“My Lady, the painter is here. She’s waiting outside. Do you want to go to the outer room to meet her?” Mo Yu came in and asked.
“Alright, have her wait outside first.”
Mo Xuetong had been lying on the bed for a few days and felt that her bones were almost scattered. After she returned, a few of the concubines who were insensible wanted to come over and take the opportunity to see if she was really ill. However, all of them were refused by the maids for the reason that Mo Xuetong was seriously ill.
She had live a rather leisurely time and her body had recovered slightly. She could actually be in charge of matters, of course, but since Feng Yuran had plans, she had to cooperate.
She moved from the bed in the inner room to the couch in the outer room. Then, she leaned against the couch and got Mo Yu to bring the painter here.
A woman who seemed to be in her forties came in. She was Madam Ming, the boss of the famous Unvoiced Painting and Calligraphy Hall in the capital. She was the widow of Master Ming, a famous master of calligraphy and painting in the Great Qin. After the death of Master Ming, she had to open a painting and calligraphy hall in the capital to provide her support.
Unexpectedly, after Madam Ming opened this painting and calligraphy hall, she became famous. Now, at the mention of her, many people in the capital gave her a thumbs-up and praised her.
On one hand, it was because Madam Ming did have some accomplishments in calligraphy and painting. She knew how to distinguish fake; on the other hand, it was because most of the painting and calligraphy artists were men and it was inconvenient for them to walk in the inner yard, while Madam Ming did not have this kind of restriction. That was why she became famous for a moment.
“Greetings, My Lady.” Madam Ming knew that it was Consort Xuan who invited her here, so she didn’t dare to look at her carefully, and only felt that she was a young and beautiful lady. She bowed to her respectfully.
“Madam Ming, there is no need for you to be so polite. There are a few paintings that I want you to check.” Mo Xuetong smiled and offered a seat to Madam Ming.
“My Lady, do you want to know how old a painting is or if it is authentic?” Madam Ming did not stand on ceremony and sat on a stool beside. Then, she looked up at Consort Xuan. She felt rather refreshed with just a glance and could not help but sigh to herself, “No wonder people said that the dissolute King Xuan hasn’t seen any other women ever since he married his first consort.” Looking at the beautiful woman in front of her, even she, a woman, would find it difficult to guard herself against her beauty.
Mo Xuetong was dressed in light-colored gauze which only had simple patterns embroidered on the collar and hem. The clothes fitted her well and made her slender figure even more beautiful. Her face was like white jade, and her red lips looked cute; her attractive beautiful eyes were filled with a hint of icy coldness. However, when she looked at someone, her eyes were filled with grace and beauty.
Madam Ming had been going in and out of different inner yards all this while and had seen all kinds of beautiful women. However, she was still stunned by Consort Xuan in front of her. This kind of beauty was like a fairy who had fallen into the mortal realm from the immortal realm.
She was extremely beautiful and extraordinarily charming. The most amazing part was that she had an aura of coldness. She was not only as elegant as lotus flowers but also as dazzling as peonies. Originally, they were two different styles of temperaments, but they had been perfectly combined in Mo Xuetong. No wonder people said that the most beautiful woman in the Great Qin was not the second miss of the Ling’s Manor, but Consort Xuan.
“Madam Ming, I heard that you have done a lot of research in calligraphy and painting. I have a few drawings that are not necessarily left behind by masters, but I like them very much. So I want to ask you who created these paintings.” Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly. Then, she ordered Mo Yu to take the painting and spread it on the table in front of Madam Ming.
“My Lady, do you mean you have no idea who the author of these paintings is?” Madam Ming asked after thinking for a while. She was not unfamiliar with this kind of thing, and she had helped some madams and ladies to distinguish painters.
This kind of situation usually occurred when the painter was not famous. In fact, this situation was also very rare, but it was not completely non-existent.
“Yes, Madam Ming, look at this one. I like this painting of fishing in cold night very much, but I don’t know who made it and how the strokes were. I found it in a calligraphy and painting shop outside, and the people in the shop didn’t remember who left it. So please help me to have a look.”
As Mo Xuetong spoke, Mo Yu unfolded the first painting on the table. There were lonely lamps on the desolate surface of the river; they glowed on the frozen lake, making the whole painting brighter; there was a fisherman sitting at the bow, holding a fishing rod in his hand and leisurely fishing.
The most conspicuous thing in the painting was that there was a tree above his head, on which hung a piece of leaf that was about to fall. The thick green made the whole painting look livelier.
“Madam Ming, please help me look at the style of this painting. In what age was it painted, and most likely by whom?”
Madam Ming had been stunned by the dense flute and vitality in the painting. She stood up forcefully and said incredulously, “How is this possible, how is this possible? This… this can’t be…”
Her hands seemed to have their own consciousness as she caressed the painting, full of surprise and emotion in her eyes.
“My Lady, can I use the instrument I brought to distinguish the seal on this picture?” Her eyes fell on a seal on the lower right corner of the picture. The words on the seal were clear, which were “Old Cangshan”.
“Just do it.” Mo Xuetong curved her lips and smiled.
Getting Mo Xuetong’s agreement, Madam Ming could not wait to take out the bag she had brought with her. She opened it and took out some tiny tools. Then, she wiped a little inkpad off it and looked at the color of the paper and the painting and other things before she said excitedly, “My Lady, it is the work of Master Ling from the previous dynasty.”
“How do you make sure, Madam Ming?”
Madam Ming felt that she had the say when it came to this. She answered happily, “My Lady, look at the color of the paper. It’s at least a few hundred years old. Look at the color of the ink, no one will use it anymore. Only the painting from the heyday of the previous dynasty has the color. As for the seal, Master Ling would usually use his style name. But it’s said that he used to call himself Old Cangshan when he was old and even carved his own seal. This matter was discussed in folk stories of the previous dynasty, but in the field of calligraphy and painting, it has never been seen…”
“My Lady, this should be the authentic work,” Madam Ming finally affirmed. Her eyes fell on the painting and she was reluctant to divert her eyes from it. As a person who loved paintings, she naturally knew how valuable this authentic work of Master Ling was. As such, she could only admire it.
“Madam Ming, good eye. What about this painting?” Mo Xuetong nodded again.
Mo Ye folded the painting under Madam Ming’s reluctant gaze. Mo Yu took out another painting and placed it in front of Madam Ming.
Madam Ming frowned at this painting after she saw the stunning painting just now. The painting was good, but it would make her feel a little uncomfortable just like she looked at the table of snacks after she had delicacies and was full.
“My Lady, this painting is also a good one, but it is feminine and the strokes are not strong. It should be painted by a woman. Besides, it was finished by fits and starts. It can be seen that she was not in good health at that time. The strokes are superficial, and there are many faults. It wasn’t done in one go.”
Although she felt that the painting was not very good, Madam Ming still analyzed it carefully and told Mo Xuetong.
The smile on Mo Xuetong’s face faded and she frowned, feeling strange. She asked, “Madam Ming, do you think this painting is 100 years old?”
“100 years old? How is it possible? In my opinion, this painting should be done for at most a few decades, and the painter was the lady in a deep yard. My Lady, look here, the woman is actually quite good at painting, but it’s a pity that the strokes were not strong enough, and it’s chaotic in the arrangement. She seemed to draw the three girls in the painting on purpose, which makes the layout present a discordant sense of crowding.”
“Look at the only girl who is facing us. Her eyes and eyebrows are clear and she is childish and lovely. The girl on the side is also charming and beautiful. Although we can’t see the biggest girl’s face, she appears extremely gentle. My Lady, in my opinion, this seems to be a painting left by a mother for three daughters, and this mother is not in good health.”
Madam Ming looked at it again and again, and she said affirmatively.
“Madam, how did you know that it was a mother who painted for her three daughters?” Even though Mo Xuetong was still leaning on the couch and looked extremely relaxed, a wave of shock surged up in her heart. She felt a bolt of lightning flash through her heart and she could not help but hold on to the wreaths beneath her pillow tightly. She almost fell silent.
“You don’t have children, so you don’t know about it. The three girls all have their own characteristics. They are either cute, bright, or gentle. Only the mother has this kind of understanding with her children. The painter is obviously good at painting, but she made such an arrangement in order to draw all the three daughters into it. It is a strong motherly love.”
Upon hearing Mo Xuetong’s suspicion, Madam Ming immediately felt misunderstood and explained excitedly. She even picked up the painting so that Mo Xuetong could see it more clearly. She was completely immersed in the painting and did not notice Mo Xuetong’s completely pale face. However, Mo Lan noticed that Mo Xuetong was not her usual self and came to push her.
Mo Xuetong came to her sense. She forced a smile and said to Madam Ming, “Madam Ming, I’m really not feeling well. Please come and check the other paintings in a few days. Mo Yu, send Madam Ming out.”
Only then did Madam Ming discover Mo Xuetong’s oddness. Before she entered the manor, she learned that Consort Xuan was ill, and had been having medicine. When she saw that Mo Xuetong’s face was pale and deprived of blood, she was afraid that something was wrong. As such, she did not dare to stay any longer. She bid Mo Xuetong farewell and left with Mo Yu.
“My Lady, how are you feeling? Are you alright?” Mo Lan hurried over to squat in front of Mo Xuetong and asked anxiously as Madam Ming left. Mo Xuetong had been fine earlier, so Mo Lan did not understand why she became like this.
“I’m fine.” Mo Xuetong heaved a long breath and let out the depression that had stuck in her chest earlier. She felt a little lighter. Just then, she had almost subconsciously held her breath and felt a burning pain in her chest.
“Go take the painting over. I’ll look at it again,” she said to Mo Lan while pointing at the painting that was still on the table. There was a look of shock in her eyes that she could not hide.
“Yes, I’ll go and get it right away. Don’t worry,” Mo Lan comforted her. She did not understand what was wrong with her usually calm master. She immediately went to take the painting over. She unfolded it and placed it in front of her so that she could see the painting clearly.
