Chapter 159 Young Master Liu
This sounds like an excuse.
Madam Liu was a little displeased: "Second Miss, you're joking. Your face looks rosy, how come you can't lift a pen?"
General Xuanyuan gave Xuanyuan Eri a disapproving look.
Xuanyuan Huili felt a chill in her heart. It seemed that her father was determined to marry her off.
She gritted her teeth and said to Hu Xin'er, "Madam Liu, you don't know that Li'er hasn't felt like painting lately. It's all because Miss Lu's paintings are so good that I feel ashamed of myself and dare not pick up the brush, for fear of being laughed at!"
Madam Liu finally relaxed her frown. "Oh? Second Miss is being modest, but is Miss Lu's painting really that good?"
The Liu family is a scholarly family, and Mrs. Liu also comes from a noble family. She immediately became interested in Hu Xiner.
Xuanyuan Huili smiled and said, "Of course, she was the one who painted my portrait."
In fact, Xuanyuan Huili just wanted to use Hu Xiner as a shield. She would not give Hu Xiner a chance to stand out.
She often saw Hu Xiner painting in the study these days, and felt that Hu Xiner's paintings were really not up to standard.
So I felt that this was Hu Xiner's real painting skill.
Madam Liu didn't know the inside story: "Then, shall I ask someone to bring the four treasures of the study?"
The Duke's wife had no time to stop him and gave Xuanyuan Huili a reproachful look.
The servants placed the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on the table. Madam Liu maintained a dignified smile and looked at Hu Xiner carefully.
She was not stupid and could see that Xuanyuan Huili was deliberately making trouble. She wanted to see what she was up to.
The Liu family is a family with a long tradition of poetry and literature. If they could marry into the Duke's Mansion, it would naturally be icing on the cake.
But they also have their integrity. If the daughter of the Duke's Mansion is too willful and difficult to get along with, then the marriage will be cancelled!
If the Duke were here, he would definitely stop this ridiculous talent show, but Xuanyuan Huili had always been extremely well-behaved before the Lu Yunjue incident.
General Xuanyuan didn't expect his daughter to suddenly rebel, so he went to the study with Lord Liu to chat and drink tea long ago.
From beginning to end, no one asked Hu Xiner for her opinion.
Even if Madam Liu wanted to talk to Hu Xiner, Xuanyuan Huili would take over the conversation, and it was obvious that she was treating Hu Xiner as a servant.
She wanted to see Hu Xiner make a fool of herself, but Hu Xiner was no pushover.
Hu Xin'er smiled and said, "If you all don't mind, I'd be happy to paint. But I want to complete a painting with Lu Yunjue!"
Xuanyuan Huili clenched her handkerchief tightly, and the look she gave Hu Xiner was almost poisonous.
Hu Xiner, how dare she!
This is clearly a deliberate display of affection for her!
The Duke's wife calmly held Xuanyuan Huili's hand. Madam Liu was quite interested. "Are you talking about the two of you improvising a painting, or painting a ready-made painting?"
"What's the point of painting something ready-made?" Hu Xin'er smiled and shook her head. "Of course it's improvisation."
Madam Liu's eyes lit up with admiration. To be able to come up with such an idea, she must have real talent. "If you have thought it through, I naturally have no objection. Besides these pens and ink, what else do you need? Just bring it to me."
Hu Xin'er smiled mysteriously: "Just these on the table will do!"
This form is novel and everyone is very curious.
The two walked to the desk together. Although Mu Qing didn't understand Hu Xin'er's specific meaning, they had a tacit understanding and they roughly understood it after just one look at each other.
Mu Qing first picked up his brush and drew an old pine tree.
Before even seeing the painting, Mrs. Liu praised it: "What a beautiful start!"
The two of them came here because Jing'an was making trouble and didn't want to cause any more trouble.
Due to the intentional or unintentional neglect of the Duke's wife, Madam Liu did not know that this was Lu Yunjue, and only thought that he was a handsome painter or servant.
At this moment, she began to look at Lu Yunjue with admiration.
This green pine stands tall and majestic, and people usually paint cranes or tigers under the tree.
Hu Xiner started painting on the tree without even thinking.
When Xuanyuan Huili saw how well the pine tree was painted, her admiration for Lu Yunjue increased.
But when he saw Hu Xin'er start painting, he couldn't help but say, "This pine tree is already perfectly natural. There's no need to add auspicious clouds on top of it. It would look vulgar!"
Madam Liu looked at Xuanyuan Huili with appreciation, and it was obvious that she thought so too.
However, judging from Hu Xiner's writing, she did have some skills, so she didn't say anything, thinking that things might turn around.
Although auspicious clouds are a bit vulgar, if they are painted well or with some clever ideas, they can still be a masterpiece.
"Who said I want to draw auspicious clouds?" Hu Xiner raised her eyebrows.
When everyone looked at the painting, they all had strange expressions on their faces.
Hu Xiner actually drew a pair of mandarin ducks on the tree!
Without waiting for everyone's comments, Mu Qing immediately created another auspicious cloud, on which stood a man with an immortal look, looking down.
"This..." Madam Liu frowned again.
Xuanyuan Huili lamented, "It's all because of the wrong painting of the mandarin ducks. Otherwise, just based on that pine tree, this painting would have surpassed most of the current literati. If I were to..."
She felt that if she could paint with Mu Qing, she would be a thousand times better than Hu Xin'er.
"Yes, what a pity, the second young lady can't lift a pen!"
Hu Xiner retorted with a smile.
"Why does this painting look so strange?" The Duke's wife frowned.
In fact, she didn't understand and just followed what others said.
Madam Liu looked at it for a long while and shook her head. "I think this painting seems to have some meaning. It's not just a few random strokes. Why don't we let the painter explain it to us?"
Seeing that everyone was confused about the painting's meaning, Hu Xin'er and Mu Qing said in unison, "This painting depicts—envying the mandarin ducks instead of the immortals."
"Good, very good." Madam Liu covered her mouth with her handkerchief and smiled, "It's amazing that you have such thoughts."
The immortal's expression is vivid and somewhat funny, which fits the theme of today's banquet.
She likes it very much.
The second young lady was furious: "How could a mandarin duck be in a tree?"
Hu Xin'er explained, "The power of love is infinite. Mandarin ducks can climb trees with love."
When she said this, she looked at Mu Qing affectionately on purpose.
Madam Liu smiled and pulled Xuanyuan Huili's hand: "Don't be too serious, I'm looking at this painting..."
Unexpectedly, Xuanyuan Huili was furious: "How dare you talk nonsense in front of me!"
She actually picked up the inkstone and was about to hit Hu Xiner!
Wow, both the big and small ones in Xuanyuan Mansion love to play with inkstones.
Hu Xin'er was secretly on guard, but heard an angry shout from behind.
"What are you doing?"
Everyone turned around and saw that it was the Duke who came hurriedly.
He saw the second young lady's mischief with his own eyes and was furious: "You are totally outrageous!"
Lord Liu walked over slowly, exchanged glances with his wife, and said, "Well, since the child has no intention, there is no need to force it, but he still needs to see her."
At the same time, a gentle scholar also came over, presumably Mr. Liu.
However, what shocked Hu Xiner was that the servant following him was actually Feng Ge!
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