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墨書 Inktalez
Shen Shuihua was lively and cheerful, and she had the intention of getting close to Qing Wu. Before long, she had become familiar with Qing Wu.
Minister Shen had raised her well; Shen Shuihua did not lose her naturally bright personality and was very appropriate in her actions and words. Qing Wu felt very comfortable being with her.
The two were of similar ages, and now that they appreciated each other, they naturally enjoyed a pleasant conversation.
Perhaps they were discussing their favorite topics too enthusiastically. Before long, a girl walked over to them, but the two were so engrossed in their conversation that they did not notice her arrival.
The girl who had just approached them looked somewhat displeased. Frowning with hidden anger, she said, "Are you so absorbed in your own conversation that you can't even acknowledge me?"
Hearing this voice, Shen Shuihua finally looked up.
It was a girl she was familiar with. Her father held a fourth-rank position and usually had some dealings with the Shen family.
Seeing the other person's unfriendly expression, Shen Shuihua quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was just focused on talking to Qing Wu and didn't notice when you came in."
Her expression was apologetic and her tone sincere. Upon hearing this, the girl's expression softened considerably. However, when she turned to look at Qing Wu, her expression darkened again.
Shen Shuihua then remembered that the other girl did not know Qing Wu and hurriedly took both of their hands to introduce them: "This is Zeng Mingxin, and this is Liu Qingwu. We all participated in the Floral Banquet together, so we are friends from the same event."
Zeng Mingxin was slightly older than Shen Shuihua, around fourteen or fifteen years old. She had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, with a somewhat rugged appearance. Her gaze swept over Qing Wu with an unfriendly look.
Qing Wu noticed this.
Originally, given her personality, she would have been too lazy to acknowledge the other girl. But seeing Shen Shuihua happily making introductions without a care in the world, Qing Wu paused for a moment but ultimately chose not to say anything bluntly. Instead, she followed Shen Shuihua's lead and calmly said, "Hello."
Shen Shuihua was very pleased that she took the initiative to speak. She turned to Zeng Mingxin and said, "See? I told you earlier that Qing Wu is very easy to get along with. Yet you didn't believe me."
"It's not that I don't believe it, but the last time I met Liu Young Lady, she was just too eye-catching. She got Second place and is still able to compete for First; it left quite an impression on me."
Zeng Mingxin's lips curved up, but her eyes remained sharp as before. After a pause, she said, "So, I always thought she was difficult to deal with. Now it seems I was mistaken back then."
Though she spoke of "mistaken," her tone and expression were entirely different, carrying a sense of determined certainty.
The incident at Floral Banquet had already passed so long ago, and with the New Year now behind them, no one had mentioned it again. Zeng Mingxin's comment was clearly intentional.
Simple-minded as Shen Shuihua was, she sensed something was off. Looking at Zeng Mingxin with suspicion, she slowly said, "We both saw clearly how that matter unfolded. Why must you..."
Her words were cut off by Zeng Mingxin. "Minran is my friend. Whether you help her or speak for her is your business. I cannot do that."
The "Minran" she referred to was Zhu Ge Lao's granddaughter, Zhu Minran. It was Zhu Minran who had secured First place in the painting competition at Floral Banquet.
However, Minister Shen and Zhu Ge Lao had differing beliefs, and the Shen Family and Zhu Family had always maintained a mediocre relationship; thus, Shen Shuihua and Zhu Minran were not familiar with each other.
Shen Shuihua shook her head disapprovingly. "What do you mean by that? I didn't mean to belittle Minran or praise Qing Wu. At that time, it was you who painted well..."
"I was merely being polite for a moment or two; if you don't come to comfort me, that's fine, but why add fuel to the fire? Do you still consider me your friend?" Zeng Mingxin shot a sidelong glance at Shen Shuihua before turning to Qing Wu with a seemingly indifferent smile. "Sorry. We were just reminiscing about some past events; perhaps it upset you. I hope you won't take offense."
When she looked at Qing Wu, her eyes were filled with mockery and sarcasm, but in the blink of an eye, she managed to conceal it well.
Shen Shuihua stepped forward to argue but was gently held back by Qing Wu.
"Since you know this will upset me, then please refrain from bringing it up in front of me in the future," Qing Wu said calmly. "Today is very important to me; I'm in a good mood and won't hold it against you. But there's no guarantee how things will be next time."
The Liu Family had been away from the capital for many years and had just returned; their foundation was unstable compared to the Zeng Family, which had been operating in Capital City all along.
Zeng Mingxin was not intimidated by the words and scoffed, "What can you do to me?"
Even as a female official, she was merely a servant at the emperor's side. On ordinary days in the palace, she had to be cautious and keep her tail tucked.
Qing Wu smiled gently, "I don't need to do anything to you. If you look down on me, it would be better to find an opportunity for a fair Competition, judged by everyone. The loser should accept defeat willingly. There’s no need for any more useless words."
Due to Zhu Minran's previous complaints, Zeng Mingxin had long believed that Zhu Minran was indeed favored by Eunuch Yu. As for Qing Wu, she had only been lucky enough to have others speak on her behalf.
Even with the emperor's intervention, they had already found their reasons.
—The Imperial Teacher was at odds with the emperor, and the entire Capital City was already aware of it. That person with the surname Liu was under the emperor's protection simply because the emperor had decided to oppose the Imperial Teacher. Since the Imperial Teacher had declared Minran as first, the emperor naturally wanted to promote that Second to suppress him.
Thinking of this, Zeng Mingxin did not take Qing Wu's words too seriously; instead, they stirred up the mockery she had previously tried to hide.
"Oh? If that's the case, I truly look forward to it."
Shen Shuihua looked at the smirk on Zeng Mingxin's lips, momentarily stunned as if she understood something. She said somewhat dazedly, "Recently I invited you to have fun, but you just made excuses. Yet you've been to Zhu Ge Lao's house quite often..."
"You protect her so much; what can I do in front of you?" Zeng Mingxin replied with slight impatience. Then she thought about how Shen Shuihua's grandfather was her father's superior and quickly smiled again, saying, "I was also afraid of upsetting you, so I tried to avoid you a bit."
This made Shen Shuihua recall their meeting right after the Floral Banquet had just ended.
Originally thinking that Zeng Mingxin would get along well with Zhu Minran, she hadn’t mentioned Qing Wu.
However, not long after that, Zeng Mingxin began repeatedly praising how well Qing Wu painted. Shen Shuihua then stopped holding back and sincerely complimented Qing Wu a few times.
Later on, when Zeng Mingxin distanced herself from her, Shen Shuihua pondered for a long time but never realized that the root of it all lay in that conversation.
Looking back now, Zeng Mingxin's actions seemed like she was deliberately setting a trap for her...
With this realization, Shen Shuihua's heart was suddenly shrouded in a layer of gloom. Understanding the uncertainty that had been weighing on her mind for some time truly made her feel extremely sad.
Zeng Mingxin, however, seemed oblivious to her sorrow. With a shift of her gaze, she asked Qing Wu, "Today is very important to you, isn't it? Are you planning something today?"
Qing Wu was simply feeling this way because today was the first real birthday she would celebrate with her grandfather and brother. However, how could she share such a reason with Zeng Mingxin?
So she completely ignored the question.
Unexpectedly, after a moment of silence, Shen Shuihua suddenly reached out and grabbed Qing Wu's hand, forcing a smile. "Qing Wu probably doesn't know yet? The Marquis and the Heir Apparent had Grandfather prepare many papers, brushes, and inks, as well as some colors... The activities later are likely related to this."
The activities prepared for the banquet by the Marquisate were unknown to everyone. Upon hearing Shen Shuihua's words, Qing Wu realized that it might have something to do with painting.
She understood this, so how could Zeng Mingxin not comprehend it as well?
After quickly considering in her heart, Zeng Mingxin decided not to linger any longer. She hurriedly said goodbye to Shen Shuihua and left in a rush. Yet she did not head towards any direction inside the house but directly out of the Door and towards the courtyard.
After she left, Qing Wu glanced at her retreating figure.
"Minran hasn't arrived yet. She must have gone to find Minran to inform her about this," Shen Shuihua whispered in Qing Wu's ear. "But you don't need to worry. Even if she is prepared later, you will definitely be able to win against her."
Her words were filled with confidence, even more so than Qing Wu had in herself.
Looking at the serious expression on the girl's face, Qing Wu couldn't help but chuckle softly. "The competition has long passed; even if we paint again now, it would just be a friendly exchange."
"Who knows?" Shen Shuihua's expression carried a hint of worry. "I'm afraid they might have informed you in advance about what you would be painting today since they know it's an important day for you. I don't want them to come back later and make things difficult for you. But..."
She paused, shook her head, and sighed, "In any case, it's better for you to be cautious later."
They were not even considerate of her, someone who had been friends with them for many years; how could they possibly show mercy to someone as unfamiliar as Qing Wu?
Qing Wu knew that after what had just happened, Shen Shuihua would definitely not be feeling good. Looking around, she noticed that the young girls were almost all those she had seen at the painting competition that day. They were now lowering their heads and whispering to their mothers or friends.
No one wanted to be "watched" like a spectacle in such a situation, so Qing Wu asked Shen Shuihua if she wanted to go out for a walk together.
Shen Shuihua glanced at the time and smiled, "The sisters from Duke of Lu's Residence and Zou General's Residence are probably about to arrive. Why don't we go greet them and have some fun together?" With that, she pulled Qing Wu outside.
The two walked along happily for a while. Just as Shen Shuihua was about to turn left with Qing Wu, unexpectedly, Qing Wu glanced to the right and spotted a familiar figure.
...Zheng Ning?
Did he come here today as well?
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