Qin Luan was moved.
She whispered to Su Rong: "Many people don’t understand why I persist like this. I am grateful that you do."
Once the most talented girl from high society in Daliang, Capital City, she had fallen from the clouds and into the dirt when she became the daughter of a criminal; she was thrown into the Eastern Palace. Her heart had experienced a myriad of ups and downs, and though she hadn’t been stained by the dirt, her mental state had drastically changed. If she couldn’t get what she loved, then she would instead love ambition and power.
She had to get at least one of them, or else her life would have been in vain.
Zhou Gu tested Chu Duan with three questions. After Chu Duan answered them, Zhou Gu looked at him in surprise, and decided to test him with two more. Chu Duan took a while to think about the final question, but he eventually answered it.
All in all, it took a little more than half the unit of time.
Zhou Gu clapped Chu Duan on the shoulder, "How did the princess manage to pick you out from the crowd? Her insight is truly remarkable."
He said with a smile: "With your level of knowledge, if you took the Imperial Exams, you would surely make a name for yourself."
He asked: "Would you want the princess to grant you an official title directly, or would you prefer to participate in the Imperial Exams that will take place in a month’s time?"
Having answered five questions, Chu Duan had finally calmed down. He said: "I will follow the Princess’s advice."
Zhou Gu nodded, "Very well, let’s go!"
He walked out of the study, and Ziye rushed out, sighing to Zhou Gu: "Ah, Young Master, I’m afraid the Princess might not like your birthday gift. Someone great has beaten you to it."
"Hmm?" Zhou Gu asked: "What happened?"
Ziye said helplessly: "Young Master Yanjin. He went and presented the Princess with a birthday gift. He made her very happy, she even wore it immediately. After praising it to the old royal dowager, she praised it to Ye Xiang’s wife. By now almost half the people know that Lord Cui gifted the Princess a birthday gift she adores. The Princess was delighted."
"What did he give her?" Zhou Gu had already had a bad feeling. It was too bad that he hadn’t caught up with Cui Yanjin and stopped him.
Ziye said: "He gifted her a twelve-boned fan and a gold silk bracelet, both hidden weapons. If I’m not mistaken, both of these items are renowned on the Jianghu weapon list."
Zhou Gu clenched his teeth, "He gave her weapons?"
"Yes."
"That little bastard." Zhou Gu was angry, "Even if I gave her the keys to the Weapons Repository, she wouldn’t be happy, right?"
Ziye spread his hands, "Seems like it! After all, those two weapons have made the Princess incredibly happy. You’ll have a hard time winning her favor now."
Zhou Gu was frustrated. "You did nothing to stop it?"
Ziye replies to him, "I couldn’t stop it, only you could. Young Master Cui is now tutored by Master Cui and Master Xie, and the Princess protects him. He barely fears you."
Zhou Gu took a deep breath, almost fuming. "So what should I give her?"
Ziye shook his head, he had no idea either. There wasn’t much time left now, their prior preparation was wasted.
Zhou Gu stood in his spot, contemplating for a moment before turning back to ask Chu Duan, "What did you give her?"
Chu Duan didn’t expect to witness this scene or to see the Princess’s husband in such a state. Startled by the sudden question, he honestly replied, "A coral ornament."
Zhou Gu nodded, "Now that is a proper gift."
He was upset and asked Ziye, "Where is Cui Yanjin now?"
At that moment, he wanted to beat him up.
Ziye said: "After giving the Princess her present, Young Master Cui is off somewhere playing." He then tried to dissuade Zhou Gu, "There are too many people today, it’s not suitable for you to publicly fight an official from the Imperial Court. Just wait for a suitable opportunity. Right now, what you should think about is whether or not to still give the birthday gift that you prepared."
Zhou Gu turned and returned to his study, "I will give another gift."
Ziye sighed.
For a moment, Chu Duan wasn’t sure if he should leave. Seeing Zhou Gu return to his study, after hesitating for a while, he also turned and followed. He still needed to ask if there was anything he could help with.
Ziye also followed him into the room. Seeing Zhou Gu start searching, he asked: "Young Master, what are you looking for?"
Besides books, what else could there be in this study?
"Blank scrolls for painting." Zhou Gu replied.
Ziye was surprised, "You want to create a painting to give to the Princess right now?"
"Yes, it’s the only option left. At least, it is something I made with my own hands." Zhou Gu said.
"It’s getting late. Will there be enough time?" Ziye asked.
Zhou Gu gritted his teeth, "There will."
He found a scroll, and Ziye took the initiative to grind the ink.
Chu Duan watched the two of them, "Princess’s husband, is there anything I can help with?"
"Can you hold the scroll for me?" Zhou Gu said: "Close the door to the study and don’t let anyone in."
Chu Duan was relieved; he was glad he could be of help.
So, they closed the door to the study. One of them painted while another held the scroll and the third grinded the ink; the trio was busy at work.
Zhou Gu painted a landscape of Nanchu. He and Zhang Yun had journeyed around Nanchu, avoiding the pursuit of the Nangong Family. They had traversed nearly all of Nanchu’s mountains and rivers, and for the few places he was unsure of, he turned to Chu Duan for confirmation.
When testing Chu Duan, he had examined him on practical questions, like Nanchu’s geographical and political history. As Chu Duan loved reading, he was knowledgeable about those areas, so he was able to not only help holding the scroll but also fill in Zhou Gu’s blind spots.
Zhou Gu painted with fervor. Ziye’s hand was almost broken from grinding ink as he tried to keep pace with Zhou Gu’s use of ink.
Chu Duan was honestly astonished.
Although he had heard about the fame of Zhou Gu from the Duke Residence, he only heard about him as an associate of the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace of Daliang, as a precious student of Grand Tutor Qin who only taught two students, as part of the illustrious Duke Residence, about his impressive conflict with Master Xie from the Rui’an Wang Residence over a woman, and the aftermath of his two attacks on the Jibei Military Camp and his famed double-handed sword. But he had never heard about his exquisite painting skills.
In their short interaction, he finally realized the gap between himself and this fourth son of Zhou, nurtured by the Duke Residence and the Eastern Palace of Daliang, the husband-to-be chosen by the princess for herself, was massive. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
They spent a total of one and a half units of time. Just as the palace banquet was about to start and people started looking for them, Zhou Gu finally put down his brush.
Then, he was completely exhausted. He sat down on his chair with a sigh, speaking listlessly: "Cui Yanjin, just you wait."
Ziye’s wrist was almost broken. Seeing Zhou Gu finished with the painting, he also sat down and massaged his wrist, echoing Zhou Gu: "Young Master, when you decide to beat up Young Master Cui, I’ll help you."
Chu Duan was also somewhat tired. He had to maintain one position to hold and extend the scroll, afraid that the slightest movement would ruin Zhou Gu’s artwork. Now that the painting was finished, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He was filled with admiration and awe.
After they had rested for a while, Zhou Gu said to Chu Duan: "Thank you."
Chu Duan shook his head, took a look at the sky and said: "It’s getting late, the palace feast is about to start."
Zhou Gu looked at the table, and saw some places where the ink was still wet; it needed to dry. He nodded and stood up, saying to the others: "Let’s go!"
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