Liu Yanyu chatted and laughed as she returned to her courtyard with her maid. Pushing open the door, she saw Zhou Jiayang, who was dumbfounded, and her heart sank, her face turning a little pale.
Zhou Jiayang snapped back to reality at the sound. He looked at the woman who first caught his eye, scrutinizing her from head to toe. He guessed she was his so-called cousin and eagerly asked, "Did you paint this?"
"Are you kidding? How could I have painted it? All these paintings were collected by my father with a huge sum of money when he was alive," Liu Yanyu quickly denied.
"Cousin, there's no need to be modest. I've studied it carefully just now. The paper is new, and when I smelled it, there was still the scent of ink. Clearly, this painting was just finished not long ago, and there's no seal. It must be your masterpiece," he exposed, seeing his cousin refuse to admit it. If he hadn't studied it closely, he wouldn't have believed his cousin's painting skill had reached such a level. Although his own painting skills were mediocre, under his tutor's guidance, his ability to appreciate art was very strong.
Liu Yanyu was too lazy to bother with him. She stepped forward and tried to snatch the painting from his hand. Zhou Jiayang turned and nimbly dodged, running out of the door. Standing in the courtyard, he watched his cousin chase after him and said with a smile, "Even though cousin is unwilling to admit it, I know you painted it. I really love your paintings, please give them to me."
Before Liu Yanyu could refuse, he had already fled.
Liu Yanyu stomped her foot in the courtyard with resentment. After thinking for a moment, she hurried towards the main residence. This was the first time she had seen her aunt in several months. She couldn't shake the feeling that her aunt disliked her, and her aunt had also excused her from morning greetings. Normally, she wouldn't approach her unless absolutely necessary.
Madam Zhou looked at her with a gloomy gaze, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Liu Yanyu felt extremely uncomfortable, a strong urge to escape overwhelming her. The moment she remembered the purpose of her visit, she forced herself to endure it.
"You don't visit without a reason, so speak. What is it you want?" After a while, Madam Zhou adjusted her demeanor and asked calmly. She usually handled interactions with ladies of prominent families with ease, her emotions never showing. But when it came to this girl, she lost some of her composure. Perhaps it was because she felt everything about the girl was within her control, unable to escape her grasp, and therefore she didn't take her seriously, revealing her true nature without reservation.
Liu Yanyu described what had happened in her courtyard. Then, she lowered her head and said, "Cousin is determined to believe I painted it. Since men and women should avoid physical contact, it feels improper for cousin to possess my belongings."
Madam Zhou was furious upon hearing this. What did she mean? Was she implying her son was actively pursuing her? How could she be so audacious?
While instructing the wet nurse to call her son over, she said dismissively, "Why would Jiayang come to your courtyard without reason? If I recall correctly, you two are not well acquainted. You are both of age and need to be discreet. In a couple of years, I still need to find a good match for Jiayang and bring in a sister-in-law who can assist him."
Liu Yanyu felt a surge of stifled resentment. She remembered visiting the Zhou family with her parents when she was young. At that time, Madam Zhou was incredibly warm to her, making anyone think she was her own daughter. Yet, in just a few years, after her family suffered a sudden misfortune, they had turned their backs on her so easily. However, under someone else's roof, one had to be submissive, so she could only meekly say, "Yes."
In the end, no one paid attention to the other. Soon, hurried footsteps were heard. The wet nurse walked up to Madam Zhou and whispered something in her ear, causing Madam Zhou's expression to become exceptionally surprised.
Madam Zhou casually made an excuse to dismiss Liu Yanyu. Unwilling to give up, Liu Yanyu said, "Aunt, please remember to get my painting back."
This was truly striking a sore spot. Madam Zhou glared at her irritably and said with disdain, "It's just a broken painting, isn't it? Are we going to abscond with it? You truly have shallow vision."
Liu Yanyu clenched her fists tightly. She bowed and quietly left. Upon returning to her courtyard, she thought about her recent conversation with her aunt and couldn't help but shed tears. She considered herself not a fragile person, but at times, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
At this moment, Madam Zhou looked at her wet nurse with a look of disappointment and helplessness, "He actually took the painting out of the mansion. What exactly does he want to do?"
"This servant does not know, but Madam, please do not worry. What harm can a painting do?" The wet nurse quickly comforted Madam Zhou. Madam Zhou thought about it and agreed; it was just a painting, what trouble could it possibly cause?
In the following days, Liu Yanyu never got her painting back. Instead, her cousin asked her to paint again, which she vehemently denied. Soon after, even Madam Zhou joined in. Her expenses for food and clothing were reduced significantly, and she even visited Liu Yanyu with threats in her words. Despite this, Liu Yanyu did not compromise. Before long, even her maternal grandmother and uncle began to look at her with dissatisfaction.
She felt a sense of unease and hesitantly asked what her cousin had done with her painting. Unfortunately, no one answered her.
After weighing the pros and cons, she agreed. It wasn't that she couldn't bear the temporary pressure, but rather that she was in the Zhou family, and everyone there believed she had painted it. If she continued to deny it, they would lock her up and interrogate her, and she would be powerless to resist.
Human greed is insatiable. With the first time came the second, and with the second came the third. She painted countless times. One day, while strolling in the garden, she overheard two maids chatting and learned that he had become a famous painter at that time.
It turned out that her cousin had been passing off her paintings as his own, becoming a renowned artist. Not only had he gained the emperor's attention, but he had also won the favor of a princess. At this moment, she felt a sense of panic.
She forced herself to calm down and devise a plan, because she knew the more famous her cousin became, the less likely she was to be able to leave the Zhou family. They feared that if she left, her cousin's false reputation would be exposed.
She felt an unprecedented crisis, yet she had no one to confide in, and could only rack her brains alone in the quiet of the night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
However, for so many years, she had lived within the confines of the Zhou family mansion, her every move under their control. With no wealth and no influence, it was a situation where her pleas to heaven and earth would go unanswered.
Finally, one day, she woke up to find herself in a square stone chamber, with chains on her feet. At that moment, she felt a sense of dizziness, knowing that what she feared had finally come to pass.
From then on, she became Zhou Jiayang's true painting proxy. This continued for an unknown number of years.
One day, a woman entered and was shocked to see the room full of paintings. The next day, after breakfast, she died of bleeding from all seven orifices, ending her short life. Although she felt suffering in her death, she was unusually peaceful, for to her, it was a form of liberation.