Half an hour passed, and many people had already stopped painting. To ensure fairness, the Fourth Prince ordered all paintings, regardless of whether they were finished, to be collected and evaluated.
All those attending the lotus appreciation banquet were relatives of the imperial clan. They had been learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood, and creating a lotus painting within half an hour was not difficult for them. So, most of them had finished their paintings and were just waiting for the Fourth Prince to inspect and view them.
After the eunuchs collected all the lotus paintings and presented them to the Fourth Prince's table, Lady Nian confidently approached and stood beside him. While helping him arrange the paintings, she smiled and said to him, "Although my painting skills are not excellent, I have seen many famous paintings and can judge whether they are good or not... How about I accompany Your Majesty to appraise them?"
Lanqin thought that because of painting, she was still at the table and chairs below the stage. Fourth Master was taken aback, ignored Nian Shi, and looked at Lanqin.
Lanqin nodded slightly, indicating that Fourth Master did not need to worry about her. Fourth Master saw that Lanqin had no intention of coming up to sit with him, and considering that Lanqin's paintings were among them, it would be unfair to insist that Lanqin come up, so he gave up.
Seeing that the Fourth Master did not object, Lady Nian happily accompanied him as he began to critique each lotus painting.
The first painting is a depiction of the Third Prince and his wife admiring lotus flowers. The Third Prince and his wife represent the Prince Cheng's Mansion. The Third Prince is also a master of calligraphy and painting; his ink lotus painting has a very high artistic conception and is clearly a fine work. "Your Majesty, look… the lotus leaves are covered with water droplets, like sparkling pearls. It feels as if a breeze is blowing, and the water droplets are about to roll back and forth on the lotus leaves…"
The Third Prince looked smug. Back when the late Emperor was on the throne, he had always valued the Third Prince's literary talent. He was quite confident in his ability to paint a simple lotus flower. Hearing Consort Nian's lavish praise, his face was already beaming with joy.
However, the Fourth Prince ignored Lady Nian's words, pressed his hand on the Third Prince's painting, and said with a stern face, "The Third Prince's painting skills are the strongest among these people, so naturally they cannot be appreciated with ordinary eyes. I think this painting is just meticulous and detailed. It looks good, but I feel it lacks a bit of artistic conception..."
Lady Nian's heart tightened, realizing she might have said something inappropriate. She laughed awkwardly a few times, tilted her head slightly, and pretended to look at the painting again. She whispered, "Your Majesty's observation is indeed keen. Now that I see it, the painting does lack some charm. It's a pity for such a fine painting. If Third Master were to add a few more bold strokes, it would truly stand out..."
Everyone exchanged glances and remained silent, except for Third Master, who seemed unwilling but dared not utter a sound.
The Fourth Prince glanced at the audience and continued looking at the paintings. After what had just happened, Lady Nian dared not utter a sound and cautiously glanced at the Fourth Prince's expression. The next painting was of the Fifth Prince and his wife. The painting was clean and tidy, giving people a comfortable feeling. There was nothing special about it, but nothing was wrong with it either.
The Fourth Prince picked it up with great interest, looked at it for a long time, nodded and smiled, "I really like this painting by the Fifth Prince... The lotus flower is inherently pure, rising from the mud unsullied; cleanliness is the essence of the lotus... This painting depicts lotus flowers that are refreshing and not gaudy, very good..."
The Fourth Prince handed the paintings by the Fifth Prince and his wife to a nearby eunuch, who then unfurled them for everyone to admire. The Fifth Prince's painting was decent, nothing particularly stunning, but it deserved the Fourth Prince's praise. Clearly, the Fifth Prince and his wife hadn't expected the Fourth Prince to praise them, and they exchanged a delighted smile.
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