Xiao Zhou came to invite Xuan's nephew and beloved daughter to dinner in the afternoon, and by the way to see the progress of the portrait, but saw Zhou Xuan holding a magic pen on the drawing paper vertical and horizontal rendering, a few days ago I saw her aunt to immediately put down the paintbrush to give gifts, but today it is as if I didn't see it, I was engrossed in painting, and Princess Qingle, who was sitting in front of the window, was angry with him as soon as she moved: "Don't move!" "It's very domineering.

Xiao Zhou Hou stood next to Zhou Xuan to watch him paint, such a thick and colorful painting is unheard of, is it the painting method of Xuan's nephew's homeland?

This is the second time Zhou Xuan has entered this realm of selflessness, the last time was in Baiyun Temple for the portrait of Jingyi Fairy, hearty, in one go, this time the painting time is longer, painting a carved lattice window, a beautiful girl in a pink wedding dress stares out the window, the wide canopy-like skirt is decorated with various roses, strong colors, unbridled brushwork, unrestrained passion...... These are all things that Gu Hongzhong's classical painters lack.

Xiao Zhou Hou stood beside Zhou Xuan for half an hour, watching Zhou Xuan keep smearing colors, and under the guidance of his pen tip, the clusters of colors gradually appeared skirts, petals, ankles, round and bare shoulders, slender swan-like neck, and the stunning beauty of Princess Qingle's side face-

Zhou Xuan's brush and ink are different from the freehand paintings of later generations, there are details and slightly, like the roses on the long skirt, the pen indulges in wine, there is the image of flowers, and the face of Princess Qingle is carefully depicted with a small tube, although the brush is concise, but the color is beautiful, and the attitude is expressive.

After a long time, Zhou Xuan put the pen on the green jade pen holder, took a step back and prepared to look at the whole picture scroll, to see if there was anything else to decorate, Xiao Zhou on his side retreated, and the plump part of his left chest was touched by his back, and he couldn't help exclaiming-

Zhou Xuan took a look, ah, auntie, hurry up and confess.

Xiao Zhouhou stretched out his hand and swept his sideburns, covered up his shyness, and said with a smile: "Xuan's nephew is really attentive, Cao Wei's Handan Chun divided Go into nine grades, and the top grade is into the gods. ”

Zhou Xuan looked at this picture of a freehand lady, he was very satisfied, and said with a smug face: "My aunt has won the award, the art is endless, and the best painting of the nephew is always the next one, and this one is the first at present." ”

Princess Qingle stood up from the window and said, "Is the painting finished?" But I was so tired that I wasn't allowed to move, the queen mother saw it, how domineering Cousin Xuan was! ”

Zhou Xuan said: "No, am I domineering, I've been working hard to paint." ”

Xiao Zhouhou smiled and said to his beloved daughter: "Your cousin Xuan is so engrossed in painting, like a drunk person, he doesn't know what to say when he wakes up." ”

Princess Qingle twisted her neck and waist, "Gege" smiled coquettishly, and walked over to look at the painting with a wide wedding dress, and exclaimed: "Why is the painting so messy!" ”

In Princess Qingle's opinion, this large mass of red, yellow, and orange is simply chaotic.

"No, you Xuan cousin's painting is wonderful!"

After all, he is the companion of a generation of talented emperor Li Yu for many years, and Xiao Zhouhou's aesthetic ability far exceeds that of Princess Qingle, and said: "Zhu'er, come here, come here and take a closer look, this painting can be described as unprecedented, and it is a step further than Wang Wei and Xu Xi, these predecessors, with strong colors, unbridled brushes, and meticulous in the subtleties——"

"Where are the subtleties?" Princess Qingle craned her neck to look.

Xiao Zhou Houxu pointed to the eyes of Princess Qingle on the portrait: "When did Nephew Xuan see Hu Zhu have this kind of eyes?" It makes my heart tremble. ”

Zhou Xuan painted the eyes of a stubborn princess who was forced to marry a distant relative and was forced to marry by imperial power, but she was very unwilling, wearing a gorgeous wedding dress, but looking out of the window, it was a look of longing for freedom!

Zhou Xuan moved himself, and said in his heart: "Dude, your talent for inciting love is not low!" ”

Princess Qingle didn't see it when she looked left and right, since the queen mother said that it was good, it must be good, and said sweetly: "Thank you, cousin Xuan, cousin Xuan has worked hard, this painting is painted really fast, it will be fine in an hour and a half, and now there is only one palace portrait left." ”

After lunch, Xiao Zhou Hou led Li Yu to see the freehand princess picture painted by Zhou Xuan, the previous miniskirt portrait did not dare to show Li Yu, Li Yu was greatly admired after seeing it, and ordered this painting to be framed, so that the painters of the Hanlin Painting Institute came to observe.

At this time, the white eunuch hurriedly came, and Wang Delin, the Jinghai inspection envoy, sent an urgent report that the prince of the Southern Han Dynasty had landed in Rugao, Hailing County on the second day of the seventh month, and that three huge ships were moored on the Rugao coast, and they were able to arrive at Jinling by the sixth day of the first month at the latest, which was to celebrate the 60th birthday of the emperor of the Tang State and specially stepped up the itinerary.

Li Yuxi said: "I didn't think that Liu Shousu still had such filial piety, but also wanted to celebrate my birthday, I am very relieved, I am very relieved!" ”

Li Yu was very relieved, but Princess Qingle fell into an ice cellar, gave a salute to Li Yu and Xiao Zhouhou, and said goodbye and went back to Jingxu Palace.

Xiao Zhouhou's eyes waved, and he was slightly angry: "Your Majesty, don't you know Hu Zhu's intentions?" also praised Liu Shousu in person! ”

Li Yu shook his head with a smile: "Liu Shousu has arrived at the door, what else does she want to do with Huzhu?" Since you have to marry, what good is it to sulk, it is better to face it gracefully, this is the bearing of a royal princess. ”

Xiao Zhou Hou snorted lightly, indicating dissatisfaction, and said to Zhou Xuan: "Nephew Xuan will persuade the princess again, the prince of the Southern Han Dynasty is coming, so be graceful." ”

Zhou Xuan hurried out of the Calyx Xianghui Building to Jingxu Palace, Princess Qingle's car was in front, and two chamberlains and two palace ladies followed the car.

Princess Qingle ordered the carriage to stop, waited for Zhou Xuan to catch up, and said, "Cousin Xuan, come up and ride with me." ”

"It doesn't seem appropriate to be in the same car with the princess in Daxing Palace, right?"

Zhou Xuan hesitated for a moment, and Princess Qingle said, "Is Cousin Xuan such a timid person?" How does this make me trust you? ”

This princess will also provoke the law, Zhou Xuan smiled: "It's really interesting, it turns out that you can only gain the trust of the princess by being bold and reckless - but your skirt is so open, is there a place for me to stand?" ”

Princess Qingle was still wearing the wedding dress, and the wide skirt overflowed out of the car rail.

"It's better to be bold." Princess Qingle gave way to the side, vacated a small space, pressed the puffed skirt on this side, the skirt was tilted to the other side, and said, "Cousin Xuan, come up." ”

Zhou Xuan got into the car, the two of them stood side by side, the carriage was rolling around, Zhou Xuan looked sideways at Princess Qingle, Princess Qingle was really tall, wearing a pair of mid-heel sheepskin shoes, she looked taller than him, her shoulders were round, her chest was half exposed, and the wedding dress and long skirt squeezed Zhou Xuan, which made Zhou Xuan feel so strange, as if he was married to Princess Qingle, he was parading in a wedding car, and it would be more feeling if there was a wedding march in his ears-

Princess Qingle did not have the joy of a bride, and muttered and cursed the prince of the Southern Han Dynasty: "I came so early, I came to die, why didn't the sea blow a strong wind to overturn his ship, why did I come soon!" ”

Zhou Xuan couldn't help but smile and said: "Princess, don't be dry, what are you afraid of when Prince Liu comes, the period of the cave house is still far away in the Southern Han Dynasty!" ”

Princess Qingle glared at Zhou Xuan, was silent for a while, and said in a voice that only she and Zhou Xuan could hear: "Cousin Xuan, I have entrusted my body to you, if you don't help me, I will really die." ”

Zhou Xuanxin said: "You princess doesn't speak through your brain, what does it mean that your body is entrusted to me, when did I occupy your body?" said: "Don't worry, I'm also your cousin, how can I be willing to let you die." ”

Princess Qingle said "um", but thought in her heart: "When you arrive in the Southern Han Dynasty, if you don't want to bring me back, I will let you die with me, just say that you and I have a personal relationship, Liu Jixing and his son don't cut off your head, cousin Xuan, you have to talk, don't force me." ”

……

On the morning of the fourth day of July, Zhou Xuan still painted a portrait of Princess Qingle, this is the last portrait of the palace, and strive to finish it within three days, in the afternoon, Zhou Xuan went with Wang Shizhang to see the typesetting of "Calyx Lou Zhi Wei", Xiao Zhouhou's cover inscription and preface, as well as the newly added "Xiao Xie Qiurong" have been done with the word mold, those plate-making craftsmen are all exquisite, and they understand all the movable type printing techniques with a little dialing, and they also figured out the convenient techniques that Zhou Xuan does not know, wax and paper ash mixed to make the agent, and then the need for the cement type to pick out one by one into the frame, a full frame to become a version, and then with fire baking, and so the agent slightly melted, with a flat plate to flatten the word, after the agent cools and solidifies, it becomes the version.

Zhou Xuan looked at the printed sample, the font is beautiful, not to mention the demeanor, anyway, it looks like Xiao Zhouhou's handwriting, smell it, the ink is fragrant, and when I asked, I realized that it was Shezhou Xi Mo, and Wang Shizhang was willing to spend the capital.

Zhou Xuan said: "Yes, then let's open the print." ”

Wang Shizhang sent Zhou Xuan across the Wuwei Bridge, the weather was too hot, Zhou Xuan took a car, and the three idiots wore a wide bamboo hat to plan the horse to accompany him, and Wang Shizhang followed the car window on foot, saying while walking: "The county prince's masterpiece can be sold in Jinling Bookstore in three days, and it is estimated that 5,000 books can earn 1,500 taels of silver, and then let people send the silver to the county mansion." ”

Zhou Xuan smiled: "How can this be true! Wait until the book is sold out and then count the silver, except for the capital, you and I will divide the profit in half. ”

Wang Shizhang hurriedly said: "How dare you! How dare you! This is the county prince's painstaking work, how dare you divide the county prince's book and silver! It is a great honor to serve the county prince in the next day, if the county prince must give the silver to the next, then he will not dare to walk under the county gate in the next day. ”

Zhou Xuan knew that this salt merchant had a lot of money, so he said: "Okay, I admit your feelings, but the capital and the concession to the bookstore must be counted, and I can't let you lose money." ”

Wang Shizhang even claimed that it was, and said cautiously: "County Prince, the interview record has been published in the Di newspaper, and there are many praises in the market, I don't know if there is any discussion in the court?" ”

Zhou Xuan smiled slightly, he knew Wang Shizhang's intentions, and said: "Wang Weng, the seventh day of the first lunar month is the Longevity Festival, Your Majesty's 60th birthday, why don't Wang Weng join forces with well-known businessmen in Jinling and Guangling to celebrate Your Majesty's birthday, and I can also take the opportunity to make a speech to Your Majesty, how about it?" ”

Wang Shizhang was pleasantly surprised: "In previous years, we and other businessmen also celebrated the Wanshou Festival, but they were all from afar to celebrate His Majesty's birthday, and His Majesty didn't know, so he dared to ask the county prince, what should I do next?" ”

Zhou Xuan thought about it and said something to Wang Shizhang, and Wang Shizhang left in surprise.

Zhou Xuan returned to Xiangluanfang Mansion, Abu came to see, Abu's illness was cured of seven or eight out of ten, and he had moved back to his own residence, and today he came to prepare for Zhou Xuan's birthday gift to the emperor.

Abu sent two five-foot-high coral trees, the treasure is overflowing, colorful and bright, this is a coral tree dug from the bottom of the sea, and then inlaid with gold beads and jade, the five-foot high coral tree is very rare, the Jin Dynasty rich Shi Chong and Sun Kai Doufu, but also a four-foot coral tree.

After two days, Zhou Xuan had nothing else to do, just entered the palace to paint for Princess Qingle, every day I could hear the news of the Snow Pig Prince, yesterday to Taixing, today to the eastern capital Guangling, accompanied by more than 1,000 people, Jinghai Institute inspection envoy Wang Delin and from Beijing to meet the left minister Wei Xuan accompanied all the way into Beijing.

At noon on the sixth day of the seventh month, Zhou Xuan painted the last portrait of Princess Qingle, stretched his waist greatly, and said, "I'm so tired, I can finally make a difference." ”

Princess Qingle saw that the queen mother was not there, and there were only two palace ladies in the study, so she came over and said in Zhou Xuan's ear: "Cousin Xuan still owes me a painting, don't forget." Yan Ran smiled, the palace skirt dragged to the ground, and she walked away.

Zhou Xuan looked at her back and was stunned, and thought: "This princess still remembers the sitting nude, but the queen said that she is not allowed to paint, where does the princess want to paint?" Painting on the way to the Southern Han Dynasty? Isn't the Snow Pig Prince going to fight with me? Well, the princess and the snow boar prince should be in different boats. ”

Zhou Xuan had lunch in the palace, and on the order of Li Yu, in the name of the wedding envoy, he and the prince Li Jian went to the Bailuzhou wharf to meet the prince of the Southern Han Dynasty and his party.

In the afternoon, the scorching sun was shining, and the willow cicadas on the shore were chirping, Zhou Xuan, Li Jian and hundreds of officials and attendants waited for half an hour, and finally heard the sharp sound of the ship, and the fleet of the prince of the Southern Han Dynasty arrived.