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?"
In reality her family had never tried to keep her out of everyone's view. To the contrary, Lady Min used to parade her around in public just so that everyone knew what a boorish person she was. The only reason why the queen and many of the other noble ladies didn't recognise her today was because the Zi-ning standing in front of them now was a far cry from the unrefined, uncultured individual they remembered, so much so that they thought she was someone else altogether
"Zi-ning has been away from the capital for the past few years," Lady Min answered, still maintaining a poised demeanour. "She has been recuperating at the Taishan temple."
"Taishan?" A dark look clouded over the queen's eyes for a moment, then it vanished. "That's far too remote for a young girl like yourself," she said to Zi-ning, taking her by the hands and patting them affectionately. "Did you encounter anything interesting while you were there?"
Zi-ning shook her head. "The temple was in the mountains, so it was very peaceful. The abbot was kind enough to give me some lessons in medicine from time to time, and I spent the rest of the time painting and practicing my calligraphy."
"That would explain why you paint so well then," the queen remarked, looking back at the painting of the willow tree.
Zi-ning could see the jealous looks in the eyes of the other girls present, but she chose to ignore them. Let them be envious. They had laughed at her expense for long enough, so it was about time they repaid the debt.
"Mother, it seems like you've invited quite the crowd here today," a mellow voice interrupted, and all eyes immediately turned towards the pavilion entrance. In strolled the crown prince himself, Prince Ru-quan, a bright smile on his lean, angular face. He was wearing a well-fitting outfit in a deep shade of maroon, with the golden emblem of the dragon embroidered across the front—something only the crown prince was allowed to wear. A headband in the same shade was tied across his forehead, which, coupled with the boots on his feet, suggested that he had come straight from physical training.
Zi-ning had only ever seen the crown prince once before, and only from afar. At that time he had already taken severely ill and she had accompanied her then-husband Prince Ru-wen to visit his ailing older brother. She had simply stood quietly by the side while Ru-wen had gone to speak with Ru-quan and she only managed to catch a brief glimpse of the frail figure that was lying on the bed.
The young man walking towards them now was far from that.
This was the crown prince at his prime—charming, intelligent, athletic—everything that you might imagine a future king to be. Hong Ru-quan was Queen Yuanji's pride and joy. Were it not for this son of hers, she might not have been able to sit so comfortably on the queen's throne for such a long time, especially when there were so many other concubines of the king who were constantly eyeing her position.
The queen's smile immediately widened when she saw her son walk in. Holding out her arms, she said, "Look at you, were you not able to get a change of clothes before coming over?" she chided, although there was nothing but affection in her tone. "You're embarrassing yourself, and me, in front of all these beautiful young ladies here."
Ru-quan laughed. "I rushed over from archery training because you called, Mother. Are you faulting me for that now? Look who I brought with me."
The crown prince's appearance had distracted everyone from noticing that four others had followed along behind him. Now that he mentioned it, people started noticing the other strapping young lads who had joined him.
"Your Majesty," the four of them bowed and greeted the queen respectfully.
Zi-ning's hand froze on her teacup when she caught sight of the new entrants. They were all faces that were familiar to her—perhaps a little too familiar. On both sides of the crown prince stood his younger brothers, the fifth prince Ru-an and the eighth prince Ru-wen, and a step behind were two of the princes' closest friends, Song Nansheng and Song Nanlin, both sons of the influential Song clan. She quickly clapped her left hand over her right to stop herself from trembling.
"I hope you don't mind that we tagged along. Just for the food," Ru-an remarked with a grin.
"Are you sure you're just here for the food?" the queen teased. "This has nothing to do with all the young ladies that have joined me here today?"
Ru-an laughed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
Zi-ning clenched her fists, expression darkening. This was the man who had put her through a living hell and then watched as the blade fell cruelly upon her neck. She would never forget his face, if only because she hated him so much. All the love that she had once harboured for this dashing young man had long festered into a corrupted, rancid pool of loathing and resentment, constantly eating away at her and reminding her of her purpose in this new life.
There he was, still that bright, shining star, now laughing and joking with the other men. Who would have guessed that a few short years later, he would be the one sending the others to their tragic ends?