Chapter 1207: Battle of Famous Paintings
Translator: Lordbluefire
“If we include the [Riches and Honor, Solitary Life Painting], there should be seven of them!”
Lu Zhiruo pursed her lips. Because Sun Mo had helped a little maid copy this famous painting, even though it was his work, he usually didn’t mention it.
“It doesn’t matter!”
Qin Yaoguang continued, “It’s too difficult for others to make famous paintings, so every single one of them has to be included. However, Teacher is different. He can draw them whenever he wants!”
“That’s right!” Ying Baiwu was very proud. “The number of famous paintings under our teacher’s name is enough to crush many famous artists.”
“Ziqi’s drawing skills are not bad to begin with. Coupled with Great Teacher Sun’s guidance, even if she doesn’t get first place, there should be no issue to get second place.”
Li Xiu was looking forward to it. As long as Li Ziqi could get second place, the Great Tang would emerge as the champion of the Arts Battle.
The Painting Battle’s time limit was three hours. During this time, the Qi Emperor wouldn’t let everyone just sit there and do nothing. Otherwise, it’d be too boring. Therefore, he arranged for an art appreciation session.
The judges for this Painting Battle were three famous artists.
Zou Yin was good at drawing people and scenes from the streets, especially the beauty portraits. They were the favorites of emperors and young masters of wealthy families. They were also the most expensive ones on the market.
After all, which man didn’t like beauties?
In reality, women had all sorts of shortcomings, but the ones in paintings could be perfect and flawless.
Wang Zan was good at drawing mountains, rivers, flowers, and birds. He was said to be a man who had carved nature on canvases. His whereabouts were also the most indiscernible. He often entered the mountains and forests and would be gone for several years each time.
This time around, it was only after hearing that Sun Mo was coming did Wang Zan agree to the Qi Emperor’s invitation to be the judge.
The third person was Zeng Gongnian, who was called Hundred-Hands. It meant that he could draw anything. He was also the oldest famous artist here. He had drawn the most portraits of emperors with his hands.
“This painting is Wu Daozi’s’ [Child-Deliverance Painting]. I came across it by chance at an art gallery when I traveled incognito!”
As the Qi Emperor gave his introduction, four eunuchs carefully unrolled a long scroll.
“Everyone, please appraise it!”
The Qi Emperor took a sip of wine, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes.
The important figures from the four delegations went on stage.
From the Great Tang’s side, Li Xiu and Han Cangshui went over while Sun Mo stayed at the spectators’ stand.
To speak the truth, he was not interested in drawing. He could admire art pieces like Mona Lisa and Man with a Pipe. However, he felt that these art pieces weren’t that far off from the prints that were commonly seen on the streets.
He could tell that artists for pieces like the ‘Along the River During the Qingming Festival’ and ‘The Night Revels of Han Xizai’ were amazing, but that was merely it.
If Sun Mo had the time, he’d rather spend it on reading comics.
“Sigh, I wonder who benefited from my hard disk.”
At the thought of the over 100 gigabytes worth of materials stored in the folder named ‘learning materials’ and how he couldn’t revise them anymore, Sun Mo felt upset.
“Teacher!”
Lu Zhiruo poked Sun Mo. “The Qi Emperor is calling for you!”
“Beloved Subject Sun, hurry up and come on stage to admire this painting!”
Seeing that Sun Mo was not coming, the Qi Emperor personally came down the stage to call him.
This treatment made many people’s eyes turn red with jealousy.
As soon as Sun Mo went on stage, the three famous painters looked over. Wang Zan greeted him, while Zou Yin and Zeng Gongnian did not even cup their hands to him.
“Hehe!”
Sun Mo didn’t mind.
“I’ve long since heard that Great Teacher Sun has several great works. May I know where I can go to see them?”
Wang Zan smiled. “I went to the Dragon Subduing Academy and had the great opportunity to see The Kite-Chasing Girl. I was shocked by it! Your paintings are no longer just paintings. You’re also teaching and giving students encouragement!”
“Artist Wang is too kind!”
Sun Mo said humbly.
“Great Teacher Sun, there’s no need to be humble. When we paint famous paintings, we have never thought about the meaning of education. It’d be just drawing freely when we felt touched and inspired.”
Wang Zan’s words were referring to the state for most artists.
“That’s you. I work hard in trying my best to implement teaching into my artworks!”
Zou Yin interrupted arrogantly. He then cupped his hands at Sun Mo. “Hello, Teacher Sun!”
Sun Mo raised his brows. This guy might seem to be greeting him, but he was actually giving a demonstration.
This was because for someone to have the qualification to call Sun Mo + ‘Teacher(Shi)[1]’, they must be a great teacher.
Of course, Sun Mo was someone who wouldn’t let himself lose out.
“I think you look familiar. Have we met before when we were undergoing the 4-stars examination at the Ancient Sage Building?”
Sun Mo cupped his fists together and wore an expression as if he was on close terms with the other party.
Zou Yin’s expression froze. He felt so awkward that he did not know what to say.
Although he was a great teacher, he was only a 2-stars one. He had passed the examination back when the requirements were lax, so naturally, he wasn’t qualified to take the examinations with Sun Mo.
What Sun Mo’s words meant was: ‘Even though you’re already so old, your star-level is not as high as mine. What right do you have to speak with contempt in front of me?’
“Teacher Sun, don’t make fun of him. There’s only one 5-stars great teacher like you in the entire world.”
Grand Tutor Su was considered a host as well, so he naturally had to be a peacemaker.
“There are definitely no precedents, and there’d be no such cases either in the future!”
Li Xiu laughed and teased upon hearing that. “I’ve seen Sun Mo draw on the spot. To be honest, if he hadn’t wanted to be a great teacher, which caused him to waste a lot of time and effort, his achievements in painting would have been higher. He might have become a Saint Artist of the generation.”
At this point, Li Xiu looked at Wang Zan. “Great Teacher Sun has a total of seven famous paintings, all of which were completed in the past two years. Other than The Kite-Chasing Girl, you can take a look at the other paintings at the Jinling’s Zheng Manor!”
The Eldest Princess said this very loudly.
This was the first time many people had heard of this and they were shocked, the onlookers even more so. They immediately started discussing amongst themselves.
“Is that true? Seven famous paintings in two years? Even an Art Saint might not be able to produce so many!”
“A painting can only have the right to be called a famous painting if it produces a Wondrous Blossom state. It’s impossible to fake it, and these are the words coming from the Great Tang’s Eldest Princess!”
“How I wish I could see them!”
Some uncultured people who liked to mingle with cultured people to put up a pretense, as well as those who liked paintings started to mumble noisily.
“Beloved Subject Sun, what do you think of this [Child-Deliverance Painting]?”
The Qi Emperor asked.
The reason this famous painting was famous was not just because of its Wondrous Blossom state, but also because it had a deep meaning to it.
Back then, Wu Daozi’s wife hadn’t given birth to any children even though the two of them had been married for a long time. Therefore, Wu Daozi’s mother had forced him to divorce his wife. Wu Daozi refused, so he brought his wife to Yunyin Temple to pray to Buddha and ask for a son!
On their way there, there were many women who also came to pray for children. Some of them had failed several times and eventually committed suicide by drowning themselves in a river. Wu Daozi felt overwhelmed with emotions upon seeing this and they were put into this painting.
A woman’s life and the feelings between a married couple shouldn’t be measured by a child!
After returning from the Yunyin Temple, Wu Daozi made this famous painting. After his mother had seen it, she came to her senses and no longer insisted on getting her daughter-in-law to give birth to a son.
This painting was called [Child-Deliverance Painting], but it was actually a painting with a persuasion motive. People who had seen it would use a calmer and level-headed mindset toward childbirth.
“Interesting!”
Sun Mo saw the Child-Deliverance Goddess carrying a baby boy and baby girl in each hand. He recalled that even in the modern era, people had a strong obsession with giving birth to sons.
“What do you mean by interesting?”
The Qi Emperor asked.
Although famous paintings had a Wondrous Blossom state, it was not impossible to forge them. This was because these famous paintings were too famous and there’d always be artists who copied them as part of their learning. After copying them too many times, some of them would occasionally experience a flash of inspiration that would give birth to a famous painting.
For example, Sun Mo’s [Riches and Honor, Solitary Life Painting] was also a forged art piece.
“It’s a fake!”
Before Sun Mo gave his evaluation, he had activated his Divine Sight to confirm it.
The moment he said this, many people frowned. This was because they had just praised this famous painting. How were they supposed to uphold their reputation when Sun Mo said that it was a fake?
“Great Teacher Sun, no matter how many famous paintings you have done, you should always be careful and modest when appraising a painting. You should behave as though you’re new and inexperienced. Don’t speak so irresponsibly.”
Zou Yin lectured him.
Many officials and great teachers nodded in agreement.
Sun Mo was too reckless. No one could confirm the authenticity of a famous painting in just three minutes.
“Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean that others can’t!”
Sun Mo glanced at Zou Yin. “Also, I’m a great teacher. I’ll take responsibility for every word I say. If this painting is real, I’ll chop my head off for you to use as a chamber pot!”
Sssss!
Sun Mo’s words came on too strong and attracted a lot of attention.
“Okay, then tell me why you think it’s a fake!”
Zou Yin said sarcastically.
“The theme of the [Child-Deliverance Painting] is to let people drop their obsession of wanting to give birth to a son. This forgery has done that, but it’s still lacking a little.”
Sun Mo explained, “It lacks a kind of doting love for women.”
“Doting love?”
Everyone was puzzled.
“Wu Daozi and his wife shared a close relationship, growing old together, sharing the same bed when alive and the same tomb when dead. Therefore, in his version of the painting, there is also the apologetic and loving feelings he has toward his wife. Look at this painting. The woman who is kneeling and praying for a child should be Wu Daozi’s wife. However, she doesn’t look any different from the other women who are praying for children.”
Sun Mo smiled. “If I were the one drawing my wife, I would definitely put in a lot of effort into drawing her!”
Everyone fell silent. Sun Mo’s words made sense.
Zou Yin and Zeng Ying exchanged a glance, unable to think of any rebuttal words.
“Should I refute that?”
Zou Yin hesitated.
At this moment, the Qi Emperor clapped.
Pa pa!
“Haha, as expected of Beloved Subject Sun. You are right!”
The Qi Emperor laughed. “That’s right. This painting is not Wu Daozi’s [Child-Deliverance Painting], but is a copy that I painted.”
“What?”
Everyone was shocked.
“I didn’t expect Your Majesty to have such unparalleled talent!”
Li Xiu was indeed used to the palace life and was the first to offer compliments. She even wore a look of admiration on her face.
The others quickly reacted and offered their flatteries too.
“Haha!”
The Qi Emperor was happy and he couldn’t help but pat Sun Mo’s shoulder. “If it wasn’t for your sharp eyes, This Emperor’s famous painting would be able to fool the others and pass off as the real thing!”
“It was luck!”
Sun Mo said humbly.
In reality, the reason Sun Mo could determine the authenticity of this famous painting was because of the Qi Emperor’s attitude.
Given the Qi Emperor’s status, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to take out a real piece. But that wouldn’t be interesting, would it?
Since the Qi Emperor had an unbridled personality, he would definitely take the opportunity to make fun of everyone. Moreover, he had asked everyone’s opinions on this art piece several times. The answer was clearly laid out.
Sun Mo had stolen a few glances at the Qi Emperor. When he saw the pleased expression on the Qi Emperor’s face, he understood. After all, the Qi Emperor was not so superficial that he would be pleased just because he had a famous painting. It was unless this famous painting had been created by him.
“This is my first famous painting!”
The Qi Emperor immediately started introducing how he had an inspiration outburst that afternoon.
Everyone actually did not want to hear this, but there was nothing they could do. After all, the other party was the Qi Emperor. Some of them even curried up to him!
“F*ck, that was close!”
Zou Yin raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. It was fortunate that he did not continue to refute Sun Mo arrogantly. Otherwise, he would have been embarrassed.
“What a pity!”
Zeng Gongnian felt regretful. Actually, he could tell that the painting was a fake. He didn’t say it because he wanted Zou Yin or Wang Zan to say that the art piece was a real one. When the time came and he revealed this fact, their reputations would drop drastically and his would rise as a result.
However, Sun Mo had spoiled everything.
“Amazing!”
Zeng Gongnian sized Sun Mo up and couldn’t help but praise him in his heart. His reputation was really well deserved.
Next up was the time to appreciate paintings and treasures. The Qi Emperor finally could bring out the treasures he had collected and show them off.
Even some wealthy people had their horizons widened, let alone the commoners. After all, this was a collection carefully picked out by an emperor.
Sun Mo was so bored that he felt like sleeping until the Qi Emperor said this.
“Beloved Subject Sun, is there anything you’ve taken a liking to? You can pick one!”
After the Qi Emperor said that, the entire group of people stared at Sun Mo.
Did the Qi Emperor have to admire him this much?
“Your Majesty, these are just worldly possessions. There’s no need to pay too much attention to them. You should focus your energy on more meaningful things!”
Sun Mo tried to persuade him. He wanted to say that there was no way to take these things along when one died. But on second thought, these collections might end up being buried with the Qi Emperor so he could not be bothered to say it.
(Speaking of which, if I marry Jiang Yuzhen, these collections will probably end up mine, right?)
“Great Teacher Sun, This Emperor has benefited from your teaching!”
To be able to be an energetic little bee at night that could do it seven times, the Qi Emperor did not dare to berate Sun Mo. Instead, he humbly accepted his teachings.
Without realizing it, more than an hour had passed and Xiang Zhao was surrounded by crumpled paper. He couldn’t draw famous paintings, so he scratched his head gloomily.
“Forget it, the others probably won’t be able to draw a famous painting either. If that’s the case, I’ll just need to draw a high-quality piece with a slightly higher meaning to win!”
Xiang Zhao decided not to pursue perfection anymore. But right at this moment, spiritual qi suddenly gushed on Wei Wu`an’s side.
“What?”
Xiang Zhao was shocked. Usually, when such a phenomenon occurred, it meant that the Wondrous Blossom state had been achieved!
The people in the arena were also alarmed. All of them looked over.
“Wei Crown Prince has produced a famous painting?”
Everyone immediately wanted to rush over and take a look, but they were stopped by Sun Mo. “Don’t disturb him, or else the famous painting might end up failing midway!”
“Damn it, why are you interfering? Why aren’t you letting them come over?”
Wei Wu`an was displeased.
This was his scheme. He had cheated to create the phenomenon of spiritual qi gathering. His plan was to cancel it when everyone came over, using the excuse that everyone had disturbed him and that was why the famous painting failed to materialize. However, Sun Mo had stopped that from happening.
“Could this guy have seen through my scheme?”
Wei Wu`an was depressed. He was just thinking of what to do when the same situation happened at Xia Taikang’s side.
[1] The term ‘laoshi’ (old/elder teacher) has been mentioned before.. In this story’s context, it is a much more respectful way of addressing someone compared to simply using the word ‘shi’ (teacher).