Chapter 4. This is the first time I've ever seen my second brother paint so beautifully...
As dawn breaks, the branches and leaves are lush, and the shadows of the trees sway on the bluestone road.
Although spring arrived late in the fourth year of the Xuanren reign, after enduring the winter snow, the bright spring scenery finally appeared.
The late Marquis of Dingbei, Pei Shen, had two sons and one daughter.
Pei Linxing 2;
Pei Ningxing, third.
Pei Lin is intelligent and tactful.
They are good at concealing their talents and biding their time, yet their sharpness, revealed unintentionally, can make others bow down.
But Pei Ning was nothing like her second brother.
She was insightful, yet also silent.
Wen Lingzheng still remembers the first time she met Pei Ning.
At that time, Pei Ning was already Consort Pei.
At the palace banquet, she sat upright in the seat of honor, dressed in a magnificent gown. Although she smiled, the loneliness in her eyes was undeniable.
At that time, she was like a Buddha statue, a Buddha statue that had been enshrined in the deep palace for a long time.
"Fourth sister?"
"We've arrived."
Wen Shizhen didn't understand Wen Lingzheng's sudden daze, but out of courtesy, he still spoke up to remind her.
Wen Lingzheng followed Wen Shizhen out of the carriage.
Outside the Grand Princess's residence, Yao Zhongxi and Pei Ning also stepped out of their carriages.
The atmosphere between the two was tense.
Wen Lingzheng moved closer to the edge of the crowd, and Yao Guang pulled her sleeve tightly.
The crowd surged, and sparse sunlight filtered through the gaps, falling into the throng.
Discussions came from all directions, and she used this opportunity to find out the reason for the matter.
"It's just a matter of who goes first."
What good would it do to back down a little?
"This Miss Yao is Princess Leling's cousin!"
"The Marquis of Dingbei's mansion is almost in ruins now, so why is Miss Pei still so magnanimous?"
"That's utterly absurd!"
Wen Lingzheng listened to all the sighs and lamentations.
Pei Ning was never a competitive person.
On the contrary, she was peaceful and gentle, and even when she was trapped within the deep palace walls, she never fought with anyone.
But even a rabbit will bite when cornered!
Even the most insightful person will feel uncomfortable when faced with deliberate slander from others.
Especially those who were wantonly slandered were her deceased parents and eldest brother.
"Yao Zhongxi!"
"You're not allowed to talk about my father like that!"
Pei Ning's suppressed and restrained voice pulled Wen Lingzheng back to her senses.
She saw that her hands, hanging by her sides, were clenched into a fist, and the corners of her eyes were red.
She tried her best to clear her parents' and brothers' names, but the almost unanimous crowd speaking in Yao Zhongxi's favor put her at a disadvantage.
Growing increasingly arrogant, Yao Zhongxi looked at Pei Ning with her chin raised under the spring sun, her pretty face beaming with disdain.
"Pei Ning".
"Your father killed 50,000 soldiers of my Great Wu."
"This forced the emperor to send Princess He Ning to Dayue."
"Just you wait!"
"The authorities will certainly not let your family off the hook!"
Yao Zhongxi's voice was sharp and piercing.
But when she mentioned Princess Ning, Pei Ning fell silent for a moment, which was unusual.
Because of this defeat, the princess, who had only recently come of age, paid the price for her entire life.
The people of the Dingbei Marquis's mansion always felt guilty towards her.
Pei Ning's silence emboldened Yao Zhongxi to become even more arrogant.
Her face was all smiles, but her words were like blades.
"Why did you stop talking?"
"So you're finally admitting that this defeat was your father's fault?"
The chatter among the crowd grew increasingly unrestrained.
They seem to have completely forgotten the days when they praised the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion, and have simply changed their stance by echoing what others have said.
They accused Pei Shen, the Marquis of Xiandingbei, of dereliction of duty, as if only in this way could they demonstrate their hatred of evil.
My gaze swept across the crowd, landing on the few people at the very front who were shouting the loudest.
Wen Lingzheng pressed her temples.
Stupid and noisy.
If he truly intended to betray the country, why would he send the heir of the Marquis of Dingbei to personally lead troops into the trap? That was his eldest son!
If his only goal was to clear himself of suspicion, why did he personally lead his troops to rescue Da Yue after learning of the conspiracy, thus endangering his own and his wife's lives?
Wen Lingzheng sighed.
Public opinion can melt metal; accumulated slander can destroy bones; nothing is more powerful than this.
He stared intently at the girl's radiant eyes, not missing a single detail of her expression.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she knew something was wrong.
She subconsciously pulled the girl's sleeve tighter, trying to lead her out of the crowd, but the crowd was too congested and the girl was trying to break free from her grasp.
Freed from Yao Guang's control, Wen Lingzheng blended into the crowd.
She hid in the throng, lowering her voice to silently retort to the one-sided criticism.
Before she finished, she added—
"The Emperor hasn't given any orders yet!"
"Whether the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion falls or not is not up to us."
"I hope I don't accidentally become the one who sticks out and gets used as a warning to others!"
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
Wen Lingzheng's voice caused a huge uproar in the crowd, and the previously one-sided opinion was instantly reversed.
Disguised as a quail among the crowd, Wen Lingzheng kept a close eye on her surroundings.
She inadvertently caught a glimpse of several figures walking against the flow of traffic; those were the same people who had been shouting the loudest earlier.
Wen Lingzheng frowned; there must be something fishy going on here.
The crowd's discussion shifted, and Yao Zhongxi felt a tightness in his chest from anger.
She was furious and tried to find the person who had spoken so arrogantly.
But Wen Lingzheng was young and short, and she wanted to hide herself, so she disappeared when she was covered by the crowd.
Unable to find the culprit, Yao Zhongxi had nowhere to vent his anger.
She flicked her sleeves, turned and followed the maid into the Grand Princess's residence, as if fleeing in disgrace, having lost face greatly.
As the crowd dispersed, Wen Lingzheng slowly retreated as well.
Perhaps it was all preordained.
In the bustling crowd, the moment Wen Lingzheng looked up, her gaze met Pei Ning's.
She saw Pei Ning smile at her, as if it were an illusion.
Coming to her senses, Wen Lingzheng looked in Pei Ning's direction again, but Pei Ning's figure had already merged into the crowd and disappeared.
"Girl, girl..."
The gentle light and soft voice brought the girl's thoughts back on track.
Wen Lingzheng composed herself and pulled Wen Shizhen along, following the maid who was leading the way into the mansion.
After passing through winding and intricate corridors and stepping across cobblestone paths, Wen Lingzheng was quickly led to her seat by the maidservant.
The academy was set up in the Songfeng Courtyard within the mansion by the Grand Princess Yongqing.
A screen was placed between the men's and women's seats.
Not all the people in the courtyard had arrived yet; only a few were there.
Feeling utterly bored, Wen Lingzheng stroked the pen in her hand, but her gaze drifted outside.
There is a clear spring in the courtyard.
Perhaps it was only the beginning of spring, as ice still floated on the surface of the spring.
It only shows its shimmering light under the gentle touch of sunlight.
Thinking of those few people who had been the most arrogant earlier, she couldn't help but frown.
She had indeed had dealings with Yao Zhongxi.
He appears arrogant on the outside, but in reality he is all bark and no bite.
She said she disliked Pei Ning and was deliberately picking a fight.
Wen Lingzheng's letter.
However, it could be said that she bribed thieves to blend into the crowd and deliberately slander the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion.
She really doesn't have that kind of brain.
Who could it be? And why did the Yongqing Grand Princess's residence allow them to gather in front of the residence gate?
Wen Lingzheng rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't turn around in surprise until someone tugged at her sleeve.
What came into her view was a beautiful and radiant face.
People at the time admired literature and favored the willows of Jiangnan, even seeking elegance in their everyday clothing.
So much so that compared to beauty as radiant as peach blossoms and as radiant as spring flowers, they preferred a gentle and refined beauty, like a distant mountain seen through the mist.
There were two beautiful women in Shengjing.
Her hair was styled in two buns, her face as fair as jade, and her eyebrows glowed with a pale green light.
"The pale green glow of the moth" refers to Xiao Shanghua, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Jing.
The phrase "绾云颜似玉" refers to Pei Ning.
"Scholar Liu has already arrived."
"If you keep spacing out, you might not be able to answer the questions later."
Pei Ning leaned closer to Wen Lingzheng, her voice low.
A gentle breeze brushed past the window frames, causing the lanterns hanging sparsely under the eaves to sway from side to side.
It was clearly not the season for osmanthus to bloom, yet Wen Lingzheng could smell the faintly sweet fragrance of osmanthus.
She paused for a moment, then quickly arranged the paper and pen and sat up straight.
Seeing Wen Lingzheng's expression, Pei Ning couldn't help but laugh.
She turned her head and stared at her for a long time before looking away.
Thank you.
Wen Lingzheng was somewhat surprised.
It turned out that it wasn't her imagination.
"Maybe I'm just passing by?"
Wen Lingzheng tried to refute.
Pei Ning smiled but didn't expose her.
"I've seen your portrait!"
"At Lixin Academy."
Lixin Academy?
Wen Lingzheng nearly dropped the pen in her hand.
The Lixin Courtyard of the Dingbei Marquis's residence, Pei Lin's study, was also where she lived for 1,313 days.
She was so familiar with every book, every brick, and even every tile in Lixin Courtyard.
"you……"
Wen Lingzheng looked at Pei Ning, but couldn't bring herself to ask the question.
Seeing Wen Lingzheng's embarrassment, Pei Ning smiled.
She stared intently at Wen Lingzheng, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
"This is the first time I've ever seen my second brother paint a beautiful woman! Miss Wen."
A gentle breeze blew outside the window, and fallen leaves swirled down, while the sound of students reading aloud echoed in her ears.
Despite the countless beautiful sights, none of them could capture her attention anymore.
Her thoughts seemed to drift back to the past, back to the Lixin Courtyard.
Look up,
It was a plaque he wrote himself.
Bowing one's head
These are late-blooming camellias that he planted himself.
Wen Lingzheng sighed slightly; she clearly couldn't concentrate on this lesson.
Spring's warmth gradually showed signs of weariness, and fiery red clouds surged out from behind the distant mountains, tinging the sky with pure white.
Inside the carriage, Wen Shizhen looked at her absent-minded sister with a sense of helplessness.
Just now, the matron from the Grand Princess's residence sent invitations to everyone at the school, inviting them to her daughter, Princess Mingzhu's, birthday banquet.
Although this was a good thing, Wen Shizhen felt a little worried.
"Fourth Sister."
"Our Wen family is not prominent, but since we have been invited to Princess Mingzhu's birthday banquet, we should be very careful about it."
Wen Shizhen still feels lingering fear when she recalls the farce that happened that morning.
He glanced at Wen Lingzheng, looking rather helpless.
"Fourth Sister."
"We can't afford to offend either the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion or the Earl of Anping's mansion."
Wen Shizhen's precociousness exceeded Wen Lingzheng's imagination.
Although she is only seven or eight years old and her face is still chubby, she speaks in a way that sounds very old.
Wen Lingzheng looked at her younger brother and felt sorry for his fate.
"Fourth Sister!"
Wen Shizhen asked anxiously, "Did you hear what I said?"
He was clearly determined to achieve his goal, so she had no choice but to lower her head.
"I see."
"I promise you, okay?"
"I will certainly be careful with my words and actions at Princess Mingzhu's birthday banquet!"
Hearing Wen Lingzheng agree, Wen Shizhen was clearly relieved.
Seeing the obvious rise and fall of his chest, Wen Lingzheng couldn't help but chuckle.
Composing herself, Wen Lingzheng peered through the curtain out of the carriage, her gaze seemingly drifting far away.
Wen Shizhen heard her murmur.
"rest assured."
"When the princess's birthday banquet arrives, it will be..."
Wen Lingzheng didn't finish her sentence, but the last word she uttered was enough to make Wen Shizhen's heart pound.
She clearly didn't listen.
Wen Shizhen sighed helplessly.
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