The prince is more stable

Chapter 991 Famous Painters
Li Qingzhao, when gambling, shines just as brightly as her poems.

Zhao Xiaoqian is willing to be an observer today, watching her shine brightly in front of these scholars.

Of course, he also enjoys cheering and shouting.

Li Qingzhao slammed her hand on the table and shouted "Next!" Zhao Xiaoqian followed suit, arrogantly echoing her shouts.

“Yes! Next, who will die?” Zhao Xiaoqian said viciously.

Li Qingzhao cast an approving glance at him again; she had found the right person to create this atmosphere for today.

The scholars looked at each other in bewilderment, and then one of them suddenly stumbled and staggered out of the crowd. He turned around angrily, but everyone avoided his gaze, clearly indicating that he had been pushed out against his will.

Li Qingzhao didn't care about anything else, and pointed at the man, shouting, "Fine! You're the one. How do we play?"

The scholar swallowed hard and weakly pointed to the dice in front of him.

Li Qingzhao nodded: "Okay, the usual."

The two began shaking the dice bowl, and after a series of clinking sounds, they lifted the lid.

Everyone was stunned again.

The three dice in Li Qingzhao's bowl all showed six points.

After a moment of stunned silence, the scholar opposite her pointed at her and said with grief and indignation, "You must have done something wrong!"

All the scholars nodded in agreement, and even Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent.

The first time was luck, but the second time it was the same number, which is a bit illogical.

Li Qingzhao sneered, "You brought out the dice, what tricks could I possibly play? If you want to cheat, then explain yourself clearly. I'll just consider you ignorant children and let you off the hook today. Don't try to pin any accusations on me and ruin my reputation."

Enraged that a sixteen-year-old girl would look down on them like that, the scholars were furious. Several hot-tempered ones rolled up their sleeves and were about to take action.

At this point, Zhao Xiaoqian finally came into play. He stood in front of Li Qingzhao, pointed at the scholars, and began to berate them.

"When they can't win a bet, they resort to cheating; when they can't cheat, they resort to violence. A group of men actually laid a hand on a woman. Don't they have any sense of shame as scholars?"

Seeing that Zhao Xiaoqian was dressed and had an extraordinary demeanor, exuding an air of nobility, and unable to guess his identity and background, the scholars had no choice but to step back and swallow their anger.

Zhao Xiaoqian, however, was not one to back down and said coldly, "Who lost just now? According to the rules, come out and drink the wine."

The losing scholar came out, drank the whole bowl of wine with a frustrated expression, and staggered to the back to sit down.

Li Qingzhao curled her lip in disdain and said, "With such limited skills, you dare to criticize me? You can't win at gambling, you can't outdrink me, all you have left is your stubbornness."

"Next!"

Li Qingzhao won two matches in a row, and the victories were both suspicious and strange. The fierce aura emanating from the victor deeply shocked everyone.

For a moment, none of the scholars dared to accept the challenge. After exchanging glances, they unconsciously took a step back.

Li Qingzhao waited for a while, observing everyone's expressions, and couldn't help but sneer: "Chicken? If you're chicken, then shut up obediently. If you dare to spread rumors about me again, I will ask the storyteller of Zhouqiao to spread the word, so that the whole world will know about your cowardly behavior."

After a moment of silence, one of the scholars suddenly stepped forward and walked towards Li Qingzhao.

Li Qingzhao narrowed her eyes and said, "There is actually someone who dares to fight me. Not bad, he can be considered a hero."

The scholar who stepped forward shook his head, bowed deeply to Li Qingzhao, and said, "Miss Li, you misunderstand. I am not here to accept the challenge, but to withdraw."

"I was invited to this gathering by a friend. I thought it would be a meeting to discuss poetry and literature, but I didn't expect so many people to make things difficult for a woman. This is not what I wanted. I have no intention of making an enemy of Miss Li, so I will withdraw from this meeting. I hope Miss Li will not hold it against me."

After speaking, the scholar bowed again.

Li Qingzhao finally smiled slightly: "At least there's someone reasonable. The scholars in Bianjing aren't all good-for-nothings."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the scholar with great interest and suddenly asked, "May I ask your esteemed name?"

The scholar sighed and said, "My name is Zhang Zeduan, a native of Mizhou. I have been studying in Bianjing for the past two years to improve my qualifications."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingzhao didn't think much of it, but Zhao Xiaoqian was startled, then overjoyed.

“Zhang Zeduan? The Zhang Zeduan who painted?” Zhao Xiaoqian asked in surprise.

Zhang Zeduan was clearly taken aback by Zhao Xiaoqian's reaction, and then asked with increasing confusion, "I am a nobody, and no one has ever heard of me. Why does Your Excellency know me?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes lit up, and he trembled with excitement.

Zhang Zeduan, a giant in the art world, and his masterpiece, "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"!

When Zhao Xiaoqian ascended the throne, he remembered the priceless treasure "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" from his previous life, and he even asked Zheng Chunhe to inquire at the Hanlin Painting Academy whether there was such a person as Zhang Zeduan.

The people at the art academy replied in bewilderment that there was no such person and they had never even heard of him.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt a little regretful at the time. The world was so vast, and it was not appropriate to use the state apparatus to search for Zhang Zeduan all over the world. He could only comfort himself that their fate had not yet arrived, and that he might have the opportunity to meet him in the future.

I never expected to meet him in person today.

Bored, Zhao Xiaoqian kept Li Qingzhao company while she fought, and unexpectedly, he gained something from it. Li Qingzhao, somewhat puzzled by Zhao Xiaoqian's excitement, asked, "Do you know him?"

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Zhang Zeduan with surprise and said, "I don't know him, but I admire him."

Li Qingzhao thought he appreciated Zhao Xiaoqian because of Zhang Zeduan's upright words, but she was unaware that Zhao Xiaoqian appreciated his painting skills.

"Along the River During the Qingming Festival" is hailed by later generations as the pinnacle of Chinese genre painting. The painting meticulously depicts the customs and traditions of Bianjing (Kaifeng), showcasing the landscape, people, and everyday life of the entire city. Even a thousand years later, it is still considered a masterpiece of Chinese art.

One person, one pen, drew an entire city and a complete and detailed era.

Those outside this industry probably don't understand how astonishing and dazzling such an achievement is.

Zhao Xiaoqian's mind was no longer on these pedantic scholars; they were not worth his attention.

So Zhao Xiaoqian stepped forward and grabbed Zhang Zeduan's arm: "Brother Zeduan!"

Zhang Zeduan was a little taken aback by the stranger's sudden enthusiasm and subconsciously said, "Uh, my courtesy name is 'Zhengdao'..."

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately replied, "I understand! The light of the righteous path shines upon the earth. As expected of Brother Zeduan, your courtesy name is also extremely fitting!"

Then Zhao Xiaoqian turned to look at Li Qingzhao, who was also stunned, and asked, "Are you done with these cultural hooligans yet?"

Li Qingzhao opened her mouth and said, "It should... be over, right? No, Brother Zian, who exactly is he?"

"Don't pry into the affairs of our art world! We'll leave as soon as we're done; we don't have time to waste with their nonsense."

Without another word, Zhao Xiaoqian grabbed Zhang Zeduan's arm and started to pull him outside, saying, "Brother Zeduan..."

“This gentleman… my courtesy name is ‘Zhengdao’.”

"Good, Brother Zeduan. We hit it off immediately. How about we find a quiet place to drink and have a good chat?"

Zhang Zeduan was overwhelmed by this fiery enthusiasm and was pulled forward by Zhao Xiaoqian.

Li Qingzhao also felt disheartened at this point and was too lazy to pay attention to these pedantic scholars. So she spat at them, turned around, and left the elegant pavilion, following Zhao Xiaoqian and his companion.

In comparison, it's definitely more fun to play with Brother Zi'an.

Zhao Xiaoqian dragged Zhang Zeduan out of the elegant room and immediately instructed the brothel manager to find another quiet room. The two went inside, with Li Qingzhao following closely behind.

The three sat in the pavilion. Zhang Zeduan looked awkward and puzzled, while Zhao Xiaoqian seemed to have discovered a rare treasure, smiling as he looked at Zhang Zeduan. Li Qingzhao's gaze shifted between the two of them, her eyes even more puzzled than Zhang Zeduan's.

Yes, neither Li Qingzhao nor Zhang Zeduan understood why Zhao Xiaoqian was so enthusiastic.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't say it outright, but his enthusiasm wasn't just about discovering a genius in the art world. From the emperor's perspective, the living Zhang Zeduan was also part of his civil and military achievements.

"Along the River During the Qingming Festival" is an achievement of the emperor, and it is more visually appealing, direct, and expressive than historical records.

We should naturally hold the artists in the highest esteem and be filled with passion for their work.

"Bring the wine, the dishes, and the beautiful women!" Zhao Xiaoqian waved his hand generously and gave the order.

The food, wine, and beautiful women were soon brought into the private room. Zhao Xiaoqian had seen many stunning beauties and was immune to the so-called beauties in these unknown brothels. No matter how beautiful they were, they could not compare to half the beauty of his wives and concubines.

So the beautiful woman came to Zhao Xiaoqian's side, but before she could sit down, Zhao Xiaoqian waved his hand and pointed at Zhang Zeduan, saying, "Go and keep this distinguished guest company."

The beautiful woman was taken aback and had no choice but to get up and walk towards Zhang Zeduan. Li Qingzhao, however, was unhappy and called the beautiful woman over: "No, you come and keep me company."

Everyone in the private room was stunned, but Li Qingzhao showed no embarrassment and said generously, "What? Can't a woman accompany another woman?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smirked and said to the embarrassed woman, "Why don't you go keep her company? I'll give you double the money, how about that?"

The beautiful woman was no longer embarrassed and immediately showed a charming smile.

It doesn't matter who ruins it, it's all about making money, so there's nothing shameful about it.

The three of them raised their cups and drank together. Zhao Xiaoqian put down his cup, stared at Zhang Zeduan, and asked expectantly, "I wonder if Brother Zeduan has finished his 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'?"

Zhang Zeduan's eyes widened in shock. He stared at the painting for a long time before finally saying, "You... how did you know I was working on 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'? I've been working on this painting for two years, but only two or three close friends know about it. I've never mentioned it to anyone else. Who... are you?"

"Don't ask too many questions about the art world... Uh, sorry, I forgot you're in the art world. Anyway, never mind how I found out, just tell me, how long until 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' is finished?"

Zhang Zeduan's doubts deepened. This person, whom he had only met today and whose name and origin he still did not know, seemed to know him very well. This was simply too strange.

Instead of directly answering Zhao Xiaoqian's question, Zhang Zeduan politely asked, "May I ask your esteemed name, sir?"

This time, Zhao Xiaoqian didn't try to fool him with the "Qianqian doesn't eat cilantro" excuse, but he couldn't reveal his name directly either. After all, who in the Song Dynasty didn't know the Emperor's real name these days? If he did, he wouldn't be able to make friends with him.

Zhao Xiaoqian then cupped his hands in greeting and said, "My name is Zhao Zian."

Zhang Zeduan waited for a long time, but when he didn't hear him reveal his courtesy name, he could only say, "So you are my virtuous brother Zian. It's a pleasure to meet you."

After a pause, Zhang Zeduan asked curiously, "Brother Zian, are you perhaps also a fellow practitioner skilled in painting?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said modestly, "I suppose we can be considered fellow practitioners. I'm good at drawing talismans..."

(End of this chapter)