Should I Go to the Palace to Be a Painter? What a Dilemma
Their words and actions attracted the maids and servants in the courtyard to disregard the rules and come over to watch. Matron Zhou was sitting opposite them as a model, was so eager that she almost couldn't resist running over to see what she looked like.
Now that Xu Xi had finally said "It's finished," Matron Zhou, with an agility beyond her years, rushed over, pushing through the crowd, and said, "Let me see, let me see!"
Everyone was very understanding, and even the old lady and the first lady made way for her. Xu Xi even took the portrait off the painting board and handed it to Matron Zhou.
"Is this me? This is what I look like?" Matron Zhou asked in surprise, looking at the portrait on the drawing paper.
It's no wonder she asked that question. Ancient bronze mirrors didn't reflect people clearly, and faces were uniformly bronze-yellow. Therefore, people couldn't see their own appearance very clearly, let alone an old woman like Matron Zhou who didn't like to look in the mirror often because of her age.
"It's so similar, so very similar. The person in the painting looks exactly like you," the old lady said with a smile.
"They only drew the face; they didn't draw the clothes and jewelry," Matron Jin said regretfully.
Having followed the old lady, she was worldly-wise. She had seen the paintings in the palace before. Those portraits of emperors and empresses from various dynasties were all full-body portraits, depicting not only their faces but also their clothing.
This portrait of Matron Zhou only shows her face; even her hair is only half-drawn, and her neck is just a few strokes before it's finished. It's not even a half-body portrait.
Upon hearing this, the old lady asked Xu Xi, "Can I paint the whole body?"
Xu Xi nodded. "Of course. It's just that it's time-consuming and laborious; it can't be finished in less than a day or two. If you want to draw it in detail, including all the clothes and jewelry, it will take several days."
"It takes several days for the palace painters to paint a full-body portrait. Not to mention..." The old lady paused, then stopped.
Although they were all family, and the servants in the courtyard were all trusted confidants, saying that her granddaughter painted better than the court painters would offend people and might even cause trouble. So the old lady kept quiet in time.
Although she didn't finish her sentence, everyone in the courtyard understood what she meant and turned to look at Xu Xi.
Given Xu Xi's painting skills, the palace might actually invite her to be a painter.
Xu Xi's expression remained perfectly calm.
She was a thoughtful person. When she came up with this painting technique, she had already considered the possibility that the palace might invite her to be a painter, just like how she agonized over whether to go to Tsinghua University or Peking University in her previous life. One should always have some foresight, shouldn't one?
It is said that because Zhu Yuanzhang was ugly, the court painter who painted his portrait lost his head because it looked too much like him. Therefore, painting portraits of the emperor in the palace was an extremely dangerous and technical job.
However, she felt that the painter's loss of his head wasn't due to Zhu Yuanzhang's ugliness, but rather his own lack of intelligence. Even ordinary people need filters when taking photos; what's wrong with an emperor wanting to improve his image for posterity? That's not an unreasonable request, is it?
She's not inflexible. If the people in the palace really asked her to paint, she'd definitely use filters and plastic surgery effects to make sure the painting not only looked like the subject but was also incredibly beautiful. If she still lost her head after all that, then she had nothing to say but that she was just unlucky.
While a group of people were letting their imaginations run wild, the First Madam's mind was elsewhere.
She pulled Xu Xi aside and whispered, "Miss Xi, could you draw someone you've never met? Like... that midwife from back then?"
Xu Xi was overjoyed.
She risked losing her head becoming a painter in the palace just to get what the First Madam said, didn't she?
Suppressing her excitement, she said confidently, "Yes. As long as you can describe the midwife's appearance, I can draw it almost exactly."
Although the First Madam's memory of the midwife's appearance was hazy, and fourteen years had passed, the midwife had gone from middle-aged to elderly, and her appearance might have changed considerably; even if she obtained a portrait, she might not be able to find her in the vast sea of people, and it was uncertain whether she was still alive. But the First Madam did not want to give up even the slightest hope.
"You're tired today, and it's late. Let's do it tomorrow. When you come home from school tomorrow, I'll go with Matron Zhou to recall and describe it, and then you can draw it." The First Madam suppressed her anxiety and said to Xu Xi.
In her mind, she really didn't want to wait a moment longer. The sooner she finished drawing the portrait, the sooner people could start searching for it. This matter was too torturous for her. But she had to consider Xu Xi's feelings.
Whether it was the bond between mother and daughter or just psychological suggestion, the more she looked at Xu Xi, the more lovable she felt. When facing Xu Xi, she couldn't suppress her overwhelming maternal love. She always wanted to do something for her to make up for the suffering she had endured over the years.
Therefore, she couldn't bear to see Xu Xi suffer in the slightest.
"As you can see, it only takes me the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to paint a picture. It's still early, and we have half an hour until dark, so painting a picture is no problem at all. Even if we take our time thinking about it, it's fine. Let's try it first. If it doesn't work, I can revise it tomorrow. Otherwise, it might take another day," Xu Xi said.
Seeing Xu Xi's thoughtfulness, the First Madam felt even more comforted.
She smiled and said, "Okay, let's draw it now."
Although the old lady occasionally chatted and joked with Matron Jin and Matron Zhou, she kept a close eye on the First Madam and Xu Xi's movements. Now, seeing that Lady Zhu had exchanged a few words with Xu Xi and a relaxed smile appeared on her face, the old lady felt relieved, knowing that Lady Zhu had settled things with Xu Xi.
only...
Thinking about everything that would happen in the manor once things were settled, the old lady felt very uneasy.
Having been together for twenty years, she knew Lady Zhu better than Zhao Yuanxun knew his wife. She knew Lady Zhu was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, and quite magnanimous. She didn't hold grudges about some things; but if you really crossed her bottom line, she would never back down an inch.
Lady Wei switched her child, attempting to pass off the real thing as the real thing, and used her own son to replace Lady Zhu's child as the heir to the Marquis's mansion. This rendered Lady Zhu's more than ten years of painstaking education futile, and also caused Lady Zhu's own child to suffer greatly outside. Lady Zhu will absolutely never forgive Lady Wei.
Even if she Lady Wei's life out of consideration for everyone, she would never again live with Lady Wei or acknowledge that they were family.
Therefore, the Marquis's mansion will eventually fall apart.
Thinking about all this made the old lady feel extremely distressed.
Sometimes she thought, if Xu Xi hadn't made that guess, then none of this would have happened.
But then she thought again, Xu Xi didn't speak, they might never know the truth. Wouldn't that mean Lady Wei's scheme would succeed? She and Lady Zhu had racked their brains to plan for the Marquis's mansion, only to have it all benefit Lady Wei's branch of the family. Despite all their precautions, the Marquis's mansion still fell into the hands of outsiders. Thinking this way, she was also glad that Xu Xi had thought of this and reminded them.
In short, not only was Lady Zhu sad these past few days, but the old lady was also preoccupied and hadn't slept well at night.