CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 69: PAINTING

Yun Jiao’s mind stalled for a second, and she asked gravely:

"Chief, can you pretend you were never here?"

"Little Mistress, please don’t make it difficult for this servant."

"Chief Su, you don’t understand, the Emperor is making it difficult for me, so I just have to turn around and make it difficult for you. You won’t blame me, right?"

"Look at what the Little Mistress is saying, how can it be that the master makes things difficult for a servant? Nevertheless, the Emperor also has a decree; if Consort Xi doesn’t want to write, she shall be summoned to Qiankun Palace to accompany the Emperor, who will then urge the Little Mistress."

Su Yinglu smiled with an innocent face.

He didn’t feel like the Emperor was troubling Consort Xi; this was clearly giving her an opportunity to accompany him in the palace, as long as she said she didn’t want to write.

Speaking of which, the other day when she was punished to kneel by the Empress, Yun Jiao indeed had thoughts of vying for favor.

She must stand up for herself!

Reviving the Yun family’s glory is a duty I must not shirk!

Yet after lying on the bed for three days, she abandoned this idea, comforting herself that since the Yun family’s ancestors never prospered, how could there be talk of reviving glory? The present poverty and decline were merely remaining true to one’s original aspirations.

"Uh, then I might as well write it myself."

Therefore, Yun Jiao gave a response that surprised Ying Lu.

She didn’t want to be watched by a scholar god while doing homework.

Seeing those with both natural talent and more diligence than ordinary people, although Yun Jiao admired them, her desire to relax was even stronger.

"Then this servant shall take his leave," Ying Lu paused: "The Little Mistress must remember to hand the artwork to Concubine Wei, this servant will also remind you later."

Yun Jiao nodded, indicating she understood.

She first had the palace maid tidy up the space for a study, setting up the Four Treasures of the Study, before sitting down in the chair, nostalgically sighing: "I haven’t sat here and looked at this view in a long time."

"The Little Mistress has suffered, unable to get out of bed for many days."

Xue Ya’s eyes were brimming with tears.

But Gong Mei calmly reminded, "The Mistress hadn’t often come here to practice calligraphy even before being punished."

This was the true reason Yun Jiao felt estranged from this place.

The study was well-furnished, but rarely used.

"Who says I don’t use it, in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities to use it."

Yun Jiao huffily picked up a writing brush, but when she started, she was very serious. Xie Zhixing was severely strict with himself and even more so with others. Carelessly scrawling a few characters could provoke the Emperor to anger, which wasn’t worth it.

That said, even if Yun Jiao wrote very earnestly, her characters still turned out mediocre.

At the time of the written test at Chuxiu Palace, the Empress commented on her calligraphy as "graceful yet not fragile, and showing the writer as being confident." This indeed demonstrated one could see the writer’s mindset at the time of writing from the characters. She had replayed the written test numerous times, so of course, she was confident.

But frankly, the characters she usually practiced lacked finesse in the eyes of those who’ve truly toiled over calligraphy or who are passionate about it.

Nonetheless...

Having completed the characters entrusted by the "dog Emperor," Yun Jiao held one sheet high: "If I really put in the effort, I do quite a decent job!"

"The Mistress’s characters are beautifully written! Come the New Year, Mistress shall reward the servants with a blessing!"

"Certainly, certainly, the rewards are well-deserved," Yun Jiao said, feeling pleased with herself: "Gong Mei, what do you think?"

"This servant doesn’t dare evaluate the Mistress’s writing, but Xue Ya doesn’t know how to read."

Gong Mei bowed respectfully, head lowered.

Yun Jiao was stunned and asked Xue Ya: "Really?"

"Even if I can’t read, it doesn’t inhibit my appreciation of Mistress’s characters."

Looking at her again, Yun Jiao felt her Chief Palace Maid’s eyes were filled with innocently clear stupidity.

Nonetheless, Xue Ya’s inability to read didn’t dampen her spirits.

She quoted: "Mingyi played the qingjiao melody to the ox, but the ox ignored him, hence the expression ’playing the lute to a cow.’ If I write for an illiterate today and they respond to me, it proves my writing is good enough to transcend the barrier of knowledge!"

Gong Mei: ...

She only saw the entirety of human affairs filling the paper.

...

After finishing the large characters, Yun Jiao stood up: "Let’s go, find Concubine Wei, lest I forget later."

"Didn’t the Emperor say Little Mistress should finish the painting first before seeking out Concubine Wei for approval?"

"Yes, but I seek her for a theme. As I don’t know what to paint, I might as well cater to her preferences."

Xue Ya commended her wisdom.

Despite this, when Yun Jiao arrived at Changchun Palace, she was told: "Consort Xi comes at a bad time; Concubine Wei and Concubine Feng agreed to go out, afraid they won’t return anytime soon," realizing Consort Xi’s recent prominence even had the Empress retreating, thus adding: "Would Consort Xi like to come in and wait for the Lady’s return?"

Yun Jiao: "Are there any snacks?"

"...In response to the Little Mistress, of course, there are. How could we let a guest go hungry?"

Thus, Yun Jiao was courteously invited inside, indulging in a spread of snacks until her belly became round, yet still no sign of Concubine Wei’s return. She rose and said: "I’ll go search for your Lady; do you know where she and Concubine Feng have gone for fun?"

"The Lady mentioned wanting to admire the pond view, but where exactly, this servant dares not guess, lest the Little Mistress take a wasted trip."

In this weather, where even without burning coal indoors, one exhales white mist, Concubine Wei still thought to admire the pond view.

"No worries, I’ll search around myself."

Said Yun Jiao, while the palace maid of Changchun Palace respectfully escorted her out.

It’s not easy finding someone in the harem, but she was always lucky, and after a brief walk, she spotted Concubine Wei’s tracks near the pond not far from Changchun Palace. Dressed in sky-blue palace attire, she was smiling while speaking to Concubine Feng, and Consort Xu occasionally chimed in. Since Consort Xu’s role was merely to play along amidst the two senior concubines, she hadn’t gotten deeply involved in the conversation, and she was the first to notice Consort Xi walking in their direction.

"Lady, look, isn’t that Consort Xi?"

Upon hearing ’Consort Xi,’ Concubine Wei’s eyelid twitched. She followed Consort Xu’s gaze and indeed spotted Consort Xi approaching from afar. Her heart tightened and she asked Concubine Feng: "If Consort Xi insists on having this pavilion, should we yield it to her?"

"Yield what? Senior concubines yielding a spot to a consort? If that spreads, how could we still maintain our dignity!"

"Oh, then I’ll say it’s Concubine Feng’s refusal."

"..."

Concubine Feng sensed something was amiss, but couldn’t pinpoint the exact issue.

Fortunately, when Consort Xi reached them, she greeted and paid respects; upon being asked to rise, she said: "Lady, are you aware the Emperor instructed you to critique my artwork?"

Concubine Wei: "Of course, the Emperor’s orders are firmly in my mind. What’s the matter, have you already completed it?"

"The painting isn’t finished yet, I’m just hoping for a theme from you."

Concubine Wei knew; she laughed and said: "Endless days spent in your room with nothing to paint, why not have Consort Xi sit and create a piece based on the pond view?"

Upon seeing Consort Xi, she was reminded of the Empress being put in a tough spot, along with the benefits she herself received.

Among the four concubines granted palace authority, Concubine Wei had the greatest need for it.

She needed status and authority within the palace to ensure Ruyi’s safe and proper growth.