Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 221 Entering the painting
Upon hearing Song Yi's words, Eunuch Cao looked at Jiang Lanye in horror. Sure enough, he found Jiang Lanye with an unhappy expression and a gloomy face. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, this servant did not look at the Imperial Concubine at all."

Song Yi leaned close to him and said, "You're finished. I dressed up so nicely, and you just ignored me."

Jiang Lanye's expression turned even colder, and she glanced at him.

Eunuch Cao was on the verge of tears: "This servant saw it, Her Majesty is truly as beautiful as a fairy today."

As a result, Song Yi was satisfied with these words, but Jiang Lanye was not.

He was as beautiful as an angel, need I say more? Besides, those eyes shouldn't have been on Song Yi in the first place.

After racking his brains for a long time, Eunuch Cao suddenly said, "Moreover, it seems that Her Majesty and His Majesty are truly a match made in heaven, a perfect match!"

Song Yi laughed and took his arm again.

"This is called 'couple's resemblance,' do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand."

Eunuch Cao nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

Jiang Lanye's expression softened, and he softly instructed, "Have someone bring a chair to the Imperial Garden."

"Yes."

Song Yi pulled him forward, deliberately coaxing him, "Look, although I ran away wearing this dress last time, this time, I will stay by your side forever."

Jiang Lanye's expression softened, and he looked at Song Yi, saying in a low voice, "Did I do anything to hurt you last night?"

"No, you were already tied up by me anyway, but I just got too soft-hearted and untied you in the end."

Jiang Lanye's memory was somewhat hazy. He could only vaguely recall what happened last night, but he couldn't remember the specific details. Only the faint marks around his wrist reminded him of what method Song Yi had used.

A eunuch moved a chair over and, following Jiang Lanye's orders, placed it in front of the dense forsythia bushes.

A moment later, an old man with a white beard came over carrying a wooden box and bowed respectfully.

Jiang Lanye explained, "He is a court painter. Some are good at painting landscapes, and some are good at painting portraits. He is good at painting portraits. It may take a while. Go over there and sit quietly and don't move around, okay?"

"understood."

She walked over, sat down obediently, and seeing the painter and Jiang Lanye opposite her, asked somewhat awkwardly, "Have I been watching you like this the whole time?"

Beside her, a palace maid carefully poured tea for Jiang Lanye.

Jiang Lanye said helplessly, "If you get tired of sitting, you can take a break halfway through."

The painter had never seen this legendary imperial concubine before, but upon seeing her today, he was struck by her almond-shaped eyes, peach-blossom cheeks, and exquisitely beautiful features. She was truly stunning.

It seems understandable why she was the only one who could win over His Majesty.
She waved her hand and said, "No need, no need, let's start drawing."

The painter immediately said, "Your Majesty, there's no need to be so reserved. It would be best if your facial expression were more natural."

"it is good."

At this time, near Yiyue Palace.

Consort Ning carried the new tonic soup and walked towards the small pavilion.

The palace maid following her couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, are you still going? The Imperial Concubine is definitely still there."

Consort Ning pursed her lips and said, "I will go, of course I will go. I will not back down just because she is here."

She's destined to be an empress; she needs to have that much magnanimity.

"Moreover, you have no idea how the Imperial Concubine managed to win His Majesty's heart back then."

The palace maid asked curiously, "How did you do that?" "By persistently pursuing her."

After uttering those four words, she quickened her pace, only to find that there was no one there when she reached the vicinity of the pavilion. The only exception was the recliner where Jiang Lanye had been sitting, which seemed unlikely to be the case that he would never return.

She froze, and the stew she was holding suddenly became a joke.

His Majesty knew that she would come to deliver tonic soup every day, but today he had something to do and couldn't come, without being informed by anyone.

Thinking about this made her feel sad.

As she stood there, heartbroken, two palace maids passed by, their whispers reaching her ears.

"Did you just see that? Right here in the Imperial Garden, His Majesty actually invited a painter to the palace to paint a portrait of the Imperial Concubine!"

"An artist? Which one are you talking about? You mean that one who always has a white beard?"

"It's him, you know him?"

"Of course I know. I only heard about it by chance before. His Majesty had sent him back long ago because of his advanced age. I never expected that he would be brought into the palace today."

The two voices faded into the distance until they were no longer audible.

Consort Ning took a deep breath and said, "What painter? She just brought him here to paint a picture for her. What's so surprising about that?"

After saying that, she carried the tonic soup and walked towards the Imperial Garden.

Song Yi sat upright for a long time. Jiang Lanye rarely saw Song Yi so well-behaved, so he couldn't help but find it funny and kept staring at her.

Every now and then, butterflies would fly by, circling around Song Yi, briefly attracting her attention. Song Yi's eyes followed the butterflies, watching them land on the begonia flowers embroidered on her skirt. After a while, she realized they were fake and they flew away.

Jiang Lanye observed her, then suddenly said, "You can speak."

Song Yi let out a breath and said, "Jiang Lanye, why didn't you say so earlier? I've been holding this in for ages."

When the painter opposite heard Song Yi address His Majesty by his name so directly, his hand trembled and he almost painted crookedly.

Jiang Lanye said helplessly, "If you're tired, just say so, and you can rest for a while."

"I'm not tired, but I don't usually feel itchy anywhere on my body. But sitting here without moving, I suddenly feel itchy all over. And my hair keeps floating around and scratching my face."

Jiang Lanye glanced at the painter beside him and said, "Stop for now."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

He poured Song Yi a cup of tea, walked over and handed her the teacup. Then he gently removed the pearl hairpin from her hair, carefully tucked in her messy hair, adjusted it, and put the hairpin back on, saying, "It looks good this way too."

After finishing his water, Song Yi asked, "Didn't the painter paint my hair?"

"I haven't finished painting it yet; I've been meticulously painting your face."

Song Yi couldn't help but raise her hand to touch her face, and said narcissistically, "I'm so beautiful, I really should be painted very meticulously."

Jiang Lanye gently flicked her forehead with her index finger and asked, "Do you want to stand up and walk around for a bit?"

"Really, you don't need to. Go sit down and watch."

It was rare for Song Yi to see Jiang Lanye so leisurely, sitting at the table sipping tea, with no books or memorials beside him, and not thinking about anything in particular.

At this moment, his world seemed to consist only of Song Yi, and he only cared about her.

Every blink of hers, every vivid little expression, was something Jiang Lanye could never get enough of.

(End of this chapter)