"Very good, very good!"
Li Er laughed and stepped forward, approached Yan Lide and said,
"Let me see."
The ministers also came together, and they were also looking forward to it.
Although the emperor is the protagonist, our brothers also have contributions! The locust-cutting escort also worked hard!
"Your Majesty, please take a look."
Yan Lide put down the brush and said with some pride,
"Although it was an impromptu painting and my skills are a lot rusty, this painting of 'Locust Killing' is still the best one I have ever painted in my life!"
Li Shimin took a closer look.
In the rain of locusts, the majestic hero riding a horse and holding a sword, isn't he himself?
Especially that face, it seems a bit more handsome than the real me!
"Yes, this is not unfamiliar. My posture is drawn exactly."
He praised, then suddenly pointed at the shadows on the painting, frowned slightly and said,
"But I am not fighting alone. Generals such as Yu Chigong and Cheng Yaojin all fought bravely to kill the locusts, while civil servants such as Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Wei Zheng also tried their best to destroy the locusts."
"They are also heroes, and their figures should also exist in paintings and be praised by the world."
"Why don't you see them in your paintings?"
Yan Lide was shocked.
"yes!"
Yuchi Gong was immediately dissatisfied and said,
"I have chopped down so many locusts. It is hard work without any credit!"
"Don't tell me that this shadow whose face you can't even see clearly is me, Yuchi Gong, right? Believe it or not, I'll beat you up?!"
Cheng Yaojin and Hou Junji also looked bad.
After working hard for a long time, his performance was better than Li Er, but in the end he became a shadow?
No one would be happy with this!
"In this picture, His Majesty is the undisputed protagonist, but with us as his foil, the stars and the moon will probably appear more realistic and structured, and will also be able to set off His Majesty even more."
Changsun Wuji curled his lips and said neither yin nor yang,
"On the contrary, it highlights His Majesty as a person, and seems a bit tragic. Is it possible that no one in the Tang Dynasty fights alongside His Majesty?"
"Shilang Yan, I know you are interested in portraying His Majesty, but you must also be realistic..."
Cold sweat fell down on Yan Lide's face.
At this moment, his intestines were filled with regret!
It was originally intended to flatter the emperor, but now not only the emperor doesn't buy it, but it has also offended a group of big shots!
How will he be able to hang out in court in the future?
When he was frightened, he had no choice but to turn to Xu Fenglei for help, hoping that the minister would help him to say a word and smooth things over.
However, Xu Fenglei smiled and said nothing.
Flattery is an art.
Are you flattering the horse this time?
Little Yanzi, your bowl of water is still shallow. This time you should take it as a lesson and improve your memory!
"Today's painting is a matter of record. Since it is a record, what is important is truth, and no falsification is allowed!"
Li Shimin stepped forward and took off the painting, handed it to Yan Lide's hands, and said calmly,
"Shilang Yan, this one is invalid."
"Draw one more steadily, and draw it according to reality! Okay?"
Yan Lide: "!!!"
"Yes Yes!"
He took the painting with both hands and said with great shame,
"It's Wei Chen who is being smart. Wei Chen is guilty. Wei Chen must correct his attitude and paint a new picture!"
Li Shimin nodded slightly and turned to look at Yan Liben.
"Liben."
He smiled and said,
"Is it still getting used to being transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Industry?"
He was naturally familiar with Yan Liben.
Back then, this boy was serving as the director of the Treasury in Tiance Mansion, so he could be regarded as his confidant.
If there weren't too many big shots in the court, how could he have been appointed as the second-ranking minister in the Six Ministries.
"Your Majesty, I am accustomed to everything, and I am at ease in the Ministry of Industry."
Yan Liben said respectfully,
"Many of the minister's ideas impressed Weichen! Weichen especially loves planning, designing and drawing drawings."
Xu Fenglei nodded and smiled:
"It's true. This kid is obsessed with design. He often stays in the Ministry of Industry for several days, almost to the point of forgetting to sleep and eat."
"Every time he comes to see me, he comes with a stack of design drawings. His drawings are detailed and very helpful in starting construction."
When Li Shimin heard this, he nodded slightly, showing approval.
"That's very good. It seems that you are making the best use of your talents by being appointed to the Ministry of Works."
He said,
"Don't slack off, I may have important tasks to deliver in the future."
"According to the order." Yan Liben looked calm and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please take a look at this humble work."
Li Shimin looked up.
But he saw that the painting in front of Yan Liben was also him.
It's just that it's different from Zhan Locust's cool and unrestrained spirit. This time, the expression on his face is very difficult.
Because he was doing an action - swallowing locusts!
Yan Liben's handling of facial expressions is particularly exquisite. With just a few strokes, he can outline his difficult but determined expression!
In addition, it is also full of details. His right hand raised three fingers to make an oath.
Thinking back for a moment, isn't this what happened just now?
Although it is difficult, although it is painful, even though it is unwilling, but... without any hesitation, I swear an oath and swallow it in one gulp!
"Okay, great painting!"
Li Shimin sincerely praised,
"Liben, paintings are rigid and fixed things, but you captured my expression very accurately! It's rare, it's rare..."
Then, he looked at the local area.
However, I saw that Changsun Wuji, Yuchi Gong and other close ministers were also particularly well-portrayed. When they saw the emperor swallowing locusts, one person's face was frightened, another was worried, another looked anxious, and one stepped forward to stop him!
Each minister did not use much ink, and even their limbs and torsos were barely drawn, only the outlines could be seen.
But everyone’s expressions are sketched out!
In particular, Yu Chigong's move of raising his hands and impatiently stepping forward to stop the emperor was also depicted by Yan Liben.
The emperor resolutely takes risks for the sake of the people!
The ministers were worried about Your Majesty and tried their best to dissuade him!
Everyone has done their part, and everyone has their shining points and something worth appreciating!
"Tsk! This is a good painting, a good painting!"
Yuchi Gong clapped his hands and praised,
"That's what I was like at that time. Seeing that Your Majesty was going to eat the locusts alive, I was so anxious! I wanted to grab them and eat them myself!"
"Yan Liben, you did a good job! Much better than your brother!"
Compared to Yan Lide's one, this one has a strong presence on its own, and is almost a Best Supporting Actor, not bad!
"The painting is indeed good, suitable for the monarch, and very expressive. It depicts our expressions during the emergency, and it also makes His Majesty more determined. Although everyone stopped him, he was still resolute for the sake of the people and the common people. Swallow the locusts!"
Fang Xuanling also praised,
"As expected of you, Liben. When I was in Tiance Mansion, you had the most exquisite painting skills."
"Now he has reached a higher level. He can paint such a masterpiece in such a short period of time. He can be called a famous artist in the world!"
(End of chapter)
