"If you won't let me into your palace, I'll just have to go. How am I supposed to complete my mission if I don't find a way to sneak in?" Shen Ye sprawled on the dilapidated wooden bed, furious, thinking about how to infiltrate the Ning'an Prince's Palace.
The next day, Shen Ye said goodbye to his sister and went to Chang'an City alone again. This time he was smarter and wore a bamboo hat so that no one could see his face.
"Brother Huang, where are you going in such a hurry?" Suddenly, one of the men next to him asked another.
"So it's Brother Li." The two bowed to each other, and then he continued, "The Prince of Ning'an's mansion is currently selecting painters, and I was just thinking of going to give it a try."
"In that case, I won't take up any more of your time, Brother Huang."
Suddenly, Shen Ye's eyes flashed, and a plan came to mind.
A table was set up at the entrance of the Ning'an Prince's Mansion. Those who wanted to participate first received a numbered tag and were then searched before they could enter the mansion for the assessment.
There were many participants, and they all looked very confident in their painting skills. In this ancient era teeming with talent, Shen Ye was somewhat worried about his own painting abilities.
Suddenly, the noisy atmosphere quieted down. Chengqian walked over and said seriously, "The content of this assessment is a portrait of a beautiful woman. A woman will stand here for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and then you will draw her from memory."
Chengqian glanced around at the people below and continued, "Let's begin."
Immediately afterwards, a woman walked out from behind. She was as slender as a willow branch and had delicate features, truly deserving of the title of beauty.
Time always flies by unnoticed. The incense stick burned out quickly, the beauty went down, and everyone began to bury themselves in their paintings.
He closed his eyes, recalled the beautiful woman's appearance in his mind, and then picked up his pen to begin his masterpiece.
Although Shen Ye is a top student who graduated from an art academy in modern times, he has to abandon his major and write guarantee articles for websites to make a living in order to earn that meager income.
Although he hasn't picked up a brush to paint for several years, his foundation is still there, and ink painting is no challenge for him. It just depends on luck whether he can stand out from so many people.
Soon, the candidates handed in their paintings one after another, while he was still painting the eyes of the beauty, wanting to make those eyes look more lifelike.
After finishing the eyes and hurriedly handing in the painting, I bumped into someone as I turned around.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Shen Ye quickly apologized.
This was a young man, who looked to be around twenty years old. He was tall and handsome, with a charming yet slightly roguish air about him. His expression was humble, and he was clearly a well-mannered gentleman.
"It's alright, it doesn't matter." He smiled indifferently.
Shen Ye also bowed to him, just like the ancients, and then turned and went to the garden, where everyone who had submitted their paintings was waiting quietly for the review results.
He strode up to catch up with Shen Ye and walked alongside him. Shen Ye felt a little awkward and embarrassed because he didn't know what else to say!
"Hey buddy," he suddenly said, "it's almost noon, how about we grab a few drinks? Let's get acquainted and make friends!"
“Sure,” Shen Ye replied generously, “but I can’t hold my liquor well, so I can only have a few sips.”
It wasn't that he wanted to take advantage of him. On one hand, he was also starving; he hadn't eaten a single grain of rice since noon yesterday, and Shen Ye was practically starving. On the other hand, making a friend was a good idea; more friends meant more opportunities, and he could pay him back for the meal when he had the money.
After leaving the Ning'an Prince's Mansion, the two found a small tavern, ordered a plate of peanuts, a roast chicken, and a few side dishes, and began to eat and drink.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
