CH 56

Cui Yuan hurried and hurried, and at long last, the portrait was sent to the capital before the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month. 

Xie Ying had entered the palace to accompany the Imperial procession for the Laba Festival[1] and had returned home a bit earlier than usual today and just had the free time to meet Cui Yuan. In that case, Cui Yuan handed over the portrait and Cui Xie’s handwritten letter and said on behalf of his Master: “Our family’s Young Master is still young, if there is anything amiss with the portrait, I hope qianhu can be forgiving.”

Xie Ying laughed, “Nowadays, there are so many people in the capital that rely on his paintings to make a living. If he does not paint well, those craftsmen and bookstore owners will have to drink the northwest wind[2] instead.”

In his heart, Cui Yuan felt that everything was good about his little Master and adding a few modest, yet insincere remarks, he said, “Young Master said that Qian’an does not have any good portrait mounting craftsmen, hence, this portrait was only lined with a layer of fine writing paper, and has not been mounted yet, so we will have to trouble Colonel da-ren to toil over this matter.”

Xie Ying carried the slender brocaded box in his arms, a trace of a smile on his face as he nodded, “The weather outside is poor, you can stay overnight before leaving, so as to not worry your Young Master. I will return and look over this portrait first.”

He then headed into his inner chambers and first opened the letter. The handwriting in the letter showed much progress and possessed a stronger sense of strength than before, as if the stroke of the pen was about to penetrate the paper. Xie Ying did not know just how Cui Xie had produced such handwriting with just a few months of practice. The content of the letter was very simple, first, Cui Xie had thanked him for his care and then told that this painting could be called the Banquet to Celebrate Peace in Heaven, and that he had also written the seating arrangement and names of the characters in the painting.

As he read the letter, Xie Ying kept those phrases in mind and slowly read all the way down. After the introduction of the characters, this should have been the end section of the letter, however, an awfully abrupt sentence was suddenly inserted at the bottom: “These past few days have been so cold that the ground has frozen over and the family’s cook frequently cooks nourishing dishes. It has caused one to put on some weight in just a month’s time and I fear that in the future when the Colonel sees me again, you will not recognize me.”

Last time, when Xie Shan had returned from Qian’an, he had mentioned how thin Cui Xie had become, so the other was going to write how fat he had become in this letter instead? Xie Ying could not help but shake his head and the corners of his mouth unconsciously hooked up slightly.

After reading the letter, he used a small silver knife to slash the seals on the box, opened the brocaded box and took out the tightly rolled scroll. He slowly unfolded the scroll and spread it onto the kang bed to marvel at.

In a split second, the vivid and lifelike scenery of Immortals and Buddhas that filled the entire sky came into view: the imposing and majestic Jade Emperor, the kind and graceful Queen Mother of the West, the dignified and stately Buddha, The Heavenly Lord of Dao and the Great White Golden Star emanated bone-deep divine auras, the flourishing heroic bearing and dashing figure of Erlang Shen, Chang’e who was as bright as the moon, female spirits holding pipas as they danced, including sweet, fair and tender Immortal fairies as well as the extraordinary scenes of the Dragon Kings and the Constellations…..

Furthermore, there was was a glass screen behind the Jade Emperor, showcasing the golden pillars that circled the palace’s jade corridors, rising clouds and mist filling like a pond up to one’s feet…..when observing from a distance, it seemed as if the celestial palace of immortals was about to stand up from the paper.

Xie Ying stood in front of the bed, admiring the painting for half an hour before he was able to pull out his spirit from that painting. Using a low voice to praise, he said, “It is well drawn, it is just that, it is too well drawn…”

At first, he only thought that Cui Xie’s description of the Immortals’ appearances had been exquisitely lifelike, but only after seeing the painting for himself, he realized that Cui Xie’s ingenious depiction of such a large scene was not inferior to the offerings made by the Bureau of Fine Crafts. It was only the creases of the clothes and the lines in the hair and beard that had not been treated meticulously enough and Cui Xie was fond of relying on distinct shades of contrasting colors to exhibit the protrusions of the clothes——this was most likely because Cui Xie had been too busy with his studies, and younger people were somewhat lacking in patience. The other relied on the fact that his own paintings were bright and eye-catching, and did not care so much for these particularly in-depth and meticulous details.

Not to mention these painting skills, just how did he come with such a scene of the Immortals feasting?

It wasn’t that Xie Ying looked down on others, although Cui Que was a jinshi and an official in the Ministry of Revenue, he had probably never seen any big occasions. As for his son, Cui Xie, it was probably even more the case that he had rarely feasted at ordinary banquets before. How could he come up with such a luxurious and grand palace out of thin air? Just how did he gather together both Immortals and Buddhas feasting in one scene and also arrange the seating order so precisely?

How did a young boy who grew up in the deep recesses of the residence, who was busy studying as he grew up and hardly ever came into contact with women, was able to come up with such a complicated dancing scene? And even drew such Immortal fairies with hair that floated like clouds on their misty temples and their bodies that glittered with divine energy?

Is this what Buddhists called early wisdom? Just like Fang Zhongyong from the previous dynasty, who seemed to know everything without ever studying?

He simply called Cui Yuan over and inquired, “How did your family’s Young Master produce this panoramic scroll? Did he use other’s paintings as reference or did he come up with such a composition at home?”

Cui Yuan clapped his hands and exclaimed, “It is not because of referencing others! Our Young Master had never painted such a large portrait before and he had spent a lot of thought on this painting. He just bought a basket of Immortal portraits imitated by those sour scholars outside, painted every day, modified it every day, and painted so much that he lost weight! I did not see the drafting process myself, but I heard my son say that our Young Master painted day and night before, wasting a hundred sheets of paper before the final draft was finished. If it weren’t the fact that this painting was for the Colonel, our Young Master would have never been so attentive!”

Xie Ying’s gaze that was as bright as snow fell onto the other’s face, and he asked, “Lost weight again? Didn’t he say that the cook at home was good and that he had even gained a few pounds?”

Cui Yuan bitterly smiled, “It is just himself saying he grew fatter, but those with a discerning eye can see that he is thinner. Next February is the xianshi, the county Imperial examinations, and Young Master has to study and also look over the bookstore. He even gets up early every day to practice martial arts and even a few days ago, he had to manage the matters of the county library….even a person with an iron body would have a hard time enduring it ah.”

Xie Ying knitted his brows, frowning, “He has not come of age yet, how could he torture himself like so? If he ruins his body, then one can’t even think about taking the examinations. He is still young and does not understand the gravity of things, you must keep a careful eye on him. Later, I will call for someone to pack up some nourishing medicinal ingredients for you to bring back. Find a physician to deliberate over the prescription, and give him a dose every day.”

Once they started talking about these type of things, for a while, Xie Ying did not bother asking him about the portrait anymore——Even if Cui Xie had referenced others’ works, to be able to draw so well in less than two months, the other was surely an extraordinary talent, truly not a common chord[3].

But such a child prodigy who was good at his studies and good at painting had been obscured and unknown when he resided in the Cui Residence. He recalled that when he had taken that demon Patriarch back to the capital to hand over the Imperial decree, he had one gone to Official Cui’s residence to verify Cui Xie’s identity. At that time, the people in the residence all described him as a hedonistic son without any special skills.

Xie Ying faintly frowned, feeling pity in his heart: This young man whose talent and moral standing was as dazzling as a blazing fire, before the eyes of the Cui household, had been living such a mediocre life. Only after leaving the household could he gradually reveal his outstanding talent, but because he had missed the best timing, with no one that could help him, he could only stake out his greatest efforts and carry these heavy responsibilities as he walked alone.

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Xie Ying personally inscribed the painting and asked someone to engrave some recreative seals[4] to stamp on the portrait. Then the portrait was mounted like it was the work of a famous person, and he picked a day when Gao taijian was off-duty and visited the other’s residence with the portrait scroll in hand.

Gao Liang and his son were currently sitting at home, thinking about the portrait of Immortals that Xie Ying was going to give them. They hadn’t completely counted on Xie Ying for this matter and had gone to look for a few ancient paintings from the Song Dynasty. They had also founded someone to draw a portrait of an Immortal Banquet by imitating 《Procession of Immortals Paying Homage to the Primordial》by Wu Zongyuan, and then replacing it with a face that imitated the Cui Beauty’s style, outlined it in gold and just looking at it, one could feel the ethereal quality fluttering about. But the imitation could not be compared to the original work and the characters’ expressions appeared stiff. If such a portrait was presented, it could not be considered as outstanding.

If the portrait Xie Ying had obtained was also similar, then they would stop fighting for the limelight and just honestly and obediently find the best jewelry and toys for the Emperor in the future.

While the father and son were mulling over such thoughts, someone came to report from outside, saying that Xie Ying had arrived. Gao Liang was instantly delighted and his adopted son even stood up from his chair and waved, “Quickly have him come in, prepare some refreshments for the Colonel, Laoye wants to see him!”

After a while, Xie Ying quickly strided into the courtyard, and a maid had already lifted the curtains to greet with a smile: “Da-ren, please come in, our Laoye and that rich and important person have been waiting for a while.”

Before she finished speaking, Gao Qian walked towards the entrance, grabbed Xie Ying’s arm and beamed, “I just knew Xie xiong would not disappoint Father or me!” After laughing a few times, he looked over with a meaningful glance and lowered his voice to inquire, “Is your painting truly top notch?”

Xie Ying faintly grinned, “If it is not good, do I still dare to come here today?”

He then walked to the hall as he was passing by and greeted Gao gonggong[5]: “At long last, Xie Ying has not disgraced myself and obtained a portrait that can finally be seen as diligent and attentive enough.”

He handed over the brocaded box containing the portrait and Gao taijian impatiently took out the scroll, unfurling it inch-by-inch using his left hand. It revealed The Jade Emperor, the Queen Mother of the West and Buddha, these three people first. Although no names had been written on the portrait and the attire was different from other portraits of Gods and Buddhas, he could recognize who these three people were in a glance. It seemed that even among all the Gods and Buddhas, these three characters were meant to sit in the most honorable seats, as if it was heaven’s law and earth’s principle.

Honorable and poised, pure and solemn.

He graduated from the Eunuch School and was a proper disciple of the Hanlin Imperial Academy, as such, his appreciation of painting and calligraphy would not be weak. After only one glance, he praised, “This is truly Cui Beauty’s painting methods, and the vigor of the strokes seems to be even much stronger than hers! The Cui Beauty is a woman after all, lacking in wrist strength, making the lines immature and feeble. But, this painter’s strokes seem to carry along his muscle and bone strength, power that penetrates through the back of the paper! This must be the work of a tall and powerful man!”

…..It was hard to say whether he was tall or not, but Xie Ying had heard Cui Xie was practicing martial arts every day, so his strength should have grown considerably, right?

Xie Ying knew that the other was just simply in a cheerful mood after seeing the portrait, and wanted to comment a few words, but didn’t need anyone to actually respond, so he just continued to drink tea on the side. Gao Qian did not understand this so-called using one’s muscles and bones to create vigor of strokes in calligraphy, but after looking at those Immortals’ appearances, he knew it was good and followed along to shout a few praises.

After finishing looking at this section, and then unfurling to the next section, this time, Gao Qian truly applauded from the bottom of his heart, shouting: “Isn’t this Chang’e, the lady in the moon!”

It was actually Chang’e, the lady in the moon, Xie Ying slowly downed his cup of tea and after hearing Gao Qian’s startled cries, he got up and pointed out the identities of the Immortals to the father and son duo, asking with a laugh, “Does gonggong think this painting is alright?”

Gao Liang let out a long, relieved sigh and smiled with kind brows and pleasant eyes, “It is more than good, even if this is presented to the Emperor, it would be considered a masterpiece. I don’t know where qianhu found such a painter, unexpectedly to be able to paint this well?”

Xie Ying responded, “It is not a painter, but a literati who can paint. Didn’t I say earlier that Cui Beauty’s paintings are not hard to come by? It is just that those painters are already familiar with those paintings, and if you don’t ask them to use those original works, they will turn towards their long-used drawing techniques, which is inferior to the ingenuity of these scholars.”

Gao Qian sighed, “It is not just the ingenuity of the scholar, it must also be the qianhu’s innovative thinking.You kept an eye on the scholar at home to paint for two months, it must have been troublesome for you. Someone come, bring the newly bought box of pearls and give it to the Colonel——”

Xie Ying waved his hand: “The Company Commander is looking down on me. Just a painting, how much can it be worth? Besides, that person was not raised by my family, but rather owed me a favor from the past and was willing to make this painting for me in return for his favor. I also need to look out for Gao gonggong, don’t tell me I am not allowed to repay your care with a painting?”

Gao gonggong smiled, “Xie da-ren is shaming our family. Do not worry, if this painting receives the liking of the Emperor and the Empress, our family will naturally not forget your contribution. By the way, just what kind of person is this painter, why did he inscribe the title “Lin Quan chushi”[6] and didn’t even provide a decent, proper name? It must be rare for him to paint such a good portrait and our family ought to mention a word about him in front of the Emperor. In the case that His Majesty is in a good mood, he may confer some rewards so that the painter can remember your relationship with each other more, and paint a few more paintings for you in the future.”

Xie Ying shook his head slightly and chuckled, “Those literati have strange temperaments and I feel disinclined to go to such trouble again. Besides, did gonggong really assume that he can draw so well under normal circumstances? If he was really so good, he would have long made a name for himself. This portrait was only painted after he painted all of the Cui Beauty’s works and also referenced countless portraits of Immortals before he figured out the artistic concept. He also wasted a hundred sheets of strong white paper before he was able to come up with the final draft, I am afraid he won’t be able to reproduce a second portrait on the same level of skill.”

Gao Liang gave him an odd glance——didn’t you just say that you hadn’t kept an eye on his painting? So how did that count as “troublesome”? Why did you instruct him to copy down all of the Cui Beauty’s works once through? And how did he do it by himself if he wasted your paper?

Xie Ying stared back calmly.

Gao taijian shifted his gaze and sighed, “This kind of painting, it is rare to produce one like it in one’s lifetime.” He was also a person who respected literati and wasn’t like those unsympathetic Jinyiwei who locked people up to paint pictures for them for two months. He was afraid that such high-quality portraits would be hard to come by in the future, just having a single one of such quality was good enough.

He asked his son to stay behind to accompany Xie Ying to enjoy the refreshments and he immediately put the Immortals portrait in the box, and did not even care to rest a bit and headed straight into the Palace and presented it to the Emperor Chenghua.

Nowadays because of his stuttering sickness, the Emperor had always been disinclined to talk and seeing that Gao Liang came to present painting on such a random occasion, he creased his brows and slowly asked, “Why have you come here today?”

Gao Liang respectfully and deferentially replied, “This servant accidentally came across a portrait of Immortals and afraid that this lowly body is not worthy of holding onto it for so long, and hurriedly came to present it to your Majesty.”

He undid the velvet rope tied around the outside of the scroll, and slightly unfurled a section, politely laughing to inquire: “Your Majesty, please take a look, isn’t the Jade Emperor in this portrait very similar to your Majesty?”

The resemblance could not be discerned, but the Jade Emperor’s portrait was indeed drawn extremely dignified and prestigious, the eyes were full of spirit, his beard floated under his chin, exhibiting the imposing grandeur of a monarch. Additionally, the Holy One of Mercy and Compassion, Buddha, sat underneath him at the feast and it was actually a scene where Buddhism and Taoism integrated together in harmony. 

The Son of Heaven, the Emperor had also once drawn a portrait 《A Portrait of Harmonious Relations》, advocating the Three Doctrines. After seeing such a picture, he could help but marvel: “This, this, this portrait….”

Gao Liang’s cheeks were slightly red and his eyes were unusually bright. Lowering his head, he replied, “This portrait is called 《Banquet to Celebrate Peace in Heaven》and it is a portrait depicting the Gods and Buddhas in the heavens celebrating the great order and peace of the world. It is with providential good luck that this servant came across this portrait, and this servant dared not tarry, immediately presenting to your Majesty.”

The Emperor slowly unfurled the scroll, little by little, taking in the Immortals, Heavenly Soldiers, and Heavenly Officials, lightly sighing, “Banquet to Celebrate, the Peace in Heaven? What a good portrait, good——a good omen, zhen’s reign can be counted as an era of peace and prosperity, you may go down to receive your reward, and also reward the one who painted it….”

Gao Liang hurriedly knelt down to thank the Emperor and assumed an expression that was full of pity to explain: “May Your Majesty forgive me! The person who painted the portrait is a reclusive, detached talent and only wanted someone to present this portrait as an offering and only said that this portrait is to be called the Banquet to Celebrate Peace in Heaven, after that, he could not be found again!”

The  Emperor spared him a glance, his gaze deep and profound, as if he could see through Gao Liang’s facade in a single glance.

Gao Liang did not lift his head, and as if he had rehearsed over a hundred times, he fluently and naturally said: “Your Majesty, look at the Gods and Buddhas in the painting, it is as if real Immortals and Buddhas have descended into the painting, and the person who painted them is no ordinary character. It seems that this reclusive talent only borrowed my hands to present this painting to the Emperor, in order to congratulate our Great Ming Dynasty’s golden, flourishing age and the Emperor’s everlasting, strong rule. He is also a chushi from a remote location, since  he has already handed over the painting, how could he do those clumsy and simple-minded tasks that I have done on his behalf?”

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