Soon, the attendants filed in, carrying dishes one after another. Xie Changning, freshly dressed, also slowly walked in. Xie Changning wore a waist-length dress made of Tianxiang silk. The material was extremely light, highlighting Xie Changning's delicate beauty, like a willow swaying in the wind.

It was only early winter, and the charcoal fire in the house was not burning very strongly. Xie Changning shivered slightly from the cold, but he only lost his composure for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, his face returned to its most perfect expression.

During lunch, Ling Shumo's eyes fell on Xie Changning several times.

Xie Changning's hair was as black as ink, his eyebrows were sparse and indifferent, his nose was high and his lips were thin. Under the warm light in the room, his fair face was like a pearl with a halo. Although he was clearly right in front of him, he exuded a distant and cold feeling.

Most of the men in this world can be summoned and dismissed by Her Highness the Crown Princess at will. Xie Changning knew that his vague sense of unreality was most likely to fascinate a powerful woman like Ling Shumo.

Fu Yijing saw all of this, but he was not jealous or annoyed. Instead, he was very satisfied with Xie Changning's performance.

Ever since he married into the Eastern Palace, he had been the exclusive favorite of the imperial concubines. He was very confident in his appearance, but even the most beautiful and charming face would tire after looking at it for a long time. He didn't expect the princess to never look for another man in her life. As long as the man the princess liked was within his control, he would be satisfied.

As for a man like Shangguan Xu, whose family background is even more prominent than his, it would be fine if he didn't take the initiative to provoke him. But since Shangguan Xu dared to humiliate him openly, he should be prepared to be retaliated by him and pushed into the abyss.

Ling Shumo was almost full.

Xie Changning brought a cup of tea for rinsing the mouth.

When Ling Shumo took the teacup, she accidentally touched Xie Changning's cold fingers.

Xie Changning's face, which had remained calm till now, was now tinged with a blush.

Fu Yijing smiled at the right moment and said, "I have already had the bed made in the next room. Why don't you let Chang Ning take care of you during your lunch break?"

Ling Shumo gently placed the teacup on the table. She glanced toward the window and said, "In broad daylight, I'm not interested."

Fu Yijing was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized what Ling Shumo meant. He smiled and said to Shi Qi, "It seems I have to trouble Lady Shi Qi to take the man back to Guangming Palace first."

After Xie Changning followed Shi Qi away.

Ling Shumo asked the servant to bring her easel over. While fixing the drawing board, she said to Fu Yijing, "I remember you had an orange-pink brocade double-breasted long dress embroidered with large peony flowers..."

Before Ling Shumo finished speaking, Fu Yijing had already understood what she meant.

Fu Yijing quickly changed into the orange-pink dress. At this time, Ling Shumo had just finished painting. She looked up and saw that Fu Yijing was holding a round fan embroidered with coral pink peonies in her hand.

Fu Yijing knew that Ling Shumo was going to paint him, so he would need to maintain one position for a long time. To make himself as comfortable as possible, he leaned his back against the white wall, letting the wall support most of his weight. "There are no peonies in Fuyao Palace, otherwise I would pick one and put it in my hair. It should go well with this dress."

After Ling Shumo picked up her brush and defined the overall shape on the canvas, she raised her head and carefully observed Fu Yijing's face. "You've reminded me. I'll add two peonies to your hair in a moment."

When determining the overall proportions, Ling Shumo needed to think carefully. When she started drawing details like the folds of the clothes, she had time to chat with Fu Yijing.

The whole afternoon.

The entire Fuyao Palace was filled with the laughter of the two people.

As the painting was coming to an end, Ling Shumo stared at Fu Yijing's smiling face on the canvas and suddenly felt a little melancholy.

When Pei Jiusheng was alive, she had never thought of painting a portrait of him, so that his vivid appearance could remain on the canvas forever.

At this point in the painting, Ling Shumo began brightening the surface and adding highlights, no longer needing Fu Yijing as a reference. Fu Yijing stood behind Ling Shumo, watching her pick up the brush, adjust the color, and put the brush down, or switch to a smaller brush tip to refine the details.

Fu Yijing watched quietly for a while. He always felt that Ling Shumo seemed a little sad. Finally, he couldn't help asking, "Your Highness, are you thinking of something sad?"

Ling Shumo was a little surprised that her emotions were detected by Fu Yijing. Then, she smiled helplessly, "I did think of some bad things."

Fu Yijing's curiosity was piqued, but Ling Shumo clearly had no intention of elaborating, so he could only suppress his question and said with a smile, "Your Highness always says that I look particularly beautiful when I smile. I think Your Highness looks particularly beautiful when he smiles, too."

Ling Shumo turned her head to look at Fu Yijing.

Fu Yijing sat on the chair next to her and gently took Ling Shumo's hand, "Your Highness, when you are with me, please don't think about those annoying things. I just want to see you smile more."

As Fu Yijing spoke, he gradually moved closer to Ling Shumo, and finally kissed Ling Shumo on the cheek, "Only when Your Highness is in a good mood will I be happy."

Ling Shumo casually placed the palette on the ground. She stretched out her arms, wrapped them around Fu Yijing's waist, tilted her head slightly, and blocked Fu Yijing's mouth with her lips. The two kissed for a long time, until Ling Shumo felt that she was beginning to lack oxygen. She finally let go of Fu Yijing and couldn't help but chuckled, "Xiao Jing, you are really a charming fairy."