The eighth day of the ninth month, Golden Sands Fort.
In an exquisitely furnished, luxurious wooden cabin, Sixth Princess Yin Le was copying a calligraphy model at her desk.
She had loved calligraphy since childhood and had attained considerable mastery of it.
Though the mountains were steeped in autumn colors, venturing deep into them to admire the scenery was inconvenient.
Golden Sands Fort was also too small. Fire Phoenix Army soldiers were everywhere, and the entire camp bore the important responsibility of transferring supplies. Carts and horses came and went all day, making it very noisy.
With nothing to do, Yin Le could only pass the time copying calligraphy models in her room.
Fortunately, she could still gaze through the window at the autumn mountains. Reds, yellows, and greens washed over the undulating peaks in layers and swaths. With the sky high, the clouds white, and the autumn wind rustling, her spirits were quite refreshed.
Even her brushwork gained an expansive, buoyant quality, far surpassing her previous standard.
Feeling that she had made considerable progress, Yin Le grew even more cheerful.
Wang Mingzhen knocked softly and entered. She glanced at Yin Le's writing. The characters were dignified and elegant without lacking variation, revealing a clear, airy grace.
Though her own calligraphy was unremarkable, she came from an aristocratic clan and had some ability to appreciate it.
She praised her. "Your Highness's calligraphy has gained an even airier quality. You have already established a distinctive style of your own.
"It merely imitates the scripts of our predecessors-rigorous and square. Though there are some individual variations, they remain scattered. Without a strong style, I cannot be considered a great master."
Yin Le knew her own limits. Though quite accomplished in calligraphy, she was still a step away from the great masters, and