Thousands of Miles

When Zhao Ji returned to the painting academy with Ximeng in his arms, the noisy little guy along the way had already fallen asleep in his arms at some point.

Wang Zongyuan was sitting in the room waiting for Ximeng to come back, when he saw a person holding Ximeng walking into the room, he reckoned it was Ximeng's master, so he got up and said hello.

"Master Zheng is good."

"Well, good." Zhao Ji nodded lightly, and asked softly, "Is Ximeng's bed made?"

"Not yet." Wang Zongyuan said, "He's been looking for you all afternoon, and he didn't even have time to make the bed. Why don't you put him on my bed, my bed is ready."

"En." Zhao Ji walked into Wang Zongyuan's room with Ximeng in his arms, gently placed the little man on the bed, covered the quilt, and gently closed the door.

Even though he was a little boy, Zhao Ji was still worried about letting Ximeng stay with him.Now that Ximeng was put on his bed, Zhao Ji was afraid that this little boy Wang Zongyuan would share the bed with Ximeng at night, so he turned his head and said to Mr. Zhang: "Zhang Di, go and make Ximeng's bed, or this little classmate will not sleep at night." place to sleep."

"Ah, I'll do it myself." Wang Zongyuan waved his hand quickly, "I'll do it myself."

"It's okay, let Zhang Di make the bed." Zhao Ji said, "Zhen... a certain one will go ahead, Zhang Di, you can help him make the bed before coming here."

Zhao Ji deliberately bit the words "make the bed" very hard. Eunuch Zhang knew that the official meant that he made the bed and took care of this little boy, so that he would not sleep with Ximeng.

However, Zhao Ji never expected that Ximeng woke up shortly after he left, lying on the bed with great interest and chatting with Wang Zongyuan.

"Zong Yuan, class will start tomorrow, right?"

"correct."

"What class do you have tomorrow?"

"What lessons can we have?" Wang Zongyuan moved out of the bed, "Huahua."

"I know." Ximeng also moved forward, "I want to ask about the painting project."

"Draw people."

"Painting people?" Xi Meng asked lying on the bedside, "Why do you think so?"

"What will we mainly do in the painting academy in the future? Aren't we painting portraits of concubines, princesses and princes in the harem?" Wang Zongyuan said, "So drawing people naturally comes first, and tomorrow it should be drawing people."

"Yes." Ximeng nodded, "It makes sense."

"Hey, let me tell you. Go to sleep." Wang Zongyuan simply climbed onto Ximeng's bed, pushed him in, and lay on his side, "I like drawing people the most. You are the best at drawing What?"

"I..." Ximeng thought for a while, "I seem to only be able to draw flowers and plants."

"No way? Didn't we come in and passed the examination for painters?" Mr. Wang Zongyuan pushed Ximeng with his elbow, "How can you only draw flowers and plants?"

"Others, maybe a little bit..."

"Hahaha……"

The two fell asleep while chatting.Ximeng is used to sleeping alone, and it feels uncomfortable to be lying next to someone, but he is too embarrassed to drive him away.Wang Zongyuan slept very poorly, and kept rubbing on Ximeng's body after falling asleep.In order to avoid him, Ximeng retreated to the corner by the wall, but Wang Zongyuan babbled and hugged Ximeng in his arms like a baby.

On the first day of class, the place is in the Plum Garden.

The plum garden was sunny that day, the plum blossoms were in full bloom, and there was a sea of ​​pink fragrance and snow. Being in the midst of it was already refreshing, and it was indeed a good place to paint.

Wang Xueshi, the host of the painting academy who took the figure class in person, introduced a beautiful maid of fifteen or sixteen years old and asked her to stand in the center of the students: "For today's class, you will draw her."

Children as old as Ximeng didn't respond, but a few older students stared at the court lady shyly, their cheeks were still blushing.

Ximeng was dumbfounded looking at the maid, she really wanted to draw a person.It was really hit by Wang Zongyuan, but I can't draw people at all.

"Listen well, everyone. After the drawing is finished, you can hand in the paper in advance. Today, the officials will come to see it in person." Wang Xueshi said, "If the officials pass the test, the task will be considered as completed; if the officials fail the test, you have to continue to practice. The painting time is in the morning, and the official will come at noon, you must hand in the paper before noon, otherwise it will be considered as a failure."

"Excuse me, Xueshi Wang, can we use our imagination to add some other scene content to this beauty?" A student raised his hand and asked.

"Of course." Wang Xueshi nodded, "You can use your imagination freely, imagine any of her movements, shapes, clothes, or add other characters to form the story of the picture. However, the imagination must conform to the facts and cannot be unconstrained. For example, a People have three eyes, eight legs and other common-sense mistakes cannot appear."

"Hahaha..." Some students laughed out loud.

"I'm just making an analogy." Wang Xueshi said, "You are all excellent painters, you will definitely not make these mistakes, but I can guarantee that some of you will make common-sense mistakes by then. Hahaha. Let's get started !"

After listening to Xueshi Wang's words, the few quick-thinking people immediately picked up their pens and focused on drawing people quickly.

Seeing that others have started to draw, Ximeng stared at the empty white paper in front of him, biting his fingers, not daring to write.

After staring at the maid, she looked left and right for an entire hour, and looked at each other several times, Ximeng quickly lowered her head again.

He lowered his head but couldn't think of anything, Ximeng raised his head again.Seeing Ximeng and looking up at her again, the court lady burst out laughing with a "puchi".

This time Ximeng was completely embarrassed to look at her again, so he had to lower his head and slowly sketched an outline from memory on the paper.

After drawing for a long time, he just finished drawing the lines of the characters. Before Ximeng had time to paint a few times, it was time to hand in his homework.

Most of the requirements for paintings in the palace need thick ink and heavy colors, and the painter needs to carefully render layers of paint over and over again. Ximeng's figure painting, which was only dyed three times, felt too light even when I looked at it, and I couldn't help but feel uneasy. stand up.

In the depths of the plum forest, there is a snow pavilion, not far from where the students paint.The students can see the plum blossoms, and the light floating around the pavilion sometimes rises and falls, sometimes disappears and sometimes appears.It is said that the officials sat in the pavilion, waiting to review their test papers.

Wang Xueshi carried the test papers of the students and walked to the pavilion deep in the Merlin. The students who handed in the test papers began to discuss.

"I heard that those sitting in the pavilion are the officials."

"My God, what does the official look like, I really want to see it."

"When we become great painters, maybe we will have the opportunity to meet the officials, and maybe we can paint a picture for the officials."

"Oh, what an honor that is."

"..."

Still holding the pen in his hand, Ximeng looked towards the pavilion in the depths of the plum grove where the veil was looming.Master, it's an honor to be able to paint for officials.

I really want to draw pictures for officials like Master and win glory for Master.

I really want to paint for the official family, earn money to save my sister...

Probably, it will be many years!

"Officials, these are the students' paintings, please have a look." In Wangxue Pavilion, Wang Xueshi presented a stack of paintings to Zhao Ji.

"Yeah." Zhao Ji took a thick stack of scrolls and looked at them, picked out a few and handed them to Xueshi Wang, "These are pretty good paintings. Let's see what their names are, and you can reward them."

"Yes."

"Others, so-so." Zhao Ji took out another painting with extremely elegant colors from a stack of scrolls, shook his head and said, "It's too outrageous, let Lin Ximeng redraw it!"

"Actually, he can still draw well, but he hasn't had time to paint..."

"Is this okay?" Zhao Ji said critically, "The lines are weak, the colors are unimpressive, the composition is uninnovative, the characters are unimpressive...it is useless! Go and tell him that he will paint so poorly again, I want to fire his master!"

"Yes." Wang Xueshi slandered, his master is not you, how can anyone slap him in the face like this.

The students' homework was sent back, some were praised, and naturally others were criticized.Wang Zongyuan received unanimous praise from officials and Wang Xueshi, and he was very happy.Ximeng, on the other hand, received the "officials are very dissatisfied" conveyed by Wang Xueshi, and silently lowered his head.Moreover, other people's paintings were sent back, and it seemed that only Ximeng's paintings were withheld.

"Officer...your master said, go to Ninghe Hall this evening, and he will teach you how to draw people." Wang Xueshi whispered in Ximeng's ear, "Your master opened a small stove for you, and specifically asked you not to tell others .”

"Yeah." It seems that the master is also next to the official's house. I have embarrassed him in front of the official's house. I have to take tuition... Ximeng nodded quickly, "Thank you, Wang Xueshi. I won't tell others .”

Ninghe Hall, evening

"Xi Meng, here we come." Zhao Ji put down his pen and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

Ximeng nodded, he came out after eating.Otherwise, isn't it obvious that you want to ask the master for a meal?How dare you?

"I haven't eaten yet as a teacher." Zhao Ji said silently in his heart, I am hungry because I am waiting for you to eat together!I didn't expect you kid to come here after feeding yourself first!

"Master, do you want me to cook?" Ximeng asked.

"No need." Zhao Ji hastily pulled Xi Meng back, "In this case, you can accompany me to eat some more!"

In order to prevent similar incidents from happening again, Zhao Ji added: "Remember to tell you not to come here in the evening after eating, you have to have dinner with me, you know?"

"Yes." Ximeng nodded, "Understood."

Ximeng ate another dinner under Zhao Ji's "coercion and lure", and his stomach was almost bursting, which made his master who even had to take care of his meals a little more satisfied.

"Then let's start painting." Accompanied by Ximeng, Zhao Ji had a very comfortable dinner, walked to the desk contentedly, took out a piece of cooked rice paper sprinkled with gold from the shelf, and laid it flat on the table.

"Ximeng, come here, copy a few sketches of ladies first, to find out how you feel."

Xi Meng walked slowly to Zhao Ji's side, and whispered: "Master, I brought the homework you assigned last night, would you like to take a look first?"

"Oh? Really?" Zhao Ji was taken aback, and smiled, "Master said casually, did you really draw?"

"Yeah." Ximeng nodded, "I promised Master, and Ximeng will definitely do it. But if the painting is not good, Master, please don't laugh at me."

"Hahaha, when did Master ever laugh at you?" Zhao Ji said with a smile, "Hurry up and let Master appreciate it."

"En." Xi Meng nodded, took out a piece of drawing paper from his waist, and handed it to Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji unfolded the drawing paper, only to see that the original white rice paper was dyed black and blue with ink.In the dark night dyed with ink, a small bright flower blooms quietly.

The color of the little flower is very bright, and the outline is delicate and smooth. It took a lot of time and energy to see it.Zhao Ji nodded in satisfaction: "Ximeng is really teachable. The painting is very good, the conception is very good, but the technique is a little immature, and it would be great if you can practice more."

Ximeng smiled embarrassedly: "Master, please give me some advice."

"Ximeng, look here, if you can change the color so that the color of the flower is in conflict with warm and cold, the effect will be more eye-catching." Zhao Ji said, "Look at this again, if there is an extra blooming flower, it will be more interesting. .”

Xi Meng listened carefully, thought for a while, and nodded seriously.

"Ximeng has painted very well." Zhao Ji carefully put away the painting and put it on his bookshelf.

"Ximeng has embarrassed Master today." Ximeng lowered his head in embarrassment, and bit his fingers nervously, "Today the officials are very dissatisfied with my painting, will Master blame Ximeng?"

"Of course not." Zhao Ji held Ximeng's wrist and pulled his fingers out of his mouth, "You can't gnaw your hands in the future, if you gnaw your hands again, Master will really beat you."