Qin's Moon: I'm really not the Holy Lord of the Demonic Sect

Chapter 78 A painting of a thousand pieces of gold

Changping Jun, who had been watching the whole thing, was astonished at what he saw. Yang Che had managed to make his aunt laugh with just a few words, which seemed incredibly strange to him.

It is well known that the elderly often fear the passage of time, and this is especially true for women who have everything. As she aged and her beauty faded, Empress Dowager Huayang, a woman with supreme power, became increasingly sensitive and sometimes even inexplicably angry.

Even Changping Jun himself had to be somewhat cautious in front of Empress Dowager Huayang.

Yet, this very Empress Dowager Huayang laughed so easily.

This Han envoy is no ordinary person. At this moment, Lord Changping's gaze towards Yang Che held a more scrutinizing quality.

If Yang Che was able to win over Empress Dowager Zhao Ji solely through his looks and painting skills, then the fact that he could so easily win over Empress Dowager Huayang now forced him to take it seriously.

It's important to understand that Empress Dowager Huayang was not a woman like Zhao Ji. Born into the royal family of Chu, she joined the Qin state and, although she rose to power through her beauty, she was also the leader of a powerful political force.

Back then, she helped Ying Yiren ascend to the throne and influenced the political situation of Qin. Her decisiveness and shrewdness were far beyond what Zhao Ji could compare to.

This man cannot be described as merely a court jester. As Lord Changping pondered, his evaluation of Yang Che rose even higher.

"I invited the Han envoy here today to ask him to paint a few portraits of me. Time may not have diminished my beauty, but I wish to preserve it," Empress Dowager Huayang said, rising to her feet.

"Being able to paint a woman like the Empress Dowager is exactly what the successor of the Flower School is most happy to do," Yang Che said with a smile. Even though he had already completed the Flower School's mission, Yang Che still did not forget his Flower School persona.

"Then let's begin. I am very much looking forward to the Han envoy's painting," said Empress Dowager Huayang.

Yang Che is now quite adept at painting, and this is no exception in Huayang Palace. Moreover, this time, Yang Che is not only copying the current Empress Dowager Huayang, but also, based on the current appearance of Empress Dowager Huayang, he is going back in time to paint what Empress Dowager Huayang looked like when she was young.

As the two portraits appeared on the canvas, depicting two women, one old and one young, Empress Dowager Huayang was deeply moved. The portrait of the young girl, in particular, seemed to transport her across time, instantly drawing her thoughts back to decades ago.

At that time, she was still a young girl, living carefree in the Chu King's palace.

Empress Dowager Huayang stared blankly at the girl on the canvas, her dead memories resurrected, stirring up her long-forgotten thoughts.

"Good, good." Empress Dowager Huayang carefully touched the portrait, so excited that she could hardly contain herself. If Yang Che's painting of her appearance at this time could only be considered as having superb painting skills, then this portrait of her as a young girl was truly a divine skill.

"The Korean envoy might be able to paint a portrait of me at the age of twenty." Empress Dowager Huayang, already satisfied, now wanted more.

"Since it is the Empress Dowager's request, this humble subject will do his utmost to not disappoint her," Yang Che replied. For him, the Empress Dowager Huayang's request was a piece of cake.

Moreover, this time Yang Che not only painted a portrait of Empress Dowager Huayang at the age of twenty, but also painted portraits of her at the age of thirty and forty.

When the five portraits were laid out side by side before Empress Dowager Huayang, she could no longer hide her smile. Immersed in the portraits, she saw the passage of time. At this moment, time was not something elusive; she felt as if she had grasped it firmly.

Empress Dowager Huayang carefully observed each portrait. At this moment, the portraits were no longer just portraits, but also her lost life and her past, which she had already forgotten.

Looking at the scene before him, at the portrait that seemed to have been taken from the long river of time, Lord Changping had long forgotten the so-called composure of keeping his emotions hidden. Women love beauty because men love beautiful women even more. At this moment, he thought of his wife. Perhaps, he should ask the Han envoy to paint a few portraits of his wife, and also of Lianlian.

When Lord Changping was moved, Empress Dowager Huayang gradually calmed down from her excitement. She took a jade pendant from her waist and, disregarding her dignity as Empress Dowager, directly stuffed it into Yang Che's hand, saying, "If the Han envoy has time during his stay in Qin, he may bring this jade pendant to Huayang Palace. There is no need to announce his arrival. In Huayang Palace, the Han envoy is the most honored guest."

"Thank you for the gift, Empress Dowager." Yang Che accepted the jade pendant, feeling relieved, as the Heavenly Demon Strategy remained unchanged.

"It's not enough. Compared to these five portraits, this jade pendant is still not enough." Empress Dowager Huayang muttered to herself. Yang Che had given her such a wonderful surprise, and now she wanted to give him the same surprise.

"The cost of these five portraits is a thousand taels of gold. Guards, prepare a thousand taels of gold for the Han envoy as payment for the paintings," said Empress Dowager Huayang.

A thousand pieces of gold? Yang Che gasped in surprise. Although a thousand pieces of gold might not sound like much, it was actually a huge amount of assets.

It's important to know that South Korea's military expenditure over several years was only 100,000 gold, and the entire fortune of South Korea's richest man, Jae-ho, was no more than 10,000 gold. This 10,000 gold included 5,000 gold in cash, a mansion like Jae-ho Manor, hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land, countless treasures, and slave contracts for thousands of people.

Okay, these are just bugs in the plot of Nine Songs of the Sky. The currency system in the Nine Songs of the Sky worldview is inherently flawed. Ji Wuye has a hundred gold coins to use to amuse the beauty. As the richest man in Korea, even if Fei Cuihu has to support the operation of Nightfall and pay tribute to General Ji Wuye, his family property is still far more than ten thousand gold coins.

The more than 400,000 acres of fertile land and the slave contracts of 5,000 people alone would be worth more than 10,000 gold coins, but that does not mean that 1,000 gold coins is not a huge fortune.

A thousand taels of gold is enough to buy two Zilan Pavilions. Even if Zi Nu were sold now, she might not be able to come up with a thousand taels of gold.

A few paintings won the friendship of Empress Dowager Huayang and a thousand taels of gold. How should we estimate the value of these paintings?

Sure enough, those who play with art are all rich people.

"Don't refuse. I don't know how to value your painting, but the years I've lived cannot be measured by a thousand pieces of gold." Before Yang Che could utter a word of refusal, Empress Dowager Huayang cut off any possible refusal.

"In that case, I am unworthy of such praise," Yang Che said, appearing flattered.

When Changping Jun saw this scene, he felt a chill in his heart. Yang Che's paintings were so expensive, could he really invite Yang Che to paint portraits for his wife and other women?

In high spirits, Empress Dowager Huayang kept Yang Che behind and they had a pleasant conversation. She even had Yang Che accompany her to lunch and only released him from the palace when night fell.

The next day, news of what happened at Huayang Palace gradually spread to Xianyang, and the entire city was shocked.

A painting worth a thousand pieces of gold—who wouldn't be astonished?

Yang Che's name once again resounded throughout Xianyang.

When Lü Buwei of the Prime Minister's mansion heard this news, he felt a pang of fear, as if he had lost something.

Before Lü Buwei's "a word worth a thousand pieces of gold" even appeared, Yang Che's "a painting worth a thousand pieces of gold" had already emerged.

As Yang Che's fame grew, more and more people became curious about his paintings, and many more were eager to have him paint their portraits.

For the next few days, Yang Che received a constant stream of invitations, from Qin generals like the Meng and Wang families, to civil officials and relatives of the emperor like Lord Changping.

For a time, Yang Che became the busiest person in Xianyang, with appointments booked up for ten days in advance.

>