A Meeting

Having won over the old man's goodwill, and with Zhao Ruxi receiving the most praise, Xiao Lingyan was quite satisfied.

Knowing the principle of moderation, he steered the conversation back on track. "Then what do you think about including Layperson Zhiwei's painting in the auction? Of course, to attract more participants in the early stages, you should also submit a painting. I'll put Layperson Zhiwei's painting second to last, and yours last as the grand finale. It would be quite a beautiful story to have master and disciple auctioned together."

These words pleased Kang Shilin, who laughed loudly and said, "Okay, okay, no problem."

Having agreed, Kang Shilin did not hesitate any longer and led Xiao Lingyan to his study, where they selected some of his paintings.

He was struggling with which painting to put up for auction.

He was reluctant to sell some of his most prized or relatively prized paintings.

This is his life's work. Who knows who will buy it, whether they'll appreciate it, or whether they'll cherish it? He's not short of money, so it's better to keep it for himself and pass it down to his descendants—it'll be a keepsake.

But if the painting he puts up for auction is too bad, and compared to his apprentice's, it makes him, the master, seem inferior to his apprentice, wouldn't that be a huge loss of face? And if the auction price is lower than his apprentice's, he'll also lose face.

Therefore, it can't be too bad either.

Even those who are mediocre are still afraid of not being as good as their youngest apprentice.

In short, it's a dilemma.

In modern times, Xiao Lingyan could hold his own against Zhao Ruxi, their emotional intelligence and IQ being roughly the same.

He didn't need to ask; just by looking at the old man, he could guess what had happened.

He first kindly explained the reasons to the old gentleman, "These paintings of yours are so well done. It would be a terrible waste if they were bought by someone who doesn't know how to appreciate them; but it wouldn't be good if you took some of the inferior ones and they were outshone by Layperson Zhiwei."

"If this situation were to occur a few years later, being overshadowed by your apprentice wouldn't be a big deal, after all, there's a saying that 'the student surpasses the master.' But this is the first time you and Layperson Zhiwei are participating in an auction. You are the master, and in every aspect, you are superior to Layperson Zhiwei. If someone sees Layperson Zhiwei's painting, likes it, and is willing to spend a lot of money to buy it, and your painting is inferior to hers, that would ultimately be inappropriate."

"My suggestion is that you take your best painting to auction, but we can be flexible. For example, I can bid on it, or one of your four apprentices can bid on it and then return it to you. No matter how high the price someone else offers, we can still outbid them and get the painting back."

Kang Shilin's small eyes widened. "You can do that?"

Xiao Lingyan was worried that Kang Shilin would think he was a cunning person and have a bad impression of him, so he quickly explained, "This is a last resort. You wanted to auction off your best paintings to support Layperson Zhiwei, but you didn't want them to fall into other people's hands, so you had no choice but to resort to this."

Kang Shilin realized that Xiao Lingyan was also thinking of him and giving him advice, and that his intentions were good, so he didn't say anything more.

He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "This method is feasible, but if it gets discovered, it will do no good for my or Zhiwei's reputation. Forget it, it's just a painting. Your father has been coveting this painting of mine for a long time. Tell him to send a eunuch to bid for it on his behalf."

He picked out a painting, unfolded it, glanced at it, and reluctantly rolled it up, handing it to Xiao Lingyan.

Although this painting wasn't his most prized work, it had its own unique charm and was Xiao Ge's favorite. Xiao Ge had helped Zhao Ruxi with Zhao Ruxi safe-box business recently; if Xiao Ge participated in this auction, its influence would likely be even greater.

So, the old man had no choice but to reluctantly part with the painting and sell it to Xiao Ge, which could be considered as repaying a favor to his young apprentice.

Xiao Lingyan was secretly pleased when he heard Kang Shilin's words.

If Xiao Ge were to participate in his auctions, it would be tantamount to endorsing his business practices, leaving the princes and ministers with little room to object—after all, even his own father supports his son's business ventures, so why should outsiders interfere?

In this way, his auction house would be legitimate.

"However, I have one request," Kang Shilin said.

Xiao Lingyan hardened, and he said solemnly, "Please speak, sir."

"The price of my painting cannot exceed Zhiwei's by much, just a little bit."

Xiao Lingyan's face fell. "Uncle, you're putting me in a difficult position. If everyone's bids aren't high, I can arrange for someone to raise the price. But if everyone bids high, do you expect me to lower the price?"

Despite his apparent indifference to worldly affairs, Kang Shilin was an exceptionally astute person.

He straightened his face and said, "Don't think I don't know the ins and outs. Once the eunuch representing the Emperor speaks, who would dare to bid? So all you need to do is instruct the eunuch to speak at the appropriate time."

Xiao Lingyan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "Ah, right, look how confused I am." As he spoke, he slapped his head.

Kang Shilin's expression softened. "Alright, let's do it this way."

Xiao Lingyan thought for a moment, then asked, "Should we also upload the paintings by Lord Wu and Lord Gong?"

Kang Shilin shook his head. "No need. I'm selling these paintings for Zhiwei's sake. My three apprentices shouldn't get involved."

Xiao Lingyan nodded in deep agreement.

As fellow apprentices, who would willingly play a supporting role?

He helped Kang Shilin roll up the painting and put it in a painting tube, then said to Kang Shilin, "I will let you know when the auction is held and send you a few invitations. Please see who you would like to invite and invite them as well."

"Okay." Kang Shilin nodded.

Xiao Lingyan breathed a sigh of relief after leaving Kang Shilin's residence.

After thinking for a moment, he had the man in gray deliver a letter to Qingfeng, inviting Zhao Ruxi to meet him in Beining the next day.

At this time, the painting class at the Beining Painting Academy had ended. Because it was nearing the end of the year, the training program had also suspended the opening of new classes, so Zhao Ruxi was not as busy as before.

It's worth mentioning that during this period, the group of people in the painting class gathered together to paint, developing a deep bond. Some were inspired by their exchanges and had a flash of inspiration after seeing Zhao Ruxi's original paintings, which led to new ideas about painting and greatly improved their skills, propelling them into the ranks of painting masters. Others also made progress to varying degrees.

Therefore, when the three-month training ended, everyone was reluctant to leave.

Zhao Ruxi then suggested that Kang Shilin start a small group similar to a painting salon.

The small group operates on a membership system, with existing members of the art class automatically becoming members. Anyone wishing to join must obtain unanimous approval from the group to become a full member.