No one was absent from the regular court meeting on this day, even the emperor, who rarely appeared in public, came.
Two chamberlains were slowly unfolding a picture scroll in the palace.
"Lu Si'an's grandfather Lu Jie was good at painting. I remember that the late emperor loved it so much that he ordered it to be hung in his bedroom."
The emperor sat on the throne and said calmly.
"It's just that the descendants who followed were not spiritual enough, and none of them passed on his brushes. They also focused on learning and reading. Naturally, these chess, calligraphy and paintings were a little behind, so Lu Jie's paintings are now even more precious."
It is rare for people to talk about poetry and paintings in the court, because they will be accused by the censor for being indulged in fun. But today, no censor jumped out to speak. Instead, they all looked at the scrolls unfolding in the hall seriously, with their eyes twinkling.
It's like seeing a lamb waiting to be slaughtered and figuring out where to take a bite.
"Although Lu Si'an did not learn the essence of his grandfather, he should live up to his background. My dear friends, please come and take a look and see how his paintings are?"
There were not many officials at the regular meeting. There were more than a dozen standing in two rows. At this time, after hearing the emperor's words, there was no sound and no one took a step.
"Your Majesty, Lu Si'an should be more careful than you say..."
An official saw the look in Gao Lingbo's eyes and had no choice but to stand up and speak bravely.
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the emperor.
"I know what Lu Si'an is saying. I don't need to remind you that I'm talking about painting now." The emperor said lightly, "Now I want you to tell me how the painting is!"
No one dared to speak anymore.
"I obey."
A young man said in a clear voice, breaking the stagnant atmosphere in the hall.
Seeing King Jin'an take steps, the eldest prince on the side took a few steps and stood in front of the scroll.
Prince Jin'an smiled slightly and stopped to get out of the way.
When the prince took the lead, Chen Shao raised his feet and stood up, and the rest came in order according to their official positions.
This is a long scroll, starting from the main west gate of the capital. The scenery depicted is not that good, and the brushwork is average, but it is more lifelike.
Although everyone in the hall who was still silent at first started to move, they gradually began to talk in low voices.
Naturally, none of the officials here saw what happened that day, but they had heard about it to some extent. At this moment, the paintings were displayed in front of their eyes, which gave them a somewhat immersive feeling.
Lu Si'an is worthy of being a descendant of Lu Jie, and his drawings are meticulous and meticulous, even the white flowers on the horses' heads are not done hastily.
Some are holding up spirits, holding flags, raising their hands to wipe away tears, some with dull expressions, some with their heads hanging down, and the expressions of the children in their arms are also changing as they walk, or they raise their hands to reach the flying white flags,
Or rub your eyes, or eat your fingers, it's so silly.
The expressions of the people on the roadside, men, women, old and young, are also different. The ones who ask questions in surprise, and the drunken state of the man who robbed the wine are even more vivid.
Prince Jin'an couldn't help but smile.
The eldest prince was originally walking very fast, but from the corner of his eye he saw Prince Jin'an walking very slowly, so he also slowed down. He watched Prince Jin'an read the scroll bit by bit, as if he was afraid of missing something.
His brows frowned slightly.
He hates looking at paintings! Just like maps! Everything drawn with lines is disgusting in his eyes!
But he was no longer a child now. The eldest prince raised his head and looked at the scroll seriously with a bit of arrogance.
Found it!
Prince Jin'an paused slightly, and his eyes fell on a spot on the scroll. Among the small and chaotic crowd, the lady was reaching out to stroke the horse's head. Although she was wearing a power fence, he still recognized her at a glance.
Lu Si'an's paintings were indeed not as exquisite as his grandfather's. The lady's elegance could not be blocked even by a power fence. Look, under his pen, she turned out to be mediocre.
It should be higher here, and the sleeves should be wider. Even if it is a power fence, it will not be completely black. At least its face should be faintly visible...
"Your Highness."
Someone beside me reminded him softly.
Prince Jin'an stood up straight, glanced at Chen Shao, nodded, and continued walking.
What are you looking at? Are you so fascinated?
Chen Shao couldn't help but go up and take a look, but didn't see anything special.
The scroll is very long and ends at the east gate, followed by the excitement in front of the tomb and the fireworks blooming in the sky.
"How's the painting?" The emperor's voice floated down from the throne.
The painting is not very good, but the painting is really hateful.
Gao Lingbo almost gritted his teeth.
Pictures, songs and dances are always more intuitive and shocking than descriptions in poetry.
If this matter was simply described in a memorial, it would be nothing more than cold words with different emotions due to different readers. But if it were presented in pictures, it would give the emperor an intuitive impact.
The huge funeral procession, the dense crowd of onlookers, and the hustle and bustle of the entire capital were vividly visible on the page. For the emperor who could only leave the palace once or twice a year, and whose destination was the imperial garden several miles away, it felt like
Extremely shocking.
He seemed to follow the painting and walk through the scene of that day, and he could also feel the feeling of being in it.
"The people are worried and angry, ten people are watching and nine are mourning. From west to north, the roads are blocked by an endless surge. Paper money is like snow, white flags are like forests, and the whole city is talking about Maoyuan Mountain."
"... I once heard about it and investigated the matter privately, but I didn't want to be deceived by Jiang Wenyuan and others who used his merits and blackmails to deceive His Majesty. The people will be resentful for the rest of their lives. They were oppressed and could not complain, and their superiors were not allowed to listen. Now when I leave Beijing, I will tell the people in person.
Heaven recognizes the heroic soul, and the guilty minister cannot bear to let His Majesty suffer unjust resentment. To prove Jiang Wenyuan's crime of deceiving the emperor and being arrogant to Heaven, he does not hesitate to go beyond words and deeds. If he can help, he is willing to beg and behead him outside Xuande's gate..."
Lu Si'an's memorial was read loudly in the palace by the chamberlain, causing the officials who had read the scroll to fall silent again.
"Tell me, how is Lu Si'an's painting?" the emperor asked again.
The eldest prince wanted to step forward and say a few words, but he didn't know what to say. If he said that the painting was good at this time, it would be purely perfunctory. After all, this was not the original intention of the emperor's question, but if he wanted to say goodbye,
, even more inappropriate.
The master had taught him the day before yesterday that he should speak less and if he was not sure about something, he should never say anything.
Before hesitating, Prince Jin'an had already stepped out of the queue.
"Your Majesty, Lu Si'an's paintings are not very good." He said and smiled.
Everyone in the palace looked at Prince Jin'an openly or covertly, somewhat unable to hide their surprise.
Most of the time when the prince goes to court, it is just for decoration. Unlike the eldest prince who was trained as a prince, it can be argued. Prince Jin'an obviously understands this very well, so he can argue with the emperor in private, but never in front of the court officials in court.
Express your opinions publicly like this.
This is the first time today.
The emperor looked at him, his expression showing no emotion or anger.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember the walking map of three mountains and five mountains that I drew for your Majesty?" Prince Jin'an said with a relaxed expression, still with a bit of a smile.
What picture? The officials present were a little puzzled, and the emperor's expression changed slightly.
"I don't know much about painting, but I also know that Lu Si'an's paintings are average and not much better than my own." Prince Jin'an said, looking at the scroll that was still being unfolded by the servants, "But, I can see that he used
The heart is just like the painting I painted for His Majesty, it is drawn with my eyes and my pen as I empathize with it."
Use your heart!
This is the evaluation! This is the evaluation of the painting and this matter! This is the evaluation that His Majesty the Emperor wants to hear!
With this sentence, the scroll was torn open and the things behind the scroll were revealed to everyone.
Fang Wei!
You live so freely! How dare you meddle in your own business!
Gao Lingbo couldn't hide his expression and looked at Prince Jin'an in shock, roaring in his heart.
He was not shocked by this sentence, he was shocked by the first person who said it. Someone must say this sentence, but it should be said by people from Chen Shao's party, not this unrelated prince.
Let’s talk.
If it is Chen Shao, it stands to reason that it must be Chen Shao and others, because Lu Si'an was recommended by Chen Shao, and in the eyes of the emperor, he is Chen Shao's person. If he doesn't say it, it means he has something wrong in his heart. If he comes up, he will say Lu Si'an's.
If the approach was correct, then he would hide his relatives from each other. In short, whether Chen Shao said it or not, it would achieve the same effect, which was to make the emperor more suspicious.
It is suspected that this matter was controlled by Chen Shao behind the scenes.
But now because the Prince of Jin'an County inexplicably said this first, and also mentioned some previous paintings, which aroused the emperor's own thinking, the situation is completely different!
"Your Majesty, I think so too." Chen Shao stood up and said.
Did you hear it? It means that he thinks so too, not what he thinks! The difference of one word can make Chen Shao's words avoid rebellion and doubt in the emperor's mind!
"Your Majesty, Lu Si'an did use his heart, but his heart is cruel!" Gao Lingbo couldn't care less about his anger. His immediate priority was to argue and minimize the disadvantages of the matter.
"Master Gao, it's really strange. How can you tell that his heart is so cruel?"
"...Lu Si'an said that Jiang Wenyuan and others used their merits to blackmail and deceive His Majesty, but I think it was him who incited the people to blackmail His Majesty..."
"..Inciting the people? The streets are empty of people. Mr. Gao, you really think highly of Lu Si'an..."
The originally peaceful hall suddenly erupted into violent storms, and there were constant refutations, just like a violent storm hitting the face.
The eldest prince stood in a daze, looking blank.
He didn't even realize what was going on. Why, suddenly, the court officials who had been silent and well-behaved like blind, deaf and mute started talking to each other, and soon their faces turned red and they almost rolled up their sleeves and started fighting.
It's like this again, I really don't know what they are arguing about, it's so boring.
The eldest prince stood in the main hall, as if he had returned to the time when he was a child and came to court for his father, but it was even more uncomfortable now than before, because after all, he was sitting then, but now he is standing.
I don’t know how long these people will continue to make noise...
Prince Jin'an, who had lit the fuse and exploded the fireworks, lowered his head and suppressed his smile. When he raised his head again, his expression remained relaxed, his eyes fell on the scroll, and the noise of the people in his ears became the background decoration.
"I like this painting very much." He whispered to the eldest prince.
The eldest prince didn't even look at him.
"Look, the painting is so good and lifelike. When I used to go out, I always used the west gate and the east gate... I can still recognize this bridge. There are three lions at the bridge head..." Prince Jin'an continued to hum without taking it seriously.
He said while looking at the painting.
The eldest prince simply stood a few steps away from him.
Prince Jin'an's eyes fell on the fireworks at the end of the painting. The fireworks that day looked so gorgeous outside the city.
In fact, he also saw it, just a few stars. When the fireworks exploded that day, he was sitting with his sixth brother in the deserted highest place in the palace. He was really shocked at that time.
It turns out that Beijing was so lively that day.
Prince Jin'an's eyes hovered over the scroll again and again.
She must be very angry, angry, sad, sad. She had so little, and now she has lost it. (To be continued)
