Chapter 487 We must not let foreign powers interfere.
The Imperial Palace.
Li Shimin sat upright on the dragon throne, holding a painting in his hands and admiring it.
In the painting, Changsun Wuji holds a tablet in his hand, his eyes filled with a kind smile, and his slightly plump figure makes him look very amiable.
Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction.
"Was this painted by Yuchi Yiseng?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"It seems the auxiliary machine is quite satisfied with this painting?"
Li Shimin put down the painting and looked at Changsun Wuji with a smile.
"His Majesty……"
Changsun Wuji praised, "Although Yuchi Yiseng is young, he has perfectly inherited his father's painting skills and is absolutely outstanding in painting."
"Haha...Good!"
Li Shimin laughed heartily.
He needs a portrait too!
As a monarch...
His portraits are larger and more detailed than others.
"Your Majesty, Yuchi Yiseng requests an audience."
Just then, a eunuch suddenly came to report.
"Let him in."
Li Shimin smiled and agreed.
"Your Majesty, I can't finish this painting..."
Upon seeing Li Shimin, Yuchi Yiseng began to weep and lament.
"What's wrong?"
Li Shimin frowned.
Currently, the portraits of meritorious officials in the Tang Dynasty are all based on Yuchi Yiseng, indicating that Li Shimin still values him highly.
"It's Wei Zheng!"
Yuchi Yiseng tearfully recounted, "This morning I went to paint for Wei Zheng, and not only did he beat me, he also kicked me out."
What is that?
Li Shimin's lips twitched.
If Wei Zheng is the one who drives you away, then you are absolutely wrong!
"His Majesty!"
Upon seeing this, Changsun Wuji immediately jumped out...
"This Wei Zheng is simply lawless."
"Yuchi Yiseng is a painter appointed by His Majesty, yet Wei Zheng dares to so boldly drive him away; this is utterly disrespectful to the emperor!"
Li Shimin ignored it.
Changsun Wuji has been arguing with the Wei family for a long time, so how could he make a decision based on a few idle words?
"Tell me, what exactly happened..."
Li Shimin picked up his teacup and took a sip.
With Lao Wei gone, even drinking tea feels pleasant.
Most importantly... someone also filed a complaint against Lao Wei.
"Your Majesty, they said that a certain painting was not good, so..."
"Wait...didn't you say Xuan Cheng? How did it become 'them'?"
Li Shimin immediately grasped the key point.
"And his son, Wei Shuyu!"
Yuchi Yiseng said through gritted teeth.
"..."
You must be incredibly hated.
Even I dare not offend Old Wei and his son all at once.
You're something else...
I offended two people at once.
"Continue..." Li Shimin said speechlessly.
"They not only verbally abused someone, but also assaulted them."
As he spoke, Yuchi Yiseng rolled up his sleeves: "Your Majesty, look, this is what they did."
"I estimate that I won't be able to paint for the next few days."
Li Shimin's face showed displeasure.
Anyway...
The Duke beat up the County Duke.
This has had a truly terrible impact.
Moreover, Yuchi Yiseng was a nobleman of the Kingdom of Khotan.
"Guards, summon Wei Zheng to the palace for an audience."
Li Shimin shouted loudly, then immediately reassured him, "Yuchi Yiseng, do not worry. If this is true, I will certainly stand up for you."
"Your Majesty, I do not wish to paint anymore."
Yuchi Yiseng pleaded tearfully, "Your Majesty, please find someone more capable!"
"This time I was beaten by Wei Zheng and his son. I don't know if I will be beaten again next time, or even accidentally killed."
Li Shimin frowned.
There were indeed many painters in the Tang Dynasty, but none could rival the painting skills of Yuchi and his son!
Yan Liben is indeed quite good.
But now he mainly serves as an official, and painting is just a hobby.
He hadn't yet been promoted to Li Shimin's personal photographer...
"I have already summoned Wei Zheng. If this matter is true, I will give you an explanation."
"His Majesty."
Yuchi Yiseng still refused to budge: "I haven't been back to Khotan for a long time. Please allow me to go back and visit!"
Damn it, what a target!
Getting cocky, huh?
Old Wei was right. How dare you, a mere painter, give me attitude?
"Your Majesty, Attendant-in-Ordinary Wei requests an audience."
Just then, a guard came in to report.
Wei Zheng was a frequent visitor to the palace and possessed a warrant that allowed him to travel directly there.
Foreign officials like Yuchi Yiseng wouldn't be able to do it; the process of entering the palace was incredibly complicated.
At the very least... a body search is inevitable!
"Announce."
As Li Shimin finished speaking.
Wei Zheng was seen holding a wooden box, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Your Majesty, I have come to pay my respects." Wei Zheng bowed.
"Xuancheng, did you hit Yuchi Yiseng?" Li Shimin went straight to the point.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wei Zheng honestly admitted, "Yuchi Yiseng's painting skills are clumsy, and he spoke rudely to me. I think that beating him would be too lenient."
Okay.
Old Wei spoke with such certainty, so Yuchi Yiseng must be wrong.
"You're talking nonsense!"
Yuchi Yiseng immediately shouted a rebuttal.
"Your Majesty, please look..."
Wei Zheng took out the drawing paper from his pocket: "This was drawn by Yuchi Yiseng, and it doesn't resemble me at all."
"Bring it here."
Li Shimin was quite curious about what painting had angered Old Wei.
When he saw the drawing paper.
Aside from being a little chubby, there doesn't seem to be much of a problem.
"What is it that Xuancheng is dissatisfied with?" Li Shimin couldn't help but ask.
"His Majesty."
Wei Zheng bowed and said, "Shuyu said that this portrait of Maitreya Buddha has compassion in its eyes."
Have you ever seen mercy in my eyes?
Um?
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin realized the oddity of the situation.
He spent all his time with Wei Zheng.
Old Wei's facial expression was either tense and resolute in the face of death...
Occasionally, she would proudly show off her son.
I've never seen Wei Zheng show any sign of compassion.
Thinking...
He then unfolded the portrait of Changsun Wuji.
Upon comparison, it was found that the eyes in the two paintings were almost identical.
"His Majesty!"
Wei Zheng added, "The eyes are the most expressive feature of a person."
"Yuchi Yiseng's painting skills are indeed quite good."
"But he specializes in Buddhist statues, and his skills in capturing the expression in the eyes are clearly lacking."
Li Shimin pondered for a moment.
indeed.
Khotan was a Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions.
Both Yuchi Yiseng and his father were most skilled at painting Buddhist figures.
"You're talking nonsense."
Yuchi Yiseng immediately retorted, "It was clearly me who was painting the eyes while you were talking to Wei Shuyu nonstop, which made me lose my composure."
"So you just do your paintings so perfunctorily?" Wei Zheng replied indifferently.
Honestly, he really couldn't be bothered to argue with this little rascal.
Winning the argument is meaningless.
“It was your interference that caused this; I could have drawn it better!” Yuchi Yiseng immediately retorted.
"unnecessary!"
Wei Zheng responded coldly, then bowed to Li Shimin and said...
"His Majesty."
"The portraits of the twenty-four meritorious officials in the Lingyan Pavilion are a testament to the beginning of the rise of our Great Tang Dynasty..."
"I believe..."
"Such a momentous event must not be allowed to be interfered with by foreigners!"
"If this story is passed down... future generations will think that the painting skills of our Tang Dynasty are inferior to those of foreign countries!"
Um?
Li Shimin suddenly awoke.
Wei Zheng's words enlightened him.
It is indeed inappropriate to entrust such an important matter to outsiders.
"Could the Tang Dynasty possibly find someone with better painting skills than me?" Yuchi Yiseng sneered.
In response to this.
Wei Zheng, however, should not pay attention to it.
Instead, a wooden box was presented.
"Your Majesty, this was painted by my son, Shuyu..."
"Your Majesty, please take a look."
"I dare to swear on my life that it is absolutely better than what Yuchi Yiseng painted!"
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