Compared with Chu Kuan, who had been fighting with the high officials of the court, Hong knew her own strengths. In Jiangxi, she could rely on her father's connections and the care of the elders in Yuzhang Academy. She was like a fish in water and could use her father's name to quietly help those talented students in miscellaneous subjects. But in the capital...
Whether she was a filial daughter or a talented woman, these reputations did little to help her. On the contrary, because her father, Hong Shanzhang, had previously petitioned to marry her to the eldest prince, the entire capital had more negative comments about her, even more than the comments about her appearance. Fortunately, she was not a beauty, otherwise the gossip alone would have been enough to make her unable to move forward.
Therefore, she didn't care what Chu Kuan was planning to do with her or who he was using her to fight, but she knew that once she took on the reputation of being the third prince's teacher, not only would there be an uproar in the court, but even the spit of the people would drown her. Even her father would not be happy for her, but would think that the court's move was too absurd.
Therefore, when she met Chu Kuan before, she specifically asked about the Third Prince's personality and preferences. When she learned that the Third Prince liked painting very much, she made up her mind.
But even so, the fact that the Third Prince actually took the initiative to talk to her just now was something she felt was an unexpected surprise.
At this moment, she had said everything she wanted to say in the four virtues of ink painting. Seeing that everyone in the room was silent, she smiled and said, "I wonder if the Third Prince thinks that I am qualified to teach you the art of ink painting?"
The Third Prince immediately showed a big smile on his face, nodded happily and said, "Madam Hong is kind-hearted and has a noble character. The eight words of charm, structure, shallowness, and hidden power just now are the icing on the cake. You know, I have been learning ink painting for so long, but I can't get started at all. Father always tells me who paints well, but after inviting her here, I find that being a good painter does not mean being a good teacher."
"I will go back to the palace today and ask my father to teach me how to paint." At this point, he looked at Princess Yongping and asked sincerely, "I wonder if Third Sister is willing to give up and let Madam Hong teach me how to paint? She doesn't have to come to teach me every day, just once every two or three days will be enough."
Even though Shanzhang Yue and Fourth Master Hua could not really be considered to be on the same side, they still couldn't help but exchange glances at this moment, and then they saw a bit of admiration and fear in each other's eyes.
The admiration and fear were not just for one person, but for two people. Whether it was the Third Prince's sudden change of approach or Hong's calm response, it seemed like a dialogue that had been rehearsed countless times beforehand, but in fact it was clearly their own impromptu performance. They saw it with their own eyes and were shocked in their hearts, and they no longer dared to underestimate women and children.
As for how they could tell... just look at the inexplicable surprise of Princess Yongping, who is known as the most talented woman in the capital!
Princess Yongping was indeed very surprised. She had never expected that the Third Prince would suddenly bring up the topic of painting, and that Mrs. Hong could handle it with ease. It would be fine if this was discussed in advance, but Mrs. Hong only met the Queen Mother once and never entered the palace again. After announcing the news of the Eastern Palace, this was the first time that the Third Prince left the palace today.