Thousands of Miles

palace, imperial study

Zheng Guanren hugged Ximeng who was still struggling, threw him on the soft couch in the study, and pressed him on the little man on the bed, his eyes were bright but blurred.

Only now did Xi Meng see the face of this "Guan Zheng" clearly. Under the light, a handsome and familiar face was close at hand.Ximeng was stunned for a moment, unable to utter a word.

"Ximeng, Ximeng, is it really you? Where have you been all these years? Master has been looking for you so hard." Zheng Guanren watched Ximeng's eyes closely, and his words were accompanied by heavy panting. .

"Master..." How could it be Master?How could it be Master?Ximeng's mind was in a mess. For a while, it was the elegant and gentle master three years ago, and for a while, it was the "Guan Zheng" who tried to rape his sister just now. Is this person really his master?

"It's me, it's Master." Zheng Guanren took Ximeng's hand, and felt that the pair of small hands in the hot palm were icy cold.

It wasn't that Ximeng's hands were cold, but that he was hot all over.This "Zheng Guanren" realized that the medicine in his body was still unresolved, and he was almost out of control.

"Master?" Ximeng looked up at him and said seriously, "Your hands are so hot."

"It's okay. We'll talk about it tomorrow." Zheng Guanren quickly let go of Ximeng's hand, turned around and hurried out the door, "Ximeng, we'll talk about it tomorrow, you should sleep first!"

"Master..."

Not daring to stay for a while longer, Zheng Guanren strode out of the study, and softly ordered Zhang Gonggong who was waiting at the door: "Go to the harem and find any concubine to sleep with, the sooner the better!"

"Ah?" Eunuch Zhang was taken aback, wondering if he heard it wrong.

"Have you heard, hurry up!" Zhao Ji said angrily, "I will kill you if you are too late!"

"Yes, yes, the old slave will go right away."

Ximeng tossed and turned in the imperial study all night, unable to sleep, and he had no time to accept all the changes of the day.For a while, I thought about my sister, wondering how she had been these past few years, how good it would be to be there alone at the moment; .

Even though it was cold outside in spring, the study was as warm as spring inside.Ximeng lay on his side on the couch and looked around.

There is a desk in front of the couch, and two quaint Yaoqin are hung on the wall behind the desk. The shelves on both sides of the desk are filled with precious jade wares, and there are paintings and calligraphy by famous masters of past dynasties.Miraculously, the pot of orchids on the shelf was blooming vigorously, as if it was already in the spring of March.

When Ximeng was chopping firewood on the mountain, he could sometimes see orchids, but every time he only had a quick glance and didn't have time to take a closer look.Hearing that orchids are noble and pure, they are gentlemen among flowers. Ximeng has always liked this kind of flower in his heart, and wanted to see what it looks like.

Ximeng lifted the quilt and walked to the shelf, carefully observing the orchid.From the texture direction of each orchid leaf, the pitching and opening and closing of each orchid, the growth mode of the orchid pistil, to the density and distribution of the orchid leaves, the growth direction, and even the charm of the orchid.

Ximeng memorized every part of this pot of orchids like a painting in his heart, and used a brush to lightly outline a line-drawn orchid in his heart, and then silently colored the pot of orchids layer by layer in his heart.

Inadvertently caught a glimpse of a stack of gold-sprinkled rice paper on the table, and the gold powder sprinkled between the papers shone brightly like stars in the sky under the light. Ximeng walked to the table curiously, and it turned out that there was a whole stack of paintings .

Ximeng knew the brushstrokes of the master, and these should be the works of the master's brushwork. If you look at it quietly, he shouldn't care, right?Ximeng carefully opened the drawing papers, savoring each one carefully.

Master painted a wide range of subjects, including landscapes, all kinds of flowers, birds, fish and insects, and even human figures.Ximeng often looks at the artistic conception at a glance, then analyzes the composition, and finally washes and savors every stroke on the flower, and finally takes a look at the coordination of colors. One-tenth cannot be compared.

Looking at it, Ximeng took out a painting with immature brushstrokes and disordered composition from a stack of master's masterpieces, and couldn't help but flushed with shame and was at a loss.

Isn't this what I painted and gave to Master?Master actually brought it back and preserved it until now?Ximeng looked in surprise at the immature painting in front of him compared to his master, and quickly stuffed it at the bottom of the large stack of paintings.

On the second day, Zhao Ji summoned Wang Ze, the director of the Hanlin Academy of Painting and a bachelor in charge of the academy.

"Yesterday, I met a young man outside the palace. I found that he was talented and a rare and malleable talent, so I brought him into the palace. I will let him work in your courtyard in the future. Please give me guidance." Zhao Ji Lie didn't even blush, and said nonsense, "I've taught him a year or two before, his foundation should be no worse than that of the students in your academy, maybe it's better."

"To be fortunate enough to be taught by His Majesty, the foundation must be much better than that of ordinary students." Wang Ze complimented, "Since His Majesty has an order, I will definitely arrange him properly. I will go immediately to arrange a position and residence for him. In the future I will definitely guide and take care of him carefully.”

"Yeah." Zhao Ji nodded in satisfaction, and said, "However, you don't want to make this matter public, and you should treat him the same as other students, understand?"

"Yes." Wang Ze agreed in his mouth, but he was slandering in his heart. With your vigorous posture last night, this matter has already been spread all over the palace. Why do you need me to announce it?

At this moment, Zhao Ji still thinks that he has done a watertight job, that he has hidden Ximeng very well, and never alarmed anyone.

Ximeng moved to live in Hanlin Academy of Painting, but he didn't have any luggage, he just came and went alone empty-handed.

Xueshi Wang felt deeply helpless. The child was just snatched from the street by the officials, and he didn't even have a chance to go home. He didn't bring a change of clothes or daily necessities.

But in the afternoon, the official sent people to the Hanlin Painting Academy to deliver box after box of clothes and daily necessities, each of which was of high quality.

Those clothes and items are all well-made, and they look like objects in the palace, and they can't be produced in a short time. I really don't know whether the officials have prepared them in advance, or they have issued an emergency order to the secretary.In short, the officials have worked hard on this child.

Ximeng shared a dormitory with a little brother from the south that he didn't know. At first, both of them were shy, just smiled at each other, and then began to chat a few words without saying a word.

"Where is your home?" the little brother asked.

"Over there at Chenzhou Gate." Ximeng replied.

"Where is Chenzhou Gate?"

"It's in Bianjing, south? East?" Ximeng thought for a while, and felt that his family lived in the east and south, so he said, "A city gate in the southeast. What about you?"

"My home, my home is far away." The little brother raised his eyebrows proudly, "My home is in Wuzhou, have you heard of it?"

Sure enough, he had never heard of this place before, Ximeng shook his head.

"Thinking about it, you haven't heard of it." The little brother said, "It's on Liangzhe Road, far away from here, a place that many people have never heard of."

"Then why did you run so far?"

"Just to enter the painting academy." The little brother said, "The treatment in the painting academy is so good, no one would want to come. Didn't you also get admitted?"

"Oh... um..." Ximeng didn't dare to say that he was brought in by the back door opened by the master. This would probably cause unnecessary trouble to the master, so let's say that he got in by himself.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Lin Ximeng. What about you?"

"I'm even with Wang Zongyuan." Wang Zongyuan said, "We will be good friends from now on."

"Yes." Ximeng nodded, "We are good friends."

"Ha ha……"

The two of them got acquainted with each other, and chatted less formally. Wang Zongyuan talked about the examination questions for entering the academy, and how he drew. He pushed Ximeng's elbow and asked, "Who are you for the entrance examination questions?" How did you draw it?"

"Ah... I... forgot."

"Hahaha...how do you..."

Before Wang Zongyuan said "Why are you so forgetful", seven or eight young eunuchs came outside the door, carried four or five boxes into the room, put them in a corner, and respectfully said to Ximeng: "This It was sent to you by your master Zheng painter, please check it."

"Master... gave it to me?" Ximeng was deeply shocked by the master's supernatural powers.Master is just a painter in the palace, but he can not only get himself into the palace in the middle of the night, open the back door to let him into the painting academy, but also prepare so many things for himself overnight.It seems that he is really capable in the palace.

"Here is the list, you can check it out." A little eunuch handed Ximeng a list filled with densely written lowercase characters.

Ximeng took the list with both hands and didn't go to check the items. He replied nervously, "Thank you, Master."

The young eunuchs saw that Ximeng was a half-grown child, dressed in poor clothes, and they probably couldn't get any reward from him for this trip, so they felt unlucky and left.

"Hey." After the eunuchs who delivered the things left, Wang Zongyuan pushed Ximeng who was at a loss while holding the list in both hands, "Who is your master? Which painter? Are you so capable?"

"My master is a painter in the palace, and I don't know anything else." Ximeng put the list on the table and replied, "He didn't tell me anything."

"That's right. Generally, people with backgrounds don't reveal their identities easily." Wang Zongyuan nodded, "Maybe he will promote you, and I'll hug your thigh when the time comes."

"Zong Yuan, do you know how to get out?" Xi Meng asked suddenly.

"Go out?" Wang Zongyuan's eyes widened, "You just wanted to go out after you passed the exam?"

"No." Ximeng shook his head, "I'm worried about my sister, I want to go out and see her."

"Didn't you just come in yesterday? Do you see your sister every day?"

"No, my sister seems to be sick."

"We have one day off every month, but we just came in now, and we probably have to wait for half a month." Wang Zongyuan said, "Why don't you go and ask for a vacation with Wang Xueshi, the director of the Academy of Painting? But you just came here. Asking for leave will give him a bad impression. Or, you sneak out?"