Western realism, Eastern impressionism.

This also reflects the different mainstream cultures in painting.

Naturally, the culture of the Central Plains dynasties contains countless things, but because of the influence of ideas, it is more inclined to the expression of artistic conception.

Cao Buxing, a painter from the Three Kingdoms period, accidentally dropped a drop of ink on the canvas while painting a screen. He had an idea and lightly added a few strokes to the drop of ink, turning it into a fly.

When Sun Quan saw the painting, he subconsciously flicked it with his fingers in an attempt to drive away the fly.

It can be seen that the East is not without realism.

The pinnacle of our painting is the same, and for painters who have reached this level, realism and freehand brushwork have already been intertwined and integrated.

However, because it was not mainstream, when the Western painter drew the sketch with charcoal pencil, it immediately caused heated discussion.

Someone shouted, "Boss, I think this painting is worth more than two hundred coins. I'm afraid it's worth three hundred coins."

"Yes, this wave of bargains is a big profit."

"So that's how the Western Yi people paint."

"It's very different from our Ming Dynasty painters. They actually use charcoal to paint."

Listening to the sounds around him, the Western painter felt a little proud.

He followed the large ship of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce, crossed the vast ocean, and after going through untold hardships and escaping many dangers, he finally arrived in the Ming Dynasty.

Everything here was exactly as he had imagined, a most civilized place, far away from barbarism and without war.

Most people can have enough food, and a wide variety of goods come from all over the world. This is the center of the world.

He has been here for more than ten days. The Chamber of Commerce has too many restrictions on them, the Western barbarians, and they only have a temporary household registration.

You can roam around the capital city at will.

Because of the cold winter, the construction has not started. Normally, we are thinking about mapping and formulas.

This time I went out to the streets, I also wanted to see the prosperity of the capital and learn about the situation here.

They learned Chinese on the ship. When they arrived, there were people who taught them Chinese and Chinese characters.

He is considered a good leader among them and learns very quickly.

"May I ask what this gentleman's name is?"

The shopkeeper also realized that the Semites in front of him really had something special and were unlike other barbarians, so he became much more respectful to them.

The Western Yi painter responded, "I am Wright Will."

In fact, Will is not a painter, but a craftsman.

In Western Europe, most people's surnames originated from their occupations. The surname Wright is a synonym for craftsman.

For example, if they are nobles or other professions, you can clearly know them just by looking at their surnames.

In Western Europe, only aristocrats had access to painters because the pigments needed for painting were very expensive. Will started painting because he enjoyed it and because of the need for architectural drawings.

The sketching of houses just happened to be within his expertise, but if it involved portraits or natural scenery, that would be a different matter.

"Mr. Lai has superb skills. Please come in and have a chat so that I can apologize for what happened just now." The shopkeeper said politely.

Hearing the address of Mr. Lai, Will couldn't help but smile bitterly, but he didn't correct it, because during the many days since he came to the capital of the Ming Dynasty, he, or they, had encountered such situations too many times.

Because the main goal of the Heroes Chamber of Commerce is to recruit craftsmen, their group is called Wright, and there are nearly a hundred people in it.

Normally, when people call him Mr. Lai, I have no idea who he is calling.

"Don't be too busy thanking me, just pay the money quickly, I still need Mr. Lai to paint for me."

Before Will could answer, the shop next door couldn't wait to interrupt.

They are all engaged in business, and with the various promotions from the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce, many savvy businessmen have begun to understand the importance of publicity and the huge role of popularity. It can be said that even good wine needs to be marketed.

Especially in a place like the capital with such a huge flow of people, just such a small lively event has already attracted three layers of people inside and outside.

There was also a steady stream of people coming over out of curiosity to see what was going on.

The desire to gossip has existed since ancient times and is not uncommon in any era.

Because there were too many people gathered, seriously hindering traffic, the patrolling yamen runners from the Wucheng Bingmasi appeared and began to disperse them.

When the government gets involved, it's naturally very different. They all want to watch the fun, but if they get involved in any trouble, it would be very uncomfortable.

With a bang, people scattered like broken porcelain.

"What's going on? Don't you know that gatherings are not allowed here on Zhengyang Avenue? Is this your doing? Why do you want to drink tea in the prison of our Bingmasi?"

The bailiff came over and took a look at the surrounding situation. The most eye-catching person was Wrightwell.

In the eyes of the Ming people, the status of the Western Barbarians is completely opposite. They questioned with suspicion, "You Western Barbarian, is it possible that this incident just happened because of you?"

"You know, delaying the passage of the highway is a serious crime. If there is urgent military information, and the post station sends a message, even if I have to pay with your own head, it will be too much of a loss."

"Please show us your household registration and customs documents."

The yamen runner scolded him directly. The shopkeeper next to him wanted to explain, but the yamen runner glared at him and he dared not say anything.

Although the yamen runners are small, they are directly under their charge to the shops, and sometimes they are more useful than higher-ranking officials.

Looking at the somewhat panicked Western barbarians, the yamen runner's eyes became more serious.

Some bystanders immediately understood that if this Western painter did not give a solid explanation, he might have to go to the prison of the Bingmasi today.

Wrightwell bowed quickly and then quickly took out the household registration documents from his body.

Hand it over to the yamen runner respectfully.

This person was an official of the Ming Dynasty. In Will's mind, he was equivalent to a noble in Western Europe and he dared not offend him at all.

The bailiff took the document with an expressionless face.

The Ming Dynasty was the Celestial Empire, so it looked upon the barbarians from all directions with some prejudice. In the minds of the yamen runners, these barbarians had no etiquette and often broke the rules.

The crowd fell silent, waiting for the next move of the bailiff.

The shop owner was reliable. He did not leave, nor did he use the opportunity to not pay the price he had just promised. Instead, he waited patiently and looked for an opportunity to help the Western painter explain to the yamen runners.

The bailiff slowly opened the document and looked at it, but after just one glance, his eyes became serious and he glanced at Will a few times.

Later, in the surprised eyes of the crowd, the yamen runner said with a smile: "It turns out that it is the Western Yi craftsman who came here some time ago. Why did he come out today to buy some New Year goods?"

"I feel quite satisfied with our capital. Our Ming Dynasty has always been hospitable and warm. If you encounter any problems, just call our brothers from the Five Cities Military Department and they will definitely solve them for you."

The contrast between the yamen runner's attitude before and after was shocking and quite dumbfounding.

Even a fool could understand that this Western painter must be of great importance, as even the yamen runners were so afraid of him.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. I am just here like everyone else, painting a portrait of this shopkeeper as a memorial."

Will replied quickly.

The yamen runner obviously didn't want to stay any longer. After saying a few more enthusiastic words, he told his brothers to leave.

"Brother, what kind of identity does that Western barbarian have to make you do this?"

"I have to tell my brothers to be careful recently, especially the Western Barbarians. These are the craftsmen that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince specially recruited from the ocean. I'm afraid they are here to build this Zhengyang Avenue."

As the bailiffs left, life suddenly became lively again on Will's side.

"Mr. Lai, please come and paint for my shop. I will pay you 400 coins."

"You are here to interrupt me, I was the one who spoke first."

"The highest bidder wins. So what if you asked first? Mr. Lai hasn't agreed to your offer yet."

"Five hundred coins!"

"Seven hundred coins!"

"I'll pay one coin, and you can paint for my shop first!"

Will decided to stop while he was ahead, and when he heard that it was one string of Ming Dynasty treasure notes, he quickly agreed.

If the price was any higher, he would be a little scared.

Holding the easel and taking the treasure banknotes given by the shop owner, Will went to the shop owner who had just given him one string of treasure banknotes.

The crowd did not disperse, but instead followed Will around.

Just the act of painting is a rare thing.

After getting used to freehand paintings, it’s also very nice to look at realistic paintings occasionally.

Many scholars also gathered there, wondering if they could glimpse any secrets from it.

Will was pleasantly surprised.

Knowing this day, you will definitely be able to make a lot of money.

Then I can go back and prepare a big meal for my younger brother, sister, father and mother.

Although the food where he lived was quite good, he had always longed to eat out in the capital.

Only after coming to Daming did Will realize that there were so many delicious foods in this world.

Although the Will family was not aristocracy in Western Europe, they were still relatively wealthy and could occasionally eat white bread, milk, and bacon.

Even the food of the great nobles is about the same as this.

But after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, Will finally understood what artistic cuisine was.

Because it was close to New Year's Day, the Ming Dynasty had a long tradition of welcoming guests, so Zhu Ying asked the chefs who came from all directions to prepare a delicious meal for these craftsmen from Western Europe.

The taste that I have never experienced before explodes on the taste buds on the tip of my tongue.

Delicate taste, exquisite presentation, and miraculous carving and knife skills.

Many Western Europeans don't even dare to touch them with their hands. In their eyes, these foods are simply noble works of art that can only be viewed but not desecrated.

The receiving official thought that these Western Europeans had some reservations, so he took the lead in picking up a piece of beautifully carved white radish and eating it in one bite.

That scene made all the Western Europeans look dazed.

Such a noble work of art, just one bite and it's gone? Gone!

After repeated explanations by officials, Western Europeans finally understood that this was food, and it was just a daily meal for the nobles of the Ming Dynasty.

Only then did I dare to start.

At that time, Will casually picked up a bowl of tofu soup and looked at the white flowers blooming in it.

Relying on his good Chinese, he curiously asked the official next to him what kind of flower it was that could bloom in soup.

The official smiled and introduced:

This is tofu made from soybeans, and it is the softest tofu used.

Make eighty-eight cuts horizontally and one hundred and eighty-eight cuts vertically, then bring the soup to a boil.

Will opened his eyes wide, looking at the tofu inside that was as thin as a hair, and was completely shocked.

He knew about tofu because the other dish was just plain boiled tofu, in chunks.

Is this the knife skills of the Ming Dynasty?

Compared to the Ming Dynasty, even the food the emperor ate in Western Europe was not so noble, elegant, and artistic.

From that moment on, he was completely conquered by Chinese cuisine.

Not just him, but all Western Europeans.

This is also why Will wants to come out and paint to make money, just to take his family to taste more Chinese food.

In this world, everyone, everywhere, is trying to make a living.

…

Ming Imperial Palace, Fengtian Square.

All the snow here has been swept clean.

In the center, a huge platform was built.

This might be the first time in all the years that the Nanjing Imperial Palace has existed that it has created such a grand stage in Fengtian Square.

Because of the cold, nine hundred and ninety-nine braziers were set up around and in the center of the square, and the heat waves blew away the cold.

People are looking forward to today's New Year's Eve.

The palace has never been so lively.

Because of the grand event, His Majesty has granted permission that all officials who are able to enter can bring a certain number of family members to watch according to their rank.

The entire palace, no matter where it was, seemed very lively.

There is a gauze compartment in Fengtian Square, which is prepared for concubines and royal women.

The princes and grandchildren of the emperor had been looking forward to it for a long time.

"This scene put on by our eldest grandson is really very lively. In previous years, the palace was not so interesting during the New Year's Day."

"I think everyone has to thank you."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

Everyone is joyful during the Spring Festival, and even Zhu Yuanzhang is no exception.

The older people get, the more they like to be lively, and no one is immune to this.

Zhu Yuanzhang always said that these arrangements made by his eldest grandson were too wasteful, but he was very satisfied in his heart.

"Grandpa, our Ming Dynasty is rich now. We have so much money in the treasury that we don't know how to spend it. We must let everyone feel the joy."

"It's the Lantern Festival. I have already arranged a lantern festival in the palace. I will also invite the Imperial College and other outstanding students to come. This is also a favor from Grandpa."

Zhu Ying said with a smile.

He also didn't expect that he would do the work of a director in later generations.

The main problem is that the program arranged by the Ministry of Rites is that it is too simple and lacks any novelty.

Besides, Zhu Ying himself was a person who liked lively atmosphere, so he simply took charge of the arrangements himself.

So far, the results seem good.

Especially in promoting Chinese culture, it will have a great impact.

For example, those foreign officials are likely to learn from them.

"Well, let's look forward to seeing how exciting tonight's New Year's Eve will be."

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he paused for a moment and said rather embarrassedly: "Grandson, on such a good day, we can have a few drinks."

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "Don't worry, Grandpa. I have already made arrangements for you."