The room fell silent for a moment.
Everyone in the Ren Family knew that Third Master Ren had a gentle temperament and rarely lost his temper.
But rarely losing his temper did not mean he had no temper at all.
Once, a young servant who attended to Ren Shimin’s study stole an inkstone to exchange for silver. That servant had served him since childhood—he was the nephew of Ren Shimin’s wet nurse—and had committed such petty thefts several times before. Ren Shimin had always been indifferent to such material possessions and had turned a blind eye to it.
Unexpectedly, that time, Ren Shimin flew into a rage. Ignoring the tearful pleas of his wet nurse, he immediately ordered the steward to give the servant fifty heavy strokes before sending him to the authorities. The servant endured for three days before finally dying in prison.
According to the laws of Great Zhou, if a servant committed crimes such as murdering their master, rape, or theft, the master had the right to have them beaten to death upon verification. Afterward, they only needed to pay the authorities twenty taels of silver as a "filing fee" to close the case.
Thus, although Ren Shimin always appeared as a gentle and refined gentleman, none of the Ren Family’s servants dared to act recklessly in his presence.
Those who did not follow the usual rules were the most difficult to provoke, as one never knew what might suddenly anger them. The only option was to be extra cautious around them.
Ren Shimin flicked the hem of his robe and stood up. "I’m going to the study. You may all disperse."
Everyone rose to see him off. When Ren Shimin reached Ren Yaoqi, he turned and said, "Yao Yao, come along. I want to see how much you’ve slacked off over the past six months."
"Father," Ren Yaoying called softly, biting her lower lip.
Ren Shimin turned to look at her and asked gently, "What is it?"
Ren Yaoying mustered her courage and said, "Father, I’ve also been practicing calligraphy and painting over the past six months. A few days ago, I just finished a landscape painting and would like to ask for your guidance. I know I’m not as talented as Fifth Sister, but... but I truly love painting."
Concubine Fang looked at Ren Yaoying and smiled. "Ninth Miss has indeed put a lot of effort into practicing calligraphy and painting over the past six months. Come to think of it, we should thank Fifth Miss for her occasional guidance."
"Oh?" Ren Shimin glanced at Ren Yaoqi, thought for a moment, and nodded. "In that case, you may come along as well."
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Concubine Fang and smiled faintly, lowering her head.
If Concubine Fang considered her agreement to lend her paintings as guidance for Ren Yaoying, then she had no choice but to accept the credit.
However, she knew that Ren Yaoying’s paintings were indeed quite good.
Concubine Fang, wholeheartedly planning for her children, naturally calculated every step carefully. Before the Ren Family’s downfall, she even managed to persuade Old Madam Ren to let her return to her maiden home and, taking the opportunity, married her daughter to her brother’s eldest legitimate son.
"Father, why don’t Third Sister and Fifth Brother come along too? Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and even the sons of rats know how to dig holes. So, your children should all be able to paint!" Ren Yaoqi blinked playfully at Ren Shimin.
Ren Shimin was both amused and exasperated. "Where did you learn all this nonsense?"
In the end, all four children followed Ren Shimin to his study.
The second courtyard of Purple Magnolia Courtyard had no side rooms but featured two small annexes on the east and west sides. The west annex served as Madam Li’s storeroom, while the east annex was Ren Shimin’s study.
The study consisted of three rooms, all filled with books and paintings. As soon as one entered the courtyard, the scent of ink filled the air.In the side courtyard, there was a very small pond with shallow but ink-black water, now frozen solid. After the floating snow was shoveled away, the little pond resembled a piece of gleaming, deep black jade.
This was the pond where Ren Shimin usually washed his brushes, which he named the "Wenhan Pond."
This place should have been the most familiar to Ren Yaoqi, but upon entering, she couldn’t help but look around. Pushing open the study door, the chaotic state inside was almost unbelievable for a study.
Ren Yaoqi remembered that Ren Shimin’s study was the messiest place she had ever seen.
He disliked having servants tidy up and enjoyed scattering his books and paintings everywhere.
However, he could quickly locate every painting himself and took pride in it.
In the entire Ren Family, aside from Ren Shimin himself, only Ren Yaoqi could clearly remember the exact location of every book, calligraphy piece, and painting in his study.
Ren Shimin turned to look at the four children following him, frowned thoughtfully, and finally pointed to the rosewood desk inlaid with cloud-patterned marble facing the door. "All of you, sit there. Don’t touch anything."
Ren Yaoqi knew that Ren Shimin didn’t usually write or paint at this desk. He preferred the low table in the room on the right. This desk was where he drank tea, so it was relatively tidier.
The group carefully navigated through the clutter on the floor and sat around the desk in a circle.
Ren Yaoqi reached out and picked up the inverted cylindrical bamboo tube resembling a flat-bottomed bell in the center of the desk. Then, as if her hand moved on its own, she retrieved a few Go stones from the drawer beneath the desk and placed them inside. Just as she was about to shake it near her ear, Ren Shimin, sitting beside her, snatched it away.
"Father has told you many times, this is for drinking tea, not a toy. You’re being mischievous again," Ren Shimin said sternly, disapproval evident in his tone.
Ren Yaoqi snapped back to reality, blinked, and quickly held back the tears welling in her eyes.
Ren Shimin was taken aback, wondering if his tone had been too harsh. In the end, he could only place the bamboo cup back into Ren Yaoqi’s hands and said helplessly, "Forget it. This cup hasn’t been used in a long time. You can play with it. Father will make another one tomorrow."
Ren Yaoqi looked at the crudely made bamboo cup in her hand and smiled through her tears.
There were two more such cups in the small camphorwood box under her bed. As a child, she had always loved shaking dice in the bamboo cups her father made when he wasn’t looking. She had been caught twice but never tired of it.
A flash of jealousy crossed Ren Yaoying’s eyes, but her smile remained seven parts innocent and three parts curious, with no trace of malice. "Was Fifth Sister just playing a gambling game? I heard Uncle is best at this. Did Fifth Sister learn it from him?"
Ren Shimin’s expression darkened abruptly.
Ren Yaohua’s gaze, sharp as a blade, turned coldly toward Ren Yaoying. Ren Yaoying forced a smile but couldn’t help shrinking back.
The only person Ren Yaoying would openly refer to as "Uncle" was the brother of the legitimate wife.
Ren Yaoqi toyed with the cup in her hand and smiled nonchalantly. "Didn’t Auntie say you’ve read extensively? How come you don’t know that shaking dice is actually a method of divination? What gambling game? Where did you hear such nonsense?"How could a child raised in the inner chambers know such things? Moreover, Ren Yaoying had never had any contact with her so-called "uncle." All she knew was what she had heard from others.
Ren Shimin barely suppressed his anger and said calmly to Ren Yaoying, "Didn't you say you wanted me to guide you in painting?"
Ren Yaoying, feeling stifled, bit her lip and lowered her head. She took out a scroll she had been holding and carefully spread it on the desk, glancing at Ren Shimin.
Ren Shimin looked up, his expression softening slightly. For once, he nodded in approval and said, "Indeed, your progress is remarkable. It's clear you've put in a lot of effort."
Ren Yaoqi also examined the painting carefully. To be fair, for someone of Ren Yaoying's age, this level of skill was truly commendable. She knew Concubine Fang was extremely strict with her children, and Ren Yaoying had indeed worked hard over the past six months.
But given Ren Shimin's discerning eye...
Sure enough, he continued, "However, in painting, besides focusing on brushwork and ink, composition is especially important. Yin and yang, facing and turning, vertical and horizontal, rising and falling, opening and closing, locking and connecting, embracing, hooking and supporting, transitioning, and echoing—all must be dynamic, free, and unrestrained. Only then can one avoid being technically proficient yet lacking in charm. What your painting lacks is precisely this cleverness in composition."
In fact, based on Ren Yaoqi's understanding of Ren Shimin, this was already high praise. Given his temperament, if he didn't like a painting, he would at most offer a reserved "acceptable" and never waste so many words.
But Ren Yaoying didn't know this, so her smile stiffened slightly.
"Father often praises Fifth Sister's painting skills. Why don't you help me see how to improve this painting?" Ren Yaoying suddenly looked at Ren Yaoqi with hopeful eyes.
Ren Yaoqi remembered that in her previous life, Ren Yaoying had made a similar request. Back then, she was too young to make any changes and, disliking Ren Yaoying, had refused outright. Ren Yaoying hadn't genuinely wanted her help either, so in the end, Ren Shimin had made a few adjustments to the painting.
But this time, Ren Yaoqi nodded generously and smiled, "Since my sister learned painting from me, it's only right for me to help you improve it." She spoke with an air of confidence.
Ren Yaoying's temple twitched, still uncomfortable with how Concubine Fang had praised Ren Yaoqi earlier.
Ren Shimin glanced at Ren Yaoqi with a smile, clearly amused, and fetched brushes and ink from the adjacent room. He had taught his daughter himself and knew her abilities well. Ren Yaoqi might be slightly better than Ren Yaoying, but her skills were still limited.
Ren Yaoqi ground the ink while tilting her head to study the painting. Once the ink was ready, she picked up a brush and added a few strokes to the snowscape. Finally, she painted two bamboo stalks bent under the weight of heavy snow.
Though only a few strokes, they conveyed the resilient strength of the bamboo, ready to spring back, infusing the painting with vibrant vitality.
Ren Yaoying's original painting seemed to fade into the background, yet the overall composition remained harmonious, without any sense of abruptness. The entire painting's artistic level was instantly elevated several notches.
Ren Shimin's initially amused expression gradually turned serious.
Mei Nan's completed work: [bookid=2288861,bookname=The Noble Daughter's Murder]
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