Chapter 304 Emperor Qi Muyun
After Song Yunchu finished speaking, the three people on the stage fell into deep thought.
The dragon is a mythical creature in folk legends, embodying great power. It often appears as a pattern or embroidery on objects used by kings.
If you want to draw a dragon, it must be magnificent and grand.
The three of them began to paint the scenes in their minds on paper.
The time limit of one hour was not too long for the painter, but it made the examiners feel a little impatient.
After all, it is the final competition of the written test, which inevitably makes people curious.
After a long wait, with the sound of a gong, the three people on the stage presented their works.
When all three paintings were mentioned, everyone had different expressions. Some were amazed, some were surprised, and some were stunned.
The painting by the young master of the Wei family is titled: The Giant Dragon Returns to the Sea.
In the painting, a huge dragon takes up almost half of the paper, with its sharp claws and its body facing downwards towards the surging waves, which is truly majestic.
The next painting is by Liu Qianyin, titled: Dragon Soaring Across the Sky.
This painting combines a giant dragon with the landscape painting that she is best at. The upper half is a ferocious and fierce flying dragon, while the lower half is a group of mountains painted with thick ink. Using the mountains as a reference, the flying dragon appears even more majestic.
Her painting is more magnificent than the one of Master Wei.
The most surprising and surprising one is the third painting, by Jiang Rumin.
Jiang Rumin used a small amount of ink to draw a high peak. On the peak stood a tall and slender person wearing a robe with dragon patterns and a dragon crown on his head. Although he was standing sideways, his identity was obvious at a glance.
The man was level with the rising sun and the clouds. The rising sun was only a few inches away from him, as if he could touch it with his hand.
And this painting is named - Emperor Qi Watching the Sun.
There is no giant dragon in this painting, but there is a real dragon emperor.
Liu Qianyin and the young master of the Wei family came back to their senses from their surprise and couldn't help but admire Jiang Rumin's cleverness.
They only thought about how to depict the dragon as majestic and magnificent, but they did not have the ingenuity like Jiang Rumin.
The emperor and the rising sun are painted together and on the same level in the painting, fully demonstrating the emperor's majesty.
"Miss Jiang has good intentions."
In the examiner's seat, Ye Fengmian spoke first, his tone full of appreciation.
"Master Ye, thank you for your praise." Jiang Rumin replied, "When I heard the topic, I thought of the giant dragon in folk legends. But then I changed my mind and thought, if we are talking about drawing a dragon, Your Majesty, as the real dragon emperor, can also be included in the painting? But my talent is limited, and I can't draw Your Majesty's majestic momentum. I can only use the rising sun to express my respect. Your Majesty is as magnificent as the rising sun to the people, and it is because of Your Majesty's governance that our dynasty can be peaceful and prosperous."
"Miss Jiang is absolutely right." Scholar Chen stroked his beard and agreed with Jiang Rumin's paintings and remarks.
Song Yunchu just stared at the painting.
I don’t know if it was her illusion... The emperor in the painting was indeed level with the rising sun, but Jiang Rumin didn’t just paint the sun, he also painted clouds.
If we say that the emperor was looking at the sun, that is reasonable, but if we say that he was looking at the clouds, that is also acceptable.
The True Dragon Emperor and Chaoyang...Longyang friendship?
Suddenly thinking of this, Song Yunchu couldn't help but twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, and then quickly picked up the cup of pre-rain Longjing tea on his right hand and drank a sip of tea to calm his nerves.
Maybe she over-interpreted it...
Jiang Rumin probably doesn't have such a weird idea.
But then again, Jiang Rumin has always been a very smart and careful girl, and she might have already noticed the "homosexual" relationship between her and Jun Liluo.
If you think about it carefully, the people around her should have noticed it to some extent, but they all pretended not to know and never mentioned it in front of her.
After all, it concerns the emperor's privacy. No matter how nice she is to the people around her, they know their limits and dare not gossip.
Furthermore, even if Jiang Rumin really drew down her own ideas, how many people would be able to understand them?
Everyone obviously agreed with her explanation, thinking that she was just vying for the top spot and using all her ingenuity to express her respect for the emperor.
What a clever little ghost...
"Miss Jiang's painting is truly impressive."
"I knew Miss Jiang was talented, and today I finally got to see it."
On the stage, Jiang Rumin listened to the praises from the people around her, nodded in response with a smile on her face, and quietly observed Song Yunchu's expression.
Seeing Song Yunchu drinking tea with his head down and a thoughtful look, Jiang Rumin's eyes flashed slightly.
With Your Highness's keen sense, you should be able to understand her paintings, right?
She admitted that she was a little bold.
But it was precisely because of this boldness that she had the possibility of winning the first place. The explanation she just gave was almost flawless, and she did not think that others could understand the true meaning of this painting.
The moment she put pen to paper, she felt her thoughts pouring out like a spring. She didn't even need to think carefully; she painted the piece naturally.
What is level with the emperor in the painting is not only the rising sun, but also the clouds.
Chaoyang, which means the rising sun, combined with clouds means Yunchu.
Although His Majesty is the emperor and has rewarded her with fame and fortune, what she respects more is Prime Minister Song who pulled her out of the quagmire.
If there was no Song Yunchu, she wouldn't be standing here now.
For a moment, she even wanted to draw the sunrise and the clouds a little higher, but she held back.
This painting is to win first prize, and it must praise the monarch to the highest level without being criticized.
"Miss Jiang's painting is wonderful." Song Yunchu put down the teacup, his expression back to normal, "This vote is for you."
It's not that she did it out of selfishness. No matter how well the two giant dragons on the side were painted, they were ultimately just virtual things in legends. How could they overshadow the brilliance of the ruler?
In this round, Jiang Rumin was very smart.
She calculated correctly that no one dared to disrespect the emperor. If she had also painted a giant dragon, she might not have won first place, but if she painted the emperor, she would definitely be first.
Scholars Ye and Chen had expressed their opinions early on, so there was naturally no suspense about the attitudes of others.
Like Liu Qianyin who won the writing test, Jiang Rumin passed the painting test with unanimous votes.
"I declare that Miss Jiang is the winner of the painting test. The writing test is now over."
Song Yunchu looked at Jiang Rumin and smiled with admiration, "Miss Jiang won first place in both the piano test and the painting test. It's really amazing."
"Your Highness, thank you for the compliment."
"Miss Jiang, there is no need to be modest. Now that the literary examination is over, I'm sure you have had a hard time these days. You can take a good rest and wait for news at home. After all the examinations are over, the court will send the rewards to your homes."
Song Yunchu said, and turned to Bai Zhu, "Take the three paintings with me to see His Majesty. His Majesty will surely be very interested in viewing them."
Bai Zhu hurriedly asked someone to take the painting, and went to the high platform where Jun Li Luo was with Song Yunchu.
On the table in front of Jun Li Luo was the picture of mountains drawn by the top three candidates in the first round of the painting exam.
Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around and smiled at the person who came: "This painting test is in the top three, it's really good."
"They also performed quite well in the final round, just take a look."
Jun Liluo ordered his men to put away the three landscape paintings and look at the three new ones that Song Yunchu had brought.
The first time he saw Jiang Rumin's painting, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
This painting is so eye-catching, and even more... thought-provoking than the other two majestic dragons.
His attention was not on the emperor in the painting, but on the rising sun and clouds in front of the emperor.
He thought for a moment, then gestured to the people around him.
Everyone retreated from the platform one after another, leaving only him and Song Yunchu.
"This painting by Jiang Rumin..."
Jun Liluo glanced at Song Yunchu and raised his eyebrows slightly, "It seems like he has some hidden meaning."
"Your Majesty, would you like to hear her explanation for this painting?" Song Yunchu said slowly, "She said that Your Majesty is as magnificent as the rising sun in front of the people. She wanted to paint your majestic aura, but she felt that her brushstrokes were not strong enough, so she had to add the rising sun to express her respect for you."
"This explanation sounds reasonable." Jun Liluo said, hooking Song Yunchu's fingers with his right hand under the table, "But I don't like this explanation."
Song Yunchu quickly pulled his hand out and whispered, "Be careful, this is not a room, the wind is blowing in from all directions."
"No one can see it from this angle. It's completely blocked by the table and the fence."
"That won't work either."
Seeing that Song Yunchu refused to let him hold her hand, Jun Liluo stopped moving and just smiled at her. "My interpretation of this painting is that she saw that you and I are a perfect match, and she was filled with emotion. She used the painting to express her feelings. She had a fair and aboveboard explanation, but hidden beneath that statement was her most sincere wish for you and me."
Song Yunchu agreed with Jun Liluo's statement.
At first she thought she had over-interpreted it, but after taking a closer look at the painting, she found it more and more complicated. Sure enough, Jun Li Luo also saw it at a glance.
"You must be feeling very good about the four winners of the literary exam. If another winner emerges in the martial arts exam..."
"That would be great." Song Yunchu's eyes lit up with a smile. "Of course, you can't force anything. Just do your best. Even if they can't get first place, it's fine if they can get into the top three. As long as people can remember their names, they won't have to worry about their future."
After Song Yunchu finished speaking, without hearing Jun Liluo's voice, he shifted his gaze from the scroll to his face.
He was staring at her intently, with a gentle light flowing in his ink-black eyes.
Song Yunchu silently shifted his gaze away, picked up the tea on his left hand and took a sip.
"Yun Chu."
She heard him say, "You're drinking my tea."
Song Yunchu: “…”
Oh yeah, her tea is on the right.
She put down the teacup in her hand, and at the same time, Jun Li Luo stretched out his arm and took the cup that belonged to her.
"It doesn't matter if you drink it wrong. I can drink yours too."
Song Yunchu was speechless.
"It's getting late. What would you like for dinner? How about lotus chicken wings, crab roe stewed fish maw, or Cuixiang eight-treasure duck?"
Hearing Jun Liluo talking about dinner, Song Yunchu became interested, "Add a seafood pumpkin cup."
…
On the west side of the palace, the soldiers in the training ground finished a day's training.
"Brother, please take my shift tomorrow and help me lead my men. I'll treat you to a good meal later." Chu Yuni discussed with her colleagues.
He is going to watch the martial arts test tomorrow. Captain Lin is always easy to talk to and will definitely be willing to help him.
Captain Lin did agree, "Which restaurant are you going to treat me to?"
"Zuixianlou, Yipinju, Shuiyunxuan, there are so many signature dishes, you can choose whatever you want."
"Brother Chu is generous! A table of signature dishes in these big restaurants must cost at least several dozen taels. How about this, brother? You don't have to treat me to a meal. Even if it costs 40 taels, I'll eat half, and you just give me 20 taels."
"That's fine...Are you so short of money recently?"
"It's not the Talent Selection Conference. I bet on the wrong person for the first place." Captain Lin looked depressed. "I bet on Miss Liu to be the first in the painting test, but the winner was Miss Jiang. But fortunately, there is still the martial arts test later, and I plan to bet on Qin Shen to be the first."
Chu Yuni disagreed, "We are working in the palace, how can we play such an improper game?"
"I usually don't like to gamble, but this selection meeting is too lively. All the major casinos are betting. It's not just me who's betting. Other brothers have also been betting secretly. How about this, Brother Chu, I'll borrow eighty taels from you. If I win by betting on Qin Shen, I'll pay you back one hundred taels."
Chu Yuni didn't say much and readily borrowed the money.
The man named Qin Shen came first in both martial arts tests, but he didn't think he would have the last laugh. Maybe there were masters in the re-election who deliberately concealed their strength and only broke out at the very end.
On the way home, Chu Yuni passed by a casino and asked her entourage to stop the carriage.
He took out a stack of banknotes and handed them to his follower, "Go and help me bet on Zhong Nanyan to win."
The attendant took the banknote and looked at it, his hands trembling a little, "Sir, are you going to bet all this on her?"
A full five thousand taels...
"Just go when I tell you to! What are you wasting your words on? How can someone from Prince Ning's Mansion be so rude? I have to give you face."
…
That night.
Song Yunchu was about to lie down after washing up when he heard footsteps outside the door.
Soon, Bai Zhu's voice came in, "Your Highness, His Majesty has set off to return to the palace. He asked someone to send something before leaving."
Song Yunchu opened the door and saw Bai Zhu holding a long box, so he took it.
After closing the door, she took the long box to the table and opened it. Inside was a scroll.
When she took out the scroll, she saw a paper star lying in the corner of the box.
She felt like laughing.
It was obvious that Jun Liluo took apart the stars she folded and learned how to fold them in his spare time.
She slowly opened the scroll in her hand, and was a little surprised when she saw the scenery clearly.
This painting was created by him, and it was an imitation of Jiang Rumin's "Emperor Qi Viewing the Sun" which won the first prize today.
The two paintings are 80% similar, but the differences lie in the characters' movements and... the position of the sunrise and the clouds.
In the picture before us, the emperor standing on the top of the mountain is surrounded by clouds and mist, as if wrapped in clouds, and the rising sun is above his head. He raises his hand and touches the light of the rising sun.
Song Yunchu's heart moved slightly, he unfolded the scroll, and saw the signature -
Emperor Qi admired Yun.
She came back to her senses, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, then she gently rolled up the painting and put it back into the box.
She picked up the paper star and found half a word exposed in the corner of the star. She guessed what Jun Li Luo had written, so she opened the whole star.
The words inside made her chuckle.
He wrote:
Good night and sweet dreams.
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