GBP Chapter 47 The Stunning Beauty of the Goddess Painting
Chapter 47 The Stunning Beauty of the Goddess Painting
"Huh? A bet?" Peony felt that the word "bet" sounded very unfamiliar coming from her young lady's mouth.
“Yes, if I lose, you can name your terms. If you lose, I'll give you a set of jade.” Shen Li quickly followed up with her wager.
"Huh?" This was the first time Peony had ever heard of getting something even if you lost.
And that's jade, something most young ladies wouldn't use.
She felt that her young mistress seemed unusually happy today, but she didn't know if it was because she had received a piece of calligraphy or because she had vented her anger.
He was also too overly excited.
"It's settled then, Yanmo, what are you thinking about?" Shen Li felt that Shaoyao wasn't very lively; usually, she was the cheerful one.
Shen Li is so obsessed with calligraphy and painting that she made great progress on this painting from the very beginning. She painted almost every day, and now it will only take two or three days to finish.
After the emperor issued an edict ordering Prince Yi to organize a grand birthday celebration, he indeed did not mention lifting the crown prince's confinement again. In an instant, the memorials from the censors and officials flooded the emperor's mind once more.
But while the emperor was worried, Consort Zheng was in high spirits. She had finally turned the tide. Now the crown prince was under house arrest, Prince Yi was out of etiquette, and public opinion about deposing the crown prince was spreading throughout the court and the country.
She established her authority once again, so losing a cabinet minister wasn't such a big loss.
When a person is in a good mood, they will remember their business. So one day, without announcing their arrival, they entered the side hall and saw Shen Li painting. They were immediately stunned.
"Greetings, Your Highness. Why didn't you announce my arrival? I have been very rude."
Shen Li put down her brush, only to find that Consort Zheng's gaze was fixed on the painting, her eyes fixed on it, and she seemed not to have heard what she said.
"Your Majesty..." she called out again.
Consort Zheng seemed to snap out of her daze, and looked at Shen Li hesitantly, asking, "You painted this for me, didn't you?"
"Your Majesty is wise," Shen Li replied. "I felt that simply painting your portrait would lack some of your spirit, so I took the liberty of painting a goddess flying to the heavens. If you find it inappropriate..."
"No problem, very good, you can continue painting." Consort Zheng wanted to remain dignified, but her gaze couldn't help but drift over there. She couldn't believe she could be painted so beautifully.
Those features were clearly hers, yet she was so beautiful, like a goddess, not of this world.
"Yes."
"I think it's almost finished. How many more days will it take?" Consort Zheng asked.
She couldn't wait to see the final result of the painting.
"About two days," Shen Li replied.
"Be sure to tell me what you lack or what you're missing. Consider this your home. Is the food delicious?" Consort Zheng's mind was still somewhat blank from the shock, and she didn't even know what she was saying.
"Thank you for your care, Your Majesty. Everything is fine."
"That's good, that's good." Consort Zheng nodded and walked towards the door on her own.
After sending the person back, Peony's face darkened: "It's such a pity to give her such a good painting. You put your heart and soul into painting her, and what did she do? She released snakes to bite you."
"I put my heart and soul into this painting not for her, but for this painting itself." Shen Li was quite proud of herself. "Actually, I should also thank her. If it weren't for her beauty, this painting wouldn't have turned out so well."
"You have such a broad mind," Peony whispered.
Shen Li just smiled; she could still distinguish between personal grudges and her paintings.
"By the way, Princess Yi woke up last night and actually said this morning that she had accidentally fallen into the water." Peony said, quite puzzled, "Why is she scared now?"
“If your family is connected to that corrupt official, you’d be scared too,” Shen Li said. “If you lose, I’ll give you the jade later.”
"Thank you for your generosity, Miss. So you knew she was afraid to speak up. No wonder you dared to push her into the water." Peony was now increasingly impressed with her young mistress.
She doesn't act unless she's absolutely sure of it, but when she does, it's a decisive blow. Now let's see if Xia Shiyin still dares to be arrogant in front of Miss.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
"Mother, you must not let her go, cough cough..." Xia Shiyin ran to Consort Zheng early in the morning to cry and complain. Naturally, she had to tell the truth in front of her own family.
She swallowed so much dirty water from the lake that the imperial physician said she might develop a cough later in life. She had a lot of grievances to vent to.
Consort Zheng's mind was filled with the image of the goddess, and she even developed a fondness for Shen Li. She felt that Shen Li was the one who understood her beauty best and was her soulmate.
Even if they couldn't be on good terms because of their different positions, it didn't diminish her appreciation for Shen Li.
Thinking back to how Shen Li almost became his daughter-in-law, he felt a deep regret. Now, seeing Xia Shiyin here, pale-faced and crying, he felt even more remorseful.
"Are you useless? She pushed you, why didn't you push her back?" Consort Zheng said, exasperated.
Xia Shiyin usually seems quite clever, so why is she always so useless at crucial moments?
"I didn't even have a chance to fight back before she pushed me down. Mother, you don't know, Shen Li is very strong..."
"Alright, stop making excuses if you're useless. What strength could a frail scholar like Shen Li have?" Consort Zheng couldn't stand her anymore and waved her hand, saying, "Alright, go back and rest. Don't come out unless necessary."
"Mother, you must do justice for your son..." Xia Shiyin was unwilling.
Consort Zheng managed to half-appease and half-send the person away, but she was still annoyed after the person left. Why wasn't she lucky enough to marry a smart and capable man?
“Your Highness, this matter is not the Princess’s fault. It’s just that Shen Li is too arrogant.” Su Mei said from the side, “If she is not punished, she will probably become even more outrageous.”
"Then how do you suggest punishment? The censor is insisting that the prince violated ancestral rules. If the origin of that calligraphy is truly as Shen Li said, who do you think will suffer more if things escalate?" Consort Zheng retorted.
Su Mei understood, but she was also somewhat unwilling: "But she really went too far. Are we just going to let her get away with this?"
“This girl will always be a major threat if we don’t get rid of her. How could I not know that?” Consort Zheng rubbed her temples and said, “Send a message to Prince Yi and ask him to come up with another way to get rid of her without anyone knowing.”
Her time was running out; after the last two days, the time she could keep Shen Li with her would be very limited.
"Yes," Su Mei replied and left.
A day later, Prince Yi moved into the palace, which was his residence when he was a prince. According to etiquette, he could not return after the age of 18, but there is always an exception.
Prince Yi was the emperor's favorite son, and he was the exception. Every year, he would spend some time in the palace to accompany the emperor and Consort Zheng.
No matter how the censors and officials impeached him, this matter remained unresolved.
Shen Li was not surprised that Prince Yi entered the palace at this time of year. What surprised her was that Prince Yi brought his cousin, who was none other than the youngest son of the Minister of Personnel and the nephew of Consort Zheng, Zheng Youwei.