Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

When Jiang Sese returned, the inexplicable turmoil in her heart caused by Xie Yao quickly dissipated under the warm spring sun.

Back at Qingheyuan, I felt utterly listless.

As soon as Jiang Sese got into bed, she buried herself in the soft, fragrant quilt and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Red Bean waits outside, teaching Clouds how to do needlework.

Good heavens! Fuyun doesn't know how to sew. Hongdou teaches Fuyun needlework, and in turn, Fuyun teaches Hongdou some exercises to strengthen her body.

The two maids were whispering to each other when they heard someone come in.

Looking up, I saw that it was my eldest son who had returned.

Hongdou and Fuyun quickly put down their work, stood up, and bowed: "Young Master."

Xie Jue: "Where is the young mistress?"

Hongdou replied, "Young Master, the young mistress said she was a little tired and is taking a nap."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jue slowed his pace and went into the inner room.

The light in the room was filtered through the heavy brocade curtains, leaving only a hazy and soft glow.

The curtains were not fully lowered, only loosely rolled up halfway.

Through the thin, smoky-colored gauze curtain, one can clearly see the sleeping person inside.

Jiang Sese lay curled up on her side, her thick, seaweed-like black hair spreading across the pillow, making her small face appear even more fair and jade-like.

Because of her side-lying position, her cheeks were slightly pressed against the brocade quilt, revealing a touch of delicate pink blush.

With her hairpins and makeup removed, her breathtaking beauty remained undiminished; instead, her unguarded sleeping state revealed an exquisite purity. Her eyebrows and eyes were exquisitely painted, her nose was straight and elegant, and her lips were full and cherry-colored, slightly parted, her breath light and even.

It is clearly a vivid and enchanting picture of a beautiful woman sleeping in spring.

Xie Jue slowly bent down and brushed away a few strands of hair that clung to her cheek.

The sleeping person seemed completely unaware, only unconsciously twitching slightly, and a soft, cat-like murmur escaped from her cherry lips.

Xie Jue straightened up without making a sound, turned around and walked to the rosewood desk by the window to sit down.

This small set of writing implements was specially arranged by Jiang Sese when she moved in. It included a small pine soot ink stick, two fine sheep hair brushes, a small Duan inkstone, and a stack of neatly cut Chengxintang stationery.

She said the lighting was good there, and he just nodded at the time, never expecting he would actually use it.

Xie Jue picked up a fine sheep's hair brush, lightly dipped it in ink on the inkstone, but did not put pen to paper for a long time.

He was skilled in both calligraphy and painting, but he rarely put pen to paper.

Because he always prioritized practical matters of state, composing poems and painting were merely minor pastimes; to indulge in them would be to waste one's life on trivial pursuits.

As the saying goes, "The official documents are piled high like mountains, and even writing poems in one's dreams is never a leisurely affair."

But at that moment, the sunlight fell perfectly on her profile, casting a soft glow on the curve of her eyelashes, the contour of her nose, and the faint smile on her lips, as if God had specially prepared a draft for her.

If he doesn't paint, he'll be wasting the light of the day.

The ink fell onto the paper, outlining her long hair scattered on the pillow.

He drew her eyebrows, making them as faint as distant mountains shrouded in mist, even more delicate than the spring mountains outside the window.

Finally, Xie Jue inscribed two lines of text on one side of the painting.

When Xie Jue put down his pen, the ink was still wet. He looked down at the portrait on the paper and suddenly realized that painting could depict eyebrows and eyes, and outlines, but it could not capture the unique features of a person.

It is beautiful, but the soul is something that cannot be drawn.

But that's fine too, because if he can't draw it, only he will know.

Xie Jue got up and went to the side courtyard to wash his hands and change his clothes.

The servants had been carefully instructed by Qing Shuang and Shu Tong, and they served him in an orderly manner, with every move in accordance with his habits, without making the slightest mistake.

After serving Xie Jue, the servants lowered their heads and retreated along a side path, avoiding any encounter with the other maids in the courtyard.

They were all secretly astonished that the young master's new wife was so powerful, that she couldn't even tolerate the young master's maid.

Xie Jue changed his clothes and returned to the inner room. The paintings on the table had almost dried. He was about to put them away when he heard a mumbled mutter behind him.

Jiang Sese turned over, rubbed her eyes and woke up, and immediately saw him standing in front of the table.

"What are you looking at?" Jiang Sese's voice was still hoarse from just waking up.

Xie Jue smiled and said, "Why don't you come and see for yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Sese hurriedly got up and came over to take a look. In just one glance, Jiang Sese recognized herself.

The woman in the painting leans against a brocade couch, her cloud-like black hair loosely spread across the pillow, with a strand of hair gently touching her cheek, perfectly replicating her sleeping appearance.

Xie Jue's brushwork is exquisite. He does not use complicated colors, but only uses light ink to outline the contours. With just a few strokes, he sculpts the outline of the eyebrows and eyes. The eyebrows are soft and the eyes are slightly drooping, capturing the peaceful and defenseless atmosphere of sleeping.

Her lips were lightly tinged with a pale cherry blossom color, curving slightly upwards, as if she had encountered something joyful in a dream, hiding a touch of unconsciously sweet and charming innocence.

The lines depict the contours of her flesh and bones with perfect depth, the folds of her clothing with distinct weight, and the hazy, translucent quality of the gauze curtains, rendered with just a light touch of ink. Even the soft, fluffy feel of the brocade quilt on her pillow seems to waft through the paper. Without deliberately depicting vibrant colors, the artist perfectly captures her gentle, unguarded charm, achieving a lifelike quality as if she were still lying on the scroll.

Even those who don't understand paintings find them pleasing to the eye.

Jiang Sese immediately looked up at him, her eyes shining like they were filled with stars: "You drew me so beautifully! Honestly, did you use a beauty filter on me?"

"...Beauty filter?"

"It's just—to draw me looking better than I actually am!"

"No, that's just how it is."

Jiang Sese looked down for a while and saw Xie Jue's words: "Spring sleep is so deep that one does not know noon; when the heart is at ease, dreams are peaceful."

Jiang Sese's ears turned slightly red. Suddenly, she stuffed the painting into her bosom and declared confidently, "This painting is mine."

"I'm glad you like it." Xie Jue smiled slightly. Anyway, these private paintings couldn't be shown to outsiders, and Xie Jue originally intended to keep them for himself.

Xie Jue said, "I will paint one for you every year from now on."

"Really? You said it yourself!" Jiang Sese was initially surprised, but after thinking for a moment, she suddenly added warily, "But you're not allowed to draw me sleeping."

Xie Jue: "Why?"

"I look so ugly when I sleep, and what if I drool?" Jiang Sese thought that Xie Jue probably only made her look good because he had a filter on her. But just because she looked good to sleep today doesn't mean she'll always look beautiful when she sleeps.

Xie Jue chuckled lightly: "If you're considered ugly, then there are no beautiful women in the world."

Seeing that Jiang Sese was about to say something more, Xie Jue could only say, "Alright, then I won't draw you sleeping."

Jiang Sese breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "That's more like it." She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the chin, saying matter-of-factly, "This is the fee for the painting, I've already paid it." Then she tried to run away with the painting in her arms.

But Xie Jue stopped her again and asked, "If I change my mind in the future, will you break up with me?"