Chapter 54: I have to hide this from Tongtong for now

The next morning, before going out, Zhao Quesheng went to greet her master as usual. However, after knocking on the door for a long time, no one answered.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Zhao Quesheng didn't dare to delay any longer and turned around and headed straight for the gate.

Unexpectedly, Su Guanqing was already waiting there, but he looked a little haggard, as if he didn't sleep well last night.

"Master!" Zhao Quesheng ran over. "Master, I came to greet you this morning, but no one answered the door. It turns out you're not in the room anymore!"

Su Guanqing smiled when he heard her voice, but when he heard that she came to see him, his face froze: "You've been out every day these days and it's been hard. Don't come to greet me in the mornings anymore."

Jiang Tong had just walked over when she heard him say this and couldn't help but retort, "Greeting him morning and evening is a disciple's duty. You're just ignoring it like that. Doesn't that hurt Quesheng's feelings?"

"What I mean," Su Guanqing hesitated, "is that I get up early in the morning. I might have already left the house when Quesheng arrived."

"What are you doing outside?" Jiang Tong asked curiously.

Su Guanqing said, "I'll wait for you here."

Jiang Tong laughed and walked over to him: "Why did you come to my room to see me? What are you waiting for here?"

She pulled his hand without hesitation and gently reminded him, "I won't be home recently. You should stay home and remember to take your medicine. Don't miss a single meal! Remember?"

"I remember." Su Guanqing replied gently.

"Queshen, let's go."

“Hey!”

After seeing off Master and Apprentice Jiang Tong, Su Guanqing walked back with his bamboo stick, but he did not go back to the west wing. Instead, he turned left at the gatehouse and went to the servants' room.

Yesterday, as soon as Fan Yanyu got the power of housekeeper, he said that it was unreasonable for servants to live in the side rooms, so he moved Su Guanqing and Feng Fuliu to the servants' room.

Naturally, he moved into the vacant room himself.

The servants' room was a large bunk bed.

Feng Fuliu sat on the kang, fiddling with her medicine bag angrily, preparing to take it to the kitchen to boil some medicine. When she saw Su Guanqing come in, she asked, "Have you met the young lady?"

Su Guanqing nodded.

"You didn't tell her what her good cousin did?"

Su Guanqing shook his head again.

"Are you a blockhead? You don't even say this!" Feng Fuliu was so angry that he slapped the bed several times.

"Fu Liu, don't be angry yet. Tongtong is doing an important job right now, and we can't let her be distracted. I'll definitely tell her once she's done. And you have to promise me that you won't tell her now, okay?"

He didn't wait for Feng Fuliu's response. He only heard the other party stomping his feet hard and walking away with a huff.

…

Prince Xiang's Mansion

Yesterday, Jiang Tong pasted all the repaired painting cores on the wall.

She had borrowed the paper wall from Hu Shaoqing.

After all, the painting center was more than 30 feet long, and the one in her house was too small to fit.

Although the capital's winters were dry, wet paper left overnight would inevitably freeze. However, this room in the palace was heated by a floor heating system, keeping the temperature just right. This prevented the wet painting from freezing, while also preventing the room from becoming too hot, which would cause the painting to dehydrate and crack.

This was one of the reasons Jiang Tong had chosen to repair the painting at the palace. She wouldn't have the resources to do so at home. She'd have to set up a stove in the corner, and she'd have to get up several times at night to check on the painting, making sure it didn't dry evenly and cause the paper to tear.

When I went there today, all the paintings had dried, and because they were pasted on the wall to dry slowly in the shade, each painting had been stretched out very flat.

After Jiang Tong checked them one by one, he ordered Zhao Quesheng to get down from the wall.

Zhao Quesheng received the order, picked up the bamboo screwdriver, and carefully took each painting heart down from the paper wall.

Jiang Tong looked at Zhao Quesheng's actions and nodded with satisfaction. Now that Zhao Quesheng's abilities had greatly improved and he could help her with many things, she felt much more relaxed.

When I turned around, I saw Hu Shaoqing outside, looking embarrassed but wanting to come in.

Jiang Tong stepped out and said with a smile, "I'm afraid I'll have to borrow this paper wall for a while. Once it's completely repaired, I'll return it intact."

Hu Shaoqing put his hands behind his back, turned his face away, and grumbled, "It's just a paper wall. What's the harm in giving it to you?"

"In that case, thank you very much." After saying this, Jiang Tong walked back and closed the door.

Hu Shaoqing was so angry that his beard started to puff up again. He stamped his feet repeatedly, "Your Highness, how foolish! You actually believed this young girl! That's the calligraphy of a calligrapher! It's ruined! It's ruined!"

Inside the room, Zhao Quesheng had already stacked the paintings one by one in order.

This child is careful and won't make mistakes in these matters.

Jiang Tong picked up one of them lightly. The paintings were actually very small, only about an arm's length.

"The prince said that this time, we won't use a hand-scroll format for the re-mounting, but rather a book of leaves, so that it will be convenient for future reference and practice." Jiang Tong looked at Zhao Quesheng, "You can take care of this first one."

"yes."

Zhao Quesheng knew that the teacher wanted to train her this time. After yesterday's attempt, her confidence increased greatly. She no longer hesitated, but immediately stepped forward to prepare the petition.

I saw her skillfully placing the painting with its back facing up, brushing paste on it, and then using a clean brown brush to brush the paper onto the painting.

In fact, there are some tricks to sticking fate paper. You must never just brush it in one direction, otherwise the paper will be torn or bubbles will be left between the two pieces of paper.

Jiang Tong observed Zhao Quesheng's movements with almost the most demanding standards——

I saw her meticulously using a brown brush to paint on the divination paper in the shape of a "rice" character, and sticking the entire piece of divination paper neatly on the center of the painting.

All the bubbles were driven away by the brown brush, the amount of paste used was just right, and the thin paper was not damaged.

Jiang Tong nodded and said, "Just in terms of repair techniques, you are ready to become a master."

In fact, according to Jiang Tong's usual practice, she basically would not praise her apprentices so directly.

All masters in the old days were like this, always strict and careful to prevent their apprentices from becoming arrogant.

But Zhao Quesheng's situation is special. Even if you put her on a cloud, she can't float up. She is more down-to-earth than anyone else.

Besides, Jiang Tong was not talking nonsense. If the standard was taken from Mr. Hu next door, Zhao Quesheng could indeed become a disciple.

Sure enough, after hearing Jiang Tong's praise, Zhao Quesheng's cheeks flushed, but she shook her head like a rattle and whispered, "No, I still have a lot to learn."

…

Jiang's House: Servant's Room

After lunch that day, Su Guanqing returned to the servants' room, lighting his bamboo stick, and sat on his own couch.

In fact, according to his usual habit, he would go to the study at this time, even if Jiang Tong was not there.

But that day Fan Yanyu said that servants should stay where they are supposed to stay, and it would be inappropriate for them to walk around the mansion.

So Su Guanqing had no choice but to stay in the servant's room in a daze.

Feng Fuliu saw that he looked a little lonely and couldn't help but say a few more sarcastic words to him.

No matter how he mocked her, Su Guanqing just kept silent.

Feng Fuliu found it boring and went out by himself.

Not long after he left, servants began to return one after another.

Su Guanqing heard them talking: "That's the eldest lady's study, is it really okay?"

"That was Young Master's order. Madam didn't say anything, so why should we discuss it?"

"That's true."

When Su Guanqing heard that Jiang Tong was involved, he hurriedly asked, "Excuse me, what happened?"

Seeing that it was him who asked, the servants knew that Jiang Tong treated him like a treasure, so they were quite polite to him. The servant immediately said, "Young Master Cousin said that he wants to vacate the study."

"Withdraw? What does withdraw mean?" Su Guanqing was a little confused.

"It's just to free up a room. Isn't it that the young master brought too many people with him this time and there is no room for them?"

Su Guanqing's face changed drastically, and he hurried out. However, there were many people living in the servants' quarters, and people were always moving things around. Unlike his own room, where everything had a fixed place for his convenience, no one would move anything without his permission.

So he just rushed forward a few steps and bumped into the corner of the table, and he bent over in pain.

A servant cried out, "Why are you shouting so hastily?"

Su Guanqing didn't bother to pay any attention to him. He endured the pain and rushed out with the bamboo stick in hand.

So that day, the servants in the Jiang residence saw the usually gentle Master Su, like a running firecracker, quickly pass through the hanging flower gate, rush into the corridor, and run all the way to the study.

It's very noisy in front of the study.

Before Su Guanqing could even get close, he heard Fan Yanyu yelling angrily, "Where are the keys? Who has them?"

A servant answered him, "My dear cousin, the key to this study is only in the hands of the eldest lady, Miss Zhao, and Master Su."

"Then go ask Su Guanqing for it!" Fan Yanyu said.

"Hey! Master Su is here!" A servant saw Su Guanqing.

Su Guanqing heard Fan Yanyu's voice approaching him: "Just right, open the study."

"What are you going to do?" Su Guanqing asked.

"What to do? I'm the head of the Jiang Mansion now. Do I need to explain to you what I want to do? Give me the key!"

"The study is a restricted area. No one is allowed to enter without Tongtong's permission!"

"You're still so arrogant. What do you mean by a study? Tongtong will be my wife in the future, so naturally I have the final say in her study!" Fan Yanyu said, and came up to pull Su Guanqing's sleeve, trying to take out the key.

Su Guanqing stepped back and shook off his hand. He said sternly, "I won't give you the key. If you don't love painting, Tongtong won't let you in."

"She won't let me? Humph! So what if she doesn't? I'll teach her the ways of being a wife in the future."

Su Guanqing's face flushed with anger: "Tongtong didn't agree to marry you. Don't talk nonsense and tarnish her reputation!"

"You don't know yet? My aunt has already promised in person that I came here this time to marry Tongtong, and then I will take her back to Suicheng." Fan Yanyu smiled proudly.

"Tongtong won't agree." Su Guanqing gripped the bamboo stick tightly, until his knuckles turned white.

"Humph! It's her parents' order and the matchmaker's words. It's not her turn to agree or not. Give me the key!"

"I won't give it to you. Don't even think about entering the study!"

Fan Yanyu was furious and ordered the servants watching nearby, "Search him! Bring me the keys!"

Yet no one moved.

Everyone knows that Jiang Tong has the final say in the Jiang Mansion, and everyone knows that Su Guanqing is Jiang Tong's sweetheart.

I heard that a servant bullied Su Guanqing before and was directly kicked out of Jiang Mansion. Who would dare to attack Su Guanqing?

Even when Su Guanqing was sent to the servants' room, no servant dared to interfere. Su Guanqing and Feng Fuliu moved everything themselves.

Seeing that his words were of no use, Fan Yanyu felt embarrassed and annoyed. He immediately took action himself and tugged at Su Guanqing's sleeve, "Give me the key!"

Su Guanqing couldn't see, so he was at a disadvantage if he started fighting. The key was snatched from his sleeve in a few seconds.

Fan Yanyu shook the key and snorted coldly: "A blind man wants to fight me."

After saying that, he turned around and went to open the door.