Not far away, in Fushou Palace.
Not long after the sun came out, the Empress Dowager, who usually went to bed late and got up late, was sent back before dawn because she accompanied Liren last night. At this time, she was awake.
But there was nothing to do in the deep palace. The Empress Dowager was still sitting cross-legged on the phoenix bed, practicing her useless "Bathing in Fire Diagram".
The bedroom was clean, elegant, solemn, and yet a bit gloomy. Fortunately, the painting "The Picture of a Peddler Selling Chickens" on the wall added a bit of a unique humor to the overall composition.
Just as the Empress Dowager was quietly cultivating, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall. Hongyu rushed in hurriedly and knocked on the door:
"Empress Dowager... Empress Dowager..."
The Empress Dowager's eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes:
"Hmm?"
"Mr. Ye seems to have entered the palace. I just went to Changle Palace to get the cold melons tribute from Shazhou and saw the Princess Jing and Mr. Ye going to Chengan Hall..."
?
The Empress Dowager blinked her eyes, looked at the "Picture of a Handsome Man" on the wall, and then sat up. She took a stool from beside the dressing table, placed it against the wall, and took the painting down...
——
Inside the pavilion on the water of Minglongtan.
Ye Jingtang held the Junshan heavy saber weighing one hundred and eight jin and slowly practiced the moves of the Dragon-Slaying Order.
With Ye Jingtang's physique, he had no problem lifting something weighing a hundred jin with one hand, but lifting it and being able to use it "as if it were an extension of his arm" were two different things.
The Chi Long Huan Shou Dao only weighed a little over four jin, and its power relied entirely on his physique. If he held a hundred-jin heavy saber and suddenly unleashed his power in the way of the Eight-Step Crazy Saber, it was very likely that he would move forward, but the saber and his arm would still stay in place.
The "Bending the Back and Flicking the Saber" move of the Dragon-Slaying Order relied on a unique way of channeling inner energy to instantly accelerate the heavy saber by gathering the strength of the whole body.
Then, by relying on inertia to control the heavy saber, once the momentum of the saber was established, the speed would get faster and faster, and the force would get stronger and stronger, achieving the effect of "the first three strikes can slay the dragon".
Although the Dragon-Slaying Order was a heavy saber technique, due to its special starting move, the speed of drawing the saber was second only to the Eight-Step Crazy Saber among saber techniques.
When facing the Eight-Step Crazy Saber, this saber technique required taking a step back to exchange space for the time to draw the saber.
When facing other saber techniques that were not fast enough, it was the "Taking a Step Forward, Bending the Back, and Flicking the Saber" move, which combined strength and speed to the extreme. The only drawback was that it was predictable due to relying on inertia.
However, even if one could see it, it was impossible to block it. A hundred-jin large saber was flying in front of one's face. One would die if hit by it, and it really required a great deal of courage to rush forward and find an opening.
Ye Jingtang believed that his saber technique attainments were not low, but after pondering with the heavy saber for a long time, he found that the best solution was - to directly stab the opponent to death with a nine-foot-long spear. What was the point of making a fuss?
The spear was recognized as the king of all weapons. In a one-on-one fight, it could deal with all kinds of fancy moves. When fighting against short weapons, it was completely unreasonable. The Spear Master ranked seventh in the world, and the Eighth Master ranked fourth because the six people above were all immortals who were proficient in all weapons and could also use the spear, and they had both internal and external cultivation. It wasn't that the spear was not good.
And Xuanyuan Chao could only rank eighth in the world. It wasn't that his talent was worse than that of the Spear Master, but because he specialized in saber techniques, he was destined to be inferior to the spear. The same was true for Zhou Chiyang.
But defeating Xuanyuan Chao with a spear would only be regarded as a martial arts feud in the Jianghu, and he couldn't get the title of "Blade Master". Since his adoptive father lost in a saber fight, it was obvious that he couldn't avenge him in this way. To fulfill his adoptive father's last wish, he still had to polish the Eight-Step Crazy Saber technique well.
Ye Jingtang was fully focused on studying the saber technique and almost forgot himself.
Dongfang Liren didn't mind being left out either. She stood outside the pavilion on the water with her hands behind her back and looked at him seriously.
Niaoniao was a bit bored. It spread its wings and swayed around Dongfang Liren's feet, kicking Sister Chubby Snake's shoes with its claws. It was probably practicing the "Eagle Claw Technique".
Just as the two of them and the bird were seriously pondering martial arts, footsteps suddenly came from the lakeside.
Tap, tap, tap...
Two whispers could faintly be heard:
"Empress Dowager, it might not be a good idea for you to go in. What if the Princess Jing is... with Mr. Ye?"
"It's broad daylight. What are you talking nonsense about? I'm just going in to take a look..."
...
Ye Jingtang stopped the blade in his hand and turned to look. He saw two women walking out from the corridor on the side of Chengan Hall.
Behind was a beautiful palace maid holding a scroll of painting in her hand. In front was a woman dressed in extremely gorgeous palace attire, wearing a colorful phoenix cloud shoulder, adorned with gold, jade, and pearl ornaments. Her hair was coiled into a very noble double-bladed hairstyle, with a golden hairpin inlaid with wind patterns inserted obliquely. As she walked slowly, the hairpin didn't sway at all, and her demeanor could be said to be extremely elegant.
The woman had a round and gentle face, a cherry-like small mouth, and a pair of big eyes like jewels. She looked extremely noble, yet not so intimidating that one didn't dare to look directly at her. She gave people a sense of peace and prosperity, like the kind of daughter-in-law that wealthy families really liked. Even the most beautiful and enchanting woman couldn't overshadow her. At a glance, one could tell that she was the mistress of the family.
When Dongfang Liren saw this, she walked outside the pavilion on the water and saluted politely:
"Empress Dowager, why are you here?"
Ye Jingtang had met the Empress Dowager once before. But last time, the Empress Dowager was wearing a home dress and looked like a wealthy lady. He really didn't notice that the Empress Dowager's demeanor was so good in formal attire. She completely had the aura of a mother of the nation. He walked out of the pavilion on the water and saluted with one hand:
"Ye Jingtang, a commoner, pays his respects to the Empress Dowager."
"Be at ease."
The Empress Dowager walked gracefully to the lakeside: "I'm bored in the palace. I wanted to have a talk with His Majesty, but I found that he wasn't there, so I came here to take a look."
As she said this, she wanted to cross over from the lotus-leaf-shaped stepping stones.
The stones were level with the lake surface and were relatively long. It was quite dangerous for an ordinary woman to walk on them.
When Dongfang Liren saw this, she leaped into the air and crossed the lake like a dragonfly skimming the water, coming to the Empress Dowager's side.
The Empress Dowager looked very obedient. She consciously raised her hand and let Dongfang Liren hold her waist. Then she was lifted into the air and carried towards the pavilion on the water.
Because Dongfang Liren was tall and the Empress Dowager was rather petite, from a distance, it looked as if the Princess in the silver robe was holding her beloved concubine and walking on the water.
Ye Jingtang saw Benben's dashing and neat martial arts skills and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, thinking that the relationship between this non-biological mother and daughter was really good.
But Benben never let people down!
Dongfang Liren had good lightness skills, but her status meant that she couldn't often carry others. She had just used the Dragon-Slaying Order and consumed a lot of energy. Walking on the water also required extremely high martial arts skills.
Dongfang Liren held the Empress Dowager with one hand and tapped the lake surface twice. Maybe she wanted to maintain an elegant posture in front of Ye Jingtang. As a result, she was distracted for a moment, and her steps were obviously heavier:
Whoosh~
Splash! She stepped on the water and created ripples!
Dongfang Liren's eyes suddenly widened a little.
The Empress Dowager, who was about to "crash", didn't notice Benben's mistake yet. But Ye Jingtang could see that when they fell again, it would definitely be a "Plop——" sound.
Ye Jingtang's smile froze slightly. Then he rushed out of the edge of the pavilion on the water like a black lightning bolt and came close.
Huh?
The Empress Dowager was a bit confused when she saw Ye Jingtang rushing over. Then she suddenly found that she began to tilt and fall towards the lake.
"Ah?!"
The Empress Dowager quickly hugged Dongfang Liren's neck.
Dongfang Liren's face instantly turned red. When she saw Ye Jingtang rushing over, she stretched out her right hand.
Slap~
Their palms met!
Ye Jingtang walked on the water. Before the two of them fell into the water, he grabbed Dongfang Liren's right hand, pulled her up, tapped the lake surface with his toes, and then leaped back to the edge of the pavilion on the water.
Whoosh~
The three figures soared into the air above the lake.
This moment seemed to pass very slowly.
Dongfang Liren looked into Ye Jingtang's eyes and could clearly see the emotions in Ye Jingtang's eyes:
"Huh~~~~ Tsk tsk tsk... It's an eyesore, it's an eyesore..."
?!
It should have been a very romantic scene, but Dongfang Liren was so angry that her delicate eyebrows stood on end. She just wanted to kick this infuriating young master away.
The Empress Dowager, who had just had a false alarm, leaned against Liren's arms and looked at them with surprise in her eyes.
Tap tap——
The three of them landed outside the pavilion on the water.
Ye Jingtang let go of Benben's hand and pretended that nothing had happened.
Dongfang Liren's face was still red, and she also pretended that nothing had happened. She looked at the Empress Dowager:
"Empress Dowager, let's go inside and talk."
The Empress Dowager saw that both of them were pretending that nothing had happened, so of course she wouldn't say anything either. She waved her hand and asked Hongyu by the lakeside to come over by herself:
"This must be Mr. Ye, right? I heard that you are talented in literature. I recently got a painting. Please appraise it for me."
Huh?
Who did you hear that from?
Ye Jingtang was puzzled and turned to look at Dongfang Liren beside him.
Dongfang Liren knew that the Empress Dowager lived in seclusion in the deep palace and was very lonely. She could remember a small thing for a long time. She was not surprised by this intention at all, but just gave a hint with her eyes:
Praise it hard!
The Empress Dowager walked into the pavilion on the water with a dignified demeanor and sat gracefully on the futon, with Dongfang Liren sitting beside her.
Hongyu, holding the scroll of painting, trotted over from the lotus-leaf-shaped stepping stones. She didn't enter the pavilion on the water but just stood on the stepping stones and handed the scroll of painting to Ye Jingtang.
Ye Jingtang also didn't enter the pavilion on the water. He stood outside the door and solemnly took the scroll of painting with both hands. He unfolded it and observed it carefully. Hmm... It was the "Picture of a Man Carrying the Sun and the Moon on His Shoulders" that he had seen last time.
The painting scroll should have been cut. This time, the figure was in the middle...
"Ji..."
Niaoniao jumped onto his shoulder curiously, looked at the painting scroll, and tilted its head slightly. It probably didn't understand it.
The Empress Dowager carefully observed Ye Jingtang's expression and asked:
"What do you think of it, Mr. Ye?"
Ye Jingtang had no foundation in calligraphy and painting at all. As long as the painting looked like a person, he thought it was good. Benben had already hinted that he should praise it hard, so he definitely couldn't say it was bad. After a little thought:
"Well... I'm not very knowledgeable. If there are any mistakes in my comments, please forgive me, Empress Dowager."
"Feel free to speak."
"In my opinion, this painting is an excellent work. Judging from the painting style, it belongs to the abstract school... No, the freehand style. The man seems to be looking around in a daze. He is carrying a three-eyed golden crow on his shoulder, which should symbolize carrying the sun. The rest of the painting is blank, just like the sky. Hmm... This painting should be depicting a man of great ambition carrying the blue sky and the bright sun alone and wondering why he is not understood by the world..."
...?
Dongfang Liren's eyes widened a little in surprise. She was stunned and thought to herself: You didn't even realize that this painting is of you? What are you talking nonsense about? It's over, it's over. The Empress Dowager will be feeling wronged for another half a year...
Hongyu beside her was full of surprise and thought to herself: Yo yo yo, I didn't expect that Mr. Ye, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, is even more proficient in flattery than me...
When the Empress Dowager heard these comments, she understood that Ye Jingtang really didn't recognize what she had painted. She secretly let out a sigh of relief, and then, as expected, she felt depressed!
Seeing that the Empress Dowager was becoming more and more unhappy, Dongfang Liren quickly interrupted and said with an imposing expression:
"Ye Jingtang, it's not appropriate for you to praise yourself like this, is it?"
Praise myself?
Ye Jingtang stopped speaking abruptly and looked at the painting again...
Could this be me?
No, it seems to really be...
There is a saber hanging on the waist, and this on the shoulder should be Niaoniao...
Ye Jingtang tilted his head slightly, and Niaoniao tilted its head almost 180 degrees. It was probably wondering how to make that ball look like itself.
Fortunately, Ye Jingtang reacted quickly. Although he was shocked in his heart, on the surface, he still nodded slowly:
"No wonder. I just said it looked familiar. Hmm... The concept of this painting by Your Majesty is too lofty. I'm just a commoner with the ambition of a sparrow. I really didn't dare to associate it with myself..."
This time, the Empress Dowager could see that there was not even a hint of truth in Ye Jingtang's words. She raised her hand and said:
"Since you have praised it so highly, I will bestow this painting on you. I hope that one day, you will also be able to carry the blue sky and the bright sun and become a pillar of the Great Wei Dynasty."
Ye Jingtang thought he should be overwhelmed with gratitude, so he put away the painting:
"Thank you for the Empress Dowager's gift."
Dongfang Liren quietly waved her hand:
"This is the Empress Dowager's calligraphy and painting. Remember to enshrine it properly when you go back. If it is damaged, it is a capital crime. All right, go and do your work. I will summon you again if I have something."
"I take my leave!"
Ye Jingtang felt relieved. After saluting with the painting scroll in his hands, he quickly left the pavilion on the water.
Niaoniao was very polite. It stood on Ye Jingtang's shoulder, turned around, and raised its wing:
"Ji~"
Dongfang Liren raised her hand slightly to say goodbye.
The Empress Dowager's eyes lit up slightly, but when she found that this little pet wasn't hers, she fell silent again.
After Ye Jingtang disappeared, a trace of resentment appeared in the Empress Dowager's eyes, and she glanced at Dongfang Liren.
(→_→)
Dongfang Liren gently stroked the Empress Dowager's back: "I think the Empress Dowager's painting is very good. He is a rough person and doesn't know how to appreciate paintings. Empress Dowager, don't take it to heart..."
The Empress Dowager had been thinking about this for over a month, but no one recognized what she had painted. She really felt bad:
"I'm not stupid. You go and find someone for me, someone who can teach me how to paint. If they can't teach well, hum..."
"Okay, I'll go and find someone right away..."