Chapter 76

Chapter 76: Lavish Rewards Ling Jiayue sat beside Madam Liu. She felt that this woman’s calligraphy all looked the same, stroke after stroke, until merely watching made her drowsy. However, Ling Jiayue could hardly fall asleep, so she had no choice but to drink wine, eat some food, and keep chatting with Danyun and Lingxue. Otherwise, she truly would have dozed off. Time passed in a flash, and all the young women of the Ye Kingdom had come forward to display their calligraphy. Mu Yuye praised them, saying, “The young ladies of the Ye Kingdom are truly blessed by nature. Even their calligraphy is as delicate and graceful as they are. You have certainly opened my eyes.” “Your Majesty of Dayi, you are too kind. Let us take a look at the calligraphy of the young ladies from Dayi instead,” Chu Chaoci said listlessly. “Hmm, that would be fine as well,” Mu Yuye replied. “Earlier, the Prime Minister’s legitimate eldest son was the first to compose a poem. I believe we should not show favoritism, so let us have Miss Ling display her calligraphy first as well. That way, we can feast our eyes,” Chu Chaoci said, slightly raising his eyes. Ling Jiayue’s heart tightened at his words. Had she been discovered? Even after being reborn into a second life, was he still unwilling to let her go? Though her expression remained calm and betrayed not the slightest hint of her thoughts, Chu Chaoci’s words had already stirred tempestuous waves within her heart. Chu Chaoci naturally had his reasons for making this request. He suspected that this Ling Jiayue was his former Empress, Ling Jiayue, who had already died. He knew Ling Jiayue’s handwriting. If this girl’s handwriting was exactly the same, then he could confirm it. “That sounds excellent. Then let Miss Ling go first,” Mu Yuye agreed. Empress Su Wanrong also nodded slightly. She had taken a liking to this clever little girl and was looking forward to seeing what kind of surprise Ling Jiayue might bring her. Mu Yuheng, too, watched Ling Jiayue expectantly. He had discovered that the more attention he paid to her, the more she seemed like a treasure trove of surprises. She was truly a fascinating and multifaceted woman. Ling Jiayue, however, was utterly unwilling. She knew that Chu Chaoci recognized her handwriting. If she wrote as she usually did, he would identify her, and her revenge would be set back another step. But Ling Jiayue could not panic. In the end, she still had to write. Ling Jiayue set down the wine cup in her hand and raised it in a gesture. Danyun helped her rise from her seat. Ling Jiayue walked slowly toward the writing desk in the middle of the hall. She moved slowly because she needed to think of a way to write beautiful characters without allowing Chu Chaoci to recognize them. As she walked slowly, the others, unaware of the truth, assumed that her handwriting was too ugly and that she was dawdling because she was embarrassed to step forward. Chu Chaoci and Mu Yuye watched Ling Jiayue with great interest, both eager to see what she would write. There was only a short distance between Ling Jiayue’s seat and the writing desk in the center of the hall. No matter how slowly she walked, she would eventually arrive. At last, Ling Jiayue reached the desk. She glanced at the four treasures of the study laid out before her and thought: She has always practiced hairpin-style regular script, and Chu Chaoci knows that. What he does not know is that she once practiced cursive script with her late Older Brother. Because she was not good at it, she had never displayed it before Chu Chaoci. As things stand, however, it was perfect for today. “Grind the ink,” Ling Jiayue instructed Danyun. “Yes, Miss,” Danyun replied, taking up the inkstick and beginning to grind. Before long, the ink had been ground thick and dark. Ling Jiayue spread out the xuan paper and secured it with paperweight stones. Then she set aside the delicate brush intended for women and deliberately chose a large wolf-hair brush. Picking it up, she dipped it into the ink until it was fully saturated. Mu Yuheng was astonished to see Ling Jiayue choose a large wolf-hair brush. The women all practiced the small characters of the inner chambers—hairpin-style regular script. He had not expected Ling Jiayue to choose the large brush favored by men instead. He had no idea what she intended to write. With the brush saturated in ink, Ling Jiayue thought of the poem Ling Jiaxuan had composed moments earlier: “Bloodied from battle, the armor torn apart, Beyond the frontier, we break through layered lines. Charging the camp, we slay the enemy general, And return leading a thousand steeds and a mighty army.” Ling Jiayue had galloped across battlefields before, and her heart was filled with heroic spirit. This poem was particularly suited to cursive script. Her hand moved with her thoughts. With one sweeping motion, she wrote out the poem Ling Jiaxuan had recited, her strokes flowing as naturally as drifting clouds and running water. Ling Jiayue breathed lightly as she set down the brush. When she saw how much her cursive script had improved, she was surprised herself. In truth, calligraphy was connected to a person’s experiences and breadth of spirit. Before Ling Jiayue learned cursive script, she had been merely a sheltered young lady. Later, she had taken the field, slain enemies, personally led the Liuhuo Army, and safeguarded the peace of the Ye Kingdom—truly displaying the spirit of a great man. After that, she had endured profound grief and agony. Following her rebirth, she had entered an entirely different world. Her heart and mind had long since surpassed those of the sheltered young lady she had once been. Thus, it was no accident that Ling Jiayue could produce such impressive cursive script today. When Danyun saw Ling Jiayue’s writing, its strokes flowed freely, elegant and unrestrained. She could not help admiring her master even more. “Danyun,” Ling Jiayue called. Danyun lifted the sheet of cursive script Ling Jiayue had written and displayed it to Mu Yuye, Chu Chaoci, and the assembled princes and nobles. If Miss Zhang’s calligraphy moments earlier had been like a clear moon and gentle breeze playing a delicate tune of the inner chambers, then Ling Jiayue’s writing had reached an entirely higher level in artistic conception. Mu Yuheng gazed at Ling Jiayue and thought: Just how many more surprises do you have that I do not know about? But it does not matter. I will spend my entire life uncovering your “surprises”! Chu Chaoci regarded Ling Jiayue meaningfully. Although her handwriting was different from that of the former Empress, it was truly astonishing that a young woman could attain such mastery of calligraphy. She had certainly caused him to view her in a new light. “Excellent! Beautifully written!” Mu Yuye praised. Even the Third Prince and Murong Xi were shaken by Ling Jiayue’s calligraphy. Murong Xi’s thoughts grew even darker: A woman like this must be eliminated. If she is allowed to remain, she will certainly become a grave threat to me in the future! “Snap!” The sound was that of a fingernail breaking. Although Miss Zhang still wore a smile, she was seething with hatred inside. She had snapped one of the nails she had carefully nurtured. Miss Zhang had originally believed that her diligent practice would surely allow her to shine brilliantly at the peach-blossom banquet. She had not expected that her brilliance would last only a moment before being completely stolen by Ling Jiayue! What, then, had all her hard work and practice amounted to? Ling Yuwan had just been utterly humiliated by Ling Jiayue. She had assumed that Ling Jiayue had refused earlier because she could not write well, but it turned out that Ling Jiayue had merely been modest! However, Ling Yuwan was an extremely calculating person. She naturally would not reveal such thoughts. Her face still held a radiant smile, yet she wished even more fervently that Ling Jiayue would fall from her horse and die when she rode later. “Your Majesty, Miss Ling’s calligraphy is so excellent. Should we not reward her?” Seeing that Mu Yuye had yet to bestow a reward, Empress Su Wanrong asked him. “Reward her? Of course we must reward her. Guards, grant her a lavish reward!”