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墨書 Inktalez
Qing Wu knew that this time she would definitely be able to see Huo Yun'ai. This was guaranteed to her by Qin Shuying and Zheng Ning beforehand.
Since leaving the palace last time and before today, she had also attended two classes with Zheng Ning.
The first time, because Huo Yun'ai had just recovered from illness, Qing Wu specially wrote a letter in advance to let him rest assured and not come out, and entrusted Dou Mama to deliver it to him. Huo Yun'ai did not want to go against her good intentions, so they were unable to meet.
That day was uneventful, so Zheng Ning simply shared his travel experiences with Qing Wu. It turned out to be quite interesting.
The second time, Huo Yun'ai was busy dealing with state affairs and could not spare the time, so he asked Qin Shuying to inform her.
When Qin Shuying arrived, she saw Zheng Ning teaching Qing Wu how to write large characters. She immediately scoffed and raised her hand to block him, saying, "The Emperor's writing is strong and upright, while your writing is lazy and scattered. If the girl learns yours first and then his, won't that confuse her?"
Zheng Ning usually wrote in cursive script. Even Qing Wu, an outsider, could tell that his characters were neither too scattered nor too concentrated; the entire piece looked very nice.
When he taught Qing Wu, he had already deliberately restrained himself a bit, but what he wrote was still mainly in semi-cursive style.
In contrast, when Huo Yun'ai taught Qing Wu, he made sure each stroke was very neat in order for her to learn well.
The difference between the two was indeed significant.
Zheng Ning did not raise his head upon hearing this; he pushed Qin Shuying away with his left hand and said slowly, "As her teacher, I haven't even taught her how to write a single character outside. Wouldn't that be laughable?" He turned his head to Qing Wu and lifted his chin slightly, "Girl, don't be afraid. It's just two styles of writing; there's nothing special about it. Just learn both."
Qin Shuying thought about it and felt it made sense. The Grand General was skilled at imitating others' handwriting; after observing for a short while, he could capture seventy or eighty percent of its essence. The girl didn't seem foolish; perhaps she could do it too?
Therefore, she did not stop him any further.
However, Qin Shuying's interruption did remind Qing Wu.
Starting to write semi-cursive before mastering the strokes was like a child learning to walk—running around before they had even learned how to walk properly.
Upon careful consideration, this cannot continue.
After thinking it over, the young lady raised a smile and asked for advice, "How about you teach me to paint, sir?"
Hearing this, Zheng Ning seemed to ponder. Qin Shuying, however, clapped her hands in approval.
"Very good, very good. The girl's suggestion is excellent. You must know that your teacher is most famous for his painting. However, he has stricter requirements for painting than for writing. To learn from him, you must put in hard work."
Qing Wu was unaware of this detail. Hearing it now, her eyes lit up. Seeing that Zheng Ning was still hesitating, she quickly ran over and tugged at his sleeve.
Zheng Ning was amused by her eager expression and let out a light sigh, saying, "Alright then. I have never taken a disciple; you are an exceptional case. It seems you will be my only disciple in this lifetime. If I don't teach you, who will I teach?"
Qing Wu was extremely delighted and cheered with joy. After the excitement, she calmed down and hurried to the table, carefully laying out a piece of clean white paper. Then she turned around to fetch a brush for Zheng Ning.
Her earnest demeanor truly made the other two unable to suppress their laughter.
Seeing the girl so happy, Zheng Ning also became interested. No longer lazy as before, he rolled up his sleeves and began to seriously consider where to start teaching.
Qin Shuying saw Qing Wu tiptoeing to grind ink and smiled as she gently pushed her aside.
"Is there any need for you? By the time the ink is ground evenly, your hands will be covered in black. And with that white outfit of yours, aren't you afraid of getting it stained? Go on, go learn how to hold a brush from your teacher. Leave this to me."
With that, Xuan Yi General took the ink stick from Qing Wu's hand and began grinding it.
Zheng Ning had not yet reached his twenties, and Qin Shuying had just passed her coming-of-age ceremony. They were both young people together and did not have many formalities. Moreover, neither of them cared much about external matters like official positions or ranks.
One was fully focused on teaching while the other happily assisted without any worries.
Qing Wu focused intently, determined to learn seriously. By the end of the day, she was already able to draw the entire lotus quite well.
Zheng Ning continuously praised her, saying, "Very good. Compared to my early days, you are much more talented." He smiled and patted Qing Wu on the shoulder, "In the future, when you have free time, I will teach you how to paint. I believe you will soon become famous in the capital."
Qin Shuying also came over to take a look and exclaimed, "Not bad, not bad. Girl, you are doing great!"
In her past life, Qing Wu had a passion for painting and had learned some sketching. Although the style Zheng Ning was teaching was quite different from what she had learned before, her foundation allowed her to pick it up quickly.
However, such thoughts could not be voiced.
Qing Wu could only force herself to accept their compliments with a shy smile.
Seeing the girl shy away, the two of them did not say much more. Instead, they began discussing the matters of this last lesson.
Huo Yun'ai's concern for Qing Wu was clearer to them than anyone else. Recently, whenever they entered the palace and there were no outsiders around, Huo Yun'ai would ask about Girl's situation.
— How is she doing? Are her relatives still making things difficult for her? Is she getting along with her brothers? Has she grown taller? Has she gained weight?
And so on.
During these times, they could only carefully choose their words to report back to him.
The earlier questions were fine; they all had joyful answers.
But as for growing taller and gaining weight...
Hmm, it hasn't been long since they last saw her. How could she suddenly grow taller?
Moreover, the Girl is naturally slender, so how could she gain weight?
However, if the answer is that she hasn't grown taller or gained weight... it would seem like the young lady hasn't been very happy lately.
This is quite troublesome.
The two people who usually speak frankly about political matters found themselves unsure whether to tell the truth or to speak vaguely when faced with the Young Emperor's inquiry for the first time.
After much effort, they managed to steer the conversation away from bad news and focus on good tidings.
As Qin and Zheng secretly wiped their sweat, they both understood that mere words were powerless. Without seeing it with their own eyes, Huo Yun'ai still worried about Qing Wu's situation.
If they didn't find a way for His Majesty and the Girl to meet before the New Year, it was likely that His Majesty would spend New Year's Eve in unrest.
Thus, before this impending separation, they made arrangements with Qing Wu to ensure that next time, she would definitely meet Huo Yun'ai.
Because it was only on New Year's Eve that Huo Yun'ai would finally have some leisure time, everyone decided to finalize their last lesson of the old year then. However, it was uncertain whether His Majesty would be free earlier or later, so they could only ask Qing Wu to come early and wait.
Zheng Ning unusually woke up early today and was already waiting in the room as dawn broke. He even personally prepared a fire pit to keep the room warm. Upon hearing that Qing Wu was coming, he hurriedly invited Fellow inside to warm up.
On such a festive day as New Year, everyone wore beautiful clothes. However, the girl in front of him still wore plain white due to her mourning.
Thinking of that cold and lonely figure of the White-Clad Youth in the inner palace, Zheng Ning vaguely began to understand why Huo Yun'ai cared so much for Qing Wu.
"…Sir? Sir?"
The gentle calls snapped Zheng Ning back to reality. He then noticed that the young lady was holding a pouch and quietly looking at him.
The pouch was embroidered with "Pride of Plum Blossom," with a few crimson dots, representing the buds waiting to bloom amidst the pure white snow.
Zheng Ning took the pouch, and Qing Wu pulled out another one: "This one is for General Qin. I might not see him in the next couple of days. If you happen to meet him, could you please pass it on for me?"
This one had a pattern of green pines. Even in the cold winter days, they stood tall and lush.
Looking at these patterns, Zheng Ning felt a moment of surprise. He quickly regained his composure, put both pouches away, and smiled, "Did you buy these from Wanbao Studio? Let me guess. The one for His Majesty is bamboo?"
Qing Wu instinctively blurted out, "How did you know?" As soon as she said it, she regretted it.
Given the relationship between these three plants, wasn't that answer obvious?
Seeing her flustered expression, Zheng Ning burst into laughter. Casually pulling out some brushes and ink, he beckoned her with his hand, "We don't know when His Majesty will arrive. Come on, let me teach you how to paint some orchids."
...
When Huo Yun'ai lifted the curtain to enter the room, the first thing she saw was Qing Wu seriously painting.
The girl stood upright at the table, holding the brush tightly in her hand and carefully drawing on the paper. When the curtain was lifted, her brush paused slightly, but it seemed she didn't hear it and continued on.
Huo Yun'ai couldn't bear to interrupt her focus. So instead of calling out to her, she walked quietly inside. She stopped behind her and leaned over her shoulder to look at the paper.
Qing Wu had just heard the sound of the curtain being lifted. She thought it was Zheng Ning returning.
Earlier, her teacher had repeatedly warned her that when painting, one must concentrate. Even a moment's distraction could change everything when she resumed drawing.
Therefore, she ignored it and continued to focus intently on the paper in front of her.
Huo Yun'ai looked at her serious expression and couldn't help but smile. Then, he focused his gaze on her artwork. Upon closer inspection, he was taken aback.
He had heard Qin Shuying praise Qing Wu's talent in painting before, but he never expected her to reach this level. Although her brushwork still showed some inadequacies, with just a few strokes, she had captured the essence of the grass leaves, which was truly remarkable.
The Young Emperor fixed his eyes on her paintbrush, feeling his mood shift with each stroke she made. When he saw her press down too hard on one stroke and realized it would be difficult to correct, he sighed inwardly and couldn't help but reach out his hand to assist her in softening that line.
At the moment Qing Wu was frowning slightly in frustration over her mistake, someone unexpectedly approached from behind and gently grasped her hand.
Fully focused on her painting, she instinctively tried to pull away, forgetting that there was a table right in front of her. As she moved forward abruptly, her chest would inevitably collide with the table.
Her clothing brushed against the edge of the table.
Qing Wu slightly closed her eyes, bracing for the impending pain. To her surprise, a hand suddenly reached out in front of her to block the impact, preventing her from feeling any pain. The person then pulled her back into a warm embrace that still held a hint of coolness.
The familiar sensation enveloped her instantly.
Qing Wu opened her eyes wide in shock and looked up to meet Huo Yun'ai's warm smile tinged with a hint of helplessness.
"Why are you so scared? You must not have realized it was me."
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