step by step

Chapter 57
After Zhuo Yibai went back, he locked himself in the room and carefully studied the things recorded on that piece of paper.

He turned the piece of paper over, and found that there was an annotation on the back, pointing out the characteristics of the woman in a few words.

What surprised him was that some women's descriptions included everything from clothing, body shape, appearance, temperament and so on.

Such as Xue Zhiyan, Xue Youling, Xue Qinyao and others.

There are not many descriptions about the young ladies surnamed Ye in the Ye family.

Especially the one from the first daughter and the two offspring ladies are only briefly outlined above, and it is easy to be overlooked if you don't look carefully.

After reading what was on the paper, he fell into deep thought.

Most of the characteristics recorded on that piece of paper were briefly described, and did not describe their appearance in detail.

He put the paper into his sleeve, and suddenly had an idea in his mind, and gave Wei Yu a few words.

When the application time was not available, the person he wanted was invited to come.

This is a man in his thirties, with a slender figure, a gentle appearance, and an air of a literati.

Although the eyes are not big, they reveal light and look very energetic.

He is a well-known painter in Jindu, his name is Zhou Ru, and he is famous for his portraits of young ladies who have not left the court.

He is best at Danqing and ink painting, and has unique skills in portraiture.

In his works, almost [-]% of the portraits are women, and most of them are beautiful.

"My lord, it's here." Wei Yu stepped forward to ask for instructions, with a look of suspicious embarrassment on his face.

He took this person all the way back to the mansion from the market, and he did not know how many teasing looks he received.

Only then did he understand that this person is often accompanied by happy events in Jindu, and any rich family would invite such a painter to come to their door if they want to choose beauties for their sons.

In Zhou Ru's hands, there are portraits of many girls who are waiting to be married in Jindu.

"You are Zhou Ru?" Zhuo Yibai looked at the painter and asked, "Can you bring what I want?"

Zhou Ru nodded, and said, "I brought it, my lord, please take a look."

He took out a rosewood box from his back, opened it respectfully, took out a scroll from it, and spread it out on the table.

The portraits of the seven or eight female relatives of Ye Mansion were all listed in it.

Zhuo Yibai picked up the scroll and looked at it carefully.

The characters painted in this painting have their own characteristics and are lifelike, which is wonderful.

Especially a beautiful woman, although she is not young, she is quite attractive.

She stood by the lotus pond, her clothes fluttering, her eyes were as clear as water, and there was a slight smile on her mouth, as if she was full of interest in everything.

In the upper right corner of the picture scroll, there is a line of words: "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night".

This painting was copied by Zhou Ru, and his technique is very skillful.

Zhou Ru hurriedly said: "This is Ye Fugui, the wife of the Ye Mansion. She was a beauty who was famous in Jindu back then, and attracted countless nobles to be jealous of her."

"It's really not vulgar." Zhuo Yibai exclaimed, the beauty revealed in the eyebrows and eyes of the person in the painting is absolutely unique, I am afraid that in today's Jindu, it is not inferior to the existence of the ladies of various families.

He picked up another scroll.

This volume is the portraits of the young ladies of the Ye Mansion, and there is a woman in each painting.

Some are glamorous and glamorous, some are gentle and lovely, and some are gentle and demure, each with its own merits.

It was completely different from the woman in memory.

"These are portraits of Miss Ye Fu." Zhou Ru said respectfully.

Zhuo Yibai was a little disappointed.

He picked up another scroll, looked at it carefully, and frowned slightly.

The woman's eyebrows and eyes in this painting are familiar.

The appearance of Miss Ye suddenly appeared in my mind.

He was startled, could it be that Miss Naye and this woman are sisters?
He then compared the people in the painting with the portraits in the album.

Finally, a portrait of Ye Fugui was selected.

Although the girl in the portrait is far from Ye Fugui, her makeup is exactly the same.

In terms of appearance, they don't look like their biological mother and daughter, but in terms of makeup, they look like they were dressed in the same room.

It’s weird.

"Who is the girl in this painting?" He put down the album and asked in confusion.

"My son, the woman in this painting is named Xue Zhiyan, she is the daughter of the Xue family's descendant, and she has been raised in the Ye residence for many years."

Zhou Ru replied respectfully.

"Ms. Xue's family?" Zhuo Yibai was stunned for a moment, it was because her surname was not Ye, so naturally she and Miss Ye could not be biological sisters.

"Exactly, this Miss Xue family is a well-known talented woman in Jindu."

"Oh!" Zhuo Yibai responded lightly, and then asked again: "Are there any other noble ladies from the Ye Mansion who haven't finished painting yet?"

"Yes, there are, but those few are still young and have not reached the age of hairpin, so they are not in a hurry for portraits. If you need them, I will send the portraits to the Zhuo Palace after you finish painting them." Zhou Ru said.

He has been in Jindu for so many years, and he has never seen anyone.

Although this son looks gentle and easy-going, he obviously values ​​this matter very much.

If he manages it well, it will lead to a marriage in the Zhuo Palace, and his reputation may rise again.

"No need."

Zhuo Yibai shook his head and continued: "It is said that you are good at portrait painting, would you like to draw a picture for me?"

"Naturally willing."

Zhou Ru agreed without hesitation, "I just don't know what kind of person the young master wants to draw. Can you describe it in detail?"

He also knows that portraits require skill and experience, if done overnight, it will inevitably lead to mistakes.

Therefore, it is not a safe move to rashly agree without preparation.

Zhuo Yibai pondered for a moment when he heard the words, and described according to the appearance of Miss Ye in his memory: "She looks about fourteen or fifteen years old, her pair of peach blossom eyes are very beautiful, but she doesn't look kitsch. There is a fierce heroism between her brows, The corners of the mouth are slightly pursed, there seems to be a layer of indifference, and the whole body exudes a kind of alienation and arrogance, which seems to be born with it, and is different from those women in the world."

What he said was extremely detailed, and every word was so clear that the hearts of those who listened were so excited that they wished they could come and observe it in person.

After listening to the portrait described by Zhuo Yibai, Zhou Ru secretly marveled in his heart, but at the same time was a little puzzled, wondering if the woman described by the other party was real?
He has been in Jindu for more than ten years, and he has never seen such a beautiful woman. Is the other party the person in the painting?

He looked at the man standing in front of the desk, and felt a sense of awe in his heart.

As expected of the young master of the Zhuo Palace, the wonderful thoughts in his chest are different from ordinary people.

"My lord, I think the person you describe is a bit different from the woman I saw in Jindu. Her appearance is even better, and she seems to be very unique." Zhou Ru frowned and thought about it, before speaking slowly.

He was telling the truth.

I'm afraid that this woman is imagined by the people in front of him, but he is not easy to say clearly, for fear of spoiling this nobleman's elegance.

"Oh?" Zhuo Yibai raised his eyebrows, and looked at Zhou Ru with great interest, "What's the difference, please explain in detail, Master Zhou."

Zhou Ru was slightly taken aback when he heard the words, he was only relying on his feeling, but he didn't dare to speculate.

But since the other party made a request, he couldn't refuse, so he could only say implicitly: "Although there are many beauties in Jindu, it's just that such a special woman is probably rare."

(End of this chapter)