Chapter 62 Cartography: A Worthy Opponent
The news that the Crown Prince had written a challenge to Xu Jinbi on behalf of the Crown Princess at the Ministry of Works the day before yesterday quickly spread throughout the capital. In addition to the officials of the Ministry of Works paying attention, there were also some officials in the court who were skilled in calligraphy and painting who wanted to watch.
Therefore, upon learning that today was the day the Crown Princess would compete in painting with Xu Jinbi, the Ministry of Works, which was usually the quietest of the six ministries, was packed with people inside and out when it was time for the office to close.
The Ministry of Works was bustling with activity, while the atmosphere in the main courtyard of the Eastern Palace was leisurely. Shen Yujiao was having dinner with Jiang Chen. Most of the dishes on the table were light and simple. She picked out her favorite dishes and ate a few bites, then put down her chopsticks and simply kept Jiang Chen company.
Seeing that she had only eaten so little, Jiang Chen turned to her and asked, "What's wrong? Don't you have an appetite?"
Shen Yujiao shook her head and smiled, "It's not convenient to paint if I eat too much. I'll eat when I get back tonight."
"After tonight, I'll take you to Baizhenfang, the newest restaurant in the capital. I've heard that the food there is fresh and tastes good, and it's been very popular with diners in the capital lately."
“That would be wonderful! If I win, Your Highness must not be stingy with the reward.”
Seeing her deliberately using a affected tone, Jiang Chen chuckled. He raised his hand to cover his brow bone, hiding the smile in his eyes: "Of course, you're indispensable no matter who's missing. I'll take you with me whether we win or lose."
"good."
Shen Yu smiled and agreed, looking at Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen didn't touch his chopsticks either. The two sat at the table without saying a word, but the silence at that moment spoke louder than a thousand words.
Shen Yujiao cherished this tenderness.
Since returning to Beijing, she often wondered if she could find an opportunity to reveal her feelings to Jiang Chen. But whenever she thought about it, she would unconsciously think of the rumors circulating at school. Although she felt she needed to have a good talk with Jiang Chen, she was also afraid that if she spoke her mind, their relationship would be irreversible.
Therefore, her silence was a sign of genuine fear.
Her gaze fell on Jiang Chen's hand holding the cup, and a bitter smile appeared on Shen Yujiao's lips. It seemed to be a helpless smile, but also a self-deprecating one. She had never been a hesitant or easily backed down when facing problems, but as long as the problem was related to Jiang Chen, she would become extremely insecure and unlike herself.
Moreover, for some reason, compared to when she first transmigrated here, she now doesn't want to leave Great Xia. Only in Great Xia can she and Jiang Chen have such a pure and simple relationship. They only have each other, and there is no one else around them.
“Let’s go,” Shen Yujiao said, standing up first after sitting for a while. She glanced at the anxious figure at the door and said to Jiang Chen, “If we don’t leave now, Zhu Yu will probably go crazy.”
Zhu Yu stood at the door, and upon hearing this, he smiled apologetically at Shen Yujiao. He was indeed anxious, as the appointed time was fast approaching, but neither of his masters showed any intention of getting up. Consort Chu was already waiting outside, and he was caught in a dilemma at the door.
Fortunately, the Crown Princess was a compassionate person. The carriage traveled smoothly from the East Palace to the Ministry of Works, and when it came to a steady stop at the entrance of the office, Zhu Yu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
Officials and commoners had long gathered at the entrance of the Ministry of Works. Some came to catch a glimpse of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, while others had been squeezed out of the government office because there was no room inside. But when the curtain of the carriage was lifted, everyone felt that the trip was well worth it.
A woman dressed in a light blue robe stepped down from the carriage. Her demeanor was elegant and graceful. Her palace attire was simple and understated. Although she was not adorned with gold or jade ornaments, her eyebrows were like crescent moons and her eyes were like pools of water. When she was still, she was like a flower reflected in water, and when she moved, she was like a willow swaying in the breeze.
With just one glance, everyone felt as if they were seeing the beauty of a fairy. Before they could recover, they saw the woman bow respectfully to the carriage, and then the Crown Prince stepped down from the carriage. The officials had seen the Crown Prince many times before, so they were only respectful when they saw him, but not surprised.
After the Crown Prince alighted from the sedan chair, he stood beside the carriage and reached out his hand toward the curtain. A slender, fair hand emerged from behind the curtain and landed steadily in the Crown Prince's palm. The person behind the curtain stepped down from the carriage, causing everyone present to gasp in astonishment once again.
The last woman to descend was a woman with delicate eyebrows and bright almond-shaped eyes. She also wore a light layer of powder on her face, yet she appeared exceptionally radiant and beautiful. Supporting the prince's arm, she slowly stepped down from the carriage, her steps light and graceful. Her movements were elegant and graceful, and one could only marvel at her beauty, which was as ethereal as a startled swan and as graceful as a swimming dragon.
Before everyone could recover from the previous beauty's ethereal grace, they were struck by another breathtakingly beautiful woman. For a moment, they forgot to pay their respects, staring blankly at the two people beside the Crown Prince. It was only when Minister Zhao stepped forward and bowed respectfully that everyone snapped out of their daze and hurriedly knelt down, wishing His Highness a thousand days of peace.
The Crown Prince didn't care about such things. He went up and said a few words to Minister Zhao, then took the lead into the Ministry of Works. The Crown Princess and Consort followed closely behind. When they reached the threshold, Consort Chu stepped forward to help the Crown Princess as a reminder. The Crown Princess smiled and patted Consort Chu's hand. The two walked hand in hand into the Ministry of Works.
Only when they stood still and could no longer see each other's backs did the crowd outside the Ministry of Works stop gathering. The people walked on the outer perimeter, marveling at the grandeur of the imperial family. The officials, mostly men, stood on the inner side, sighing at how fortunate the Crown Prince was.
The Crown Princess and the Consort, one as elegant as a crescent moon and the other as bright as the sun, possessed an aura that surpassed that of ordinary noblewomen in the capital. Indeed, only a prince like the Crown Prince could be their match.
"What a pity..."
Someone whispered something like that, and everyone looked at each other, though they didn't know who was sighing, they all understood the meaning of "what a pity." Xu Zhiyuan's painting skills were praised by His Majesty as priceless. After this competition, who knows how heartbroken the dignified and composed Crown Princess will be.
Most of the officials in the Ministry of Works shared the same view; although the competition had not yet begun, it seemed as if the outcome was already predetermined.
"Your Highness, we have arrived," Minister Zhao bowed to the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and Consort Liang, then beckoned a thin official and introduced him: "This is Xu Zhiyuan, Assistant Director of the Water Department."
Xu Zhiyuan bowed respectfully to the three of them, saying, "Your Highnesses, may you be well."
“Lord Xu, there’s no need for such formalities. His Highness is not here today; there are only cartographers who are accompanying the Crown Prince on his journey and are carrying out his orders,” Shen Yujiao waved her hand, signaling him to stand up. She then walked to the desk first. “I’ve heard the Crown Prince say that Lord Xu is quite talented in cartography. Today, I’ll take this opportunity to learn a thing or two from Lord Xu.”
Seemingly surprised by the Crown Princess's straightforwardness, Xu Zhiyuan, who was not one to be bound by etiquette, walked to the table on the other side, looked directly at the Crown Princess, and said, "I wonder what kind of fine painting the Crown Princess is good at? Today, I will certainly accompany her to the end."
Since arriving in Daxia, this was the first time Shen Yujiao had seen someone so flamboyant and confident. She smiled faintly and said, "Whatever."
Xu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow. He saw something in the Crown Princess's eyes that was the same as his own: extreme confidence in his own skills. He had been somewhat resistant to the competition, but now he was quite interested. For a highly skilled person, the most precious thing is to meet a worthy opponent.
He turned to look at the Crown Prince and Minister Zhao: "I'll do as I please. Since this is the Ministry of Works' home turf, and I'm also on a mission to accompany the Crown Prince, why don't you two decide on the topic?"
“Very well,” Minister Zhao looked at the Crown Prince, who nodded in agreement. He then announced loudly, “The court is building waterways for the people of the northern border in order to divert water from the south to the north and alleviate the drought in the north. However, even if water is diverted north, farming still requires agricultural tools that complement water. Why don’t you two use this as a topic today and draw up designs for water-diverting agricultural tools that can be adapted to the north? The best designs will be selected by a vote of the officials of the four departments of the Ministry of Works. Do you two have any objections to this?”
Shen Yujiao and Xu Zhiyuan shook their heads upon hearing this, indicating that they had no objections. Seeing their reaction, Minister Zhao nodded, and then officials from the Ministry of Works brought up two sets of drawing tools. The tools were the most common specifications used by the Ministry of Works in drawing, and they were placed on the desks of the two men who were standing back to back.
"This painting session will be limited to one hour. We will stop painting as soon as the sand clock runs out. Now—the painting officially begins!"
As soon as Minister Zhao finished speaking, both sides began painting almost simultaneously. Due to the time limit, each side could have someone by their side to serve them. Xu Zhiyuan's side had a scribe from the Ministry of Works, while Shen Yujiao's side had Chu Rou.
When the officials of the Ministry of Works saw Consort Chu skillfully grinding ink for the Crown Princess, they couldn't help but be surprised. The former officials of the Chu family exchanged glances, not expecting that the Second Miss would get along so well with the Crown Princess. Moreover, judging from the level of cooperation between the two, it was not hard to tell that they often painted together.
Everyone present had their own thoughts, but Shen Yujiao and Xu Zhiyuan, who had already begun to concentrate on their painting, did not notice at all. The two painted with their backs to each other, their minds completely focused on the drawing paper on the table in front of them. The rest of the people were separated by the railing, and although they could watch, they could not make a sound.
Shen Yujiao focused intently on controlling the strength in her wrist, not daring to lose focus for even a moment. In the past two days, she had been looking through countless related drawings in the East Palace. She was amazed by the superb skills of the ancients and impressed by their ingenious designs. For her, the biggest problem probably lay in the paintbrush itself.
In modern times, she was not unfamiliar with blueprints. Her father was a renowned architect in the north, and her mother was a famous designer. She was exposed to drawing from a young age and practiced drawing at least eight or ten thousand blueprints. However, back then, she mostly used pencils to draw, while today, she uses a brush.
At this moment, she is holding the finest brush among them. Using this set of painting tools requires a great deal of wrist and arm strength. If the brush is not held steadily, a single line could ruin the entire painting.
Dipping her brush into the inkwell, Shen Yujiao met Chu Rou's encouraging gaze and smiled. She had to thank the Empress and Chu Rou; if it weren't for these two constantly asking her for designs, she probably wouldn't have had the confidence to come to the Ministry of Works today.
The clock continued to drip sand, and Shen Yujiao and Xu Zhiyuan continued to refine their drawings as time passed, until the last grain of sand fell. At that moment, Minister Zhao announced loudly, "Time's up, stop writing!"
The two put down their paintbrushes and stood before the desk, letting the officials from the Ministry of Works take away their drawings. They simply stood there and waited for the crowd to determine the winner.
The Ministry of Works had prepared everything extra well today because it was hosting the competition between the Crown Princess and Xu Zhiyuan. Several officials went out for only a short while before returning to the scene with simply framed drawings. They placed the two drawings opposite each other on a large table, with the four officials who would be judging the winner sitting at either end. The four officials would choose one to examine in pairs before exchanging them.
The officials standing behind the railing couldn't see the contents of the drawings, and could only infer the results from the expressions of the four doctors. But no matter which drawing they picked up, they could see amazement on the doctors' faces.
In a corner, an official from the Chu family's former subordinate whispered to the person next to him, "Look, they've started acting. How could the Crown Princess, a noble lady from a prominent family, possibly know what farm tools look like? If she can draw a draft that surpasses Xu Jinbi's, then I'll change my name!"
"Keep your voice down!" The person next to him quickly nudged his chest with his elbow, a word of warning but not a rebuttal: "The Crown Prince is watching this side!"
After examining the paintings one by one, the four physicians each had their own plans. Minister Zhao, seeing that it was almost time, signaled for the paintings to be put away. He then handed four brushes to the four physicians, saying, "Whichever painting you choose, place this brush on their desk."
Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath and waited for the results. The first candidate was a senior official from the Ministry of Works. He stepped forward, bowed deeply to the Crown Prince and Minister Zhao, and then went straight to Xu Zhiyuan, casting his first vote for him.
The Ministry of Works officials were overjoyed to see Xu Zhiyuan win a vote, as Xu Zhiyuan's victory was also related to the reputation of their Ministry of Works.
The second person to step forward was a physician from the Tuntian Division. As usual, he first bowed, then hesitated between the two for a while before placing his pen on Shen Yujiao's desk. Shen Yujiao met the official's gaze and nodded in return.
The vote of the Tuntian Division official surprised everyone present. Among the four, his vote was the most special. After all, the blueprints were for agricultural tools, and the Tuntian Division official was the one who knew the most about them. He cast his vote for the Crown Princess. Xu Zhiyuan was the most shocked. His hand, hidden in his sleeve, slowly tightened.
The next two were a secretary from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources. Their appearance attracted even more attention, as both were former subordinates of the Chu family.
When it was the turn of the Director of the Ministry of Works, he almost without hesitation stepped forward and handed the pen to Xu Zhiyuan. But when it was the turn of the last Director of the Ministry of Water Resources, he was in a dilemma.
Xu Zhiyuan looked at his direct superior right in front of him, and his heart sank inch with every moment of hesitation. Logically and emotionally, he should have secured the vote from the Water Department, and his superior's hesitation at this moment almost revealed the crux of the problem—
When the pen was placed steadily on the Crown Princess's desk, Xu Zhiyuan's heart sank to the bottom. The surrounding officials were discussing how to declare a draw. Just as someone suggested that Minister Zhao call a few more people to evaluate the drawing, Xu Zhiyuan stepped out from behind the clamor and went straight to the desk with the two drawings. He carefully examined the Crown Princess's drawing.
After a long while, Xu Zhiyuan returned to Shen Yujiao's desk, bowed deeply to her, and said, "Your Highness, I have lost."
His words instantly silenced the room, and everyone turned to look at him, most of them in disbelief.
Who is Xu Zhiyuan? He is a prodigy who became famous at a young age and was praised by His Majesty. He was a literary star who descended to earth and became the third-ranked scholar at the age of twenty. Because of his high-ranking family background and extraordinary talent, he never bowed his head to anyone in the Ministry of Works. Even when Minister Zhao spoke to him, he mostly consulted with him.
But this self-proclaimed genius actually admitted defeat to the Crown Princess?
“There’s no need to look for anyone else. It’s just that my skills are inferior to others,” Xu Zhiyuan ignored the gazes of everyone present. He walked straight to the Crown Prince and knelt down. “Your Highness the Crown Princess’s painting skills are truly admirable. I would be grateful if Your Highness would take me with you on this trip north to repair the canal!”
These words caused an uproar in the room, and several officials who could not contain themselves asked loudly, "How is that possible?"
Xu Zhiyuan looked in the direction of the sound, glared at the person, and disregarded his impoliteness before the Crown Prince. He walked straight forward, opened the fence, and allowed everyone to come in and view the two drawings. He then explained to the crowd:
“Today, both Your Highness and I have drawn waterwheels, but mine is a water turbine waterwheel, which will be of the greatest use if placed in the farmland of the south, to divert the turbulent water to the farmland. Your Highness’s drawing is a bone chain waterwheel, which shows that Your Highness has more thought in your design than I have.”
"Although the construction of the waterway can play a role in the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, the north is mostly plains and there are not many places where the water flow is rapid due to the terrain. Instead, the embedded waterwheels can continuously push the water forward to achieve the effect of diverting water to irrigate farmland."
At this point, Xu Zhiyuan's eyes dimmed somewhat: "The two officials from the Land Reclamation Bureau and the Water Resources Bureau are well aware of this."
The two doctors who were named nodded under everyone's gaze. What Xu Zhiyuan said was indeed the biggest reason why they voted for the Crown Princess. If we disregard the objective conditions of the topic, they might have considered other factors, but the Crown Princess had already won over Xu Zhiyuan in terms of the practicality of the design.
After taking a deep breath, Xu Zhiyuan continued, "Furthermore, even disregarding the design and focusing solely on the drawing skills, when I was creating the blueprints, I only focused on making the waterwheel exquisite and intricate, but I overlooked whether the craftsmen could immediately discern the intricacies from the blueprints. However, the Crown Princess's version..."
Everyone looked over as he spoke. "In addition to drawing the waterwheel, the Crown Princess also broke it down and marked the parts. If we make it according to these two drawings today, the Crown Princess's part should be completed in less than five days."
He let out a long sigh and then bowed to the Crown Princess again: "I was arrogant before, and I ask Your Highness to forgive my rudeness. But I ask Your Highness to allow me to accompany you on this journey to the north to make maps. I... have so much to ask you for advice."
Seeing that he seemed like a different person, Shen Yujiao couldn't help but smile. She gestured for Xu Zhiyuan to get up, then walked to the two drawings and said, "If we're talking about who won today, I might not be much better than you. Admittedly, in this design that adapts to local conditions, I did consider the water flow and topography, but in terms of meticulous brushwork, I am not as good as you."
"I wouldn't call it seeking advice, let alone giving guidance, but regardless of painting techniques, I have something I'd like to discuss with Lord Xu today."
At this moment, Xu Zhiyuan, facing the Crown Princess, was extremely respectful: "Your Highness, please speak."
Shen Yujiao glanced at the officials present and looked at Jiang Chen standing in the distance. She said in a steady voice, "The Ministry of Works is the construction agency responsible for all civil engineering and water conservancy in our Great Xia. I know that Great Xia may have many places where it needs capable ministers from the Ministry of Works, whether it is building cities or developing weapons, but these are all inseparable from the people."
"The Crown Prince often says that the foundation of the Great Xia Dynasty does not lie with the emperor or the crown prince, but with the people. The people are the foundation of the country. This project to divert water from the south to the north may not be the largest in scale at present, and its achievements may not be enough to be counted as a great feat. It may even be mentioned only briefly in the annals of history. However, tens of thousands of people in the northern border will be freed from drought because of this canal. I personally believe that such a project can better reflect the value of you gentlemen."
"Isn't the purpose of being an official to make our Great Xia prosperous and strong? If the north is plagued by drought year after year, how can our Great Xia become prosperous and strong?"
The Crown Princess's words left the officials in the room looking at each other in disbelief. Even the former members of the Chu family who had doubted the Crown Princess's ability to win had to admit that she was right. Their previous prejudices, estrangement, and stereotypes were all shattered by her words.
Minister Zhao was deeply shocked by the scene before him. He watched as Xu Zhiyuan and a group of officials knelt sincerely before the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, let out a long sigh, and then slowly bowed down to perform the kneeling ceremony.
"Your Majesty the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess are willing to follow you and dedicate yourselves wholeheartedly to the Great Xia Dynasty, to solidify the foundation of the nation!"
Chu Rou slowly relaxed her tightly clenched hands, her gaze towards the Crown Princess filled with admiration. The worries she had felt earlier had vanished, and she was even faintly shocked as she looked at the tall and graceful woman.
Perhaps, back then, her father hoped that she would grow up to be such a truly outstanding woman...
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Author's note: Here's an extra chapter, but I'm sorry everyone, I'm just too busy at the end of the month. I have to go on a business trip tomorrow morning, so I have to ask for leave again.
However, I assure everyone that after this, I don't plan to take any leave in the short term. I'll try to update as much as possible in one go!
Thank you all for waiting and supporting us. The rest of the story will definitely not disappoint you!
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