TN | The Malicious Empress

Chapter 33: To Paint

The chief examiner was the professor from the government cabinet, Zhong Zi Qi. He was a little old man with a full head of grey hairs and was normally extremely serious. He open the scroll in his hands and began to read the topics for today's exams.

As for 'painting' this category, it was actually different every year. However since this year the academy examinations and the Chrysanthemum feast were held together, the topic was much simpler. Like 'literary' which the topic was Chrysanthemum, the topic for 'painting' was also Chrysanthemum.

There were five long tables on the stage and there were brushes and ink placed on the table. After they headed to their respective tables orderly, the drummer beat the drums heavily indicating that the examinations had started.

Everyone stretch their necks out to look.

These five people were considered the five who were the most unique of all. Shen Yue was well known as a talent, Qin Qing was especially pretty and noble looking, Fan Liu-er and Zhao Yan were a pair of beautiful sisters and as for Jennie, she was naturally that stupid and ignorant idiot.

The males were mostly looking to see both Shen Yue and Qin Qing while the female were looking mostly at Jennie.

Bai Wei covered her mouth and said, "Today Shen Jennie looked well-behaved. There shouldn't be any weird actions since it doesn't seem like it."

Including this time, Jennie had experienced a total of four academy examinations. The first time she picked chess and she randomly placed a few chess pieces and it was a beaten army in total collapse. The second time she picked literary and flipped the ink stab and dirtied her robes. The third time she picked qin and a fine bamboo qin had its strings picked out. Rather than saying that everyone was here to see Jennie go up the stage, it would be better to say that everyone was watching how she would humiliate herself.

But there were some differences today.

The stage was spacious as the young lady sat in front of the table. She brush movements were proper like she had received rigorous training and there seems not to be anything wrong to pick at. The tenth month was the golden month for autumn and the whistling sound of cold wind passed through the hall and lifted the breakaway strains of hair that were on her forehead while she slightly bowed. One was only able to see beautiful curve of that little goose-egg shaped face as that eyelashes were hanging onto.

Actually there was some beauty.

That lotus purple cloak was making a vigorous fluttering sound as she sat properly but she put her brush on the paper chicly and her brushstrokes flows smoothly as if she paid it no mind. However there was a kind of calm and confident air, just like the Begonia in her hair, blooming brightly in a restrained manner.

Yi Furen pursed her lips and said to Ren Wan Yun with an unknown implication, "The Fifth Lady has indeed grown up."

Ren Wan Yun smiled reluctantly but her hands were clenched tightly.

Behind them the young ladies were conversing.

"For Jennie to not make a fool of herself till now, was it that her personality really changed?"

"It is not possible. She should be putting up a show. Did you not see that she did not even think before her brush went down? Even Shen Yue have to think for a moment. For her to be like that, the biggest possibility is that she just casually painted."

Rose looked at Jennie who was on the stage and that strange feeling came back again. She suddenly had an intuition that today's Chrysanthemum banquet would not be like it was in the past. For instance, like Jennie who was on the stage, would she really make a fool of herself?