Maiden Galaxy

What Chen Qinghan stared attentively at was a watercolor portrait. The subject was the profile of a beautiful lady, her long hair flowing to the ground, her eyes warm and gentle. In just those few strokes, her poise and nobility were fully revealed. 

"Mother didn't like to sit for portraits in the past. After Mother died, Father specifically made an artist paint her from memory." Chen Mo walked over, full of tender feelings as he looked at this painting. He still vaguely remembered his father used to gaze just like this, those eyes even more loving than Chen Qinghan's, and even more agonized.

This was the only place that could make Lord Chang'an melancholy.

"Not a single bit. This is not one single bit like her at all." Chen Qinghan shook her head.

"Um…In Auntie's mind, I wonder what Mother was like?" Chen Mo asked out of curiosity.

Chen Qinghan's eyes seemed to ponder for a while, but she did not answer.

"Congratulations for making first place. You did not disappoint Auntie."

"And many thanks for Auntie's training." Chen Mo chuckled. "Why not let me treat you to a meal someday?"

"Oh, you want to invite me out for a meal?" Chen Qinghan's brows rose.

"I really, really do." Chen Mo nodded.

"If you can make zhuangyuan,1 Auntie shall agree." Chen Qinghand thought. This request was not unreasonable.

Chen Mo did not think that his Auntie would actually agree, making him very pleasantly surprised.

"This ‘Hanshan Asks Shide' that you wrote in the Mind Trial assessment is not bad." Hanshan Asks Shide had no spread throughout Great Chong Dynasty, being described as golden words. After Chen Qinghan read them carefully, she also felt they were very outstanding.

1. 狀元, the highest score in all civil service examinations. ↩