The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

She said to the painter solemnly: "The pattern that the Marquis dislikes most is the pattern of fish. He never wears anything related to fish, so this painting cannot be circulated. The Marquis will be unhappy if he knows."

Yuhua said, "Is it true? This picture of two fishes is so beautiful, how could the Marquis not like it? Miss Zhong, you must have made a mistake, right?"

Zhong Siyu insisted, "The Marquis just doesn't like it. He told me in person in Bianjing that any flowers and plants are fine, but he doesn't like fish patterns."

The painter asked, "May I ask who this girl is?"

Yuhua said, "Miss Zhong is not an ordinary person. If she says that the Marquis doesn't like it, then the Marquis probably really doesn't like it. You should listen to her. If you paint like this, it is really disrespectful to the Marquis. The Marquis usually dresses very elegantly. You should paint according to the Marquis's preferences. This way you will be fair to the buyers of your paintings."

After hearing what Yuhua said, the painter immediately asked Zhong Siyu, "What's your surname, Zhong?"

Zhong Siyu nodded.

"Could that girl be Zhong Siyu, the daughter of Zuo Si Yuanwailang?"

"Exactly."

"My name is Ye Xiaosheng. I am sorry for not recognizing a great man." Ye Xiaosheng saluted Zhong Siyu again.

Yuhua was puzzled: "You can guess Miss Zhong's identity just by relying on her surname? You are too amazing."

Ye Xiaosheng bowed to Yuhua again and said, "Miss, you may not know that the person named Zhong who knows the Marquis well must be the daughter of the Left Secretary. She and the Marquis are engaged, and the people in our Fengying know it all."

Yuhua looked at the young painter and praised him: "No wonder you can draw so many good paintings, you have a very smart brain."

"Miss, you are too kind. I believe that you are all relatives of the Marquis's family. I hope you can give us your guidance."

Yuhua said, "As for your guidance, we are not worthy of it. You should ask Miss Zhong to give you some guidance."

Zhong Siyu glanced at the portraits in the room and said, "I need to tell you about the Marquis's preferences in clothing and accessories. Many of the paintings here do not match the Marquis' usual attire. If such paintings are spread out, it will be a misunderstanding."

"I will be grateful to you for your guidance, young lady."

Not long after, Ye Xiaosheng took off half of the hanging scroll in the room, put it in a basin and burned it.

This made Shang Xi and Yu Hua very distressed. Shang Xi pulled a scroll out of the fire and unfolded it. She saw several holes in it. She said with great regret, "It's a waste. It's such a pity to burn it. Please give me a copy."

Ye Xiaosheng said, "What Miss Zhong taught me just now is that no matter how good a painting is, it must respect the person who is being painted. I respect the Marquis very much, so I will never paint carelessly in the future. If the ladies like it, I can give them one. Thank you all for your advice."

Shang Xi said: "I want to thank you, Zhong Siyu. I will pay for one."

Zhong Siyu also took out some silver and said, "I'll pick one, too."

Yuhua was very puzzled and said, "You two can see the Marquis for no reason, why do you buy paintings?"

Shang Xi said: "Ms. Zhong bought paintings for appreciation, and I bought paintings to send to my fifth brother and his wife."

Soon, Shang Xi brought the painting to the Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister-in-law, "Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister-in-law, the Marquis is not easy to deceive. I failed to trick the real person to you, but I brought this to you."

The fifth brother asked, "What is this?"

When Shang Xi unfolded it, he saw a portrait of Wan Lianxing. It was vivid and lifelike. Wan Lianxing's face was filled with a warm smile, which made people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze. It was as if the person in the portrait was smiling at the people who appreciated the painting.

The Fifth Sister-in-law couldn't help laughing out loud: "Shang Xi, how did you know that the Fifth Sister-in-law liked this painting? I went to the art studio to look at it many times, but it was too expensive and I couldn't bear to spend the money. But today you gave the painting to me. It's really lovely."

The fifth brother was full of admiration for Wan Lianxing's portrait, "How could this person be born like this? I would be satisfied if the child of your fifth sister-in-law and I could catch up with half of the Marquis's appearance."

The fifth sister-in-law said, "Hurry up and hang it up in the backyard. I want to take a bath and burn incense."

"I won't be here to watch you guys doing this." Shang Xi was afraid that she would not be able to hold back her laughter.

The fifth brother said, "Why are you in such a hurry? Eat a bowl of noodles before you leave. I'll send the painting to the backyard and cook noodles for you."

Shang Xi said, "There are still a few people waiting for me in the jewelry store. I will come back to eat noodles when it's time for dinner."

Shang Xi ran away. She didn't want to see her fifth sister-in-law worshipping Wan Lianxing in front of her. Not to mention that Wan Lianxing couldn't stand feudal superstition, she, Shang Xi, couldn't stand it even more.

In the evening, Zhong Siyu showed Wan Lianxing the portrait she bought from Ye Xiaosheng. Wan Lianxing smiled and said, "These painters are the most deceptive. They make me afraid to go out on the street because I will be recognized if I go out."

Ge Dongqing took the painting, looked at it and said, "The painting is very detailed and lifelike. It can be said to be a top-notch work. I wonder who painted it." Ge Dongqing looked at the seal carefully, then laughed out loud, "Brother, guess who painted this?"

Wan Lianxing smiled and said, "I don't know any painters."

Ge Dongqing said: "Big brother must know him. Let me remind you that the man named Xiaosheng who followed behind you that year made you so angry that you went back to the governor's mansion."

Wan Lianxing said: "So it was that pervert. He is a talent to be able to draw such a good picture. I was right to listen to you and spare his life."

Ge Dongqing said: "That's because Big Brother is merciful. Otherwise, his actions at that time would have made him a complete pervert. If it were an ordinary person, he would have been killed long ago."

Wan Lianxing smiled and said to Zhong Siyu: "I accept this painting. Come on, find a place to hang it up."

Zhong Siyu took the scroll from Ge Dongqing with a smile and rolled it up carefully. "My Lord, I will take this painting back to the governor's mansion."

"Isn't it for me?" Wan Lianxing couldn't help laughing.

Ge Dongqing said: "Of course this is not for the Marquis. If the Marquis wants to hang a painting, he must hang a painting of Miss Zhong. Tomorrow I will invite that man named Ye Xiaosheng to come and have him paint a portrait of Miss Zhong and then hang it in the Marquis' room."

Wan Lianxing said, "Forget it, forget it. I just don't like that Ye Xiaosheng. Let's not invite him. Let's invite a master next time. Also, I don't plan to stay here for long. The intelligence coming in from this border is coming one after another. I have to wait until the eighth day of the first lunar month. After praying for blessings, I have to go to the border. The Yan Kingdom in the south has increased its military strength. I'm afraid our people can't hold on."

Sui Dan, who was lazily playing with a snake, said, "I told them I was staying to help them, but you insisted on keeping an eye on me."