PDLP Chapter 22 The fragrance disappears and the jade dies
Chapter 22 The fragrance disappears and the jade dies
And so, on a sunny Sunday morning, Grandpa Xie sat quietly to the side, watching Jiang Songchu paint freely on the canvas.
She first conceived the idea, and then without hesitation, she began to write the draft.
After careful drawing and skillful adjustments, a lifelike calligraphy piece was presented to Grandpa Xie.
Yes, this is indeed a piece of calligraphy.
Little Black Cat Mo Bao.
The painting is full of life and vitality, as if it vividly depicts the light and shadow on the balcony, the flowers and leaves, and the lazy kitten sunbathing.
On one side of the painting, Jiang Songchu also inscribed a short poem:
A hidden gem lies in a corner of the balcony, where the fragrance of ink permeates the air, bringing a sense of carefree ease.
The dappled sunlight casts shadows on the gently swaying leaves, and the flower shadows on the table drift in the breeze.
Sunlight spilled across the ground, casting a golden glow; the cat's eyes were half-closed, its gaze still lingering.
This picturesque scene is truly captivating; the peaceful and serene moments bring me immense joy.
Grandpa Xie looked at the completed painting and couldn't help but take out his phone to take a picture.
He nodded repeatedly in praise, saying that such a level was more than enough to participate in the finals.
After lunch, Grandpa Xie hurriedly left with Jiang Songchu's painting in his hands.
Jiang Songchu greeted Grandma Feng and planned to go out to buy some items to prepare for returning to school that evening.
In the spacious and bright supermarket, Jiang Songchu moved freely among the dazzling array of shelves, her eyes carefully scanning each row of snacks, meticulously selecting those delicacies that might catch her roommates' eye.
As she strolled to the potato chip section, the dazzling array of strange and wonderful flavors beckoned to her with an irresistible pull.
Her fingers involuntarily reached out, and after looking at them for a while, she couldn't resist the "guilty" act of putting several bags of uniquely flavored potato chips into her shopping cart.
Afterwards, Jiang Songchu, laden with snacks, stepped into a nearby bookstore.
Her gaze fell directly on the workbook section, her fingertips lightly gliding over the thick books. After careful selection, she finally found a few workbooks that suited her, and prepared to use them to target her weaknesses in the days to come.
Just as she was about to head to the cashier to pay, a casual glance swept across the history section, and she involuntarily paused in her tracks.
She walked slowly, her gaze wandering among the dazzling array of history books, finally settling on a book titled "The Prosperous Tianrong Dynasty".
Jiang Songchu's heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, he picked it up, opened the table of contents, and saw that the historical timeline of the Tianrong Dynasty was clearly displayed before his eyes. From its early period to its peak and then to its late period, each stage was recorded in detail and vividly.
Her pupils contracted sharply, and an indescribable excitement welled up inside her.
Although this book is not thick, it tells the complete story of the rise and fall of the entire dynasty.
Jiang Songchu's pupils contracted slightly. She couldn't wait to turn to the establishment of the Tianrong Dynasty, where Emperor Rong Gaozu became emperor and unified the Central Continent.
Then came the difficult initial development, followed by a prosperous and flourishing middle period, and then...
The events all matched the history books in her mind, and then she arrived at the era in which she lived.
She eagerly flipped to the period she was familiar with and began to read it carefully.
When she saw the rise and fall of the Tianrong Dynasty, a short story followed, and in this story, a familiar name suddenly caught her eye.
Her fingers gripped the book tightly, as if afraid of missing a single word, her eyes fixed intently on every word and sentence.
During the glorious period of the Tianrong era, the Xiongnu frequently invaded the border. In the eighteenth year of Jing'an, Emperor Rongheng resolutely dispatched General Jiang Huai to the north to resist the foreign enemy.
Jiang Huai did not disappoint and returned in triumph. Emperor Rongheng was overjoyed and specially promoted him to General Pingwei, a position of unparalleled glory.
At that time, Emperor Rongheng betrothed his beloved daughter, Lady Jiang, to the future Emperor Rongyuan as his future crown princess, and she was to marry into the Eastern Palace when she came of age, thus creating a royal romance.
However, life is unpredictable. On the auspicious day of Jiang Nu's wedding, a raging fire suddenly broke out at General Pingwei's mansion. The future Crown Princess tragically perished in the flames, leaving everyone heartbroken.
Immediately, public opinion was divided, with many saying that Jiang's daughter was ill-fated and unable to bear the mandate of heaven. Some court officials even suggested that the eldest daughter of the Grand Chancellor be made Crown Princess to demonstrate the emperor's boundless grace.
However, at Emperor Rongyuan's insistence, Emperor Rongheng did not adopt this proposal and insisted on maintaining the marriage agreement with the Jiang family.
After Emperor Rongyuan ascended the throne, he never appointed an empress. He ignored the repeated advice of his ministers, but agreed with the previous court's opinion and took in four concubines and eight concubines. He had countless beauties in his harem, but none of them could bear him an heir.
Until the seventh year of the Kai Ren era, Emperor Rongyuan mysteriously brought back a baby boy and declared him to be the crown prince.
This news shocked the entire court and the public, and all the officials wanted to find out the baby boy's identity.
At this moment, the Imperial Concubine stepped forward and suggested to the Emperor that they adopt the child.
Later, the crown prince successfully ascended the throne, but Emperor Rongyuan quietly disappeared.
There are many different opinions about his whereabouts.
Some say he traveled the world, some say he entered a Buddhist monastery, and others say he has passed away, but no one can find the location of his tomb.
However, during Emperor Rongyuan's reign, he appointed virtuous and capable officials and implemented a series of reforms, which greatly reduced the burden on the people. At the same time, he vigorously promoted the development of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, and incorporated the Xiongnu, barbarians, and Dongying forces into the territory, making the Tianrong Dynasty reach an unprecedented peak.
However, as the saying goes, "when things reach their peak, they decline," and the Tianrong Dynasty gradually declined thereafter.
……
Wherever my gaze falls, my heart is filled with a myriad of emotions.
Jiang Songchu never expected that he would perish in the sea of fire, and he wondered how his father and brother would grieve.
Suddenly, a question quietly arose in Jiang Songchu's mind.
She couldn't help but ask the system, "System, is the original me dead?"
The system replied with a puzzled look: "No, Chu Chu, I already told you that the timeline you are in has been suspended. How could you possibly have died?"
Jiang Songchu had no choice but to suppress his doubts and decide to complete the mission first, and then investigate the truth when he returned.
The clock hands quietly pointed to five o'clock in the afternoon, and Jiang Songchu returned home with a full load of goodies.
After dinner, she spent some time with Mo Bao before explaining some things to the nanny about Mo Bao.
Then, she politely declined Grandma Feng's offer, slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, and set off for school.
On campus, the afterglow of the setting sun bathed everything in a gentle orange-red hue.
Jiang Songchu walked into the dormitory building in the afterglow of the setting sun. The dormitory was empty. As time passed by, she had no choice but to go to the classroom alone.
The classroom was already full of students, some deep in thought, others whispering among themselves.
After briefly greeting a few classmates, Jiang Songchu sat down in his seat.
Only then did they realize that Qin Weiwei and Yang Ziyi had already arrived at the classroom, while Ning An rushed in breathlessly at the last minute.