Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 192 Open Your Eyes

"Brother Chen, congratulations to your young master. Please convey my congratulations to him."

"And I"

Outside the classroom, some servants and guards who were familiar with Chen Xuan generously offered friendly words.

Chen Xuan responded, "Very well, very well. My young master has racked his brains and tossed and turned incessantly for this gift to His Majesty. He's exhausted. Thank goodness, all his efforts have finally paid off."

Anyone could see the joy on Chen Xuan's face and offered him another wave of compliments.

Chen Xuan was also helpless. It was not that he had to show off. Gao Jingming could be low-key or even not care about this kind of thing, but if the people around Xiao Gao didn't express anything, then it would be unreasonable.

To normal people, Xiao Gao's low-keyness is considered graceful, but if the people around him are also low-key, it would be completely hypocritical, so it is appropriate to pretend to be suppressed excitement and excitement so that others can see it.

No matter how boring you are, you have to pretend to be active in front of others.

Feng San felt his face burning. He didn't dare to look at Chen Xuan. He wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into, so he subconsciously moved away.

Just now he said that his young master Zhang Ao's work had a chance to be selected, but Zhang Ao's work was rejected, and instead the work of Gao Jingming, who "admitted he was not good enough", was selected. The contrast is too great.

At the same time, Feng San felt a little uneasy and confused. How would Zhang Ao feel if he was outdone by Gao Jingming? How would he hold his head up in front of Wei Shao and the others?

Although these are not what he should consider, as a servant of the Zhang family, his fate is linked to theirs.

To avoid disrupting the class, everyone quieted down after a while, regardless of their mood...

After a class, Mr. Xu left and a group of people in the classroom immediately surrounded Gao Jingming, congratulating and praising him and asking what kind of work he had presented.

Xiao Gao could only deal with them one by one and said that everyone would know after going and taking a look after school.

Seeing Xiao Gao become the focus of the crowd, Zhang Ao felt particularly uncomfortable. On the surface, he had no conflicts with Gao Jingming, but because of the last incident and the factors of Wei Ziyan and others, he wished that Gao Jingming would be ruined and even be trampled under his feet.

Anyway, Gao Jingming is good, it makes me feel more upset than slapping him in the face seventeen or eighteen times.

No matter what, the class had to go on. After finally making it to noon when school was over, the whole academy was in an uproar. Countless students flocked to the exhibition hall of the calligraphy and painting society to get a sneak peek and see what kind of ten works could represent the academy to present to the emperor.

The classmates couldn't wait to surround Gao Jingming and go together, but he was neither impatient nor anxious. Others couldn't wait and had to go ahead. Even when Zhang Ao was leaving, he had to smile and congratulate him. Even though he was jealous to the point of going crazy, he had to maintain his composure on the surface.

On the way to the exhibition hall, Zhang Ao's hands and feet were cold, and his mind was full of random thoughts.

"If Gao Jingming's work is praised by His Majesty, wouldn't it instantly make him famous? He would then be on the same level as Wei Shao and the others, and would definitely have many people supporting him. What if he were to take revenge later... Even if he doesn't target me, what about others? Would they harm me just to maintain a good relationship with Gao Jingming?"

"No, no, I was just scaring myself. It's His Majesty's birthday, and there are so many people sending gifts. I can't even keep up with them all. How could I possibly notice him..."

Feng San, who was following him, was very worried when he saw that he looked abnormal, but he didn't know how to comfort him. If he spoke at this time, he might even be slapped in the face. This kind of thing has happened before.

Chen Xuan and Gao Jingming met up and immediately said with a smile: "Congratulations, young master!"

Gao Jingming shook his head and said calmly: "Although I am very happy that Master Xuan is here, to be honest, I am not very excited."

"It seems that the young master had anticipated this," Chen Xuan said in silence.

He continued to shake his head and said, "That's not the case. Who can guarantee anything before the results come out? I just think that the picture shouldn't be buried. It's both expected and unexpected. Anyway, thank you very much."

"Thank me for what?"

"It was you, Xuan, who came up with the idea, and you worked hard for so long, but in the end, I got all the benefits. I'm so ashamed," Gao Jingming said embarrassedly.

Chen Xuan said seriously: "Master, you passed. I just made my own suggestions. The process was also my responsibility. Moreover, the entire work was completed by you, so you deserve it."

This was what he was thinking, but there was one thing he didn't say, which was that Chen Xuan had already gotten what he wanted, which was much more precious than the series of subsequent consequences that the painting itself would bring.

Because he found the thousandth "Shou" character in the process, it is not impossible for the grandmaster to covet it in the future!

Gao Jingming smiled and said, "That's what I said... Never mind, I remember it. Let's go and take a look."

"Um"

Outside the exhibition hall of the calligraphy and painting society, there were already huge crowds of people. Everyone wanted to go in and see the ten works, but there were too many people, and those who came slowly could not get in in a short time.

"Hurry up, those in front, come out as soon as you finish watching, we haven't seen it yet."

"So, so, whose work was chosen?"

"Haha, as expected, as expected, the works of the great talents Ning and Wei were selected, they are really wonderful, I am ashamed of myself, it is clear now." "What works did they present? Let's talk about it."

"The gifted scholar Wei presented Your Majesty with a painting of mountains and rivers, which is majestic and full of artistic conception. The gifted scholar Ning presented Your Majesty with a poem titled 'Thinking of the Source', which he lent to celebrate Your Majesty's birthday. In fact, it reminds us that no matter when or where we are, we should never forget the kindness of our parents in raising us. Thinking of this is so moving that I almost want to cry."

"Who is Gao Jingming? Who knows? The painting of pine and crane prolonging life, oh, let me think about it..."

Coming out of the crowd and looking at the crowded scene ahead, Chen Xuan and the other man smiled at each other, knowing that they wouldn't be able to get in for a while.

"Young Master, someone is talking about you in front," Chen Xuan gestured forward.

Gao Jingming smiled and said: "My works have been put on display, so it's normal for people to discuss them."

"That's right, but from now on, I'm afraid the young master won't have peace and quiet."

"Ah Xuan, why do I feel like you're gloating? At worst, I can just focus on my studies and close the door to visitors."

"That's not up to you..."

At this moment, a hearty laugh was heard, attracting everyone's attention. Then, Ning Guiliang, the son of the Holy Ruins, walked out of the exhibition hall and said with a cheerful look on his face, "This trip was worth it, it was worth it. I must get drunk today!"

Someone nearby was surprised to see this and asked, "Master Ning, isn't it natural that your work was selected? Is there any need to be so happy?"

"Haha, you don't understand. Does anyone want to go for a drink together? I'll treat you," Ning Guiliang smiled without saying anything.

"Let's go together. Everyone knows that being with Brother Ning doesn't require any money..."

Seeing him being surrounded by the crowd, Gao Jingming wondered, "Doesn't he seem happy that his work was selected?"

"I'm not sure about that. I'm not familiar with him, so I can't ask him. But young master, we can make friends later," Chen Xuan said thoughtfully.

At this time in the exhibition hall, Wei Ziyan, Wu Junyao, and Jiang Huaichuan were also observing and appreciating the ten works representing the academy, and occasionally dealing with people who came forward to greet them.

They appeared to be calm and composed on the surface, but when they saw Gao Jingming's painting of pine and crane for longevity, they found it particularly jarring.

Ning Guiliang left happily because he could see the uncomfortable emotions they felt as if a thorn had grown in their hearts.

"Brother Wei, Brother Wu, what do you think?" Jiang Huaichuan asked as he looked at Gao Jingming's paintings. His own work was not selected, but he was not surprised.

Wu Junyao was no exception; his work was also rejected. He gritted his teeth as he looked at Gao Jingming's painting, but he still had to maintain his composure. Although he was very unhappy, he did not go against his conscience and said sincerely, "Looking at the layout of the painting itself, it can only be said to be acceptable. What is commendable is the ingenious idea of ​​using longevity as the theme of the painting, which directly elevates the painting to a level that is admirable. I can't help but admire it."

"Brother Wu is absolutely right. Overall, this painting is unremarkable, but if viewed from the perspective of a painting for the emperor's longevity, it is truly rare. It is conceivable that many people will follow suit in using calligraphy and painting to celebrate birthdays in the future," Wei Ziyan also gave a fair evaluation.

He is capable, and he is not arrogant, nor does he deliberately belittle others because of personal emotions.

Nodding, Jiang Huaichuan said with a simple appreciation of the painting: "Yes, using the image of Wanshou as the painting is the finishing touch. Whoever thought of it first would stand out, but no one thought of it, and he thought of it first. He stood out and was selected, so he deserved it."

These three people were not the type to be easily influenced by emotions. They all looked at the painting from an objective perspective, without considering anything else.

However, Zhang Ao, who was following behind them, was puzzled. Why were these young masters still speaking up for Gao Jingming? Shouldn't they belittle him?
Perhaps it was jealousy, or perhaps he simply wanted to show off, but Zhang Ao's magnanimity was far inferior to theirs. He couldn't help but say, "Young Masters, you're flattering him too much. He's just being opportunistic and trying to attract attention. He doesn't deserve such praise."

Wu Junyao glanced at him and laughed, "What do you know? Yes, we all know it's opportunistic, but why did he think of it and we didn't? Otherwise, what's displayed here is our work."

"This..." Zhang Ao was speechless with sweat on his forehead, but then an idea flashed in his mind. He looked at the picture and said maliciously, "Young Masters, look, this picture is called the Pine Crane Longevity Picture. It uses the word "longevity" as the painting, so it's called the "Longevity Picture". But how can there be ten thousand longevity characters? At most, there must be a thousand. This is clearly deceiving the emperor."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a moment of silence around. Some people seemed to be thinking about something, some suddenly realized something, and some looked at Zhang Ao as if he were a fool.

Upon hearing this, Wei Ziyan's face darkened. He turned and walked away, saying in a deep voice, "Just because you're blind doesn't mean others are blind too. Open your eyes and pay attention to the light outside the window, and you'll understand why it's called the Longevity Picture!"

Then Wu Junyao and Jiang Huaichuan looked at him as if he were a fool, shook their heads and left.

Zhang Ao didn't react at first, but after Wei Ziyan reminded him, he looked at the picture again and his face turned pale.

Through the contrast of light from outside the window, the light and dark parts of the picture intersected. The thick ink on the bright surface formed a Chinese character for longevity, while the light ink areas faintly showed a Chinese character for "wan".

The whole picture is dominated by pine and crane, with different ways of writing the word "longevity" as the brush and ink, and the two words "longevity" are cleverly hidden in it. Isn't it a true picture of pine and crane prolonging life!

The person who is most admired has the word "Longevity" hidden in his name. This is called implicitness, not direct flattery.

Otherwise, how could he be qualified to represent the academy and present it to the emperor by simply taking shortcuts?

Zhang Ao had only brought this upon himself by attacking the picture with such clumsy and malicious intent. Now the people around him were looking at him like he was an idiot...

(End of this chapter)