Chapter 190 Miss Gu really writes like a god
Three years ago, a beauty contest was held and several princes secretly went to Tumi Garden to see the beauties.
That beauty contest was not meant for the emperor to select concubines for himself, but to select concubines for several princes of suitable age. So although the emperor knew that the princes went to peek at the concubines, he did not say anything and just pretended not to know.
"Your Highness is right. Father was not unaware of our visit to Tumi Garden. He will not blame us."
The fifth prince followed suit and said that there was nothing going on in the court recently, so the princes had some free time.
Chi Hongyuan was not interested in seeing the concubines. Thinking about leaving the palace, he bowed to the princes.
"I am not interested in the concubines, so I will not go with my brothers. Please allow me to leave the palace first."
He really has a dull personality. Even if he secretly went to see the concubines, his father wouldn't say anything. He just didn't want to join in the fun.
"Didn't you say you didn't know what kind of woman you like? The beauties in Tumi Garden are all like flowers, with different postures. Go take a look and maybe you'll know what kind you like."
The prince whispered in Chi Hongyuan's ear, and his words were quite bewitching.
Chi Hongqi followed suit and said, "Ninth brother, just go with us. It's just some fooling around. It won't cause any trouble."
Chi Hongqi's roguery made Chi Hongyuan a little amused and helpless. He looked at him and said, "You also know that it's nonsense."
He had been taught by Tutor Sun since he was young. During his years in the cold palace, he hated the emperor, but his character did not change.
Seeing that he was serious, several people wanted to drag him along. Chi Hongyuan frowned and said solemnly, "The girls to be selected are all unmarried ladies. It is not only unreasonable but also inappropriate for us to go and see them rashly."
He spoke very seriously, and the expressions of the Crown Prince and the others changed slightly. For a moment, they felt like they were back in Tutor Sun's school.
Tutor Sun was knowledgeable and a good tutor, but his teaching style was very strict, which made several princes miserable in their early years.
When the prince and others heard him say this, they got goose bumps all over their bodies, and recalled the days when they were scolded by the tutor at the Imperial College.
Chi Hongyuan didn't want to go to Tu Mi Garden. It wasn't because he was a fake gentleman. He seriously felt that it was against the rules for several princes to go together to peek at a group of girls. It would be really embarrassing if they were discovered.
"Stop! Don't talk like Master Sun, you're scaring me to death." The prince patted his chest, as if he was still frightened.
The prince held Chi Hongyuan's shoulders and refused to let go. The queen actually saw clearly that he was indeed not suitable to be the crown prince. With the prince's temperament, if he lived in an ordinary family, he would be able to be friendly with his relatives and brothers, and live in peace and happiness.
"Let's keep quiet and just take a few glances. I promise, just a few glances." Although the prince said this, he had already taken Chi Hongyuan to Tumi Garden, and the other princes followed.
Although the prince was not outstanding in literature and martial arts, he was very strong and was able to lead Chi Hongyuan in one direction. Seeing that he could not get free, Chi Hongyuan could not really struggle, so he had no choice but to be dragged by the prince to see the concubines.
Tumi Garden is not the most magnificent garden in the palace, but it is the largest one in terms of area, designed to accommodate a group of beautiful ladies.
Today the weather is nice, and the girls are painting under the grape trellis in the yard. All the girls from wealthy families will learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting since childhood, and they are specially asked to practice painting to test their personal abilities.
In the final examination, all the paintings and embroidery works of the concubines will be sent to His Majesty for his review.
Painting today is just practice, and many of the ladies take it seriously. Of course, there are some exceptions.
"Today's painting practice theme is ladies' paintings. You will work in pairs to depict each other's appearance and body features. Don't underestimate the daily practice. Before the palace selection, your assessment paintings need to be submitted to His Majesty, so don't neglect it."
The nanny walked around and talked among the concubines. In fact, even if she didn't do so, the concubines could still hear her voice clearly.
The height of the crabapple window was shorter than the princes' bodies, so the group had to bend over to look inside through the window.
The prince, a royal descendant, was lying in front of the crabapple window and peeking at the noble lady in the garden. This scene was somewhat humorous.
The painting was divided into two groups. For convenience, the girls who lived together were assigned to the same group. Gu Siqing was naturally paired with Yin Miaoyin. With no intention of attracting the emperor's attention, Gu Siqing was not serious about practicing.
"Portraits of Ladies... I have never painted anyone close to me, but Miaoyin is so pretty, what should I do if I paint like a god?"
As soon as he picked up the paintbrush, Gu Siqing started telling jokes.
Yin Miaoyin had no intention of painting just like Gu Siqing, but she took the opportunity to do so as soon as she sat down, which scared Yin Miaoyin who was about to pretend to paint. She grasped the paintbrush in her hand and waved at her carefully.
"My dear aunt, please keep your voice down. I have been scolded by Mammy before, and I don't want to be caught and scolded again."
Glancing at the nanny who was instructing the other concubines, Gu Siqing chuckled, "Okay, okay, I won't tease you."
Although they did not want to be selected, they could not act too perfunctory or treat it as a joke, as that would be disrespectful to the emperor.
So Gu Siqing and Yin Miaoyin pretended to be serious, but in fact they were very perfunctory and their paintings were quite casual.
Yin Miaoyin was not good at painting, and when she was not serious, the images she produced were a mess, but Gu Siqing was different. She was extremely talented in painting, and she had practiced hard in the past. Her foundation could not deceive people, and no matter how perfunctory she was, she could not beat her own expertise.
"Ms. Gu has a unique painting style. Although there are some shortcomings in the details, she has presented Miss Yin's spirit very well."
I don't know when the nanny stood behind Gu Siqing. Hearing the nanny's voice, Gu Siqing's hand trembled, and a drop of ink fell on her skirt. She hurriedly said, "Madam, please be kind. How can I read your words?"
As he spoke, Gu Siqing raised his eyes and looked at his own painting. It was indeed drawn very casually. What was so good about it?
"Miss Gu is being modest." The nanny took Gu Siqing's fearful attitude as her modesty and was even more satisfied with her. "If you have finished painting, you can come and take a look at her paintings. Maybe you can learn something."
The nanny praised Gu Siqing's work by name, and the ladies were curious and came over to pick up Gu Siqing's painting to examine it. When the ladies held up the painting of the lady, the prince outside the Begonia window could see the painting clearly.
"Ms. Gu's brushwork is truly divine. Although the details are not sufficient, the spirit of the painting is truly amazing. One can tell at a glance that the painting is of Miss Yin. It is no exaggeration to say that her brushwork is divine."
All the ladies knew Gu Siqing's identity and were generous in praising her. They couldn't compete with her, and offending this person would do them no good, so why not just be generous and make friends with her?
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