Volume 1 Chapter 21: Painting Dreams with a Brush
"Miss, did you have another nightmare?"
Qing Luan entered the room and lit the lamp. Seeing Yan Qing drenched in sweat under the candlelight, she stepped forward and gently patted the woman's frail back, her voice filled with concern: "Ever since the separation, you've been having nightmares every night. Should we call a doctor tomorrow?"
Yan Qing also felt something was amiss.
It had been three days since she returned to the manor, and she had dreamed for three nights straight.
Except for the first night's dream being somewhat… the dreams of the past two nights were actually the same scene.
The same secret chamber.
The same walls covered entirely with her portraits.
The difference was that last night she dreamed of Gu Huaizhou lying in a coffin, while tonight the person in the coffin had become herself!
Yan Qing found it utterly bewildering.
In the past, she rarely dreamed, let alone such bizarre nightmares. Could it be because of her rebirth?
She nodded, still shaken: "That might be best."
Qing Luan turned to pour tea. Just as she picked up the teacup, the door of Qingyi Courtyard was suddenly pounded violently.
"Yan Qing, get out here right now!"
Qing Luan handed the tea to Yan Qing: "That sounds like Third Miss's voice."
Yan Qing took a sip of water to calm her nerves.
Then, in a hoarse voice, she said: "Go see what's going on."
"Yes."
Qing Luan woke Lu Zhi to open the door.
Yan Qing draped a robe over herself and rose from the bed. As she stepped down, she suddenly noticed the jar of plum juice on the sandalwood cabinet.
She paused, tucked the plum juice into the cabinet, and then went out.
"Make Yan Qing come out and see me!"
As soon as Yan Qing stepped out, she saw Yan Yue brandishing a whip, throwing her weight around in Qingyi Courtyard.
Spotting Yan Qing, Yan Yue charged forward: "Yan Qing, you shameless little—"
"Someone, restrain Third Miss."
At Yan Qing's command, the matrons in the courtyard suddenly swarmed forward, seized Yan Yue, and disarmed her of her whip.
"How dare you!"
Yan Yue hadn't expected to be captured so easily. Furious, she began cursing: "You have some nerve, daring to bind me! I order you to release me at once, or I'll make you pay!"
But no matter how she raged, the matrons' grips were like iron clamps, holding her firmly in place.
Yan Qing spoke slowly: "Third Sister, you'd better save your breath. The matrons in my courtyard aren't like the little maids in yours who play along with you."
Yan Yue was a spoiled child.
Willful and arrogant since childhood, she often bullied and scolded the servants in the manor, relying on Madam Zhen's favor. When they were young, Yan Yue had also caused trouble for her, but although Yan Qing feared Yan Junyuan, she wasn't afraid of anyone else.
Yan Qing had also been pampered as a child.
Since Yan Yue couldn't gain any advantage, she stopped provoking her.
Yan Qing's strongest impression of Yan Yue was that this third sister had been obsessed with Gu Huaizhou since childhood, lashing out at anyone who got close to him.
In her previous life, when Gu Huaizhou was tricked by Madam Zhen into marrying Yang Xuan, Yan Qing had already married into Wu'an Marquis Manor, so she didn't know what happened to Yan Yue.
She only later heard that Yan Yue tried to frame Yang Xuan at the Spring Flower Banquet but ended up suffering the consequences, losing her virtue in front of everyone, and was sent to Qingcheng Mountain by Yan Junyuan.
In her past life, Yan Yue hadn't been involved in framing the Ye Family and her mother, so Yan Qing held no hatred toward her, but she didn't like her either.
As for the matters between Yan Yue, Yang Xuan, and Gu Huaizhou, she had even less interest.
Yan Qing waved her hand: "Escort Third Miss back to Qiyue Courtyard."
"Yes."
The matrons, without another word, turned and marched Yan Yue away.
Yan Qing was furious and cursed loudly, "Yan Qing, let go of me! I warn you, don’t even think about setting your sights on Cousin Gu. Cousin Gu is mine. If you dare try to seduce him…"
"Gag her."
Yan Qing didn’t want to listen to her nonsense.
Yan Yue’s obsession with Gu Huaizhou had reached a delusional level. Any woman who got close to Gu Huaizhou, she believed was trying to seduce him.
This time, she had come to Qingyi Courtyard to cause trouble, likely because she had heard about Yan Qing returning to the estate with Gu Huaizhou earlier that day.
Lu Zhi grabbed a rag and stuffed it into Yan Yue’s mouth, saying fiercely, "My lady is not someone to be trifled with!"
Once the courtyard was quiet again, Yan Qing found herself unable to sleep.
She instructed Qing Luan to bring over the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, then sat down at the low table where she usually practiced the zither, illuminated by the candlelight.
Lu Zhi asked curiously, "Miss, what are you going to do?"
Yan Qing spread out the rice paper. "Paint."
Qing Luan ground the ink beside her, while Lu Zhi watched the candlelight.
Yan Qing painted the scenes from her dreams over the past two days from memory. Of course, she didn’t paint the portraits of Gu Huaizhou or herself. Instead, she painted the opulent, gilded secret chamber…
"Miss, why does this place look so eerie…"
Lu Zhi stared at the coffin in the painting. "Why would someone keep a coffin in their home?"
"Home?"
"Yes."
The little maid pointed to a corner. "Here is a writing desk, here is a chessboard, and here… this is a zither table. Doesn’t this look like a home? How strange, why is there no bed in this home?"
Yan Qing followed Lu Zhi’s pointing finger and looked at the entire painting. It truly did resemble a home!
A sudden chill ran down her spine.
No bed… Could it be that Gu Huaizhou also slept in the coffin?
No, no, this was just a dream, an illusion. Yan Qing quickly shook off the chaotic thoughts in her mind.
Qing Luan suddenly spoke up beside her, "Hmm, this pattern looks like palace carvings…"
Thud!
The brush in Yan Qing’s hand fell to the ground.
The palace? The imperial palace? Could the place in her dream be inside the palace?
In her past life, Gu Huaizhou was the emperor of Dayong and indeed lived in the palace…
Yan Qing’s face turned deathly pale.
"Miss?"
Both maids looked at her simultaneously.
Yan Qing felt her mind in turmoil. She thought she couldn’t dwell on this any longer—it was too bizarre, too unsettling.
Hastily putting away the painting, Yan Qing said in a trembling voice, "Both of you, leave now. I suddenly feel very tired."
Qing Luan and Lu Zhi exchanged glances but had no choice but to withdraw.
As for Yan Qing, she took out the jar of plum juice she had just placed in the cabinet. Sitting at the table, she stared at the jar of plum juice, lost in thought for the entire night.