Chapter 160: The Successful King and the Defeated Bandit (9,000-word chapter, please vote for me!)
Qingzhou Prefecture, Exorcism Department Yamen.
Ke Qing Tao Qian was still drawing talisman alone in a secluded room as usual.
According to the agreement reached between him and the Exorcism Department of Qingzhou Prefecture, he needs to hand in at least a hundred talismans of different types every month in order to receive the full reward.
In addition, after he became a follower of the eldest prince Xiao Shangyuan, he also needed to complete the talisman painting task assigned to him by the eldest prince on time and in quantity.
For Tao Qian, drawing talisman is a delicate job.
He must strictly implement the steps of purifying the heart, chanting mantras, praying, etc., and meticulously copy each rune on the rune paper; if there is a slight mistake, all previous efforts may be wasted.
So Tao Qian hated being disturbed while drawing the talisman.
“Dong dong dong”!
At this moment, he suddenly heard a rapid knock on the door.
"I've told you countless times not to interfere with my drawing of talismans!" He put down the pen in his hand and said irritably.
However, when Tao Qian opened the door and saw clearly the appearance of the person outside the door, he instantly restrained his anger and his attitude changed 180 degrees.
“I’ve met Mr. Fan!” Tao Qian clasped his hands and saluted respectfully.
The visitor is none other than Fan Cheng, a minister of the royal family of the Daqi Dynasty.
Tao Qian knew that this Mr. Fan was the eldest prince Xiao Shangyuan's number one confidant - Fan Cheng had been working on behalf of the eldest prince while the prince was recovering from his injuries.
Fan Cheng glanced at him lightly and said expressionlessly: "Unfortunately, your student Du Jingjing died in the Laoshan ruins."
Tao Qian immediately stayed where he was.
As Du Jingjing's teacher, he naturally knew that Du Jingjing went to the Laoshan ruins not to fight for the immortal inheritance, but to complete the task assigned to her by the eldest prince - to assassinate the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen.
This kind of mission to assassinate members of the royal family is undoubtedly uncertain.
But even though Tao Qian had been mentally prepared, he still felt a little caught off guard when he heard the news.
After hesitating for a moment, Tao Qian lowered his head and asked cautiously: "Then Du Jingjing...did her mission succeed?"
"The fourth prince was lucky enough to save his life. It's just that he was bitten. With the poison of Shengdan, there is a high probability that his cultivation level will not be preserved," Fan Cheng said in a calm tone.
Tao Qian was silent.
He knew that Du Jingjing's mission could be considered a success or a failure.
The failure is because the fourth prince is still alive.
The success was because after the fourth prince lost his cultivation, there was almost no possibility of competing for the "Tai'a Sword" - the eldest prince lost a competitor with amazing potential.
After a long time, Fan Cheng spoke again, breaking the silence in the room.
"This 'Fengxing Talisman' was actually not drawn by you, right?"
As he spoke, he handed a piece of talisman seal to Tao Qian's hand, with no expression in his eyes. Not the slightest emotion.
Tao Qian's breathing paused for a moment.
He stretched out a trembling hand and slowly took the talisman, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
…………
This “popular talisman” was indeed not painted by Tao Qian.
More than two months ago, Gu Xu went to Qingzhou Prefecture to solve the case of Lu’s murderous house.
On the way, when Gu Xu was flying with Chu Fengge's sword, in order to maintain his body balance, he affixed a "Wind Talisman" on himself.
After arriving at the destination, Gu Xu threw the talisman into the waste basket.
Then he was picked up by the eldest prince Xiao Shangyuan.
Fan Cheng once spoke highly of this "Feng Xing Talisman". He felt that it had smooth lines, skillful brushwork, and was more powerful than ordinary "Feng Xing Talisman", so he believed that it was made by a master.
Since Tao Qian was the only talisman master in the Exorcism Department of Qingzhou Prefecture, Xiao Shangyuan guessed at that time that this "popular talisman" was painted by Tao Qian.
So, after returning from Yishan, Xiao Shangyuan offered extremely generous terms and wanted to recruit Tao Qian to become his follower.
An excellent Talisman Master will undoubtedly be a powerful help in his future fight for the "Tai'a Sword".
Tao Qian wanted to refuse.
Because he knows his own weakness - with his current ability, he simply cannot draw this unique "Feng Xing Talisman".
However, Xiao Shangyuan gave too many benefits.
It even includes the Great Qi Imperial Master's Notebook, something that all Talisman Masters in the world covet.
Faced with such a temptation, Tao Qian was confused. Driven by greed, he lied that the "popular charm" was indeed drawn by himself, and agreed to the eldest prince's request in a confused manner.
He regretted it afterwards.
The original lie made his life full of fear and walking on thin ice every day.
Every time he draws a talisman, he must perform beyond his level in order to get through in front of the eldest prince.
In addition, he also studied the notes of the Imperial Master of Qi day and night, hoping to improve his level of talisman as soon as possible, so that his talisman and seal skills could reach the level of the "Fengxing Talisman".
After all, only by turning lies into reality can he be freed from this painful life of having trouble sleeping and eating.
However, at this moment, his lie was exposed.
He committed the crime of deceiving His Highness the Prince.
He couldn't imagine what kind of situation he would face next.
Before Tao Qian came to his senses, he heard Fan Cheng continue: "Tao Qian, in fact, His Highness has seen through your lies a long time ago.
"Your level of talisman is far from that of the monk who drew the 'Fengxing Talisman' - like a scholar who only knows how to read, deliberately imitating the master's articles, piling up rhetoric between the lines, but lacking a It has a unique and natural charm.
“Anyone with a discerning eye can see this difference.
“His Highness is a man who cherishes his talents, but he hates being deceived most in his life.
“That is why he will send your students to perform a mission of narrow escape. He hopes that you, teacher and student, will give full play to your remaining value before you die. ”
“So this is His Highness’s punishment for me! "Hearing this, Tao Qian leaned against the door of the room, feeling that his legs were paralyzed and could no longer support his body, so he slowly fell to the ground, his face ashen.
Tao Qian knew that it was his momentary greed that harmed both Du Jingjing and himself.
Du Jingjing is really a silly girl.
Many years ago, her parents died and she was homeless.
Tao Qian took a fancy to her talent in Talismans, so he took her in to do odd jobs for him, doing a lot of dirty work.
He regarded Du Jingjing as free labor.
But Du Jingjing regarded him as a reborn parent and obeyed his words.
Now, she lost her young life in order to repay her kindness.
Thinking of this, Tao Qian couldn't help but sigh.
"Tao Qian, you should know what you should do now, right?" At this moment, Fan Cheng said again in a cold tone.
"I...I know." Tao Qian lowered his head, his face as white as paper.
"It's good to know."
Fan Cheng smiled, then turned and left the room, quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Tao Qian sat on the cold ground, looking at the "Fengxing Talisman" in his hand - the lines of this Talisman were complex, smooth and integrated. The natural meaning in it was something he had mastered all his life. realm that cannot be reached.
“Never touch things that don’t belong to you.”
Tao Qian smiled sadly, and then with a thought, he cut off his meridians.
His face was blue and purple, surrounded by black energy, and he soon stopped breathing.
In this way, the teacher and student said goodbye to this world in the same way.
…………
Luojing City.
That night, the eunuch Cao Tong of Bingbi sent the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen to Princess Zhaoning's mansion on the edge of Luoshui River according to Princess Zhaoning's order.
It was still late at night.
The warm yellow light shines through the carved window lattice, casting mottled light and shadow in the courtyard.
The biting cold wind howled by, causing the bare branches to sway.
Xiao Shangzhen looked pale and had been hiding behind Cao Tong, not daring to come forward to meet her sister.
In the end, it was Cao Tong who persuaded him to walk through the gate of the princess mansion.
Princess Zhaoning was still sitting quietly behind the desk as usual, looking through a thick stack of documents.
The skin is like gelatin, the face is like peach petals; the lips are red without spots, and the eyebrows are green without paint.
And the simple and elegant men's clothing she wore made her more charming and heroic.
Under the orange oil lamp, her eyes were as still as water, with no emotion at all.
Xiao Shangzhen took a deep breath and sat on a chair opposite Princess Zhaoning.
He lowered his head and remained silent.
He once thought that his sister would be angry and scold him like before.
On the way home, he had imagined thousands of ways to respond in his mind, such as "The enemy is too insidious and I can't guard against it", such as "Sorry sister, I let you down", For example, "I am not the material to compete for the 'Tai'a Sword' at all"...
But now, Princess Zhaoning's calm expression made him a little at a loss.
I don’t know how much time passed, but Princess Zhaoning sighed softly and said slowly: "I'm sorry."
Xiao Shangzhen raised his head, thinking he heard wrongly.
"Sorry," Princess Zhaoning repeated what she just said, "Maybe I shouldn't have such expectations for you.
"This road may not be suitable for you. . ”
Xiao Shangzhen’s mind suddenly went blank.
Thousands of words that he had prepared before were all choked in his throat, and he could not say a word.
"Then...then what should I do now?" After being stunned for a long time, he finally asked hesitantly.
"Eunuch Cao is waiting for you at the door now. Later he will take you to the headquarters of the Exorcism Department and ask the head of the department to help you detoxify." The princess replied.
"But...then what?" Xiao Shangzhen asked again.
“Then,” Princess Zhaoning raised her lips, revealing a shallow smile, “Starting from tomorrow, you can go to the backyard and play top with Xiao Liang, A Chou, and Laifu! ”
Her smile is gentle and warm.
Like the traces of clouds, the soft waves of the waves, and like a ray of sunshine drifting from the corner of her mouth.
In Xiao Shangzhen's impression, his sister has always been strict and harsh, and she has never shown such an amiable expression in front of him.
“You...you’re not joking, are you?”
“I’m serious,” Princess Zhaoning stopped her smile and said word by word, “Xiao Shangzhen, I owe you a debt of gratitude. My carefree childhood. Now, it’s time to give it back to you.”
At this point, she paused for a moment, then changed the subject and asked, “By the way, there’s one more question—you know the end. Has anyone successfully obtained the immortal inheritance on Mount Laoshan? ”
Xiao Shangzhen replied without thinking: "Gu Xu from Yishui County, the one codenamed 'Suzaku'."
"Gu Xu..." Princess Zhaoning silently recited this name in her heart.
She just felt that the frequency of this name appearing in her ears recently seemed a bit high.
…………
A few minutes later, Xiao Shangzhen followed Bingbi eunuch Cao Tong to the headquarters of the Exorcism Department.
Princess Zhaoning was the only one left in the house.
She lowered her head and continued reading the thick pile of memorials on the table.
There was finally a faint hint of tiredness in her bright eyes.
At this moment, a maid hurriedly came to her, curtsied to her and said: "Your Highness, the Queen wants to see you. The Queen has important matters to discuss with you."
"Now?"
"Yes, now." The maid replied respectfully.
Princess Zhaoning glanced at the deep night outside the house, and couldn't help but wonder how her mother would deal with this matter.
"Prepare a sedan for me!" She ordered lightly.
At the same time, she put on a cotton coat, a cloak, a cotton hat, gloves, and a scarf, and went out fully armed.
As a mortal with no talent for cultivation, she cannot use her true energy to withstand the severe cold of winter like a monk.
So after leaving the Nuan Pavilion of the Princess Mansion, she had to wrap herself tightly, like a chubby rice dumpling.
Only the exposed skin is whiter and more translucent than the glutinous rice wrapped in the rice dumplings, and seems to be broken by a bomb in the biting cold wind.
Soon, she got on the green-mantle sedan carried by two people and walked along the wide and flat "Tian Street" towards the Daqi Imperial Palace - "Purple Chen Palace".
Looking from a distance, the golden glazed tiles of Zichen Palace reflect the water-like moonlight, shining with a cool luster.
The sedan entered the palace gate from the west side door. Under the guidance of a group of chamberlains, it bypassed the emperor's bedroom "Qianyang Hall" and stopped in front of the queen's bedroom "Kunyuan Hall".
Kunyuan Hall faces south, with yellow glazed tiles and double eaves on the top of the verandah. It sits on a white marble single-layer Xumizuo. It has nine rooms in width and three rooms in depth. There is a platform in front of the hall, surrounded by white marble with patterns of flowers and phoenixes. The railing has three steps on the front and one on the left and right. There are four gilt copper incense burners on the platform.
It can be described as magnificent and solemn.
Princess Zhaoning met the current queen of the Daqi Dynasty and her mother Chen Anzhi in the Xinuang Pavilion of Kunyuan Palace.
At this time, the queen was sitting on the kang, wearing casual clothes without a crown. She was wearing a white straight-collared short coat with a large front and a square collar on the outside. pleated skirt.
Compared with the gentle and humble girl on the mural of Lu's haunted house, Chen Anzhi at this moment looks graceful, noble, and as bright as a blooming peony.
Over the years, the people of Qi have always spoken highly of this queen, thinking that she was virtuous, virtuous, and kept her own integrity, did not fight for power or gain, did not interfere in government affairs, was magnanimous and tolerant, and was friendly to concubines.
But Princess Zhaoning knew that her mother-in-law was actually very thoughtful and very resourceful.
Otherwise, she would not have been able to secure her position as the master of the harem after the death of the first queen, surrounded by a pack of wolves.
“I have met my mother.” Princess Zhaoning bowed her head and bowed to her mother.
"Sit down, Wanjun," the queen drove away the servants in the room, pointed to the chair opposite, and said calmly, "I already know what happened to Xiao Shangzhen. I believe that with you With his intelligence, he should be able to guess the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes.”
Princess Zhaoning straightened her clothes and slowly sat down on the chair: "What are the Queen Mother's plans for this?"
"Xiao Shangzhen's loss of cultivation will be a great loss to us - even In the next many years, we will be overpowered by Xiao Shangzhen's brothers," the Queen was heard saying slowly, "However, our top priority is not to seek revenge on the murderer, but to consolidate everything we have and avoid those Xiao Shangzhen. Seeing our decline, everyone thought we were a piece of fat and wanted to pounce on us and take a bite."
At this point, Queen Chen Anzhi paused for a moment, took a sip of the hot tea, and then continued. : "First of all, your uncle Chen Shandao, as the head of the Chen family, will send his daughter Chen Yayan to the palace during the draft this spring."
Princess Zhaoning did not feel comfortable with the queen's words. Accident. In the Daqi Dynasty, the relationship between the former dynasty and the harem has always been one of prosperity and loss.
The overt and covert struggles among the concubines in the harem are essentially the competition for the interests of the families behind them.
After Chen Yayan enters the palace, she will undoubtedly be able to help the queen and help consolidate the Chen family's power in the palace.
But the problem is that, as far as Princess Zhaoning knows, her father has been obsessed with cultivation recently and has not been around women for several years.
Even if ten girls from the Chen family were sent to the palace, it would be difficult to give birth to a new heir.
"Does the Queen Mother have any other arrangements?" Princess Zhaoning pondered for a moment and then asked.
"A solitary tree can easily be cut off, but intertwined vines are difficult to eradicate completely," the queen said in a tone without any emotion. "As long as we have a deep enough relationship with other wealthy families, If we lose power temporarily, others will not dare to act rashly."
"What should we do?"
"Start with you." >
“Me?” Princess Zhaoning was stunned for a few seconds.
The queen's words caught her off guard.
Ever since she began to take charge of the secular government of Da Qi, she never thought that she would have such a day.
"No... no, I don't want to get married," Princess Zhaoning shook her head repeatedly, "I still need to stay here to assist my father in handling secular government affairs."
"Xiao Wanjun ," the queen called out her full name seriously, "You have already passed your prime of life and are a young girl waiting to be married. Can't you stay in this palace all your life?
" Also, do you think that by asking you to help him handle government affairs, your father trusts you, values you, and wants to give you important responsibilities?
“Actually, he just wanted to find a handy tool.
"You have no talent for cultivation, and you pose no threat to him. Your current power and status are nothing but rootless duckweed. When one day he gets tired of you, or when the new emperor ascends the throne, with just one word, he will I can easily take back all the power in your hands."
"But I don't want to marry any man now-" She lowered her head, looking at the men's clothes on her body, and wanted to argue.
"——You must get married," the queen's eyes suddenly became sharp, as if she was about to nail the princess to the chair, "Zhao Kuan of the Zhao family in Youzhou, Shen Hua of the Shen family of Jinling, Liang Hongyun from Penglai Island and Su Xiao from Jiange are both the ones you can choose.”
“But Liang Hongyun is a fat man who likes to go to Jiaofangsi, and Su Xiao is a sword fanatic who only thinks about swords. —"
"——Then choose one from the remaining two, and then I will ask the emperor for instructions," the queen said in a cold tone, "After you get married, every time you give birth to a child, we Your position will be more stable. As long as the heirs of the Zhao family or the Shen family have your blood flowing in their bodies, no matter who the future emperor is, he will not dare to touch you easily."
Princess Zhaoning did not answer immediately.
What the Queen Mother said does make sense.
Princesses like her who have no talent for cultivation are often regarded as marriage tools for the royal family, used to win over wealthy families or trusted ministers.
Because she has seen the unhappy lives of many concubines and wealthy ladies, Princess Zhaoning has always been full of fear of such a fate.
She longs for freedom and the right to choose.
Even if you are getting married, you have to choose someone you like.
Instead of obeying the orders of your parents, marrying a man you have never met, and becoming a fertility tool for a certain family to inherit the bloodline.
So, she read all the practice books in the palace, hoping to find a way to change her qualifications and let herself embark on the path of practice.
But she found nothing.
I just accidentally became an expert in spiritual practice theory.
After that, she put on men's clothes, began to read classics and history books, and studied the ways of governing the country; the eight-legged essay she wrote was no less than most of the works of the Daqi Dynasty.
In addition, she often went to the Imperial College, Hanlin Academy, Longmen Academy, and the headquarters of the Exorcism Department to discuss academic and political issues with officials such as Siye, doctors, and bachelors. The officials were all very interested in her. The talent is full of praise.
She wants to prove that she has other values besides marriage and having children.
Even a few years ago, she secretly put on a student uniform, put on ugly makeup, and tried to sneak into the Luojing Urban and Rural Examination Center, hoping to gain fame.
Unfortunately, due to her beautiful face that could not be concealed by makeup and her graceful figure, she was recognized as soon as she arrived at the entrance of the examination room, and she finally had to give up this ridiculous idea. plan.
But her move also attracted the emperor's attention.
After seeing his daughter's amazing talent and learning, Emperor Daqi took the opportunity to leave the secular government affairs to her, and went to retreat to cultivate immortality.
From that moment on, Princess Zhaoning felt the joy brought by power and thought she had escaped her original fate.
But today, the queen's words seemed to slap her awake from her dream.
She deeply felt that in this world of extraordinary power, all powers that did not match her own strength were just rootless duckweeds.
Just like the mortal officials of the cabinet and the six ministries, they may seem to have high positions of power, but in fact they are only the executors of the emperor's will. They are responsible for maintaining the normal operation of national institutions, but do not have any decision-making power.
If one day the emperor dislikes them, he can demote them to common people and even take their heads with just one sentence.
Before, she kept urging the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen to practice. Could it be that the anxiety deep in her heart was holding her back?
Ask yourself, she actually doesn’t care whether her brother succeeds or not.
The phrase "It's all for your own good" is just a lie to myself and others.
However, she must rely on her brother in the future to maintain her current status, power, and freedom.
She doesn’t want to lose it all.
But now...
"Please allow me to think about this for a few more days." Princess Zhaoning wrapped her cloak tightly and said expressionlessly.
"Yes," the queen said calmly, "but you are no longer a child now. As the princess of Daqi, I hope you can remember your responsibilities."
Princess Zhaoning nodded, stood up from her seat, and then left the Kunyuan Hall where the red inscriptions were carved.
At the same time, she couldn't help but sigh silently: the queen mother is really a ruthless person - she can not have any emotional fluctuations after her son's cultivation is abolished; she can also talk about marriage with her daughter like buying and selling goods. Such a major life event.
Perhaps, just because she is ruthless enough, she can sit firmly in Kunyuan Palace for a long time and keep the harem in order!
Princess Zhaoning thought as she walked down the white marble stairs.
Then, she boarded the green-mantle sedan and set off back to the princess mansion.
Along the way, she clenched her right hand into a fist and dug her nails into her flesh.
It was already midnight, but she didn't feel sleepy at all.
She benefited a lot from her visit to the palace today.
She understands that in the game of thrones, there are two roles: chess pieces and chess players.
She is too weak now and can only be a pawn in the hands of others.
She must become strong enough to become a chess player, have true freedom, and even control the destiny of others.
This is the privilege of chess players.
Although she doesn't know how to become stronger yet.
But she believes that with her own intelligence, as long as she works hard to find it, there will always be a suitable method.
"After a few days, I will go to the National Preceptor and Luo Sishou, and take the initiative to help them do some work in compiling classics and documents as before," she thought silently, "In today's world Under the circumstances, we must maintain a good relationship with the saints.”
…………
Laizhou Mansion, Tongfu Inn.
That night, "Zhulong" Chen Yanping stayed in his room and silently wrote a letter to his father.
He first briefly described what he saw and heard on Mount Laoshan, including the winding mountain road that symbolized cause and effect, the tests set by Kongxuan Sanren, and the assassination of the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen.
In addition, he also introduced the reserve companions of the "Shenji Battalion" and briefly analyzed each person's identity, background, cultivation, special moves, etc.
This letter has important reference value for Xiangyang Chen's future investment or cooperation partners.
I saw him write in the letter:
"...'Bifang' Chu Wei, the exorcist department of Le'an County, a second-level monk, good at fire spells, talented Above average, but at the bottom level among the reserves of the 'Shenji Battalion', with no recruitment value...
"...'Qingluan' Du Jingjing, a native of Qingzhou Prefecture, a second-level monk, studied under Qingzhou Prefecture Tao Qian, the exorcist minister, was good at the art of talisman and seal script. He is deceased. He once tried to assassinate His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince in Laoshan. He was suspected of being loyal to a certain prince...
"...'White Tiger' Su Xiao, the fourth prince Realm monk, a closed disciple of the master of the Sword Pavilion. He only has swords in his mind. He once voluntarily gave up the opportunity to obtain the immortal inheritance. He is a cultivation maniac who is difficult to communicate with...
"...'Spirit Fox' Shangguan Jin, a monk in the fourth realm, a doctor in the exorcism division, and a close confidant of Chief Luo. He has a deep mind and unpredictable methods. He is good at using swords and knows a lot about poisons. He is an unpredictable person. Woman. You must be extremely careful when working with her in the future. In addition, she seems to be more interested in Gu Xu recently..."...'Suzaku' Gu Xu, a second-level monk, exorcism in Yishui County. Si experience, the new owner of 'Jinghong Pen'. Among our group of people, he was the only one who successfully climbed to the top of the mountain and received the inheritance of Kong Xuan Sanren.
“This person’s talent and temperament are far beyond ordinary people, and he has mastered the extremely exquisite art of talisman and seal script. The ‘Tai Shang Arctic Demon Suppressing and Killing Talisman’ he drew is much better than the ordinary ‘killing talisman’. The ghost talisman is many times more powerful and is enough to instantly kill the ghost 'tapir' under Mount Laoshan.
"Recently, he has been getting closer to Shi Lei from Qianhu in Laizhou Prefecture, and he is suspected to be with Shi Lei's daughter Shi Xiaohan. There is an affair. In my opinion, a young monk with great potential like him should still have a good relationship with Chen even if he cannot become his in-law. In my opinion, he may have the potential to become a saint.
"From my observation, he is not interested in anything other than cultivation. It may not be as easy as we think to recruit him..."
.........
Tonight, Shangguan Jin was not in a hurry to return to the capital.
She also stayed in the room of "Tongfu Inn", quietly recuperating.
At this moment, she was wearing a single piece of clothing, standing in front of a bronze mirror, silently observing herself in the mirror.
With the magical power of "Heavenly Calculation", all her physical characteristics - including height, weight, proportion of facial features, bust, waist, and even arm circumference, leg circumference... are all presented in the form of data on her In front of you.
For a woman like her who pays attention to appearance, "divine calculation" is undoubtedly a very practical skill.
With the help of "heaven calculation", she can sense the changes in her figure in time, and can also accurately use makeup to modify her facial features and facial contours to be more perfect.
Otherwise, why would she always appear in front of everyone as a pure and refined beauty?
"Oh, I lost weight again..."
After a moment, she shook her head, with a bitter smile on her face.
The food conditions in Laizhou Prefecture are far inferior to those in Luojing City. In addition, the trip to Laoshan Mountain consumes a lot of money, so it is indeed reasonable to lose weight.
It’s just that she really can’t understand why her face always gets fatter first when she gets fat, and her breasts get slimmer first when she gets thinner.
This deeply troubled her.
Every time at this time, she would be full of envy of Princess Zhaoning, who had a bumpy figure and was fat where she should be fat and thin where she should be.
Then she sat by the bed and took out a picture album from her coat pocket.
The contents are all drawn by herself.
As a person who loves beauty, she likes to quietly record all the beautiful things she sees in this picture album - including landscapes, flowers and birds, and people.
The magical power of "Heavenly Calculation" gives her painting skills far beyond ordinary people, and she can reproduce what she sees almost exactly.
Even the court painters of the Da Qi Dynasty would feel ashamed after seeing her paintings.
The first page of this picture album is a picture of the spring scenery of Luohe River. The surface of the river is calm, and the sky above and below is bright and clear.
The second page is a group of kittens she saw on the streets of Luojing City.
The third page is the portrait of Princess Zhaoning. The princess in the painting is leaning against the white marble railing of the palace and looking into the distance, showing off her beautiful profile and alluring body curves - Shangguan Jin often wonders, if she could be as beautiful as the princess, would she become more beautiful than she is now? More popular?
The fourth page is a beautiful female ghost she saw while doing a task.
The fifth page shows the back of Luo Sishou playing the guqin under the vast starry sky.
……
Page 89 is a picture of the sunrise over the East China Sea that she drew on her way back from Mount Laoshan.
At this moment, she suddenly had the urge to paint again.
So she came to the desk, prepared her pen and ink, and began to draw the picture carefully one stroke at a time.
Set after set of data emerged in her mind.
One precise line after another appears on the blank page of the album.
An hour later, the figure of a young man appeared on the paper.
He stood on the top of the mountains, overlooking the earth as a king, facing the waves of the sea, with his back to the Yuyu Qiong Tower, his clothes flying in the wind.
Although this painting is only in black and white, it truly shows the confident and peaceful temperament of the young man.
Unlike other painters, Shangguan Jin does not understand such things as "artistic conception", "charm" and "emotion".
However, she believes that as long as her paintings are real enough and capture the most perfect moment, they can also become art.
She smiled and put the album into her pocket.
…………
Gu Xu also lit candles and wrote letters in the room of "Tongfu Inn".
The first letter was written to Chen Jisheng.
In the letter, he briefly described what he saw and heard during his trip to Mount Laoshan - of course, he skipped the notes and warnings of Kongxuan Sanren, and also briefly mentioned the assassination of the fourth prince.
In addition, he also asked Chen Jisheng about the recent situation in Yishui County.
Because Chen Jisheng once told him that the evil spirit generated within Yishan is spreading outward and will soon reach Yishui County.
This made Gu Xu very worried about the lives of Chen Jisheng and his colleagues in the Yishui Exorcism Department.
The second letter was written to Shi Xiaohan.
In this letter, he briefly described the difficulties and obstacles he encountered, and more about the interesting things he encountered during the journey.
He knew that Shi Xiaohan would like to see what he had seen.
For example, His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince’s disguise as a female voice was unfortunately exposed, such as the scene where everyone in the "Shenji Camp" showed off their magical powers to deal with the "tapir", such as the envy and jealous expressions of everyone after he climbed to the top of the mountain.
He could even imagine the way the girl's mouth turned up while reading the letter, revealing her little fangs.
Then, he spent a lot of pen and ink praising Shi Lei, calling him a powerful monk, a competent official, and an enviable father.
Although Shi Xiaohan kept saying "My father is too annoying and nagging" all day long.
But she did not allow others to speak ill of her father.
She also feels sincerely happy when others praise her father.
Finally, Gu Xu asked about Shi Xiaohan’s breakthrough in the letter.
He wanted to know what kind of magical power she would awaken in the process of walking across the "Naihe Bridge".
After Gu Xu finished writing these two letters, he put them into envelopes and prepared to mail them to the Yamen tomorrow.
As for himself, he planned to stay in Laizhou Mansion for a while to study the "Puppetry" spell of Kongxuan Sanren.
After all, Chen Jisheng has been busy with work recently, so it is impossible to come here to pick him up.
In addition, Chen Jisheng also told him before leaving that Yishui was dangerous and not to come back.
However, after he finished writing these letters, a feeling of returning home suddenly emerged in his heart.
PS: Please vote for me! (Originally I wanted to write 10,000 words, but my hand speed is not fast enough QAQ)
Thanks to Xuan Ye Zuowu and book friend 20190721094628047 for the 100 reward!
(End of this chapter)