Nonetheless,
the palace painters' interpretation is more romantic.
"My father told me that this jade color is where the spirits of generations of ancestors reside, every time they paint a picture. The dark ink slowly seeps along the brush shaft, staining the yellow bamboo shaft into emerald jade. Thus, 'jade seep' is often called 'ink emerald' or 'heart blood color' by old painters."
Gu Weijing's gaze swept across the rosewood painting box.
Inside the box, the exquisite detailing brushes as thick as a baby's little finger and two small brushes have already been completely seeped into a bright emerald color. The medium-sized brush in Elder's hand is almost entirely green.
Only the largest brush used for freehand ink wash landscape paintings still has a distinct earthy yellow color, but one-third of it also shows signs of jading.
