portrait
"Hey, tell me who's in this painting? Could it be one of your ex-boyfriends?"
These words infuriated He Lin. It was absurd; he had no lover whatsoever!
"Jiang Yi, what are you thinking about all day? Can't you think of something nice about me? Who else could be in this painting but you? Are your eyesight failing you? You can't even recognize yourself?"
He Lin's mouth was like a machine gun, bombarding Jiang Yi with a series of questions that left her completely bewildered. She blinked and it took her a while to come to her senses.
Her throat tightened, and regardless of whether she was right or wrong, she decided to regain her composure first. Hands on her hips, she retorted, "Are you talking nonsense?! Can't you speak properly?"
"I……"
Jiang Yi ignored her and snatched the painting back, looking down at it: "The person in this painting is not me! Besides, even if it were me, I don't understand this kind of freehand painting, how would I know!"
"you……"
"how?"
Jiang Yi raised her neck, instantly raising her aura to 2.1 meters, effectively silencing He Lin.
I can't argue with you.
"Hmph, of course you can't win an argument with me. I, Jiang Yi, have never lost a fight!"
He Lin shook his head slightly, picked up a grape and stuffed it into her mouth, trying to shut her up with food: "You're quite proud of yourself."
"Of course! Next time you can't win an argument, come to me! I guarantee I'll make him question his existence."
"No need. I usually resort to physical violence when I can't win an argument."
"Huh? Isn't it said that a gentleman uses words, not fists?"
Am I?
"Ha!" Jiang Yi laughed, throwing her head back and laughing a few times. Then she patted He Lin on the shoulder and said affirmatively, "As expected of the person I've chosen, he has personality. I like him!"
He Lin: "..."
I remember the first time they went to the East Palace to attend the Crown Prince's birthday banquet, Wu Wenpin was like a clown, jumping around and causing trouble for Jiang Yi. His words implied that he looked down on her, a concubine's daughter. At that time, He Lin and she had not yet confirmed their feelings for each other, but after the banquet, he still cornered her in the palace and beat Wu Wenpin up.
Looking back now, He Lin was incredibly arrogant and domineering back then. He dared to hit people in the palace, and the person he hit was the son of the Minister of the Court!
However, if it were just about intimidating others with his status, Wu Wenpin, this playboy and spoiled brat, was clearly not qualified, let alone compete with He Lin in terms of martial arts. He could beat He Lin to a pulp with just one hand. Although He Lin's health was not very good at that time, it was more than enough to deal with someone like Wu Wenpin.
Based on the above behavior, He Lin does seem to be far from being a gentleman. He acts recklessly, hitting whoever he doesn't like, completely following his own whims without considering any consequences.
Jiang Yi examined the painting in her hand carefully. He Lin's portrait was similar to the style of traditional Chinese paintings of ladies, no wonder she couldn't recognize herself.
This type of painting emphasizes freehand brushwork, focusing on using simple strokes to depict the expressions of the figures. The flowing or graceful lines, the lively or vigorous brushstrokes, all speak to the elegance and beauty of the portrait.
In the painting, she stands under a tree, looking slightly up at the sky. She holds a round fan in her hand, gently placing it on her head to shield her from the glaring sunlight. Her curved eyebrows, bright eyes, delicate nose, and cherry-like lips all reveal the beauty and gentleness of the person in the painting. However, the slight furrow in her brows also reveals a faint sense of sadness and tranquility...
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful! Elegant, truly elegant!
Jiang Yi recalled what she was thinking at that time. Linglingyi told her that the male protagonist, He Lin, had revealed his secret background and that she didn't have much time left. She could travel back in time at any moment, and she was hesitating whether to tell He Lin the truth.
Seeing that she was staring at the painting, He Lin asked, "What are you looking at? Is there something wrong with it?"
Jiang Yi shook her head and subconsciously said, "No, I think if you come back with me, judging by your painting skills alone, you might become a new generation of Chinese painting master."
Upon hearing this, He Lin frowned: "Go back? Where do you want to go back to?"
Jiang Yi's heart skipped a beat. Oops... she accidentally let it slip!
"What I mean is, if you regretted it and wanted to paint these kinds of portraits for others, you would have made a fortune by now!"
He Lin retorted, "Why would I paint this kind of picture for someone else? I'm not just bored. Besides, as I said, apart from landscape paintings, I will only paint your portrait in my life, to leave your most beautiful image on this scroll and engrave it deep in my heart."
Jiang Yi stared at him blankly, her heart pounding as if it would jump out of her throat at any moment, and the tips of her ears visibly flushed red.
Ever since He Lin finally figured things out, he's been spouting sweet nothings one after another. It's a bit too much to say such things with a face that looks like he's living off a woman!
"...The one you're holding is just a simple draft, it hasn't been colored yet. Once I find the best cinnabar and azurite, I'll repaint it on the scroll, and then you can admire and appreciate it."
As he spoke, He Lin took the drawing paper from her hand, folded it neatly, and placed it at the bottom of the book.
Jiang Yi nodded, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked, "Hey, we've known each other for so long, have you drawn anything else about me?"
He Lin stared at her for two or three seconds, a faint smile hidden in his eyes, and said softly, "Come with me."
Jiang Yi followed He Lin to a bookshelf. He turned a vase in one of the small compartments clockwise, and the bookshelf split in two, moving to the left and right until a doorway large enough for a person to pass through was revealed.
It wasn't as dark inside as she had imagined. The walls were inlaid with beads of various sizes, emitting a soft, moonlit glow. Even without candlelight, everything was clearly visible. Jiang Yi immediately thought of luminous pearls and exclaimed inwardly, "Wow, that's awesome! The TV dramas really weren't lying! Wealthy families really do have secret passages!"
That wasn't all. Once inside, Jiang Yi's eyes were completely opened.
The walls on all sides were inlaid with pearls, and every two steps there was a portrait of her! The colors were even and bright, and the Xuan paper used on the scrolls was also top-notch. Jiang Yi looked around and there really were pictures of her everywhere, in clothes of various colors, with different mannerisms!
The key issue is that there are so many paintings here, and she has absolutely no idea when He Lin painted them! She roughly counted them, and there were at least a dozen!
Jiang Yi was shocked. Yes, that's right, not just shocked, but utterly shocked.
If they didn't like each other, Jiang Yi would definitely call him a pervert! Not only did he draw so many portraits of her, but he also kept them in a dark room to admire them alone!
Please, don't make it too scary, too bizarre, or too frightening!
In modern society, He Lin would be a complete control freak! He's all about PUA, with an extremely strong possessive streak! If you actually met him, who would care if he was handsome or not? The only thing to do would be to run as far away as possible!
"When...did you draw these?"
"I draw whenever I have free time and the thought comes to mind. It's not too difficult. I can draw a rough sketch in half a day, and then color it in a day or two and it's done."
Jiang Yi took a breath. Well, as expected of him, his initiative is terrifyingly strong.
"What a pity..."
It's a pity she couldn't take anything with her when she left this world, otherwise she would have taken a few of He Lin's paintings back with her to keep as treasures. They are much more meaningful than photos, as every stroke on them represents how she is in his heart.
He Lin asked, "What's a pity?"
Jiang Yi chuckled, "It's a pity you took so long to show me; a gem under a cloud!"
He Lin smiled and said, "If you like, I'll paint a picture for you every now and then, how about that?"
"OK!"
Jiang Yi outwardly agreed happily, but inwardly she felt a pang of sadness and sorrow.
How long until then? She understood that perhaps they wouldn't have a future...
Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe the next second, she doesn't even know if she'll have time to say goodbye. She only hopes that He Lin won't blame her when the time comes.
Xia Zhi's voice rang out from outside the door. Jiang Yi took one last look at the portraits on the wall, then took He Lin's hand and walked out.
"Let's go. Xia Zhi is calling me. It must be Mu Ya. You don't need to wait for me to eat dinner together. I'm going out for a bit."
Where are you going?
Jiang Yi tilted her head and smiled playfully: "It's a secret."
"..."
As dusk fell, the long street was brightly lit, and the shouts of vendors filled the air. Jiang Yi and Xia Zhi went on another shopping spree along the way. Only the area in front of the Zhen'an Prince's Mansion was desolate, with very few pedestrians passing by.
The three of them got off the carriage, and the two guards standing in front of the Prince's Mansion immediately stopped them.
"Halt! Who are you?"
Shangguan Muya took out a waist token from her sleeve and gestured to it. The two people took a closer look, but eventually stepped aside.
His Majesty confined Qi Junxu for six months, ordering him not to step out of the palace gates, but he did not say that others could not go in to see him. So Shangguan Muya asked Yin Zhaobai for a waist token that allowed them to enter and exit, and only then were they able to go in to see him.
Before entering the Prince's Mansion, Jiang Yi inadvertently caught a glimpse of a carriage parked not far away. At first, she didn't pay much attention to it, but little did she know that it was the carriage of Miss Yang.
The group passed through several moon gates and bumped into Yang Ningyan.
The woman wore a light purple dress with a matching cloak. She was pretty, with fair skin like solidified cream, long willow-leaf eyebrows that reached her temples, and bright, sparkling eyes like stars in the sky. However, her face looked sickly, the kind of paleness that even rouge and lipstick couldn't cover up. It was obvious that she had been taking medication for many years.
Upon closer inspection, she was indeed surrounded by the fragrance of hibiscus and a faint medicinal scent, though not unpleasant. A maidservant carried a lantern in front to illuminate Yang Ningyan's path, while she followed gracefully behind, occasionally covering her mouth and coughing. Her delicate and frail figure was even more endearing than Xi Shi...
Seeing each other here and now, it was clear that they were both surprised.
"Ningyan, what are you doing here? Did you come to see my cousin?"
When Yang Ningyan saw Shangguan Muya and Jiang Yi, her eyes widened slightly, as if she felt a little embarrassed. After all, she was still an unmarried woman, and it was indeed inappropriate for her to come to the Zhen'an Prince's Mansion in private. Fortunately, it was Shangguan Muya who bumped into her today, otherwise, who knows what rumors would have spread, which would not have been good for her and Qi Junxu's reputation.
Despite her embarrassment, she nodded sincerely: "Muya, I... I heard that His Highness's injuries are not very good, so I came to see him."
"So, did you see your cousin?"
Yang Ningyan shook her head: "He doesn't want to see me."
Shangguan Muya stepped forward, took her hand, and patted it twice to comfort her: "Don't be sad. Your cousin is such a proud person, he definitely doesn't want others to see him looking so dejected."
"Yes, I know." Only then did Yang Ningyan turn her gaze to Jiang Yi and ask, "And who is this?"
Shangguan Muya smiled and introduced the two to each other: "This is Miss Jiang Yi, and also Young Master Lin's wife. Jiang Yi, this is Miss Yang Ningyan. She doesn't usually go out much. It's quite a coincidence that you two met here today."
"..."
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