Ding Baiya will never forget the first time he met Princess Ding.
That year was his sixth year in Chang'an.
Like countless other candidates in the world, he was born in a declining family. He came to this unique and greatest capital city in the world, alone and with the bright moon on his shoulders and the dream of "I will appreciate your kindness on the golden terrace and die for you with the Jade Dragon" on his mind.
Born in such a prosperous era, it was his luck, but also his misfortune. He was extremely talented, but in such a prosperous era, there were many people with the same or even richer backgrounds as him, who also had the same idea and flocked to the heart of the empire from all directions.
Everyone wants to be the proud person whose name is left on the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Year after year, the one who makes the leap to the dragon gate is never him.
From sixteen to twenty-two years old.
The young man who was once arrogant and conceited due to his talent had his edge completely worn out on the whetstone of Chang'an.
By chance, he learned from a Chang'an school official who admired him that he had been on the list four years ago, in the second year of his exam. However, because his previous article criticizing current ills and describing the country's hidden dangers was widely circulated, it alarmed the emperor, who left a comment of "this boy is arrogant and will never be retained" after reading it. He was expelled from the list. In the following years, whenever the examiners saw his name, they would pull out the papers and not consider him on the spot.
He fell silent, and began to turn his heart to his painting. He had lived in Qinglong Temple for many years, studied hard but achieved nothing, and had nothing. The abbot appreciated his talent and provided him with vegetarian meals every day, but he knew that he had to change. Thus, the painting brush that used to express his leisure time became a tool for making a living, and he became a painter.
He met Princess Ding at a birthday party held by a royal prince for his mother. She had just married, was young and beautiful, with bright eyes and black hair, and was extremely beautiful. He was one of the many painters hired to paint for the ladies who attended the party. When he saw her from a distance, he felt vulgar and dared not look at her for too long.
In the halls of fine buildings and paintings, there were banquets and feasts, and the ladies were enjoying themselves in the gardens with curtains. Outside the banquet tent, he was bent over his work table, sweating profusely under the scorching July sun. The painters' paintings were brought to the banquet one by one by the servants for the ladies to enjoy. At dusk, when the wine was finished and the party was over, he saw his paintings abandoned on the ground, which was littered with cups and plates, with wine stains and muddy footprints.
He did not stop, but passed by silently. After leaving the banquet, he was hungry and thirsty, and felt very tired. Just as he was about to quicken his pace to go back, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him, and someone called him.
A maid came over with a plate of cherries and said with a smile that they were a gift from Princess Ding.
"Are you Ding Baiya? The princess said that she had read your articles before, and she didn't expect that you can paint well. Unfortunately, she is also a guest today, so it is inconvenient to keep the painting. This is a reward from the princess, it is clean."
The maid brought the plate of cherries.
The fruits are bright red and round, and are placed on a toothpick plate like beautiful colorful gems, sparkling with light as they roll.
Princess Yin's father was once the chief priest of the Imperial Academy and a great historian of the Zhaowen Academy. He retired and died of illness three years ago. He had been taking the imperial examination for many years, so how could he not know his name