Su Qingcai walked in into the warm sunlight, her jet-black hair hanging down to her shoulders, tied only with a purple jade hairpin on the top of her head, revealing her smooth forehead, below which were sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, her eyes seemingly reflecting a clear lake.
He was different from last night; he had changed his entire outfit, and a wide white robe with piping trim wrapped around his body. When he walked, he was as swift as a shooting star, elegant and graceful, noble and extraordinary.
The entire room was completely silent. Many of the women present blushed, their hearts pounding like drums, too ashamed to look any longer.
Among the group, only Su Xiaoning and Meng Ruqiao reacted differently.
Meng Ruqiao remained calm and composed, sitting properly in her seat with her eyes fixed straight ahead, as if she hadn't come to participate in the selection for this person.
Su Xiaoning had seen Su Qingcai's handsome face too many times, and she was filled with joy at seeing him again. She didn't care much about his appearance or anything like that.
As soon as he entered, Su Qingcai scanned the entire room. He accurately located Su Xiaoning's position and even secretly gave her a look.
Although the two did not speak, they simply exchanged glances, and everything was understood without words.
Seeing everyone's restless state, the head maid coughed a few times to bring everyone back to their senses, and then asked with a smile, "Your Highness, how would you like to conduct this assessment?"
"Didn't you hire a female tutor? Since it's a literary assessment, let her set the questions," Su Qingcai said casually. He had only come to see Su Xiaoning a few more times and had no interest in the exam questions at all.
Feng Jiu was very perceptive. She immediately stood at the front of the stage and thought for a moment, saying, "Last night was the fifteenth, and the moonlight was just right. Why don't we use moon appreciating as the theme and let everyone express their own ideas?"
When she spoke, it was a strange voice, soft and feminine but not like a woman's, which made people feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Su Qingcai glanced at Feng Jiu briefly, a thoughtful expression on his face. However, he quickly snapped out of it, casually offered a few words of encouragement, and then left.
His departure signifies the official start of the assessment process.
The so-called "free expression" meant that anything was acceptable, whether it was calligraphy, painting, or music. After thinking about it, the girls decided that writing poetry was the most convenient, so they all picked up their brushes and began to write poems.
Su Xiaoning looked left and right and saw that everyone was writing poems, which made her feel overwhelmed.
She can't even read classical Chinese, how could she possibly write poetry!
Su Xiaoning was extremely anxious and remained frozen in her seat, drawing the attention of the head maid and Feng Jiu.
Left with no other choice, Su Xiaoning remembered what she had talked about with Su Qingcai about painting last night, so she gritted her teeth, picked up a brush, and started fiddling with the drawing paper.
A quarter of an hour.
Seeing that everyone was almost done, Feng Jiu personally came down to collect the answer sheets.
The girls all handed in their poems, and a casual glance was enough to show their literary talent; they all seemed to have some skill. But when it was Su Xiaoning's turn, she handed in a painting, the content of which was unclear.
Feng Jiu glanced at the strange line drawing, then squinted at Su Xiaoning, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing. After accepting all the answer sheets, she handed them all to Su Qingcai.
Su Qingcai sat in the next room. He didn't want to read what others had written at all. He kept rummaging through the papers and finally found a painting that was different from the others after a long time.
Although all the answers were submitted anonymously, his intuition told him that it was Su Xiaoning's work.
Su Qingcai pulled out the scroll and burst out laughing when he saw the strange lines.
Fortunately, although the image is abstract, the general message is still understandable. In the painting, two people are sitting side by side on the beach, leaning against each other, with a bright moon shining on the sea.
Su Qingcai recognized it at a glance as the scene where he and Su Xiaoning admired the moon in Carp Village.
At that time, he was still Su Xiaoning's "brother". Su Xiaoning was completely unguarded with him and would drag him along with everything she did. For example, watching the moon every night was a regular activity.
The moonlight reflected on the sea as he and Su Xiaoning sat on the beach. Sometimes, when Su Xiaoning got tired, she would lean on his shoulder and fall asleep. Listening to the sound of the waves and Su Xiaoning's soft breathing, he felt an extraordinary peace in his heart.
Such beautiful memories were completely awakened because of this painting.
A gentle smile appeared in Su Qingcai's eyes. He thought for a moment, then picked up his brush and added a koi fish to the painting. He thought Su Xiaoning would understand.
After finishing the painting, Su Qingcai flipped through the other answer sheets, randomly selected a poem that looked pleasing to the eye, rated it first, and then called someone to take away all the answer sheets.
The head maid brought out the answer sheets and distributed them. It was said that Su Qingcai had already ranked first on the answer sheets.
Meng Ruqiao unfolded her answer sheet and clearly saw a large "one" on it. Although she had always followed the rules, she couldn't help but smile with pride. She raised her chin high and handed the answer sheet to the head nanny, listening to the head nanny announce that she was the top student under the envious gazes of everyone.
As soon as the judgment was announced, everyone had different thoughts. Most people immediately gathered around to congratulate Meng Ruqiao.
"Sister Meng is the daughter of the Prime Minister. What kind of person is the Prime Minister? His daughter is bound to be outstanding. I knew Sister Meng would get first place!"
"Alas, I am no match for Sister Meng in any way. If only I had half of her literary talent."
"The Ninth Prince has such good taste! Sister, if you ever have the chance, don't forget your sisters..."
...
Everyone deliberately praised Meng Ruqiao, making her feel quite flattered and gaining her much attention.
As Su Xiaoning watched all this, she felt as if something was blocking her heart, making her too uncomfortable to speak.
Su Qingcai would definitely recognize her answer sheet. She thought Su Qingcai would give her first place, but in the end, someone else got to steal the spotlight!
Su Xiaoning angrily opened her painting scroll. She had been cursing in her heart, but when she saw the scroll, she gasped and her hand holding it trembled slightly.
There was no ranking on her painting, only a carp. The carp was painted with red ink, making it stand out in the painting, exactly like the carp mark on her arm.
Su Qingcai's intentions suddenly became clear at this moment.
Su Xiaoning stroked the carp on the painting, her heart overflowing with sweetness. She could no longer hear the voices of others praising Meng Ruqiao. Instead, she heard the sound of waves, the same sound she and Su Qingcai used to hear when they looked at the moon together.
The moon reflected in the sea is the same moon in the sky; the person before her is the one in her heart. Su Qingcai is telling her that he will always remember Carp Village, and he will always remember Su Xiaoning.
Although the two did not communicate at all, they connected their hearts closely through this painting.
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