Early the next morning, Nanny Sun indeed brought a painting instructor with her.
The instructor, surnamed Xia, was a serene woman in her thirties who spoke in a soft, slow manner—far more approachable than Nanny Gui.
Baoying presented her "dog drawing" for Lady Xia's appraisal.
The moment Lady Xia saw the chaotic scribble, she nearly burst out laughing. "What is the Princess Consort painting here?"
Baoying glanced at Nanny Sun beside her and said, "This is a dog we used to keep at home. It barked at everyone, yapping and howling—its voice was detestable, its form disgusting! I painted it to warn the world to do good and not imitate a dog's wicked ways."
Nanny Sun never imagined Baoying would dare to insinuate Zong Duo so brazenly. She simply took it as the girl being deliberately troublesome and shook her head with a smile. "The Princess Consort is far too childish. This drawing is hardly a drawing at all—it's clear you didn't put your heart into it. But since we've invited Lady Xia here, from now on you need only focus on your studies in peace."
Leaving Zhaoming Hall, Nanny Sun first went to Yunhui Hall to report to Zong Duo: "I've engaged Lady Xia, a renowned painter from Suzhou, to teach the Princess Consort painting. The Princess Consort is quite mischievous—she painted a complete mess and made a spectacle of herself before Lady Xia."
Zong Duo sounded impatient. "I told you not to meddle with her."
"How can I not meddle when the Princess Consort is so reckless?" Nanny Sun sighed. "There are countless eyes watching our Prince Yan's household from outside! And you, Your Highness—you've always been steady and composed since childhood. Why must you be so at odds with the Princess Consort? When I went to Zhaoming Hall today, I saw her eyelids still red from crying."
"It's not that I'm at odds with her—it's that she's simply beyond the pale." Zong Duo gave a cold laugh, unwilling to revisit her exploits. "Don't tell me about her affairs anymore. I don't want to hear them. You may go."
Nanny Sun withdrew, somewhat puzzled.
She had watched Zong Duo grow up and knew his temperament to be extremely composed—he rarely showed likes or dislikes. The Princess Consort was a bit rash, true, but she had her endearing qualities as well. How had she managed to provoke such disgust from His Highness?
Back in Zhaoming Hall, Lady Xia was lecturing Baoying on the theory of painting.
Baoying tilted her head, yawning endlessly. Lady Xia's delicate brows knitted in displeasure.
Though she held no official rank, she was famous throughout Jiangnan—a master painter courted by princes and nobles alike. To be treated with such disrespect was an affront. Her expression soured, but having already accepted the teaching fee, she had no choice but to continue patiently.
"There are six principles of painting: first, spirit resonance and vitality; second, structural strength in brushwork; third, fidelity to form in depicting objects; fourth, application of color according to category; fifth, composition and placement; sixth, transmission and copying of classics…"
Baoying suddenly burst out laughing below.
Lady Xia could no longer contain herself. Frowning, she demanded, "What is the Princess Consort laughing at?"
"Hmm, I was just thinking of the seven methods of cooking—frying, deep-frying, boiling, braising, stewing, simmering, and steaming. That's one more than the six principles of painting!"
"Princess Consort!" Lady Xia was incensed. "Brush and ink painting is an elegant pursuit for cultivating the mind and spirit. How can you compare it to such vulgar matters as cooking?"
"Cooking is elegant too!" Baoying retorted with conviction. "When it comes to cultivating the mind, nothing does it better than eating, drinking, and having fun. They say a full belly stirs… certain desires. If you weren't well-fed, would you even have the mind to paint? If you're starving, can you still produce a painting?"
"One cannot discuss ice with summer insects! This is a task I cannot teach. The Princess Consort should find someone more worthy!"
And with that, Lady Xia stormed off in a huff.
Baoying happily returned to her bedchamber, draped herself in a gauze quilt, and went back to sleep.
The sun had risen high when Qingshuang entered carrying a cinnabar lacquered tray. Seeing her still lying in bed, Qingshuang frowned. "Princess Consort, what hour do you think it is? It's time to get up!"
Baoying rubbed her eyes and sat up. "What is it?"
Qingshuang set the lacquered tray on the table. "Your monthly allowance for the fifth month has arrived. I've brought it for you to count, so you can verify it before I store it in your private treasury."
"Monthly allowance?" Baoying's eyes lit up. "How much?"
Qingshuang, disapproving of her languid demeanor, sought to deflate her spirits: "Per the court's customary regulations, a Princess Consort's monthly allowance is fifty taels, allocated from the imperial coffers. The princely household may supplement it at its discretion. Since His Highness has given no order, you receive only the fifty taels from the imperial treasury."
"Fifty taels?"
Baoying sprang up from the bed like a coiled spring, not even bothering to put on her shoes. Barefoot, she hopped over to the moon-shaped table. There, neatly arranged on the lacquered tray, were five ingots of ten taels each of gleaming silver. Her eyes went wide.
After all, her father went out at dawn and returned at dusk chasing criminals—and he only earned ten taels a month!
"Is this every month?"
Qingshuang looked at her in bewilderment. "Of course—it's a monthly allowance! Surely the Princess Consort doesn't expect it every day?"
Baoying ignored the mockery in her words and began counting on her fingers: fifty taels a month, a hundred taels in two months, six hundred taels in a year! How could such good fortune exist?
She spun around in delight and said to Qingshuang, "Forget the private treasury—I'll keep it myself."
"But—"
"No buts!" Baoying just wanted to get rid of her quickly. "Otherwise, I won't even let you manage my jewelry anymore!"
"How dare you!" Qingshuang's eyes widened. "I am a senior palace maid sent to this household by Consort Xian herself!"
Baoying shot back, "And I'm the Princess Consort married by imperial decree!"
Qingshuang was taken aback. Since the Princess Consort had invoked the Emperor himself, she had no choice but to yield reluctantly. "This servant understands."
After dismissing Qingshuang, Baoying called for Xiaolian and wrapped up thirty taels of silver, handing them over. "Have someone send this home for my mother to spend."
Shi Dalu's monthly salary was only ten taels of silver. After setting aside two taels for savings and one tael for her own pocket money, the remaining seven had to cover the family's food and expenses, as well as the wages of six servants.
Ever since Baoying could remember, Zhenniang was always in the room doing accounts, meticulously budgeting every single coin.
Just thinking about the look on Zhenniang's face when she saw those thirty taels made her squint with delight. She wished she could deliver the silver herself, just to give her mother a surprise.
After sending Xiaolian off, Baoying lay across the table, pressing the two remaining silver ingots against her cheeks. The cool, icy touch was wonderfully refreshing.
Though she felt terribly lonely married into the Prince's household, these fifty taels of silver filled the void. So what if Zong Duo treated her like a lucky charm? He'd paid for it, after all!
In her heart, Zong Duo had been elevated to the esteemed position of benefactor.
She suddenly sat bolt upright.
Oh no—she'd driven Lady Xia away just to spite Zong Duo. What if Lady Xia went and complained to him?
Baoying grabbed her skirts and hurried off in a panic to find Nanny Sun.
The moment Nanny Sun saw her, she shook her head.
"Lady Xia has already tendered her resignation to this servant." Nanny Sun was rarely this stern, and she spoke severely. "The Princess Consort is being utterly reckless! Lady Xia is a woman of considerable renown—her associates are all wealthy or noble. With this outburst, word of your willful, headstrong nature will spread through the capital within three days at most!"
Baoying wasn't afraid of a bad reputation spreading through the capital. She was afraid of it reaching Zong Duo's ears—what if it angered him and he decided he didn't want her anymore?
She hung her head, staring at her shoe tips, and said guiltily, "Then what am I to do?"
Seeing her lowered brows and trembling lashes—such a pitiful little sight—Nanny Sun's heart softened. She moderated her tone. "Let the Princess Consort remember this lesson. This servant has already smoothed things over with Lady Xia. I gave her ample hush money, so she won't go spreading trouble."
Baoying breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously, "How much hush money did you give her, Nanny?"
Nanny Sun held up five fingers.
"Five taels of silver?"
Baoying thought to herself, it couldn't be fifty, could it? If one fit of willfulness cost her a month's allowance, she'd be tossing and turning with regret all night.
"Five hundred taels!" Nanny Sun deliberately made sure she learned her lesson. "The Princess Consort must remember—silver is nothing; reputation is everything. His Highness has long enjoyed a virtuous name abroad. If it were ruined because of the Princess Consort, I fear Consort Xian would be the first to hold you accountable!"
Baoying shrank back in fright.
Though she'd only met Consort Xian briefly, she felt an inexplicable dread toward that noble lady of the deep palace. And having witnessed what happened at the Xu household, she instinctively sensed that Consort Xian wouldn't care much for her either.
Returning to Zhaoming Hall, Baoying spotted the dog drawing she'd left on the desk and quickly called Xiaolian over. "Take this drawing and burn it quietly—whatever you do, don't let His Highness see it."
Xiaolian looked troubled. "Miss, the Prince's household doesn't allow open flames without permission. If caught, you'll be caned."
"Burn it in the kitchen—there's a good fire there."
"The kitchen has people coming and going. Someone would see."
Baoying thought for a moment, then said, "Then take it to the garden after dark and burn it there. No one will see."
Xiaolian nodded eagerly. "Miss is so clever!"
As night fell, Zong Duo finished his day's affairs and sat in Yunhui Hall, involuntarily recalling what that wretch had done to him. He felt deeply unsettled.
His august person had been wantonly toyed with by a woman. That tingling, burning sensation seemed to linger below his belly. Through the smooth, soft layer of fabric, the boneless, tender touch of her palm wound around him like silk threads…
Zong Duo abruptly cut off his thoughts and rose swiftly, leaving Yunhui Hall. Stepping onto the training grounds, he drew his longsword and ran through a set of forms, and only then did the agitation in his heart begin to subside.
A night breeze drifted by. As a martial artist with keen senses, he suddenly caught a choking whiff of smoke in the wind. Following the direction of the breeze, he spotted a faint flicker of fire near the waterside pavilion not far away.
Zong Duo sheathed his sword and strode toward the pavilion.
Under the faint glow of the waning moon, Xiaolian crouched beside a brazier, striking a flint to spark a small flame and feeding it dry twigs and leaves to build the fire.
This was a spot she'd carefully chosen. Once the drawing was burned, she'd scoop up water right there to extinguish the flames—no one would ever find out. Miss would surely praise her for a job well done!
Xiaolian was feeling quite pleased with herself. Seeing the flames leap up, she picked up Baoying's drawing from the ground and was about to toss it into the brazier when a deep, cold male voice suddenly sounded behind her: "Who gave you permission to light a fire here?"
Xiaolian started in fright, and the drawing slipped from her hand to the ground. Turning around to see Zong Duo, she was scared out of her wits.
Zong Duo saw her face clearly, and upon recognizing her as that fool's dowry maid, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Seeing her flustered as she scrambled to pick up the painting scroll from the ground, he flicked his sword tip, sending the scroll flying into his hand.
Xiaolian's heart leapt into her throat. When she saw Zong Duo slowly unroll the scroll, her suspended heart finally died.
To be fair, Baoying's painting skill could only be described as sloppy.
However, the moment Zong Duo saw the freehand foot in the painting, he couldn't help but think of that day after the rain when she had led her maids to play in the water in the courtyard, her fair, bare feet stepping on the puddles.
Then he looked at the incongruous dog body with a human head. Though no name was mentioned, he inexplicably felt a sense of offense and displeasure.
He raised his eyelids to glance at the trembling Xiaolian beside him, then lowered his gaze to the doggerel verse inscribed on the painting.
They say the handwriting reveals the person—that round, clumsy script was rather endearing. That didn't seem like her at all. Though she appeared harmless, her attacking power was truly boundless.
"The dog eagerly licks my foot…"
Though the doggerel named no one, Zong Duo was far too perceptive a man to miss her little trick at a single glance.
His expression suddenly darkened.
Xiaolian, trembling with fear, tried to cover it up: "Y-Your Highness, the figure in this painting is absolutely not you…"
Zong Duo tossed the scroll back into her arms and said coldly, "Starting a fire in the residence without permission—you're fined half a year's allowance. If it happens again, go back to the Shi family!"
Xiaolian's world collapsed.
She returned to Zhaoming Hall with her head hung low. When Baoying saw that she was still clutching the painting, she jumped up: "Didn't I tell you to burn it?"
Xiaolian said with a mournful face: "Miss, I'm truly useless. I was caught red-handed by His Highness while burning the painting!"
Baoying was startled and quickly asked: "He saw the painting? Did he say anything?"
Xiaolian was on the verge of tears: "His Highness didn't say anything about the painting, but he fined me half a year's allowance, wuwuwu!"
Baoying relaxed upon hearing this—after all, her painting didn't have Zong Duo's name on it. How could he possibly know she had painted him?
She waved her hand with great magnanimity: "What's half a year's allowance? Miss will compensate you!"
Xiaolian received five hundred wen per month at the Shi residence, so half a year's allowance was only about three taels of silver.
Baoying opened the ebony box on her vanity, took out a silver ingot, and cut off roughly three taels with scissors before handing it to her: "Here, take it."
Xiaolian weighed the three taels of silver in her hand and pouted: "Miss! The allowance the Prince's residence gives me is two taels of silver per month!"
Baoying's eyes widened.
Two taels a month—half a year would be twelve taels! She only had about twenty-something taels of private savings in her box, and there was no way she was willing to part with twelve taels for Xiaolian.
She couldn't help but stamp her foot: "His Highness is really something! Why does he have to dock his servants' wages! Skinflint!"
Xiaolian said with a bitter face: "Miss, what should I do then? You're not going to abandon me, are you!"
"Of course not." Baoying gave a dry laugh. "I'll compensate you, of course! But since it was His Highness who docked it, he should be the one to make it up."
"How do we make him do that?"
Baoying's eyes darted around: "By winning his favor!"
As night fell and the moon grew pale with frost, the lights in Yunhui Hall were still burning.
Yuan Yi walked in carrying a tray and set a white porcelain covered bowl by the table.
"Your Highness, take a moment to rest and have some late-night refreshment. The lotus seed and bird's nest soup was sent from Zhaoming Hall—it's said the Princess Consort stewed it with her own hands."
Zong Duo had already lifted the lid, but upon hearing this, he immediately put it back down.
"Not eating. Throw it away."
Yuan Yi picked up the heavy covered bowl and advised gently: "It's the Princess Consort's kind gesture, after all. It would be a pity to throw it away. If Your Highness doesn't want it, shall I have it sent to Nanny Sun?"
Zong Duo sneered: "Things made by the Princess Consort—I advise you all not to eat them either. Who knows what ingredients are in there!"
Yuan Yi had no choice but to dispose of the bird's nest soup as instructed.
However, to the young eunuch Ruyi whom Baoying had sent over, he said very tactfully: "His Highness appreciates the Princess Consort's hard work, but he doesn't eat at night. Please ask the Princess Consort not to trouble herself in the future."
Ruyi returned to Zhaoming Hall and relayed the message to Baoying: "Princess Consort, His Highness is concerned about you working hard in the kitchen at night and asks that you no longer prepare food to send over."
Baoying was sitting at the table with Xiaolian, sharing the lotus seed and bird's nest soup. She had stewed a big potful—after all, the bird's nest from the Prince's residence cost nothing.
Sending it to Zong Duo served two purposes: first, to curry favor with him, and second, to have an excuse to stew something for herself to eat. So what hardship was there? None at all.
Baoying rewarded Ruyi with a bowl of the bird's nest soup and said very generously: "No problem! If His Highness likes it, I'll stew it for him every day!"