I come to see Bai Yujing today

Chapter 79: Start with chance, be good at painting beauties and writing poems about beauties

"Eunuch Liu, I see a building in the palace that is magnificent and elegant, and it is very different from the other palaces. I wonder what palace that is?"

In the palace corridor, Chen Zhian rarely raised his head and looked at a palace in the distance.

If it were any other painter, Eunuch Liu would probably remind him not to look around, but these days Eunuch Liu had seen many dignitaries visiting Chen Zhian, and he had become more polite to Chen Zhian, not caring much about the rules or not.

"That place is called Shiqu Pavilion, where the harem's books are stored. Our Great Yu was founded on culture and military power, but there is no rule that a woman without talent is virtuous. The princes, princesses, concubines, and even the well-known female officials in the palace often go to the building to read books when they have free time."

After hearing Eunuch Liu's answer, Chen Zhian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"The ray of precious aura that I saw in Mingjing Tower is in this Shiqu Pavilion." Chen Zhian was glad in his heart that Shiqu Pavilion was not some out-of-reach place. If it was the palace of a concubine, he would probably never be able to enter it in his lifetime.

The two walked for a while and passed by Cuiwei Palace. Chen Zhian couldn't help but stick his head out to take a closer look, feeling a little embarrassed.

Ever since that day when he tricked Princess Shang Qiu and went with him to Li's Mansion on Longmen Street, Princess Shang Qiu never sent anyone to Fusang Street again, and even those letters requesting paintings were no longer delivered.

Princess Shang Qiu is an easy-going person, without much airs or authority. If it were any other member of the royal family, like Chen Zhian, who concealed her identity and was asked to personally stand in line, even if she didn't lose her head, she would probably be whipped a few times.

Therefore, Chen Zhian had a very good impression of Princess Shang Qiu.

I thought that if I had the chance in the future, I would apologize in detail.

After walking another three miles after Cuiwei Palace, we finally saw a unique palace.

This palace is surprisingly pure white throughout, and under the caress of the sunlight, its overall outline looks like a crescent moon lying on the earth from a distance. From the upturned eaves to the white walls, it is seamlessly connected, just like frost and snow, sparkling with a warm luster.

Just like the rippling waves under the moonlight, this palace looks like a dream.

Chen Zhian was greatly surprised.

In Dayu, white is not an auspicious color, and the funeral and mourning rituals of ordinary people mostly use white as the main color.

There are actually quite a few palaces decorated with white in Xuantian Palace, but this all-white building really makes Chen Zhian amazed.

People who stand in high positions always have many taboos.

But the Imperial Noble Consort of Mingyue Palace was able to build such a pure white palace in the imperial palace, which shows her status in the harem.

The two of them walked into the palace, not mentioning the rockery, flowing water, and landscaping in the courtyard, until they stepped into the hall.

Chen Zhian saw many treasures and curios placed casually on the sandalwood table on both sides, which looked very luxurious.

In the center of the hall stood a huge screen, with many moon pearls inlaid on both sides of the screen. The beads were round and translucent, emitting a soft light that illuminated the screen.

Chen Zhian stood in front of the screen and bowed his head.

"Get up." A lazy voice came. Chen Zhian straightened up and saw the outline of light and shadow shining through the screen.

——But I saw someone lying on the bench, her slender waist swaying gently like a willow branch swaying in the wind, as if a breeze could break it.
The plump parts are surprisingly plump, while the slender parts are very delicate and slender.

Below the waist, the hem of the thin skirt hung on her legs, also revealing the slenderness of her legs.

Without even seeing the face of this Imperial Noble Consort, just through the outline imprinted on the screen, Chen Zhian already had some understanding...why this Imperial Noble Consort was so favored.

"Are you the painter named Chen Zhian? Are you from Sunan Prefecture?" The voice came again, neither fast nor slow, with a slight tremor at the end of the tone, even bringing out a bit of tenderness.

"In reply to your Majesty, my name is Chen Zhian. Your Majesty values me so much that I am appointed as a court painter in the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

Che Yilang, court painter... These are insignificant official positions, and there is nothing wrong with calling oneself a subject.

"I heard that you wrote a poem for Linglong?" The lady did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point of why she asked Chen Zhian to come here today.

Chen Zhian was a little surprised.

He thought that the imperial concubine summoned him into the palace to ask him to paint.

But I never thought it was because of the poem: The clouds look like clothes and the flowers look like face.

"If I had known that oil painting could attract people's attention, I would not have written that poem on the painting."

Chen Zhian felt a little regretful.

At that time he drew a picture and asked Shen Haohao to bring it to Xuan Tianjing.

The reason why he wrote the poem was that he was afraid that his oil painting would be too strange in Dayu. If no one was interested in it, this poem would attract other people's attention.

However, he never expected that both the oil painting and the poem would attract the attention of these nobles at the same time, which would cause some trouble.

So Chen Zhian gritted his teeth and replied, "My lady, this poem was indeed passed down from Chen Zhian, but it was not written by Chen Zhian. Chen Zhian only got a fragment of it."

"Copied?" Another voice came from behind the screen.

Chen Zhian nodded in agreement.

"Then copy another one." The Imperial Concubine slowly sat up and said, "Copy another poem that describes a woman's face. It should be better than the one about the clouds resembling clothes and the flowers resembling faces."

Chen Zhian was speechless.

You just copied it, did you think you were buying cabbage at the vegetable market?
Moreover, Chen Zhian has quite a few poems in his memory, but if he really wants to find a poem that can surpass the beauty of "The clouds resemble clothes and the flowers resemble face"... there really is none.

The name of Li Bai, the Immortal Poet, is not hyped up by later generations. It is truly the same. Looking back on thousands of years of history, almost no one can surpass him in poetry.

"No wonder before I entered the palace, Eunuch Liu tactfully reminded me that this noble has a strict personality... Actually, he meant that this noble has a weird personality, right?"

Chen Zhian complained in his heart, and then spoke again, embarrassed: "Your Majesty, there are only one or two poems in the fragments, and this is the only one that describes the woman's face."

"Hmm?" The imperial concubine raised her voice slightly: "Linglong has it, but I don't have it?"

Chen Zhian cursed inwardly and was about to answer.

The screen in front of me was moved away.

The person who came into view had black hair like a waterfall, with a few strands of hair hanging down on the snow-white side of the well, making the jade neck look slender and elegant, as if it was carefully carved out of mutton-fat jade.

The long and thin eyebrows outline the eyes that are as clear as autumn water, and the eyes are bright and shining as the light flows.

Plus those amazing curves...

This Imperial Concubine and Princess Linglong are completely two extremes.

Princess Linglong is so elegant and beautiful, as if she is a fairy from heaven, which makes people feel daunted.

But this Imperial Concubine was like a ball of fire, as if she wanted to burn away the hearts and minds of everyone she saw, and burn away their reason.

Chen Zhian took a quick glance and lowered his head, not daring to look again.

Even though he had seen many artificial beauties and many beautiful women embellished with electronic magic in his memory.

But when he met the Imperial Concubine today, even he was a little worried that he would lose his composure.

"Look up." The imperial concubine suddenly spoke.

Chen Zhian was a little surprised. He wondered why this nobleman asked him to look up.
But since she had already spoken, Chen Zhian could only raise his head and look at the Imperial Concubine.

The imperial concubine was holding a palace fan embroidered with white magnolia and fanning herself.

Eye contact...

Those were a pair of enchanting eyes, just like two pools of autumn water, with endless charm hidden in the ripples and flames.

His eyes are dark and deep, like the most mysterious black hole in the night sky.

Chen Zhian looked at those eyes and saw two whirlpools. "Come on, Painter Chen, write a poem that depicts a woman's face." The Imperial Concubine said.

At the same time, a palace maid immediately brought a table and handed over paper and pen.

Chen Zhian's consciousness was hazy for a moment, and the scene of the imperial concubine holding a small fan and gently fanning herself flashed back in his mind.

In this hazy state, he picked up a pen and wrote a few words...

"Light silk fan with white orchid..."

However, after writing down those seven words, the Nan Liu Jing suddenly shone brightly in Chen Zhian's mind, hanging high in the sky.

The dazzling light instantly broke through the haziness in Chen Zhian's consciousness, making him fully awake.

He suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and saw that he had already written seven words on the paper.

So Chen Zhian didn't think much about it and continued writing with gritted teeth.

"A light silk fan with white orchid flowers, a slender waist and jade belt dancing in the sky. I thought she was a fairy who came down to earth, and her smile was more brilliant than the stars!"

After writing four lines of poetry, Chen Zhian put down his brush and lowered his head to wait.

The palace maid beside her picked up the paper carefully and presented it to the imperial concubine.

The imperial concubine picked up the paper and took a look at it, and finally a smile appeared on her face.

That smile was like a blooming crescent moon, with a graceful curve and a bit of natural dignity and charm, as if there were many touching things hidden in this smile, making people involuntarily intoxicated by it and willing to drown in this gentle wave of light.

"It's not as good as the song 'The clouds resemble clothes, the flowers resemble faces', but it's also... barely doable."

The Imperial Concubine smiled and nodded, then raised her head and looked at Chen Zhian: "Didn't you just say that you only got one or two fragments and there were no other poems to copy?"

Chen Zhian heard the coldness in the Imperial Concubine's words, and a sense of alarm suddenly arose in his heart.

He still had his head down, his voice calm and numb, as if he was still trapped in the vortex of the Imperial Concubine's eyes and had never woken up.

"Your Highness, there are indeed no more poems to copy. This poem... was written by me."

Chen Zhian was helpless.

I can only feel sorry for this predecessor who wrote poetry.

In fact, Chen Zhian only remembered this poem, but he didn't remember who wrote it. If you really asked him to say a name, I'm afraid he could only make it up.

"That's right... your poem can't compare to "The clouds resemble clothes and the flowers resemble face", but if you compare it to the poems of the great masters of the dynasty, it can still compare."

The Imperial Concubine's voice suddenly became less cold, and she waved her hand and said, "In that case, you can leave the palace."

Chen Zhian stood up, his eyes clear yet somewhat confused, and was about to leave.

The Imperial Concubine suddenly said, "By the way, since you wrote a poem for me, I should reward you. Tell me, what do you want?"

Chen Zhian was a little surprised. A thought flashed through his mind and he said, "In reply to your Majesty, Chen Zhian is a court painter and I also want to see some paintings by the masters of the past. I wonder if your Majesty would be so kind as to allow me to go to the Shiqu Pavilion to take a look?"

The Imperial Concubine seemed a little surprised that Chen Zhian actually made such a request. She fanned the fan in her hand and nodded casually to a palace maid beside her.

The palace maid knelt down and bowed, then stepped down from the jade platform and took Chen Zhian out of Mingyue Palace.

"Mr. Chen is really simple and honest. Her Majesty is always generous. Mr. Chen should ask Her Majesty for something else. If Her Majesty gives him something, it will be enough for Mr. Chen to eat for many years."

After the palace maid left Mingyue Palace, she was obviously not as reserved as before.

Although he was still walking with his head down, he was talking to Chen Zhian in a low voice.

Chen Zhian also whispered: "Huh? I see, thank you for explaining, but I'm afraid I missed it."

The two of them only spoke briefly to each other, but did not say any more.

The palace has its own rules, and even palace maids are not allowed to talk or chat casually with people entering the palace.

When they arrived at the door of Shiqu Pavilion, the palace maid went in first and casually spoke a few words to the doorman, who then immediately stood up, brought another jade token and carefully handed it to Chen Zhian.

Chen Zhian took the jade token and entered the Shiqu Pavilion.

This attic has seven floors and is quite old. The walls are mottled and marked by time, just like the remaining pages of a history book.

As you step into the pavilion, you will immediately smell the refreshing scent of ink. There are many bookshelves and a high-quality dome, all made of sandalwood, so even though it has been eroded by years, it is still intact.

There are many books on the numerous bookshelves, with huge volumes and including classics, history, and collections. The pages are either as white as snow or as yellow as old paper, and they are arranged neatly and in good order.

Even Chen Zhian, who had seen many current libraries in his memory, was shocked at this moment.

"So many books..." Chen Zhian sighed in his heart.

He looked around. Perhaps it was his duty hour. Although the attic was huge, there were not many people coming to read books. There was only the occasional sound of turning pages, rustling like spring silkworms gnawing on leaves.

Chen Zhian really pretended to look at the paintings carefully. He looked at many scrolls and walked as he went along, until he came to the seventh floor of the attic.

There was no one on the seventh floor, and the books on the shelves were becoming increasingly old.

Chen Zhian came to a bookshelf in the corner, picked out a book seemingly at random from the many yellowed books, opened it casually, and took out a leaf that was sandwiched between the books.

"Is this a bookmark?" Chen Zhian calmly put the leaf into the Chenglu Ring, feeling secretly delighted.

He didn't expect his luck to be so good. The opportunity without a host that Mingjing Tower found out was obtained by him so easily.

But then, Chen Zhian recalled the scenes that had just happened in Mingyue Palace and broke out in a cold sweat again.

"This world is bizarre and complex, and there are too many powerful people. I almost fell into the trap of the imperial concubine just now."

Chen Zhian let out a long sigh: "I have to be more prepared in the future. When I meet someone in a high position, I will probably have to visualize Nan Liujing earlier. At the same time, I have to practice my spiritual essence carefully. If my spiritual essence is strong, I won't be so captivated by those mysterious spells."

He warned himself secretly in his heart.

Chen Zhi'an came to Shiqu Pavilion and left the palace. He happened to miss the palace maid sent by Princess Linglong, so the palace maid went straight to report.

Princess Linglong thought about it and decided not to let Chen Zhian enter the palace again.

And Chen Zhian returned to Fosang Street.

That poem seemed to have been spread intentionally.

"There is a poem in the palace praising the beauty of Empress Longyue. In just four sentences, it describes the extraordinary and beautiful Empress Longyue vividly."

"A light silk fan with white orchid flowers, a slender waist and jade belt dancing in the sky. I wonder if she is a fairy descending from the earth, her smile is brighter than the stars! This poem is a bit short, but it is really well written, and it is not much different from the poems written by the great masters of the dynasty, except that it is not as good as the poem of Prime Minister Yang."

"Who wrote this poem?"

"It is said that he is a young court painter."

"Court painters can also write poetry? The young court painter... could it be the painter named Chen who will paint the portrait of Princess Linglong? What's his name?"

"Chen Zhian? He is good at painting beauties, and now he is also good at writing poems about beauties. It is said that he is only seventeen or eighteen years old. He is really a genius, but I don't know which family he is from!"

At this time, Chen Zhian was completely unaware of this. He was looking down at the leaf in his hand.

"Why is there no reaction when injecting true energy into this leaf?"

(End of this chapter)