Thousands of Miles

Zhao Ji held Ximeng's wrist, and pulled his fingers out of his mouth, "You can't gnaw your hands in the future, if you gnaw your hands again, Master will really beat you."

Ximeng quickly put down his hand.

"Come here, these are the sketches of beautiful women drawn carefully for the teacher a few days ago, you can copy the one you like first, and find out how you feel." Zhao Ji took out a thick album from the bookshelf and handed it to Xi Meng, "I'm looking at your painting as a teacher."

Ximeng nodded, and flipped through the album from beginning to end, but failed to find a simple painting as he wished, so he could only choose one that looked a little less complicated, and copied it stroke by stroke.

Zhao Ji sat aside and sipped tea, quietly looking at Xi Menglai.

He looked down at the rice paper on the table, his thick and slender eyelashes cast a mysterious and intriguing shadow on his pink cheeks.His nose is small and straight, and his skin is fair and delicate, as if carved from beautiful jade.Occasionally he needs to turn his head to adjust the ink on the nib, and his serious and calm demeanor all make Zhao Ji fascinated and yearn for it.

"Master, the painting is finished."

"Oh, take it as a teacher." Zhao Ji took the drawing paper handed over by Ximeng, and nodded with satisfaction, "It's just that you have never touched figure painting before, so you don't know where to start like this morning. Look at how good it is now."

"Master..." Ximeng smiled embarrassedly, "Master draws well, I just imitate it."

Zhao Ji looked at the sky outside, guessed that it would be Haishi, and said to Ximeng, "It's still early, how about another painting?"

"Yeah." Ximeng nodded.

Zhao Ji clapped his hands with a smile, and immediately a beautifully dressed court lady walked in from outside the palace.

Ximeng looked up and was dumbfounded.The maid's bun was very high and extremely complicated. Her head was covered with all kinds of pearls, hairpins and silk flowers, which made people dazzled. The clothes on her body were also wrapped in three layers inside and outside. She also wears all kinds of jade pendant sash... It's much more complicated than the maid in the morning.

Zhao Ji slightly raised a folding fan in his hand, covering up the sly smile on his lips: "Ximeng, you can draw her tonight."

"Hmm... okay..." Ximeng picked up the pen, looked carefully at the maid, and combined with the experience of copying just now, he knew how to use the pen to compose the picture, so he sketched it meticulously.

However, when drawing the hair, Ximeng's eyes were almost blinded by the beaded flowers and golden hairpins all over her head. Ximeng rubbed his eyes, but the golden hairpins were reflective, so Ximeng couldn't see its style clearly and patterns.

"Pull out your hairpin." Zhao Ji took the golden hairpin pulled out by the court lady, put it on the table, and said to Ximeng, "Draw it."

"Oh." Ximeng looked at the golden hairpin, and meticulously traced the patterns on it.

The filigree on the nobile hairpin is very complicated. Ximeng's painting is still several times scaled down according to the real scale, and the strokes are as thin as gossamer. My eyes are very close to the drawing paper.

Seeing him painting like this, Zhao Ji reckoned that if he really asked him to finish painting the maid tonight, his eyes would be blinded by himself, so he waved the maid to retreat: "Ximeng, it's too late today Well, let’s wait for another day to draw.”

"Yeah." Ximeng put down his pen and rubbed his eyes, obviously tired.

"You're tired, drink some water." Zhao Ji fed the freshly poured tea to Ximeng's lips, and said with a smile, "You made a lot of progress tonight. Master wants to praise you and give you something."

"Well, what is it?" Xi Meng took a sip of tea and put down the cup excitedly, "Xi Meng wants to see it."

"You guess first?"

"Hmm... a painting by Master himself?"

"It's so close."

"Huh?" Ximeng thought for a while, pulled Zhao Ji's rest and said coquettishly, "Master, I can't guess. Show me quickly."

"Okay, okay, you!" Zhao Ji took out an agarwood fan from his sleeve with a smile, and unfolded it gently in front of Ximeng, "Look."

"Wow..." Ximeng's bright eyes glowed brightly, his slightly parted lips couldn't close in shock, "Master..."

I saw a picture of Ruihe on the Chenxiang bone fan in front of me.The green sky in the picture is like a piece of crystal-clear jade. Because of the fine silver sprinkled on the paper, it looks calm and bright.Twelve cranes of different shapes but beautiful and coordinated are either soaring in the clouds or perching on the top of the Chinese house. They are full of wit and beauty.

Xi Meng dared to say that this was the most beautiful painting he had ever seen in his life.

Zhao Ji stared at Ximeng's slightly parted thin lips, wishing to kiss them and taste what it was like.

However, he was still a child and had to endure it.

"Thank you, Master." Xi Meng just reacted, and quickly took the fan out of Zhao Ji's hand and put it in his arms, as if he was afraid that he would go back on his word.

"Haha, you're welcome with Master." Zhao Ji patted Ximeng's head, "It's getting late, you can stay here and sleep tonight."

In fact, staying overnight is Zhao Ji's real purpose of staying with Ximeng so late tonight.

"This..." Ximeng looked at the sky outside, then at Master, and asked ignorantly, "Master, is this okay?"

"Of course, if the master asks you to stay, you can stay. This is polite." Zhao Ji nodded pretendingly, "This is a courtesy to the master. If you don't stay here so late and go back, it is contempt and disrespect for the teacher. disdain."

"Then, well..."

"Haha, that's right." Zhao Ji, who had fulfilled his wish, picked up Ximeng and ran towards the bedroom like a gust of wind.

Finally, I can sleep with this little guy.

Zhao Ji was smiling even in his dreams.

Ximeng felt very disturbed, why the master, like Zong Yuan, likes to sleep in his arms, and still hugs him so tightly, so tight that sometimes he almost can't breathe.

The next day, Zhao Ji went to Si Zhen's room.

As its name suggests, Sizhenfang is responsible for making all kinds of gold, silver and jade jewelry and accessories for concubines, princes and princesses in the harem.

Zhao Ji wandered around Si Zhen's room, and casually picked up some fancy gold hairpins and pearl flowers: "These are pretty good, not as tacky as those."

"Returning to Your Majesty, Concubine Qiao ordered the servants to create this painting based on the flowers and birds drawn by Your Majesty, so it is very unique."

"Oh? No wonder it looks familiar." Zhao Ji put the gold hairpin and pearl flowers into his sleeve casually, "I want it."

"Yes..." Si Zhenfang's palace said yes, and secretly groaned in his heart.Concubine Qiao has always been favored and proud, she will come to pick up the hairpin today, but if she can't hand it in then, I don't know how she will be furious and anger Si Zhenfang.

However, the emperor is the emperor after all, can he refuse to give the gold hairpin if he wants it?

Zhao Ji picked up a few more complicated gold tins and jade pendants, high-quality gemstones of various materials, and just now he left Si Zhenfang contentedly.

A group of palace people in Si Zhenfang were about to burst into tears. What the emperor took was not good, but all of them were jewelry custom-made by ladies. Now that they blamed it, they probably wouldn't be able to lose their heads.

Not long after Ximeng returned to the painting academy, he received a pile of gold, silver and jade jewelry accessories sent by his master. All kinds of jewelry styles and shapes.

"My God, Ximeng, your master is really rich. Oh my god, how much does it cost to take it out? These are all worn by empresses in the harem! Who is your master? My God!" Wang Zongyuan looked Holding two large boxes of jewelry, he shouted excitedly.

Ximeng arranged the things in the box one by one and spread them all over the table. He tilted his head and said, "It took a long time to draw. Zong Yuan, I feel that the color of these precious stones and gold and silver must be It's not easy to draw."

"Hey, Ximeng, do you want me to think about it for you?" Wang Zongyuan approached with a smile.

"Okay." Ximeng nodded, "Let's think about it together."

In Baoning Palace, Concubine Qiao was sitting and chatting with Concubine Wei.

Concubine Qiao and Concubine Wei were both born as court ladies. The two had a very good friendship in the early years and agreed to support each other. Whoever gets the favor of the official family has to introduce each other.By chance, Zhao Ji fell in love with Concubine Qiao, and Concubine Qiao did not forget that she had agreed to recommend Concubine Qiao at the beginning.However, Zhao Ji only had a one-night sex with Concubine Wei at the request of Concubine Qiao, and never pampered her again.Concubine Wei gave birth to a son, Zhao Kang.Because his mother was not favored, Zhao Kang was also not valued.

Maybe it's because of sisterhood, or maybe it's a natural sense of superiority when getting along with unfavored sisters. Concubine Qiao always likes to chat with Concubine Wei very much when she has nothing to do.

"A few days ago, I heard that my sister was ill, and I asked Kang Er to invite His Majesty. My sister is here to visit now. I wonder if she is better?"

"Thank you, sister, for your concern. I'm much better now." Concubine Wei smiled and sat up, throwing the towel covering her forehead aside, "Kang'er, you step back first, I, Madam Qiao, will chat for a while."

"Yes." Zhao Kang, who was serving at the side, picked up an empty medicine bowl by the bed and left.

"Sister, have the officials ever visited my sister?" Concubine Qiao asked, "I heard that Kang Er went to beg him on purpose."

"Sister, don't talk about the official's family." Wei Niangniang sighed, "Sister Meng, Gu Nian leniently allowed my sister to have a one-night friendship with the official family. Alas, it's a pity that my sister's fortune is poor, so I don't like the official family. Since then, the official family My family has never seen my younger sister, so how can I care about Kang'er begging him."

"Sister, although elder sister is favored now, she has no future." Qiao Niangniang said, "How long will the government's favor last? No one can tell. Besides, elder sister has not given birth to any children by herself. Doesn't sound sad."

"Ugh."

The two of them hurt themselves and sighed a lot.But after a while, a maid rushed into the hall and reported: "Your Majesty, the servant was ordered to go to Sizhen's room to get the hairpin, but she didn't get it."

"What's going on?" Concubine Qiao asked.

"Si Zhenfang said that the hairpin that the empress wanted has already been tied, but it was taken away by the officials early this morning." The maid replied.

"Official family?" Concubine Qiao didn't believe it, "Nonsense. What do the official family want my hairpin for?"

"The servant girl asked Zhang Di, who is next to the official's family, that the official's family was sent to the painting academy." The maid said.

"Painting academy?

"Sister, younger sister heard that the official family brought a new student into the painting academy. It was just a few nights ago that the official family carried him back in person." Concubine Qiao said softly, "Is there any secret behind it?"