"Thank you, Father Emperor." Qiao Qiu stood up straight, listening to her father's teachings. The portrait had already been sent to the Eastern Palace, the meaning of which was quite clear: there was no need to summon her specifically for this matter, let alone ask her to come immediately upon returning to the palace.
"You shall select the candidates carefully for me. Once you have chosen them, send someone to inform your mother first."
"Yes," Qiao Qiu answered very obediently.
"I am often preoccupied with state affairs and have neglected you, my sons and daughters. You have taken on the responsibility of an elder brother, and I am very pleased," the Emperor said suddenly with emotion. Before he knew it, his son had grown up; time waits for no one.
"Father, you flatter me."
The emperor rarely praised Dongfang Wuche, so what was wrong with him today? Qiao Qiu observed him discreetly, her mind on edge. He was still at least seven or eight years away from death; why was he reminiscing about these things now? Was he about to play cards again?
Let her think it over. Appealing to family ties is definitely out of the question, and appealing to power doesn't seem to work either. In the end, all that's left is to reason with her and appeal to her emotions. Use the word "reasonable" to move her and get her to do things for him. She just doesn't know what she should do to help him.
"Wu Che, after much deliberation, I have decided that since Meng Yuanqing's marriage is my own arrangement, I should send someone to inspect it. You should go. Meng Yuanqing is a rare talent. If we can win him over to serve the court, the court will be greatly strengthened. You will handle this matter so that when you ascend the throne, you will have your own trusted confidant." The Emperor looked at his most favored son, hoping that he wouldn't feel condescended just because the other party was a commoner.
Holy crap, this isn't just about whether it's reasonable or not, it's downright tempting!
Qiao Qiu never imagined that her other identity posed such a significant threat in the Emperor's eyes. To ask her, a Crown Prince, to personally attend his wedding, seemingly an unparalleled honor, was actually a recruitment attempt against Meng Yuanqing.
If she agrees, that's fine; if she doesn't, then she'll face endless pursuit.
"Yes, Father, I obey your command."
Both she and Meng Yuanqing were originally members of the royal family and posed no real threat to the court.
The Emperor saw no displeasure on her face, which surprised him somewhat, but it was still within his expectations. His son was extraordinary to begin with, and such a performance was proof that he was truly outstanding. "Go down."
"yes."
Qiao Qiu withdrew.
Back at the East Palace, Ji Xian came over with the portrait. Although none of them could become the Crown Princess, the procedures still had to be followed. Otherwise, if something was discovered, they would definitely be in big trouble.
Qiao Qiu was interested in seeing these things; after all, who doesn't like beautiful women? It's good to feast one's eyes, isn't it?
"Your Majesty, the Emperor's men have withdrawn from the Eastern Palace," Ji Xian reported.
"Yes, I know. The people who were monitoring me have all left," Qiao Qiu said calmly.
"Your Majesty, what do you think the Emperor intends to do?" Ji Xian asked with some concern.
"Why do you care? Wouldn't it be better not to monitor them? I'm looking at the portraits here. List out all the young ladies who have someone they like. I'm sure they'd be happy to be 'sick'." Qiao Qiu opened the portraits and looked at them one by one.
"Yes, Master."
Qiao Qiu looked at the portrait in her palace for a while, and then it got completely dark.
It must be said that ancient painters were truly masterful, especially when it came to eyebrows and eyes. They could capture the essence of a person with just a few strokes. How could anyone tell who the real person was?
Wait a minute, this seems like a way to make money too. If she paints a few for people, the money will come in like crazy, right? And she can guarantee speed and efficiency.
Moreover, the materials used are simple; even a small piece of charcoal will suffice, and the resulting paintings will be absolutely lifelike.
Qiao Qiu suddenly felt a bit itchy and eager to try it out, as she had never made money from this before.
"Someone come here."
A young eunuch strode in, saying, "This servant is here."
"Go and burn some charcoal for me right now and bring it to my study," Qiao Qiu said as she got up.
"Yes." The little eunuch immediately turned and left.
Qiao Qiu left the palace with his hands behind his back and walked towards the study, with a eunuch leading the way for him with a lamp.
The palace was now brightly lit, with lights on everywhere. It wasn't dark outside, and the room was as bright as day.
It was clearly an extravagant and wasteful thing, but Qiao Qiu felt at ease using it.
Upon entering the study, the eunuch who had led the way stood outside.
At this moment, Ji Xian walked over, saw the eunuch there, sighed, and went inside. "Master, if you don't eat dinner, you should at least have a midnight snack, right?"
"Hmm, bring some eight-treasure porridge and some snacks."
"Yes, this is the task."
"Oh, right, I suddenly have a craving for sweet and sour fish. Bring that up too, and bring an extra pair of chopsticks so you can eat with me later."
“…Yes.” Apart from being speechless at times, Ji Xian had almost gotten used to eating at the same table with his master sometimes.
According to his master, eating alone is boring, and when his wife is around, he has nothing to do.
The lady is like a junior sister, so he's practically the master's brother-in-law, right? Well, eating at the same table isn't a big deal... it's nothing...
Not long after Ji Xian left, the charcoal-burning eunuch came running in, smiling and saying, "Your Highness, the charcoal has arrived."
Since the eunuch didn't know how thick the charcoal needed, he burned several pieces, the thickest of which was two fingers wide, for a total of four pieces of charcoal.
Qiao Qiu glanced at it; the charcoal looked good. "Put it on the table and go downstairs."
"Yes." The little eunuch was overjoyed to see that Qiao Qiu was satisfied.
Qiao Qiu paid no attention to the eunuch's mood. She went behind the table, spread out a piece of paper, picked up a piece of charcoal about the thickness of an index finger, and began to trace on the paper.
She was very quick with her hands and drew very carefully.
Half an incense stick later, Ji Xian brought in a late-night snack and placed it on the round table that was specially set up for meals.
"Ji Xian, come here, come and see, I'm giving you a portrait." Qiao Qiu said with a smile.
"Thank you, Master." Ji Xian walked over. His master's painting skills were superb, comparable to those of the imperial painters. It was an honor to receive a portrait from his master.
Ji Xian walked to the desk and caught a glimpse of the side profile. His eyes widened immediately. He rushed to the front to take a closer look. Was that really him? It looked so much like him, as if his face had been pressed onto a piece of paper!
"It looks so much like it!"
Ji Xian picked up the painting. It was uncolored, but the figures already looked 99% like the real people.
This was a painting he had never seen before; none of the portraits he had seen before could compare to it.
He felt that even all the portraits painted by the court painters combined couldn't compare to this one; it was just too lifelike.
Qiao Qiu tossed away the charcoal, dusted off her hands, and said, "Quickly put it away; this is unique in our Jinxi Kingdom. I need to wash my hands; go fetch a basin of water."
"Okay!"
Qiao Qiu was startled by his sudden playfulness. Looking at his cheerful back, she shook her head, satisfied with that.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
