Chapter 143 The Secret of Painting

Wutong Garden.

Shen Wantang was reading the "Celestial Phenomena Classic," which detailed various celestial phenomena and their corresponding weather conditions, as well as celestial signs that preceded major disasters.

She had little knowledge of this subject in her previous life, but Prince Ning's study contained many similar books, and he seemed to enjoy studying them, spending his days visiting the Imperial Observatory.

With the mindset of not wasting resources, Shen Wantang also began to learn about this subject.

Seeing that the candlelight beside her wasn't bright enough, Qin Xin worried that she might hurt her eyes, so she added two more candlesticks for her.

The brightness increased dramatically, making it much more comfortable for Shen Wantang to look at.

As she flipped through the book, she casually asked, "Did Huayi say anything about Mu Ge's movements?"

"As I said, Mu Ge, just as you predicted, went to the Prince's courtyard while drunk. Because of your prior instructions, Hua Yi specially left the door open for her, allowing her to enter the Prince's room smoothly."

"Hmm, not bad."

Qin Xin said worriedly, "Princess Consort, aren't you afraid that the Prince will really be seduced by Mu Ge? What if they consummate their relationship? Even if you find Mu Ge's family, it will probably be too late! If they get together, the Prince will likely take her as a concubine, which is Mu Ge's biggest goal. In that case, Mu Ge's family can't just forcibly bring the Prince's concubine home, can they?"

Shen Wantang was multitasking, with most of her attention on the book and only a small part on talking. She casually said, "Don't worry, isn't there Huayi? She won't let Muge succeed."

"But can Huayi really stop him? She's too gentle and slow in everything she does. I know she likes the young master, but she never dares to compete or show it. She's a bit timid!"

Shen Wantang laughed, then put down her book: "Hua Yi can stop her. Don't you know she can crush walnuts with her bare hands?"

Qin Xin was stunned: "What? How is this possible!"

"I discovered it by accident. Later, I observed her and found that her strength was indeed extraordinary."

"But when she peeled walnuts for you before, she always used a small hammer to crack them open. Those things are so hard, how could she possibly crush them with her bare hands?"

"When she was peeling walnuts for me, she did use a small hammer to crack them open, but after she finished peeling them for me, I gave her a bag of walnuts as a reward and forgot to give her the small hammer. When I wanted to give it to her again, I found that her bag of walnuts was completely crushed and she was picking out the walnut kernels to eat."

Qin Xin was incredulous and stammered, "Then...then could it be...could it be that she smashed it with a stick or a brick?"

Shen Wantang still smiled: "I had the same doubts, so I gave her another bag of walnuts. This time, I watched her crush the bag of walnuts one by one, and she crushed them very easily."

"Could...could it be that there's something wrong with the walnuts I bought this time, that they can be easily crushed?"

Shen Wantang took a walnut from the plate and placed it in Qin Xin's hand: "This is the kind I gave her."

Qin Xin pinched the walnut tightly, then hissed in pain. When she opened her palm, the walnut was completely still, as hard as an iron egg, while her palm was bright red, the pain so intense that it lingered for a long time.

This thing, so delicate and graceful, can actually be crushed by hand?

It took Qin Xin a long time to put the walnuts back. She was utterly shocked: "Hua Yi is... that powerful? She's been hiding her strength?"

"Maybe she just didn't want people to treat her like a monster. I heard that she was sold by her parents at a low price. She had other brothers and sisters, but none of them were sold. Only she was sold. Something must have happened."

Qin Xin gradually came to her senses and nodded: "No wonder she never does any work, especially heavy work. She's always slow and always wants others to do it for her. It turns out she's afraid of being discovered by others."

"Maybe!"

Shen Wantang also noticed that Huayi refused to do heavy work, and she would take great care of her hands, making them very delicate, which made her look particularly frail.

Anyone who looks at her hands would not think she is a girl with superhuman strength.

Having discovered the secret of the power of painting, Shen Wantang indeed stopped assigning her any heavy work. She simply let her tend to the flowers and fish, and she did indeed take good care of them.

Perhaps a different master would think that since the maid has a lot of strength, she should be made to do heavy work, but Shen Wantang doesn't think so. Even if she has superhuman strength, she shouldn't be exploited or used. Besides, Huayi herself doesn't want people to find out about her superhuman strength, so she wouldn't be willing to be used.

Therefore, Shen Wantang was still willing to let her maid keep her secret. She provided Huayi with a small space and allowed her to live a little more freely under her protection.

Of course, when it's time for Huayi to repay her, she will not hesitate to use Huayi. If she is not a grateful person, then there is no need to keep her. If she is grateful, then she can protect Huayi for the rest of her life.

After finishing her sentence, Shen Wantang resumed reading intently.

Looking at her beautiful and serene face, Qin Xin felt a deep sense of admiration.

It wasn't until today that she suddenly realized why the Crown Princess had chosen Huayi to be the Crown Prince's maid.

She had previously thought that it was because Huayi liked the Crown Prince and wanted to become his concubine, so the Crown Prince's wife went along with it.

But now she knows that this might only be one of the reasons.

While others can only see one or two moves ahead when playing chess, the Crown Princess can see ten or twenty moves ahead.

The Crown Princess had already set up the scheme and arranged the pieces. If Mu Ge behaved herself, the scheme would never be activated. But if she was restless, the scheme could be activated immediately.

Qin Xin sighed for a while, then, seeing that Shen Wantang was engrossed in her book, she decided not to disturb her any longer.

She tiptoed out.

As soon as they went outside, they saw Granny Chai standing there. There was only Granny Chai at the door; the others had all been sent away by Granny Chai to do chores.

Qin Xin raised her head and met Chai Mama's shocked and complicated gaze. She knew that Chai Mama had heard the conversation just now, and that Chai Mama was now feeling exactly the same as her—admiration, worship, and complete admiration.

There are many intelligent people in this world, but there are probably only one or two people as wise as their Crown Princess!

“Granny, I’ll go check on the Prince’s side again. I don’t know how far things have progressed. Huayi is probably quite busy right now and doesn’t have time to send us messages. It would be more convenient and faster if I went there myself. Besides, Moji will also help me.”

"Is Moji fully recovered?"

"He's almost fully recovered. He's recovering quite quickly thanks to the medicine prescribed by the Crown Princess."

"Okay, you go ahead. I'll keep watch over the Crown Princess here."

"Yes, Granny, I'm off then."