Painting 13 saw that the person Zhou Rong raised his hand to point directly at himself impartially, and his indifferent eyes were also looking at himself, and his heart couldn't help but "suddenly", as if he was hit by a sudden thunderbolt on a sunny day, from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, from his heart to his skin, and he suddenly felt a violent and strong numbness sweeping through his body.

I haven't seen him for ten years, could it be that Zhou Rong recognized at a glance that the little painter in front of him with a birthmark and no name was the child back then?

In a short period of time, countless thoughts flashed through Hua Thirteen's mind, but he still suppressed all the emotions in his heart, and his face did not change, and he calmly walked from the crowd to Zhou Rong step by step.

All the painters saw that the person who was called by Mrs. Zhou as soon as he came was not a big face, but a white-clothed boy who had no sense of existence just now, all of them looked at each other, unclear and inexplicable, including the Xu brothers and Chang Ling, all of whom stood quietly in confusion.

Painting 13 got closer and closer to Zhou Rong, he erased all the waves in his eyes that should not be there, and met Zhou Rong's gaze lightly. He noticed that Zhou Rong's indifferent eyes were only cunning and faint anger at best, and he did not recognize the shock and killing intent that Jiang Li's disciple should have.

Hua Thirteen looked at the dark red birthmark on his face reflected in Zhou Rong's dark eyes, gradually loosened the root of his clenched teeth, and bowed respectfully:

"Under the painter's 'half red', I just arrived, I don't know what Mrs. Zhou sent?"

Zhou Rong carefully looked at the half-sided birthmark on Hua Thirteen's face, Hua Thirteen's fists were secretly clenched, and he was already thinking about how to make up a statement to deal with it if Zhou Rong doubted his identity.

But Zhou Rong did not have the slightest intention of testing the identity of the painter thirteen, but asked the painter thirteen to turn around and face the group of painters. Then, Zhou Rong set his eyes on the long-faced painter who was so frightened that he was limp and knelt on the ground, knowing that he was the one who had just said those contemptuous words. Everyone felt that Zhou Rong's fierce gaze fell on him, and they all moved to both sides, leaving only the big face prostrate in the middle, kowtowing.

Zhou Rong had a smile on his face, but his eyes were not warm at all, and he asked the big long face: "Did you say the sentence 'Zhou Rong in a hundred years, Jiang Li in a thousand years'?" ”

The big long face replied with a crying voice: "Zhou, Mrs. Zhou, it is the younger generation who is straightforward and fast-talking, and his mouth is open!" I'm guilty, I don't dare anymore, I don't dare anymore! ”

"What a 'straightforward and fast-talking'!" Zhou Rong first laughed dryly, and then suddenly turned his sharp gaze to the face of Hua Thirteen, who was called in front of him, pointed at Hua Thirteen with an unfathomable smile, and continued to Da Chang Face calmly:

"You have a clear distinction between the millennium and the hundred, and you have a very historical vision, which I admire. Have you seen this man in white? Come, use your unique historical vision to appreciate and appreciate the red mark on his face, and I will listen. ”

Seeing that Zhou Rong was not directly responsible for himself, but asked some inexplicable words, his heart was even more furious, he looked at Zhou Rong timidly, and glanced at a white-clothed boy standing next to him that Zhou Rong was referring to, he didn't know or dare to say anything, he only muttered "Forgiveness, forgiveness". Everyone's eyes also turned to the white-clothed boy Zhou Rong was referring to and the dark red birthmark on his face, speculating about where he came from and what he had to do with Zhou Rong.

Painting thirteen had a cold back, he didn't expect that the first time he saw Zhou Rong again, he would expose his most risky birthmark to the eyes of everyone in the gallery, including Zhou Rong, he didn't know why Zhou Rong suddenly turned the conversation to his life-red seal, could he really see something from the crowd at a glance?

"What, at this moment, you are told that you have no words?" Zhou Rong glanced at Zhiwu's long face for a long time, and said in a thoughtful manner: "Okay, then let Zhou tell you about this red seal boy according to your meaning." I remember that it was recorded in the history books that two thousand years ago in the ancient Qi Kingdom, there was a queen who had such a red mark on her face. According to what you just said, there is a Zhou in a hundred years, and a generation of Jiang Taifu in a thousand years, if you talk about it, this 'half-faced' son is a big man who only comes out in 2,000 years. Am I right? ”

Painting Thirteen's hanging heart couldn't help but shake for a moment, it turned out that Zhou Rong didn't seem to recognize his birthmark, but because he was not good in front of everyone because of that sentence, he disposed of the big long face, so he casually picked the red mark on his face to use the topic to play.

He couldn't help but feel a wave of disgust and vigilance in his heart. He knew that according to Zhou Rong's character, as long as he lifted his old bottom and poked him in the sore spots, whether intentionally or unintentionally, no matter how high or low, with his extremely narrow stomach, he would not be able to tolerate it, and then, he didn't know how Zhou Rong would fiddle with that long face next.

When he heard Zhou Rong's "right" question, he replied "yes" and "no", but where did he dare to reply with the word "no", he just kowtowed vigorously and admitted his mistake: "Mrs. Zhou, it's my dog who can't spit out ivory in his mouth!" It's me talking nonsense! Ask for forgiveness! ”

Zhou Rong continued to ask meaningfully:

"Let me ask you, is it that there is only one person with this birthmark in 2,000 years, and there are many people who can't grow such birthmarks?"

The big long face didn't know what kind of article Zhou Rong was doing with the birthmark of the boy in white, so he only promised: "Yes, yes." ”

Zhou Rong continued to ask with a pleasant face: "Let me ask you again, what about the emperor?" Can the emperor have a birthmark on his face? ”

Hearing this, Hua Thirteen's heart suddenly sank, it turned out that Zhou Rong was intending to hang the words of the big long face on the emperor, in this way, only a little guidance or distortion in words can make this little painter who offended Zhou Taifu turn to the charge of offending the saint, and the eyebrows of Hua Thirteen became deeper and deeper.

The big long face has been asked by Zhou Rongqian and the east and west, although the commoners could not get a glimpse of the dragon face of the Son of Heaven at that time, but after thinking about the news, the big long face replied steadily: "No, no, the emperor does not have such a birthmark." ”

Zhou Rong got the answer he wanted, his face changed, and he shouted sharply: "Bastard! How daring! Are you saying that the emperor is also a mediocre person, and even this little painter who has no name or no distinction is inferior to him? ”

As soon as these words came out, all the painters and servants in the audience knelt on the ground. Painting thirteen also folded his knees, knelt down with everyone, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but pull a bitter smile of disgust, for the big long face, the abrupt Zhou Taifu is a small matter, but Zhou Rong's words pointed directly to the crime of disrespecting the emperor, the light punishment is small, the heavy punishment is even beheaded, it is just a matter of this Zhou Taifu's words.

The big long face was already scared stupid, his face suddenly turned pale, his brain buzzed, and he collapsed on the ground tremblingly: "I didn't, I didn't!" ”

Zhou Rong said coldly: "It's okay if you speak disrespectfully to me Zhou, but you dare to be so disrespectful to the emperor." Come on, punish these criminals, expel them from the gallery, and drive them out of the capital! ”

The words fell to the ground fiercely, and everyone trembled when they heard the "execution", and a tingling sensation rushed from their backs to their palms.

"Finger Execution", also known as finger rolling, is a kind of torture that is put into the finger with a hammer and then tightened tightly, after all, the ten fingers hurt to the heart, this is the punishment used by the government to extract confessions from female prisoners. But Zhou Rong took a fancy to this punishment, so he kept using it on the painter's hands, and after the execution, his hands would be wasted.

As soon as Da Chang Face heard the word "execution", he was so frightened that he couldn't stop crying for his father and mother, and kowtowed desperately for mercy, but Zhou Rong was unmoved, raised his sleeves, and a line of officers and soldiers of the art gallery dragged Da Chang Face away. Let his miserable cry echo in the ears of the full house of painters:

"I was wronged! I didn't say anything wrong! Wronged—"

All the remaining painters were still kneeling on the ground, and they couldn't help but shudder when they heard the screams. Painting 13 silently bowed his head, the roots of his teeth gradually clenched, and a deep sense of disgust welled up in his heart.

is really worthy of Mrs. Zhou, with a slight turn of his brain, a few words without a beginning or an end can justifiably deal with a person he can't see. Painting 13 looked at the person in front of him in a graceful suit, and couldn't help but sigh in vain, how did Zhou Rong, one of the diligent and humble "Hanlin Double Uniques" in the Hanlin Painting Garden more than ten years ago, become so ruthless that he could poison his best friend and confidant, and how did he become the sanctimonious and repudiatory officialdom face of today?

Zhou Rong half-lowered his eyes, listening that his long face had been taken away, and then raised his hand slightly to the painters kneeling on the ground, and said calmly:

"Get up. Today, the heroes of the Dayin painting world can gather together, which is enough to make the gallery shine, and I am also happy and grateful. The 'Firefly Order' handed down by the Holy Emperor is such a rare opportunity, and you must know it in your hearts. I remind you to be cautious in your words and deeds, and not to ruin your future as a painter because of small mistakes. ”

Painting thirteen heard it, although Zhou Rong did not say it explicitly, but it was also used to kill chickens and monkeys by severely punishing the big long face, and everyone thought of the fate of the big long face just now, and nodded yes, not daring to say a word.

Zhou Rong nodded slightly with satisfaction, and continued to explain: "Today, you have a good rest and prepare for tomorrow's first examination of the art gallery, after the first examination, half of the painters will leave the museum regrettably." The location of the first test is in this lobby of the gallery. Can you remember them all? ”

The painters replied, "Remember." ”

At this time, a rickety figure suddenly ran in from outside the door of the art gallery, and the thirteenth painter saw that the person who came was wearing the clothes of a high-class servant in Su Luobu, and his expression was in a hurry, as if there was something important and he was in a hurry to inform Zhou Rong.

Zhou Rong saw that it was his own housekeeper Luo who found the art gallery from the house with an anxious face, thinking that it was the one in the family who was messing around again, and said coldly to Steward Luo with some impatience: "But the county lord sent you to find me?" Don't you see me busy in the gallery? ”

Steward Luo raised his eyes and glanced at the painters in the hall, his white brows twisted into a strand, and he swallowed what he wanted to say again, and saw that Zhou Rong was still wearing a big coat and didn't have time to untie it, he rolled his eyes, and said:

"Where is the county master, the county lord understands the county horse master for working in the art gallery, and he doesn't dare to disturb it. The county horse master is so busy that he forgot to take it off, and the slave will help you take it! ”

Saying that, when Steward Luo walked to Zhou Rong's side and helped him untie the big man, he whispered a few words in Zhou Rong's ear while the other people were not paying attention. Painting 13 faintly heard the butler say something "found the whereabouts of that person", and he couldn't really hear it anymore.

Hua Thirteen noticed that with the whispers of Steward Luo, Zhou Rong's face gradually became solemn, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, as if he had finally heard some long-awaited news, and then his eyes were full of fierceness and ruthlessness.

After Steward Luo finished speaking, he naturally put away Zhou Rong's big coat and stood aside. Zhou Rong frowned, pursed his lips, and after thinking for a while, he seemed to have thought of some arrangement, and the corners of his mouth wiped a sly smile that was bound to be won, and he put up a terrifying posture again, and explained to the painters:

"Tomorrow the first test will change. The location is no longer in the gallery, and it has been turned into Chunmanlou. ”

The painters were stunned at first, and then suddenly they talked about it and exploded, and some muttered in a whisper:

"This Chunmanlou is the largest green building in the capital, how could you choose such a place?"

"Could it be that the first examination is not ...... Mrs. Zhou wouldn't still have this kind of habit, right? ”

"Wow! If you keep quiet, you won't let us draw a picture of the Spring Palace......"

When the thirteenth painting heard the words "Spring Full Building", he was also secretly surprised. He thought of early this morning, on the way to Qinyuan to find Jingmo, the place where he passed by was Chunmanlou, and he was really entangled by Manman, who was soliciting customers outside the building.

But why did the most vain and famous Zhou Taifu suddenly change his words and go to Chunmanlou? If it was for the first trial of official business, why didn't you set the location in Chunmanlou from the beginning? If it was for the private relationship between men and women, how could they dare to bring everyone over so blatantly? Even if this Spring Mansion is the largest green building in the capital, there are the most beautiful women in the capital hidden on the left, what else can be hidden?