8 Revealing Oneself

As Yan Qiu Yue contemplated what to do, another bell chimed to signal the end of the competition time. The young daughter of the Xu Marquis announced that the paintings would be evaluated first, then the poems. All of the easels were placed next to each other in a long line and everyone present was given time to look at and admire the effort of their peers.

"What... What is that?"

"What sort of painting style is that?"

The other girls began to whisper, pointing at Song Lu Li's painting and shaking their heads. Yan Qiu Yue frowned. Now that the paint was dry, it was less obvious that the paint had been tampered with. It seemed more like the melted, abstract painting style had been done on purpose. One could still make out the general shape of a chrysanthemum, but the colors were outside of the line strokes and there were areas of paint that were thicker than others. In short, it was a painting that looked rather harsh and unladylike.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Yan Qiu Yue whispered to her friend.

"I... I did not wish to disturb everyone. Besides, the hostess would have been troubled." Song Lu Li replied in a low voice. Naturally, she had noticed that something was wrong, but she hadn't wanted to draw undue attention to herself and part of her had hoped that with enough layers of paint, the texture would at least come out more normal. Song Lu Li had never seen paint just...melt and refuse to adhere to the paper before.

Yan Qiu Yue glanced over at Song Mei Zhen who was standing a few feet away from them with a triumphant look on her face. What a hateful person! She wasn't even trying to mask her obvious glee over Song Lu Li's misfortune.

"...Disgusting." Yan Qiu Yue couldn't help spitting this word in Song Mei Zhen's direction.

"I must agree, Yan Fourth Miss. I remember that younger sister is supposed to be quite talented at painting. How did it turn out like this?" Song Mei Zhen laughed. "Or is Lu Li developing a new art style? Perhaps I should praise her for being so daring!"

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Qiu Yue..." Song Lu Li tugged at her sleeve, urging her to have some tact.

"Not every rat who tries to climb atop a hard-working ox will have a good ending. Have care, Miss Song." Yan Qiu Yue finally said. Song Mei Zhen's face blackened.

Across from the garden, there were two men standing on the path. They were standing at an angle behind a tall flowering bush. They could see the young women rather well but were themselves invisible. The older man, Marquis Xu, turned to his companion and smiled. "It would seem that your future wife rather likes to speak her mind. I hope that sharp tongue won't cut you too deeply in the days to come."

The younger man was 19, just a little shy of his coming-of-age ceremony. He was dressed in dark blue brocade with lucky clouds embroidered on the fabric. It was probably impossible for a woman to lay eyes upon him and not feel somewhat moved. He was extremely handsome, his overall attractiveness marred only by a sort of indolence in his expression. This was a young man who looked like all he cared about was enjoying life. The jade pendant hanging from his waist was worth cities and the sachet tucked into his robes gave off a light, tempting scent.

This young man, Wei Hong Sheng, merely laughed at Marquis Xu's words. "Straightforward people are easier to deal with. You don't have to guess at their intentions. For that, I wouldn't mind being cut once or twice."

"Is this something for you to say?" The marquis's eyebrow raised. Wei Hong Sheng was one of the least straightforward people he knew.

"Naturally I will not take back words that I have already said." The princeling stepped forward into the garden, having decided on something.

"Ah... It's Prince Rui-shizi..."

"Is that Wei Hong Sheng?"

"It is! I saw him at a banquet once. Who could forget someone like him?"

Song Lu Li's eyebrows furrowed as she listened to the whispering around them. It really was improper to address Prince Rui-shizi by his name, but besides that... She glanced over at Yan Qiu Yue, who was gazing at her future husband with a distant expression. Song Lu Li sighed. Could a marriage such as this go smoothly?

"Prince Rui-shizi! This humble one greets you. To what do we owe this pleasure?" the hostess of the banquet cried out, properly giving her greetings. Marquis Xu could hardly continue to hide and so stepped out as well. "Oh, Father is here, too?"

"I was having a chat with the marquis and noticed how lively it was out here, so I insisted on having a look. I hope I am not disturbing you ladies."

"Not at all! We are just in the middle of a painting and poetry competition. Would Prince Rui-shizi care to have a look?"

"If you wouldn't disdain my presence, then I would love to."

Of course nobody would say that they disdained his presence and a round of compliments and entreaties followed before Wei Hong Sheng began to walk around the paintings, observing each carefully. He finally stopped in front of Song Lu Li's painting. The paints were still at the bottom of the easel and his eyes stopped on them for just a moment before he continued to look at the painting itself. After a little while, he turned. "Who is the esteemed artist of this painting?"

Song Lu Li stepped forward and curtsied. "That painting is the work of this humble one, my lord."

"No need for such politeness!" Wei Hong Sheng laughed. "What was the rationale behind this unique style?"

Song Lu Li paused. She could hardly admit that her painting only came out that way due to someone sabotaging her! "This... That is..." She took a deep breath and started over. "I felt that the chrysanthemums were so stunning that the lines could not hold in the colors and beauty of nature. While my painting is not true to life, I wanted it to capture the essence of the flowers." She could only say such words.

Yan Qiu Yue nodded along to her friend's words. So such an explanation could also be given! Lu Li was good at thinking on her feet. Yan Qiu Yue feared that if their places were swapped, she could only indignantly tell her truth.

"So that is how it is." Wei Hong Sheng inclined his head, his eyes partially closing as if he were deep in thought. A lazy smile floated onto his face. "I believe this is the best painting out of the group." He turned to the hostess. "Young miss, what do you think?"

Before the daughter of the Xu Marquis could say anything, an angry voice burst out of the crowd of young ladies. "Impossible! How could a painting done with defective paints be the best!?"