Next came the paintings by Seventh Master and Tenth Master, which Fourth Master praised highly. The atmosphere in Yingzhou Hall gradually became lively. Everyone who received praise congratulated each other. Madam Nian also forgot about what had just happened and became more talkative.
When she saw the Eighth Master's painting, Madam Nian was indeed taken aback. She thought the Eighth Master was only good at writing, but she did not expect him to be so unique in painting skills. Everyone else's lotus flowers were light and pale, but the Eighth Master's lotus painting was brightly colored.
Lady Nian exclaimed with delight, "Eighth Prince's painting is so unique! I've never seen lotus flowers like this before. Everyone says lotus flowers are elegant, but Eighth Prince's lotus flowers are so vibrant yet tasteful. It's truly rare..."
The Fourth Prince smiled and carefully examined the Eighth Prince's painting, but offered no comment, leaving everyone puzzled. After a long while, the Fourth Prince skipped over the Eighth Prince's lotus painting and went on to comment on Lan Qin's lotus flower painting.
Because Lanqin returned last, her painting was the last one collected. Lanqin had painted a scene of a misty lotus pond, with a few flower buds peeking out gracefully.
The Fourth Prince's gaze lingered on the painting for a long time, then he looked at it from a distance for a while, his smile deepening. Madam Nian glanced disdainfully at Lanqin's painting, secretly chuckling to herself, thinking, "I thought it was well-painted, but it turns out it's just a few simple strokes; you can barely make out a lotus flower..."
However, seeing that the Fourth Prince's gaze remained fixed on Lanqin's painting, Lady Nian deliberately reminded him, "Your Majesty, it's time for your comments. Everyone is waiting for Your Majesty to announce who the winner is..."
The Fourth Prince finally breathed a sigh of relief, picked up Lanqin's painting himself, and showed it to her, saying, "I am very pleased with Consort Xi's painting. I remember Li Shangyin's poem 'Lotus' says, 'No color can compare, but what can rival its fragrance?' It speaks of the unparalleled beauty of the lotus, and its unique fragrance under the sun. Although Consort Xi's painting is simple with just a few strokes, it gives me the feeling of being close to the lotus, as if I can even smell its faint fragrance..."
Lanqin's painting indeed attracted everyone's attention, especially since she did not use too many colors and brushstrokes, but with just a few strokes, she painted the lotus flowers with a full artistic conception, just like in a dream, where you could smell the fragrance.
For a moment, even the Fourth Prince couldn't decide the winner. Lanqin stood up with a smile and said to the Fourth Prince, "Since Your Majesty can't make a decision, why not give the choice to everyone? Firstly, it's fair and there won't be any bias, and secondly, it will be more convincing to the public... What does Your Majesty think?"
Fourth Master was very interested in Lanqin's suggestion and asked, "How can we give the decision-making power to everyone?"
Lanqin smiled and said, "That's simple. The Emperor will pass the painting around to everyone present for appreciation. In the end, everyone will choose the painting they think is the best and write it on a slip of paper. The one with the most votes will be the winner."
The Thirteenth Prince was the first to stand up and express his support: "Her Majesty the Consort Xi's idea is excellent. In this way, everyone can appreciate the paintings of others, discover their own shortcomings, and learn from the strengths of others. Your Majesty, I support it..."
Fifth Prince, having already received praise from Fourth Prince, was not worried that his painting would be ridiculed. He stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Xi's idea is indeed fair, and I support it..."
Everyone then suggested that the winner be selected using Lanqin's method, and the Fourth Prince nodded approvingly. He then instructed the eunuchs to circulate the paintings. Each painting was passed around before the crowd, and everyone wrote the name of the painting they considered best on a slip of paper…
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