jdhmnovel Chapter 36 List of Portraits
Chapter 36 List of Portraits
The companion replied, "Yes, it really looks good. Let's get one drawn next time we go out."
Some jealous women whispered, "Look at that alluring face, painted like that. She might be a concubine in some mansion, or even a girl from some brothel." They then laughed contemptuously.
Sure enough, where women gather, there's bound to be a lot of drama.
Most of them are kind people. Kind people associate the things they see with beauty and can't help but appreciate them. There are also those with bad intentions. When they see something better than themselves, if they can't have it, they will be jealous and can't help but want to slander or trample on it.
Right and wrong are nothing more than a matter of the upper lip touching the lower lip.
A kind word warms the heart for three winter months, while a harsh word chills the heart for six summer months; it's just that it hasn't happened to you yet.
The saleswoman brought a lot of rouge and face powder and placed them on the table for her to choose from.
Long Chuqing took it and looked at it, then rubbed it with her fingers, but it still wasn't smooth enough.
She said to Ziguang beside her, "You pick what you like, I'll pay for it."
Zi Guang said shyly, "Thank you, young lady, but I'm too young to need it."
Long Chuqing glanced at Ziguang and saw that his face was indeed full of collagen, his skin was moisturized, and his cheeks were rosy. He didn't need to use these products; he could just use more moisturizer.
She smiled and said, "Then pick out a few kinds of lip rouge and some for Granny Lin too."
Ziguang stopped making excuses and happily picked out a few items; girls still love to look beautiful.
She picked up an orange-red lip gloss to try, and lightly pressed it onto her lips for a light application.
After applying lip rouge, her originally delicate face instantly became bright and beautiful.
Zi Guang was also seeing Long Chuqing wearing lip rouge for the first time. "You look even more beautiful with lip rouge on."
Even the saleswoman was stunned. She had worked in a cosmetics shop and seen many beautiful women, but none of them were as stunning as her.
The sales clerk chimed in, "Yes, yes, you're a beautiful young lady. This lip rouge color suits you perfectly."
Long Chuqing selected several face powders that closely matched her skin tone. She planned to add some ingredients and modify them herself to see if she could cover Long Dian. She also picked out a few lip rouges.
Ziguang also picked out a few, and helped Granny Lin choose one too.
As they left, the women were still gazing at her; beautiful things are always worth appreciating.
The sales clerk helped them carry their goods to the carriage: "Take care, young ladies. Look for me next time you need something."
Long Chuqing nodded in acknowledgment and boarded the carriage.
It was already noon.
"Are you hungry? Let's go get something to eat!" Long Chuqing asked Ziguang.
Zi Guang nodded.
Long Chuqing asked the coachman, "Do you know the best teahouse in the capital?"
The coachman replied, "The best teahouse in the capital is Qinlan Teahouse. Wealthy people, literati, and other refined individuals all like to go there. I've even taken the Prince there a few times!"
"Then let's go to Qinlan Teahouse." We earn money to spend it, so let's enjoy ourselves first.
"Alright," the coachman replied, and drove the carriage forward.
It was noon, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the street, probably because they had all gone to eat.
Royal Palace
After the morning court session today, the four princes—Prince Jin, Prince Qi, Prince Xuan, and Prince Qin—were once again kept in the imperial study by Emperor Sukang.
After leaving the court, Prince Yu raised his proud head and said smugly to his brothers, "I won't keep you company today. I have some official business to attend to, and my wife and children are waiting for me at home. I'll be going now." With that, he whistled and walked away happily.
Prince Rui cast a sympathetic glance at them: "Ahem... well, I also have some official business to attend to. My brothers, I'll be leaving now." With that, he turned and left gracefully.
The four people were left standing there bewildered in the wind. After exchanging bewildered glances, they sighed and could only turn and walk towards the Imperial Study.
In the imperial study, Emperor Sukang sat upright on the dragon throne, holding a stack of documents sent by the Ministry of Rites.
He flipped through the papers one by one, sometimes nodding in agreement, sometimes shaking his head and frowning. He put the ones he felt were good aside and the ones he felt were not so good aside.
The portraits collected by the Ministry of Rites were all drawn by painters hired by each family themselves; the Ministry of Rites simply notified them.
Upon receiving the notification from the Ministry of Rites, each prefecture sent people to inquire, and rumors circulated that it was for the selection of consorts for the princes.
Upon hearing this news, everyone actively made arrangements, as every family wanted to curry favor with the imperial family and hoped that their daughters or granddaughters would be chosen.
Therefore, when painting, it was common practice to slip some money to the painter, hoping that the painter would depict their daughter as beautiful, emphasizing her strengths and minimizing her weaknesses. Of course, it couldn't be too exaggerated; it had to be subtle. Otherwise, if the painting didn't match the description, they would be reprimanded, and might even offend the royal family.
Next to each portrait, there are detailed notes about the person, such as: which family she belongs to, what her name is, how old she is, what talents she has, etc.
The description of his talents was incredibly elaborate, making him seem capable of anything!
So in just one day, the Ministry of Rites collected the portraits of the daughters of various families without lifting a finger.
When the people in the Ministry of Rites received the portraits sent from various prefectures, they all exclaimed that it wouldn't be bad to have more of these kinds of assignments. Look at the efficiency, the speed, and the enthusiasm—it's incredibly fast!
A sharp announcement rang out from outside the door: "The Prince of Jin has arrived, the Prince of Qi has arrived, the Prince of Xuan has arrived, the Prince of Qin has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Sukang glanced at the doorway and said to Eunuch Xue, "Summon them."
The four princes stepped forward to pay their respects.
"My son, I will meet my father."
Emperor Sukang didn't even lift his eyes, preoccupied with the documents in his hand. "Get up, all of you!"
"Thank you, Father."
After a long while, the four princes stood below, but Emperor Sukang still did not speak.
They're all staring at each other. What's going on?
Emperor Sukang remained silent, and his brothers dared not ask any questions. They stood there blankly below, with only a few flickering candle flames burning in the vast imperial study.
As Emperor Sukang put down the last document, he spoke: "As you all know, I summoned you here today because of what happened yesterday."
"The Ministry of Rites sent you information on the daughters of various families today. I felt that you might not be interested in them if I sent them to you, so I summoned you here today to look at them in the Imperial Study!"
“I just helped you screen them,” he said, taking the list and handing it to Eunuch Xue.
"Xue Ci, take these to them and show them one by one, in turn. Make sure they understand before giving them to the next person. I have plenty of time today."
Xue Ci took it and put it away.
"Offering a seat"
The palace servants brought in four chairs and placed them side by side.
"Thank you, Father Emperor, for granting me a seat."
Eunuch Xue handed over the list on one side, and a junior eunuch received it on the other. Emperor Sukang had arranged everything perfectly.
He kept a close eye on them, not allowing them to fool him. He was really worried sick about his old father!
The brothers carefully examined each one before handing it to the next. They were certain that if Emperor Sukang found out they were trying to fool him, their father would make them sit in the imperial study and stare at them all day, so they dared not be careless.
As they watched, they pondered, knowing that their father would surely ask them questions one by one later, and they needed to think about how to answer them well!