Chapter 53: The Qionglin Art Gathering
Yu Hualiang firmly refused, “Even if the Fourth Prince has certain preferences, he still has principles... I will not share a bed with you.”
The Fourth Prince, seeing him reject so completely, found his interest in Yu Hualiang only deepening.
He smiled as he approached, “Little painter, are you truly serious?”
Yu Hualiang quickly scrambled off the bed to maintain his distance, “Your Highness, please return to your chambers...”
“No one has ever refused me before...” A cold gleam flashed in the Fourth Prince’s eyes as he lunged at Yu Hualiang, but Yu Hualiang was quick enough to seize his wrist.
He meant to twist the prince’s arm and wrench it out of joint, but the Fourth Prince deftly reversed their positions, pinning Yu Hualiang and shoving him back onto the bed.
Yu Hualiang found himself pressed onto the bed in a prone position. The Fourth Prince’s eyes glinted with a blood-red sheen as he sneered, “What’s this? Has the little painter trained as well? Care to spar with me?”
As he spoke, his grip tightened, making Yu Hualiang cry out in pain. Embarrassed by his outburst, Yu Hualiang forced himself to swallow the sound.
The Fourth Prince found amusement in this and deliberately hurt him, but Yu Hualiang clenched his teeth and refused to make another sound. The Fourth Prince had no real intention of dislocating his arm, so he let go with a chuckle, “Well now, the little painter has some wolfish spirit.”
He released him. Yu Hualiang slumped to the floor, massaging his shoulder with a cold smile, “Your Highness flatters me.”
“I don’t enjoy forcing others. Let’s pretend I never came tonight.”
The Fourth Prince departed with ease. The guards posted at the door entered when they saw Yu Hualiang sitting on the floor, helping him up.
One touched his arm, making Yu Hualiang hiss in pain. The guard looked apologetic, unsure what to do.
Yu Hualiang was quick to reassure him, “It’s nothing, nothing. The Fourth Prince was a bit rough... It’s not your fault.”
The guard sighed and helped him to the bed, gently massaging Yu Hualiang’s shoulder. After a while, Yu Hualiang felt the pain ease and marveled, “You’re amazing—did you learn massage techniques? It really doesn’t hurt anymore.”
The guard replied, “Years of illness made me a healer.”
Yu Hualiang’s respect for him doubled. “Please, have a seat.”
The guard maintained his stance, “I dare not sit with Master Yu...”
“Oh, come now, there’s only the two of us here. Don’t treat me as Master Yu. Let me introduce myself: I’m Yu Hualiang, courtesy name Ziliang.”
“Ye Hao,” he replied simply.
“Hm? What’s your connection to Ye Fang and Ye Mo?” Yu Hualiang asked curiously.
“We are all secret guards born in the Year of the Tiger. The late emperor granted us the surname Ye.”
Yu Hualiang was suddenly impressed by the grandeur of the name.
“Wow, that’s remarkable.”
Ye Hao said, “The emperor’s favor is vast. Ye Hao will not dishonor his mission.”
Yu Hualiang had just felt the conversation flowing, but now it turned awkward again. Talking with Ye Hao always made him sleepy. He collapsed onto the bed, “Impressive. Let’s talk more tomorrow, I’m feeling drowsy.”
Ye Hao’s tone seemed tinged with disappointment as he rose to leave. Yu Hualiang called after him, “Hey, where will you sleep?”
Ye Hao replied, “I shall keep watch outside and not sleep.”
Yu Hualiang glanced outside—the rain was pouring, thunder rumbling. He felt pity, “Come inside, it’s raining.”
“I cannot—”
“There’s nothing you can’t do. I’m telling you to come in, so come in.”
Yu Hualiang’s insistence worked, and Ye Hao obediently entered.
“Why don’t you sleep in my bed?”
The suggestion startled the guard, who fell to his knees, “I could never share a bed with Master Yu!”
Yu Hualiang realized how thoughtless his words were and quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand, I just don’t want you to be without a place to sleep.”
“Thank you for your concern, Master Yu. Ye Hao is willing to keep watch for you through the night.”
Yu Hualiang yawned; he couldn’t stand Ye Hao’s earnest tone—it always lulled him to sleep. He turned over, “Suit yourself... I’m going to sleep... If the Fourth Prince comes, wake me up, please.”
Ye Hao watched him drift off and sighed. Yu Hualiang treated people well, a hundred times better than the Fourth Prince, but now that the prince had his eye on him, misfortune seemed inevitable.
The next morning, Yu Hualiang’s arm still ached. The Fourth Prince acted as if nothing had happened, amiably inviting him to breakfast, never once mentioning the previous evening, not even during their carriage ride.
The Qionglin Painting Society and the Yu Family Painting Society were the two largest painting societies in the capital. Though Qionglin lacked the prestige of the Yu Family, it was more widespread.
The Yu Family Painting Society only accepted those with talent, while Qionglin admitted anyone eager to learn, so they had many apprentices.
With so many people, the venue was a large courtyard. Except for the space reserved for the Fourth Prince, every spot was filled.
At this painting gathering, there were some unfamiliar faces, as well as Ji Yuzhe and his bodyguard-like younger brother, a worried-looking Wang Ji, and Chang Zihao, who seemed to be there just to join the excitement.
Chang Zihao was baffled to see Yu Hualiang enter with the Fourth Prince, wearing an expression that said, “Why do I find you everywhere?”
Yu Hualiang wanted to explain, but it wasn’t convenient as he was seated with the prince.
The Fourth Prince noticed his gaze at Chang Zihao and asked, “How do you know him?”
Yu Hualiang answered, “He’s from the Yu Family Painting Society—my third junior brother.”
“Hmm? Do your two societies get along well?”
Yu Hualiang nodded, “I suppose so...”
Nearby, a man in blue whispered to his companion, “Isn’t that Yu Hualiang from the Yu Family Painting Society? What’s he doing here?”
“I thought the Seventh Prince chose him, so why is he with the Fourth Prince now?”
“I heard he’s of certain preferences... Could it be he’s attached himself to the Fourth Prince?”
“Well, that’s shameless.”
“And is gossiping behind someone’s back any more respectable?” Chang Zihao retorted coldly.
The man in blue was surprised that Chang Zihao was defending Yu Hualiang, especially since rumor had it that the two were never on good terms in the Yu Family Painting Society.
He tried to cozy up to Chang Zihao, “Ah, isn’t this Young Master Chang? Since when were you and Yu Hualiang so close, like brothers?”
Chang Zihao replied disdainfully, “Who’s his brother?”
The man in blue continued, “Is it because you lost to him and now you’re afraid?”
“You!” Mu Qi protested, but Chang Zihao stopped him, glancing at the Fourth Prince. Mu Qi understood—he should be careful with a prince present.
The man in blue was pleased; it wasn’t often he could talk down to a young master.
Ji Yuzhe overheard the earlier remarks and sighed, watching Yu Hualiang. Ji Yuyun noticed his mood, “What’s the matter, brother?”
“Even if Yu is of certain preferences, he is not that kind of person.”
The man in blue disagreed, moving closer to press the point, “Yuzhe, you’re siding with outsiders. Have you forgotten how Qingyi was bullied at the Yu Family Painting Society?”
Wang Ji turned to see who was calling him, while Ji Yuzhe defended Yu Hualiang, “Wasn’t it Yu who stood up for Qingyi in the end?”
“Yuzhe, people like to play the hero. How can you be sure?”
Ji Yuzhe’s brows furrowed deeper, “I’ve known Yu; he is absolutely not that sort of person!”
The man in blue wanted to argue further, but seeing Ji Yuyun’s expression darken, he swallowed his words, muttering under his breath, “Useless degenerate...”
“Achoo...” Yu Hualiang sneezed. The Fourth Prince asked with concern, “Little painter, what’s wrong? Did you catch a chill?”
“It’s nothing, nothing. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness,” Yu Hualiang replied politely.
The Fourth Prince turned to business, “I know nothing about painting. I’ll have to rely on you to help me judge the works.”
Yu Hualiang smiled, “It’s my duty.”
He pointed to Chang Zihao, “That’s my junior brother. He’s very talented, but since Your Highness is recruiting at Qionglin, recommending someone from the Yu Family Painting Society wouldn’t be appropriate.”
The Fourth Prince laughed, “You truly understand decorum. You're worried the two societies might become rivals.”
Yu Hualiang chuckled, “Haha, my junior brother is talented, but he’s not my first choice for recommendation.”
“Oh? Who in Qionglin do you think surpasses your junior brother?”
Yu Hualiang pointed at Wang Ji, “Him. At the last Yu Family Painting Society gathering, I noticed his exceptional talent. His style is delicate—he’s a rare find.”
The Fourth Prince followed Yu Hualiang’s gesture, observing the timid Wang Ji with interest.
The bell rang, marking the start of the painting event. The first was the Qionglin master’s “Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.” Yu Hualiang commented, “The phoenix’s eyes lack spirit; even a mountain pheasant would be better. This brother is not yet skilled enough.”
The Fourth Prince smiled and nodded. Those further away couldn’t hear clearly and could only guess; the talkative man in blue turned to Ji Yuzhe.
“Yuzhe, look—Yu Hualiang shakes his head, yet the Fourth Prince nods. What does that mean?”
Ji Yuzhe wasn’t a mind reader, so he guessed, “Perhaps they’re saying the master still lacks skill.”
The man in blue eyed Yu Hualiang, “Is he really that gifted? Still, we shouldn’t let someone from the Yu Family Painting Society judge us at Qionglin.”
Chang Zihao, listening nearby, grew annoyed and lightly slammed his teacup, spilling water on the man in blue.
The man protested, “Hey! What does that mean, Young Master Chang?”
Chang Zihao replied irritably, “Sorry, it was accidental.”
The man in blue fumed, but several presentations later, it was finally Wang Ji’s turn.
Wang Ji presented a painting of plantain leaves in the night rain. The immediate impression was the scenery.
Every vein of the plantain leaves was meticulously rendered; the pavilion was depicted with perfect detail. Compared to his previous work, he had greatly improved.
Yu Hualiang declared, “A masterpiece.”
The Fourth Prince agreed, “It is indeed beautiful.”
Ji Yuzhe was just there for fun and brought no work, so it was the man in blue’s turn.
Carefully, he presented his painting of pine mountains and bamboo groves. At first glance it seemed fine, but the closer one looked, the more it revealed its flaws.
Three brushstrokes were misplaced, two ink stains marred it, and most importantly, he likely had never observed an actual bamboo grove; how could there be no bamboo shoots among the stalks?
Yu Hualiang critiqued, “This person was careless, clearly not attentive in observation.”
“How can you tell?”
“In the sparse soil of the pine mountain, robust bamboo couldn’t grow. The bamboo would be smaller, and he omitted the bamboo shoots altogether...”
Yu Hualiang explained at length. The Fourth Prince was convinced, nodding. The man in blue saw the prince’s expression and knew he had no chance.
He glared at Yu Hualiang, seated beside the Seventh Prince, feeling his anger surge.
“Chang Zihao of the Yu Family presents his ‘Proud Eagle’ painting.”