Chapter 135 A single sheet of Lanting startled the Empress; her devoted heart was solely for...

"Your Highness, Your Highness!" There was a hint of irrepressible excitement in Caiwei's voice.

Princess Zhao Linger furrowed her brows slightly, put down the purple-bristle brush in her hand, and looked up with some displeasure.

"Why are you so flustered?"

She disliked being disturbed most when she was practicing calligraphy.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Caiwei also knew she had been improper, so she quickly bowed, but the look of excitement on her face did not diminish in the slightest.

She walked quickly to Princess Zhao Linger's side, lowered her voice, and said rapidly,

"Your Highness, I just went to the Bureau of Works to collect silk thread, and I heard the head matron there say that something earth-shattering has happened in the capital!"

"Oh?"

Princess Zhao Linger was uninterested.

Things happened in the capital every day; what did it have to do with her?

Seeing that the princess was unmoved, Caiwei hurriedly dropped a bombshell.

"It is about the 'preface to the orchid pavilion collection'!"

"What?"

Princess Zhao Linger's body jolted.

Her body, which had been lazily leaning against the back of the chair, straightened instantly.

A startling light suddenly burst forth from those eyes that had been as calm as an ancient well.

"Speak quickly! What exactly is going on!"

Her voice trembled slightly from excitement.

Caiwei took a deep breath and recounted the news she had heard in full detail.

"...They all say that the fragment is the lost part of the 'Dingwu Version,' and its brushwork and spirit are exactly the same as the handed-down rubbings!"

"Now, many princes and ministers in the capital want to go to Daxiangguo Temple to seek an audience with that high monk, wanting to see it for themselves!"

A fragment of the "Dingwu Version"?

Princess Zhao Linger's breathing became rapid instantly.

Her hands gripped the edge of the desk tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

In her mind, she began to uncontrollably imagine the appearance of that fragment.

Those dragon-flying and phoenix-dancing brushstrokes, that free and elegant structure, that naturally perfect composition...

Just thinking about it made her blood feel like it was boiling.

No.

She had to go see it with her own eyes!

She wanted to touch with her own hands the paper that might have been stained with Ouyang Xun's ink.

She wanted to personally appraise every stroke on it to see if it was truly the legendary divine brushwork!

This thought, like a wildly growing vine, instantly wrapped around her heart, making it impossible for her to breathe.

"No, I cannot sit still."

Princess Zhao Linger stood up abruptly from her chair and paced back and forth in the room.

Her face was full of anxiety and longing.

"Caiwei, prepare the carriage; I am going out of the palace!"

"Your Highness, you cannot!"

Caiwei was startled and quickly held her back.

"You are a royal princess; how can you just leave the palace as you please? It is against the rules!"

"Besides, the palace gates are heavily guarded; without the Emperor's decree or the Empress Dowager's edict, no one can leave!"

Caiwei's words were like a basin of cold water poured over Princess Zhao Linger's head.

The fanaticism on her face gradually faded, replaced by a cloud of gloom.

That's right.

She was the Eldest Princess, with a noble status.

But for her, this imperial palace was nothing more than a magnificent cage.

She slumped back into her chair, looking as if her spirit had been drained away.

"What should I do..."

She muttered to herself, her voice tinged with despair.

"Must I just watch helplessly and miss such a divine object?"

Thinking that such a peerless masterpiece of ink was in the west of the city, not far from her, yet she could not see it, made her heart ache like it was being twisted by a knife, and she could neither sleep nor eat.

Seeing the princess so distraught, Caiwei felt heartbroken.

Her eyes rolled, and suddenly thinking of something, she leaned into the princess's ear and whispered.

"Your Highness, if we cannot go out ourselves, we can beg the Empress Dowager!"

"The Empress Dowager?"

A glimmer of hope reignited in Princess Zhao Linger's eyes.

"Exactly!"

Caiwei nodded vigorously.

"The Empress Dowager has always loved you the most."

"If you go to her and act spoiled, begging her, perhaps her heart will soften and she will agree!"

Princess Zhao Linger's heart jumped.

That's right!

Mother Empress!

How could she have forgotten Mother Empress!

In the entire palace, the only person who could let her do as she pleased and grant her every request was the Empress Dowager!

Princess Zhao Linger felt as if she had grabbed the last straw.

She did not hesitate any longer, immediately stood up, and tidied her appearance.

"Let's go! We are going to Cining Palace!"

Her eyes flashed with determination.

For the "preface to the orchid pavilion collection," never mind acting spoiled; she would even be willing to roll on the ground!

...

Inside Cining Palace, it was as warm as spring.

The Empress Dowager was reclining on a soft couch, while Qin Shuang massaged her legs with just the right amount of pressure, her eyes closed in rest.

Since that day, her mood had been very good.

Her face always carried a faint, satisfied flush, which even made the atmosphere of the entire Cining Palace become relaxed and cheerful.

Just then, The young eunuch outside the hall announced loudly,

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Her Highness the Eldest Princess has arrived!"

The Empress Dowager opened her eyes, somewhat surprised.

"Linger? Why is she here?"

Her niece usually stayed indoors, immersed in her calligraphy and paintings all day long, and rarely came to see her on her own initiative.

As she spoke, Princess Zhao Linger had already run in from outside the hall like a gust of wind.

"Mother Empress!"

Her voice arrived before she did, carrying the crisp and naive charm unique to a young girl.

As soon as she entered, she threw herself onto the side of the Empress Dowager's soft couch, hugged the Empress Dowager's arm, and began to act spoiled.

"Mother Empress, Linger has missed you so much!"

The Empress Dowager was amused by her daughter-like demeanor and laughed.

She reached out and dotingly tapped Princess Zhao Linger's forehead.

"You girl, you say you miss me, but haven't you not stepped into my Cining Palace for half a month?"

"Oh, Mother Empress~"

Princess Zhao Linger drew out her voice, acting even more spoiled.

"Linger has been busy copying the 'Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie' you bestowed upon me last time; I became so absorbed that I forgot the time."

"You know, whenever Linger sees those good things, I forget everything else."

As she spoke, she rubbed her head against the Empress Dowager's arm, like a small cat trying to please its owner.

The Empress Dowager had always loved this niece, who did not concern herself with politics and had a simple nature, to the bone.

She patted Princess Zhao Linger's hand and asked gently.

"Speak, why are you so attentive today? What is it you want to ask of me again?"

A woman knows her niece best.

Princess Zhao Linger chuckled and stopped beating around the bush.

She looked up, her large, watery eyes looking pitifully at the Empress Dowager.

"Mother Empress, you love Linger the most; you must help me this time."

Then, she recounted the matter of the "preface to the orchid pavilion collection" fragment appearing at Daxiangguo Temple, adding embellishments.

By the end, she was almost crying.

"Mother Empress, you don't know what that 'Dingwu Version' means to those of us who love calligraphy."

"It is simply a sacred object!"

"Now that the sacred object is in the capital, if Linger cannot go see it with my own eyes, I... I will have regrets for the rest of my life!"

"So, Linger wants to beg Mother Empress to grant me permission to leave the palace once, just once, okay?"

She shook the Empress Dowager's arm, her voice full of pleading.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly after listening.

It wasn't that she didn't believe her niece, but leaving the palace was no small matter.

Especially since there had been assassins in the palace recently, and the situation outside the palace might not be safe.

"Linger, it is not that I won't allow it."

The Empress Dowager pondered.

"It's just that the outside world is chaotic, and your safety is the most important thing."

"If something goes wrong, how would I explain it to your late Imperial Brother?"

Princess Zhao Linger saw that the Empress Dowager had softened and was only worried about safety, so she felt happy, knowing there was a chance!

She took the opportunity to throw out her real purpose, which she had already thought of.

"Mother Empress, Linger has thought of everything you are worried about!"

"So, Linger wants to ask you to send someone to accompany me and ensure my safety!"

"Oh? Who do you want to go?"

The Empress Dowager asked curiously.

A trace of imperceptible blush flashed across Princess Zhao Linger's face, but she quickly covered it up.

She sat up straight and said in an extremely sincere tone, with a hint of admiration.

"I would like to ask Liu Sheng, Chief Steward Liu of Cining Palace, to accompany me!"