Chapter 185 Me
Mu Jianjian turned the paper in her hand over and looked at it carefully again, only to find that it still contained the same words.
It's all over, a complete disaster.
At this moment, the other women in the corridor noticed Mu Jianjian's situation and cast their gazes with various expressions, including sympathy, surprise, and even schadenfreude.
But no one spoke up to help. Some even started muttering to those around them, "I knew it! So what if someone's pretty? They still get caught in someone else's trap."
"Yes, it's just a pity that the courtesan will be watching the 'chess test' this time, but we probably won't be able to see her 'painting test'."
"That's right. Look at her, she's not serious when she plays chess every day. But when she learns etiquette from the nanny, she acts like she's already mastered it. I'm afraid even if she went to the 'Chess Test' and became the courtesan, she wouldn't be interested in her."
"..."
The head maid doesn't care whether you were originally in this category or not; the lottery slip is the only criterion for judgment.
But now the outcome is already decided.
Mu Jianjian walked towards the other side of the aisle where the painting exam was taking place. The voices behind her grew fainter and fainter. She fell behind the women in line, her expression calm and unaffected by the gossip.
【Host, aren't you angry?!】 This made even a system furious.
“A barking dog doesn’t bite,” the line began to move, with Mu Jianjian following slowly behind. “Besides, those aren’t the people who were supposed to change my lottery number.”
She had heard far too much gossip during her junior and senior high school years, so these were nothing compared to that.
[Does the host know who it is?] the system asked unwillingly.
"I don't know." A dark light flashed in Mu Jianjian's eyes. After she finished speaking, she entered the main hall with the woman in front of her. After sitting down according to the positions drawn by lot, she heard the steward ask the question.
"Today's topic is the scene of midsummer."
Upon hearing this, the women beside Mu Jianjian began grinding ink and painting. After a moment, she was the only one in the entire hall who remained dumbfounded.
"On this day, I was reminded of the fear of being dominated by exams again." Mu Jianjian's expression remained normal, but her heart had begun to tremble.
"Seriously? You got eliminated on the first try? Host, aren't you good at drawing?"
"That's traditional Chinese ink painting, depicting landscapes. I can only manage a cartoon character's head at best," Mu Jianjian said, her self-assessment very clear. "It's too difficult..."
"Why don't you start grinding the ink and draw whatever you like, host?" the system suggested.
“Grinding ink is definitely necessary,” Mu Jianjian affirmed its idea. “You don’t expect me to be able to paint ink paintings in an instant, do you? Just paint whatever I can.”
Even if I get eliminated, it's still good to stay with number 520, doing odd jobs and logistics, away from worldly disputes.
The system immediately saw through Mu Jianjian's thoughts and roared, "Host, wake up! You don't want to be a morbid malaria victim, do you?"
Mu Jianjian: ...
[Wow, host, you can't do that! You need to become stronger so they can find you, otherwise how long will you stay here?! Don't forget our main quest!]
System: A master of persuasion to learn.
"But think about it, after the side story in Yingzhou in the original book, didn't Yueyue meet the fourth and fifth male characters at the Red Mansion in Duyunfang? Isn't it perfect that I'm here?"
It saves us from having to travel a long way back and forth, since we'll eventually have to come back anyway.
Mu Jianjian: An expert in combating involution.
The system was momentarily speechless, then suddenly convinced by the other party.
"Moreover, I've already thought it through. The theme this time is 'A Scene in the Midsummer Season.' If I were to paint it seriously, it would definitely not be as good as someone else's work that they've practiced for many days. But if I were to be original, it would seem more novel."
System: Please don't make excuses for your slacking off, thank you.
After grinding the ink, Mu Jianjian deftly lifted the brush and wrote a single character on the paper.
——
In the Chess Examination Pavilion.
Two women were playing black and white chess on the central circular platform, one in front of the other. In the surrounding seats, besides other women watching, there was the steward and a woman in fine clothes standing on the highest platform.
The woman's face was stunningly beautiful, like that of a fairy. She wore a short-sleeved brocade dress with a sun-drenched pattern and rain-silk fabric, with an indigo-dyed skirt and a bright sky-blue cloak draped over her shoulders. Her exquisite hair was adorned with a gilded flower hairpin, and her slender, alabaster wrists wore a purple bracelet, all of which highlighted her status and position.
The maid behind her leaned forward. "Miss Yunrong, do you think either of these two is the disciple you're looking for?"
"Let's go." Yun Rong's expression was aloof. She stood up without giving a direct answer, but her answer was clear—
Neither of these two chess-playing locations caught her eye.
"What about the one with the number 520?" she asked as she slowly walked out of the chess pavilion, her figure tall and slender.
"I don't know," the maid sighed inwardly.
Miss Yunrong had only taken the time to come and watch the chess competition after hearing that a newcomer was incredibly beautiful. However, she was surprised that the newcomer, number 520, did not show up at all.
It's such a pity, I wonder what a great opportunity she missed!
"Let's go look around elsewhere." Yun Rong lowered her eyes, covering her hands with her wide sleeves, revealing only her fingertips, her pupils shrouded in gloom.
——
Mu Jianjian felt very strange when she wrote. She clearly felt that she had never learned calligraphy, but she held the brush very naturally in her hand. Even though the characters she wrote were not very neat, they were still legible.
Ignoring the system's wailing at her disastrous performance, Mu Jianjian turned and left the main hall amidst the astonished gazes of the steward and the woman beside her, heading towards the chess testing area next door.
Judging by the time allotted, the competition shouldn't be over yet, so she could use this time to see who was plotting against her.
——
In the chess pavilion, Zhuang Mei, who was playing chess, caught a glimpse of a woman and her maid leaving one after the other. Annoyance flashed in her eyes, and she made even more ruthless moves, causing the woman opposite her to be defeated and surrender in no time.
Zhuang Mei emerged victorious.
She stood up as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and as she glanced around at the women with their heads down, she suddenly spotted Mu Jianjian leaning against the doorframe.
Zhuang Mei's pupils contracted, and she immediately walked up to the other person, looking puzzled. "Why didn't I see you in the pavilion?"
"The paper I drew was switched," Mu Jianjian said bluntly, twirling her hair in circles. "I was moved to the 'drawing test' next door. I just finished drawing and came back, and I just saw that you won. Congratulations!"
Who did it?
"have no idea."
"Didn't I tell you to be careful before I started the test so you wouldn't get tricked?" Zhuang Mei sighed.
“What’s meant to happen will happen eventually. After all, it’s hard to guard against a thief within your own ranks, don’t you think?” Mu Jianjian said with a smile. Ignoring the other woman’s expression, she looked at Shan Chuxue, who was running up behind her, and asked, “Xue’er, how was the competition today?”
"Xue'er lost all five matches," Shan Chuxue said in a simple and innocent voice, "but Xue'er will try harder next time!"
Mu Jianjian's smile vanished, and she frowned.
"Sister, is that so?" Shan Chuxue asked, taking the hand in front of her.
"It's alright." Mu Jianjian's brows relaxed, and she hugged the little girl into her arms, concealing the worry in her eyes.
She and Zhuang Mei had already taught her some techniques privately over the past two weeks. Moreover, if the three of them met, they would ensure her victory and safety. But she lost all five matches...
——
The painting was displayed in the examination hall.
"Whose is this?" Yun Rong gently picked up a scroll, her aloofness and lively spirit mixed with a smile, making her face even more vivid and beautiful, captivating all who saw it.
“This is… number 520.” The steward wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, seemingly extremely afraid of the person in front of him.
"That's interesting." Yun Rong's smile vanished in an instant. Having obtained what she was looking for, she and her maid turned and left.
So she's here for the art exam; it wasn't a wasted trip for her.
Inside the main hall, the unfurled scroll remained open, revealing only one character written on the blank canvas—
"I".
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