Chapter 36: Inviting Shangjing to Watch a Movie
Qi Zheng had people deliver Chen Bai’s things to Gan Thirteen in Shanggu City with extreme urgency.
But he still could not help asking again, “Are you certain that with this thing, Gan Thirteen will be able to let us grasp Ba’s military deployment in real time?”
Even though children matured earlier in ancient times, Gan Xin was still only half-grown.
This matter was truly a little too strange.
Chen Bai answered, “We’ll know when the time comes.”
In truth, it would still depend on whether Gan Xin could understand the instruction manual he had written.
The simple manual he wrote was also accompanied by pictures, so it should be understandable. But someone who had never operated it before would more or less encounter problems even Chen Bai could not anticipate.
Before sending the items out, Chen Bai used his phone to create a group chat and added the student watch’s account into the group.
After thinking for a moment, he also pulled Qi Zheng into the group.
At the time, Qi Zheng only heard a “ding.” He tapped it open and looked, but did not understand what it meant, because Chen Bai did not speak in the group.
After that, all they could do was wait.
Discussions about Ba surrounding Shanggu City also grew more and more frequent.
Actually, no one had ever worried about whether Shanggu City would be lost, because even if it were lost, Great Qian had the ability to take it back afterward.
But the commoners inside the city would probably have a difficult time.
Every time Chen Bai heard people on the streets discussing Ba’s past siege battles, his heart would rise into his throat.
It was also the first time he realized that war was so close to him. This was a chaotic era. Apart from the low productivity he had seen and the hardships of common life, there were even more tragedies that made one’s heart tremble just by imagining them.
Chen Bai kept his phone on him almost constantly, hoping to receive news from Gan Xin at the first possible moment. That little fellow had suddenly encountered a great disaster. He wondered whether he had been frightened silly.
On the seventh day of waiting.
A one-second voice message suddenly appeared in the group chat. Its content was also strange, as if it had been pressed accidentally.
Chen Bai did not dare speak, because he was not sure whether the student watch had reached Gan Xin’s hands.
In the end, Qi Zheng sent a voice message. “Mountain Lord? Why is today’s chat frame somewhat different from before?”
Chen Bai: “…”
Qi Zheng probably thought Chen Bai had sent it.
After waiting half a quarter of an hour, Gan Xin’s excited and incoherent voice finally appeared in the group.
“Ah? Stone, stone, why does your voice sound like Prince Zheng? You really are a strange stone.”
Chen Bai’s spirits instantly jolted. Gan Xin had finally received his things.
He hurriedly said, “Gan Thirteen, remember how you operated it just now. From now on, use this method to keep in contact with us.”
“Tea… Teacher?”
“Ow, my face hurts. I just slapped myself.”
“Teacher, teacher, what is this? I think I just heard your voice. Where are you? Why can’t I see you? I only heard your voice coming from inside the stone.”
He was probably so excited that he was looking all around.
Chen Bai could imagine this blockhead’s stunned expression right now.
Chen Bai said, “This is the thousand-li voice transmission of the student watch that I wrote about in the letter I gave you. You must protect it carefully. This is the only way for us to contact you.”
After saying that, he quickly asked, “How is your situation now?”
Gan Xin’s voice was still excited. “I’m fine right now. There are eight big men guarding the door of my room to protect me. It’s just very chaotic outside. Grain can’t be transported in. I heard there have already been many robberies inside the city, all people robbing grain.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Gan Xin was Duke Gan’s grandson, so he should still have some safety protection for the time being.
But from Gan Xin’s few words, Chen Bai could also tell that Shanggu City had already begun to fall into disorder. He only feared that before Ba’s army even broke in, the city itself would no longer be able to hold on.
Ba had only surrounded the city and not attacked directly, merely launching small surprise raids. That might also be because they were at war with Lu and did not dare force an attack that would cost them troops. Otherwise, if Ba truly disregarded losses and stormed a city, there would be no need to drag things out for so long.
“Master, this student watch is too magical. I almost thought I was dreaming.”
At this moment, Qi Zheng cut in. “Mountain Lord, what is going on?”
Before Chen Bai could reply, Gan Xin cried out in surprise. “Prince Zheng! Prince Zheng also has a student watch? Prince Zheng can also transmit his voice across a thousand li?”
He was startled by everything.
Qi Zheng thought to himself: the demon’s true body was already in his hands, so what was there to be surprised about? It was just voice transmission over a thousand li.
He did not think about how shocked he himself had been back then.
Chen Bai asked, “Gan Xin, do you know Ba’s specific military deployment? The court needs to know these details in order to send troops to save Shanggu.”
Gan Xin answered, “Right now, we only know there are many, many Ba soldiers outside. Our scouts go out and never return. We can only look from far away and roughly see the situation.”
Chen Bai thought it seemed they could only rely on the drone.
The situation was urgent now, so Chen Bai did not waste words. “Gan Thirteen, did you see the other thing I sent you?”
“Mm-hm. A very strange thing. What unmanned chicken? I looked at it and it doesn’t have any meat.”
The corner of Chen Bai’s mouth twitched. “Read the operating steps in the letter I wrote to you carefully. If there’s anything you don’t understand, use the student watch to ask me.”
Next, Chen Bai taught Gan Xin how to use the drone.
Compared with the student watch, the difficulty was far more than just a little higher.
Just like that, an entire morning passed. Chen Bai spoke for the whole morning. In the end, it was essentially about using the remote control.
Chen Bai’s mouth became dry from all the explaining, so he prepared to go drink some water.
When he returned, Qi Zheng and Gan Xin were actually chatting in the group, and the content of their conversation was strange beyond belief.
“Prince Zheng, my face is red from slapping it. Even now, I still can’t believe you’re in Shangjing chatting with me.”
“Mm, it is quite magical. I’ll show you something even more interesting.”
Then came Gan Xin’s incredulous cries of surprise.
Chen Bai opened the group chat and saw that Qi Zheng had sent an emoji: a husky staring blankly in a GIF.
Gan Xin said, “What is this? What is this? Send more. It’s too cute.”
Qi Zheng satisfied him.
When Chen Bai opened the group chat, pictures were already being spammed inside.
Chen Bai: “…”
This Prince Zheng was actually this childish.
When Chen Bai had first taught him how to send emojis, Qi Zheng had sent him quite a lot of them. Basically every sentence had to include one emoji.
Now, hearing Gan Xin’s excited voice like a shrieking chicken, Chen Bai could already imagine what this group chat would become in the future.
But now, Chen Bai interrupted the two of them chatting nonsense. “This afternoon, try finding an open area and practice using it. It would be even better if you can gather enemy information, but absolutely do not take risks.”
After all, teaching by mouth was one thing, using one’s hands was another.
They agreed on a time. That afternoon, Chen Bai went to Qi Zheng’s residence, because once they obtained Ba’s specific military deployment, they would still need Qi Zheng’s status to make the king and the court officials believe it.
Chen Bai did not come empty-handed. He brought a projector.
The projector was something he had originally planned to buy. Had he not planned to show outdoor movies in Shangjing’s square? Now, he was simply buying it ahead of schedule.
“What is this now?” Qi Zheng asked in confusion.
As Chen Bai set up the projector, he said to Qi Zheng, “Close the doors and windows first. The darker the environment, the better. You’ll know what this is once you see it.”
This projector was already connected to the internet and linked to the drone in Gan Xin’s hands.
When the light in the room dimmed, Qi Zheng walked over with a face full of confusion, but did not disturb Chen Bai.
At this moment, a beam of light shot from the projector onto the wall.
Qi Zheng: “…”
He felt that his mind was about to go blank.
Images began appearing on the wall, but they shook so much that they made people dizzy.
There was also Gan Xin’s strange voice. “This is war correspondent Gan Thirteen bringing everyone a real-time report from Shanggu City…”
“Teacher, why do I have to say such strange words?”
“Oh no, the chicken is flying, the chicken is flying.”
“Ah, the chicken is going to fall, it’s going to fall.”
Everything was chaos.
Chen Bai quickly said toward the projector, which had a voice input hole, “Don’t touch the remote control randomly. If you leave it alone, it will stay still.”
“This chicken is alive. Really. It’s flying all over the sky.”
“Teacher, I’m so dizzy. I couldn’t help slapping myself again just now. My face is swollen.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Qi Zheng stared blankly at Chen Bai. What exactly were they talking about?
Fortunately, the image on the wall began to stabilize. It only showed blue sky and white clouds.
Chen Bai also breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Gan Xin had found an open area. Otherwise, if the drone crashed into a wall, Chen Bai would probably cry.
He could not help asking, “Gan Thirteen, where are you right now? It looks quite open.”
“On the city wall. Didn’t teacher ask me to gather enemy information? Only here can I see clearly. I even used Grandfather’s name to pressure them before they agreed to let me come up.”
Chen Bai said, “Then be careful.”
“Don’t worry. Eight big men are protecting me.”
Only then did the topic return to the right track. “Follow the method I taught you this morning. Adjust the drone’s angle, then fly it above Ba’s army. Pay attention to the height. Don’t let someone shoot it down as a bird.”
The image on the wall began to change. It was strange; one moment it pointed at the sky, the next at the distance, making people dizzy just watching.
No one knew how long passed before the image finally turned toward the ground.
The image moved slowly.
Then came Gan Xin’s stammering yet excited voice. “This is war correspondent Gan Xin’s real-time report.”
“Teacher, teacher, am I acting as a scout right now? I feel like the Ba people could smash their heads open and still not catch me.”
Chen Bai said, “…Be serious. Don’t get carried away.”
People began to appear in the image on the wall. People on the ground, camp after camp. Judging from the style of their armor, it was Ba’s army.
Qi Zheng sucked in a cold breath. “Could it be… this is the specific situation outside Shanggu City right now? We can see it directly from a thousand li away?”
The real-time military report that the demon had mentioned was… letting them see it with their own eyes.
Qi Zheng opened his mouth. Even though he had imagined many possible bizarre situations, he had never imagined it would be like this…
He finally understood why Gan Xin kept slapping his own face. If the demon were not here, even he would be unable to resist slapping himself to see whether he could wake up.
Gan Xin was still exclaiming, “Teacher, you can see the situation here too? My goodness, riding a carriage from Shangjing to here takes half a month.”
So dazed. He wanted to slap his face again.
Chen Bai looked at the image and said to Qi Zheng, “I’m not familiar with military deployments, so you’ll have to do the statistics yourself.”
The image was very clear, but Chen Bai did not understand how to determine the number of troops through the tents in the camp and other factors. That had to rely on Qi Zheng.
Qi Zheng opened his mouth. “…”
This was more than enough to determine the enemy’s numbers. It was even possible to see the enemy’s deployment, movements, and troop transfers in full.
One could say that Ba’s military actions were already completely exposed and thoroughly understood.
Chen Bai was still directing Gan Xin to control the drone and scan the entire Ba army.
Qi Zheng, meanwhile, stared at Chen Bai without blinking. Did this demon have any idea what this meant for a war?
One could say that with the real-time image on the wall, even if the difference in strength were huge and the enemy had several times their own troops, victory would still be possible.
Chen Bai glanced at Qi Zheng. “Did you write it all down?”
Only then did Qi Zheng pick up paper and brush. After thinking for a moment, he began drawing. Each location was marked with troops, troop types, and some things Chen Bai did not understand.
“How is it?” Chen Bai asked.
Qi Zheng’s expression became strange. “If I were commanding now, I could win even without sending more border troops as reinforcements.”
“Wait for me here. I will go and return shortly.”
Qi Zheng took the map he had drawn and left. When he went out, he could not help looking back once, his brows deeply lowered. What this demon probably did not know was that whoever possessed the real-time image on the wall could be invincible in battle.
Qi Zheng lowered his brows. This demon… had to stand on his side, no matter what method was required.
He even had the thought of hiding this demon away, because… once the demon’s abilities were discovered, he could already imagine how fiercely others would fight over him.
Qi Zheng took the map and headed toward the palace, but he did not go to the king. Instead, he went to Empress Dowager Zhaosheng.
Some things should begin now.
As for Chen Bai, he was still playing with the drone with Gan Xin.
“Closer. A little closer. Aim at that bird.”
“Teacher, I feel like I’m flying in the sky. That bird even looked at me.”
The remote control in Gan Xin’s hands had a small screen. Gan Xin had taken classes in the multifunctional electronic classroom before, so he had some resistance to images on a screen. Otherwise, things would not have gone so smoothly.
“This unmanned chicken is really fun.”
Chen Bai had Gan Xin operate it like this so he could teacher its use as quickly as possible.
By the time Qi Zheng returned, quite a bit of time had passed.
When Gan Xin heard Qi Zheng’s voice, he even said, “Does war correspondent Gan Xin need to continue reporting?”
Qi Zheng ignored him and said, “The king has already agreed to let me go alone to rescue Shanggu City.”
Chen Bai froze. “Wait, you alone?”
Qi Zheng nodded and smiled a little bitterly. “With this real-time map, reinforcements actually are not necessary. Bringing Shanggu City’s defenders and the reinforcements that were sent at the beginning will be enough to win. It will only be somewhat difficult. Also, speed is essential in war. If troops are transferred now, Shanggu City may not hold out until then. Only if I rush there on horseback will it be possible. The premise is that I must have this real-time map on the wall to be confident.”
Chen Bai thought: that was simple enough. Qi Zheng just had to take the projector with him. He only needed to teach him briefly how to turn it on. Chen Bai would adjust the equipment ahead of time, and pressing the power button would be enough.
Moreover, judging from the information Gan Xin had sent, the situation was indeed urgent. If troops were transferred, marching an army was not like one person traveling. It would take a very long time, and they really might not make it in time.
Chen Bai said, “How did the king agree to let you lead troops?”
Given the king’s attitude toward Qi Zheng, he should not have handed such an important matter to Qi Zheng.
Because once Qi Zheng succeeded, the merit would not be small.
Qi Zheng smiled bitterly. That was because the king probably believed that without bringing even a single soldier or horse, it would be impossible to succeed. On top of that, Empress Dowager Zhaosheng had secretly interfered. The king simply agreed to an impossible matter to avoid other trouble, which was how they ended up with this result.
It was a result that looked utterly absurd, but one that Qi Zheng had fought hard to obtain.
Qi Zheng said, “There is no time to lose. I will depart immediately to prevent any changes.”
Chen Bai nodded as well. After all, even if Qi Zheng departed now, rushing desperately to Shanggu City would still take about seven days.
Chen Bai began teaching Qi Zheng how to use the projector. It was only pressing the switch, as well as what kind of environment would make the image clearer.
“Once you reach Shanggu City, you can look for Gan Xin. He’s quite good at operating the drone now.”
Qi Zheng left. One man, one bundle, riding alone to Shanggu City.
The old steward who saw him off from afar wiped his moist eyes. “His Highness at this moment is so like Empress Dowager Zhaosheng back then, one person and one horse guarding Great Qian. What a pity… what a pity the king refuses to see these things.”
After speaking, he seemed to realize he had let something slip and carefully glanced at Chen Bai.
Chen Bai smiled. This was not exactly a secret, just something no one dared discuss.
After that, Chen Bai basically asked in the group every day whether Qi Zheng had arrived.
Qi Zheng did not answer. He was probably busy hurrying on the road and had no time to look at his phone. He only sent a running horse GIF at a fixed time every day to show he was still there.
Gan Xin, on the other hand, could call “Teacher” eighty times a day. He played happily and thoroughly, without the slightest sense of fear from being trapped in a city that could be massacred at any moment.
Sometimes, being carefree was also a good thing.
In order not to let Gan Xin panic, Chen Bai chatted with him about cheerful topics every day.
“Teacher, I thought returning home to visit relatives would be especially boring. Luckily, I have the student watch.”
Chen Bai thought: you chatter like a voice machine all day long. What boredom?
Qi Zheng arrived at Shanggu City around the seventh day.
Gan Xin said they had already run out of even the last of the grain in the city, and the chaos was becoming worse and worse.
Chen Bai was a little worried. In the end, Qi Zheng, who had not spoken for seven days, sent a message in the group.
“This may not necessarily be a bad thing. At times of despair, unexpected ferocity is often stirred up. What they lack now is hope, and I can let them see hope.”
Burning the boats behind them?
Chen Bai did not know Qi Zheng’s specific arrangements.
The group chat began to grow quiet. Even Gan Xin stopped talking. He had probably been sent to use the drone to gather military information.
Chen Bai also did not dare ask in the group, afraid of disturbing them.
The days passed like this, one after another. To be honest, his heart was unsettled, because he did not know what exactly was happening. But sometimes, no news was not necessarily bad news.
Chen Bai still went to court every day and served as his Grand Scholar of the Brush.
The court’s response had also come out. A new troop transfer order was drafted, and along with it, a batch of new weapons was assigned to the troops going to provide support.
The number of troops transferred was not large. They were probably planning to follow the route of elite troops.
But Chen Bai smiled, because… after about ten days of silence, someone had finally spoken in the group chat.
Qi Zheng: “It’s done.”
Two words, slightly weary.
Then came Gan Xin’s chirping voice. “Teacher, I haven’t slept for several days. I’m exhausted. I’m still so young.”
Listening to their voices, though tired, there was joy in their words.
“Teacher, the people of Shanggu City now look at me and Prince Zheng like we’re divine beings. Now when I walk on the street, people cry while calling me Young Master Thirteen.”
Chen Bai smiled. Lu had its Four Great Young Masters, and Great Qian’s younger generation also had its Four Gentlemen. After this battle, it would probably become the Five Gentlemen.
The youngest legend: Young Master Gan Thirteen.
“Those rough soldiers in the army even said Prince Zheng commands troops like a god. Every time, he attacked Ba’s weakest point without a single mistake, making the Ba army exhausted from constantly rushing to rescue each other, like they were being dragged around. They said they had never seen such an unbelievable battle where the few defeated the many.”
Chen Bai: “…”
His own appointment as Grand Scholar of the Brush could be considered gaining a foothold in court.
And Qi Zheng, too, would probably be able to rely on this battle to gain a foothold in court.
With a merit like this, even the king could not ignore him. Qi Zheng had gone alone with one horse and rescued the besieged Shanggu City.
Chen Bai asked, “When are you coming back?”
Unexpectedly, the one who answered was Gan Xin. “I need to come back as soon as possible. I want to attend the art exhibition and watch the square movie. Teacher, wait for me! I want Prince Zheng to bring me back to Shangjing with him, but Prince Zheng won’t agree.”
“I’m not afraid of hardship on the road. Teacher, please talk to Prince Zheng for me.”
He sounded utterly wronged.
Chen Bai smiled. “Prince Zheng has no feelings. Even if I say it, he won’t listen.”
In the end, Qi Zheng replied tiredly, “Who told you that?”
Chen Bai thought the two of them must be extremely exhausted and did not dare disturb them any longer. He said they should rest properly first, then closed the group chat.
The next day, when he checked the group again, there were 99+ messages.
He opened it and saw that they were all emoji packs sent by Gan Xin and Qi Zheng.
Chen Bai sighed. Their energy was far too abundant. He had even been worried they would not rest well. It seemed he had thought too much.
Next, Chen Bai began preparing for the students’ art exhibition and the square movie screening.
The pictures Chen Bai had asked Tang Shen to help render had also been completed by Tang Shen’s people and were all sent to his email.
Chen Bai looked them over. They were fairly good.
He found an online print shop and printed them all, then went to a carpentry shop in the city to order suitable frames, mounting every picture.
Because each student had chosen ten pictures, the total number was quite large. Just framing them all was no small project.
When things were almost finished, a fine horse breathing white mist came galloping into the city from the gate. No one dared block its way.
The soldier on horseback held high a red-feathered arrow. This was an emergency message of the highest urgency. Whoever blocked it would die.
As soon as the galloping horse entered the city, the soldier on it shouted in an excited voice that sounded almost torn apart, “Military report from the border city! Great victory in the Battle of Shanggu City! The siege of our border city has been lifted!”
The horse sped toward the imperial palace, leaving only shock behind.
Then the entire city erupted in noise.
“A great victory! It’s a great victory! A military report of victory from the border city!”
All of Shangjing boiled over.
“Those damned Ba soldiers have been beaten back.”
People ran around telling one another, celebrating wildly.
People born in an era of war actually cherished days of peace all the more.
“Wasn’t Shanggu City said to be in an extremely critical situation? The reinforcement edict was only just issued. The reinforcements are probably still on the road. How did they already win?”
“Not long ago, Prince Zheng went to Shanggu City all alone. I heard he even issued a military pledge. Could it be…”
“How is that possible? Prince Zheng went alone. He didn’t bring a single reinforcement. I personally saw Prince Zheng leave the city that day. Speaking of it, it was almost laughable. A military commander leaving the city, yet no one saw him off…”
Discussions filled the streets.
If the marketplace commoners were merely surprised and delighted, then in court, the only words to describe it were dead silence and disbelief.
Compared with the commoners, the people in court understood Shanggu’s situation far better. It could be said that the city might have been conquered at any moment.
Yet under such circumstances, Prince Zheng had gone, and after such a short time, he had actually driven back the surrounding Ba army.
And it was an unbelievable great victory.
He had defeated the many with the few, leading a group of exhausted remnants and defeated soldiers to achieve such a major victory.
For a moment, everyone was so stunned they could not speak.
It was still the king who spoke to the messenger, who was panting like an ox. “Tell us in detail.”
The messenger’s voice trembled. “Prince Zheng commanded troops like a god. Every time, he achieved the greatest victory at the smallest cost…”
“He led the desperate soldiers to strike first, attacking Ba’s weakest points every time…”
“By seizing the enemy’s grain and cutting off their transport routes, he forced the Ba army to run themselves ragged rushing to provide aid…”
It was like listening to a legendary tale.
Seizing the enemy’s grain and blocking the enemy’s transportation routes—it was easy to say, as if the enemy would simply not come to reinforce them.
But Prince Zheng had done it. It was as if he could easily guess the enemy’s grain transport routes. Every time, he would safely retreat before the enemy reinforcements arrived. His grasp of timing was flawless.
The hundred officials: “…”
At the beginning, no one had believed Qi Zheng would succeed. Some had even privately mocked him for being too eager to earn merit and wasting his effort in vain.
But he had accomplished the impossible, and he had done it splendidly. That was why it was even more shocking.
Chen Bai stood beside the dragon throne, watching the messenger excitedly report the military news and watching the dumbstruck officials.
In the end, it was still an extraordinary great victory. An official stepped forward. “Congratulations, Your Majesty. The siege of Shanggu City has been lifted.”
Only then did the atmosphere become lively.
For such a joyous event, all of Shangjing needed to celebrate together.
And so the king announced that on the rest day three days later, there would be no curfew in Shangjing.
Chen Bai froze, then smiled. Three days later, Qi Zheng and Gan Xin would return, just in time for the student art exhibition. With no curfew, his square movie could be arranged at night. The effect would be much better. After all, if a projector was used during the day, the picture would not be especially clear because of the light.
Chen Bai began sending invitations to each student’s parents, as well as Crown Prince Sudan, the witness Shang Wangshu, Gan Xun, and his opponent, Crown Prince Jiao.
As for whether others could understand the “student art exhibition” and “square movie” written on the invitations, he did not know.
Two days later, Shangjing’s city gate was packed with people.
Because Qi Zheng and Gan Xin had returned.
Gan Xin was a proper young master, but now his hair looked like weeds.
But it did not matter. The surrounding people continuously cupped their hands. “Congratulations on Prince Zheng’s victorious return.”
“Congratulations on Young Master Gan Thirteen’s victorious return.”
Young Master Gan… Gan Thirteen?
Gan Xin’s eyes nearly fell out.
He did not know that as time passed, some news about the Battle of Shanggu City had already spread through Shangjing.
Everyone said that Prince Zheng had moved troops like a god, and among the reasons was Gan Thirteen of Duke Gan’s residence, who had acted as a scout and gathered military information.
A scout—that was an extremely dangerous task with nine deaths and only one chance of survival.
Not only had Gan Thirteen survived, but he had also repeatedly passed major military intelligence to Prince Zheng. That was why the people of Shangjing respectfully added the words “Young Master” before Gan Thirteen’s name.
The refined and gentle Gan Xin could not help straightening his body, his little head lifting.
His face, however, was so embarrassed it looked as if it were burning.
Actually… actually, where was the danger everyone described? He only had to find a high place and control his unmanned chicken. The Ba army could not even see his shadow. What danger could there be?
But others did not know that. They only knew that every time Gan Xin went out, he would bring back military intelligence so precise it was terrifying.
Some people were even imagining how that tiny child had pretended to be pitiful and disguised himself to sneak into the enemy camp.
Chen Bai was also in the crowd. Gan Xin jumped off his horse and rammed his head into Chen Bai. “Teacher, I’m famous now.”
Chen Bai rubbed Gan Xin’s head full of straw-like hair. “Go back early, wash up properly, and rest. Tomorrow is the student art exhibition. Fortunately, you rushed back in time, otherwise you would have missed it.”
To the students, this was a major event.
Gan Xin cried out in surprise. Then he had to hurry home and rest properly. The journey had been exhausting. What if he overslept tomorrow?
Under the guidance of the Gan residence’s people, he hurriedly turned and ran.
Chen Bai looked toward Qi Zheng. Qi Zheng nodded. He still had to return and report on his mission.
Chen Bai smiled. All around them were voices celebrating the victorious return.
The next day, the art exhibition was scheduled for the afternoon, when the weather would not be so hot. It was already autumn now.
Because today was a rest day, and also the celebration day designated by the king, with no curfew, the streets were packed with people like a tide. Added to the joy of the great victory, the atmosphere was very good.
At the entrance of Crown Prince Jiao’s residence, in the eyes of others, a dense crowd of strange objects had already been set up.
Each student had ten pictures. In total, there were more than seven hundred pictures, all mounted in wooden frames. It looked truly massive in scale.
An ordinary art school exhibition might not even reach this size.
The people from Crown Prince Jiao’s residence came out several times with frowns. They were somewhat displeased. Their residence entrance had been turned into something like a marketplace. What kind of propriety was this?
But there was no helping it. Mountain Lord had invited Duke Gan, Duke Shang, Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao, and the parents of those students, most of whom were officials in court. They could not drive them away.
At this moment, groups of students had already arrived, laughing and chattering as they brought their parents along.
“Father, it’s up ahead. Up ahead is the art exhibition for me and my classmates.”
“Mother, how long has it been since you last went out? Today is a grand celebration, so it’s perfect for you to see the paintings I drew.”
Of course, it was not just fathers and mothers. Older brothers, older sisters, and others had also been dragged along in large numbers.
These parents could not help finding it amusing. How long had they only been learning? What could they possibly have drawn?
In their hearts, whether a painting was good or not depended entirely on talent. But in Chen Bai’s place, it depended on technique and talent. For example, Qi Zheng had so little talent for drawing, yet now even the flowerpots he drew looked quite decent.
But when they looked from far away, they could not help freezing. The scale was actually this large?
And the paintings were even framed in wooden frames?
Were they not embarrassed? Usually, only famous works by famous masters would be mounted like this to protect them from damage.
“When we go in later, you can only look, not touch. If they’re damaged, our classmates will be unhappy.” The students were still explaining the rules.
The paintings were arranged in two long rows, leaving a walkway in the middle.
Some parents walked into the passage with smiles, but once they saw the brilliant colors on the paintings, they could no longer smile.
The first painting—no, the first ten paintings—were Gan Xin’s ten works, arranged together.
The first was a flowerpot, so realistic and three-dimensional that it looked as if it could be taken directly from the painting.
Gan Xin’s understanding of shadow and light was very good, allowing the things he painted to appear extremely three-dimensional.
Below the painting were the words: Original artist: Gan Xin. Renderer: XX.
The parents were truly stunned.
Was this really painted by a child from their family?
Just this kind of realistic and unusual painting, if taken elsewhere, could be called a masterpiece.
Ancient paintings were mostly ink paintings and mostly emphasized artistic conception. How could they be like this—realistic, brilliant, yet still beautiful?
Then came the second painting, a thatched cottage. The third, sunflowers. The fourth, grape trellises, and so on…
Among each person’s selected ten paintings, some subjects overlapped, while others depicted strange and unusual things.
But even when they painted the same subject, the differences between them could still be seen.
These parents had already been unable to move when they saw the first painting.
They had originally thought these would only be children’s scribbles.
But now, there were more than seven hundred paintings worth slowly savoring.
If they appreciated them slowly, they might not finish even by nightfall. Some began to regret not coming earlier.
The people of Shangjing could slowly look at each painting one by one, but the students’ parents were dragged along by their own children.
“My paintings are up ahead. Here, here.”
“Look whose name is signed on it.” They were incredibly proud.
“I didn’t draw this stroke well. If I’d known teacher was going to hold an art exhibition for us, I would have drawn it more carefully.”
“Aiya, I just drew these casually. They aren’t very good.” They were being terribly affected.
From not long after the art exhibition began, it was already crowded with people.
They had never seen so many paintings at once, and every painting was one people could stop and look at for a long time.
Surprise and admiration were all written on their faces.
These paintings were actually drawn by the students they saw every day, the ones who carried drawing boards on their backs and went out sketching.
Just this alone made the ten taels of tuition seem completely worth it. This was a lifelong skill, a skill that could be shown openly, something that could not even be measured in gold or silver.
The long stream of people was extremely lively.
Chen Bai was walking together with Sudan, Duke Gan, Duke Shang, and Crown Prince Jiao.
Crown Prince Jiao was the opponent in the contest, so of course he had to be brought along.
Chen Bai looked at Sudan and said, “How is it?”
Sudan opened his mouth. To be honest, an art exhibition of such a large scale and such high quality was simply astonishing. Even Duke Gan and Duke Shang were now so surprised they could not close their mouths. Who said the people of Great Qian were all brutes? Looking at Great Qian’s youths now, could anyone still say such a thing?
Poetry was part of culture and education, and so were calligraphy and ink art.
Crown Prince Jiao’s expression, however, did not look very good. So today really was specifically for them to come to his door and slap his face.
But Sudan’s eyes suddenly turned. “I heard Mountain Lord and the crown prince’s residence have a contest, and you want me to praise Great Qian’s culture and education?”
“Unless you have your student Chen Zixiu admit that he lost his contest against me, I will praise you once. Otherwise… hehe, I won’t praise you.”
Chen Bai: “…”
What a little rascal.
The contest between Chen Zixiu and Sudan represented the contest between Great Qian and Zhao and decided the ownership of a city. How could he possibly agree?
Gan Xun and Shang Wangshu both froze, while Crown Prince Jiao was somewhat pleasantly surprised.
Chen Bai looked at Sudan, who was playing rascal, and suddenly smiled. “May Crown Prince Zhao make a wager with me? If today I can make you praise Great Qian’s culture and education, then there is no need for your contest with my disciple Chen Zixiu to continue. It will count as your loss. How about that?”
Sudan froze, his brows tightly furrowing.
Back then, they had used an open scheme to force Great Qian into competing with them. Now this Mountain Lord was actually using the same kind of open scheme to force him.
Because the mouth was on his own body. If he simply refused to praise, what could Mountain Lord do to him?
If he did not dare accept even such conditions, what face would he still have to continue competing with Chen Zixiu?
Sudan asked cautiously, “If, for the sake of a city, I go against my conscience and simply refuse to say even one word of praise, what can you do to me?”
Chen Bai smiled. “You cannot do it.”
Silence.
What was going on with this Mountain Lord?
Could this kind of thing be something beyond his own control?
Chen Bai narrowed his eyes. “Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao, do you dare accept this wager?”
Today, he might as well settle the contest with Sudan too.
Sudan and the group of Zhao envoys: “…”
Gan Xun and Shang Wangshu frowned slightly. This was a contest that decided the fate of a city. How could it be treated like child’s play? As Crown Prince Zhao had just said, even if he had to die refusing to praise them, could Mountain Lord control his thoughts?
But in the end, they did not speak. That was because in the contest between Chen Zixiu and Sudan, they truly could not see even the slightest hope of victory. And this Mountain Lord, since he was Chen Zixiu’s teacher, and given his unbelievable performances several times before, perhaps there might be a tiny bit of hope.
Sudan and the Zhao envoys looked at each other.
They… could not refuse, because no matter how one looked at it, they were certain to win. If they did not even dare accept this, they would have no face to continue competing with Chen Zixiu.
He answered, “Fine.”
And so, from a certain perspective, the contest between Chen Zixiu and Sudan had become a contest between Mountain Lord and Sudan.
Although, in essence, it seemed nothing had changed at all.
Chen Bai smiled. “Then please continue looking at my students’ humble works.”
Sudan and the Zhao envoys frowned the entire way.
This art exhibition was indeed large in scale and could be called a flourishing age of culture and education. These paintings were indeed uniquely impressive, making people unable to resist stopping to look.
But no matter what, it was impossible for Sudan to give up a city for the sake of one word of praise.
Gan Xun and Shang Wangshu were also deeply worried and had someone report the matter to the king.
As two of Great Qian’s Three Dukes, they indeed had the authority to make decisions about such things.
But they were truly curious as to why Mountain Lord was so full of confidence. This was clearly a bet he was certain to lose.
Only Crown Prince Jiao was delighted beyond measure. As long as Sudan refused to praise Great Qian’s culture and education, then in this round of the contest between him and Mountain Lord, he would not count as having lost.
When the news reached the imperial palace, the brush in the king’s hand stopped.
“So, that unrestrained Mountain Lord has made a wager he is certain to lose with Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao to decide the ownership of one of Great Qian’s cities? And Gan Xun and Shang Wangshu agreed? Why?”
