Venomous Empress Reborn - Chapter 43

No wonder the examiners hesitated for so long before coming to the conclusion. They probably didn’t expect such a majestic painting to be made by an idiot, Shen Miao.

Zhong Ziqi, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, said, “Student Shen Miao, come up and tell us why you made this painting.”

Every student who got first place had to make a speech of some sort. However, today, Shen Miao was asked to tell them the reason she made this painting because no one believed that it came from her.

Shen Qing smiled and whispered to Yi Peilan, “She’s going to get exposed.”

“But wasn’t she the one who drew it?” Yi Peilan was a little puzzled. “We all saw it just now. She drew it herself.”

“Her painting skills are not all that outstanding. Who knows if she was taught what to paint by someone?” Shen Qing looked at Shen Miao, who was walking up the stage, in disdain. “I’ve lived with her for so many years. How can I not know what she’s capable of? I think she won’t be able to tell us the reason she came up with that painting idea.”

When Yi Peilan heard that, she smiled. “I knew it. How can she become a talented woman so quickly? I think she did it to attract that—” She glanced at Prince Ding in the male section. “She must have spent a lot of money to hire an expert to give her an idea to paint.”

Shen Qing suppressed the displeasure in her heart and said, “Let’s wait and see.”

On the stage, Shen Miao looked at her painting quietly. She slowly reached out and stroked the painting under everyone’s surprised gazes.

“The reason why I made this painting is because I heard from my father that every year on the battlefield, countless soldiers will die. The journey is long, so they can’t bring the dead ones back and can only bury them on the battlefield. At that time, the northwest desert and the northern plain didn’t have chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums bloom in the warm south and in the prosperous capital. Here, people enjoy music, dance, peace, food, and clothes at the cost of the lives of the border soldiers.”

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The discussion gradually stopped, and everyone’s eyes were focused on the girl in purple.

Her gaze was calm as she spoke like she was telling a story. “My father once said that the soldiers who died in the war couldn’t even receive a handful of white chrysanthemums after they died. On the battlefield, flowers wouldn’t bloom, and the soldiers wouldn’t even have a chance to have a proper funeral.”

“I think the reason why everyone is able to enjoy the chrysanthemums here in peace is because the border is guarded by brave men. I can’t do anything for them. I can only paint a white chrysanthemums on the painting to comfort their souls.”

The girl stood in the wind, her eyes clear, but her words were powerful and resonating, as if her words were the only clear and pleasant thing in the world.

Shen Miao lowered her eyes.

Didn’t the people of the royal family in Ming Qi want to deal with the big families and the Shen family? Shen Miao took the opportunity to show the world that it was the soldiers who brought them peace but the emperor.

Would the royal family still dare to crack down the Shen family now?

If they dare, everyone in the world would point a finger at them accusingly.