Heroic Wife Reborn

Jing Mo stood next to Yu Xiaoxiao and grinned. “Your Royal Highness doesn’t like these paintings?”

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded in a feigned show of agreement. “Can we go eat now?”

Jing Mo only looked 囧 at her words. The painting of a lady hanging before them now was done by a master. Jing Mo was certain even Fengtian’s palace didn’t house any of his works. Gu Xinglang and Zuo You were military men, so it was expected that they’d miss such fine details. But even Princess Linglong with her skills in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting failed to understand its significance?

Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei soon carried Gu Xinglang over so they could all observe the work in question. The picture depicted a lady leaning back against a bamboo couch beneath some flowers. She was dressed in flowing red skirts embroidered with blossoms, and her delicate figure mirrored the China roses around her most beautifully.

When Yu Xiaoxiao saw that no one else was leaving, she glanced at the painting a few more times before asking Gu Xinglang, “Is this lady pretty?”

Without a second thought, Gu Xinglang replied, “Her looks are only average at best. Princess, you far surpass her.”

Jing Mo’s teeth ached. These bastards are showing off their husband and wife affection in front of me again! The woman in this painting was once the most famous beauties of the six nations. How can you say her looks are average? Jing Mo stared at Gu Xinglang. Where are his eyes to claim such things?

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at the face of the lady in the painting. She was used to viewing digital photos and had a low sense of aesthetics or art appreciation. After a while, she determined the only striking difference was that the lady had a bigger chest. “She really isn’t as good as me,” the princess declared to the Royal Son-in-Law. “I look more human than she does.”

Zuo You shuffled over for a look before adding unequivocally, “Princess is right, this woman’s too ugly. You’re the only one as fair as a flower.”

As fair as a flower? Yu Xiaoxiao had often heard her subordinates praise women, but only with the intention of taking them to bed. Her gaze grew cold as she stared at Zuo You. “Are you asking for a one-night stand with me?”

Zuo You felt that he didn’t know enough Fengtian slang to understand. What’s that? He turned to Gu Xinglang for help. “One-night stand?”

Bull!

As soon as Yu Xiaoxiao heard Zuo You openly asking Little Gu for a one-night stand, she lost it. She wasn’t even dead yet, much less divorced from him, but this man was trying to barge into her territory in plain sight? She reached out and grabbed Zuo You by the hand. Seeing this, Gu Xinglang’s eyelids began twitching.

Before his wife could throw Zuo You bodily out of the room, Third Young Master Gu exclaimed, “Princess, don’t hurt him!”

“You still can’t bear to give him up?” Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly felt stifled as she looked at Gu Xinglang.

“We have to pay for the Grand Marshal’s medical expenses if he’s injured,” Gu Xinglang replied.

That was Yu Xiaoxiao’s fatal weakness. Forking over cash was equal to feeding them grain. She released her victim immediately.

Zuo You was completely lost as he landed on the ground. “Princess, did I do something wrong?” he asked.

Yu Xiaoxiao only glared at him. He’s been trying to invade my turf nonstop but still acts innocent now? “Did I do something wrong?” He’s so shamelessly brazen.

Xiao Zhuang sniffed and said, “Princess, the person in this painting almost looks real. This must be a very expensive work, right?”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked sympathetically at Xiao Zhuang. Here’s someone who’s never seen modern technology before! Even printed photos from cell phone cameras were only worth a smidgen at best. She replied, “How much could this be worth? They’ve completely distorted the human form.”

Hearing this, Xiao Zhuang immediately asked, “So it’s worthless? Then princess, can I buy it?”

Yu Xiaoxiao thought it’d be a waste of money to buy this painting and bring it home, but she still asked Jing Mo, “How many coppers is this picture worth? Give me a discount and I’ll buy it.”

Xiao Zhuang said, “Princess, I have money. I like this painting, so I’ll pay for it myself.”

Zuo You was now sure he’d irked the princess in some way. “Fair as a flower” must be too ordinary to praise Her Royal Highness. I should have said “beautiful enough to make the fishes sink and the geese fall down!” Now that Yu Xiaoxiao was planning to help her bodyguard purchase a painting, he tried cheering her up again. “Isn’t it just a painting? And it’s worthless as well. Princess, if you like it then just take it. It’s not as if Jing Mo will miss a single painting. He can just find an artist to draw up another one, easy.”

Jing Mo stared at the painting silently, unwilling to speak to such imbeciles by his side.

At least Gu Xinglang still had some sense of aesthetics. He told Yu Xiaoxiao, “Princess, this painting should be rather expensive.”

Hearing this, Yu Xiaoxiao told Xiao Zhuang, “Then don’t get it. I’ll buy meatbuns for you later.”

In Her Royal Highness’s eyes, a famous painting worth thousands of pieces of gold was less important than a few meatbuns. Jing Mo privately resolved that Yu Xiaoxiao shouldn’t always be getting the best of him in secret and asked, “Princess, this is a work by Master Zuo Daozi (左道子).1 You couldn’t tell?”

Zuo Daozi!

Even the uncultured military men recognized this name. Master Zuo was the most famous painter in the six nations in the past hundred years. None of them dared claim that this work was worthless now.

Jing Mo saw the crowd stunned by his revelation and felt much better. This is the proper attitude towards a master.

Unfortunately, one member of the group was a complete outsider. Yu Xiaoxiao repeated the name in her head before asking Zuo You, “He’s surnamed Zuo as well. A relative of yours?”

Zuo You was floored. Does everyone with the Zuo surname have to be related to me?

Jing Mo laughed and said, “Since the princess dislikes paintings, let’s go flower-viewing instead.” Even though the Fengtian princess gave me a gift of ebony silk,2 it’s only human nature for her to stay guarded against a Zhuri prince. Some things can’t be forced.

Yu Xiaoxiao saw Jing Mo heading out and quietly asked Gu Xinglang, “Is this painting very, very expensive?”

Gu Xinglang nodded. Zuo Daozi’s paintings fetched high prices but had no market; he never expected a little gallery like this to house one of his works. Looks like this location is another Zhuri stronghold in Fengtian.

“The owner of this gallery is one of my Zhuri citizens,” Jing Mo seemed to guess Gu Xinglang’s thoughts as he explained before they exited. Gu Xinglang nodded at him, but now he found the walls full of paintings an irritating sight.

Yu Xiaoxiao left the hall after Gu Xinglang and immediately spotted the person waiting for them outside. “Big brother?” she exclaimed.

Gu Xingnuo smiled as he walked towards the group, bowing respectfully to Jing Mo and Zuo You. “This one is Gu Xingnuo. Greetings to Eldest Prince Jing and Grand Marshal Zuo.”

Jing Mo smiled back. “Why is the Eldest Young Master Gu here?”

“I was worried about the princess and Third Brother, so I went to Safeguard Temple first. Then I heard the eldest prince brought them to see the chrysanthemums, so I came without an invitation,” Gu Xingnuo was neither humble nor haughty as he spoke flawlessly. It was as natural as sleeping or eating for him to stand protectively before his younger brother and sister-in-law.