Huaqing Palace, Begonia Soup Palace.

The temple was not very large, but it was very well built. There is a hot spring pool in the apse, specially for Yang Yuhuan to bathe, commonly known as "Guifei Pool", the idea is super vulgar, like a blooming begonia flower, so it is also called "Begonia Soup".

Because the hot spring water of Lishan Mountain is rare, the soup pool is very small, the length and width are only three or two steps, but it is made of 24 pieces of black jade, the jade is deep and blue, smooth as a mirror. In the middle of the pond is a lotus flower head carved from white marble, and under the base is a ceramic water pipe connected to the water source.

The water mist constantly spills out of the lotus flower in the four seasons, flying beads and jade.

Yang Yuhuan's delicate body loomed in the mist, and her skin looked even more white and smooth against the dark blue jade. The mist didn't even have time to form droplets on her shoulders, and it had already slid down her smooth, delicate skin.

It is "slim and jade, like floating waves, with dew and delicate".

After washing, she raised her hand, and the two palace ladies hurriedly spread a soft blanket on the edge of the pool and helped Yang Yuhuan up. The wet jade feet stepped on the blanket, and Zhang Yunrong had already picked up a large bath towel and stepped forward, wrapping the seductive body.

"It's better to be in Huaqing Palace, it's really comfortable to bathe."

Yang Yuhuan tilted her head sideways, sorted out her green silk, and smiled with satisfaction.

Zhang Yunrong said: "Even in Chang'an City, the concubine doesn't wash it if she wants to." ”

"It's always a hassle to drive you to boil water."

Not far from the dresser, a parrot was standing on a shelf, its round eyes rolling, and suddenly it screamed.

"Huh, Huh!"

Yang Yuhuan didn't wait for the maid to wipe her hair, ran over barefoot, pointed to the parrot's little head and said, "Don't say it." ”

"Huh, all Huh."

"I taught you a lot of poetry and songs, and after a few days I forgot them, like a gambler's parrot." Yang Yuhuan didn't have a good airway.

Zhang Yunrong stepped forward and said with a smile: "This little thing has learned to be well-behaved, every time the concubine is happy to play a card, it can always get something to eat after calling two sentences, which shows that it also understands that winning a card is a good thing." ”

"Don't learn good things."

As he was talking, a maid said, "Mrs. Yuguo entered the palace to ask for a meeting." ”

Yang Yuhuan then said: "Bring the dress that Xue Bai gave me, and I will see Sister Ah in the palace." ”

She was talking about the gift that Xue Bai gave on her birthday, which was very simple compared to the various treasures offered by An Lushan, and Yang Yuhuan accepted it and scolded Xue Bai for being "stingy", but that night, she liked it very much after trying it on.

Less than a piece of cloth is better than countless gold, silver and jewelry.

It was a skirt, which was the most common appearance in the world as a whole, and this time Xue Bai spent more time on the design of small details. For example, the double-layered skirt, light yarn with silk, is cool and not exposed, the key is that it is particularly good-looking; Another example is the embroidery on tulle, which combines lightness and delicacy just right.

Unlike the shocking clothes he had offered before, such a small change was more acceptable to the world. What's more, Yang Yuhuan's appearance is peerless, wearing this skirt, anyone who sees it can only praise "beauty" from the bottom of his heart.

After a while, Yang Yuyao came in.

Yang Yuhuan subconsciously glanced behind her, and when he saw that Xue Bai was not there, he was expected to be slightly disappointed, thinking that the tailor hadn't seen her in this dress yet.

"Huh." Yang Yuyao was surprised, stepped forward to take a closer look, and said, "It's so good-looking?" ”

"The third sister must look good in it."

"I'm taller, not as pretty as you."

Yang Yuhuan listened, and he was not very happy in his heart, he only felt that Yang Sanjie was showing off, what was good about secretly saying Gao, and he was not a man. Then, she knew that Yang Yuyao had tried this dress first, but helplessly, the two sisters and brothers were more "intimate".

"Speaking of which, Ah Bai is now enlightened, Xue playing cards and Xue tailors are much more interesting than Xue Yushi and Xue Sheren."

Yang Yuyao said: "Men always have to do a career, and they can't always revolve around their daughter's house." ”

After a long time, she obviously knew Xue Bai better.

Yang Yuhuan pursed his lips and stopped talking.

"I'm here today, not to mention these card-playing and tailoring, but to ask you about a palace painter." Yang Yuyao said, "I heard that there is a person named Zhang Xuan, do you know?" ”

"Zhang Huazhi? How can you not know? ”

Yang Yuhuan said, beckoned Zhang Yunrong and asked her to bring the parrot over, and said with a smile: "Just last year, he also drew me a picture of the Taizhen Sect Parrot, Yao, let you see the parrot in the painting." ”

The parrot she raised was very spiritual, and when it was brought to the temple, she shouted, "Third sister, third sister." ”

The third sister ignored it, just looked at the "Taizhen Sect Parrot Picture" and asked, "Where is Zhang Xuan now?" ”

He is a native of Chang'an, and now he is old, no longer worships in the palace, and lives in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain. Except for the Praetorian guards sent by the saint to escort him, few people really knew about it. ”

After that, Yang Yuhuan beckoned Zhang Yunrong again and said, "You go and ask General Gao about the whereabouts of Zhang Xuan, and just say that I still want to ask him to paint a picture for me." ”

The two sisters continued to discuss their clothes, and after half an hour, Zhang Yunrong came back and informed Yang Yuyao of the results of the questioning.

……

In the evening, Mrs. Qiu Guo said goodbye.

"I'll go myself." Xue Bai learned where Zhang Xuan went, thought about it for a long time, and made such a decision.

Yang Yuyao was puzzled and asked, "Why?" ”

Xue Bai has a much closer relationship with her physically, and his trust in her is not as good as Li Tengkong's, so he thought about it and said slowly: "I heard that Zhang Xuan painted many people in Xue Rust's mansion back then, and may have seen my biological parents. ”

"What else are you asking about? With her current situation, more is better than less. ”

"If I don't inquire in advance, and when my political enemies find out first, the situation will only be more dangerous."

"Who doesn't open their eyes like that? Just kill it. ”

"Don't worry, I'll go to Zhongnan Mountain, and I'll be back in two days, so I said I'll pick out a gift for the saint's Qixi Imperial Banquet."

Xue Bai appeased Yang Yuyao, thinking to himself, the person who didn't open his eyes was probably himself.

And the reason why he had to see Zhang Xuan was because he hoped to persuade or deceive Zhang Xuan, and come forward to testify for him in the future to prove that he was the emperor's grandson.

With such a witness, he may be able to win more support in times of change.

~~

Most of the officials who served the Huaqing Palace would buy houses in Zhaoying County, and Yuan Siyi was the same.

He was not on duty that day, so he had been looking at the documents he brought back from the Shanggong Bureau in the study, and turned to the portrait of Concubine Xue again. He narrowed his old eyes and stared at the child in the portrait for a long time.

"Grandpa, you call me?"

A middle-aged eunuch silently walked into the study and bowed.

This person's name is Fu Baolin, about thirty-five years old, with a serious face, as serious and old-fashioned as Yuan Siyi, and has the aura of a court official. If others don't know his identity, they often think that the things under his crotch are still there.

"Take a look." Yuan Siyi said: "The documents that Brother Nu read before he died, I don't understand why there is a portrait of Li Ying's concubine and son in it. ”

"The sons of the abolished prince were all adopted by King Qing." Fu Zhaolin said: "The imperial grandson in the painting is from Concubine Xue, should it be Li Li, the fourth son of the abolished prince?" Brother Nu tunes this portrait to use it as a reason to support King Qing? ”

Yuan Siyi nodded, not denying this possibility.

He didn't care too much about this matter, but Li Linfu saw Gao Lishi before he died and immediately read the document, he was curious, so he ordered someone to take the document to take a look, and at that time, he looked at it casually, and he couldn't see the mystery in it, so he left it aside.

It wasn't until Xue Bai suddenly mentioned this matter to the sage that he suddenly realized that this matter was not simple. He didn't report to the saint immediately, but covered it up in front of the saint, wanting to find out what was hidden behind it first.

"You go to Zhongnan Mountain, find the painter Zhang Xuan, and ask what is hidden in this painting. If you can't ask, bring someone back. ”

"Whoa."

"You go in person, bring your henchmen, and don't teach others to know."

Fu Zhuo Lin responded, although she thought that Yuan Siyi was making a big fuss, she still acted according to the order and led people to Zhongnan Mountain.

~~

Jungnam Mountain. In the mountain range behind the magnificent temple group of Louguantai, more than ten miles away from the east of Lao Tzu's scripture platform, there is a mountain called Chiyukou, and there is a natural stone cave in the mountain, which is called Yingyang Cave.

After Zhang Xuan retired to the old age, he built a wooden building at the entrance of the cave and cultivated the way for the elderly.

At the end of June, an old friend came to see him, and after a few days in his abode where the aura of heaven and earth gathered, he left today.

Zhang Xuan sent his friends to the bottom of the mountain, and finally reluctantly, and said: "Since you like it here, why don't you stay a few more days and finish the murals in the cave before leaving?" ”

"I wanted to stay, too, but I had to go."

"Sent?" Zhang Xuan said: "This time you and I meet, we always only talk about painting skills. I will still be like you, and I will no longer worship in the palace. ”

"If I also resign, how can the saint let you go? In the past few years, I have been to Shuzhong, and now I am returning. ”

"Why?"

"In the fifth year of Tianbao, the sage heard Yang Zhao who entered Beijing say that the scenery of the Jialing River is beautiful and interesting, so he ordered me to go to Shu to sketch. I went to see the waves on the Jialing River, and it took me five years. ”

Zhang Xuan, who is also a painter, didn't understand the hard work of her old friend for the painting, and sighed: "Over the years, Yang Zhao has become Yang Guozhong and is the prime minister. You haven't even painted a picture. ”

"In life, there are always some things that have to be done slowly, stroke by stroke, in a hurry, in a hurry."

The topic returned to painting, and after chatting a few words, even if Zhang Xuan was extremely reluctant, he could only watch his friends leave.

When the sound of the horses' hooves faded away, only a lonely white-haired old man was still standing there, muttering to himself.

"I'm in a hurry, but I'm afraid this is the last time you and I will see each other."

After that, Zhang Xuan walked up the mountain with difficulty on crutches.

He was very old, and the road was extremely difficult. And the wealth and glory won by years of worship in the palace could not make his legs and feet light after he was old.

When I returned to Yingyang Cave, there were three horses tied to the wooden building, but someone had found them from another mountain road.

Zhang Xuan didn't want to see outsiders, he knew that those people were just here to ask for paintings, and they were willing to pay countless gold and silver treasures for his paintings, but he didn't want to spend his pitiful life on painting for others.

He climbed to the top of the hill on crutches and sat there watching the sun slowly set westward, turning golden and staining the clouds red. He would rather spend a lot of time watching a sunset than pursue fame and fortune in the world.

Until the sun completely set, a bonfire was lit in Yingyang Cave, and the smell of barbecued meat wafted over. Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, finally got up, and returned to his retreat.

A young man who gave people a good impression stepped forward, supported him, and said at the same time: "I'm bothering Zhang Gong, I occupy the magpie's nest, I should take the barbecue to make amends, please sit down and enjoy it." ”

"The old man is dazzled and his hands are shaking, and he can no longer paint."

"I didn't want Zhang Gong to paint. The younger Xue Bai often walks around the palace, but he didn't have the opportunity to see Zhang Gong before. ”

"You are Xue Lang?" Zhang Xuan was a little surprised and said with a smile: "You came late." ”

"I don't know what Zhang Gong means?"

Zhang Xuan didn't answer, and was helped into Yingyang Cave by Xue Bai, first looked at the leg of lamb roasted on the bonfire, nodded with satisfaction, and said to Diao Bing, who was sprinkling salt: "Sprinkle more peppercorns." ”

Diao Bing was stunned for a moment, secretly thinking that this old man's poisonous eyes had seen the peppercorns in his bag so quickly.

Over there, Zhang Xuan had already looked at the murals in the cave and asked Xue Bai, "Can you see whose handwriting this is?" ”

The painting is a landscape, and there are immortals in it, which is not Zhang Xuan's style at first glance.

Zhang Xuan paints people, and likes to paint people to plump, which is fatter than in fact. And this painter's style is more realistic, and the fairies in his pen are all goose egg faces.

Xue Bai is indeed not good at looking at paintings, although he can appreciate that this mural is excellent, the charm is majestic, the handwriting is neat, the large place is wanton, and the details are very dense. But it is impossible to recognize which artist it is.

Fortunately, he learned calligraphy with Yan Zhenqing, and there is also an inscription on this wall, which describes the time of painting "Mengqiu in the Year of Xinmao".

"The family teacher once got Zhang Xu and Zhang Changshi's true biography of the twelve meanings, which is similar to this word." Xue Bai said slowly: "I also watched Aunt Gongsun dance the sword......

He pointed to the belt of the immortal in the painting and continued: "In this painting, the sleeves of the immortal are fluttering, and there is a momentum of dancing in the wind, elegant and neat, like a sword dance, perhaps it is the world-famous 'Wu Belt Dangfeng'." ”

When Zhang Xuan heard this, she stroked her beard and laughed.

Xue Bai asked, "Did the junior guess right?" ”

He was really unsure, so he asked seriously.

Zhang Xuan nodded and said, "Wu Daozi's calligraphy is also under Zhang Xu, and he has another teacher, do you know who it is?" ”

Xue Bai had actually heard about this, and replied tentatively, "Eunuch He." ”

"Yes, Zhang Dian and He Jian are both good at cursive, they are all eight immortals in drinking, uninhibited, talkative, and indulgent in calligraphy. The so-called 'competition with creation, not artificial'. And Wu Daozi was lonely and poor since he was a child, and he tasted the heat and coldness of the world, and he couldn't write such sparse and elegant words, so he had to learn to paint instead. ”

Only in the Tang Dynasty can you easily meet so many masters with superb artistic attainments and fame through the ages. Looking at a painting in a cave in the mountains, you can talk about Zhang Xu, He Zhizhang, Gongsun Auntie, and Wu Daozi.

This is a time of bright stars.

Xue Bai was still thinking about conspiracy and power struggle, wondering if Zhang Xuan intended to mention He Zhizhang.

"Speaking of Supervisor He, the younger generation is here because there is something I want to ask Gong Zhang."

"Just ask." Zhang Xuan sat down by the campfire, took a piece of kebab, smelled it, and sighed: "The mouth is not good." ”

Diao Geng took back the meat skewers and cut them into smaller pieces with a dagger.

Xue Bai groaned slightly and asked, "Dare to ask Zhang Gong, before the Sanshu case, did you paint for the then crown princess Xue?" ”

Zhang Xuan was not frightened, she ate the barbecue and muttered: "It should be the twenty-second year of Kaiyuan, I went to the East Palace and was ordered to paint for the crown princess." ”

"Do you remember that?"

"The crown princess has two children, the third and fourth sons of the crown prince."

"So, which emperor and grandson are in the painting?"

This is a very important question for Xue Bai, but Zhang Xuan answered very directly, and said: "The fourth son of the East Palace is still in swaddling clothes, and he was brought to nurse by the nurse, so he did not enter the painting, and His Royal Highness said, 'I will paint it next year', but unfortunately, there is no next year." ”

Xue Bai was silent for a while and asked, "Li Qian?" ”

"The old man doesn't know the name of the emperor's grandson."

"With Zhang Gong's eyesight, if we see each other again after more than ten years, can you still recognize this imperial grandson?"

Zhang Xuan stopped the movement in his hand, shook his head slowly, and said, "Why does Xue Lang think that the old man can still recognize him?" ”

"Painters tend to be the most observant."

"But Xue Lang can't see that the painting of the crown princess is not from the old man's handwriting?"

"How so?" Xue Bai said: "The inscription clearly leaves Zhang Gong's seal. ”

"The sage ordered the old man to paint, and naturally left the old man's seal." Zhang Xuan said: "But that day, the old man and His Royal Highness drank a few more glasses, and they were a little drunk, so they asked others to write for them." ”

"Zhang Gong is joking with his juniors?"

"I can't hide it, but if I look closely at the painting next to me, I can always tell it."

Xue Bai asked, "Is there anyone in the world who can imitate Zhang Gong's paintings?" ”

Zhang Xuan said: "If you hope that the old man will identify the child for you, and die of this heart." The old man doesn't lie to you, he really can't recognize it. ”

"Then dare to ask Zhang Gong, who had such superb painting skills back then, and actually imitated Zhang Gong's pen and ink."

"The old man answered all the questions you asked." Zhang Xuan said: "If you want to ask further, why don't you first tell me why you came to inquire about this matter?" ”

Although Zhang Xuan is just a court worshipper, he has stayed in the palace city all his life and has seen too many conspiracies and tricks, so he naturally has a city government.

Xue Bai was silent, walked to the entrance of the cave with his hands in his hands, looked at the starry sky, and considered.

He hopes to secretly use the identity of the emperor's grandson to accumulate power, and he does not want to be involved or exposed because he is too early to make it public, and the balance is difficult to grasp. More and more "honesty" inevitably brings more and more danger, and the danger is directly proportional to the opportunity.

"I came to see if Zhang Gong could see if he could see if he could see me."

Xue Bai still made a decision, and as he spoke, he turned around, sat down cross-legged opposite Zhang Xuan, and looked at him frankly.

Zhang Xuan was surprised, looked at Xue Bai in a daze, and said, "What ...... Why? ”

"I was born in the eighteenth year of Kaiyuan." Xue Bai recalled the eight characters about the birth date of the county lord of Boping that he had seen on the royal jade, and said slowly: "Geng Wunian, a horse, born in the winter moon, is considered a horse's tail, and has a twin sister. ”

The plate in Zhang Xuan's hand fell to the ground, and he himself didn't seem to realize it.

He was stunned and stared at Xue Bai for a long time, and after that, he rubbed his old eyes vigorously, as if trying to make an effort to identify them.

But he really didn't paint that painting back then, and he was only concerned with drinking at that time, and he didn't look at the child carefully.

Xue Bai's eyes were firm, as if telling Zhang Xuan that no one would pretend to be the son of a traitor. He is the champion, the scholar of the middle school, and the celebrity around the saint and the concubine, if it is not true, he does not need to be Li Qian.

In the current situation, he doesn't need evidence to take a huge risk of convincing others of his fabricated background.

Finally, Zhang Xuan put down her hand.

His old eyes had been rubbed red by himself, and after that, cloudy tears slowly flowed.

"I heard that Lang Jun was killed by mistake?"

"Nope." Xue Bai said: "Supervisor He and Zhang Xianggong protected me. ”

"He Jian has never mentioned this matter to me and Wu Daozi."

"I don't mention it."

Zhang Xuan was still incredulous, but he didn't know how to doubt it, and then he thought of the prince who treated him kindly, nodded approvingly, and said: "Lang Jun has such a talent, His Royal Highness and the crown princess must be very pleased." ”

"I vow to redress the grievances of the Sanshu case." Xue Bai said: "But I don't know if Zhang Gong can confirm my identity at that time?" ”

Zhang Xuan nodded again and again, and then said: "The painting back then was indeed not painted by me, but by my apprentice, Zhou Fang." ”

Xue Bai smiled and said, "I don't remember." ”

"Lang Jun was so small at the time, how can he remember? Although I was still young at the time, I was able to imitate seventy percent of my painting skills, and now I have surpassed me. ”

"I wonder where he is?"

His eldest brother Zhou Hao served as a general in Longyou, and made great contributions in the battle of Shibao City, and now he is with his brother Shuhan to recover the Yellow River Jiuqu. Zhou Fang went to Longyou to visit his brother at the beginning of the year. ”

"Longyou, Zhou Fang."

Xue Bai kept this matter in his heart and muttered: "It's just that the world thinks that the painting is from Zhang Gong's hand, and it was Zhang Gong who saw me back then." At that time, it is still appropriate for Zhang Gong to come forward. ”

Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "Is Lang Jun going to overturn the case now?" ”

"The time hasn't come yet."

"I'm old and don't live long, how can I testify for Lang Jun?"

Xue Bai looked at it, and saw that Zhang Xuan was old and exhausted, knowing that what he said was not a lie, and sighed slightly.

He didn't want to force such an old man, but fortunately, if he wanted to prove his identity, there was a way to think of it.

"Shall I make another painting for Lang Jun?" Zhang Xuan said slowly, "It's called "Your Son's Night Tour", how about it?" ”

Xue Bai was a little surprised, and saluted: "Thank you Gong Zhang." ”

"Please sit down and let me take a closer look."

……

It was dawn when he sat down, and Zhang Xuan had not yet started the posture of writing, his old eyes were full of red bloodshots, but he was still staring at Xue Bai tightly until his face was burned in his brain, and Xue Bai was allowed to move in front of his eyes.

Until noon, the Diao brothers cooked noodle soup, but Zhang Xuan refused to eat it, but returned to the small building, grinded the danqing, spread out the long scroll, and waved the pen.

He has been painting for the powerful all his life, and now he is still painting the nobleman.

But the difference is that at this moment, what Zhang Xuan wants to paint is not the magnificence of the past, but the firmness between Xue Bai's eyebrows, the determination to redress grievances, and even something more broad in his heart.

He has painted saints, and has painted many times, painting "Saint Fighting and Shooting Birds", "Saint Enjoying the Coolness", "Saint Hitting the Sycamore", the saint in his pen is distinguished by chic, but rarely that ...... Committed to the momentum of the community.

For a long time, Zhang Xuan painted the scenery and people, but a pair of eyes of the people in the painting had not yet been clicked.

He looked at Xue Bai, stretched out his hand, held on to the brush with some trembling, and slowly fell.

~~

A long painting is slowly rolled up and tied with a rope.

Zhang Xuan solemnly handed it into Xue Bai's hands and said: "There is an old handwritten testimony on the inscription, Lang Jun must not show it easily before he can ensure his safety, otherwise he will be worried about his life." ”

"Don't worry."

"Lang Jun, please go back quickly, the Qixi sage must have a royal banquet. Lang Jun rushed back to Lishan, and he was already in a hurry. ”

"The younger generation will send someone to pick up Zhang Gong'......"

"The old decay is already in the last years, I implore Lang Jun to stay in the old decay and enjoy the last freedom in this mountain wilderness."

Xue Bai couldn't, so he had to say, "That's it, I'll visit you another day." ”

Zhang Xuan sent him off with a smile, and as soon as Xue Bai left, he fell to the couch.

Only he knows how much vitality he will consume to make another painting now.

After resting alone for most of the day, he suddenly heard a sound from the bottom of the mountain, Zhang Xuan leaned on the wall out of the cave, looked down the mountain, but saw someone coming slowly here, and had come out of the mountain forest.

He recognized one of them as Fu Zhuolin.

They are all people who have been in the palace for a long time, and they know each other. Zhang Xuan knew that Fu Baolin seemed to be loyal, but in fact she was greedy, and she was afraid that she had noticed something.

He then turned around, barely supporting his old and crippled body, picked up the unused ink and danqing, and splashed it on the mural left by Wu Daozi on the wall.

The ink destroyed the paintings in an instant.

Burning the harp and boiling the crane.

At the intersection of time and space, Xue Bai also did such a thing of destroying calligraphy and painting in order to protect others......

(End of chapter)