Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 19 On pins and needles
Although Li Longji was very magnanimous, this sudden change of events gave Wang Shouyi and the others a fright.

They never expected that Wang Xi would replace Tao Mo to paint.

How is this possible?

If it were anyone else, it wouldn't matter, but the key person is the emperor. Even Wang Shouyi thought that Wang Xi was not reliable at all from head to toe!
It would be a miracle if nothing went wrong.

Even Zhang Jiazhen, who supported the Wang family, panicked. He quietly moved next to Wang Shouyi and whispered, "Duke Qi, can your son really paint?"

Everyone knows Wang Xiaoque's name; he's a typical spoiled brat, embodying every bad habit imaginable, with nothing to be praised about him.

Don't cause any trouble that could affect the Empress.

Wang Shouyi said, "To be honest, my son's painting skills are actually quite good, but..."

Zhang Jiazhen hurriedly asked, "But what?"

"only.."

"Oh! What is it? Tell us quickly so we can deal with any problems later."

Zhang Jiazhen was extremely anxious.

Wang Shouyi said, "I've only ever seen this kid paint women, I don't know..."

"???"

It truly lives up to its reputation.

While the two of them were talking, Wang Xi had already arrived at the easel and started preparing.

"Your Majesty, could you please face this way?"

"Is that right?"

"Yes, yes, can you sit up straighter? Put your hands on your lap. Okay, okay, keep it up!"

Wang Xi seemed to have entered another dimension, completely disregarding his status, treating Li Longji like a puppet, ordering him around.

Gao Lishi, Yuwen Rong, and other favored ministers and eunuchs were all dumbfounded and completely at a loss.

Wang Shouyi and Zhang Jiazhen were sweating profusely as they listened.

Nima.

As expected, he didn't disappoint. Before he even started drawing, he made everyone feel like they were sitting on pins and needles.

"Sparrow, how can you be so disrespectful to His Majesty?"

Wang Shouyi quickly stepped forward and stopped them.

Wang Xi said, "If His Majesty's heroism isn't captured in the painting, will Father take responsibility?"

"you?"

Wang Shouyi almost bit his tongue.

This is not the Prince's mansion, so he dares not be arrogant and domineering anymore, making Wang Xi kneel down at the drop of a hat. But the murderous look in his eyes was completely undisguised, and he was gritting his teeth.

Li Longji laughed and said, "It's alright, it's alright, Shouyi, you don't need to be angry. Que'er just wants to draw well."

As he spoke, he sat up straight again and asked Wang Xi, "Will this work?"

"Almost done. Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will finish the drawing soon and will not keep Your Majesty sitting for too long."

Wang Xi answered confidently.

Li Longji laughed and said, "But it must be drawn well!"

"That's for sure."

As he spoke, Wang Xi began to draw.

Shocked, Gao Lishi and Yuwen Rong also came to their senses, breaking out in a cold sweat. They became even more convinced that they must stand on the side of the Wu family, for with such a son, the Wang family could not last long.

Wang Shouyi and Zhang Jiazhen were in a panic.

"Aren't you going to keep an eye on it, sir?"

Wang Shouyi quietly approached Tao Mo and whispered something.

"Me watching? He's the grandmaster!" Tao Mo said, his words contradicting his thoughts: "The Duke of Qi should have confidence in your son's painting skills."

Confidence? When has this brat ever given me confidence? Wang Shouyi groaned inwardly, but seeing Tao Mo's calm expression, he didn't say anything more.

In no time, Wang Xi's little head popped out from in front of the drawing board. "Your Majesty, it's finished."

Before Li Longji could even speak, Wang Shouyi and Zhang Jiazhen, disregarding all etiquette, hurried behind the easel, silently praying that the portrait wouldn't turn out grotesque. They had already imagined the clumsy portrait Wang Xi would produce.

Upon closer inspection, their eyes snapped open, and they were instantly dumbfounded.

Li Longji had just stretched his arms when he saw that they had already gotten there first and had strange expressions. Not knowing whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, he quickly got up and walked over, saying, "Let me take a look."

Gao Lishi and Yuwen Rong followed Li Longji, one on the left and one on the right.

It wasn't until the three of them walked over that Wang Shouyi and Zhang Jiazhen realized what was happening and immediately stepped aside. Li Longji took a closer look and immediately gasped.

In the painting, Li Longji sits high on the steps. At first glance, he appears dignified and heroic. However, upon closer inspection, his handsome features reveal a scholarly air, perfectly showcasing the blend of strength and gentleness in Li Longji's character.

Extremely charming.

She could absolutely charm countless young women, even a daughter-in-law.

Wang Xi said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. My teacher's painting technique focuses on realism, so I simply painted it as it was without any embellishment, because I don't know how to do that either."

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi immediately glanced at Wang Xi with a hint of hostility, realizing he had met his match.
Li Longji couldn't help but smile. "Is that so?"

handsome!

He himself thought he was a little too handsome.

Realistic!

So well said!

If you want realism, then do I really need to embellish my appearance?

What a joke.

Not to be outdone, Gao Lishi quickly flattered, "The painting is truly lifelike! It really resembles His Majesty perfectly, it's an exact replica!"

Li Longji could no longer contain himself and stroked his beard, bursting into laughter.

Seeing the emperor's delighted expression, Zhang Jiazhen breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said to Wang Shouyi, "Duke Qi, your son's painting skills are truly superb, which has broadened our horizons."

While wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Wang Shouyi said modestly, "It's all thanks to you, sir."

Zhang Jiazhen couldn't help but look at Tao Mo with a hint of respect.

It's nothing short of a miracle that Wang Xi was trained to be so outstanding in such a short period of time!

Mr. Wuming is not a name without merit.

Li Longji also said to Tao Mo, "Sir, your painting skills are so superb that they are truly breathtaking."

Tao Mo was overjoyed. The emperor's praise was truly a stroke of good luck. However, he remained very modest, saying that even when he was young, he couldn't reach Wang Xi's level. This kid's talent was truly unparalleled.

Just as everyone was exchanging compliments, Yuwen Rong suddenly noticed a slight problem with the painting and couldn't help but say, "This painting is really good, but it seems a little off-center."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the canvas again and suddenly realized that it was a horizontal painting, but Li Longji's portrait was not centered, with a large blank space on the left.

However, since they had never seen such painting techniques before, their eyes were fixed on the portrait, marveling at the skill, and they did not notice the overall composition of the painting.

Wang Shouyi hurriedly said, "It must be because my son was too nervous, which caused the painting to be off-center. Why don't you let my son paint another one for Your Majesty?"

"no."

Wang Xi turned her head to look at Wang Shouyi and said obediently, "Father, didn't I tell you last time that the teacher assigned us to draw a picture for our parents after we finished learning? So I'm used to drawing a picture of two people."

Wang Shouyi suddenly remembered this matter. There was such a thing, but the problem is, weren't your paintings of plum blossoms and chrysanthemums quite good?

Thinking of this, he was startled. Could it be that this kid was planning something?!

A bead of sweat, the size of a soybean, quietly slid down his neck.

Tao Mo said awkwardly, "I did assign this homework, but!"

He hesitated.

It's not hard to see that Wang Xi did this on purpose, because when you learn painting skills, you definitely start from the easy and work your way up to the difficult. First, you paint one person well, and then you paint two people.

Even if the teacher assigns homework, it's impossible to draw it off-target just because of habit, or it's understandable if it's because of nervousness.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became very subtle.

Even Zhang Jiazhen didn't dare to speak.

Li Longji suddenly asked with a half-smile, "According to Que'er, to whom is this seat reserved?"

Wang Xi immediately said excitedly, "If Your Majesty is willing, I can also draw my Empress Aunt in the picture. That would be perfect, and I can also fulfill both loyalty and filial piety, and live up to my teacher's teachings."

(End of this chapter)