Cui Deyuan's guests were all wearing long robes, and some of them were well-dressed. Many of them wore formal crowns, and they all spoke in an extremely elegant manner.
Cuideyuan may not be the most gorgeous restaurant in the capital, but it is the favorite place for literati. Cuideyuan may have been built to serve literati from the beginning. The walls of the restaurant are covered with all kinds of calligraphy and paintings, most of them It was the literati who came here to write paintings and inscriptions for the restaurant, and the owner of the restaurant obviously knew how to run it. All the calligraphy and paintings left by famous guests would be carefully framed and hung on the walls, so anyone who enters the door will feel a sense of elegance. The breath came to my face.
Yuan Rong comes from a scholarly family, and his grandfather is the current Minister of Rites. Naturally, there are many literati and poets he interacts with. And tonight, many people know that Mr. Yuan has reserved the second floor of the restaurant and set up five tables. For wine, the invitations were also well-known literati in the capital, including many figures from the eight major academies.
Many people were a little surprised when they saw Qi Ning suddenly walking in.
Before Qining's trip to Xichuan, he amazed everyone with his skills at the Jinghua Book Fair. He was the best in all four categories of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. His fame had already spread, and tonight at Cuide Yuan, many people were present at that time. Get to know Qining’s appearance.
The second floor was reserved by Yuan Rong, but the first floor was still welcoming guests. Many people heard that Mr. Yuan had hosted a banquet at Cuideyuan, and they knew that there must be a good show to watch. Although many people were not invited at all, this It's lively but you can't help but join in, so the first floor of Cuideyuan is full of people and very lively.
The appearance of Qi Ning made the originally noisy Cui Deyuan suddenly quiet down. Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on Qi Ning. Everyone did not know that the real owner tonight was Qi Ning. They all thought it was Mr. Yuan Rong. Being a host, they were naturally surprised to see Qi Ning at this time. However, some people vaguely knew that Yuan Rong seemed to have a close relationship with Jin Yihou. It seemed that Jin Yihou was also invited over to entertain guests tonight.
Qi Ning was very popular in the Jinghua Academy. Although many people admired Qi Ning very much, at that time Qionglin Academy suppressed the other eight academies because of Qi Ning. Therefore, the people in the eight academies did not have much respect for Qi Ning. Good impression, everyone had different expressions for a while.
Qi Ning was calm and composed, and bowed his hands to everyone around him without saying a word. Many people were flattered when they saw the dignified and handsome minister taking the initiative to salute, and they also saluted Qi Ning. At this time, they heard the sound of footsteps and saw that Yuan Rong had hurriedly came down the stairs. , saw Qi Ning, walked up to him quickly and said with a smile: "Master Marquis, as you wish, all the guests you requested have arrived and are waiting."
After everyone heard this, they realized that the guest in the banquet tonight was the host.
It's just that everyone couldn't figure out for a while why Tangtang Jinyihou wanted to entertain guests at Cuideyuan.
Qi Ning followed Yuan Rong to the second floor. The requested guests were talking in groups. When they saw Qi Ning coming up, everyone looked at each other, but Yuan Rong had already smiled and said: "Everyone, I have to make it clear now. Sorry, today’s banquet is not invited by me, I just followed the instructions of the Marquis and sent the message to you."
Everyone was extremely surprised, but Qi Ning had already held up his hands and said with a smile: "I am grateful to you all for coming to the banquet today. In fact, the reason why I invite you here today is not for other reasons. I just want you to be a witness."
Everyone was even more confused, wondering what Qining wanted everyone to witness.
Qi Ning invited everyone to sit down. At this moment, they heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Everyone looked over and saw Gu Wenwen coming upstairs with two scrolls in his arms. No one in the room recognized Gu. Gu Wenwen glanced at it and saw Qi Ning and Yuan Rong sitting together, so he came over immediately.
Qi Ning motioned for him to sit down beside him, stood up and said with a smile: "This, this is one of my elders, and he is currently doing some small business in the capital."
No one knew what kind of medicine Qi Ning was selling in his gourd, but they saw Qi Ning whispering a few words to Yuan Rong. Yuan Rong also stood up, took a painting from Gu Wenwen, and then ordered him to stand by the stairs. The two waiters opened the scroll. The two waiters stood at the entrance of the stairs and carefully opened the scroll. They heard someone exclaiming, and someone even lost their voice: "Is this Han Shengzi's picture of a goddess?"
Everyone present was a man of letters, and they were naturally very fond of calligraphy and painting. Many people had already stood up. At the table closer to the stairs, several people had already approached to watch.
Yuan Rong smiled and said: "Where is Brother Feng Decai from Longmen Academy?"
One of the people in the crowd came forward, cupped his hands and said, "Master Yuan!" Qi Ning glanced at this man of virtue and immediately remembered that this man of virtue was a student of Longmen Academy. He was at the Jinghua Book Club that day. This painting by Feng Decai and Qi Ning's ghost painting became the two final works that competed for superiority. This also shows that Feng Decai's painting skills are indeed extremely good.
Yuan Rong smiled and said: "Brother Feng, you are a top painter and very knowledgeable about ancient calligraphy and painting. How about this painting?"
Feng Decai smiled slightly, turned to Qi Ning, and saluted. Qin Ning also returned the gift. Feng Decai then came closer, put one hand behind his back, looked at it carefully for a moment, frowned slightly, hesitated, and finally He laughed twice and said: "It's okay!"
He had actually seen that the painting was a fake, but he was afraid of hurting the face of Qi Ning and Yuan Rong, so he couldn't speak out in public.
Many people were a little strange when they heard Feng Decai say this. They secretly thought that Han Shengzi's picture of the goddess was a supreme painting. Is it too arrogant for Feng Decai to say that it was acceptable
Qi Ning had already walked over and said with a smile: "Brother Feng, I just want you to have a look to see if this painting is true or false."
Everyone immediately changed their colors.
Feng Decai was startled, then smiled awkwardly and said: "Master Hou, this...!"
"Brother Feng, it's okay to say it." Qi Ning smiled and said, "Don't have any scruples."
Feng Decai nodded slightly and said: "The painter of this painting is actually not bad. If it were dozens or hundreds of years later, it might be a masterpiece passed down to future generations. However, with all due respect to Feng, compared to Han Shengzi's paintings, This is still far behind. Feng was lucky enough to see a painting handed down by Han Shengzi. His unique brushwork was astonishing. The picture of the Goddess was made by Han Shengzi for several years, and it is also his pinnacle work. , his writing skills and artistic conception are of course extraordinary.”
There was deathly silence on the second floor, and everyone was looking at Feng Decai.
Feng Decai hesitated for a moment before continuing: "This picture is of the Goddess Dew. At first glance, it seems to be an authentic one, but if you look closely at the face of the Goddess, you will know that it is a fake. As far as I know, the Goddess Picture Divided into two volumes, the picture of the Goddess Morning Dew shows the goddess leaving the Immortal Peak and going to the Heavenly Palace when the first ray of rising sun appears. Therefore, one can also see the otherworldly vitality from the goddess’s face, while the Picture of Returning at Dusk is It was time to return to the Immortal Peak, and her expression was different. Although the painting was not bad, the expression of the goddess was dull, and she did not have the ethereal aura of the fairy. In addition, there were some rough spots in the brushwork, so... Feng judged that it must be a fake. .”
There was a commotion all around. When the scroll was unfolded, everyone thought that Qining was hosting a banquet today to show everyone Han Shengzi's masterpiece. Being able to see the long-legendary painting of the goddess was very important to any literati. It's all a supreme honor.
But I never expected that Qining would come up with such a fake.
But looking at Qining's expression, he was still calm and composed, even with a smile, without any trace of disappointment or anger, which made him feel strange.
Qi Ning clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Brother Feng is indeed very discerning. Yes, this picture of the goddess in the morning is indeed a fake."
When Qi Ning said this, everyone immediately understood that before Jin Yihou showed the painting, he already knew that the painting was a fake. For a moment, they were even more confused. They secretly wondered why Jin Yihou still showed the painting when he knew it was a fake. Wouldn't it be a huge loss of face to come out in front of everyone
Jinyi Hou is one of the four hereditary princes in the empire. If Qi Ning really produced the authentic painting of the Goddess, the people present would not be too surprised. A family like this has collected several masterpieces of masterpieces. That is not the case. It was surprising, but if Jin Yihou showed off a fake, it would seem a bit out of place.
"To be honest, my elder spent a lot of money to acquire this painting." Qining sighed, "We are all literati, and it is self-evident that we have a fondness for calligraphy and painting. My elder opened A pawn shop, he usually likes some antique calligraphy and paintings, but this time he was deceived and received a fake one."
Gu Wenwen was extremely embarrassed, lowering his head and not daring to look up at anyone.
Everyone couldn't help but whisper, but they heard Qin Ning say again: "Han Shengzi is the master of the painting. When I saw this fake, I was very angry. This was not because of the fake, but because of the existence of this fake." , blaspheming the reputation of Han Shengzi. You are all literati, and you all know that whether it is a painting or a poem, it is full of hard work. If it is easily stolen, or even passed off as genuine, the real author will be disrespected. How blasphemous and insulting is that?”
Everyone present nodded after hearing Qi Ning's words.
Literary men are noble. Real literati have never bothered to plagiarize other people's works and learn from the skills of their predecessors. This is understandable. However, stealing other people's works is extremely shameless and has always been despised by others.
"I invite you here today to be a witness." Qi Ning said loudly: "Such fakes must be eliminated and must not remain in the world to ruin the reputation of Han Shengzi. Not only this picture of the goddess, I I hope that no fakes will be spread in the world." He said loudly: "Bring it up!"
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