge of tidying up naturally didn't dare to touch it either.

She gulped down her tea, put down the cup, and saw Cui Xintang looking at her with a half-smile, asking, "Yuanyuan, are you still angry?"

As the weather grew warmer, Meng Yuanxiao's cheeks still flushed slightly after being out in the sun for half a day, even though she was wearing a veiled hat, and a fine layer of sweat glistened on the tip of her upturned nose.

She didn't want to answer and turned her face away.

As soon as I turned my face away, I caught sight of the scroll placed on the coffee table.

The scroll looked somewhat familiar. Meng Yuanxiao's heart pounded, and she frowned as she looked at Cui Xintang.

Cui Xintang's smile faded slightly as he looked at her.

Meng Yuanxiao pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, then picked up the scroll and opened it.

As she expected, it was the scroll she had painted at the teahouse that day, which she had asked Mingyue to find a way to deliver to the Imperial Academy.

Meng Yuanxiao's face paled, and her almond-shaped eyes, filled with surprise and anger, looked at Cui Xintang.

Cui Xintang leaned back in his armchair, his face expressionless. When he saw her looking over, he put down his teacup and his gaze fell briefly on the scroll she was holding.

"Does Yuanyuan recognize this painting?" he asked.

Meng Yuanxiao's heart pounded, her lips were tightly pursed, and more and more beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Cui Xintang asked again.

The scroll was already in his hands, and he obviously already knew.

Suppressing her nervousness and displeasure, Meng Yuanxiao frowned and asked, "Brother Tang, why is this painting in your possession?"

Cui Xintang gave an ambiguous chuckle, "I returned to the capital today, and just after I came out of the palace to report my mission, I returned to the yamen, and someone told me that the second young master of the Lu family was looking for me."

"I was wondering why Young Master Lu remembered me, but when I met him, he handed me this scroll."

"..." Meng Yuanxiao swallowed hard.

Cui Xintang looked at her, his expression unreadable.

"Young Master Lu has passed the imperial examination and will soon enter the Hanlin Academy. He is a favorite student of the Imperial Academy. Therefore, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy requested the Princess to grant permission to temporarily invite Young Master Lu and several other newly appointed scholars back to the Imperial Academy to assist in the selection of painters."

At this point, Cui Xintang chuckled, "It's all thanks to Young Master Lu, who recognized Yuanyuan's painting at a glance and immediately kept it for himself, returning it to me as soon as I returned to the capital. Otherwise, Yuanyuan's painting would have inevitably been presented to the Princess."

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

"Yuanyuan, do you know what the consequences would be if this painting were presented to the Princess?" Cui Xintang's tone turned cold.

Meng Yuanxiao's face grew even paler. She pursed her lips tightly, staring at the painting in her hand, and remained silent for a long time.

Cui Xintang waited for a moment, then stood up.

The two stood together. Cui Xintang was tall, a head taller than Meng Yuanxiao, and exuded an invisible sense of oppression.

His gaze fell on the painting in Meng Yuanxiao's hand, where a small seal was located in the lower right corner of the scroll.

He suppressed his anger, saying, "Yuanyuan was afraid that others wouldn't recognize it as your painting, so she deliberately added your own seal."

That day at the teahouse, Meng Yuanxiao hesitated for a long time before finally affixing his seal to the scroll.

Few people recognized this seal; even her mother and elder brother were unaware of it. Only Mingyue and Li Keying had seen it.

She had used this seal on the paintings she had sent to the bookstore for sale because she thought it was fun. Apart from that, she rarely showed this seal to anyone.

Meng Yuanxiao wanted to become a painter, but he didn't dare to use his own name, which left him feeling resentful.

So that day in the teahouse, she comforted herself, since she couldn't show her real name, she could at least leave a seal, right? Anyway, no one would recognize her.

Who would have thought that Lu Erlang would recognize them?

Yes, Lu Erlang bought the fan she painted, and then stamped this seal on the fan.

Meng Yuanxiao's heart pounded. As if guessing what she was thinking, Cui Xintang sneered, "Wasn't this seal also on the painting that Yuanyuan made at the Princess's residence during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet two years ago?"

"The Princess saw that painting with her own eyes and even kept yours separately. Yuanyuan even thought that if this painting were presented to the Princess, she really wouldn't recognize it as your work?"

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

Cui Xintang looked down at her for a long time, then lowered his head and brushed his sleeves.

He chuckled, his meaning ambiguous, and said, "If Young Master Lu hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have recognized this as Yuanyuan's painting. But while I can't recognize it, Young Master Lu can. Even without the seal, I imagine he would still recognize it."

"I heard that Young Master Lu has a very precious folding fan that he never leaves behind. For some reason, it was almost stained by someone before. For the first time, Young Master Lu, who is usually gentle and refined, turned against someone."

"I once saw Young Master Lu's folding fan by chance. If I remember correctly, this seal was on one corner of the fan. But if others knew about it, I wonder what they would think."

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

"Why isn't Yuanyuan saying anything?" Cui Xintang looked down at her, his expression finally turning cold.

"I initially thought you were just being playful and willful, but I never imagined you'd become so reckless and disregardful. Did Yuanyuan not listen to a single word I said to you that night?"

"How did I act recklessly?" Meng Yuanxiao was both angry and aggrieved.

He had worked hard, but she had also been exhausted all day. When he came back, he didn't ask her a single question, but instead started scolding her.

"What did you say that night, Brother Tang? You were just afraid that I would bring up the Lin family again and bother you, so you simply hid away."

“The fan paintings I left for sale at the bookstore, Lu Erlang bought and took good care of them. But the folding fan that I specially painted for you, Tang-gege, you turned around and threw it away. What does that mean?”

“To you, Brother Yu Tang, it’s just a folding fan, just like the bracelet that Steward Lin returned. You think it’s just a bracelet, nothing to fuss about.”

"But it's not like that for me. That folding fan was the first gift I gave to you, Brother Tang. I carefully drew it for half a day, stroke by stroke. Only when I was satisfied with the drawing did I personally go out to find a craftsman and ask someone to make it into a folding fan."

"The thought that you can always carry that folding fan with you makes me happy."

Meng Yuanxiao felt extremely wronged, and even though she tried her best to hold back, her eyes still reddened.

Cui Xintang frowned.

After a moment he said, "Why didn't you mention it to me beforehand when you were making such a fool of yourself by handing the painting over to the Imperial Academy?"

"I'm asking you, would you agree?" Meng Yuanxiao sniffed, unwilling to shed tears in front of him.

"I didn't tell you, Brother Ketang, did you tell me about your affairs? You've been away on official business for so long, did you tell me anything? Everyone in the manor knows, only I was kept in the dark. If my second aunt hadn't told me, I probably still wouldn't know today."

"..." Cui Xintang was stunned.

He paused briefly, then raised his hand to wipe away Meng Yuanxiao's tears, but Meng Yuanxiao turned her head away.

Cui Xintang looked at her, her tone slightly gentler. "That day was a last-minute assignment, and I didn't have time to go back to the manor to tell you. Later, I assumed you already knew, so I didn't send anyone to tell you specifically."

"Is that so?" Meng Yuanxiao asked, pursing her lips. So much time had passed, and even though she still cared deeply, she didn't want to argue with him anymore.

“Mm,” Cui Xintang said.

Meng Yuanxiao felt extremely depressed and didn't want to say a word to him.

After a brief standoff, she quietly put away the scroll, turned around, and walked out.

He had only taken a few steps when Cui Xintang shouted, "Come back!"

Meng Yuanxiao was startled, stopped in her tracks, and turned to look at him.

"Where is Yuanyuan going?" Cui Xintang asked.

Meng Yuanxiao remained silent. Cui Xintang's gaze fell on the scroll in her hand, and he said in a deep voice, "Put the scroll down."

Meng Yuanxiao frowned and subconsciously hid the scroll behind his back.

Cui Xintang looked up at her, "Yuanyuan, do you still want to submit the painting to the Imperial Academy again?"

Meng Yuanxiao pursed her lips tightly and did not answer. Cui Xintang patiently said again, "Put it down."

His voice grew colder, and his expression was stern, even more unpleasant than that night.

This was the first time Meng Yuanxiao had seen him with such a cold expression. A look of surprise flashed across his face, and he stood there dumbfounded for a moment.

Perhaps realizing that his tone had been too harsh, Cui Xintang closed his eyes and suppressed his anger, saying, "Yuanyuan, no matter how much nonsense you cause, your brother Tang can tolerate you, except for this matter. Yuanyuan, do you know what the consequences will be if your painting is submitted?"

After saying that, before Meng Yuanxiao could speak, he slowly said, "Not only will the Cui and Meng families lose face, but once your painting is presented to the Princess, do you believe it or not, the Princess will definitely choose you?"

"You won't have time to back out then, otherwise it will be a crime of deceiving the emperor. Although the Painting Academy is located in the Imperial Academy, given your status as a woman who can easily enter and leave the palace, you will probably have to spend most of your time in the palace working for the Princess."

“Once you enter the palace and obtain this official position, the Eldest Princess can take advantage of the situation and use you to restrain me and the Meng family. At that time, the Cui and Meng families will be at the Eldest Princess's mercy, with no way out.”

Meng Yuanxiao was stunned. She swallowed hard and asked, puzzled, "Why can't we be used by the Eldest Princess? Brother Tang, aren't you already helping the Eldest Princess implement her new policies?"

Cui Xintang fell silent.

Meng Yuanxiao suddenly understood something. Her heart pounded, and her almond-shaped eyes widened slightly as she looked at Cui Xintang in surprise.

Cui Xintang glanced outside. The courtyard was eerily quiet. He had sent everyone away and ordered Qingzhu to guard the gate, so no one dared to eavesdrop outside.

He withdrew his gaze, looked at Meng Yuanxiao, and lowered his voice, saying, "I've already told you about the Princess and the new policies. The future of the new policies is uncertain, so I have to leave myself a way out."

That night, Yuanyuan asked me if I had any reservations about the matter concerning Yunping County and the Xu family.

He paused for a moment and then said, "The matter in Yunping County involves more than just the Xu family. What Brother Tang secretly investigated also concerns more than just the Xu family."

“When I return from Yunping County, the Xu family and the Liang King will definitely be suspicious and wary of me. Brother Tang must have something to hold over them in order to protect himself.”

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Author's Note: There are still tens of thousands of words left to revise. I will finish them as soon as possible and upload them together. Therefore, I will probably not be updating for the next few days. Thank you for your support, dear readers.