Jiang Xinyue lowered her head with a shy smile, but inwardly she scoffed: "Nonsense, everyone knows I'm beautiful. Do you need to state the obvious?"
Lower Concubine Cheng was beautiful too; even butterflies would dance around her!
The Xuanwu Emperor felt a bit guilty as he rubbed his nose. He had listened to Lower Concubine Cheng and another concubine play music a few times in the past couple of days at the Xuanchu Palace. He wondered if Xinyue was upset about it.
But Lower Concubine Cheng's father had worked with Jiang Yanxi to uncover evidence of corruption and abuse of power among several officials under the Governor-General of Liangguang.
According to the letter Jiang Yanxi sent back, it was thanks to Mr. Cheng's repeated risk-taking and rescue that Jiang Yanxi could safely embark on his journey back to the capital.
If Cheng Shi Ting was truly a good official who worked for the country and its people, the court would need to make good use of him.
"Painter Xie, please paint a portrait of me and the Imperial Noble Consort!" the Emperor commanded.
The Emperor hadn't figured out how to broach the subject of Lower Concubine Cheng yet. Deep down, he still had the innate arrogance of an emperor, feeling that as the ruler of a country, he shouldn't have to consider others' feelings for everything he did.
Even if that person was the one he deeply loved.
Jiang Xinyue had once said that she could accept that the Xuanwu Emperor's body didn't belong entirely to her, but his heart must be hers alone.
He hadn't paid much attention to anything else she said, but this one sentence he remembered more clearly than anything.
As Xie Chenghui painted, his delicate brows furrowed. A good painter could sense the emotions of flowers, birds, insects, and fish, and naturally, he could sense human emotions even more acutely.
Why did he feel... that there was a kind of false intimacy between the Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort, as if they were close on the surface but distant at heart?
Was he seeing things wrong because he was too focused on painting?
"Painter Xie?" The Xuanwu Emperor keenly noticed his pause. "What's wrong?"
Xie Chenghui immediately snapped back to reality and hurriedly apologized, "Perhaps I'm a bit fatigued from painting the portrait of Your Majesty and Empress Xiaoxian Xuanwen earlier. I beg forgiveness from Your Majesty and the Imperial Noble Consort."
The Emperor paused for a moment. "It's my oversight. I should have let you rest. Let's end here for today. Painter Xie, come back tomorrow to continue the portrait of me and the Imperial Noble Consort!"
Xie Chenghui didn't dare to look at Jiang Xinyue again. He kept his head low and respectfully withdrew.
The barely-started portrait of the Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort was hung in the most prominent place in Chengqian Palace.
Jiang Xinyue turned her head to look at the Emperor. He embraced her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I've had our portrait with the Empress sent to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Empress's spirit tablet is also enshrined there."
As the earthly emperor, it was only natural for him to enjoy earthly worship, and he didn't avoid the topic.
However, wasn't the golden crown of the Imperial Noble Consort made a bit too pointy? It was hurting his chin.
Seeing Jiang Xinyue's puzzled expression, the Xuanwu Emperor pointed at the wall where their portrait hung and said, "I had the Internal Affairs Department come and specially frame it. It's perfect for mounting our portrait. I want to put it in the most prominent place so I can see it all the time."
What?
You want this pure and innocent girl to watch while you're being lovey-dovey with Lower Concubine Cheng?
Jiang Xinyue changed the subject, looking at the lines Xie Chenghui had sketched: "Is Painter Xie really that skilled? I can't tell."
With just two or three strokes, what could one see?
Oh!
One could see that Painter Xie was indeed very handsome. No wonder Consort Yu paid such close attention to what he was wearing at the Empress's funeral.
She wondered if he was engaged yet. If she investigated his character and found that he was decent in all aspects, she could perhaps arrange a match for her younger sister.
She remembered that Jiang Xinyan was already fifteen this year, old enough for marriage.
The Xuanwu Emperor thought she was just curious about why he valued Xie Chenghui so much. He indulgently patted her small... well, she was wearing the Imperial Noble Consort's large golden crown on her head, so patting her head wasn't very convenient. He changed to patting Jiang Xinyue's little cheek instead. "Painter Xie is the legitimate son of Xie Bing, a first-rank academician of the Hanlin Academy. He's been called a prodigy since childhood. If he hadn't been traveling and studying abroad for years, obsessed with painting, I would have wanted to betroth the eldest princess to him."
The eldest princess was twelve years old now. It was common for royal princesses to be betrothed early, first arranging the marriage and then having the wedding after coming of age.
So it turned out that the Xuanwu Emperor had always seen Painter Xie as a potential son-in-law.
No wonder he liked him more and more.
"Why did Your Majesty later decide not to let the eldest princess marry him?"
"Everything should be done in moderation. Any passion, when taken to the extreme, can harm oneself. He's obsessed with painting and would neglect Yueer's feelings. My daughter is a princess who has never suffered any grievances in the palace. I won't allow her to endure hardships after marriage."
After hearing this, Jiang Xinyue smiled and said, "Your Majesty is truly a good father."
It wasn't flattery, but sincere praise.
However, there was one sentence that suddenly alarmed Jiang Xinyue. The Emperor said: Any passion, when taken to the extreme, can harm oneself.
He was too clear-headed, knowing that even if you like someone, love someone, you should hold something back, not give your whole heart one hundred percent.
He was still holding back with her.
Such a clear-headed emperor was just playing a game of love with her, not necessarily truly loving her.
Perhaps the Xuanwu Emperor was also conflicted. He wanted to love her, but he was constantly reminding himself not to love to the point of losing himself.
When things don't meet your expectations, instead of finding fault with yourself, think about whether others might be the problem.
It was all because of that dog emperor's strong sense of caution that her plan to win his heart had only succeeded halfway.
The Xuanwu Emperor, who had just spoken off the cuff and didn't know which of his words had been wrong, released her and said, "I've finished reviewing all of today's memorials. Some new silk trees and roses have bloomed in the Imperial Garden. Would Xinyue like to take a walk there with me?"
The Emperor had sent her a date request, and Jiang Xinyue, determined not to give up until she achieved her goal, naturally agreed.
The Imperial Garden was breathtakingly beautiful these days. Not only were the flowers beautiful, but so were those delicate beauties competing with the flowers in their charm.
Jiang Xinyue turned to Magpie and said, "Go back to the palace and tell Nanny Xiang to bring the Sixth Prince out to get some fresh air."
If the Emperor wasn't present, Jiang Xinyue wouldn't have brought such a young infant out.
Who knows if they might encounter some muddleheaded people? Even a monkey can fall from a tree sometimes.
In situations where she couldn't ensure the Sixth Prince's absolute safety, it was safer to keep him in Hexi Palace.
Today, with the Emperor present, there was nothing to fear.
Anyone who dared to harm the Sixth Prince must not value their entire family's lives.
Nanny Xiang quickly brought Wet Nurse Lu and the Sixth Prince to Chengqian Palace. As soon as the Xuanwu Emperor saw his most beloved little prince looking increasingly fair and adorable, he couldn't control his hands and took the child into his arms.
The scene of the family of three walking towards the Imperial Garden looked extremely warm and harmonious.
Hidden beneath this tranquility was the colorful struggle between the concubines in the harem.
"Cheng Nianhe, the Emperor likes me. What's the use of you playing the zither here all day to attract butterflies? If you don't leave, this mistress will smash your zither."
An angry female voice came through, sounding somewhat familiar.
