Meanwhile, downstairs, Yu Linlang was sighing again: “Tomorrow I must submit the painting, so I need to figure out how to best conceal these flaws. If I paint too realistically, the Queen may not be pleased; if I paint too perfectly, it goes against my principles.”

Zhu Lihe couldn’t help asking: “Could we have a look at it?”

“Not possible, it’s at my residence.” Yu Linlang was about to say more when someone beside him interrupted, “Enough, Brother Yu, speak no more nonsense. There are many people here with loose tongues. Historian Yu is not in Wuser, so if you cause any trouble…”

Zhu Lihe snorted: “If you have trouble, just come find me. I want to see who dares cause problems for my family!”

The young man beside him advised: “We’ve all entered the capital by royal decree. The timing is sensitive; we shouldn’t create more disturbances right now.”

After listening to a few words of advice, Zhu Lihe let it go, and the young men’s conversation quickly turned in another direction.

Upstairs, Feng Miaojun was chatting with Xu Huancheng about experiences from north to south.

Though young, she had traveled extensively, with knowledge surpassing most people in the world, which greatly impressed Xu Huancheng. As the meal came to an end and waves of new customers continued to arrive at Xianmanlou, Feng Miaojun bid farewell to Xu Huancheng and left.

She still wore the veil covering her face. As she went downstairs, Zhu Lihe and the other young men were still drinking and talking.

She walked out without looking back.

Only after her silhouette disappeared outside the door did Yu Linlang turn his head and glance toward the entrance.

Returning to the palace, Feng Miaojun ordered someone to bring Yu Linlang’s background information.

Originally, he was just a youth skilled in painting, and she didn’t care much about him; but having the audacity to speak nonsense about her was another matter entirely.

Yu’s father was a border historian in the northwest, with moderate power. Yu Linlang had several elder brothers. When Yu Gengqing came to Wuser to pay respect to the Queen, he only brought the most handsome Yu Linlang, with obvious intentions. However, Yu Linlang’s painting skills were indeed renowned and probably genuine.

But Yu Gengqing had military duties and had been sent on official business outside the city by Fu Lingchuan a few days ago. He was not currently in Wuser.

That meant, in that enormous mansion, there was only Yu Linlang as the master.

Feng Miaojun narrowed her eyes.

The next day, Yu Linlang came to the palace on schedule to deliver the painting. The palace servant greeted him with a superficial smile: “Follow me, the Queen has been waiting for you at Dongqing Pavilion.”

Passing through the winding corridors, with snow-laden flowering trees on both sides, they approached Dongqing Pavilion.

The Queen of New Xia was, as before, reclining on her couch, savoring a cup of jasmine tea.

Today, she again wore no makeup, but her outer deep-colored robe was a gradient of tender green sprinkled with gold, depicting branches, flowers, and birds that seemed lifelike. The pearl and jade ornaments in her hair were also in green and gold colors, complemented by a small emerald mark on her forehead, as tender as new buds in March.

Yu Linlang entered with the scroll in his arms, gave her a bow, and then handed the scroll to a servant girl, who presented it to the Queen for inspection.

Feng Miaojun glanced at it briefly and snorted softly: “The mouth is too small, the corners of the eyes too high—is this the standard of the northwest’s master of painting?”

Yu Linlang suddenly looked up, staring at her steadily, his eyes flashing strangely.

This action was too disrespectful; the servant girl beside the Queen immediately scolded: “How dare you!”

Feng Miaojun raised her hand to stop her, waiting to see what he had to say.

“Court portraiture is not my forte,” he said slowly. “Just creating a standing portrait of a monarch truly fails to do justice to Your Majesty’s beauty.”

“Didn’t you say that I can hardly be called celestially beautiful?” Feng Miaojun stood up and slowly walked toward him. He stood below the steps, allowing her to look down upon him. “In your opinion, how should it be painted to hide my flaws?”

“Dongqing Pavilion is too solemn. Your Majesty’s aura is passionate and vibrant. It would be best to go outdoors, under flowering trees or beside rocky mountains, to complement your divine beauty.” His gaze shifted forward, landing directly on her chest. “Your Majesty is exquisitely adorned today, but it seems one piece of jewelry is missing.”

“Oh?”

“Please allow me to offer it.”

Feng Miaojun nodded slightly, and he slowly took out a brocade pouch from his bosom. As the servant girl moved forward to receive it, Feng Miaojun had already snatched the pouch and emptied it into her palm.

Thus, in her delicate white palm appeared a necklace, with a pendant shaped like a bunch of grapes, beautifully carved with carefully polished edges. On the grapes perched a small squirrel, made of beautiful pink tourmaline.

Feng Miaojun stared at it, her pupils slightly contracting.

After a long while, she held the pendant up to the light. Using all her visual power in the sunlight streaming through the window, she could barely make out an extremely fine crack on the squirrel’s body, clearly broken and rejoined.

Finally, Yu Linlang broke the silence: “Your Majesty?”

She murmured: “Offering me a defective item—aren’t you afraid of losing your head?”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” he said softly. “To others, it may be defective, but to me, it’s a priceless treasure.”

Feng Miaojun’s eyes flickered, and after a moment she said: “I accept it,” tucking the necklace into her sleeve.

His gaze fixed on her chest, bordering on disrespect: “Why doesn’t Your Majesty try wearing it?”

Feng Miaojun smiled slightly: “Yu Linlang, you’re overstepping your boundaries.” What she chose to wear or not was not for him to decide. This necklace was what she had worn as “An’an”—what did this fellow mean by insisting she put it on? “Back to the matter at hand, to paint this portrait well, I’ll need to take you outdoors for a walk?”

“Yes.”

“I should go out for a walk as well.” She extended two fingers, rather flirtatiously lifting his chin, examining him carefully. “Hmm, this face is indeed not unpleasant to look at.”

He gazed back steadily: “I will ensure Your Majesty’s satisfaction.”

“Is that so? I should test you first.” Her gaze shifted, and she addressed the surrounding servant girls: “Everyone withdraws.”

As shocked as the palace servants were, they could only quickly depart.

Once they left, Feng Miaojun’s expression darkened: “Tell me honestly, where have you taken my painter?”

He looked very sincere: “Into the small bottle.”

With that, his original voice was completely exposed.

She examined him suspiciously. “When did you take his place?”

“Yesterday,” he smiled. “Before going to Xianmanlou.”

“So this painting was still done by Yu Linlang?”

“Yes. He finished the remaining parts while in the small bottle.”

She couldn’t help but snort: “I knew it. You don’t have that skill.”

The corner of his mouth turned up: “My skills—An’an will know once she tries them.”

This fellow could truly flirt with her anytime, anywhere. Feng Miaojun couldn’t help but laugh coldly: “You’re very bold, thinking you can come and go freely in my royal palace?”

“I came today at the Queen’s summons—how can that be called coming and going freely?” At this point, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Fu Lingchuan is coming, thirty paces away.”

Fu Lingchuan was coming? Last time, he was uneasy about her being alone with this handsome painter and specifically came to keep an eye on them. Feng Miaojun’s eyes rolled, and a plan formed in her mind: “I’ll borrow you for a moment—don’t move!”

Borrow what? Before this thought was complete, she lifted his chin and planted a kiss on his lips.