At the edge of the crabapple bushes, a young man dressed in moon-white brocade was immersed in his brushstrokes, quietly listening to the mountain breeze and birdsong. Suddenly, a slightly unfamiliar girl's voice sounded in his ears, and the red ink in his hand dripped and spread across the scroll, forming a unique mark.
A sharp-eyed student noticed Jiang Jinzhao pause his brush and asked curiously, "Brother Jinzhao, your painting is already quite charming, why did you suddenly become distracted? This drop of red ink accidentally spilled, and I'm afraid your flower and bird painting will be ruined."
Jiang Jinzhao gently took the scroll off the easel, his expression indifferent. "Since the flaw has already appeared, it's better to leave it at that. When it comes to flower and bird painting, my sister Jiang Yuyao is the true master."
Upon hearing this, the others nodded in praise, "Indeed, Miss Yuyao is a talented and brilliant woman, renowned throughout the capital. She is proficient in all arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her flower and bird paintings are particularly remarkable. As for our Brother Jinzhao, his landscape paintings are the most celebrated."
At this moment, Zhang Dingqi hurried forward, quickly snatched the scroll away, and said regretfully, "Although the painting has a minor flaw, it's still exquisite overall. It would be a pity to destroy it. Brother Jin Zhao, why don't you give it to me?"
Jiang Jinzhao's eyes were gentle, but when he looked at Zhang Dingqi at this moment, there was a hint of inquiry.
Not long ago, a voice whispered in his ear, suggesting that Zhang Dingqi had a homosexual fetish?
On weekdays, Zhang Dingqi had a close relationship with the students. It was common for them to stand shoulder to shoulder, hold hands, and even sleep in the same bed, but Jiang Jinzhao had never fantasized about such details.
"It would be reckless to give someone such a broken painting." Jiang Jinzhao said as he resolutely tore the painting into pieces.
Zhang Dingqi was slightly disappointed and lamented repeatedly, "What a shame, what a shame. I don't know when I can get Brother Jin Zhao's calligraphy again."
A classmate nearby joked, "Brother Zhang, why should you feel regretful? Soon you'll be the son-in-law of the Duke of the Protectorate, making you and Brother Jinzhao's cousins. Then, asking for his paintings will be a piece of cake, won't it?"
At this moment, a group of young men from aristocratic families suddenly pointed to the distance and said, "Everyone, look over there! Aren't those the three daughters of the Duke of Protectorate? I saw them at the last banquet. The three sisters always wear the same colored clothes. They are so beautiful and so eye-catching."
All the students looked over there and saw the three daughters of the Hao family flying kites with Jiang Songyi.
Someone took special notice of Jiang Songyi and couldn't help but exclaim, "That girl in blue with the three Hao sisters is truly a stunning beauty. I wonder which family she is from?"
Another person praised: "The crabapple blossoms all over the mountains cannot compare to her beauty. If this beauty were in a painting, she would surely be stunning."
A burly, wealthy young man said with a playful smile, "I wonder if this girl in blue is married? My mother has been urging me to get married, but I haven't met anyone I like. I think this girl in blue would be a perfect match."
A student decisively pushed the fat young man, his tone revealing impatience: "Go, go, are you daydreaming? Didn't you hear the daughter of the Duke of Huguo's Mansion call that girl cousin? She is obviously the jewel of the Yongding Marquis' Mansion. Don't you consider Brother Jinzhao's opinion when you speak so recklessly?
"It's long been rumored that the daughter of the Yongding Marquis is incredibly beautiful and has already been betrothed to the Fourth Prince. You, fat man, are probably lost in your fantasies too deeply.
Jiang Jinzhao, who had been concentrating on the voice, frowned slightly when he heard his classmates mention his sister, and glanced at them lightly, "My sister's reputation is of paramount importance. I hope my classmates will not talk nonsense.
The students also realized that they should not gossip about women's marriages behind their backs, and they all kept their mouths shut.
Only Zhang Dingqi, who had a relatively close relationship with Jiang Jinzhao, took the opportunity to put his arm around his shoulders, a sly look in his eyes. "Brother Jinzhao, that doesn't seem to be Miss Yuyao. It's said that the Marquis of Yongding brought back a legitimate daughter from afar. Could that be her? Master Jiang, I heard that your sister is from the countryside, but I didn't expect her to be as beautiful as a fairy.
Jiang Jinzhao's brows furrowed slightly. He had already realized that it wasn't Jiang Yuyao, but Jiang Songyi, whom he had only met a few times. However, the daughter of the Yongding Marquisate couldn't be casually judged.
"She is my sister Jiang Songyi."
"So it was her. I heard she caused Miss Yuyao to fall into the water and catch a severe cold. She's incredibly cruel and vicious. I didn't expect she was such a gorgeous yet vicious beauty."
Jiang Jinzhao had naturally heard of these rumors. Although he was dissatisfied with Jiang Songyi, he still stood up to defend her in front of many outsiders: "Do you believe this nonsense, Master Su?"
Master Su sneered after hearing this: "What nonsense! I've heard about this from my cousin. Are you, the Jiang family, really as he said? For the sake of Jiang Songyi, a woman with an unknown background and no sense of self-discipline, you want to let the future Fourth Prince's consort suffer?"
Su Sheng is the son of Princess Linchuan and the Minister of War. Princess Linchuan is the sister of the current emperor and has a close relationship with the fourth prince Xinyi Zigu. Therefore, she learned about the scandal of the eldest daughter of the marquis from her cousin early on.
Jiang Jinzhao knew that the other party was an arrogant and domineering young man, so he did not argue with him. "Yuyao and Jiang Songyi are both daughters of marquisates. The right and wrong will naturally be decided by the elders of the family."
Su Sheng sneered contemptuously, his tone filled with sarcasm. "No wonder the Fourth Prince is so eager to pay the betrothal gift and bring Miss Yuyao into his family as soon as possible. Your Marquis' Mansion is truly biased. The old lady even favors Jiang Songyi in front of the Imperial Concubine, and you, the eldest brother, are also partial to her. Is she the only one who can be considered your biological sister?"
Although Jiang Jinzhao had no good feelings towards Jiang Songyi, after all, she was his only sister who was related by blood.
Seeing this, Zhang Dingqi quickly stepped out to smooth things over. He patted Jiang Jinzhao on the shoulder and tried to get closer to Su Sheng. "After all, we will all be a family in the future. Why make things so unpleasant? Master Jiang, in my opinion, you've forgotten your old love just because you've found a new one. This behavior is not good."
Jiang Songyi, who was present, witnessed all this and couldn't help but snort in contempt.
Zhang Dingqi is truly daring. On the one hand, he's dreaming of becoming the son-in-law of the Duke of Huguo, and on the other hand, he's trying to get close to the eldest son and eldest princess of the Yongding Marquisate. He's truly extremely greedy.
Although Jiang Jinzhao felt a little disgusted in his heart, he still maintained a friendly appearance and cleverly avoided Zhang Dingqi's hand.
Su Sheng, however, was not so polite. He pushed Zhang Dingqi away with a powerful elbow and said, "Get out of here. A grown man is always doing these little intimate actions. People who don't know would think you are a homosexual!"
Zhang Dingqi's body stiffened slightly, and he looked a little embarrassed.
Jiang Jinzhao couldn't help but glance at Su Sheng with complicated eyes.
This Su family's overlord, his mouth is so full of flowers, isn't it? Every word he says hits the nail on the head.
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