Re-embroidering life

After returning home, Shui Qinghua continued to work on her plan of 100 embroidery drawings. A year passed in a flash, and she had no time to waste. Today she owed Shen Yi another favor. Although he did not mention the embroidery workshop, she still felt the urgency of "repaying the debt". A natural workhorse will work hard without waiting for the whip!

Today was the day Dong Yajing was supposed to come to class, but she didn't come. She asked someone to tell her that she had guests at home. Shui Qinghua didn't think much about it.

During this period, she learned poetry and calligraphy from Dong Yajing, and painting from Ji Zimo, and felt that her level had improved a lot.

She sat in front of the window of the embroidery room, and the sunlight shone through the window lattice onto the drawing paper, giving her work a warm glow. Her first pattern was a peony, which used the fine shading of Su embroidery and the strong color matching of Chu embroidery. Under her pen, each petal was delicate and detailed, with distinct layers of color. The branches and leaves used the style of Chu embroidery, using rough needlework to show the vitality of the leaves.

The second one is a landscape painting, with undulating mountains and winding waters, which has both the gentleness of the Jiangnan water town and the grandeur of the Chu land. Her every stroke reveals her understanding and exploration of the fusion of the two embroidery styles.

At the same time, Ji Zimo was riding a horse, walking slowly along the winding mountain road, silently reciting the policy paper he was going to present today. In the past, he could always go directly into Dong Daru's study, but today, as soon as he arrived at the gate of Zhiyuan Villa, he was stopped by two tall guards.

"We have distinguished guests at the villa today. No one is allowed to enter." The guard's voice was cold and emotionless.

Ji Zimo was slightly startled. He had never seen these two guards before. They were muscular, with eyes as sharp as eagles, and their posture revealed a domineering aura. He took two steps back and carefully observed the atmosphere of the villa. The villa, which was usually peaceful and harmonious, was particularly tidy today, and even the air was filled with tension. Ji Zimo couldn't help but wonder who was the distinguished guest that Dong Daru received so carefully?

The eldest brother's admonition in the study that night was still ringing in his ears: "Dong Daru was the enlightenment mentor of the third prince. Now that you become Dong Daru's disciple, remember not to get involved in party disputes." Ji Zimo's heart trembled, knowing that he could not stay for long. He took a deep breath, tried to appear calm and unhurried as he walked through the gate and walked across the familiar bridges and flowing water.

The sunlight shone on him, stretching his shadow very long. He thought silently about the predicament of the Ji family, his own future, and his elder brother's exhortation, and his mood became heavy.

In the evening, Shui Qinghua came to the study and continued to learn painting from Ji Zimo. When Ji Zimo saw her coming in, he smiled and motioned for her to sit down. His studio was filled with the scent of ink and pine smoke, and his own paintings were hung on the wall.

Shui Qinghua opened several embroidery pictures drawn by Bai Ri, and Ji Zimo gave her suggestions one by one. She couldn't explain it clearly, so she just took the brush and drew a few strokes, and the artistic conception was immediately elevated to a higher level. Shui Qinghua admired Ji Zimo's talent.

One teaches, the other learns, and they touch each other from time to time during their joint creation. After all, they are husband and wife, and they are very familiar with each other's bodies. Shui Qinghua can feel that Ji Zimo looks at her with tenderness, and a hint of ambiguity flows between them.

After the teaching, the atmosphere relaxed, and the couple sat and chatted. Shui Qinghua talked about the frightening scene on the street in broad daylight, and also mentioned the young man in gorgeous clothes. Ji Zimo listened to her description of the young man's clothes and temperament, and suddenly realized: "It's true. Did you know that the golden cloud pattern is the color of the royal family's clothes?"

Shui Qinghua naturally knew nothing about the royal family.

Ji Zimo expressed his guess: "Dong Daru didn't see me today. He was receiving a distinguished guest. Because of this distinguished guest, the entire Zhiyuan Villa was under martial law. On the surface, there were only two people guarding the entrance to the villa, but secretly there were probably dozens of people guarding it."

Shui Qinghua didn't know much about the royal family, but she knew that Dong Yajing would become the Crown Princess a few years later, and a string in her head suddenly tightened.

Ji Zimo continued to analyze: "If I am not mistaken, the young man today is the Third Prince."

"Why are you so sure that he is the third prince?" Shui Qinghua's eyes were full of questions.

"Look at his age and his relationship with Mr. Dong." Ji Zimo explained the current court situation one by one.

There are only four princes in the world, and the eldest and third princes are of high birth and are considered to be the most likely to compete for the throne. Behind the eldest prince is Concubine Zhang, who comes from the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion, which has 400,000 soldiers. Her power should not be underestimated. The third prince's biological mother is Concubine Yu, and his maternal grandfather is the Grand Secretary Yu Shanhai. Zhenyuan Marquis and Grand Secretary Yu, one civil and one military, are both loyal ministers to the emperor.

"The third prince left home to study at the age of six, and Dong Daru was his mentor. Later, Dong Daru was promoted to the position of Jijiu of the Imperial Academy. He was upright and devoted to teaching, and never got involved in court disputes. But eight years ago, he suddenly resigned due to illness and returned to Jiangxia to live in seclusion. At that time, a major event happened in the court."

Not long after that incident, the Ji family fell into decline. On the surface, the two events had nothing to do with each other, but with Ji Zimo's intelligence, how could he not make an association?

"What big thing?" Seeing Ji Zimo's expression, Shui Qinghua's intuition told her that the big thing was very important and might even be related to the situation of the Ji family.

"That year, the library of the Imperial College suddenly caught fire, and a large number of precious documents and classic works were burned. During the firefighting process, someone accidentally found a policy paper written by Yu Wenyuan, the brother of Concubine Yu, while studying at the Imperial College. The paper was quite critical of the current tax system."

The tax system reform was the most proud achievement of the emperor. This move was a direct slap in the face of the emperor. The emperor was furious and immediately put Yu Wenyuan in jail. "Since then, the Yu family lost power, Prime Minister Yu resigned, and Concubine Yu fell out of favor." Ji Zimo said with a sigh, "Dong Daru, as the chief priest of the Imperial Academy and the mentor of the third prince, resigned and retired at that time to avoid the limelight."

After this battle, Concubine Zhang's lineage became more powerful, and the Third Prince has since become silent. Now, he suddenly came to Jiangxia incognito and contacted Dong Daru. I believe that without the tacit consent of the emperor, he can't leave the capital. What does this mean?

The wind starts from the tip of the green reed. Ji Zimo has a premonition that a storm is brewing in the court. Is this a danger or an opportunity for the Ji family?

The flame on the oil lamp swayed gently in the wind, casting long shadows of the two people. Ji Zimo frowned and fell into deep thought.

Shui Qinghua had a hunch that something was wrong with the event that Ji Zimo mentioned. It was such a coincidence that the Imperial College caught fire, and it was such a coincidence that an old policy paper was discovered, and it was such a coincidence that the person who wrote the policy paper was the maternal uncle of the third prince. Even an ordinary woman like Shui Qinghua felt that it was too coincidental. Wouldn't the emperor and the civil and military officials in the court not see that the Yu family was defeated so easily?

Shui Qinghua couldn't figure out the joints, but she knew the final result. Seeing Ji Zimo's hesitation and entanglement, she took a deep breath, lowered her voice, and said firmly: "Husband, if one day the Ji family must make a choice, then we should stand behind the third prince."