Brother, Give It Up

Seeing Zhao Ruxi's brows furrow, his smile deepened, and his fingers unconsciously tapped on the armrest. "Xu Xi, don't blame me for not warning you, ancient men are different from modern men, you have to be careful!"

"Modern men are attracted to you for who you are; but ancient men who wanted to marry you were definitely after the benefits you brought them. Parents in this era wouldn't ask their daughters' opinions. If someone came to propose marriage and they felt it was good, they might just agree on the spot. Don't wait until you're almost married to find out about this; by then, it will be too late to refuse."

Zhao Ruxi walked back to her original spot and sat down, silently watching Xiao Lingyan without saying a word.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Xiao Lingyan touched his face.

After transmigrating, what he was most satisfied with was this handsome face.

In modern times, he could barely be considered a handsome guy. But in ancient times, his face was even more handsome than it was in modern times, making him a total heartthrob. The enhancements made by emperors throughout history were no joke; ever since he transmigrated, he's been woken up by his own handsome appearance every morning.

"What, are you stunned by my handsomeness?" he said smugly.

"No, I'm stunned by your big face." Zhao Ruxi said very seriously, "All I can see in the world is your mouth. Don't you think your face is big?"

Xiao Lingyan his hand. "I know I'm handsome, you don't need to remind me. But you do need me to remind you, lest you get sold off by your family and still be happily counting the money for them."

Zhao Ruxi glanced at him. "No, I'm considering the possibility of agreeing to this marriage. I feel it's a good match."

Xiao Lingyan sat up straight immediately. "What did you say?"

"I said..." he said speechlessly, "Even if you're going to argue with me and be a stubborn person, do you have to joke about your life's most important thing? Is it really that serious?"

"No, I'm serious," Zhao Ruxi said earnestly.

Xiao Lingyan looked at her suspiciously, feeling that she was teasing him. "Why?"

"Because I found him to be a good match for me."

Xiao Lingyan frowned. He silently watched Zhao Ruxi for a while and found that she was thinking seriously, as if she was really considering this matter.

He sensed something was wrong and quickly said, "He's just cannon fodder, he'll die even faster than me! What are you trying to achieve?" Just like him, if he didn't survive two years later, there was no point in saying anything more.

"It's precisely because he's cannon fodder that he's being considered." Zhao Ruxi stroked her chin, frowning in thought. "You see, as a woman in ancient times, it's impossible for me not to get married. But as for marriage, firstly, I don't want to, and secondly, the drawbacks are too great. Not to mention men having multiple wives and concubines, I also have to be mindful of the opinions of my aunts and uncles. The concept of filial piety can be suffocating."

"Since we're getting married anyway, there's no better husband than a cannon fodder. He'll die soon after the wedding, so he won't have the chance to take concubines and have mistresses or illegitimate children. Besides, judging from Fu Yunkai's personal qualities, he's good-looking, tall and handsome, brave and skilled in battle, and has achieved numerous military exploits at a young age, so his intelligence shouldn't be a problem. Having a child with him would definitely be wonderful. Then I can live with my son, without being pressured to get married or facing criticism. It couldn't be more great."

She originally intended to tease Xiao Lingyan. But after analyzing it this way, she actually thought it was quite feasible.

Xiao Lingyan was utterly stunned by her logic.

"I'm telling you... do you have to be so stupid? Do you think being a widow is so easy? Haven't you heard that widows attract a lot of gossip and trouble? If the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan decides to sell you, you'll be kicked out. Aren't there countless cases in ancient times of women being sold off or driven to suicide by their mothers-in-law?"

Zhao Ruxi rolled her eyes at him. "You think I can be forced to my death? You didn't even manage to force me to my death, Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan is even more ruthless than you? Sell me out? Ha!"

Xiao Lingyan ignored her, stood up, and excitedly spun around the room before finally standing in front of Zhao Ruxi. With a tragic expression, he said, "If you insist on marrying a cannon fodder, you might as well marry me."

Zhao Ruxi looked at him, sighed heavily, stood up, patted his shoulder, and said, "Brother, with your princely status, don't even think about it. If I were to marry you, even if you died, my son and I would be killed. For royalty, status is the original sin. I know you're loyal, but there's no need for such self-sacrifice."

"Besides, we're from the same hometown. If I married you, it wouldn't be right to wish you dead; but if you don't die, what kind of life would I lead? I'd be driven crazy by you every other day. I might as well just die myself. So, you should just give up."

She said that, and walked straight out the door.

Xiao Lingyan nearly suffocated with anger, yelling at her retreating figure, "What's wrong with being a prince? Are you looking down on a prince?" His tone became aggrieved towards the end.

However, he still had some sense and dared not shout, fearing that the neighbors would hear. Zhao Ruxi walked away quickly and didn't hear what he said at all, which made Xiao Lingyan so angry that he almost vomited blood.

After thinking for a moment, he stepped out the door. "No, I'd better hurry up and find a woman for Fu Da. He's a toad trying to eat swan meat, dreaming!"

In the afternoon, Zhao Ruxi stayed obediently in the painting academy. In addition to teaching everyone how to paint, she also took the time to learn painting techniques from Kang Shilin.

After checking her background, she stopped using her points and practiced calligraphy in her spare time every day to earn points. But she still wanted to find a way to earn points quickly so she could accumulate 20,000 points and buy the Agility Pill.

After buying the Agility Pill, she also wanted to buy the Great Strength Pill.

She doesn't know what the future holds. If people discover that she's in cahoots with Xiao Lingyan, she might be targeted and plotted against by the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince. With her agility and brute strength, she's still quite safe in this era of cold weapons; at least she won't be killed in one blow.

Creating a truly new drawing style would likely earn a high number of points, making it the most cost-effective way to earn points among all methods.

Before that, she had to learn the painting techniques taught by Kang Shilin in order to combine the two and create her own unique painting style.

"Not bad, not bad. Keep up the good work. In time, you'll definitely surpass your three senior brothers." Kang Shilin couldn't be more satisfied with Zhao Ruxi's painting talent.

He explained the basics of painting to Zhao Ruxi, Zhao Ruxi learned them very quickly. Although she was a little clumsy when she put pen to paper and couldn't quite achieve the desired effect, it was clear that she had fully grasped the technique and the use of ink. Moreover, she made significant progress with each painting.

With more practice, she could fully master the painting techniques he taught her and create excellent paintings.

This talent surpasses that of his three previous apprentices.

Wu Zong, who had come to ask Zhao Ruxi for sketching advice, overheard this.