Unexpectedly 39

  Down below, people hastily set up their writing materials and paper, Yang Lan looked around and found Princess Ping'an sitting in a pavilion some distance away, chatting and laughing with her mother and other noblewomen, admiring the beautiful scenery of the garden, surrounded by her family's young grandchildren and several children running around playing.

  Yang Lan's eyes rolled, and a plan came to mind. She immediately had a draft in her heart. After a brief moment of contemplation, she began to paint with bold strokes. The painting depicted a large, eight-sided pavilion, where Princess Ping'an smiled benevolently, surrounded by several noblewomen with joyful smiles. The surrounding area was adorned with blooming flowers and a group of children playing together. On the ground, two adorable, fluffy dogs were added, creating a vivid and lively scene on paper. The small dogs and children perfectly complemented the painting, adding a touch of humor and a sense of harmony among generations.

  "Good! Good painting! Indeed, it's wonderful!" Ma Qiang clapped his hands first and sincerely praised.

  Their voices were a bit loud, attracting the attention of Princess Ping'an. Before long, a little girl ran over and greeted them with a bow. Her clear voice was pleasant to hear: "Greetings to the young ladies! Our elderly lady asked what you are playing? Let's let you join in on the fun!"

  Li Huixin and a few others looked somewhat nervous, but Zhou Ying and Yang Lan smiled and agreed. Zhou Ying smiled first: "You go back and tell her that Jing'an painted a very good painting, and we'll take it over for the old lady to appreciate later!" As she spoke, she took out a few silver melon seeds from her purse and handed them to her.

  "Alright, I'll go and reply!" The little girl happily skipped away after receiving her reward.

  Yang Lan smiled and blamed them, "Look at what you've done, if I make a fool of myself later, you guys have to help me out!"

  "How embarrassing! I really like this painting, it's very tasteful." Li Huixian looked at the artwork, and the more she looked, the more she liked it.

  Yang Lan took the painting and, accompanied by several girls, gathered in front of Princess Ping'an. Princess Ping'an beckoned to them with a smile on her face, full of kindness, "Good children, come let me see what you've painted!"

  "Just playing around with painting, it's hard to enter the grand hall, don't laugh at me, Auntie!" Yang Lan still presented her work.

  Princess Ping'an narrowed her eyes and carefully examined the painting, nodding in approval after a while: "Not bad, really not bad! The composition is good, but these two small dogs have achieved the effect of adding a finishing touch, making this painting come alive, showing its own style, yes! Good!"

  He Hui couldn't help but laugh and cry as she said: "Auntie, don't praise her too much, or else her tail will be held high in the sky!"

  Princess Ping'an shook her head and seriously said to He Hui, "He Hui! This child really has some talent in painting! I remember that Master Minghui returned from her travels just this year. She's a talented woman with a calm demeanor and a noble character. Why don't we do it like this? If you're willing to continue learning to paint, I'll speak to Minghui and have her teach you!"

  Peaceful for a lifetime, having experienced many ups and downs, seeing countless people, these eyes have seen through to the truth of one person after another. She really quite likes this child Yang Lan, whose entire being exudes an aura of intelligence, with a mind full of strategy yet rare in being a kind-hearted good child, her heart filled with even more love and tenderness.

  He Hui Chang Gong Zhu knew Ming Hui, who was a famous figure in the capital back then. However, few people knew that Ming Hui was actually the youngest daughter of the previous emperor. Her husband had helped Empress Li's son seize the throne, and the consequences were clear. Ming Hui never supported this matter, causing her to become estranged from her husband. Her husband's family did not meet a good end, and Ming Hui, disheartened and disillusioned, became a nun. The emperor, considering their sibling relationship and that Ming Hui had not participated in these events, held no grudges against her. He even advised her to remarry, but back then, she had been married off by the previous emperor's decree, without the right to refuse. Now, remarriage was up to her, but Ming Hui had already renounced worldly love and devoted herself to Buddhism.

  As time passed, people only knew that Master Ming Hui had a profound Buddhist background and did not know that she was once a princess. However, she herself is indeed a stunning beauty, and few can compare to her.

  He Hui's eyes widened in surprise, her beautiful eyes revealing a rare look of astonishment, "Auntie, this...!"

  Princess Ping'an patted her hand, "The past is gone, she's now just Master Minghui. I see that she's now the abbot of Pudu Temple and no longer has the gloominess of the past. She's actually more calm and composed than before. Han'er is a good kid, let her follow and learn from her, it might not be a bad thing!" She could see that Yang Shan had a heroic and spirited appearance, but was also somewhat stubborn and hard-headed. A girl being too tough wasn't necessarily a good thing!

  He Hui understood her aunt's kindness, smiled and nodded, "Lan'er, don't you hurry to thank your aunt? Being able to learn from Master Minghui is your good fortune! Many people have sought to see her but it's very difficult!"

  Yang Lan didn't know about Ming Hui's affairs, but felt that her mother was happy, which was naturally very good. So she happily gave a bow to Princess Ping'an and thanked her, "Lan'er thanks Auntie for her support, I'll get something nice to show my filial piety to Auntie soon!"

  "Haha! You little thing is so cunning!" Ping An laughed happily, as the elderly like to see their children having fun in front of them, lively and noisy. What the elderly fear most is loneliness.

  "Leave this painting for me! You are all good kids, leave your poems for me to appreciate too. Qian Aunty will give you a reward on my behalf, it's just a small token of my appreciation. These children are so well-behaved and polite, they're all good kids, just looking at them makes me very happy!" Princess Ping'an was delighted and smiled as she instructed Qian Aunty to take care of the rewards.

  "Thank you, old madam!"

  "Ah! Today we're in luck, not only did we get to bask in the blessings of the elderly lady, but we also received rewards. We should come often to soak up some good fortune!" Li Huixin's mother stood out and joked with a smile, provoking a group of ladies-in-waiting to nod in agreement, each trying to curry favor with Princess Ping'an."

  The several girls who got the reward were envied and jealous by everyone's eyes, Yang Lan pulled a few people to find a seat casually and sat down, ready to eat.

  Just as she was about to sit down on the edge of the chair, San Guniang suddenly felt something was off and immediately stood up. All of a sudden, there was a loud crash from behind her, and the chair had broken into two pieces. This time, even San Guniang was startled.

  Seeing everyone staring at him with surprised eyes, he quickly laughed and said: "Ah! I just wanted to sneak a drink, do you have to expose me even for a stool? Ah! This person really can't do bad things!" As he spoke, he looked embarrassed, blushing and sticking out his tongue, frowning and looking troubled, which made everyone laugh in agreement.

  The third young lady has a delicate complexion, clear and bright eyes, and a generous demeanor. Although it was unexpected, her handling of the crisis was not bad, although somewhat stiff. At her age, she didn't make a fool of herself, which is really not bad. Several noblewomen couldn't help but take a few more glances at her and remembered her in their hearts.