Recovering her senses, Wu Caiwei truly felt the original host had been wronged. Of all the supporting female characters she had encountered, this was a rare intelligent and clear-headed woman, yet her life was controlled by others, unable to break free.
Based on the original host's memories, if she wasn't mistaken, Zhou Jiayang had gotten involved with the princess because of this painting. If she wasn't mistaken, the woman the original host saw before her death was the princess, and her death was also greatly related to the princess.
Therefore, this time, she decided to go along with Zhou Jiayang's wishes and paint him a picture, even better than the one in the previous life, to make their love burn even brighter.
With these thoughts clarified, she slept soundly. Upon waking, she sent someone to invite her cousin over.
The two met without needing many words. Wu Caiwei directly had him describe the painting. The original host had seen the princess, so she painted it more exquisitely and lifelike than in the previous life.
When Zhou Jiayang received the painting, he beamed with joy and gave Wu Caiwei a thumbs-up. At the same time, he felt a twinge of regret, wishing he had such skill himself.
Indeed, at the princess's birthday banquet, the painting immediately captured everyone's attention as soon as it was unveiled. Even the Emperor praised it, "Mr. Yiming lives up to his reputation. Everyone says Lord Li's painting skills are unparalleled, but unfortunately, he retired from officialdom and returned home due to his son's troubles. Otherwise, I would have had you two compete."
"Your Majesty is too kind." Zhou Jiayang broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing the Emperor's latter words, feeling fortunate for his departure. Otherwise, how could he possibly compete? In recent months, whenever someone asked him to paint, he would make excuses, claiming his paintings required meticulous effort and contemplation at home before they could be completed.
Everyone understood, as slow work yields fine results. Little did they know that he would return home to ask his cousin for help. Speaking of which, he couldn't help but worry. Seeing the princess's joyful expression and the admiring glances from nobles, he knew that in the future, opportunities to paint for them would be plentiful. But he knew nothing about painting! He needed to consult his mother for advice upon returning home. Such a clear path lay before him, and he absolutely could not make any mistakes.
That day, as he left the princess's mansion, the princess specially sent many gifts. The onlookers cast envious glances at the items in his hands, marveling at how lucky this young man was to have caught the princess's eye. With the Grand Princess's standing in the Emperor's heart, his future was boundless.
Zhou Jiayang felt as if everything were unreal. His steps were light and airy. He had never dreamed he would reach such heights, and it all stemmed from painting. At this moment, he decided that even if his mother objected, he would marry his cousin, for he could not do without her.
Upon returning home, he conveyed his thoughts to his mother. Although Madam Zhou was somewhat displeased with Liu Yanyu's status, upon realizing that the Emperor and the princess were so fond of her son because of her paintings, she became very excited and reluctantly agreed.
Wu Caiwei suddenly noticed that since the painting had been submitted, her living standards had improved. Even the servants treated her with more kindness. This had also happened in the previous life, and the original host had been very perplexed, unable to understand why.
Wu Caiwei could guess the reason. At that time, he wanted to marry Liu Yanyu, and later imprisoned her in the basement? That was probably because the princess had fallen for him.
Following this, Zhou Jiayang frequently visited her courtyard and asked her to help paint several more pictures. During this period, Wu Caiwei was exceptionally cooperative, never asking for reasons. Zhou Jiayang was very satisfied with this batch of paintings and couldn't help but reveal some of his thoughts, "As long as Cousin listens to me and diligently paints for me, I will definitely treat you well in the future."
Wu Caiwei ignored him completely, knowing his words were not to be trusted. If she hadn't wanted to play matchmaker for him and the princess, she would have left long ago. Why would she stay in this cage that the original host dreamed of escaping?
Zhou Jiayang was accustomed to her indifferent attitude. To be honest, if he hadn't needed her, why would he have stooped to this? In reality, he also found his cousin's aloofness somewhat disagreeable and secretly decided that after they got married, he would take several concubines to curb her pride.
Leaving Liu Yanyu's residence, he went to the princess's mansion again. Perhaps because the princess had specifically instructed them, he was admitted without even needing to announce himself. Although he maintained a humble and cautious demeanor on the surface, he was secretly smug. Just a few months ago, he had never imagined being a guest of the princess. Unrealistic thoughts began to arise in his mind, such as, had the princess taken a liking to him? Did he have a chance to become the Emperor's son-in-law?
Although he was somewhat dissolute and arrogant, he still knew his own worth. The Grand Princess's position in the Emperor's heart was irreplaceable, and she had previously rejected many excellent young men, all of whom were better looking and had better family backgrounds than him. Although he knew it was unlikely, he still held a sliver of hope: what if?
The Grand Princess accepted the painting from the palace maids and felt that his painting skills had improved significantly recently. Not becoming arrogant despite receiving widespread praise, she silently nodded.
Everyone said she was very picky, not pleased with this young master or that lord. Little did they know that her only hobby was painting, and she longed to find someone with shared interests with whom she could live in harmony. Sudan Novel Network
Whether it was her imagination or not, in Zhou Jiayang's past paintings, there was always a hint of melancholy, whereas his recent works exuded grandeur and an open-minded spirit. As a painter herself, she was skilled at judging a person's character from the feeling their paintings evoked. She believed she was not mistaken.
Although Zhou Jiayang kept his head down, he could feel the Grand Princess's scrutinizing gaze. He secretly wondered. In the past, he had not interacted much with the Grand Princess alone. After all, many people tried to curry favor with her, and he was always inconspicuous in the crowd. This time, however, the princess had clearly summoned him alone. Yet, for some reason, she remained silent from beginning to end.
After an unknown period, he heard the woman above ask in a cold voice, "Does Young Master Zhou have a betrothal?"
"No," he replied after a moment's pause, firmly. Although he had a verbal agreement with his cousin, there was no formal marriage contract, so it should count as no betrothal. Moreover, he harbored unrealistic hopes, wishing for good luck to befall him. Even if they had exchanged a marriage contract, he would absolutely not acknowledge it.
"Is there a woman you admire?" the cold voice asked again.
"No," he answered without hesitation. The princess breathed a sigh of relief. She did not want the person she had just taken a liking to already have a "white moonlight" in his heart. As the Grand Princess, she had no shortage of suitors and did not need to snatch someone else's man.