No sooner had Hong Xiaoduo and Kaiyang left the Golden Palace than Murong Jing told the Emperor that he still had matters to attend to and also came out.
Inside the Golden Palace, the Emperor watched as the crowd swarmed around Xiao Duo's painting table, and forgot all about teasing Murong Jing, saying that the monk had finally succumbed to worldly desires: "Just look with your eyes, don't touch."
"Is this what opium looks like before it's refined?"
"This painting is so realistic! I can almost smell the fragrance of the flowers as I look at it."
"I wonder which master she studied under to improve her painting skills."
"I never imagined that this flower, so beautiful and gorgeous, could have such harmful extracts."
Seeing his ministers surrounding the table so tightly that it was impossible to leave, each of them looking like they'd never seen anything like it before, he couldn't bear to watch.
The emperor gave Eunuch Fu a wink, and Eunuch Fu immediately understood. He stepped forward and said, "Gentlemen, please make way. This painting is very important. I will have a court painter make a copy and record it." As he squeezed in, Eunuch Fu carefully put the painting away from the table.
"Alright, my esteemed ministers, if there's nothing else, you may all leave." The emperor also spoke up to dismiss them, not wanting to quietly consider how much gold to reward that girl.
Instead, he wanted to ask that girl for four calligraphy works featuring plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums to hang in the imperial study, but he didn't know how to bring it up with her.
He was the ruler of a country, and he had no shortage of famous ancient paintings, but he just liked the kind of paintings that girl painted. He liked them at first glance.
As for Mu Rongjing, he was stopped by Minister Ding of the Court of Judicial Review as soon as he left the Golden Palace. After dealing with Minister Ding, he rushed to the palace gates and only saw Hong Xiaoduo getting into the carriage of the Dong family, and the Wei family steward standing by, anxious but helpless, stamping his feet...
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