Zhao Defang's road to the virtuous king

"Then why is your face so bad?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, I feel wronged that my painting was disliked and thrown out."

"What?" Taizong was stunned for a moment, and then laughed loudly, "Nephew, whoever dares to throw your painting will be punished, but just because of this matter, I beat the drum and broke the drum. You are so wronged." Is it big?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have a great grievance, because I can't afford to offend the person who threw the painting."

"Oh? This is interesting. The emperor's nephew is a majestic prince, and there are officials you can't afford to offend? Well, if you tell me, I will punish him immediately!"

"I don't dare! It's only my fault that the painting is not good-looking. Even though I signed it with my own hand, it was still thrown out."

"There is such a thing? Who doesn't know that the nephew's painting is so unique that some people can't even ask for it. What's more, you even signed it. How could you be thrown out? What did the nephew draw?"

Defang took out the pleading paper and presented it. Taizong took it and looked at it. Isn't this the pleading against the imperial court just now? Taizong thought it was wrong. What does this pleading paper have to do with his painting?So he asked, "Nephew, do you think you painted this?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I drew it and signed it."

"Signed?" Taizong looked at it for a long time. "Nephew, your name is not on it."

"May I come forward and explain to His Majesty?"

"Okay, you can point it out to me."

Defang walked to Taizong's side, pointed to the painting and explained, "Your Majesty, please look, these are two legs, one month above and one small. Isn't this the word Zhao."

"Zhao?" Taizong looked again, "Let's go, Yue, little... still... really a Zhao."

"Look at this again." Defang pointed to the right side, "fourteen people, and one heart, isn't it virtue?"

Taizong looked at it and thought about the word De, "Fourteen, people, one heart, De, yes, it is a virtue."

Defang continued, "This is grass, this is cubes, one grass and one square is Fang."

Taizong was a little dazed when he heard this, Defang straightened his waist and held the golden mace and said, "Look in the middle, there is such a big eight. Isn't that the title and name of the minister, Zhao Defang, the eight virtuous king."

Taizong looked at Defang, and then carefully looked at the pleading paper, "My nephew, isn't your painting too special?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I drew this for you to see. You are the Son of Heaven, so I thought, you must understand, so I asked someone to bring it."

Taizong rubbed his temple with one finger, "Nephew, I should learn more about your paintings, so that I can understand them all. I see that you are not only a unique painting, but also a unique signature. . . .”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Taizong was a little dumbfounded, so he took the pleading paper to Zhang Wenxi, "Go, show it to all the ministers, if you see this again in the future, you will know that it is the name of the Eight Sage Kings, don't make any more mistakes, otherwise I won't have so many days." Let the golden mace of the Eight Sage Kings beat the drum."

Zhang Wenxi circulated the pleading paper to the ministers. None of the crown prince, the princes and the ministers could understand. They all held back their smiles and thought: the painting of the Eight Sage Kings is understood by gods besides himself, so hurry up and remember it. , maybe one day this prince will try himself.

Hu Yanzan was the most straightforward, pulled the pleading paper and looked at it, "My lord! Your painting is too ugly! Did you draw it drunk?"

Taizong laughed out loud when he heard this, and all the ministers burst out laughing when they saw the emperor, and they couldn't bear it anymore, and everyone in the court was laughing.

"Huyan!" Defang pointed at Huyanzan with a golden mace, "What nonsense! The lonely king drew it seriously!"

"This, this, this..."