Chapter 76: Do You Think I’m Jealous?

“This portrait is quite beautiful. Who is the person depicted in it?”

Zhang Xiaolan’s gaze fell upon a painted portrait. The woman within was not stunningly beautiful, yet her features were dignified and radiant, her bearing stately, and her attire resplendent. Though Zhang Xiaolan had her suspicions as to the portrait’s subject, she wished to confirm her thoughts with Xiaolian.

“I often see this painting, but I don’t know who it is,” Xiaolian replied. Only now, as Zhang Xiaolan pointed, did she realize which portrait she meant. She’d seen it many times while cleaning, but had never thought much of it.

“You don’t know? Look at her elegant clothes and that gentle grace—my guess is that she must be Brother Li’s late princess consort,” Zhang Xiaolan said, seeing the blank look on Xiaolian’s face. Perhaps she truly did not know, so Zhang Xiaolan shared her own reasoning.

“Miss, is that how you figured it out? I’ve only been at the prince’s residence for three years. By the time I arrived, His Highness was already alone. Both the princess consort and the young heir had passed on. It’s not that I meant to keep it from you.” Xiaolian lowered her head, glancing around nervously, as if worried about something.

It was only after Zhang Xiaolan’s words that Xiaolian recalled: she had joined the household after the deaths of the princess consort and the heir. It wasn’t that she’d hidden anything, but that she was too young then to understand. Still, she fretted that Zhang Xiaolan might find the discovery unsettling.

After all, this was Li Rui’s former wife, and now her portrait was hanging in the study for Zhang Xiaolan to see. Xiaolian felt she shouldn’t have brought Zhang Xiaolan here, and now that she’d seen the painting, Xiaolian’s heart was filled with worry and regret.

“Do you think I’m jealous? I’m not so petty as to begrudge memories of the departed. But if Brother Li had any wives or concubines now, I certainly wouldn’t stay with him,” Zhang Xiaolan replied, sensing that Xiaolian feared she’d be angered by Li Rui’s lingering affection for his late wife. But Zhang Xiaolan was open-minded and proper; how could she be jealous of a man who cherished old ties?

“As long as you’re not upset, Miss. His Highness is a prince gifted in both pen and sword, with looks and talent to match. So many noble ladies admire him, yet his heart belongs solely to you. I truly believe you two are destined for each other,” Xiaolian said, relieved, and began showering Li Rui with unreserved praise—perhaps a bit too much, even mentioning how many admired him.

Zhang Xiaolan laughed. “Well said, and your praise is no less grand! But to heap on too much is a fault in itself. If so many ladies pursue your master, why is he still so solitary? Is there something wrong with him?”

She knew Li Rui could be rather dense in matters of the heart, though with her, he’d been brave enough to confess. Yet their relationship had been anything but smooth—was it the memory of his late wife, or was he simply clueless about love?

Xiaolian chuckled. “That’s only because His Highness is faithful to a fault. But now, his heart is reserved for you alone, Miss.” She didn’t know the real reason either, but having praised Li Rui, she decided to say a few more good words for him.

“You little chatterbox! You certainly have a way with words. Enough of your flattery—I want to take a proper look at these treasures now,” Zhang Xiaolan said, immune to Xiaolian’s effusive praise. To think the girl could rack her brains so thoroughly to flatter her master!