Yan Qingshu leaned against the heated kang and sipped the beauty - nourishing soup one mouthful after another.
After finishing the soup, she walked behind the desk. Just as she was about to sit down, she heard the rather shrill voice of Xiaoluzi outside.
"His Majesty the Emperor is here!"
Hearing this, Yan Qingshu put down her brush and scurried over like a gust of wind, throwing herself into the man's arms.
Di Yunjian also opened his arms and embraced the one who flew into his arms like a little bird.
Looking down, he saw that her eyes were bright and there were spots on her fair face. She looked like a hopping sparrow.
She was so endearingly naive.
"Why are you like a little sparrow?" Di Yunjian said with a laugh as he hugged her.
Yan Qingshu frowned slightly. Her pretty little face showed a bit of unhappiness as she said, "Can't your concubine be a beautiful and noble white crane?"
"The little sparrow is a bit too small..."
Yan Qingshu mumbled with a frown.
"Okay, little white crane." Di Yunjian pinched her hair bun, and the smile on his face faded a bit.
Just now, subconsciously, he thought that even a phoenix might not be a match for her.
Realizing this thought, Di Yunjian pursed his lips and quickly suppressed it.
The empress was virtuous and kind - hearted. She was a good empress.
"Your Majesty, your concubine wants to learn how to paint." Yan Qingshu clung to him and coquettishly led him to the desk.
On the desk, rice paper and various colored ink brushes had already been laid out.
"You haven't even mastered calligraphy yet, and you want to learn something else. You little girl are really greedy." Di Yunjian found it quite amusing seeing her eager face.
After he said this, Yan Qingshu's once - bright eyes dimmed.
"Does Your Majesty think that your concubine is unworthy of learning?"
After saying that, Yan Qingshu gently tugged at his sleeve, and tears welled up in her eyes without any warning.
"Your concubine knows that she has a lowly status. It's already a great blessing to be able to enter the palace. Your concubine never expected to receive Your Majesty's favor."
The more she spoke, the deeper her grievance became. Thinking of the child who was taken away in that nightmare, the tears that were originally just for show began to pour out.
"Your concubine didn't learn anything at home. Your concubine also wants to learn how to dance, wants to be able to paint, and wants to be eloquent. But your concubine could only watch as elder sister had all these things. Your concubine could only watch and get nothing."
"Even entering the palace was because..."
At this point, Yan Qingshu's voice stopped, and her sobs grew louder.
Not only entering the palace, but even her child was heartlessly taken away. She died without even seeing the child's first or last face.
In the dream, she had always been making wedding clothes for others!
Endless grievances welled up in her heart. She felt so bitter that she couldn't help but lean on Di Yunjian. Her hot tears soaked his shoulder.
Di Yunjian felt heart - broken seeing her cry. He quickly hugged her and fumbled around in a hurry to find a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Finally, having no other choice, he used the sleeve of his dragon robe embroidered with a dancing golden dragon to wipe away the glistening tears on her face.
"Don't cry. It's my fault for speaking wrongly."
Seeing her sobbing, with her nose and eye sockets all red from crying, his usually calm heart felt like it was being pricked by needles.
Realizing this, Di Yunjian was slightly stunned. It wasn't that no concubines had ever cried in front of him before.
What did he do then?
He had sent the concubine who offended his imperial might to the cold palace. He had only felt impatient towards that concubine's tears.
He had never thought that one day, he would be so at a loss in the face of the tears of a delicate woman.
Yan Qingshu looked up. Through the glistening tears, she saw the worried look on the man in front of her. The concern and heart - break in his eyes...
It didn't seem fake.
Yan Qingshu was shocked. Her hands trembled slightly. She sobbed and hugged Di Yunjian.
She spoke, her voice a bit muffled: "Liu Lang, I'm just sad."
"Actually, your concubine envies Concubine Xian so much."
"Your concubine has always been thinking that maybe it's because your concubine is a concubine - born daughter that she didn't receive father's love."
"It turns out it's not. It turns out that even a legitimate daughter may not get the love of her relatives."
"It has nothing to do with being legitimate or concubine - born. It's just that they want to do it like this."
She buried her head completely in Di Yunjian's broad chest. Her muffled voice hit Di Yunjian's heart heavily.
"Mother, is it because I'm a concubine - born son that they bully me?"
The young Di Yunjian's clothes were old but clean. He stood in front of his mother, crying loudly.
He would never forget the bitter look on his mother's face and the helpless pain he saw through his tears.
It wasn't until he was adopted by Concubine Shu that he understood that it had nothing to do with being legitimate or concubine - born. It was just that his mother had a lowly status. She was only favored by the king when he was drunk, and then he was born.
Only then was his mother given a title, but she never received the king's favor. As a result, they mother and son were often bullied in the harem.
She was right. It had nothing to do with being legitimate or concubine - born. It was all just because they wanted to.
Di Yunjian reached out and gently stroked her back, which was trembling slightly from crying.
The man spoke softly, his voice tinged with a bit of sadness, deep and hoarse: "You're not wrong. It's their fault."
"Don't cry. It's my fault for speaking wrongly."
"Whatever you want to learn, I'll teach you."
"You've been wronged today."
He had also once hysterically asked why he couldn't learn the same things as his elder brothers, why he couldn't study, ride horses, or shoot arrows.
When he finally could learn, he studied desperately and mastered the six arts of a gentleman to perfection.
Yan Qingshu gradually stopped crying and said, "Your concubine has behaved inappropriately. Please forgive your concubine, Your Majesty."
She withdrew from Di Yunjian's arms, pursed her lips shyly, and didn't dare to look up.
"Alright. Whatever you want to learn, I'll teach you."
Di Yunjian saw that her eye sockets were still red. He frowned slightly and leaned down to kiss her red eyes.
Yan Qingshu's heart skipped a beat. She nervously twisted the handkerchief in her hands.
After Di Yunjian kissed her, he turned around and began to arrange the paper for painting.
Yan Qingshu touched her eyes and was a bit dazed. She only came back to her senses when she saw him turn around.
Maybe... she could...
Thinking of this, the thought that had just arisen in Yan Qingshu's mind was quickly suppressed.
Di Yunjian saw her staring blankly at him. He reached out and pulled her into his arms and said, "What do you want to paint?"
Yan Qingshu pursed her lips. Her gaze fell on the roses in the courtyard outside, which were in full bloom at the moment.
Seeing her looking at the roses, Di Yunjian smiled and guided her hand to start painting.
One after another, bright red roses appeared on the paper, looking vivid and lifelike.
Yan Qingshu happily lifted her lips and stared intently at the rose bush outside.
After painting one rose, Di Yunjian didn't stop.
Yan Qingshu was a bit puzzled. Then she saw him holding her hand and painting large patches of roses, almost covering the entire snow - white rice paper.
"Liu Lang..."
"Shh."
As soon as Yan Qingshu spoke, Di Yunjian gently stopped her with a soft voice.
Yan Qingshu stopped talking and watched carefully as he painted.
In the large and vivid flower bushes, a graceful figure in a light blue trailing dress slowly emerged under his brush.
She was like a lively butterfly spreading its wings and dancing in the large flower bushes.
The face of the person in the painting was vivid, and her expression was lively and detached, as if she was about to come to life.
She was smiling and smelling the fragrance of the flowers. Her skirt was gently lifted by the spring breeze, and large numbers of colorful butterflies were flying around her in the air.
The person in the painting was surrounded by butterflies and shuttling through the winding and blooming flower bushes.
She was so beautiful that it took one's breath away.
Yan Qingshu stared blankly, hardly believing her eyes.
"Is this... me?" Yan Qingshu said in disbelief.
Di Yunjian put down his brush and nodded.
Yan Qingshu quickly picked up the rice paper and looked at it, filled with joy.