"It's better than passing someone else's drawing off as your own 'goddess.'" I smiled faintly, a smile tinged with coldness and disdain. I watched her face pale instantly, as if watching a clown's performance. "If Miss Lin's 'Yao Chi Xianshou' was truly her own work, why are the auspicious cloud patterns for the Queen Mother of the West drawn in the wrong direction?" My voice was calm and firm, like a hammer striking her right where she needed it.
Lin Wanyue stumbled half a step, like a prey struck in a vital spot. Seeing this, Liu quickly reached out to steady her, but pinched her harshly from within her sleeve, trying to conceal her guilt. "What nonsense, little kid! Wanyue has been learning painting from a famous teacher since she was a child..." Liu feigned composure, her voice trembling slightly.
"A famous teacher?" I turned around gently and walked towards the backstage with elegant steps. The hem of my skirt embroidered with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix was like a lively colorful cloud, gently brushing the corner of Lin Wanyue's plain white skirt. "That famous teacher must be Apprentice Wang from the 'Qingfeng Painting Studio', right?" I left this sentence, like dropping a blockbuster bomb, making them panic on the spot.
At the backstage entrance, the scent of ambergris wafted out of the copper crane incense burner, and the fragrance filled the air, as if adding a layer of mystery to the space. At this moment, Jiang Yan's servant suddenly appeared from behind a pillar like a mysterious messenger. He was holding an oil-paper bag in his hand, and the oil-paper bag seemed to carry endless warmth and care. "My master said that if the young lady is nervous, think about the sugar cake he sent three days ago." The servant said with a smile, with a hint of playfulness in his eyes. There was a crooked sugar cake painted on the oil-paper bag, and next to it was written in small calligraphy with a hairpin flower: "My sugar cake, although not as elegant as poetry, is sweeter than poetry, and three points warmer than my heart."
Looking at the crooked sugar cake painting and the heartwarming words, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. The laughter flowed like a spring stream, spreading the tension like a tea-like smile. Mo Zhu looked at the sketch and couldn't help but laugh too: "Jiang Zhuangyuan's sugar cake is comparable to your first dragon painting, Miss. They both look like they've been stepped on..."
"Go away!" I laughed and slapped her hand away, my eyes wide with smiles. Suddenly, I noticed a small sugar-painted phoenix hanging from her silver butterfly hairpin. It was a "rehearsal cheering gift" Jiang Yan had specially asked Master Zhang to make the day before. The phoenix was so lifelike, it seemed to carry Jiang Yan's blessing and companionship.
At that moment, the music of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" drifted from the main hall like a stream of pure, moving water. Miss Li, clad in a pomegranate-red dress, danced gracefully on the stage like a blazing flame. Her skirt swirled in a riot of color like a blossoming flower, capturing everyone's attention. I took a deep breath, then, carrying the glass teapot, took light steps toward the rice paper. The narrow slit of the teapot's spout, illuminated by the palace lantern, shimmered like a star-like golden glow, as if foreshadowing the extraordinary nature of this performance.
The entire place was so silent that it felt as if time had stopped. All I could hear was the thumping of my own heartbeat, a sound like a war drum, spurring me on. That is until the first drop of tea landed on the snow-white rice paper, creating a tiny golden dot, like the first brilliant stroke of color on a pristine canvas.
With a gentle twist of my wrist, the tea flows across the rice paper like golden threads. The characters "百鸟" (hundred birds) are powerful and forceful, as if carrying a stirring force; "朝凤" (face to face the phoenix) is elegant and ethereal, like a phoenix dancing gracefully among the clouds; and finally, a drop of tea falls perfectly on the hook of the character "寿" (longevity), like the finishing touch of a phoenix, adding a touch of spirit and verve to the entire work.
"Excellent!" The Empress Dowager's resounding, commanding cheer pierced the hall like a bell. The pearl tassels on her phoenix crown rustled, as if cheering for this brilliant performance. "In my sixty-eight years, I've never heard such beautiful words poured out of tea!" The Empress Dowager's voice, tinged with surprise and admiration, shone upon me like sunshine.
Amidst thunderous applause, I slowly raised my gaze toward the second row. Jiang Yan had already lowered his folding fan, the twisted sugar dragon I'd painted on it facing me, as if cheering me on. The admiration in his eyes was like honey, sweet and rich. The curve of his lips was exactly the same as it had been at the corner gate three days ago. That smile seemed to be my strongest support. Liu's hand, supporting Lin Wanyue, trembled slightly, like a withered branch trembling in the autumn wind, and Lin Wanyue's white skirt was wrinkled deeply from her own grasp, as if she were in a state of panic and anxiety. My eldest sister was waving her newly-mixed "Zhuangyuanhong" rouge box at me, the box gleaming charmingly in the light, as if she was proud of me. The young marquis excitedly jumped among the crowd, holding a wooden sword. The red silk on the tassel looked like a burning flame, adding a touch of warmth to the whole scene.
The tea in the glass teapot was just about empty, and I gracefully bowed to the Empress Dowager. Just then, I heard Jiang Yan's chuckle across the crowd. It was like icing sugar sprinkled on rice paper, perfectly sweet. The turmoil surrounding this birthday banquet ultimately became a stepping stone to my fame in the capital. The affection flowing in the eyes of the man gazing at me from the audience was more reassuring than the glittering jewels of the palace. Like the warm winter sun, it warmed my heart and reassured me that no matter how many challenges lay ahead, I could bravely move forward with him by my side.
As the birthday banquet progressed, this incident gradually became a hot topic. The Empress Dowager's praise for me spread like a spring breeze, quickly spreading throughout the palace and even to the streets and alleys of the capital. Those who had once doubted me now looked upon me with new eyes. As for Liu and Lin Wanyue, after this incident, they could only hide quietly in a corner, enduring the public's criticism.
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