Everyone followed Changping Gōngzhǔ to look at Ling Jingshu’s poem and painting.

Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ sneered and looked at them casually.

When the poem and the painting came into her view, Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ’s pupils suddenly shrank and her face changed quietly.

Compared with the colorful lotus painting just now, the one in front of her did not use any paint but was painted with water-dyed ink. Although there were only black and white colors, it made people feel that this pool of lotus flowers and lotus leaves were swaying gently in the wind, swaying and beautiful, and in the upper left corner was inscribed with four lines of poetry.

Amidst the mud, untouched by filth,
Its white stem buried, unknown to all.
Vitality in red and green within clarity,
Without the wind, its fragrance fills the pond.

The beauty and character of the lotus burst out in these few short lines of poetry. Especially the last sentence “Without the wind, its fragrance fills the pond” was the finishing touch. It added a lot of color to this lotus painting.

What a Ling Jingshu!

What a beautiful painting of a lotus!

Princess Fumin had excellent skills in poetry and painting, so she was naturally not a vulgar, ignorant, and tasteless person. On the contrary, her appreciation level was above the standard.

Therefore, she could see at a glance that Ling Jingshu’s poem and painting were better than hers…

“Without the wind, its fragrance fills the pond,” Changping Gōngzhǔ recited this sentence repeatedly, with a look of admiration on her face: “Good, what a good one! Without the wind, its fragrance fills the pond! Well written, wonderfully written!”

Su Ying’s eyes also flashed with brilliance, and she looked at Ling Jingshu steadily, as if she saw her for the first time: “Ninth Miss Ling finished it in a cup of tea, and the painting is good and the poem is even better, which is really admirable.”

Even if it were her, she might not be able to draw such a masterpiece in such a short time.

Talented people always make people respect them more.

Jiang Rongyue couldn’t help but praise: “The painting is really good, and the poem is also very well written.” She winked at Su Ying with a smile: “Sister Su is good at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and has the reputation of being the most talented woman in Beijing. It seems that you have met your match today!”

Su Ying smiled slightly: “There are always people who are better than you. I have always been trembling with fear and never dared to be complacent. Today, after seeing Ninth Miss Ling’s poem and painting, I also feel that they are of great benefit.”

Ling Jingshu smiled and took over the conversation: “Third Miss Jiang and Second Miss Su, please don’t praise me. I also dared to show my ugliness today, but I didn’t expect to win everyone’s favor. I am really humbled.”

“Forget it. You don’t have to be modest.” Chāngpíng Gōngzhǔ smiled and said, “Since everyone is praising you in unison, it’s because your poem and painting are really good. What’s more amazing is that you took a very short time. It took only a cup of tea to finish. It’s really amazing.”

Ling Jingshu’s face was not arrogant at all, and she answered modestly, “This is a habit I have developed since I was young. Before painting or writing poems, I have to make a draft in my mind. I will not start until I have thought it through.”

No wonder when everyone was busy before, she was the only one who didn’t move.

It turned out that she had it all planned out!

Changping Gōngzhǔ’s eyes were more appreciative. Then she glanced at Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ, who looked pale.

Who was higher and who was lower, who had lost and who won, could be seen at a glance.

There was no need to say it out loud, lest Fumin, who wanted to save face, wanted to be more embarrassed. However, the previous bet was still ringing in her ears, how should it end now?

….

The meaning of Changping Gōngzhǔ’s glance was quite subtle.

The ladies present also paid attention to Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ’s every move. They were thinking about the same question.

With Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ’s pride and willfulness, would she really fulfill her promise and jump into the lake to pick a lotus flower? Or would she shamelessly cheat?

No matter what the result was, there would be a good show to watch today!

Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ felt that everyone was waiting for her to embarrass herself. Her pretty face turned red and white, and her complexion changed wonderfully.

She was willing to accept the loss!

Wasn’t it just jumping into the lake? Just jump once!

These words rushed to her lips, but she couldn’t say them out.

At this moment, Ling Jingshu’s voice sounded: “Your Highness, Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ is good at both poetry and painting. Just now, I startled her with my words, causing her to add an extra stroke and thus had to paint an additional lotus leaf. This affected the overall mood and perfection of the painting. Boldly, I suggest, how about we call this bet a tie between Princess Fumin and me?”

She gave Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ enough face. It also fully demonstrated her tolerance and generosity.

Changping Gōngzhǔ naturally didn’t want to see Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ jump into the lake to pick lotus flowers. After all, Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ was her tángmèi. If such an embarrassing incident were to occur at her residence, it would not only be humiliating for Fumin but also disgraceful for her as Fumin’s tángjiě and the host.

Now Ling Jingshu took the initiative to give in, which was the best.

The original admiration in Changping Gōngzhǔ’s heart soared to seven or eight points in an instant. She also had a great liking for Ling Jingshu: “Well, since you said so, I will judge that it is a tie.”

After saying that, she looked at Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ meaningfully: “Fumin, what do you think?”

Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ lost both her face and her body this time.

She didn’t want the charity and pity from Ling Jingshu at all!

But if she didn’t nod, it meant that she would jump into the lake… Those present were all the top ladies from famous families in the capital. If she lost face in front of them, how could she, a Jùnzhǔ, have the face to appear in front of them in the future?

Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ moved her lips and finally squeezed out a few words: “I will listen to my tángjiě.”

For the proud Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ, this was undoubtedly a sign of weakness.

Ling Jingshu saw it and felt extremely happy. However, it was better not to do such a thing as kicking the man when he was down. She came to the banquet today not to deal with a mere Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ.

Her real target had always been Changping Gōngzhǔ.

She wanted to leave a deep and indelible impression on Changping Gōngzhǔ – of course a good impression. In the future, she would be able to smoothly enter Changping Gōngzhǔ’s sight and appear around Changping Gōngzhǔ.

On the long road to revenge, take the most important step first.

Ling Jingshu thought to herself, but she didn’t show any emotion on her face. She smiled and said, “It is my blessing to have the honor to learn the poems and paintings of Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ today. Thank you Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ for your teachings.”

Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ was full of anger and replied reluctantly, “Your poem and painting also opened my eyes. If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely ask for your advice again.”

Next time, I must not underestimate the enemy like this. I must win this game back.

Ling Jingshu smiled and said, “If the Jùnzhǔ is interested, I will accompany you at any time. I am afraid that after today, I may not have the opportunity to meet with the Jùnzhǔ in the future!”

Changping Gōngzhǔ smiled and said, “What’s the difficulty? Běngōng ^[1]a very formal way of addressing oneself generally done by high-ranking women of the royal family often holds banquets, and I will send you an invitation in the future.”

Ling Jingshu was waiting for this sentence, and hurriedly smiled and thanked her.

Ling Jingyan and Jiang Shi on the side seemed much more excited and happy than Ling Jingshu. Ah Shu’s performance today was wonderful to make the proud Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ bow her head!

It really felt like a long-awaited relief!

(To be continued.)