Chapter 63 Painting
She hadn't forgotten Xu Er's death. If the Crown Prince caught her, he would surely avenge both the old and new grudges. By then, the Duke's Mansion wouldn't be able to protect her, and the fact that she had given herself to him on the way to the capital wouldn't be hidden. How would her grandmother view her...
My heart aches when I think about seeing my grandmother’s disappointed look.
As he pondered, the young man's deep voice echoed in his ears: "No one was left alive in that bandit camp. I heard that their deaths were horrible. With the Crown Prince's means, once he finds the person in the portrait, he will definitely make her suffer a fate worse than death."
Song Lingyi's shoulders trembled slightly, and even though she tried to remain calm, she couldn't hide the fear that flashed across her eyes.
He swallowed hard and said, "Why are you telling me this? He arrested his people, what does it have to do with me?"
After saying that, Song Lingyi turned around and walked out. Fearing that she would run into the prince's men, she casually broke off a banana leaf to cover her head and quickly rushed towards the Sifang Pavilion.
No matter how powerful Shen Wuhui is, it is impossible for him to go to the women's banquet. Now only Sifang Pavilion is safe, and she must go back quickly.
…
The gravel path is shaded by trees and covered with banana leaves for 'shading', which looks a bit weird.
By the time Song Lingyi returned to the Sifang Pavilion, she was already drenched in sweat. She sat absent-mindedly in her seat, not even hearing Lu Yu talking to her. She only responded after being called several times.
"What's wrong?" Song Lingyi asked in a daze.
Lu Yu pursed her lips and said, "I should be the one asking my cousin this. Didn't you have a stomachache? Why did you come back so soon?"
"I...I'm not in pain anymore."
Afraid of being noticed, her bright black eyes turned slightly, and she smiled as she tilted her head: "Ayu, where is your painting?"
Lu Yu said calmly, "Cousin, you've returned at the right time. The maid just took away all our paintings and sent them to the inner hall."
"Why send it there?"
"Let's appreciate each other." Lu Yu pointed outside with her chin, "Look, the maids have brought in the poems written by the guests in the inner hall."
The maids came in one after another holding rice paper, and unfolded the rolled papers one by one for the ladies to appreciate.
The table was filled with laughter and chatter, except for the girl who was so anxious that she bit her nails.
She had no real interest in appreciating poetry and painting, and was only worried about whether she would run into Shen Wuhui when she returned later.
No, his name is not Shen Wuhui.
The royal family of Dayuan has the surname Xiao, so it should be Xiao Wuhui, but it is not ruled out that this name is also fake.
At that time, the paintings of the noble ladies had all been sent to the inner hall.
The inner hall was occupied by young nobles, while the elders sat in the main hall. Logically, Xiao Mingyi should have sat in the main hall, but apart from government affairs, he had nothing to talk about with the old antiques, so he came to the inner hall.
With His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in attendance, the atmosphere at the banquet was not as lively as before. The young men present only dared to appreciate the paintings and only nodded, not daring to show off in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
After looking at the last painting, Pei Zhao frowned slightly and asked the maid in front of him, "Why don't you see Miss Song's painting?"
The maid was stunned for a moment, as if she had not expected her master to observe so carefully, even knowing whose paintings were missing. She nodded and said, "My lord, when I went to get the paintings, Miss Song was not in the Sifang Pavilion."
The young man next to him teased, "In previous years, when appreciating poetry and paintings, Brother Jianzhi never took the initiative to show interest in a particular girl's paintings. After the appreciation, he couldn't even tell who was who. Why are you showing interest in Miss Song today?"
Pei Zhao remained calm and smiled calmly, "Brother Chu, don't overthink it. Miss Song is a woman of refined mind, quick-witted and eager to learn. I once ran into her at Wenxuan Bookstore picking out books and recommended a collection of poetry to her. It's no surprise that she's interested in her paintings."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Qian stepped into the inner hall. Several familiar young men pulled him aside and asked him where he had been, and shouted that they would make him drink as a punishment.
Lu Qian was already upset, so he said a few perfunctory words and glanced at the seat above him out of the corner of his eye.
Xiao Mingyi lowered his eyes, a small white jade wine glass held between his slender knuckles, twirling it absentmindedly. He couldn't tell if he was looking at the painting held by the maid, his face expressionless.
…
Outside the Sifang Pavilion.
A servant came quickly and whispered a few words to Princess Changyang's maid.
The maid's face changed slightly, and she turned and walked into the pavilion. Her eyes inadvertently glanced at the seat where Song Lingyi was sitting, and she came to Princess Changyang, leaned over and whispered to her with her lips covered.
"What?"
Princess Changyang was first startled, then furious. She reassured, "He looked at my painting and really didn't say anything?"
The maid nodded hesitantly.
After receiving the answer, Princess Changyang hid her fingers, which were trembling with anger, under her sleeves, tilted her head to glance at Song Lingyi, and said slowly, "Miss Song just left the table and hasn't painted yet. Why don't you create one now for you sisters to appreciate?"
This seems like a question, but in fact it cannot be refused.
Song Lingyi was shocked.
I finally escaped a disaster, why are you bringing this up again?
Everyone in the room looked at her expectantly, especially Lu Yu, whose almond-shaped eyes sparkled. She had often heard her grandmother say that her aunt was a famous talented woman in Kyoto when she was young. Her cousin was taught by her aunt, and her literary talent would definitely be no less than anyone else.
Pei Ling, who was sitting opposite her, looked at Song Lingyi quietly. Because of the relationship between them as elders, she was also curious about the literary talent of this Miss Song.
The maid has brought new writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone.
Song Lingyi frowned and hesitated to pick up the pen.
"What's wrong with Miss Song? Don't you know how to paint?" a noble lady asked with a smile.
Lu Yu immediately defended her son and retorted loudly, "What nonsense! My aunt is a talented woman who is good at painting, so my cousin can paint too!"
"..." Song Lingyi twitched the corners of her lips, feeling speechless.
She has never said that she is a talented girl. Her drawing skills are only good enough for a preschool class.
But Lu Yu was right about one thing. Song's mother was a talented woman. As the only daughter of a talented woman, it was too fake that she was not good at poetry, songs, calligraphy, or painting.
what to do……
If I show my weakness in front of so many people, it will definitely become a topic of conversation among them after dinner.
The girl picked up the paintbrush with trepidation, dipped the tip of the brush in ink, took a deep breath, and started writing solemnly.
The eyes of the people around were focused on the paper, and their expressions ranged from curiosity and contempt to confusion and contemplation, each one more intriguing than the last.
After a few strokes, Song Lingyi put down the paintbrush, picked up the drawing paper on the table, blew on it gently, and held it up in front of her chest for display.
This painting is extremely simple. On a four-foot white paper, there is only an animal that looks neither like a pig nor a fish.
The ladies were whispering to each other, not knowing what it was.
"Miss Song, are you just scribbling something to fool us?"
"That's right, we've never seen the things you're painting. Even if we have to make do with it, we have to find something more normal."
Never seen it?
It’s right that you haven’t seen it!
Song Lingyi's eyes lit up, and she said seriously, "No, no."
"When you sisters paint summer scenes, many of you rely on your imagination and are idealists. But I am a realist. This is a dolphin, living in the ocean. It's normal that you haven't seen it before, so don't be surprised."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com