Phoenix Rising

010

By the end of the hour all the girls had gathered back at the pavilion and were each focusing on their sheet of drawing paper, eager to present their best paintings to the queen. Zi-ning looked down at the blank sheet, lost in her own thoughts for a moment.

In the past she had never liked painting because it was something that required a great deal of effort and concentration. She never had the patience for something like that. The only reason why she learned it was because she wanted to impress Ru-an. He was the perfect gentleman, well-read and scholarly, and she wanted be worthy of standing by his side. Living life a second time, she realised that her state of mind was far more suited to painting than it had once been. When she had been at Taishan, she would spend hours outdoors painting the trees and mountains. It helped to clear her mind. Under the tutelage of Lady Li, her painting skills had improved by leaps and bounds, but today was not the day to show that to everyone. Not yet.

Zi-ning chose to paint the willow tree, even though she knew it was much less vibrant and eye-catching than any of the other flora and fauna in the imperial gardens. It was a reminder of the time she had previously spent in this place, the willow tree keeping her company while she waited for the eighth prince in her solitude. But more importantly, this willow tree would be her first step towards her goal.

She put the final strokes on the leaves of the willow, then gently set down her brush by the side. Looking around, she could see some of the girls admiring their handiwork proudly, each of them thinking that theirs was the best piece of them all.

When everyone was done, the palace maids carefully hung each and every painting up on the wooden racks so that they could be displayed for all to see. As expected, most of the girls had chosen vibrant flowers—peonies, roses, chrysanthemums.

Zi-ning watched Meiyan's lips curl upwards in a smug smile as the latter viewed everyone else's work. Meiyan's painting skills had always been one of the best in the capital, so she was probably confident that she would win this one easily. Ouyang Sangya had painted yellow chrysanthemums that also looked elegant and charming, but the girl's brush technique still paled in comparison to Meiyan's.

"Such beautiful works of art," the queen exclaimed, the corners of her eyes crinkling up as she smiled. Led by Lady Ru, she walked down the aisle slowly, admiring the different artworks painted by the girls. As she went down the row, she was not stingy in offering praise to the different ladies, earning blushing smiles from each of them.

When she reached Zi-ning's willow painting, she paused and frowned.

"Who painted this?" the queen asked.

"I did, Your Majesty." Zi-ning took a step forward, her head still bowed down respectfully.

The queen turned to look at the girl who was speaking, studying her curiously. "Raise your head, child," she said.

Zi-ning did as she was told and when her delicate countenance came into view, a look of surprise appeared in the queen's eyes. "Everyone else chose to paint flowers, and the imperial garden is not short of beautiful blooms. Why did you choose to paint the willow tree instead?" she asked.

"There is no shortage of affection for the flowers. I just thought that the willow tree looked lonely, standing on its own in the middle of the lake."

"What is your name, child?"

"Han Zi-ning, Your Majesty. I am the second daughter of Minister Han."

"I never knew that Minister Han had another outstanding daughter." The queen turned to look at Lady Min curiously. "How is it that he has managed to hide a clever and meticulous girl like yourself from the world all this while?"