You rascal, stop right there!

The night is getting darker.

Bai Wan stood at the window, holding the so-called "Er Xi Bao Tie" and other books brought by the guards. He hesitated at the door, observing the twenty or so palace soldiers, and sighed quietly.

The whole room was filled with a weird atmosphere.

Just now, Li Li answered questions fluently and talked freely. Not only did he get the poetry and painting albums according to his needs, he actually got some rare copies.

Bai Wan, however, was more wary of these people. He didn't dare to sleep even after closing the door. He simply tied up the dummy and hid on the beam.

hiss--

There seemed to be a bloody cut on the back by a wooden splinter, but he didn't even notice it.

This Li Li could barely be considered a former classmate of mine, but there was a huge difference between him and me.

One is a helpless orphan without a father or a mother, while the other is a child from a wealthy family with both parents.

Back then, I only knew how to paint and didn't understand human nature, and my only friend was Ling Shumo. But this person was very friendly and well-mannered, totally the opposite of me.

However, Bai Wan didn't remember having any deeper interactions with any classmates other than Ling Shumo, and being able to remember this person's appearance was already the limit.

"Is this guy going to be like his father, still dreaming about the best map in the world?" He sneered.

The person on the beam was lying on the beam with his eyes open, unable to sleep all night.

He narrowed his eyes as he lowered them, still thinking about deducting the subsidies for the useless sword-bearing guards in front of the emperor.

Day two.

Bai Wan then met the master and mistress of the Li family.

The two elderly people of the Li family, who are almost 80 years old, sat upright on the cloud dragon wooden carving chairs.

Although Mr. Li's hair was gray, he was in good spirits. He held a cane in one hand and rested the other on a chair. The old lady wore a red headband and had her eyes half open.

"Shizhao Bai greets Mr. Li and Madam Li." He bowed and saluted.

Li Simeng became the prime minister, so he naturally would not treat his parents badly. Not only did the garden in his hometown become bigger and bigger, but the clothes of the two elders were also luxurious.

Madam Li smiled faintly: "Are you Bai Shizhao from the capital?"

The remaining light of the white pea gradually dimmed and fell on her hairpin which was worth at least one hundred taels, but ordinary people could not afford one hundred and twenty coins for a dou of rice.

"Yes!" was the short answer.

Master Li looked at Bai Wan and sized him up: "You are just a young boy, and His Majesty actually sent you here?"

Bai Wan deliberately grinned: "No, these are bright white teeth, not yellow at all."

Hearing this joke, Mr. Bai almost choked to death. Are all the painters in the capital so rude now?

Li Li, who was wearing a mask, glanced at him and walked forward: "The master and the mistress are old and can't stand your nonsense. Bai Shizhao should paint as soon as possible."

There was obvious worry for the old man in his eyes, and he never took his eyes off him.

Bai Wan found it very funny. They were obviously grandparents and grandchildren, but they had to get the identity of a housekeeper and act like a quail in the Li Mansion. No one knew what they were thinking.

So he smiled and said, "Okay——"

In an instant, writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone were placed on the table, and he even asked a maid to grind the ink for him.

Bai Wan remained silent and held the pen for a long time without putting it down.

This has never happened before.

A stick of incense passed...

Two sticks of incense passed...

In the end, the painting time that was originally scheduled to start in the morning was postponed to noon.

The two old men couldn't sit still, so they took a rest while coughing, and left in a huff. Bai Wan didn't even try to stop them.

He still stood by the table with a pen in his hand, his eyelashes trembling slightly, staring at the yellowed rice paper.

As dusk approached, the man slowly picked up his brush and began to paint, neatly and without any hesitation.

Only when the sunset appeared did he put down his pen.

Li Li saw that this man was concentrating on painting this time, and his expression was completely different from the casualness during yesterday's competition. He suddenly felt angry for no reason.

Han Miaoran's paintings used to be so bizarre, the more he disliked the content, the faster he painted it. This time it took too long.

"It's finished. Do you want to see it?"

Li Li thought that this heretic with weird ideas would draw something strange, but unexpectedly, the picture was quite normal.

This painting is free and unrestrained, and is completely based on the appearance and attire of Mr. Li and Mrs. Li today. People can remember it by sight, and can even paint it when the two of them are resting.

However, although it should be a meticulous painting, this person used a rather wild brushstroke, and his brushstrokes were elegant, with large areas of splashed ink and blank space.

"Bai Shizhao's painting today seems to be mediocre! After such a long delay, I thought he would produce something amazing."

Li Li raised his eyes slightly and realized that this person's left-hand painting skills were not much better than his. In fact, the level of this painting was even worse than his.

The reflection in Bai Wan's eyes cast a cold and desolate light: "The emperor's order requires that the painting be done according to the rules. Shouldn't it be painted like this?"

These words choked the person on the other side.

This time I actually painted according to the rules, but before I almost always deviated from the topic and found a new way.

Li Li raised his eyebrows, looked at the man with a hint of joking, and said sternly: "Forget it, let's take it to the master and the lady first."

One of the maids who collected the painting picked up the scroll, while another one packed up the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone.

Bai Wan looked at the two maids, who were thin and frail, with slightly sallow complexions. Compared with the palace maids in the capital, their looks were inferior.

In particular, the maid holding the inkstone had a corner of her wrist that was faintly exposed, with several obvious red whip marks. It was impossible to imagine what this person had encountered in the Li Mansion.

"Bai Shizhao has taken a fancy to the maid in my house?" Li Li looked him up and down and said jokingly.

Bai Wan took a breath and turned her head away reluctantly: "Butler Li, it seems that the maids in your house are not well raised."

Li Li laughed and said, "They are all people from Jiangzhou City who sold themselves to bury their parents. Their appearance and figure are indeed not so good."

It turns out that they are all daughters of refugees.

Bai Wan looked at the two maids. They didn't even dare to raise their eyes. They were doing things nervously and hastily. They must be very afraid of the people in the Li Mansion.

He knew he was not a saint, but he could not bear to see such a thing happen: "I want to paint the garden and Baishengju, and I need someone to light and grind. These two are just right."

Painting for a few days will keep these two safe for a few days, but there is nothing more I can do right now.

After hearing this, Li Li bent his folding fan slightly and said, "Okay, these two maids will be under your care these days, Bai Shizhao."

"Thank you, Butler Li." Bai Wan bowed slightly, but felt that the two of them looked at him not with gratitude, but with fear.

Only then did he remember that in ancient times, most maids were just objects and were always given away at will.

So, he felt a little nervous and said, "Don't worry, I just want you to grind ink. I already have a family at home, so I don't have any other unreasonable wishes."

Li Li raised his folding fan and turned to him: "Bai Shizhao looks young, but he already has a family?"

Bai Wan smiled deeply: "I guess so."

He made the decision unilaterally.