The mountains are colorful from afar, and the water is silent when you listen closely.
The flowers remain even though spring is gone, and the birds are not scared when people come.
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— Wang Wei, Painting
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The moon is hazy, the lights are hazy, and the people in the painting are even hazier.
Wang Yi sat in front of "Aomei Tu", the posthumous work of Taoist Huangshan, sitting motionless in a daze. In his eyes, there were only the red plum blossoms and the beauty in the "Aomei Tu".
Wang Yi was not a person who liked calligraphy and painting. He bought paintings from Fu Mingsui in order to show his filial piety to Fu Kun and to follow the elegant trends in the capital.
Since he had this "Aomei Tu", dignitaries often came to his house just to see this "Aomei Tu". This really helped him gain a foothold in the capital, allowing him to enter the elegant and noble circles of the capital more quickly.
But gradually, Wang Yi felt a strange jealousy when he saw those people pointing and criticizing "Aomei Tu". He developed a desire to possess the painting that he couldn't explain.
The painting was indeed so beautiful that it fascinated him. He was less and less willing to share it with others, and less and less willing to see those people's obsessed eyes on his painting. The feeling that made him sick was like taking off the clothes of his beloved girl for others to see.
He was deeply unhappy about this, but for the sake of his rights, he still reluctantly allowed people to see it. Recently, he decided to refuse visitors who wanted to see the "Aomei Tu" on the grounds of conservation.
Among the waves of people who came, Wang Yi gradually learned some rumors about the Taoist priest Huangshan and the painting "Aomei Tu".
Taoist Huangshan is a nickname. His real name is Huang Ye. He is a famous painter in the early Qian Dynasty. Taoist Huangshan has always only painted landscapes. His painting style is also neat and well-known for its meticulousness. Because of his exquisite and detailed works, he was quite loved by the ancestor emperor at that time.
Once a painting is favored by the emperor, the painter will be promoted overnight and become a noble. Often, it is difficult to get a painting.
But gradually, Huang Ye's paintings reached a bottleneck, and he could only paint mountains and rivers. Soon, other painters caught up with him, and his popularity in the capital gradually declined. It used to be hard to find a painting, but later, no one wanted it even if it was given away for free.
Suddenly one year, his painting style changed to be bright and bold, and it was this painting "Ao Mei Tu" that made him famous. This unrestrained painting style, the bright contrast of colors, and the looming beauty instantly made Huang Ye's paintings full of vitality, no longer as lifeless as landscapes.
His paintings began to arouse people's imagination. People couldn't help but wonder what the beauty in the painting was doing? What was she thinking? Who was she standing there waiting for? Was it her lover
Such speculations made Huang Ye's paintings become more interesting to look at over and over again. And the painting "Ao Mei Tu" was also collected by Huang Ye himself and kept in his bedroom.
After that, there was an endless stream of people asking for his paintings. Huang Ye included this beauty in all the landscapes he was good at, making his paintings not only have scenery but also emotions. The combination of scene and emotion makes people imagine.
Suddenly one day, Huang Ye decided to stay in seclusion to paint, and this seclusion lasted for half a month. During this half month, he stayed in his room and did not go out. There were servants waiting at the door to remove the painting. Then, something strange happened.
The next day, the servant opened the door to deliver breakfast as usual, and when he was about to clean up, he found that Huang Ye was missing!
The servant confirmed that Huang Ye had never left the room, so how did he disappear out of nowhere
Since then, the legend of the Taoist Huangshan becoming an immortal began to spread among the people. It was said that his painting was so good that the Jade Emperor invited him to be a painter, just like his nickname: Taoist Huangshan, he became an immortal.
No one knows whether he became an immortal or not. All we know is that this painting, Aomei Tu, which made Huang Ye famous again, was destroyed several times and finally disappeared.
Until today, it was bought by Wang Yi.
Such a legendary painting has returned to the capital again. How could those who love paintings not come to see it
Wang Yi sat in front of the painting, gazing at it deeply: "Aomeitu, Aomeitu, you have brought me great fortune. How can I repay you?"
"Come in and keep me company..." Suddenly, these four gentle words passed by his ears like the wind. The soft, gritty voice was indistinguishable between male and female, yet extremely alluring.
Wang Yi continued to stare at the Aomeitu in front of him: "It's so beautiful... It's so beautiful..."
The scroll swayed gently in the wind, and the red plum blossoms seemed to come alive and swayed in front of Wang Yi's eyes, just like the branches of the red plum blossoms swaying gently in the breeze. The red, gorgeous petals fluttered, they floated out of the scroll, floated into the air around Wang Yi, and fell into the palm of his hand.
He stared at it infatuatedly, completely mesmerized by the picturesque scenery, and didn't notice the weirdness of the scene at all.
"Come..." The faint, ethereal voice reappeared, and the beauty among the red plums actually moved. She turned slowly, her black hair flying in the wind, and her face was looming in the flying hair.
She extended her hand toward Wang Yi.
Wang Yi stood up stupidly, eyes wide open: "Beauty... you finally turned around..." He walked closer to Ao Meitu step by step, stretched out his hand to the beauty, "Take me there... Take me there..."
The red petals suddenly began to spin and became densely packed, surrounding Wang Yi. In the light, they actually emitted a terrifying blood-red light. The bright red blood light illuminated the entire room and dyed the surrounding walls red.
Thick blood was actually hanging down from the beams, first dripping like rain, then pouring down like a torrential rain. In an instant, the whole room seemed to be washed by blood and turned completely blood red.
The flower petals were spinning in front of Wang Yi, completely blocking his view of the sea of blood outside. Even without any obstruction, his infatuated eyes could only focus on the beautiful woman in white in the painting.
He walked into the red plum aisle, his figure gradually disappearing into the petals. The petals began to spin rapidly again, circling the room, like a red blood snake, and rushed back into the scroll.
Suddenly, the wind stopped, the painting stopped, the blood stopped, everything stopped. Time stopped for a moment in this room, the blood drops stopped in the air, and the candle flames also froze.
The next moment, a red vortex appeared on the screen, sucking all the blood into it!
Every drop of blood on the wall, on the floor, on the bed was absorbed into the painting!
The candlelight flickered again, but there was no trace of Wang Yi in the room. On the "Ao Mei Tu", a drop of blood slowly slid down, gradually disappearing into the gorgeous red plum blossoms...
The next day.
The golden dragon pillars and coiled dragon chair made the imperial court of the Qian Dynasty magnificent.
The civil and military officials were separated, and all had happy expressions on their faces, because Emperor Cheng was going to hold a Mid-Autumn Festival Royal Banquet this year.
"How are the preparations at the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works going?" Emperor Cheng looked at the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Works with a smile.
The Minister of Rites Li Wei stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, all the sacrificial ceremonies for the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet have been prepared. I and your servants have observed the celestial phenomena at night and found that the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival will be clear, with a full moon and bright stars. It will be the best time to appreciate the moon." The Minister of Rites smiled.
"Good!" Emperor Cheng slapped his thigh, quite satisfied.
The Minister of Works Zhao Su stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the tents and banquets for the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet have been set up and can be cleared today."
"Well, that's right!" Emperor Cheng smiled with satisfaction and looked around at the civil and military officials in the court: "This time, the emperor and his subjects will enjoy the banquet together. Everyone can bring their children of marriageable age. I will be a matchmaker for you. Hahaha—"
"Thank you, Lord—" Everyone was beaming with joy. The court was filled with joy today.
The two adults began to report in detail, from the steps of the imperial banquet to the utensils used in the banquet. They described everything one by one. This was also to let the important officials who attended the banquet listen carefully and discuss and see where there were any omissions. After all, it was a major sacrificial banquet and there was no room for carelessness.
All the civil and military officials in the court listened attentively, and each of them smiled happily.
It is said that Emperor Cheng was acting as a matchmaker for everyone, but in fact, he was also looking for in-laws for his sons and daughters. Which official in the court would not be happy about such a good thing
Fu Kun was frowning at this time because he had many sons but lacked a daughter!
You said that it is impossible for the Crown Prince Duanmu Qingchen of Emperor Cheng to marry a man as the Crown Princess. Then his Rui'er is the winner. Whether it is appearance, talent, or deep friendship with Duanmu Qingchen, she is the most suitable.
Other people worry about having too many daughters and not being able to give birth to sons, but little do they know the importance of having daughters for these powerful people.
This time, he might lose to the Right Prime Minister Lin Jingzhi, because he has both a son and a daughter!
Lin Jing's family had one son and one daughter. The eldest son, Lin Shulun, was also a talented scholar who was well-read in the classics. The younger daughter, Lin Shiyue, was a beautiful lady who was proficient in the four elegant arts.
In the competition for the crown princess, Fu Kun was completely out of the game. But in the competition for the prince consort, he could still give it a try.
The second and third sons in the family were still unmarried. But Fu Mingrui knew his temper well. The child was very stubborn. If he was asked to marry a princess for the sake of the family, he might not be willing. The third son was more obedient.
Fu Kun turned around and secretly counted with his fingers.
"Are you calculating whether the Third Young Master will be able to come back in time?" Yao Guang's round head popped out beside him.
"Ahem!" Fu Kun's face darkened, he coughed and turned away. Has Fatty Yao become a spirit? How can he guess everything
Yes, he was calculating whether his third son Fu Minghui could make it back from the military camp.
The eldest princess and the fourth princess of the Qian Dynasty have all married off, leaving only the seventh princess Duanmu Yaxin. The spy in the palace told Fu Kun that since there was only one daughter left, Emperor Cheng did not want to let this only daughter marry off, and wanted to keep Princess Yaxin by his side. This shows the status of Princess Yaxin in Emperor Cheng's heart.
Therefore, this Mid-Autumn Festival banquet can be regarded as a matchmaking meeting for the royal family. For the important officials who can attend this banquet, as long as they have children of marriageable age, this is undoubtedly an important opportunity.
As for becoming a relative of the royal family, the benefits are self-evident.
Therefore, since Fu Kun had no daughter to be the Crown Princess, he had to take down the Seventh Princess! He had asked the spies in the palace to thoroughly investigate the Seventh Princess's preferences, even what she liked to play on a daily basis.
"Oh my~~~ What should I do as a childless person like me~~~" Fatty Yao said sourly beside Fu Kun again, "But your chance is not great. Although the Right Prime Minister has only one son, General Yuchi has a whole bunch of sons! Hahaha—" Yao Guang laughed at Fu Kun in a low but loud voice without any mercy.
Fu Kun's brows became more and more gloomy in the suppressed laughter of Yao Guang. This time Fatty Yao was right. He certainly didn't care about other people, but Yuchi Gong really gave birth to a bunch of sons! And his sons were all meritorious! This was his biggest rival!
He narrowed his eyes and glanced gloomily at Yuchi Gong opposite him. The old man's face was indeed rosy and energetic, and it seemed that he had made up his mind.
At this time, Fu Kun only regretted that Emperor Cheng had not given birth to a daughter, and that he himself had not given birth to a daughter who was well-educated, gentle and virtuous.
"Very good, let's do it this way. Do you have any other suggestions?" Emperor Cheng was beaming with joy. He was also happy that his sons could find girls they liked at this imperial banquet. He had long wanted to find a princess for the crown prince, and he didn't want to find a gentle and virtuous woman. Instead, he wanted to find a powerful woman to control his dissolute crown prince.
Everyone was also very happy and bowed: "Your Highness and I have no objection."
Emperor Cheng laughed, stood up and waved his sleeves: "Okay, let's go. Hahaha—" It can be seen that Emperor Cheng was in a very good mood.
The Mid-Autumn Royal Banquet was held in the palace in the royal enclosure, which was large enough to accommodate court officials and their children.
Fu Kun walked out with a sad face, and Yao Guang followed him closely. Yao Guang followed Fu Kun out of the court like a tail, and Lord Lin Zhengying, the temporary Minister of Revenue, walked towards the Right Prime Minister Lin Jingzhi and said, "Lord Right Prime Minister."
Lin Jingzhi was calm and measured, and looked at Lin Zhengying calmly: "What's the matter, Lord Lin?"
Lin Zhengying frowned slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, he said to Lin Jingzhi, "Right Prime Minister, the disciple of the Left Prime Minister, Master Wang Yi, has disappeared."
"Hiss..." Lin Jingzhi was slightly surprised. He looked at the court and saw that there was no one there. Then he looked at Lin Zhengying, "Are you sure?"
Lin Zhengying nodded. "At first, he just didn't show up and didn't ask for leave, so I thought he was absent from work. But three days later, his family came to me and said he was missing. Because I didn't know if he worked in my Ministry of Revenue, I didn't report it to the authorities. Later, I took people to his residence in the capital, but I really couldn't find him. The imperial banquet is coming up, and an official suddenly disappears. I'm afraid... it will anger His Majesty."
Lin Jingzhi frowned and pondered for a moment, then looked at Lin Zhengying: "It is common for some officials in the capital to be greedy for pleasure and love leisure. There was once an official who disappeared for seven consecutive days, and in the end, he was enjoying himself in a brothel. You also know Wang Yi's background, maybe he is in a brothel or with a mistress."
Lin Zhengying frowned slightly: "Then I will use this as an excuse to expel him from the Ministry of Revenue."
Lin Jingzhi smiled faintly: "Since he is Fu Zuoxiang's man, let him go find him."
"Let Fu Zuoxiang go find it?" Lin Jingzhi was slightly surprised. He looked at Lin Jingzhi, understood something in his eyes, and smiled, "This subordinate will go to the Eight Gates to report the case now."
“Yeah…” Lin Jingzhi nodded and walked away slowly, his back looking calm and composed.
Lin Zhengying breathed a sigh of relief. This third-rank official was missing, and he was qualified to report it to the Eight Gates. He asked Fu Mingrui to find Wang Yi. If he really found Wang Yi in a brothel or with his mistress, he would use this as an excuse to expel Wang Yi from the Ministry of Revenue, and Fu Kun would have nothing to say. (To be continued)