Chương 680: The Princesses' Ambitions, Realistic Drawing Method

As soon as the door to the side hall opened, six girls rushed in, chattering away, instantly making the hall lively and even the air more vibrant.

All six princesses were sixteen years old, the perfect age for blossoming youth.

Princess Liu Ying walked at the front, dressed in a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her steps steady, displaying the demeanor of an elder sister. In her hand, she held half a shipbuilding sketch, covered with dense pencil lines.

Princess Liu Sui followed quietly beside her, a rolled-up copy of "Introduction to Jurisprudence" hidden in her sleeve.

The Third Princess Liu Yi was pretty with delicate features and curved eyebrows. As soon as she entered, she looked around, searching for pastries from the imperial kitchen. She sniffed around with her little nose, just like a little cat looking for food.

The fourth princess, Liu Mei, held a sketchbook quietly, just like her name suggests, like a pool of clear water.

The fifth princess, Liu Ran, skipped and hopped around...

The sixth princess, Liu Nong, was the most mischievous. With food still in her mouth and her cheeks bulging out like a little squirrel, she pounced into Liu Ce's arms as soon as she entered the room.

"Daddy~" the sixth princess called out in a clear voice, the mud on her boots smearing onto the hem of her dragon robe, leaving a small mark.

Liu Ce chuckled, grabbed her by the back of her collar, and pulled her to sit on a stool nearby.

"Sit still, that's unruly. There's nothing else today... What do you want to be when you grow up?"

The six girls looked at each other, staring at each other with wide eyes, all a little embarrassed.

After a few seconds of silence, the second princess spoke first, her voice soft:

"Father, what else can a daughter want to do? Isn't it just to get married? Raised in seclusion, waiting for someone to propose, and a lifetime is over."

"Nonsense." Liu Ce glared at her.

"Why should my daughter revolve around getting married? She can do whatever she wants. If she wants to be an official, she can be an official; if she wants to be a craftsman, she can be a craftsman; if she wants to paint, she can paint. I'll hold the sky up if it falls. With me here, who dares to say anything?"

Upon hearing this, the girls' eyes lit up, like little lamps being lit at the same time, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became lively.

The third princess immediately raised her hand, her voice sweet:

"I want to learn accounting from Aunt Zhen Jiang and my second brother, so I can help my second brother manage Da Han Tong in the future! I'm really good at math."

"Oh, our Yi'er is still a little accountant," Liu Ce said with a smile.

The eldest princess paused, then spoke in a steady voice:

"I... want to go to the Ministry of Industry's Research Institute. I want to work on the next generation of steamships."

Liu Ce nodded, feeling very gratified: his eldest son was like Cai Yan, steady and composed, and willing to study hard; he was a man of substance.

The fourth princess spoke softly:

"I... I want to draw..."

She gripped the strap of her sketchbook tightly, clearly having mustered a great deal of courage.

The Fifth Princess raised her hand, her eyes sparkling: "I want to go to medical school! Last time, Elder Hua said my hands are steady, so I'm suited to study medicine. I can become a female doctor and treat the people! I can even prepare health-preserving soups for Father Emperor!"

The sixth princess exclaimed, "I want to eat the new pastries made by the imperial kitchen!"

The room fell silent for a second, then burst into laughter.

The sixth princess, still somewhat bewildered, tilted her head and asked, "What's wrong? This is delicious! Daddy, do you want to try some? I'll share half with you!"

Liu Ce laughed uncontrollably: "All you ever think about is eating! What else do you do besides eat?"

"Besides eating..." the Sixth Princess thought for a moment, "I also want to learn medicine from Fifth Sister, build ships with Eldest Sister, and make money with Second Brother... Hmm, I want all of them!"

"You little greedy devil." Liu Ce tapped her forehead.

The second princess blinked and added, "Father, how about we all go to the Royal University for a few years? What if we still don't know what to do after we graduate..."

She smiled slyly: "So you'll just support us, right? Anyway, you said the imperial treasury has enough money for us to squander."

The sixth princess immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! Father feeds us! We don't eat much!"

Liu Ce was amused by them and reached out to rub each of their heads:

"I can afford to raise them, even ten or eight. Alright, it's settled then... Go to the Royal University first. I'll have Wang Hui arrange it for you. You can study whatever you want; no one will dare stop you."

He counted on his fingers: "Ying'er is going to the engineering college to study shipbuilding. You'll have a job at the Ministry of Works' shipyard. Sui'er is going to the law school... You have a sharp tongue and a meticulous mind, perfect for roasting people. You'll be more efficient than men at solving cases as a female official."

Yi'er, go to the business school; you'll be able to work with your second brother, and the two of you can start a business together. Mei'er, go to the art academy; I'll immediately have Wang Huixin open one, and you'll be among the first students. Ran'er, go to the medical school; study hard under Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing, and become the Han Dynasty's top female doctor. Nong'er…"

He looked down at the sixth princess and said, "Think carefully about what else you want to do besides eating. Once you've figured it out, then apply. Don't waste your spot."

The six girls jumped for joy, and the second princess tugged at Liu Ce's sleeve and shook him.

"Father, you're the best! Even better than when Mother hid my things!"

Ren Hongchang, listening from a side hall, chuckled and nudged Empress Cai Yan's arm:

"Look at what kind of father my husband is! He's spoiled them rotten. What will become of them in the future?"

Cai Yan calmly sipped her tea: "Last time you hid Sui'er's books and gave her 'Admonitions for Women,' she argued with you for days and even hid the inkstone in your study. Have you forgotten?"

Ren Hongchang: "..." Her face turned red, and she stopped talking. She picked up her teacup and pretended to drink tea to cover up her embarrassment.

Liu Ce pulled a thick notebook from the desk, the cover of which read "Realistic Drawing Methods: From Still Life to Figures," and handed it to the Fourth Princess: "Mei'er, and you guys can take a look when you're bored. I wrote it myself; it teaches you how to draw like real people. It's called sketching."

The fourth princess quickly took it with both hands and turned to the first page... It was a charcoal drawing with several sample illustrations, depicting the eldest princess... Even the individual strands of hair were clearly visible, just like a real person standing in front of you.

"Ah..." The fourth princess's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's my eldest sister?! Was that shadow rubbed with charcoal? How can it look so real?!"

The second princess quickly took it and flipped through it. She found the picture of herself shooting a golden pheasant during the autumn hunt. The arrow had just left the bowstring, and the pheasant's tail feathers were all puffed up. Even her frowning expression at the time was drawn perfectly.

She chuckled, "Dad, when did you draw this? You even drew the arrow's fletching half an inch off! You did it on purpose, didn't you!"

The Third Princess flipped to the picture of the Second Prince fiddling with the abacus. The little guy was frowning as he moved the beads, with a bit of ink on his lips. She burst out laughing, "Haha, you even drew Second Brother looking so silly! That's so mean to Dad!"