"You're absolutely right. I indeed... have feelings for the Imperial Noble Consort."
So how dare you put her in danger?
Xie Chenghui smiled and patted Painter Li's shoulder, watching him being dragged away by the guards with a dazed expression before his gaze softened again.
How could he possibly paint the Imperial Noble Consort in private?
If he could help it, he never wanted to paint her in his lifetime.
Because love would inevitably flow through the brush strokes - anyone who understood painting could see the emotions within.
The portrait of the Imperial Noble Consort he had just completed showed less than twenty percent of his true skill, because he feared that if he put too much heart into it, it might one day become evidence for others to attack her.
Loving her was his burden alone - why drag her brilliant self into bottomless suffering?
Xie Chenghui touched the dried paint on the hem of his clothes, then packed up his things with his apprentice and left the bamboo grove.
"Yue'er!"
Having finally caught up with Jiang Xinyue, both parties had stopped outside the Changchun Pavilion.
Without the crowd watching, Jiang Xinyue no longer needed to maintain appearances for the Emperor.
The Emperor grabbed her sleeve; she shook it off. He grabbed it again; she shook it off again...
After this repeated four or five times, Jiang Xinyue suddenly turned and pushed him away, her eyes full of disappointment: "Why does Your Majesty follow such a fickle and unfaithful woman as me? Still wanting to catch me in the act? Want to see how many lovers I have?"
"That's not what I meant."
The Xuanwu Emperor, knowing he was in the wrong, pleaded humbly: "I was just... just jealous."
"Let's go, let's go!"
Wang Dequan waved his hand: "Everyone leave! Why are you all standing here? Xi Que, take them back and get to your duties."
Xi Que looked quite disgruntled, wondering why she was singled out among so many people.
Making her look like a troublemaker.
Xiao Xiangzi quickly pulled away Xi Que, who was still trying to exchange glares with Wang Dequan. The servants from Hexi Palace, hoping the misunderstanding between their mistress and the Emperor would be resolved quickly, all entered the Changchun Pavilion.
Wang Dequan himself moved to a spot where he couldn't hear the masters talking but could still see them.
The servants from the Nine Provinces Palace naturally followed the head eunuch's lead, doing as he did.
Only after all the maids and eunuchs had cleared out did the Emperor clear his throat with his fist against his lips, awkwardly saying: "Yue'er, I'm thirty-two this year, while you're only eighteen, in the prime of your youth and beauty. When I saw you standing with Xie Chenghui, your shy smile, the way he looked at you... it seemed like you two should be the perfect match of talented scholar and beautiful lady. I felt uncomfortable, like there was anger I didn't know how to release, so..."
"So Your Majesty felt justified in following Noble Lady Yu's suggestion and accusing me of having an affair with Painter Xie? Does Your Majesty understand what reputation means to a consort?"
Jiang Xinyue said with tears in her eyes: "It means life and death, it means my children would be left motherless, it means my entire family would be implicated and die because of me, it means I... I..."
She grew more agitated as she spoke, directly pushing away the Emperor's outstretched hand, screaming: "Don't touch me! Nobody touch me!"
Her whole body trembled as she tried to control her emotional state. Taking several deep breaths, she stepped backward: "Your Majesty was jealous, yet made me bear the consequences of your jealousy. By what right? If Your Majesty truly loved me as an equal, then I ask you - by what right?"
"I..."
"I'm tired. Your Majesty should reflect well on today's actions! I take my leave."
She truly didn't even give the Xuanwu Emperor a chance to speak.
"Bang!"
The loud slam of the door hit the Emperor squarely in the face. Though it didn't physically strike him, it felt like a slap to his heart, making him flinch.
From the sound, he knew Xi Que had closed the door.
The moon hanging in the night sky was very full, its clear light spilling onto the stone steps before the Changchun Pavilion. The Emperor sighed and truly began to reflect on his rash actions today.
Yue'er was right - he shouldn't have made her bear the consequences of his jealousy.
She and Painter Xie were completely innocent, yet he had questioned her virtue in front of so many people - how could she face anyone?
No wonder Yue'er was so angry; he had truly done wrong this time.
How could Yue'er possibly be someone who judged by appearances? She had only met Xie Chenghui a few times, and he had been present each time - he knew this!
But still...
He hadn't controlled that surge of dark fire that had risen within him, and he had taken it out on Yue'er.
Ah...
He sat rather pitifully on the stone steps, sighing once, twice, three times...
He kept sighing until Wang Dequan came over: "Your Majesty, it's late, you should rest. Tomorrow the local officials of Qin Province will host a banquet for you and the Imperial Noble Consort. You should return to the Nine Provinces Palace to rest! The Imperial Noble Consort probably won't speak to you until her anger subsides."
"If you didn't speak, no one would think you were mute."
The words coming from Wang Dequan's emotionless mouth were so cold and ruthless, not a single one pleasant to hear.
Wang Dequan bit his lower lip, looking pitifully at the Emperor.
This old fellow was actually feeling wronged...
The Emperor, feeling extremely annoyed, sighed again and slowly stood up. He stared at the main door of the Changchun Pavilion for a while before leaving, looking back every few steps.
He could only think of ways to appease Yue'er later.
He hadn't even noticed himself, but the first time Jiang Xinyue got angry and closed the palace doors, he had thought about coaxing her. But this time, he thought about truly making amends with her.
The difference of a single word revealed how Jiang Xinyue's position in his heart had become increasingly important.
She hadn't forcefully pushed her way into his heart, but rather had done so gradually, imperceptibly, creating these feelings of attraction and care that he hadn't even noticed developing.
Usually, it didn't seem like anything special, but once other excellent members of the opposite sex approached Jiang Xinyue, it made the Emperor feel a sense of violation.
Mu Tan gently closed the garden gate and reported the situation to her mistress: "My Lady, the Emperor has left."
"Left?" Noble Lady Jiang frowned. "Why didn't the Emperor wait longer? Perhaps the Imperial Noble Consort would have opened the door soon!"
Mu Tan shook her head: "Last time when the Emperor angered the Imperial Noble Consort, she kept the palace doors closed and didn't let him in for three months. This time the Emperor's offense is even more serious - falsely accusing the Imperial Noble Consort of having an affair with Painter Xie. Wouldn't she ignore the Emperor for even longer? In this servant's opinion, it will be at least four or five months."
Four or five months?
By then they would have finished their summer retreat and returned to the capital.
If she couldn't reconcile with the Emperor before then, wouldn't that just give opportunities to all those concubines who coveted the Emperor's physical attention?
