diskusbooks Chapter 78 The Difference Between One More Hair and One Less Hair
Chapter 78 The Difference Between One More Hair and One Less Hair
Su Mowan left Zui Jinzhao and went straight back to her residence.
Upon returning to Huangfeng Garden, he immediately began to paint.
Qinghe couldn't stand it anymore and advised, "Consort Su, please rest. Why are you in such a hurry? If the Prince exhausts us, he won't forgive us."
Su Mowan didn't even look up, nor did she try to shoo anyone away.
Her hands moved meticulously yet swiftly. "I can't rest. If I do, this painting won't be presentable when I present it to the palace for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet."
Qinghe paused as she poured the tea, almost spilling it.
"You...you're going to present your own painting to Her Majesty the Empress?"
Su Mowan raised her eyebrows and looked up: "What, are you saying it's not presentable?"
"no no!"
Qinghe immediately shook her head.
"I originally thought you were going to give the painting you bought as a gift, but since you gave it to Young Master Tang, I assumed you weren't planning to give it to Her Majesty the Empress!"
Su Mowan could clearly see the heartache in Qinghe's eyes.
She immediately put the brush in her hand on the shelf and said earnestly, "Qinghe, don't you think it's a pity to give this painting to Young Master Tang?"
Qinghe's eyes flashed, and she whispered, "A little, after all, it cost so much money."
Yinshuang glanced at her indifferently and said, "Consort Su has her reasons for doing things, so don't say anything more."
Su Mowan waved her hand.
"Actually, there's no real reason. I just don't want to owe Young Master Tang a favor, that's all."
Qinghe pouted: "There's no need to send something so expensive..."
"You don't understand this."
Su Mowan leaned back in her chair.
She laughed and said, "Favors are the things you can't owe. If I give you this expensive gift, then I'll have to pay it back properly."
That makes sense when you think about it.
Qinghe's eyes lit up.
"Consort Su, you've finally put His Highness at ease. He must be overjoyed! I sensed last time that Young Master Tang was special to you, and I thought you didn't know it yourself. Turns out you were quite aware!"
Yinshuang tugged at her from the side.
"Consort Su, you may continue with your work. Qinghe and I will go ahead and get back to our tasks."
Su Mowan smiled, turned around and continued doodling.
Yinshuang pulled Qinghe to the entrance of Huangfeng Garden before stopping.
She instructed Qinghe: "Don't tell the Prince about Consort Su sending the painting yet."
Qinghe sighed.
"It's not appropriate to say it now. Consort Su just used this painting to swindle the Prince out of ten thousand taels of silver. If the Prince finds out that Consort Su just got the silver and then immediately gave the painting to another man, how angry the Prince would be!"
Yinshuang thought to herself that being angry was the least of her worries; the real danger would be if it affected her and Qinghe.
However, it is clear that Murong Jing has already received the news.
As soon as Feng Yue explained the situation, he saw his master's face darken.
Murong Jing's face darkened.
"She gave the painting to that Tang Minzhi?"
"It should be so. Consort Su brought the painting 'Drunken Today' into the room, but came out empty-handed. She must have given it away, but it's unclear whether she gave it to Tang Minzhi."
Although Feng Yue said he was 'not sure,' he had already made up his mind. He just didn't dare to say it out loud in front of his master.
His Highness the King of Qin snorted coldly.
"Who else could it be but Tang Minzhi? She just went to invite Tang Minzhi to dinner, didn't she?"
Feng Yue forced himself to say, "There are also two friends of Young Master Tang. One is Chi Xuan, the younger brother of Chi Yi, the Left Hall Master of Xiaoyao Sect, and the other is Xue Ting, the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."
Murong Jing frowned. "Chi Yi's younger brother, Chi Xuan? How did he end up hanging out with Tang Minzhi?"
Actually, what His Highness Prince Qin really wanted to ask was the relationship between Tang Minzhi and the Xiaoyao Sect.
Feng Yue understood and immediately said, "Young Master Tang should not have any dealings with the Xiaoyao Sect. This person is acquainted with Xue Ting, and then Xue Ting introduced him to Young Master Tang."
Murong Jing's expression softened slightly.
"It's good that we haven't been in contact. Where has Lu Yifeng been lately?"
"Young Master Lu is not currently in the capital, and his whereabouts are unknown. Should I go and investigate?"
Murong Jing said, "No need. When he returns to the capital, have him come to see me and tell him it's about a major matter concerning his Xiaoyao Sect."
In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.
Su Mowan leaned back in her chair, sighing with exhaustion. The paper was almost completely filled with drawings of colorful birds, each one quite beautiful.
Qinghe brought in the tea.
She exclaimed, "Consort Su, this one is so beautiful! It looks exactly the same as the previous one, but this one is much prettier!"
Su Mowan stretched her arms triumphantly and turned her stiff neck.
"That's right, I said I'd sell it for ten thousand taels, I wasn't just bragging."
Qinghe chuckled twice, then asked curiously, "But that painting is gone now, how do you still remember the details on it so clearly?"
"What is there to forget?"
Su Mowan took the teacup and smiled.
She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's just a matter of having one more bird or one less bird, or one more feather or one less feather. Is that really that important?"
Qinghe gave an awkward laugh.
"It should be fine, right?"
"Of course it doesn't matter. First, if someone paints ninety-nine birds, it's still a bird; if I paint a hundred, it's still a bird. Second, do you think Her Majesty the Empress would take this painting and count how many birds are on it?"
"..."
Qinghe gave another dry laugh.
"You look good no matter how you draw! You're going to be a painting master someday anyway, so do whatever you like!"
"That's true, I like it."
Su Mowan flicked her wrist. "So I've decided to draw a dozen or twenty fewer birds. Anyway, we're competing on quality, not quantity."
Qinghe: "..."
She continued drawing for another hour. It was almost dinnertime, and the sun was about to set. Su Mowan twisted her neck and swung her arms as she ran to the pond.
Qinghe, who was following behind, saw her lightly touch the ground and skim through the layers of lotus leaves. When she returned to the shore, she had already grabbed seven or eight lotus pods in her hand.
"Qinghe, do you want some?"
Su Mowan held up the lotus seedpod in her hand, looking quite content.
Qinghe smiled and leaned closer, taking one.
"Consort Su, you are so agile! You are like a gust of wind, floating there and there."
"Floating back and forth? That's usually used to describe female ghosts, right?"
Su Mowan leaned back on the bench, peeled a lotus seed pod and put it in her mouth, the sweet taste instantly filling her taste buds.
"Oh, I never imagined that I would end up like this when I was picking lotus seeds in the pond with my bare bottom showing."
She truly never expected to find herself in such a strange world, and even more unexpectedly, to encounter someone she could have once called a confidant.
What she least expected was that she was now chewing lotus seeds in Murong Jing's backyard.
At this moment, Yinshuang also came over.
Su Mowan tossed one to her as well, and casually instructed, "After you finish this, go inside and pick a whole basketful for me."
Yinshuang's hand trembled as she took the lotus seedpod, and she said, "Consort Su, the Prince will be here soon."
The implication is that you shouldn't just focus on eating here.
Su Mowan tossed the lotus seed shells in her hand aside.
She raised her eyebrows and smiled.
"That's why I'm sending you to pick lotus seeds; they'll be very useful later."