You rascal, stop right there!

royal palace.

Taichong Hall is where emperors of all dynasties lived.

At this time, Emperor Jiaxing discarded his dragon robe and inexplicably put on a blue-grey Taoist robe. He was very interested in sitting in meditation with the newly appointed leader Daojun beside him.

"Your Majesty, I believe you are the Supreme Emperor from Heaven who has come down to earth. You will surely live forever for thousands of years!" The Taoist beside him waved his whisk.

Emperor Jiaxing tried his best to perform the ceremony respectfully, but he really didn't look like an emperor at all.

Since Prime Minister Li Simeng was demoted to the Grand Secretary of Wenxing Pavilion, he found a Taoist priest to please him, saying that he was a god from heaven who could control the rise and fall of all things.

Jiaxing was not only obsessed with women and paintings, but he was even addicted to Taoism. He built Taoist temples on a large scale and could not extricate himself.

Anyone who submitted a petition was demoted, punished, or even had his entire family executed.

In particular, he also issued several extremely absurd decrees to win over Taoist temples and Taoist priests all over the world, and also asked the Daying Painting Academy to abandon other paintings and focus on painting statues of gods.

It was absurd and ignorant, and his virtue was unworthy of his position. The entire painting academy was in an uproar and everyone was disgusted.

"How come it's been more than ten days and this painting academy hasn't finished painting the statue I want?" Jiaxing said while clasping his hands together.

"Your Majesty, that Cheng Su from Cheng Zhiyuan pretended to obey but actually disobeyed, and the other painters were also passive and lazy, so no painting has been completed so far." Eunuch Gu Xiaoyu apologized with a trembling voice.

"presumptuous!"

Emperor Jiaxing said angrily, with half his eyes open: "Isn't Bai Shizhao very skillful? Why didn't he draw it?"

Eunuch Gu wiped his sweat and said, "Your Majesty, Bai Shizhao became blind due to an accident a long time ago and he resigned from his position as a painter a long time ago and can no longer paint."

"Oh, he's blind!"

The emperor then recalled something and took a deep breath.

"What a shame, going to Jiangzhou to paint can also make you blind!"

The man nodded slightly, saluted to the golden bronze statue not far away, and brushed his sleeves nonchalantly.

The leader beside him, Daojun, had a pale face and said, "Your Majesty, our statue must be completed before the end of the year. Don't delay."

For a moment, everyone in the hall fell silent except Jiaxing.

"How many people in the Painting Academy are able to paint portraits now?" The emperor put down his clasped hands.

"Your Majesty," Eunuch Gu couldn't help but whisper, "Ninety-five painters have been executed in recent days. Apart from those convicted by Concubine Chun and the two Empress Dowagers, there won't be many left if the number continues."

The emperor's hand trembled, he nodded slightly, and finally stood up.

"The majority of people in the painting academy are scholars, while folk craftsmen are just miscellaneous people. However, these people think they are geniuses, but they are just painters! We have many talented people in Da Ying, so we can't lack a few."

He walked to the desk and picked up the pen. After thinking for a moment, he put down his pen.

Recruit a few painters from all over the country, and select 100 of them. If you make a living by painting god statues and murals, you will get double the price.

If you paint, you will get double the price.

If you draw it wrong, your head and body will be separated.

Eunuch Gu was sweating all the time. This was probably not the first time that Jiaxing had been so extravagant. Every time he finished writing something like this, he could remain calm.

Such a foolish emperor is truly a disaster for the country.

After the main person, suddenly another young eunuch came to report.

"Your Majesty," the man called in a low voice, "Grand Scholar Li is here!"

Emperor Jiaxing immediately looked up and saw that he was standing in front of the door in official uniform, with a long beard and a kind look.

"All of you, get out!" He retreated around.

"I heard that Your Majesty has now mastered the Taoist mental skills, and the true dragon emperor from heaven has descended to the earth. It is really cause for celebration." Li Simeng bowed solemnly.

The emperor immediately stepped forward, his eyes bright under the lamplight: "What are you talking about, Grand Secretary Li? Although I am a real dragon, I would not be able to do what I am today without your teachings."

As he spoke, he carefully pulled out a memorial document and quietly put it down: "Since I was dismissed from my position as prime minister, I have decided that no one in the court can understand me. I have always wanted to be prime minister again."

Although employing Li Simeng would harm the people and make things difficult for the country, he was reluctant to kill this treacherous minister no matter how serious the crime was.

It was because Li Simeng was his prime minister, his mentor in calligraphy and painting, and also his soulmate.

Emperor Jiaxing had no interest in political affairs. If it were not for his attainments in calligraphy, painting, antiques, flowers and stones that won the emperor's favor, he would not have been promoted so quickly.

Therefore, the so-called dismissal from the position of prime minister was just a last resort amid widespread condemnation.

His salary, rewards, and even power did not diminish.

"I thank you for your grace, but..." Li Simeng's eyes gradually turned to him, "The matter of reinstating the prime minister needs to be considered carefully, and it cannot be proposed by Your Majesty."

The three strange paintings of "Refugees" presented by Bai Wan that day, as well as the folk legend of star changes, are difficult to explain.

Emperor Jiaxing was embarrassed for a moment, and after thinking for a long time, he said: "You mean, let the Queen Mother..."

…………

"It's crazy!"

Daying Art Academy and painters all over the world were shocked.

A good art academy and art circle is about to be turned into a Taoist temple, which will bring disaster to the country.

Although Cheng Su and Cheng Zhiyuan did not know how to paint, they wrote that each painter had his own strengths, namely Buddha, people, landscapes, animals, flowers and birds, and houses. It was impossible for all of them to paint Taoists and gods.

As a result, he was directly dismissed from his position as painter in Jiaxing.

Shen Zhuyue, who was sitting at the table, was also convicted of painting a bad picture. He painted thirty portraits of Concubine Chun and was criticized for every one of them, including her height, weight, and size. In the end, he had to go to jail.

Cai Jiang was just a small apprentice, but he was recommended to join the army. He was best at painting huge rocks and mountains, and was not good at painting human figures or gods at all.

If he had not been mainly engaged in painting the "Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden" folding screen for the Empress Dowager, he would probably have been pulled into painting Taoist statues.

Most of the people with some talent and courage in the painting academy were suppressed.

Cheng Su was dismissed, Shen Zhuyue was driven out of the palace, Cai Jiang survived by chance, and countless apprentices, both big and small, such as Ke Yu and Song Xiang, were forced to paint statues of gods, and no one dared to resist.

The so-called court painters, even if they were talented in the world of painting, would be quickly suppressed by His Majesty. In addition, it was easy to offend the powerful in Japan, and most of them were beheaded.

Since then, after ninety-five painters died in Daying Painting Academy, it is no longer a place respected by painters all over the world.

Non-imperial painters gradually emerged among the people. In addition to court painting, the thirteen categories of painting originated from the people.

The imperial palace set up four departments and six bureaus for this purpose and began to hire painters from the public, and hiring became the norm.

That is, there were many schools of folk painters, who temporarily signed short-term recruitment contracts with the court, borrowed paintings from outside, and were dispatched in an orderly manner.

The four departments and six bureaus also have painting supervisors...

"Daying Painting Academy, has become a Taoist temple?"

Cheng Su took a look at the palace gate and walked out of the palace in a restless mood. All his years of fame and success were reduced to a commoner because of a word from the emperor.

He walked towards the street holding the package in his hand, thinking constantly.

He walked on the street, thinking about how to survive.

Suddenly, there was a crowd of people in a corner of the street.

He looked over and saw a group of people and horses running towards the city gate. He looked at them carefully and recognized them based on their attire.

Those are the men of the Jiedushi of the Xiang Army!