Chapter 21
That day, Yue Linghe suddenly decided to go boating on Xiti Lake. So, at noon, under the blazing sun, I was brewing a pot of Mao Feng tea on the painted boat. It was the height of summer, so it was incredibly hot. I lifted the curtain and used my hand as a fan. Looking around, there were a few boats scattered across the lake, not too many, but not too few either.
"Sister Lian, do you think that boat by the mountain belongs to the Feng family?"
Looking over, that ship was quite eye-catching, for no other reason than its excessive luxury. Towering pillars, intricately carved railings, and inflatable doors and windows adorned the hull with opulent grandeur. On the top deck stood three double-layered observation pavilions, with a "封" (seal) character crafted from glazed tiles hanging from the upturned eaves. Sunlight shone through the glazed tiles, creating a dazzling display of iridescent colors that was both rich and beautiful.
"And it belongs to the second young master of the Feng family."
"Really? How did you know, sister?"
"Old Madam Feng doted on her second son the most, and Feng Moru was fond of calligraphy and painting. You know, it's one thing to let a son of a prestigious family go to brothels and red-light districts to paint portraits of beauties occasionally, but if it goes on for too long, there will be gossip. So Old Madam Feng specially built an extremely luxurious painting boat for Feng Moru. After that, beauties would come aboard the boat to be painted by him, which added a lot of artistic conception and elegance. The beauties painted by him also increased in value."
"Is he painting right now?"
"Did you see the beaded curtain outside the painted boat? When the curtain is drawn up, it means he's not painting. When the curtain is drawn down, it means he is painting. You can't disturb him at this time, or he'll beat you up."
Yue Linghe's face fell slightly. "But I want to see him paint..."
I glanced at the people on the boat and my face darkened. "But no one here can beat Young Master Feng."
"It's alright, everything will be fine with Sister Lian here!"
"……What's the meaning?"
"Young Master Feng, I want to board his ship!"
She turned around and went to find Shaoyou, not giving me any time to catch her.
They ran quite fast. I sighed and could only watch helplessly as Feng Moru's boat got closer and closer until Xiao Ruo was only a window away from me. Xiao Ruo's expression changed from surprise to delight.
"Miss Rong?!"
At this moment, Yue Linghe ran back to the cabin, "Sister Lian...who is this?"
"Xiao Ruo, Feng Moru's personal maid."
"A maid?" Yue Linghe's eyes widened. "But...it looks like a young lady..."
“She has served Feng Moru since she was a child. She is proficient in all the arts, such as playing the zither, playing chess, playing calligraphy and painting. She can be considered half a young lady.”
"Miss Ruo, I'd like to see your young master paint..."
Before Yue Linghe could finish speaking, Xiao Ru immediately shook her head and waved her hands.
"No, no, the young master has always refused to have outsiders present when he paints."
"But……"
“Miss, please don’t make things difficult for her. She’s just worried that bringing you in rashly might hurt you. Feng Moru’s calligraphy is imbued with seven parts internal energy. If you interrupt him midway, the ink will scatter, firstly losing the spirit of the painting, and secondly, the scattered ink fumes could harm someone. Let Xiao Ruo take a look at a few paintings of beauties…”
“Sister Lian.” Yue Linghe suddenly frowned. “I respect you as my elder sister, so I have always treated you with courtesy. Given your current status, it is not appropriate for you to interfere too much with what I want to do.”
If I had to describe my current situation with a single feeling, it would be like swallowing a fly – utterly frustrating. What else can I say? If I let her in and she gets hurt, Nangong Ling will be in trouble; if I don't let her in, she'll say I overstepped my bounds – that's still my problem.
"What's all the noise?!" A slender hand pulled open the paper door of the painting chamber.
What a stunning beauty! Feng Moru's taste is impeccable.
Before I could finish admiring the beauty from head to toe, another person appeared behind her, his eyes sharp and piercing, forcing me to look at him.
His ethereal figure and elegant, unassuming face were like the clear autumn breeze and bright moon. Yet, this very simplicity carried a refined and scholarly air, preventing him from being so inconspicuous as to disappear into the crowd. Instead, he always stood out, possessing a strong presence that made him impossible to ignore, no matter how nonchalant he appeared.
"Finally here." He parted his lips slightly, uttering a low, husky male voice.
I haven't seen him for two or three years, and he's gotten even better looking. Heaven is blind; it's so frustrating.
"Xiao Ruo, please have Miss Rong sit down and have some tea."
Yue Linghe's expression wasn't good. Okay, I admit I felt a sense of superiority at that moment.
"Second Young Master, Rong Lian is no longer a young lady." I called out to him, trying to give Yue Linghe some face.
Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. "You are Rong Lian?"
Nonsense! "...Of course."
"That's it. Whether the Rong family falls or not, as long as you are Rong Lian, you will always be the Fourth Miss Rong."
Mo Ru, Mo Ru, you are exactly what I like. I might consider taking part in your paintings.
"Second Young Master, you flatter me. Miss Yue wanted to see you paint today, I wonder..."
"Come in." He didn't even glance at Yue Linghe before turning and entering the painting cabin.
The beautiful woman standing in front of the door kept staring at me, then suddenly sneered before following me inside.
Unless by accident, it's extremely rare for ordinary people to witness Feng Moru painting, but that certainly doesn't include me. Moreover, before each painting session, the young master always asks if I want to watch. When I'm free, I never miss it, because only when Feng Moru is painting do I truly marvel at such a remarkable person. The scent of ink combined with the incense burning in the cabin creates a delicate, pristine elegance, like the first snow. Looking at Feng Moru's clear brows and delicate eyes, I feel a sense of tranquility and peace, yet there's also an unseen, silent loneliness and isolation, like falling snow. Of course, these feelings only apply when he's painting; they're not so pleasant when applied to Feng Moru on ordinary days.
Perhaps it was the heat, or Yue Linghe's presence, or perhaps Feng Moru wasn't in the mood, but after a short while, my gaze drifted to the portraits of beauties hanging in the cabin. Feng Moru's brushstrokes were exquisite, flowing and graceful yet grand, capturing both the shy, half-hidden charm of a young woman and the righteous spirit of a chivalrous heroine. Their eyes conveyed both affection and sorrow… Wait, wait a minute, something feels off. The more I look, the more familiar those beauties seem. I don't recognize a single one of those stunning faces. Strange…
"Young Master, you've really gone to great lengths." The beauty sat up from the couch, it seemed Feng Moru had finished the painting. "So many paintings, in the end, you're just painting the same person, aren't you?"
Feng Moru paused in his hand as he put down his pen, then smiled calmly, which was an admission of agreement.
The beauty sneered again, her eyes filled with deep resentment, and she suddenly walked towards me.
"Miss Rong is so lucky to have such a wonderful person who cares so much about you. If I were so fortunate, I would definitely repay her with my body."
"But she is Rong Lian, she can't stand anyone else, and she can't possibly let go of anyone else in her heart."
These words were spoken by Yue Linghe, who had no expression on her face. Sure enough, I knew this little devil wasn't so innocent.
"So you're Yue Linghe?" Feng Moru's eyes pierced Yue Linghe, making me feel a little scared. "Watch your words. If there's a next time, I'll make you pay a hundredfold to Lian'er."
Kid, I really haven't spoiled you for nothing. These past few months of suffering have been made a lot easier by what you said.
Yue Linghe, her face pale, stood up abruptly and turned to leave.
"..." I was stunned for a moment before I came to my senses. She had been upset, but if Nangong Ling found out, I would probably be upset even more.
"Lian'er, come back!"
I paused with my right foot, which had just stepped out, and turned back to give him a wry smile.
"I have to go back... See you at the conference tomorrow!"
Back on the pleasure boat, I didn't go into the cabin because I felt that seeing Yue Linghe's face would spoil my mood. So I sat comfortably at the bow, holding a plate of preserved plums that I had taken from Feng Moru, and tried to get closer to Shaoyou. Only Zhao Mama had to serve me inside.
Chapter 22
After dinner, I stayed in my room and memorized the internal energy cultivation method. When I finished memorizing it for the fifth time, someone came.
"Did you see Feng Moru today?" It was definitely that voice, but something sounded off.
"It was an accident. It wasn't like I was going boating or going to watch him paint."
"..."
There was no more sound behind me. I carefully turned around and met his eyes. For a moment, my heart stopped beating.
It wasn't anger, nor mockery; his eyes were a deep, silent darkness, as if some extremely profound emotion was about to break through that darkness, yet his gaze was too clear, giving one the illusion that he might burst into tears at any moment.
A strange feeling settled in my heart, a dull, damp sensation. I was used to his usual lazy, carefree smile, even that kind of smile that could send chills down my spine was better than this unfamiliar version of him. This made me uncomfortable, very uncomfortable.
"You...I...I didn't stay long...Um, what did Yue Linghe say to you..." I was rambling on and on, and I didn't even know what I was saying.
"Don't you hate it when people outside your family call you Lian'er?" His voice sounded awkward and strained, making me even more uncomfortable. "So all his portraits of beauties were just of you?"
"What? He's never painted me..." He used to call me Lian'er, and I beat him up for it, so he didn't dare call me that for a while. Later, this kid's martial arts were better than mine, and I couldn't beat him, so I had to let him call me that. As for the portrait of a beauty, he wanted me to be in his painting from the first moment he saw me, but I never did what he wanted.
Those beauties were all exceptionally beautiful, chosen by him personally. Sometimes, when he couldn't find someone satisfactory, it wasn't unusual for him to paint only once every year or two. And so far, none of his paintings were the same as the others... Suddenly, I realized something. The reason why each painting looked familiar was that it contained my shadow and spirit. Upon careful reflection, I realized that those beauties had some similarities to me.
"Back then, you wanted to break off the engagement because he came to propose, didn't you?"
It's all just a coincidence, I could explain it. But I look at him and can't utter a single word, so why should I explain? What's there to explain?
Seeing that I didn't speak, his eyes darted around nervously. I felt uncomfortable looking at him and subconsciously frowned. His gaze suddenly fixed, then lowered for a moment before looking up again, returning to its usual expression.
"……I see."
I was taken aback. What do you understand?
He didn't give me a chance to speak and turned to leave.
Hey, you're not going to transfer your internal energy to me? Didn't Yue Linghe complain to you? ...Fine, you can leave, but you've inexplicably made me incredibly annoyed. What's going on here...?
I felt uneasy, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw that pale, sad, yet exceptionally beautiful face, which kept me awake all night.
The next morning, when Granny Zhao came in and saw me, she was so frightened that she gasped.
"How come you look so haggard after just one night?"
"...didn't sleep well."
"Really... I have to meet people today." She said, taking out the outfit that Nangong Ling had given her last time. "Here, put this on."
"What are you doing?" I asked Zhao Mama, puzzled.
"Do you intend to go out dressed in plain clothes?"
"What's the problem? I've been dressed in plain clothes since the first day I arrived at Wuyue Palace."
"But the Palace Master said that he's meeting with very important people today, and he's worried that your attire might make you feel uncomfortable..."
I scoffed. Feeling wronged? You only realize you're wronged today?
"Did I say I was going out to meet people?" I raised an eyebrow, barely suppressing a cold laugh. "I'm not wearing it. Put it back."
"But this..."
Tell him I'm not planning to go out today, and there's nothing wrong with wearing simple clothes; I'm used to it.
Habits are truly terrifying things; coarse cloth and linen have become the norm, while fine silks and satins are long gone.