Chapter 38: Restless Mind, Not Suitable for Painting

Jingxi Palace.

Noble Consort Shu had drunk two cups of calming tea in the night, but she was still furious, her head buzzing.

How could there be such a hateful person like Ning Wanyin in the world!

With Concubine Shun taking the lead, all the concubines who would be pregnant in the future could follow suit.

Not only would it be difficult to harm Concubine Shun’s pregnancy, but the difficulty of causing miscarriages in the entire palace would directly skyrocket to hellish levels.

“What is Ning Wanyin trying to achieve? It’s harmful to others and doesn’t benefit herself!” Noble Consort Shu’s face was ashen, her silver teeth clenched.

What good would it do her if there were more children in the palace?

She was so proactive.

“Your Ladyship, calm down.” Pearl tremblingly offered another cup of calming tea.

Noble Consort Shu waved her hand impatiently, “This palace can’t calm down, drinking tea is useless.”

Now, those concubines who wanted to harm Concubine Shun probably couldn’t sleep well.

Noble Consort Shu was angry for half an hour, finally suppressing her annoyance, “Forget it, you can’t guard against thieves for a thousand days. After a while, when things calm down, there will naturally be a time of relaxation. This palace doesn’t believe that she can be completely airtight.”

Now that Tang Meiren’s incident has just happened, everyone in Changchun Palace must be on high alert.

She still needs to subtly hint to Lady Fang to be patient and wait for another opportunity.

After sorting all this out, Noble Consort Shu was still restless.

That Ning Wanyin, who ruined everything, should have died long ago.

…

In Qianxin Palace.

Wang Degui described the events in Changchun Palace vividly: “…Your Majesty, you wouldn’t believe it, after Lady Ning finished reading her one hundred palace rules, everyone in Changchun Palace was convinced, and Concubine Shun immediately sent pearls as a token of appreciation.”

Helian Qi was also a little surprised. He knew that Ning Wanyin dared to accept the task, so she must have some skills, but he didn’t expect her to be so capable.

And she didn’t hold back at all.

Not only for Concubine Shun, but also for all the concubines who would be pregnant in the future, they could follow these palace rules to protect themselves.

It was truly a great achievement.

Helian Qi immediately wanted to promote Ning Wanyin’s rank, but Concubine Shun hadn’t given birth yet, and the credit for protecting the pregnancy hadn’t come yet.

He could only give her some rewards first.

“I see that Lady Ning likes the jewelry and silk I gave her, what treasures are there in the treasury?” Helian Qi asked Wang Degui.

Wang Degui quickly replied, “The other day, a batch of top-grade Hanwu gauze was just delivered from Nanhu Lake, it’s as thin as a cicada’s wing, cool and refreshing, perfect for making summer clothes, there are four bolts in total this year.”

“That’s not bad, send them all to Lady Ning. What else?” Helian Qi asked.

Wang Degui saw that the Emperor had given everything to Ning Wanyin, not even leaving a single piece for Concubine Xue and Concubine Cen, he was secretly shocked and continued, “This year, the South Sea has delivered top-grade pearls, Your Majesty asked the Internal Affairs Department to make a set of pearl jewelry…”

“That’s not bad either, send it to Lady Ning.” Helian Qi nodded in satisfaction, still feeling it wasn’t enough, he thought for a moment and said:

“Also send her a piece of my dragon-patterned inkstone.”

Wang Degui was completely stunned.

Everyone knew that the Emperor was good at painting. Since the Emperor ascended the throne, there had been special tributes of dragon-patterned inkstones for the Emperor’s exclusive use, the ink was very suitable for ink and wash painting.

They only got a pair a year, very precious.

The Emperor had never given it to anyone else.

Compared to the silk and jewelry in the treasury, which were precious but the Emperor couldn’t remember their names, this dragon-patterned inkstone was the Emperor’s exclusive item, his favorite, and yet he was willing to give it to Ning Wanyin.

This was the first time he had seen the Emperor favor someone so much…

…

The lights of the palace were just beginning to come on.

Ning Wanyin had just finished her dinner when Wang Degui arrived with a box full of gifts.

The eunuchs carried eight boxes of different sizes.

Wang Degui personally held a cloud-patterned sandalwood box.

“Lady Ning, the Emperor has bestowed a gift.” Wang Degui read out the list of jewelry and silk, then handed the cloud-patterned sandalwood box to Ning Wanyin, saying:

“This is the dragon-patterned inkstone that the Emperor loves very much, there are only two pairs in the entire palace. One is used by the Emperor, and the other is given to you.”

Ning Wanyin looked appropriately surprised and touched, she said gratefully, “This concubine is unworthy of such a precious gift from the Emperor.”

“The Emperor favors you, it’s your good fortune.” Wang Degui smiled and replied, then said, “The Emperor has chosen you for tonight, Lady, prepare yourself for the night.”

…

After Wang Degui left, Ning Wanyin, as usual, rewarded everyone in Lingsxue Pavilion.

“Lianrui, prepare for the bath, use pear blossom scented bath tonight. Also choose a pair of pearl hairpins…” Ning Wanyin instructed.

Ning Wanyin always took the matter of serving the Emperor seriously, she never took it lightly.

This was the duty of a favored concubine.

A moment later.

Ning Wanyin was only wearing a pear blossom white nightgown, her hair was half-tied, and only two pearl hairpins adorned her raven hair, revealing a lazy and artistic look.

Besides that, there was no other adornment, she was bare-faced.

She sat quietly by the window, practicing calligraphy.

Lianrui was grinding ink for her mistress.

When Helian Qi came in, he saw this scene.

He was used to seeing her glamorous and alluring appearance, this fresh and elegant look, with a touch of lazy casualness, was quite a sight for sore eyes.

Actually…

This seemingly casual elegance was carefully planned.

The room was deliberately not scented with incense, to avoid mixing with the pear blossom scent on her body.

The red silk lamp originally placed in the room was also replaced with a glass lamp. The window was half-open, and the lotus pond a little further away was reflected through the half-open window, creating a beautiful scene.

She was practicing calligraphy nearby, and the lotus leaves were swaying gently in the distance.

The elegant scenery and the elegant mood complemented each other perfectly.

The Emperor had given Ning Wanyin a precious inkstone, of course she had to use it. Painting was an elegant pursuit, too much extravagance was not suitable, she should also change her attire from time to time, to give the Emperor some new sensations.

“Your Majesty…” The sound of footsteps caught Ning Wanyin’s attention, she immediately stopped writing, looked up at the person who came in and bowed:

“This concubine didn’t know Your Majesty was coming, I am not prepared to welcome you…”

“I heard you were painting, so I deliberately didn’t let anyone disturb you…” Helian Qi walked straight to Ning Wanyin.

Lianrui bowed and retreated discreetly.

The room was instantly filled with only the two of them.

Helian Qi’s gaze fell on the newly painted ink bamboo, he instantly felt a little pain in his eyes:

“The dragon-patterned inkstone is in your hands, it’s a waste of a good thing…”

Ning Wanyin thought to herself, didn’t you know my skills when you gave it to me? But on the surface, she instantly reddened her eyes, “This concubine is crude and incompetent…”

Helian Qi originally intended to reward her, not to criticize her, seeing her looking aggrieved, he changed the subject, “You’ve made a lot of progress compared to before. I’ll paint for you…”

Helian Qi picked up the brush from the brush stand, dipped it in ink, and personally taught Ning Wanyin how to paint.

“Your Majesty is so kind to this concubine…” Ning Wanyin instantly raised her face, her eyes sparkling with surprise.

They were very close, as he bent slightly to paint, she looked up, and their faces were so close that they brushed against each other’s ears.

Her faint, light fragrance wafted over, like the coolness of pear blossoms, her snow-white skin was crystal clear and delicate, as if it could be broken by a puff of air, especially those watery eyes, sparkling like stars.

Helian Qi was stunned by her gaze, and the ink he was applying left a blot.

Painting requires a calm mind, a restless mind is not suitable for painting.

“Come to Qianxin Palace tomorrow to serve me with ink and paper, I’ll teach you how to paint.” Helian Qi put down the brush, then directly embraced the little woman who was close at hand, placing her on the empty space beside the desk.

“Your Majesty…” Ning Wanyin exclaimed.

The rest of her unfinished words were sealed by a kiss.