Chapter 671: 280 went viral_2
Lady Zhao cried until she became a tearful mess. Her son, who had been treated like a precious pampered child for over a decade and had never been touched, was now beaten so miserably and yet could not seek redress. How could she not be heartbroken and distressed.
Duke Ning was also full of anger, “I have already told you that this marriage was impossible, but you refused to believe it. Now, we’ve come knocking on their door only to be bullied.”
Lady Zhao was also full of grievances, “That damn girl used to cling to my son excessively, acting as if she couldn’t wait to marry him. How could I have known she would turn her face so quickly?” Lady Zhao had come to thoroughly despise Mingzhu.
Duke Ning had no interest in discussing with Lady Zhao why Mingzhu had suddenly changed her attitude. He only knew that if Luo Shao did not agree, the marriage would not be possible. He said, “Forget it, let’s not talk about this matter anymore. Let him recover from his injuries at home for some time! We will pick another suitable match for our son, Capital City isn’t just home to the Luo Family.”
Lady Zhao had set her sights on Mingzhu precisely because she found Mingzhu simple and easy to manipulate. She feared she couldn’t control daughters from other families, but she could never disclose this concern to the Duke.
Meanwhile, Prince Duan’s Mansion held a banquet. At the banquet, Princess Consort Duan spoke with laughter about the Guanyin Statue that she had commissioned Yueyao to paint. Princess Consort Duan was extremely satisfied with the Guanyin painted by Yueyao, and her words were full of admiration.
Naturally, no one doubted Princess Consort Duan’s taste. Just as some Madams were considering commissioning Yueyao to paint a piece for them, they heard Princess Consort Duan say that she had spent one thousand taels of silver on the painting.
The entire banquet was in an uproar. One thousand taels of silver for a single painting—how daring! And when everyone heard that Yueyao only painted three paintings a year, their expressions varied wildly.
Princess Consort Duan smiled and said, “Although spending one thousand taels of silver might seem high, it is truly worth it.”
The Madams present were uncertain after hearing the Princess Consort’s evaluation. One of the Madams, close to the Princess Consort, laughed and said, “Princess Consort, what kind of painting is worth one thousand taels of silver? May we all have the honor of seeing it?” Even if Princess Consort Duan wanted to promote Yueyao, perhaps she had elevated her too much.
Of course, whether or not the painting in the eyes of the Madams present was worth one thousand taels was unknown. What was certain was that Princess Consort Duan had successfully promoted Yueyao.
This act of Princess Consort Duan piqued Prince Duan’s interest. Upon hearing the news, Prince Duan went to his consort and inquired, “Consort, spending one thousand taels for a child’s painting and saying it’s worth it—show it to me as well.” While Prince Duan’s relationship with his consort was harmonious, Prince Duan’s focus was fully on his hobbies and interests.
Once Prince Duan saw the painting, he murmured, “This painting style feels somewhat familiar!” He was sure he had seen a similar style, but couldn’t remember it at the moment.
While watching her husband’s furrowed brows, Princess Consort Duan did not disturb him. She was accustomed to her husband’s obsession with painting. It was much better to have interests centered around Guqin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting rather than a fondness for beauties.
Prince Duan, deep in thought, suddenly wore a very peculiar expression and said to Princess Consort Duan, “Consort, may I borrow this painting for a while? I will return it to you when I’ve finished using it.”
Princess Consort Duan chuckled, “What’s all this talk of borrowing? If the Prince likes it, just take it.”
True to his word, Prince Duan took the painting back to his study, then retrieved the “Cold Plum and Lady Painting” he had acquired not long ago. Upon comparing the two, Prince Duan couldn’t help but laugh heartily, “So that’s it! I was wondering why I couldn’t find the person. It turns out to be this way!” The “Cold Plum and Lady Painting” was painted by Lian Yueyao; if the news spread that the second-place winner was a twelve-year-old child, who knew what kind of sensation it would cause!
After examining both paintings carefully, Prince Duan nodded and said, “Wen Chengxiang was right, this child is extraordinarily talented. Indeed, very impressive.”
Prince Duan had the Guanyin Buddha Statue returned to Princess Consort Duan, but he did not publicize the matter. Since Yueyao did not wish to be known as the Hermit in the Wild, he would not expose her. Nevertheless, Prince Duan was curious—who could be Yueyao’s teacher? No Great Scholar in this style seemed to come to mind!
The news of Yueyao’s one thousand taels of silver per painting swept through the streets and alleys of Capital City like a gust of wind. Almost anyone a little well-informed had heard the news. Most of them thought Yueyao was clueless about the value of things—daring to demand one thousand taels for a single painting seemed arrogant beyond measure.
Even Zhuang Ruolan couldn’t help but laugh when she heard the news, “This girl, she really knows how to ask for a high price!” Ruo Lan was well aware that Yueyao did not care about the one thousand taels of silver and guessed that the price was likely set to deter people from bothering her.