Upon closer inspection, she realized that the ancient fire-avoidance painting was exquisitely drawn. The environment in which the male and female protagonists were located was beautiful and elegant. The Luohan bed, carved windows, various screens, flowers, trees, fish and birds were all depicted, showing a leisurely and carefree mood.
Moreover, the ancients understood the beauty of subtlety. The figures in the painting are all plump, with their clothes half-undone or half-hanging on their bodies, creating a hazy beauty that evokes endless reverie.
Su Yushan was engrossed in reading, and didn't even notice when Chang Yue came in later, continuing to flip through the pages.
Seeing this, Chang Yue was very pleased and tentatively asked, "Princess, is this book useful?"
Nodding, Su Yushan praised it highly, "I wonder which painter created this masterpiece. Without considerable skill, one could not have produced such an exquisite work."
"..." Chang Yue looked bewildered and couldn't help but remind her, "Princess, I wanted you to see the techniques in the picture, not to appreciate the painting."
Su Yushan disagreed, saying, "Skills are something men should master; women should just enjoy themselves."
What the princess said seemed to make a lot of sense, and Chang Yue had no way to refute it. She blushed and said, "This servant doesn't quite understand either. Let's wait for the Fourth Master to arrive before we talk about it!"
She had almost finished reading the book, but still hadn't seen Hongli. Su Yushan was so sleepy that her eyelids were drooping, and she couldn't be bothered to wait any longer.
“If he wanted to come, he would have come long ago. If he hasn’t come by now, he must have gone somewhere else. You should all wash up and go to bed! There’s no need to wait any longer.”
It was nearly 9 PM and the person still hadn't arrived, so there was probably no hope left. Changyue really wanted to find out what was going on, but there was a rule in the manor that servants were not allowed to inquire about where the Fourth Master was staying. If someone reported it, they would be severely punished.
Chang Yue had no choice but to take her leave. As she reached the door, she stopped and turned back to advise him:
"Perhaps the Fourth Master was delayed by important matters and did not go to the other maids' quarters. Princess, don't be sad. The Fourth Master will definitely come again."
Su Yushan was not sad at all; on the contrary, she was secretly pleased. She had only met Hongli a few times and had no feelings for him. She could postpone the matter of consummating their marriage as long as possible and had no expectations for it at all.
It's good that Hongli isn't coming; that way she can finally get a good night's sleep.
The stars twinkled and the breeze was cool. The night passed uneventfully, and Su Yushan slept very soundly. She didn't even think about Hongli's whereabouts. In any case, she was very satisfied with the food she was eating now, so there was no need for her to try to please him.
After breakfast, with nothing else to do, Su Yushan went for a stroll in the back garden.
The garden was filled with various famous chrysanthemum varieties, which looked quite unique, but she couldn't name any of them. Chang Yue had served there for a long time and was very knowledgeable, so she introduced them to her one by one, saying that the deep purple one with petals curled back was called the Ink Chrysanthemum.
Beside the pavilion sat a pot of reddish-brown chrysanthemums with delicate tubular petals. This color was quite rare and exuded an air of nobility. Su Yushan stopped and asked curiously, "What's this pot called?"
“Replying to Princess, this is called Phoenix Spreading its Wings. Its petals increase in length gradually and spread outwards, so that from a distance it looks like a phoenix spreading its wings, hence the name.”
Upon closer inspection, Su Yushan found that the chrysanthemums were indeed as Chang Yue had described, magnificent and dazzling, like a soaring phoenix.
As the master and servant were admiring the flowers, Su Yushan spotted a beautiful figure not far ahead.
The woman at the front wore a moon-colored blouse underneath a scarlet satin embroidered vest, and her high-heeled shoes made her walk gracefully and pleasing to the eye.
Knowing that the princess had amnesia and wouldn't recognize people, Chang Yue lowered her voice and took the initiative to introduce her: "That is Princess Jin---Jin Minjing. At present, she and Princess Gao are the most favored by the Fourth Prince. According to the rules, you should call her sister."
Su Yushan took a closer look and saw that the woman was beautiful, with arched eyebrows and a slightly raised chin as she walked. She was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
She only wanted to live a peaceful life and didn't want to make enemies. But the old woman had said that people of the same rank didn't need to bow, so Su Yushan nodded to her and greeted her with a warm smile as she called her Sister Jin.
She had intended to say hello and then go her separate ways, but unexpectedly, Princess Jin blocked her way, her phoenix eyes brazenly scrutinizing her.
"So you're the maid from Suzhou? Didn't you lose your memory? How do you know my identity?"
Her arrogant tone and disdainful expression made people feel very uncomfortable. Su Yushan replied calmly, "It is I who have amnesia, not Chang Yue. She should introduce me to her."
"This is truly a rare illness; I never expected you to be afflicted with it." With a slight glance, Princess Jin teased:
"You should follow the doctor's orders, take your medicine more often, and stay home as much as possible to avoid bumping into things again and causing any more trouble. Our Fourth Master is straightforward and likes honest people. He can see through anyone who tries to use tricks or be clever at a glance. Sister, you must remember this, lest you overdo it and end up losing more than you gain."
Su Yushan was indeed acting, but she only wanted a hot meal; she had no other intentions or malicious intent. For Jin Gege to be so wary of her was giving her far too much credit.
“Sister is absolutely right. I also want to recover my memory as soon as possible so as not to worry Fourth Master.”
She was just saying it casually, but Jin Gege found it very offensive. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she scoffed, "Fourth Master is busy! He doesn't have time to bother with your trivial matters."
Just then, Li Yu walked over. As soon as Jin Gege saw him, a smile immediately appeared on her face. "Eunuch Li, Fourth Master is back?"
Li Yu nodded and smiled, replying, "Yes! I just got back."
"I specially had someone make soup for Fourth Master, it's still simmering on the stove! I'll take it to him right away." Just as Jin Gege was about to turn around, Li Yu called her back.
"Princess, please wait a moment. Fourth Master has sent a servant to invite Princess Su over."
Upon hearing this, Jin Gege's smile froze. She slowly turned her head and glanced at Su Yushan, her phoenix eyes burning with jealousy.
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