General Shen is, after all, a prominent figure, and it would be impolite to give him two paintings and calligraphy pieces that even art galleries wouldn't accept as a birthday gift.
Even Qiao'er understood this truth, so how could Ling Qingwan not understand it
"Did you see just now? When the gallery guy pushed the man to the ground, even though his clothes were stained, he still guarded the calligraphy and paintings tightly." Ling Qingwan asked Qiao'er patiently.
"I think he's afraid that the calligraphy and paintings will get dirty and he won't be able to sell them for a good price." Qiao'er guessed.
"Then why didn't he take the opportunity to quote a price? It's not like I won't give it to him." Ling Qingwan chuckled. Qiao'er is just a girl who does things, so it's understandable that she doesn't understand these things.
What Ling Qingwan said made sense, but Qiao'er was even more confused.
"Look at his clothes, which are covered with dozens of patches. He must have lived a very poor life. He may have gone to the gallery to sell paintings to earn money to support his livelihood, or he may have hoped that someone would appreciate his calligraphy and paintings. I don't know. But when he saw me praising his calligraphy and paintings, the gratitude on his face was real. To him, his calligraphy and paintings are priceless treasures."
"When I was a child, there was a young scholar in my village who also loved calligraphy and painting. I often went there to play, and after a while I got to know a little bit about calligraphy and painting. I think the young man just now painted well."
Except for Ling Qingwan, who could have thought that the calligraphy and painting that had just been abandoned by the gallery would be worth so much in half a year. It really proved that Ling Qingwan's words were worth more than money.
"If you like it, you can hang it in your room, but I feel it's not right for you to give it to General Shen as a gift." Qiao'er was still worried that Ling Qingwan would make a fool of herself in the general's mansion. If she made General Shen unhappy, it would be even more troublesome.
"You said it yourself. They usually give precious jewels and jade as gifts. Grandfather must have been tired of it. Who says it's not a good thing to cultivate one's sentiments and refine one's elegance from time to time?"
Ling Qingwan was stubborn and no one could stop her from doing what she had decided. Qiao'er had no choice but to follow Ling Qingwan's arrangement.
The two walked back briskly. A bright figure came into Wei Xun's sight.
On the second floor of Mingyue Tower, the window seat faced Zhuque Street. As luck would have it, Wei Xun saw Ling Qingwan at a glance and saw clearly the scene of her buying the calligraphy and paintings.
"Your Highness, you have been having a meal with me, but you have been looking down many times." Tan Hongbo, the son of the Shangshu family, was sitting upright opposite and teasing Wei Xun with a smile.
Wei Xun poured a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp.
"The prince has taken a fancy to the second young lady of the marquis's mansion?" Tan Hongbo looked at Wei Xun with a frivolous and meaningful look.
This thousand-year-old stone finally got some attention, so how could Tan Hongbo not be curious? He looked much more excited than Wei Xun.
"What nonsense are you talking about." Wei Xun was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and glanced at Tan Hongbo unhappily.
"Do we still need to hide this from each other?" Tan Hongbo wanted to get to the bottom of it, and he had to ask Wei Xun for clarification. "The second young lady of the Marquis's Mansion is the prince's biological sister, and the prince works for you. You are close to the water and have the moon in your sight. Why don't you go and tell the emperor to marry the second young lady of the Marquis's Mansion to you?"
"Do you think I'm like you, often hanging out in places of brothels, changing girls faster than changing clothes?" Wei Xun rolled his eyes up to the sky.
"Hey! I'm talking about you, don't bring me up again." Tan Hongbo raised his eyebrows and stared at Wei Xun with a smile. "I know, you don't want to force the girl."
What the hell is going on.
"Come to think of it, I do have something serious to ask you." Wei Xun suddenly became serious and looked into Tan Hongbo's eyes seriously.
Tan Hongbo understood what was happening, and his nonchalant look was no longer there.
"My Lord, I have been watching over you in secret. You haven't done anything in the past few years since you left. But you often go out to have fun. You go to Zhuyanfang more often than I do."
"Is this news really reliable?" Wei Xun frowned slightly and lowered his voice to confirm again and again.
"It's absolutely true!" Tan Hongbo said firmly, nodding his head. "Several girls I know from Zhuyanfang have mentioned this to me. Not to mention this, I even know what kind of wine the eldest prince likes and which girl he likes."
"He likes pear blossom wine, Rouge Girl and Wan the most..."
"Stop!" Wei Xun's face was full of black lines.
Tan Hongbo's words are becoming more and more biased.
"I've paid for the drinks, take your time drinking." Wei Xun stood up and left without waiting for Tan Hongbo to reply.
Tan Hongbo sighed. After Wei Xun left, he imitated Wei Xun and looked out the window, but Ling Qingwan was no longer there.
In a blink of an eye, it was General Shen's birthday. Ling Xiao came back from the court early in the morning and took Ling Qingwan to the general's mansion.
The carriage moved slowly. Ling Qingwan rested her head against the wall, with a myriad of thoughts in her mind.
In her previous life, Ling Qingwan first met her grandfather at his birthday party. She had just returned to Beijing and was a typical country girl. Ling Qingwan didn't know the rules and forgot the etiquette in her nervousness, making a fool of herself on the spot.
Fortunately, my grandfather was kind and not angry with her. Ling Qingwan thought about it and hugged the calligraphy and painting tightly in her arms.
People don't know that although General Shen has been wielding swords and sabers all his life, he has a very elegant hobby, which is to appreciate the writings of literati. If Ling Qingwan hadn't lived again, she wouldn't have known this.
When Ling Qingwan died, General Shen had been imprisoned in the Dali Temple and would be executed soon. She wondered if General Shen missed the calligraphy and paintings in her study while in prison. If the general's mansion was gone, where would those calligraphy and paintings go
Anyway, I won't let such a tragedy happen again. Ling Qingwan withdrew her thoughts.
Every time she recalled what she had experienced in her past life, she would only hate Song Zhiqing and Ling Chuchu even more.
The carriage stopped, Ling Xiao hurried to Ling Qingwan's carriage, lifted the door curtain, and helped Ling Qingwan down.
The dignitaries of the capital were invited to come, and it was rare for the general's mansion to be so lively.
Ling Qingwan first went to the backyard to pay a visit to General Shen, but she never expected to run into Wei Xun here.
"Xiao'er, Wanwan, you are here." General Shen was happy and wanted to stand up to greet them.
Ling Xiao and Ling Qingwan stepped forward quickly and helped General Shen sit down again.
"Since the prince and the second lady are here, I will not stay any longer and will go to the hall first." Wei Xun was very polite. He knew it was not good to interfere in the family affairs of the general's mansion, so he said hello and left.
Ling Qingwan was in a trance and looked at Wei Xun several times unconsciously until Wei Xun left the room and could no longer be seen.
"Granddaughter Qingwan, greets grandfather." After coming back to her senses, Ling Qingwan saluted respectfully to General Shen.
"Good! Good!" General Shen nodded repeatedly, looking quite pleased.
He looked at Ling Qingwan carefully, his eyes sparkling. Ling Qingwan walked to General Shen obediently and let him hold her hand.
"Now that you're back, your mother won't be sad anymore."