Villain Lady

The location for their study was in Prince Ji Sheng's Garden. It was not usually used by anyone, so it would be perfect for them to stay. Besides, staying indoors all day long could be tiring.

"What are we going to learn first?" Gao Ling asked in curiosity.

"Painting."

"Oh?"

Yang Xian smiled bitterly and called the servants to arrange the plants. Prince Ji Sheng had prepared enough people for today's activity because Yang Xian wouldn't be able to leave his position near Gao Ling.

"His Highness the Third Prince asked that we should draw the flowers that he had arranged before. Can you do that, Lady Gao?"

"Flowers?" Gao Ling tilted her head. That was common subject that her teacher back then also asked them to train with. Besides, it was not that hard with her current painting skill to make something simple.

"Yes."

"In that case, let's start."

Gao Ling excitedly began to prepare the brush and ink before she started to draw on the skin leather that they had prepared. The quality couldn't be compared to those at the capital city, but it was still good enough for them to play around. Aside from Gao Ling, the other two were basically amateurs.

Wei Liuying watched the flower before her and began to draw stroke by stroke in her own leather skin. It took her a long time to be able to draw properly as the end result was not one to be seen.

"It's all black?" Gao Ling asked when she peered to Wei Liuying's drawing.

"I… can't apply color properly."

"I thought the rumor about you being a useless lady was wrong, but you truly can't paint?" Gao Ling was stunned. She thought that it was truly just nothing more than rumor since she had seen how talented Wei Liuying was. But then again, the field in which Wei Liuying shine the most was not the one that most women usually shine in. Instead, it was a field where men were supposed to shine brightly.

Wei Liuying: "…" do you have to be so blunt in your word?

"My bad." Gao Ling laughed a bit when she saw Wei Liuying's sour mood. "Let me help you apply the color."

"Can you?"

"Of course."

With elegant movement, Gao Ling dabbed the brush and started to add color to Wei Liuying's painting. It was not as hard as what Wei Liuying thought at first, but it was not that easy either. Her hand was moved by Gao Ling to add the beautiful color to the previously plain painting.

Slowly but surely, the beautiful color merged with the layout that Wei Liuying had drawn before. It was beautiful.

"This looks much better," Gao Ling said with a grin.

Wei Liuying nodded. "You're very talented, Lady Gao."

"This much is nothing. To be able to survive in the women's world, you need to be able to be proficient in the arts. If not, you'll just incur ridicule to your head."

It was common sense that every young lady has to learn the arts from the time they were young. Gao Ling might be General Gao's daughter, but it didn't mean that she could skip her lessons. She still had to fulfill her duties as a young lady.

"Now, how about yours, Strategist Yang?"

"I'm untalented, Lady Gao. Please don't be so harsh with me," Yang Xian said with a bitter smile.

"It couldn't be that bad," Gao Ling said with a laugh and peered. Looking at the black painting before her, she recalled the one that Wei Liuying made. Her brows furrowed. "Do you and Wei Liuying agreed to only use black ink?"

"I have only made maps before this," Yang Xian explained. "I only knew how to add strokes for the overall layout, so this is how it all turns out."

Gao Ling: "…" I have the feeling that you also the one who teach Wei Liuying to draw like this.

The way these two held their brush was similar. Not to mention, the layout style that they used to paint the flowers were also the same. It was as if they have the same skill when it came to drawing.

"You should try to add color by yourself?"

"Won't you help me, Lady Gao?"

Gao Ling arched her eyebrows. "You're a man and I'm a woman, how can I get close to you and help you out? Instead, you can take a look at my painting so that you can get inspiration from it."

Yang Xian smiled bitterly. He had never learned anything like this. For his entire life after he had lost his family, he spent them on the battlefield. Never even once he touched the brush for the sake of amusement like this.

He's a bad artist.

Wei Liuying giggled. "In that case, should I try to help you, Strategist Yang?"

"Would you like to?"

"Yes."

Wei Liuying showed her own painting, which was half colored and moved it beside Yang Xian. She tried to apply what Gao Ling taught her as she dabbed her brush in the colored ink before she started to paint slowly. Her movements were slow, yet it was precise as if they were in the middle of the battlefield.

With Wei Liuying by his side, Yang Xian began to draw as well. His movements were stiffer than Wei Liuying, but it was good enough for someone who had never learned how to paint before.

'She's not that bad,' Gao Ling concluded when she saw the two of them paint side by side. 'Even though her color placement need to be evaluated again, she's good at mimicking other's technique. All that's left would be for her to practice more and more.'

Painters would usually paint a lot of paintings on their own to practice their technique. Gao Ling did teach Wei Liuying a few of them and it could be seen that Wei Liuying started to apply what she knew. However, the way she did it was still very crude as if this was only the third or even fourth time she learnt this.

'Surely, it's not because she's acting as a boy, right?'

'Acting as a boy….'

Gao Ling looked at Wei Liuying's current appearance. She was dressed in fine blue robes that was suitable for male scholar. Even though this made her looked like boy, there was still the feminine air around her. It could be easily brushed off because she was still young, but those who knew that she was a young girl wouldn't miss it so easily.

"Liu Ying."

"Yes, Lady Gao?" Wei Liuying stopped her brush.

"Have you learned how to paint before?"

"I learned a bit, but this one is untalented," Wei Liuying replied. She hated to have to show her skill like this when she knew for certain that her skill was exceedingly poor to the point that it was truly unsightly to look at.

Gao Ling giggled. "Practice makes perfect. Besides, you're still better than Strategist Yang."

"Lady Gao, please don't mock this untalented one too," Yang Xian replied with a bitter smile. Internally, he was trying to concoct a scheme to make sure that Prince Ji Sheng suffered the same way as he did. However, he couldn't possibly ask Prince Ji Sheng to paint because Prince Ji Sheng's kill was off the charts.

He might be even better than Gao Ling.

Gao Ling smiled. "Now that you have learned how to paint, we should take a short break. I'm a bit hungry."

"That'll be a great idea."

"I'll ask the servants to prepare some food for us." Yang Xian stood up and walked to the side where several servants were standing patiently, waiting for the orders to be given.

Gao Ling smiled and looked at Wei Liuying. "Xiao Ling."

"Did you call me, Lady Gao?"

"No need to be so formal," Gao Ling said with a laugh. "Say, have you been living as a boy, Xiao Ling?"

Wei Liuying blinked her eyes. Living as a boy? How could it be possible for someone like her to live as a boy since she was known as a young lady. Besides, Wei Liuying knew how much her mother hated her existence.

"I'm not, Lady Gao."

"Really?"

"Yes. I lived as the young lady," Wei Liuying replied. "But I have to learn some additional things."

Learn some additional things?

Gao Ling would not believe that, but she didn't say it out loudly. Wei Liuying's past education was that for a young man, but she was living as a young girl. She truly wondered what kind of situation she had in Wei Family Residence.

But if Wei Liuying didn't want to tell, she wouldn't for her to answer. 

"Shall we continue painting whilst waiting for Strategist Yang to return?" Wei Liuying diverted the conversation.

Gao Ling smiled. "Sure. Would you like me to teach you a new technique?"

"Lady Gao sure jest, this is already a lot."

"In that case, I'll be watching from the side."