Mu Yaozhi was somewhat dissatisfied with Siye's suggestion, as if it implied that Siye would bully others by abusing her power!
But in the end, he didn't say anything, only urging, "Since she has agreed, please have the director exhibit our paintings so that everyone can see them clearly."
Even now, she remains very confident in her paintings.
Anonymity can also be advantageous; if two people are equally skilled, one can still outmaneuver the other by leveraging their connections.
Thinking about it this way, Mu Yaozhi's expression softened slightly.
The few followers around him, sensing his expression, immediately chimed in.
"Don't worry about it. How could someone so unknown receive instruction from a renowned teacher? His painting skills are far inferior to yours."
It's true that he's virtually unknown. The name Shangguan Tianyun is practically nonexistent, not just in this classroom, but throughout the entire Beijing social circle.
The petite noblewoman glanced at Tianyun disdainfully, "He must have used some trickery to fool the examiners for a moment!"
"We'll cast all our votes for Yaozhi later, so she can see what the difference is."
With such a high chance of winning, Mu Yaozhi's brows relaxed, and her gaze towards her once again carried an air of hostility and provocation.
Tianyun remained calm and nodded slightly to her, indicating that his behavior was appropriate and not at all impolite.
If you really can't avoid the female lead's sharp edge, don't be afraid, just calmly face it.
Feeling as if she had punched cotton, Mu Yaozhi frowned unhappily and looked away first.
As they were talking, two eunuchs carried in a wooden frame and, at the instruction of the director of studies, placed it in the center. There was a hook on each side of the frame, which could be used to hang the two men's paintings.
As soon as Mu Yaozhi's paintings were displayed, people exclaimed in surprise.
"The instructor must have made a mistake. How could this painting not be the first place?"
This is indeed a flawless work of art; the vase and flowers in the painting seem to leap off the page.
The painting is colorful and vivid, capturing the essence of the subject. Although it is somewhat monotonous, for Mu Yaozhi's age, to be able to paint so vividly makes her one of the best among her peers.
A noblewoman dressed in purple covered her lips with a handkerchief and said in a sweet voice, "May I ask if the Director can vote now? There's no need to look at the other person's name anymore; we've already made up our minds."
Before the instructor could answer, Xiao Ziyan spoke up in defense, saying seriously, "Miss, you are mistaken. A fair competition should respect both sides, not favor one of them. Both paintings should be appreciated before a judgment is made."
He then smiled and said to Tianyun, "Miss Tianyun, I am very much looking forward to your work."
Unexpectedly, His Highness spoke up for her. Yu Shanlai concealed the deep coldness in her eyes and softly echoed, "Those who respect others will always be respected. Your Highness's character has always been the most admired by Shanlai."
The Second Prince is usually very humble, and it's rare for him to be so blunt. This Shangguan Tianyun certainly has some tricks up his sleeve! Mu Yaozhi understood perfectly well that His Highness had taken a liking to this Shangguan Tianyun!
The woman in purple blushed and said with great embarrassment, "Second...Second Prince is right."
Tianyun was somewhat surprised, not expecting Xiao Ziyan to speak up for her, since aside from the original owner's "infatuation," the two were complete strangers.
She curtsied and said very respectfully, "This is my humble work, and I fear it may offend Your Highness's eyes."
If it were any other woman, she would have blushed and thanked him long ago, right? Xiao Ziwu looked at Tianyun's lowered and respectful appearance, but he couldn't see a trace of shyness in her.
But that's precisely what makes her special, so her smile deepened: "It's truly rare to see Miss Tianyun remain so humble and unpretentious even after winning first place."
Tianyun lowered his head even further, not daring to accept such praise.
The two exchanged words, though there was no hint of ambiguity, but in Xiao Ziwu's lowered phoenix eyes, there was only an indiscernible darkness.
The brush lingered for a long time, the thick ink spreading across the paper, ruining the beautiful calligraphy. He expressionlessly switched to another sheet of Xuan paper and began writing again.
Tianyun's painting was also hung up, thus creating a stark contrast between the two paintings.
Firstly, in terms of color, one painting is bright and vibrant with rich colors, while the other only has variations in black, white, and gray. However, it is different from ordinary ink paintings and is a novel style that has never been seen before.
I wonder what kind of drawing tools could be used to create such fine and dense lines!
Secondly, the content of the painting perfectly captures the soft sunlight that day, and the light and shadow that fell on the flowers!
"This Shangguan Tianyun actually drew the wooden table and cloth in the exam question, and so lifelike."
"Seeing this painting, I was able to completely recall the scene from that day; the table, the vase, and the few flowers all reappeared before my eyes. It's simply divine skill!"
"Look, her composition is just right. Although the flower bud is drawn larger than the vase, it doesn't look out of place at all. How did she do that?"
"Mu Yaozhi is probably no match for him this time!"
The woman in purple who had just said there was no need to look at the other one was now also full of surprises. She threw away the slip of paper with "Mu" already written on it and replaced it with another slip of paper with "Shangguan" written on it.
Xiao Ziyan spoke up, his tone incredibly gentle: "Miss Tianyun's painting is truly extraordinary. I'll cast my vote for you."
With a frozen coldness in his dark eyes, Xiao Ziwu slowly released his grip, leaving the note with the name "Shangguan" written on it on the ground.
Everyone had made their decision and stepped forward in an orderly fashion to put their tickets into the wooden box.
The clerk quickly tallied the votes, and finally sighed. He said to Mu Yaozhi, whose face was ashen and who had already anticipated the result, "Although one person did not vote, the difference in votes between the two of you is significant. Shangguan Tianyun has a slight advantage."
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