Hidden in the court

Chapter 156: Spring Mountain Companion

"I think we should investigate the temples first. They are making so much money, and the people's money doesn't come from the wind. Even if there is something wrong with that brothel, we should put it aside for now."

Hu Die spoke, and Rowling, who had been silent for a long time, raised a question.

"Don't you find it strange? Even if the gods in this place are very powerful, will the people really spend all their spare money to pray to the gods? Don't they consider their livelihood?"

"The facts are in front of us. We have all seen it today. There are indeed some problems with the behavior of those people."

"Also, after we came back, Sister Hu and I asked some people in the Censorate. Most of them turned a deaf ear to the Qingzhou officials' affairs, but they all hated the temples' money-making activities."

Hu Die suggested, "Tomorrow I will go visit Mr. Huo, Ji Mingshang and Lin'er will go visit the people's homes, and you can go to those temples to check him out, okay?"

At this moment, Ji Mingshang couldn't help but speak again.

"This clue is quite fragmentary, but I have something urgent to tell you. I'll tell you first. Lao Zhao will help me tomorrow."

Zhao Yao was obviously still a little confused, "What's the matter?"

"Didn't I say I promised the shop owner that I'd ask her to buy me a painting tomorrow? The problem is, there's no painting now."

Somehow, Zhao Yao always had a bad feeling, "What kind of painting?"

Seeing this, Ji Mingshang hesitated again.

"You know that Tang Bohu, right? It's the 'Spring Trees and Autumn Frost' in Stephen Chow's film 'Flirting Scholar'. It seems to be called 'Spring Mountain Companion'."

After these words were spoken, Zhao Yaogan fell silent again. "Tell me the truth, did you just come up with this randomly? How can I draw something that I don't even have a copy of?"

Luo Lin exclaimed, "Tang Yin's "Spring Mountain Companion"?"

"What, you know too?"

Hearing this, Luo Lin said proudly, "How could I not know? The 'Spring Mountain Companion' is more than 2 feet 4 inches long and about 1 foot 3 inches wide. During the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, Tang Yin was dismissed as a minor official in Zhejiang due to a cheating case in the imperial examination. Later, because of a mistake, he defected to the Ning Wang who wanted to usurp the throne. He had to pretend to be crazy and escape from the Ning Mansion, and was completely out of the officialdom. Tang Yin then painted the 'Spring Mountain Companion'. This painting was made when he was frustrated, and the emotional expression is also very sincere. He used painting to express his expectation for the beautiful life in the painting, so as to comfort himself."

"I didn't realize that my wife is so amazing!"

"That's right. After all, the original painting is still in my house."

"So you can draw?"

When Ji Mingshang heard her say that, his eyes lit up and he said with anticipation.

But Rowling shook her head. "No, don't you know me? I have trouble threading a needle."

"Well, at least now we don't have to worry about running into the real thing."

After listening to what Rowling said, Ji Mingshang looked at Hu Die beside him.

Hu Die noticed his gaze, "Why are you looking at me? I am a martial artist."

After being poured a bucket of cold water again, Ji Mingshang felt a little dazed. If he couldn't seize this opportunity with Wangchunlou, the clue would really be lost.

"But I still remember the content of the painting: In the distance, there are mountains, some of which stand like sharp swords piercing the sky, hidden by the lingering mist; in the middle, there is a mountainside, except for a few trees, the rest are bushes, arranged in a relatively neat manner. In the near distance, there are pieces of rocks, not too high or too short, stacked together, and a few pine trees on the rocks, with thick and winding roots. There is a house painted on the right side of the rock in the near distance, with two people sitting in the house, one of them is an old man wearing a robe and dipped in light red. There is a seven-character poem in the upper left corner: 'Two or three companions in the spring mountains, carrying wine and looking for flowers frequently, it's good to be on the rocks at the spring head and on the soft grass where you can sit quietly without dust'. Can it be reproduced..."

Although she asked this question, she knew in her heart that this was highly unlikely. Even if Tang Yin were to paint "Spring Mountain Companion" again, it would probably not be as good as the original, let alone let others reproduce it.

But after hearing what she said, Zhao Yao was indeed tempted.

"It seems that I have copied it..."

Only Ji Mingshang, who was standing closest, could hear this quiet mumbling.

He came up immediately and asked, "You really can do it?"

Zhao Yao also whispered, "It happened in my previous life. I only copied it once..."

Ji Mingshang's face suddenly fell.

I have to say that he really posed a difficult problem for several people this time.

"But I can try. Don't hold your hopes too high. I'm not Tang Bohu. People in the industry can tell it's fake at a glance."

"Okay, okay, okay, you draw first, and let Lin'er watch from the side. Just draw a rough outline. I guess not many people have seen the real thing."

"Now there is another question, when will you need this painting?"

"Tomorrow evening."

Zhao Yao's face turned completely dark and he pulled Ji Mingshang aside.

"In such a short time, the ink can't dry."

"When I see you guys painting, don't you just finish and wait for a while before it dries?"

"That's modern times. Where are we now? Industrial ink dries quickly because it contains a lot of glue."

"What's the big deal? Can't I just add some glue to it for you?"

At this time, Rowling also came over.

"I have another question. Can new paintings be the same as old paintings? How do you make them look old?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Mingshang spread his hands.

"Can't I just brush on the soy sauce?"

Now it wasn't just Zhao Yao who had a black face. Rowling and Butterfly also had dark faces.

In the end, Zhao Yao said helplessly: "I will find a way, you go and rest first. Luo Lin and I will draw it tomorrow, and Ji Mingshang will go to the temple to investigate for me."

At that time, pigments were mainly divided into two categories: plant and mineral. For example, gamboge and indigo are plant pigments. Cinnabar and ochre are mineral pigments. Because of the complicated process, they are extremely precious and far from comparable to the color-mixing products of later generations.

However, in order to soak this piece of paper, I have to use it in a special way. First, cut the paper into the size of "Spring Mountain Companion Picture".

Mix the color in a basin of water, boil some tea leaves, and wait until the color is completely blurred. Then soak the paper in it. After soaking, carefully take out the paper and let it dry overnight.

Now I can only pray that it will dry completely overnight and the color will come out OK.

Just when Zhao Yao had prepared everything and wanted to go back to rest, he found that Hu Die was still beside Su Mengyang.

Seeing this scene, he also smiled faintly.

"Why don't you go back and rest?"

But Hu Die's next sentence made him feel a little embarrassed.

I only heard her say slowly: "This is my room."

"Oh, where is his room? I'll carry him away."

"No, let him rest."

After saying that, he turned around and went to another room.