"Qingyi, have you finished your painting?" Xu Linghe walked over and took Feng Qingyi's hand.
Feng Qingyi nodded, "Yes, I've finished. Are they all painting romantic scenes?"
Xu Linghe: "I heard that's what they're doing. Your painting of a farewell at a bridge doesn't seem to have any of those romantic elements."
"Doesn't 'romantic scenes' refer to love between men and women?" Feng Qingyi asked.
Xu Linghe shook her head, "Is that so? I'm not sure. Isn't it just the literal meaning?"
Zhao Yiqing chimed in at the right moment, "Miss Feng's understanding isn't wrong, but nowadays the painting scene in Shengjing focuses mainly on landscapes. Since it's about creating art, few people delve into these deeper meanings."
"This time, Miss Feng's painting can be considered a novel approach. It's bound to stand out among the many romantic landscape paintings, and might yield a good result."
Feng Qingyi let out a sigh of relief, "I thought I had gone off-topic. That was scary. I wonder what Qian Jue painted."
Xu Linghe: "I just saw Qian Jue's. He only painted one person. Although I don't understand much, his painting looked very sorrowful. Yours seems to be half joyful and half sad!"
"I've seen his paintings before. He's indeed very talented, I can't compare. But if you can understand the meaning of my painting, it seems I didn't do too badly. Alright, let's go!"
Parting is for a better reunion next time. Although it's sad, there should be more anticipation - that was her thought. Since she understood the theme as love, the parting and reunion of a couple was a very good form of expression. She felt quite satisfied with her work.
Feng Qingyi was led out of the painting academy by Xu Linghe. She looked at Zhao Yiqing, "Young Master Zhao, you don't mind if I join you, do you?"
Zhao Yiqing: "Of course not. It's my honor to be with Miss Feng."
Xu Linghe: "Qingyi, where should we go next? Zhao and I just came from the academy and then came to see you. After that, we were just sitting outside chatting."
Feng Qingyi thought for a moment, "Why don't we go to the chess pavilion?"
Although her chess skills weren't expert, she had learned from her grandfather when she was young, so she was at least at a beginner's level.
Xu Linghe had no objection to this, "The chess pavilion is just ahead. Let's go!"
The three of them walked into the chess pavilion and saw five areas, each with many spectators.
Feng Qingyi asked, "How do they compete in this chess pavilion?"
Xu Linghe: "You see those five tables? Two people compete, the winner stays seated, the loser leaves."
"If someone can win three games in a row, they can enter the afternoon's competition to determine the final winner."
Feng Qingyi roughly understood the rules. Winning three games in a row was not an easy feat. A match between go masters was very mentally taxing.
"Can I give it a try?" Feng Qingyi was eager to try.
Xu Linghe pointed to a table, "Go there. That person seems about to lose. You can try after him."
Just as Xu Linghe finished speaking, a middle-aged man at that table conceded defeat.
Feng Qingyi walked over and sat down. Seeing that his new opponent was a woman, the man across from her visibly relaxed.
The spectators around them started to discuss.
"How come there's a woman playing go?"
"Young Lord Wang has already won two games in a row. This is basically just handing him entry into the afternoon competition."
"..."
Feng Qingyi had learned about ancient go before she started learning the game.
In ancient times, they used a handicap system where four stones were placed on the star points in the corners of the board at the start of the game, two black and two white, in a diagonal pattern.
Feng Qingyi played white and moved first. Her go skills were learned from her grandfather and were not orthodox. Combined with some modern tactics, she caught her opponent off guard.
After losing the game, Young Lord Wang studied the board and gave Feng Qingyi a complex look.
Seeing that Feng Qingyi had won, Xu Linghe was extremely excited, "Qingyi, you're too amazing!"
"It was just luck. He underestimated me."
As Feng Qingyi had expected, her next opponent was very careful and left no openings. She was completely outmatched.
Looking at the board, Feng Qingyi decisively conceded defeat.
From the current situation, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't win. It was better to concede quickly and not waste everyone's time.
"Qingyi, it's okay. You'll definitely win next time," Xu Linghe consoled.
Feng Qingyi smiled and said, "I know my own skill level. He's very good, I'm no match for him at all. It's normal that I lost."
"But to me, you're already very impressive," Xu Linghe said.
Although she had also learned the four arts of the Chinese scholar (music, chess, calligraphy, and painting), she had only scratched the surface of each. She wasn't interested in these things, finding martial arts and spear practice much more interesting.
The three of them continued to watch the matches in the chess pavilion, and Feng Qingyi witnessed the wisdom of the ancients.
Her usual games with her grandfather were like child's play compared to this. Here, the chess matches were like battlefields, with players fighting fiercely.
After watching chess for a long time, the three of them left the pavilion together, heading towards the central poetry hall.
"Isn't this Miss Xu and Miss Mu? A country girl and one who only knows how to wave swords around. I'm afraid this gathering of scholars is not suitable for you!"
Feng Qingyi recognized the voice immediately as Shangguan Yi's. Wasn't he supposed to be confined to his house? How had he come out to cause trouble so quickly?
Xu Linghe was about to retort when Zhao Yiqing spoke up, "The Spring Poetry Meeting is open to all. These two ladies are here at my invitation. I ask the young master to mind his words."
Shangguan Yi looked at Zhao Yiqing, "And who are you?"
"Zhao Yiqing of the Wenyuan Pavilion," Zhao Yiqing bowed slightly.
Shangguan Yi had heard of Zhao Yiqing. After all, his father was always talking about the people from the Wenyuan Pavilion, telling him to study more. He found it annoying just hearing about it.
"Doesn't Master Zhao fear that being with these two will ruin his reputation?"
"When Yuechuan was here, Miss Mu was all lovey-dovey with him. Now that Yuechuan has gone to the battlefield, you've already hooked up with another man. You're truly a fickle woman."
Xu Linghe: "Shangguan Yi, don't talk nonsense. Qingyi and Master Zhao are completely innocent."
Feng Qingyi: "What kind of person you are is what you see in others. Please stay away from me, Young Master Shangguan, and stop causing trouble for no reason. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite."
Although she didn't want to conflict with people here, he was constantly targeting her and slandering her. She didn't need to tolerate it anymore.
Shangguan Yi: "How do you plan to be impolite to me?"
Feng Qingyi didn't care about the crowd around them and immediately kicked him.
Seeing Feng Qingyi take action, Xu Linghe didn't want to be left behind. She clenched her fist and punched Shangguan Yi.
