After thinking about it, Tang Li agreed. She didn't know if it would actually reach her daughter if she sent it now, so she felt more at ease handing it to her daughter in person.
Tang Baozhu entered the county government office and followed the eunuch to a courtyard where a painter was waiting.
"Miss Tang, this painter is specially commissioning a portrait of you. The portrait will be sent directly to the capital."
"Thank you, sir."
"I dare not accept Miss Tang's address of 'young man,' you can just call me Xiao Douzi, that's what everyone in the palace calls me."
"Okay, Grandpa Little Bean."
Tang Baozhu looked at the painter, wondering if the same thing that happened to Mao Yanshun would happen again, and if he would paint her in an extremely ugly way.
Xiao Douzi probably sensed Tang Baozhu's worry and quickly explained, "Miss, don't worry, Eunuch Li will check each of the paintings the artist creates."
Hearing this, Tang Baozhu felt relieved. She sat on the stool next to him, straightened her back, and let him draw without moving.
Sitting still for so long, Tang Baozhu felt her bones were stiff, her back ached, and she was extremely uncomfortable. Yet she dared not move, knowing that countless eyes were watching from the shadows. She had heard that everyone's words and actions were recorded by these eyes, and the emperor would see them to know how everyone had behaved during this time.
So even though I felt really uncomfortable, I endured it and didn't stop until about two hours later.
After finishing the painting, Tang Baozhu suddenly felt relaxed all over, as if she had no energy left. She really wanted to see how the painting that had tormented her for two hours turned out, but she was also worried that it would be very impolite to do so.
He said to Little Bean, who was waiting to the side, "Grandpa Little Bean, may I take a look at the portrait? Of course, I don't mean anything by it, I'm just curious and want to see it."
"Don't worry, young lady. Once the portrait on the paper is dry, I will show it to you."
Since she had to wait for it to dry before she could watch it, Tang Baozhu sat on the stool to rest and wait. She was exhausted from maintaining the same position for two hours, and her bones were still aching.
Tang Baozhu felt it was because she had spoiled her too much. Before she transmigrated, she could carry a bucket of water up six floors without any problem; her physical fitness was exceptionally good.
It seems I need to step up my physical training in order to live longer, lest I become a weakling.
"The portrait is dry, young lady, you can look at it now."
The artist stared in amazement at the portrait in his hand, blaming himself for not being good enough to beautify even one-tenth of the girl's features.
Tang Baozhu was a little shocked. How ugly was the painting? Wouldn't it be unbearable to look at?
I carefully took the portrait from Xiaodouzi, and when I looked at it, to be honest, I couldn't recognize myself at all. It didn't look like me at all!
"Little Bean, do you think the person in the picture looks like me? I don't see it at all!"
Worried that she might have misjudged the situation and lacked the appreciation skills, Tang Baozhu quickly asked Xiaodouzi, who was standing next to her.
Little Bean looked at the portrait in the picture and thought it was indeed quite beautiful, but it didn't resemble Miss Tang at all.
"Miss Tang, the painting is quite beautiful. This portrait will be given to Eunuch Li later. Now, come with me, Miss. Xiao Douzi, take you to rest. Tomorrow you will be learning basic etiquette from the palace maids. Please get a good rest tonight, Miss, as tomorrow may be very tiring."
Xiao Douzi avoided the main issue, knowing she couldn't afford to offend the painter, and then led Tang Baozhu to her assigned room to rest.
Tang Baozhu glanced at Xiaodouzi, not caring that she hadn't told the truth. She knew how hard life was for people at the bottom of society, which was why she had developed such a shrewd and worldly personality.
Following Xiaodouzi through the long corridor, we arrived at a private room. "Miss, this is where you will rest for the next two days. A maid will bring your meals in a little while, and someone will also come to collect your dishes. If you need water to wash up, just tell the maid who is collecting the dishes."
"Okay, thank you, Xiaodouzi. You can go ahead and get back to work!"
Watching Xiaodouzi walk away, Tang Baozhu pushed open the door of the side room. It looked like a small living room, with tables and chairs. She went in and took a look. The left side looked like a study, with a row of bookshelves filled with many books.
Since it wasn't her own property, Tang Baozhu glanced at it but didn't touch it. Then she walked to the right, where there was a four-poster bed. She hadn't expected the rooms for guests to be so luxurious.
However, it's understandable. If one of the girls staying in the guest rooms were to achieve great success, it would be a good start in life.
Don't worry about living in a shabby place and getting into trouble with some old lady when she comes back. Even if she doesn't actually settle scores with you, just a whisper will be enough to give her a hard time.
It can only be said that the officials in the Prefectural Government Office are quite thoughtful and meticulous; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to sit in this position.
I rubbed my stomach and realized I was actually a little hungry, so I sat on a stool in the living room waiting for the food to be brought over.
Fortunately, it didn't take long before several maids brought over the food. "Please have your meal, Miss. If you need anything else, just let us know. There will be a maid outside, ready to serve you at any time. Please don't hesitate to ask for anything."
"Okay, got it."
The maidservant brought the food to the table, which was quite lavish. She ate some of the milder dishes but didn't touch any of the meat or fish, worried that she might make a mistake during the etiquette training tomorrow. After all, tomorrow was the day when the chosen people would all come to learn etiquette, and where there were many women, there was bound to be more gossip.
She ate a little and didn't plan to eat much more, intending to eat more fruit in the evening to restore her energy, as she had been exhausted from painting portraits all afternoon.
After Tang Baozhu finished eating, she went straight to the door and asked the maid guarding outside to clear the table.
After they finished tidying up, a maid, probably the head maid, said to Tang Baozhu, "Would you like to wash up, Miss? We'll have the old women bring you hot water right away."
"Yes, thank you for your help."
"Miss, you're too kind. It's all our duty. Please wait a moment, we'll bring you water shortly."
It was indeed very fast, less than half an hour later, several old women brought over a bath tub and several buckets of hot water. There was even a hidden door in the bedroom, where one could take a bath. Tang Baozhu felt that she had broadened her horizons.
"Young lady, these are clothes and jewelry that the master instructed us to send to you. We hope you will not find them offensive. The master wishes you a bright future."
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