He even thought that after his dragon birth anniversary, he might as well abdicate the throne to Momo. His mother often mentioned how the people of Yangliu village were kind and the scenery beautiful. The Prince Yu Couple even spoke openly about retiring there to enjoy their twilight years peacefully. He had visited; it was indeed very tranquil. Perhaps it was time he too put down his heavy burden and led a simple yet comfortable life in Yangliu village with the Empress.
Hua Ziyu and Meng Jingqi looked at the two, deep in thought.
Long Xuanmo half-squinted his eyes, jealousy churning within him like a sea of vinegar. Ah Jiu was his and his alone. He wouldn’t let anyone take her away, not even women, let alone men. He resolved to find a way to separate Ah Jiu and Chu Dieyi.
As Yang Mengchen set down his brush, Old Hai announced that time was up, then sent people to collect the contestants’ work.
"Show us Princess Chen’s painting first!" someone shouted, followed by many others in agreement.
The judges were even more eager than the audience and couldn’t wait to gather around and view Yang Mengchen’s painting. They were all stunned by it and reluctantly allowed the two works to be displayed to the public only after persistent urging from below.
"My god, that purple dragon is soaring through the sky!" freēwebnovel.com
"So it turns out that The Capital where we live is this majestic, this beautifully vast."
"Look, the river in the painting is flowing!"
"I think I smell the fragrance of flowers and hear the chirping of birds."
"I feel it too!"
"Ah, Birdy’s wings are fluttering! It’d better not fly out of the painting!"
...
Praise and exclamations rose and fell in waves. The atmosphere in the competition arena became incredibly charged and fervently enthusiastic.
Yang Mengchen and Chu Dieyi exchange smiles.
Ah Lan’s father was a grandmaster of the art circle, and his friends were master painters from both domestic and foreign lands. Due to the nature of her job, Ah Lan was often away from home, so Yang Mengchen would frequently visit her parents and brother to fulfill some of the filial duties on her behalf. Ah Lan’s father greatly adored Yang Mengchen, and once offered to teach her painting.
At first, she attended the lessons out of respect for Ah Lan’s father’s kind intentions, listening seriously but not applying herself. Gradually, she grew to love the immersive experience of painting, the feeling of being lost in the artistic conception, oblivious to the vexations of the world, and thus she devoted herself wholly to the art.
Whenever Ah Lan’s father’s friends came to visit, he would call on her to join them. Together, they would discuss and explore the techniques of painting. She lacked innate talent, but as it is said, diligence compensates for one’s lack of innate skill. She studied with dedication, and with the patient guidance of those uncles, she made considerable progress. However, Ah Lan’s father said she was only slightly less proficient than him.
Her artwork, which integrated the most exquisite techniques of modern Eastern and Western art, combined with the person displaying the painting walking around, and at that moment with the lighting perfectly aligned, the interplay of light and shadow naturally made the purple dragon seem to soar, the river flow, and Birdy’s wings flutter.
Without a doubt, Yang Mengchen won first place in the painting competition, with Hai Ruofeng coming in second, Princess Yashuang third, and Su Manru sixth.
Seeing the Emperor’s eyes glued to the two paintings, Yang Mengchen smiled lightly and said, "Father, with your dragon birth anniversary approaching, these two paintings can be regarded as your daughter-in-law’s early birthday gift. Do you like them?"
The Emperor was so engrossed in the paintings that he didn’t hear what Yang Mengchen had said.
"Emperor, Emperor..." Sun Chuanmao, standing beside the Emperor, saw that he hadn’t responded for a long time and hurriedly whispered a reminder, "Princess Chen said she is giving these two paintings to you as birthday gifts, and asked if you like them?"
"Ah? I like them, I really like them a lot!" The Emperor, coming back to his senses, replied eagerly, his head spinning with delight. The happiness was so sudden that even when Sun Chuanmao brought the paintings to the table in front of him, he could hardly believe it: "Such beautiful works, they are truly exquisite!"
These two ’Flying Dragon in the Sky’ and ’Beautiful Rivers and Mountains’ paintings were not items that just anyone could possess. Everyone felt a profound regret and melancholy over this, envying the Emperor as it was rare for Princess Chen to paint, and this was the result.
Catching the looks from the crowd, had it not been for the occasion, the Emperor would have liked to burst into laughter. It was his daughter-in-law Jiujiu who was filial, "Sun Chuanmao, later on, have these two paintings properly mounted and preserved. When my hundred years have passed, these two shall accompany me in the Imperial Mausoleum."
As his words fell, everyone gasped, indicating how dearly the Emperor loved the paintings. Unfortunately, this meant there would be no further opportunity to see the two masterpieces.
Yang Mengchen smiled indifferently, "Father, Madam Shao has been diligently assisting your daughter-in-law. Shouldn’t you reward her?"
"Of course, of course!" The Emperor raised his voice with a smile: "Virtuous Lady’s efforts are invaluable. Reward her with ten thousand taels of Gold, two boxes of jewels, and six bolts of silk."
"This humble woman thanks the Emperor generously!" Chu Dieyi knelt and kowtowed in thanks, giving Yang Mengchen a sly wink.
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