La pluie printanière est comme du vin, les saules comme de la fumée

Chapitre 27

"Oh?! A body double?" Feng Xue raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness's suggestion is quite good. Let's find a body double to try next time!"

Situ Xingyun and Feng Xue chatted away, completely ignoring Madam Hong, who was standing to the side. Madam Hong, meanwhile, kept her head down, biting her red lips tightly, her face alternating between pale and flushed, her hands clenched into fists in her sleeves, her eyes filled with resentment.

Finally, she stepped forward and bowed slightly to Situ Xingyun, "This concubine greets Your Highness." Then she glanced at Feng Xue, reluctantly curtsied, and said through gritted teeth, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Volume 1: A Woman Among the People Named Qingyun Wuqing (5)

Feng Xue and Situ Xingyun seemed not to hear them and continued talking about painting.

“Your Highness, in my opinion, there’s something missing here.” Feng Xue pointed to herself in the painting with her jade-like fingers. “Your Highness has painted Feng Xue in profile, but Feng Xue’s face is covered by a veil, so the eyes are the most important part of the painting. Even a dragon needs its eyes painted, and you can tell what a person is like just by looking at their eyes.”

"Then, in the princess's opinion, how should these eyes be painted?" Situ Xingyun picked up a paintbrush and handed it to Feng Xue.

"Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly." Feng Xue turned her head to look at the person in the painting, but did not take the brush. She felt strangely unfamiliar with the person Situ Xingyun had painted.

His profile was indifferent and ruthless, yet he exuded an air of nobility.

"The only person in this world who knows themselves best is themselves. So how can there be the saying 'the one involved is confused, while the bystander sees clearly'?" Situ Xingyun smiled, put away his paintbrush, and gently turned it downwards.

At this moment, Feng Xue said calmly, "Sometimes, it is others who know us best, and their eyes are even brighter." Her tone sounded as if she had experienced the vicissitudes of life.

Situ Xingyun was taken aback, then shrugged and laughed, "Perhaps."

Then he closed his eyes, concentrated, and suddenly opened them. The brush immediately began to move. After the brush moved twice like a paintbrush, the painting seemed to come alive as if it had been infused with new water.

Situ Xingyun picked up one end of the scroll and smiled, "Princess, what do you think?"

Feng Xue picked up the other end of the scroll and examined it carefully. "Your Highness painted it well." However, this painting revealed some things to her.

Beneath the veil, Feng Xue's lips curved into a contented smile.

Situ Xingyun couldn't see through her, just as she couldn't see through him. It seemed they were now in the same place, with no clear distinction between light and shadow.

"Is it...you?" Situ Xingyun suddenly asked.

Feng Xue was taken aback, then blinked, pretending not to understand his meaning, and said in a light tone, "Could it be that the person in the painting is not Princess Feng Xue of Fengxi Kingdom? Not the Queen Consort of King Pingyan?"

These words were meant for both Situ Xingyun and the neglected Lady Hong.

Even though she was out of favor, she was still the princess of this palace; even though Situ Xingyun disliked her, she was still the only princess of Fengxi. Her noble status was unshakeable.

Lady Red bit her lip hard, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Situ Xingyun laughed and said, "Princess, you're joking. Who in the world doesn't know the name of Princess Fengxue? And with the Emperor's bestowal of this marriage, everyone knows that the princess is the lawfully wedded wife of Prince Pingyan. Who else could be in this painting but the princess?"

Upon hearing Situ Xingyun's words, Madam Hong's body began to sway precariously until she leaned against the wall to regain her balance. Her face was ashen white, but suddenly a captivating blush spread across her cheeks, and her watery eyes shone with a bright light, as if a drowning person had grasped at their last hope and was desperately fighting for their life.

She moved gracefully to Situ Xingyun's side, gently tugged at his sleeve, and said with a hint of grievance, "Your Highness, was I not attentive enough to you last night, so you're ignoring me today?" Then, she leaned against Situ Xingyun like a little bird, her voice sweet, "Your Highness—"

Feng Xue's lips curled slightly as she watched Situ Xingyun handle the situation with a cold smile.

Situ Xingyun frowned, then suddenly withdrew his hand and said coldly, "Someone, spread the word that from today onwards, there is no longer a Lady Hong in the Pingyan Prince's Mansion."

The light in Madam Hong's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a deathly pallor. "Your...Your Highness..." Why...?

But she couldn't ask him. Because Situ Xingyun was so unfamiliar to her at this moment, with his cold eyes and indifferent expression, he was completely different from the warm-hearted man from last night.

Looking at Feng Xue, who was watching coldly from the side, Madam Hong suddenly understood.

He and she are the same kind of people!

When she entered the manor, the head steward told her about Ruyue and Yueru, and told her to remember not to repeat their mistakes. Unexpectedly, she still ended up following in their footsteps.

All the unyielding spirit and anger transformed into a calm smile at this moment.

Madam Hong bowed slightly to Situ Xingyun and Feng Xue, "I'm sorry to have disturbed Your Highness and Princess's enjoyment." Then, after glancing at the servants behind the beaded curtain, she calmly said, "I can walk by myself."

Having said that, he calmly left.

A rare hint of admiration flashed in Feng Xue's eyes. Such a woman was indeed rare; judging from her performance just now, it was clear she had seen through him. Truly remarkable.

Situ Xingyun, however, remained indifferent, as if nothing had happened.

Feng Xue lowered her eyes, concealing the mockery within them.

This man is both passionate and heartless.

Gently shaking her head, Feng Xue slowly walked to the chaise lounge, lay down again, and said in a tired voice, "Your Highness, Feng Xue is tired."

After the farce that had just happened, Situ Xingyun lost his interest in painting. He nodded and said, "Princess, please rest! I will not disturb you any longer."

Having said that, he rolled up the scroll on the table, flicked his sleeves, and left.

Volume One: A Folk Heroine's Duel 1

Since the day Madam Hong was expelled from the Prince's mansion, several new versions of the story naturally emerged among the common people. Taking advantage of this trend, some enthusiasts wrote books such as "The Prince's Anger for His Beloved," "The Favored Concubine is Gone and Never to Return," and "The Princess Finally Wins the Prince's Heart," which became quite popular and repeatedly ranked in the top 10 of the monthly bestseller lists.

The hard-earned money naturally ended up in the pockets of the book editors, which triggered a series of chain reactions. People with some literary talent also began to write royal stories. Although they contained a lot of fiction, they still attracted a large number of book buyers.

Fengxi law stipulates that as long as it does not involve the harm or interests of Fengxi, everyone can write whatever they want in writing.

Perhaps because of its relatively democratic nature, Fengxi has been ruled by this country for a thousand years. And because of this law, Fengxi's book market is particularly prosperous.