Chapter 115: Hello Chang’an

  

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  Chapter 115: Such Good Luck 

Although Cui Yuanxiang felt surprised inside, he did not show it on his face. He merely replied softly, "Yes," and silently withdrew from the crowd, going downstairs.

 

"Within an hour, no guests are to leave the building easily," Cui Yuanxiang instructed the subordinates stationed downstairs with a serious expression. "If anyone insists on leaving, secretly send someone to follow and keep an eye on them; do not let them spread any rumors."

 

This was the intention of General Chang and the orders from the Grand General.

 

Until the situation became clear, all sounds within the Dengtai Tower must remain confined within its walls; not a single word could leak out.

After giving these instructions, Cui Yuanxiang summoned a few trusted aides to follow him, and their figures quickly disappeared into the bustling summer night.

Not long after Cui Yuanxiang left, a young man with a pale face and no beard arrived at Dengtai Tower.

The attendants on the first floor had a rough idea of what had happened upstairs. Just as they were about to stop him with polite greetings, they saw him take out an invitation.

"I was sent by my family's Madam..."

  

The attendant recognized the name of the Si Gong Tai.

Upon hearing this and seeing the invitation, the attendant bowed respectfully and escorted him upstairs.

The newcomer was a trusted aide of Yu Zeng, and he was certainly no fool. As soon as he entered the second floor, he sensed that something was amiss. Noticing many people clustered in the center for an unknown reason, he didn't have time to investigate before he found Chang Kuo.

"General Chang, my family’s Madam sent me to inform you..."

  

Chang Kuo, who was feeling anxious and frustrated, waved his hand to interrupt him, dismissing him. "If there's anything, go tell Qiao Yan!"

The young inner servant had no choice but to find Qiao Yan.

Qiao Yan stood at the back of the crowd, or more accurately, beside the desk where Chang Suining was painting.

Seeing the familiar inner servant, he stepped back for a moment and asked softly, "What's the matter?"

"My family’s Madam instructed me to inform you that the holy emperor has sent the Ming girl to come here to appreciate poetry and literature before leaving the palace..."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yan understood immediately and nodded. "Got it, just reassure him."

Some literary men who consider themselves sober among a crowd of drunken revelers often love to seize the moment to show off their poetry or act foolishly, leaving the host to clean up the mess afterward.

As the Head Master of the Imperial Academy, Qiao Yan  was well aware of this and had already reminded Sui Ning as soon as the banquet turned into a poetry gathering.

Thus, he had instructed the diligent students to keep watch in various places, alerting them to any outrageous behavior. If anyone insisted on causing trouble, they would not be excused lightly.

As for the poetry that was recorded and transcribed, there were specific individuals responsible for ensuring that nothing subtly defamatory would spread.

Seeing that Qiao Yan appeared confident and had a plan in place, the inner servant sent by Yu Zeng felt relieved and casually inquired, "Is Miss Chang... painting?"

But the atmosphere seemed more complicated than it appeared.

"She is not painting," Qiao Yan replied with a tone of resignation and helplessness. "She is being forced to 'prove' her so-called innocence."

The inner servant was taken aback.

Before he could ask further, Qiao Yan had already turned and walked back.

Standing behind the girl who had just begun to paint was Yao Yi, who quietly asked Qiao Yan, "Master, how is Miss Chang's painting skill?"

Qiao Yan shook his head.

Yao Yi frowned slightly. "Is it hard to say?"

Is she still incapable of doing it well?

Qiao Yan sighed. "I don’t know."

Yao Yi: "?"

Is it possible that the teacher knows so little about their most basic abilities?

Qiao Yan sighed again. "They haven't even been taught for a few days... It's just the beginning, merely reading history, memorizing poetry, and fishing..." 

Yao Yi: "…"

Understood.

Especially upon hearing the last remark, it became clear to him.

So, Qiao Yan, as the teacher, was feeling the same way as he was at this moment—

Yao Yi looked worriedly at the girl's back.

He was uncertain about what she could actually draw.

But he had a saying based on experience...

Those who excel in physical combat often have some shortcomings in literary pursuits. While there are indeed people who are well-rounded, the fact that the term was coined to praise such individuals indicates its rarity.

Yao Yi glanced again at the half-rolled red bean painting that the man was holding.

He did not expect her to amaze everyone; after all, these were not ordinary individuals. To impress them, she would at least need to be at the level of Tenth Young Master Wei.

So he could only hope that what she said was true...

At this moment, it seemed that only the truth could break the deadlock.

Yao Yi anxiously watched Chang Suining.

He understood well that a woman's reputation was of utmost importance, but he knew even better that, for her, there was something far more critical than her reputation tonight—

That was the fact that she must not ruin her "trustworthiness" in front of the Scholars, leaving them with a chaotic impression of lies and denials that could easily be exposed.

How crucial this point was, she might not fully realize right now.

Since she said that the red bean painting was not done by her, it absolutely could not be her work.

Otherwise...

This master-apprentice banquet would become a broken bridge, blocking her path forward and leaving her with no possibility of progress.

In that case, he would not need to make a choice; he only needed to ensure her safety.

Thinking of such a possibility, a mix of emotions stirred in Yao Yi's heart. Although he could not say which of the two choices was right or wrong, it would still be a pity if the choice was taken away so early.

The crowd, though curious, maintained a sense of propriety and did not approach the painting girl too closely to avoid disturbing her.

At this moment, only a few girls responsible for the brushes and ink were near Chang Suining.

But even from a distance, it was evident that the girl painting was outlining simple contours on a large sheet of Xuan paper that covered the entire desk.

Those outlines were filling the entire sheet.

The onlookers began to speculate.

Given such a grand composition, could she be attempting to paint a landscape in ink? Was she deliberately avoiding the heavily feminine atmosphere of the red bean color painting?

Madam Jie stood among the group of women, quietly watching the girl, who seemed serious in sketching the continuous contours.

 

Choosing to lean toward grand landscapes, opting for ink while avoiding color paint—wasn't that a sign of insecurity?

To try to muddle through with just this would be too naïve.

"Does Sister Chang need anything else?" Yao Xia asked softly as Chang Suining paused and looked at the desk.

 

"Color paint," Chang Suining replied.

 

Chang Sui'an, standing nearby, immediately said, "Color paint... I'll go find some!"

Madam Jie furrowed her brow slightly, sensing a discrepancy in her assumptions.

Around them, unexpected murmurs began to arise.

"She still wants to paint in color..."

"Such a large landscape, using color paint is no easy task..."

At that time, painting landscapes, especially large ones, predominantly used ink.

Firstly, this was the mainstream of landscape painting, and secondly... color paint was rare and precious, not something an ordinary, impoverished scholar could easily afford, let alone spend on a large canvas.

When painting first emerged, it was only in shades of ink.

Afterwards, ordinary colors like blue and green were added.

As for the true spread of color paint, it was only in the last few decades.

Though it can no longer be called rare, many outstanding color paintings have appeared, yet the true expertise of people still lies in ink painting, particularly in landscape work—

Ink landscapes more easily convey a natural ambiance, whereas in color landscapes, the matching of colors becomes especially important. If the painter lacks the experience or innate aesthetic judgment, it not only fails to enhance the painting but can also appear cluttered and chaotic—a true case of overdoing it.

Looking at the red bean painting by the girl, the use of color was not particularly remarkable; it simply appeared bright. To be fair, the craftsmanship was not extraordinary and was clearly a youthful creation from the boudoir.

However, the girl now caught in the "proving" whirlpool had chosen a large-scale color landscape—truly to paint such a work well, experience in color painting along with innate talent and aesthetic sense were indispensable.

Putting aside how capable she actually was, the boldness she exhibited in front of everyone had already established a presence! 

Having courage was not a bad thing, but if her abilities couldn't back up that courage, she would inevitably be left with a reputation for overestimating herself, becoming the subject of ridicule. 

Listening to the discussions around her, Wei Miaoqing felt inexplicably nervous. Looking at Chang Suining, who was under the gaze of countless eyes, she felt a cold sweat for her—if she were the one painting, with so many people watching, she would be unable to draw even a speck of bird droppings! 

The thought that whatever Chang Suining produced might fall short made her feel embarrassed for her! But embarrassment was the lightest of her worries...

This painting was related to Chang Suining's reputation and integrity.

Thinking of this, Wei Miaoqing couldn't help but say, "Brother, aren't you going to take a look?" 

"Why should I? With so many pairs of eyes on her, I can’t paint for her," Wei Shuyi replied, his expression surprisingly relaxed. "If too many people gather, she will feel uncomfortable."

He observed that Chang Suining's calmness did not seem to be feigned.

Therefore, in his eyes, there wouldn't be a second possible outcome.

Dengtai Tower was not a shabby place; soon, Chang Sui'an had brought colorful pigments for his sister.

 

Chang Kuo urged a servant beside him, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and bring a chair!"

"What chair?" Qiao Yan glanced at the inexperienced Chang Kuo. "She needs to stand to paint."

The painter must stand to see and oversee the contours of the work.

At this moment, a bookboy hurried over to salute and whispered, "Head Master, the Miss Ming is here... but she’s wearing common attire, saying she doesn't want to disturb the guests in the tower."

 

Qiao Yan had already received the news, so he reacted nonchalantly, saying, "Then there's no need to announce it; just invite her up."

"Understood."

The bookboy quickly went downstairs to invite her.

A tall woman dressed in an autumn-colored dress and wearing a light gauze veil ascended to the second floor, accompanied by her maid.

Some on the upper floor took a look, but they were too preoccupied to investigate her identity.

Beneath the hanging gauze, her eyes scanned the scene in the tower.

No one was engaging in poetry discussions, and there were hardly a few people drinking; the crowd stood or lingered in various places, but their attention was evidently focused on the center of the floor, where Chang Suining was surrounded.

Ming Luo took a seat, her gaze landing on the man holding the painting who looked disheveled, momentarily unclear about what had transpired.

The maid beside her quickly gathered information from the crowd.

After she returned, she whispered the details of the events to Ming Luo, concluding with, "... Right now, Lady Chang is painting to prove her innocence."

Upon hearing this, Ming Luo's delicate brows slightly furrowed behind the gauze.

 

This Lady Chang acted too ostentatiously, making it inevitable to offend others... encountering such trouble today was not unexpected at all.

She instinctively surveyed the people present.

Upon noticing that Madam Jie was also there, her eyes held a hint of contemplation.

The next moment, as her gaze shifted, she spotted a familiar young figure.

Ming Luo's brows knitted together slightly.

She was not a person cut off from news; naturally, she was aware that Cui Jing had also come to this master-apprentice banquet, but she hadn't anticipated that he would still be here at this time.

He had never been one to enjoy mingling, and it was rare for him to place himself in such a noisy environment for an extended period.

But this was not his first "exception"—

At that moment, two students approached, blocking her view.

They were evidently following Qiao Yan's instructions; although they knew Ming Luo's identity, they did not make it known. They simply placed the poems they were holding on the small table in front of her and whispered, "These are the poems written by the guests today; we ask the Miss to appraise them."

Ming Luo nodded slightly, "Thank you for your efforts."

The two men bowed and then left.

Ming Luo, not forgetting the purpose of her visit, focused and began to review the new poems.

After flipping through dozens of them in succession, she formed her conclusions.

They were too pristine—

Whether it was the poems themselves or the act of presenting these poems to her.

But it was impossible for everything to be this clean and beautiful.

Clearly, great effort had been made to avoid any trouble.

This wasn’t particularly surprising; Qiao Yan, as the Head Master of the Imperial academy, might seem a bit offbeat on the surface, but he had once entered the Prince’s service as a strategist after achieving the top scholarly rank, so he wouldn’t be careless or reckless regarding sensitive matters.

Ming Luo closed the poetry book, a silent, cold smile flitting across her eyes.

The holy emperor had sent her here with the intention of merely checking for any oversights.

 

Since Qiao Yan had managed things so well, she would naturally be able to report back to the holy emperor more effectively, which was not a bad thing—

Ming Luo glanced toward the crowd gathered around.

What made her want to scoff was that some people, no matter how unruly and reckless they were, always had someone behind them to sort things out.

Whether this master-apprentice banquet turned into a poetry gathering or the previous instances of brazen behavior, it all boiled down to relying on someone willing to back them up.

But the truly amusing part was that she was just an orphan.

Simply because she had been taken in by the late Prince, she had received these benefits and favoritism that others could not even touch.

What great luck...

Yet no matter how much good fortune one had, if it wasn’t treasured or well-utilized, it could still be squandered.

Like at this moment—

She was very curious whether this good fortune could help her break through this seemingly premeditated predicament.

Ming Luo sat quietly, waiting.

Until she heard a murmur of surprise and curiosity from above her head.

"Eh..."

"What is this..."

On the second floor, while the crowd had gathered in front, they hadn’t dared to get too close to Chang Suining, so they couldn’t truly see what she was painting.

In contrast, those on the third floor, looking down, could see everything that the girl was depicting with her brush.

At that moment, the expressions of surprise came from their lips.

People were surprised because they saw something unexpected—

Qiao Yan and Yao Yi, standing behind Chang Suining, both noticed something unusual and instinctively took a few steps forward to closely examine the flat, spread-out painting paper on the table.

At first glance, Qiao Yan suddenly froze.

(End of chapter)

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