Chapter 30 Showing Off

Qiu Shuzhi instantly froze, her spine stiffening.

They were so close, almost without any distance between them. She could clearly feel his body heat on her back, and even sense the frantic beating of his chest and the cool, deep fragrance surrounding him.

She calmly held herself together, the pen between her fingers almost breaking: “What else does the Empress Dowager want to draw?”

Qin Qing gazed thoughtfully, his fingers brushing over her shoulder. Drawing was just an excuse. She had just returned to the capital, and he had urgently summoned her into the palace, just to keep Qiu Shuzhi by his side a little longer, to be a bit closer to her.

He sat opposite her, lazily resting his chin on his hand, his thin lips slowly uttering two words: “Draw me.”

Qiu Shuzhi’s heart skipped a beat. Drawing the Empress Dowager was no small matter, very different from landscape painting. If she drew anything poorly, it would be an offense to the imperial visage.

Moreover, men in the matriarchal country placed great importance on appearance. One’s own perception of beauty differs from others’. In her past life, even celebrities would blame photo editors for poor effects in their photoshoots. Now she was facing the most powerful man in Da Qi. Who could guarantee he wouldn’t do something to her?

“Does Master Qiu not want to?” A smile played on his lips, his deep, magnetic voice crashing into her heart, yet also making her feel immense pressure.

“This servant doesn’t dare. It’s just that portrait painting requires careful, detailed depiction. The Empress Dowager’s noble form cannot be rushed in the slightest. Even a small portrait would take half a day to complete.”

Qin Qing glanced at the sky outside and said with a smile: “There’s no hurry. Take your time.”

He had all the time in the world. He hoped she would stay in Qingning Palace all day to accompany him.

“…Yes.” Qiu Shuzhi’s excuse failed with Qin Qing, so she had no choice but to agree and begin sketching.

Qin Qing sat opposite her, his casual expression carrying a hint of a gentle smile.

Drawing people inevitably requires observing Qin Qing’s features. As the outline gradually took shape under her brush, her gaze would inadvertently meet Qin Qing’s, then quickly move away.

“How can Master Qiu draw me well if you don’t look at me?” His tone carried a hint of amusement, his obsidian eyes filled with threads of tender affection, like an indescribable gentle entanglement.

Qiu Shuzhi glanced at him quickly, then continued drawing with her head down.

“Why have you stopped talking?” He seemed unwilling to let her off, determined to get a clear answer.

“This servant doesn’t need to look. The Empress Dowager’s appearance is etched in my heart.” She made up an excuse to brush him off.

Qin Qing’s smile suddenly froze.

The fine brush tip meticulously depicted on the paper, so detailed that even the patterns on his clothes were identical, as vivid as another him.

Qin Qing’s eyes softened. So she remembered everything.

It turns out that not only was he constantly thinking of her, but she was the same.

She even remembered clearly the intricate patterns on his clothes. She must have taken him to heart as well.

Thinking of this, a sweet smile spread across Qin Qing’s face. A joy he had never experienced in his life welled up in his heart. Though already at the age of an older gentleman, he felt like a young man experiencing his first love.

He stopped talking, immersed in this late-blooming youthful infatuation.

His eyes stared directly at Qiu Shuzhi as she drew with her head down. Only now, his gaze was softer, his eyes brimming with moisture, soft like paper soaked overnight, precious and delicate, ready to crumble at a touch.

Qiu Shuzhi continued painting with a calm expression, but in reality, she was extremely uncomfortable.

Although the Empress Dowager no longer teased her verbally, his gaze was too direct and intense. Even with her head down, she could feel it directly. If it weren’t for her strong focus from studying painting for two lifetimes, she might have easily gone off track.

Time passed gently, the light by the window slowly shifted. In the quiet palace, only their low breathing and the sound of the brush moving on paper could be heard. It took a full hour to complete the small portrait.

“Empress Dowager, please take a look. Are you satisfied?” She held the painting in front of Qin Qing and asked.

In the painting, the man wore a long black robe, with deep eyes and a faint smile at the corner of his lips. His incomparably handsome features were breathtaking.

Qin Qing gently pursed his lips, his smile rising slightly: “Satisfied.”

It’s said that the appearance of the person in a painter’s brush is the truest reflection of how the painter sees them in their heart. He was just an aging gentleman, while Qiu Shuzhi had seen countless young and beautiful young masters in the capital. Yet she could still depict him with such beauty… Did this mean that in her eyes, he still had some charm?

He held the painting, unable to let go, a hint of secret joy rising in his heart.

“I’m glad the Empress Dowager is satisfied.” Seeing Qin Qing’s satisfied expression with the painting, Qiu Shuzhi finally relaxed, feeling much more at ease.

As the tension eased, she realized her shoulders and wrists were a bit sore from hunching over to paint for an hour. She unconsciously rubbed her shoulder.

“Is your shoulder uncomfortable?” Qin Qing put down the painting and came forward with concern.

Qiu Shuzhi smiled and said: “It’s nothing. Just a bit sore from painting for so long.”

“How can it be nothing? Your shoulders must be very sore after painting for so long.” Qin Qing walked behind her, his long, strong fingers naturally climbing onto her shoulders.

“Let me rub them for you.” His fingertips applied slight pressure, and immediately a soothing sensation spread through her aching shoulders to her four limbs and hundred bones.

“Mmm…” Qin Qing’s action was so sudden that Qiu Shuzhi didn’t react in time and let out a soft moan from her throat as Qin Qing massaged her shoulders. His fingertips were extremely skillful.

“Does it feel good?” Qin Qing’s low voice, tinged with a hint of tenderness, sounded by her ear, like stepping into a soft cloud, falling into this gentle paradise with no way out.

Although Qiu Shuzhi didn’t react for a moment, her mind was still clear. She quickly broke free from his hands and knelt down: “Thank you for your kindness, Empress Dowager. This servant is already fine.”

“You…” Qin Qing was about to continue when Yu Ye, who had been waiting outside the door, suddenly knocked.

“What is it?” Qin Qing’s voice, which had been gentle and submissive just now, suddenly turned cold, resuming the lofty appearance of the Empress Dowager that everyone saw.

Yu Ye’s voice sounded from outside the door: “Reporting to the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince has arrived.”

“Tell him to wait!” Qin Qing ordered coldly.

This Yue Guanyi, not coming early or late, but choosing to come just when he was alone with Qiu Shuzhi. He had finally managed to get her to enter the palace to see him once, cherishing every minute of their time together, unwilling to be disturbed by anyone.

“Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince holds an important position. If he has come to see you, it must be to report something important that cannot be delayed.” As soon as Qiu Shuzhi heard that Yue Guanyi had arrived, the word ‘savior’ flashed through her mind.

Qin Qing pondered for a moment, helping her up from the ground and gently brushing the dust from her skirt: “You have a point. Speaking of which, you and Yue Guanyi worked together in Yanshun County. What do you think of him?”

The tone was casual, the conversation ordinary, but Qiu Shuzhi sensitively detected a hint of inquiry in it.

“In Yanshun County, the Crown Prince handled affairs impartially, with thunderous and sharp methods. He is a man who doesn’t yield to women in ability. This servant admires him.”

Qin Qing’s eyebrows raised slightly, staring intently into her eyes: “Is there nothing else besides that?”

Yue Guanyi’s father was Qin Qing’s elder brother, and he had inherited his father’s stunning looks. He had long been known as the most beautiful man in the capital.

He and Qiu Shuzhi had worked together in Yanshun County for so long, and Qiu Shuzhi was a young woman. He worried that she might inevitably develop feelings for the handsome Yue Guanyi.

What woman doesn’t like a beautiful man? Yue Guanyi was in his early twenties, and while not exactly young, he was still younger and more beautiful than himself. Her gaze might inevitably be drawn to him, and then where would he stand in Qiu Shuzhi’s eyes?

Thinking of this, he felt deeply regretful.

“This servant doesn’t understand the Empress Dowager’s meaning. Although this servant worked with His Highness during that time, official duties were busy and we had little interaction. I’m not very familiar with him.” Qiu Shuzhi’s clear eyes met his gaze.

Hearing Qiu Shuzhi say this, Qin Qing finally felt relieved. It was good that they weren’t familiar.

“Let him in then.” Qin Qing said to Yu Ye waiting outside the door.

“Since you’re not familiar with the Crown Prince, I’ll introduce you two today. You’re both in the same boat, and there will surely be times when you need each other in the future.” He sat back in his chair, speaking with dignity and elegance: “However, I must warn you, the Crown Prince has a gloomy and solitary personality, and particularly dislikes contact with women. Don’t disturb him except for official business.”

Gloomy and solitary, dislikes contact with women?

Qiu Shuzhi laughed inwardly. Yue Guanyi wasn’t like that around her at all, nervous and cautious like a new bride who had just entered the household.

The palace doors opened slightly, and Yue Guanyi’s tall figure entered. He still wore a solemn and serious official robe, his face cold and aloof, keeping people at a thousand-mile distance.

“Greetings, Royal Father.” He bowed slightly. As soon as he entered the room, his keen gaze fell on the table, noticing two prominent paintings – one of apricot blossoms in light rain, the other of Qin Qing himself.

He recognized at a glance that these paintings were by Qiu Shuzhi. His thin lips pressed tightly into a line.

The Imperial Guard had secretly reported that the Empress Dowager had summoned Qiu Shuzhi into the palace in secret, and they had been alone in a room for nearly an afternoon. As soon as he received the news, he had rushed over without delay.

These two paintings deeply pained Yue Guanyi. He knew the dirty thoughts in Qin Qing’s heart.

Occupying the position of Empress Dowager, yet not knowing how to maintain male virtue, actually daring to seduce a young woman, using official business as an excuse to satisfy his own desires. It was only because Qiu Niang didn’t know about the filthy thoughts in Qin Qing’s heart, otherwise she would surely find it disgusting too.

“Yi’er, you’ve come at the right time. This is Master Qiu, whom you’ve met before.” Qin Qing smiled warmly.

Yue Guanyi suppressed the anger in his heart and bowed to Qiu Shuzhi: “Master Qiu, long time no see. Oh, these paintings?”

He had originally intended to remind Qin Qing not to go too far, that even if he really wanted to be intimate with Qiu Niang while painting, he should be more discreet in front of others. The fewer people who knew about such ambiguous matters, the better.

Unexpectedly, Qin Qing shamelessly began to show off to him: “These were painted by Master Qiu. What does Yi’er think?”