★ Chapter 81 has been updated and revised. If you've read it before, I recommend giving it another quick look. There's a sweet little scene coming up (*¯︶¯*)
[Cool, grudges-never-forgiving painter × dignified, silver-tongued court official]
Huan Yu opened a painting studio in Chang'an, planning to live out her life in peace. Who could have guessed she'd be drawn into a murder mystery in the capital?
Wei Yan: "Lady Huan, your painting skills are superb. Would you be willing to serve as a court artist at the Dali Temple and help me solve cases?"
Huan Yu replied without changing her expression: "I'm honored by your regard, Assistant Minister. But I am a woman, and my skills are still limited. I'm afraid I'm not up to the task."
Wei Yan: "Not only are your painting skills excellent, Lady Huan, you also have a talent for solving cases. The Dali Temple needs someone like you."
Huan Yu frowned slightly. "You flatter me, Assistant Minister. I have a studio to run and can barely manage that as it is. Please find someone else."
Wei Yan: "Lady Huan, the Dali Temple..."
Huan Yu: "Please be quiet while I'm painting, Assistant Minister."
Wei Yan invited Huan Yu three times, and she turned him down every time.
Huan Yu thought she would have no further dealings with the Dali Temple after the case was over. But then an old friend was falsely accused of murder, and Huan Yu returned to the Dali Temple to clear their name.
"Does your offer still stand, Assistant Minister?"
"Which part of it, Lady Huan?"
After becoming a court artist, Huan Yu expected to work alongside her superiors and colleagues, diligently investigating cases and serving the public. Who could have guessed that her once dignified and self-possessed superior would suddenly change his ways and wait on her hand and foot, like a peacock showing off its feathers?
One day, Wei Yan put on an affected air.
Huan Yu: "Everyone's here. How can you act like this?"
Wei Yan: "Then what should I do about feeling a little jealous?"
Note:
1. Set in a fictional Tang dynasty. Historical events will be referenced, but the details aren't meant to withstand scrutiny.
2. Episodic story with a focus on the ensemble cast.
3. Both leads are each other's first and only; happy ending.
Theme: Everyone has something that makes them shine.
The Prince's Cherished Little Pepper Consort
Notes on Late-Night Meals
Ashen Palace
21+
The Palace Lantern Shines Through the Long Night
Knocking on the Heart
Princess Yongning, Sent to Seal a Marriage Alliance
On the Seventh String
Did the Sickly Beauty Scholar Marry the Princess? [GB]
21+
The General's Second Wife
Your Highness, My Princess
A Guide to Handling a Sick Husband
Collect this post~ Comment on this post~ O soul, return! O soul, return! O soul, return! O soul, return! (Performance) (Shamanic dance) (Circling around the stove) (Offering incense) (Performance) (Chanting incantations) (Spinning) (Ringing bells) (Shamanic dance) (Whispering) (Ringing bells) (Swinging flags) (Lighting the fire) (Performance) (Ringing bells) (Chanting incantations)