0p0 Chapter 251 The Bright King Appears!
Chapter 251 The Bright King Appears!
As expected, the Jin family sent someone to urge Mu Xin Nuan early in the morning.
Mu Xin Nuan felt that something was amiss, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Accompanying her grandmother to worship Buddha and listen to sutras was perfectly normal!
As soon as Mu Xin Nuan left Yue Xuan, she encountered the Mu Qing Xuan and Mu Qing Yuan brothers who had run over. Just as the two of them stopped, He Zhuang Zhuang followed them, panting heavily.
"Eldest sister, eldest sister, wait a minute, please talk to Grandmother and ask her to take me with her."
Seeing him covered in sweat from running, Mu Xin Nuan shook her head, took a handkerchief and quickly wiped his sweat. "Zhuang Zhuang, this time it's all women going. Are you a girl?"
Zhuangzhuang blushed. "I'm not! I'm a man."
"Then let's not settle it! You're at the perfect age to study, and besides, the main reason for going to Qiyun Temple is to accompany your grandmother to chant sutras and worship Buddha, not to go on a trip. Do you know how to chant sutras?"
He Zhuangzhuang's face fell, and he shook his head, "No way!"
"Alright. When my eldest sister returns, we'll find some time to go out together, okay?"
"really?"
"Does your sister keep her word?"
Seeing the three brothers, of different heights, all looking at her, Mu Xin Nuan smiled knowingly, feeling a warm and tender feeling in her heart. "Of course it's true. When has your elder sister ever lied to you? When the time comes, you'll definitely have to invite Tingting too."
"Okay, then we'll wait for our eldest sister to come back."
Mu Xin Nuan had to admit that the Jin family's arrangement was indeed excellent!
Just as they had settled in, they discovered that two more groups of worshippers had arrived at the temple, and judging from their appearance, their status was probably higher than theirs!
If we had come a day later, we probably wouldn't have been able to find a place to stay.
"Miss, the Second Madam just sent someone to say that everyone has had a hard day climbing the mountain, so please rest. Tomorrow, we will accompany the Old Madam to pay our respects at the various halls."
"Alright. Rongyue, bring some tea and snacks, let's go for a stroll in the back mountain."
"Yes, Miss, then this servant will bring over a small table as well." Mu Hua was also happy, having heard that the crabapple blossoms on the back hill were in excellent condition!
The group chatted and laughed as they arrived at the back of the mountain. Sure enough, after just a few turns, they came upon a sea of flowers.
“This place is so beautiful! No wonder Miss was so eager to come and see the back mountain.” Rongyue said as she found a relatively flat and clean spot, first laying out a layer of coarse linen cloth, then placing a small table and a futon made of brocade, and then taking the food box from Muhua and setting out a dry tea and snacks.
"Miss, the water is still hot. Would you like some tea made now?"
"Okay." Mu Xin Nuan was completely absorbed in admiring the flowers and didn't care about anything else at all.
“Miss, although it’s May, we’re on a mountaintop. You should put on another cloak.” Chunyu said, unfolding a silver-gray cloak. Although the color seemed plain, upon closer inspection, there were faint gold patterns on the cloak, which occasionally shone brightly in the sunlight.
"Such a beautiful view, it's just a pity that we can only enjoy it for a few days at most."
As Mu Xin Nuan thought about this, she couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. She was already fourteen years old, and in two more years she would come of age and marry someone else. Although she would have more opportunities to go out in the future, the places she could go were still limited to just a few!
Considering the current uncertain political situation, the future of the Li and Mu families—whether they will rise or fall—is still unknown. I also don't know if I will ever have the opportunity or the mood to appreciate the scenery again.
Rongyue always understood her mistress's thoughts best, because she had been with her the longest. Upon seeing this, she could roughly guess that her mistress was perhaps reminded of something painful!
"Miss, such a beautiful view! Shall I go and prepare some writing materials for you?"
That one sentence served as a reminder to Mu Xinnuan.
"Good! Prepare it quickly. Such a beautiful scene should be depicted on paper, so as not to waste the beauty of this crabapple blossom."
Soon, Rongyue had prepared the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
After selecting a few spots, Mu Xin Nuan finally placed the small table on a crabapple tree and began to write.
Everyone knew their young lady's temperament and knew that she disliked being disturbed when she was painting or practicing calligraphy. Mu Qing didn't come out this time; she stayed in the guest courtyard with Granny Yu to guard the courtyard.
Mu Hua and Chun Yu worked in perfect harmony, flanking their mistress from the left and right, while Rong Yue was responsible for grinding ink and helping their mistress organize some discarded paintings.
About half an hour later, Mu Xin Nuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and straightened up. Perhaps because she had been bent over for too long, she was still a little unaccustomed to standing up straight. She gently pounded her waist and shook her head, saying, "It's done, but it's a pity the color is a bit off."
"Miss, do you think the colors aren't vibrant enough?" Rongyue looked at the beautiful scenery before her, then at the painting of crabapple blossoms, and said with great admiration, "Miss, this painting is already extremely beautiful. In my opinion, it's even more beautiful than the real crabapple blossoms!"
"You don't understand! Although the crabapple blossoms are beautiful, the color is wrong, so the overall style of the painting is also wrong."
"How could I not see anything wrong with the color?" Rongyue looked again, but still couldn't figure it out.
"Greetings to His Highness Prince Ming."
Mu Xin Nuan's body stiffened abruptly, then she slowly turned around, curtsied, and said, "Greetings to Your Highness."
"No need for formalities." His Highness Prince Ming walked over with great ease, and how could Mu Hua and the others dare to stop him?
"I saw Miss Mu engrossed in her painting, which is why I lingered here for so long. I've long heard of Miss Mu's renowned talent, and seeing it for myself today, I can confirm that her reputation is well-deserved."
"Your Highness is too kind. I am unworthy of such praise."
The Prince Ming gave Mu Xin Nuan a deep look, smiling self-satisfiedly. He then glanced down at the crabapple blossom painting he had just begun, and after a moment, nodded, saying, "Miss Mu, at such a young age, your painting skills are already so remarkable! Truly worthy of your scholarly family background. Miss Mu just said the colors are wrong. May I ask Miss Mu to enlighten me?"
"Your Highness, I simply feel that the color is a bit too vibrant. Thus, it merely depicts the color of the crabapple blossoms without capturing their spirit and essence. Hence, my dissatisfaction."
"Integrity? I have long heard that plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are the Four Gentlemen of Flowers, but I never knew that the crabapple also possesses some admirable integrity?"
"Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are indeed famous throughout the world, and scholars and literati all love and praise them. Perhaps it is because I am a woman that I have a special fondness for crabapple blossoms."