Whose Painting Is This?

Even though the starting price was high, people quickly raised their paddles to bid, and in no time, the price soared to thirteen thousand taels. "Yunlang, what was the price of this Western Ocean water clock when you bought it?" Fu Yunkai heard the bidding outside and couldn't believe his ears, so he quickly turned around and asked Fu Yunlang.

Fu Yunlang really didn't want to talk to his brother.

Seeing that the Second Highness was also looking at him, as if wanting him to repeat himself, he had no choice but to say, "Five thousand taels of silver."

"Wow, that's so profitable!" Fu Yunkai exclaimed.

Because of these profits, he and Xiao Lingpu began another discussion about whether or not to "suppress commerce".

Fu Yunlang subtly rolled his eyes and continued listening to the bidding outside.

These Western Ocean things are really too rare. Buying them and displaying them in the hall would definitely be a symbol of power and would attract many people from the capital to visit and see them.

Especially after Guan Wentao mentioned that one of the items had already been presented to the emperor, the bidders knew that even if they won the bid, they wouldn't have to worry about offending the emperor by not presenting it to him, so they bid even more aggressively.

In the end, this exquisite clock was sold for a high price of 22,000 taels of silver.

When Guan Wentao's drumstick struck, Fu Yunlang's mouth nearly stretched to his ears, and he grinned like a fool. "Haha, I'm rich! I'm rich!"

Fu Yunkai covered his mouth and scolded, "Are you crazy?"

Fu Yunlang was startled and quickly placed his own hand on his brother's hand.

The Fifth Highness used an anonymous auction method. Apart from those in the palace, no one knew that the bell was transported back from the south and that the purchase price was only five thousand taels.

The Crown Prince is sitting on one side of the private room, and the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence Fourth Prince is sitting on the other. These people are at odds with the Marquis of Pingnan's family. If they knew that Zhong belonged to the Fu Family, they would definitely instigate ministers to submit memorials impeaching the Fu Family for profiteering.

Although the Emperor will protect the Fu Family, they can't afford to cause him any trouble, can they?

Seeing that Fu Yunlang had calmed down, Fu Yunkai finally let go of his hand.

Xiao Lingpu wasn't too worried.

After Xiao Lingyan acquired the teahouse, he focused on renovating these private rooms.

He had his men tinker with the private rooms for a while, and the soundproofing became excellent. Xiao Lingpu had tested it yesterday; as long as he wasn't speaking too loudly, the people next door couldn't hear him.

"Do you all still remember Zuo Qiusheng's painting from before? Well, the next item we're going to auction is another painting." Guan Wentao announced the fourth item for auction.

"Huh?" Fu Yunlang, having calmed down, stood up. "What happened?"

He has three clocks. He just sold one, what about the other two? Are they not going to sell them anymore? Or are they going to sell them last?

"I'd forgotten." Xiao Lingpu lightly patted himself and smiled at Fu Yunlang, "Fifth Brother told me to tell you that things are valued for their rarity; if there's too much of something, it becomes worthless. If the bell sells for a high price when it's auctioned, and there's not enough time during the auction, it won't be auctioned again. He'll hold it until the auction ends, so everyone can go to the shop that bought the bell, check around, and inquire if there are any more bells for sale, thus whetting everyone's appetite before holding another auction."

Fu Yunlang has now completely submitted to Xiao Lingyan.

Upon hearing this, he had no further thoughts, obediently sat down, and nodded, saying, "The Fifth Highness is indeed farsighted. I will listen to him in everything."

As they were talking, Eunuch Qin led his servant in, bowed to Xiao Lingpu, and said, "Your Highness." He then greeted the Fu Family brothers.

The servant had already deftly unfolded the painting.

"Wow, what a beautiful painting!" Upon seeing the painting clearly, Fu Yunkai was the first to exclaim.

This painting is naturally the one by Zhao Ruxi.

However, this was not the painting that Kang Shilin initially intended to put up for auction; it was one that Zhao Ruxi had just painted a few days ago.

She was not satisfied with the original painting, feeling it was a bit too contrived. This one, she specially went to the estate to paint during her ten-day break.

The reason why top students are top students is that while others are still struggling with the superficial aspects of knowledge, they have already cut through the fog and gone straight to the core essence.

Zhao Ruxi didn't study fine art in her previous life, but in this life, when she paints, she knows that artistic creation is based on proficiency in painting skills. However, when it comes to actually putting brush to paper, only by forgetting all painting techniques and focusing solely on the thoughts and passion you want to express can you create a painting that touches people's hearts.

So she went to the village, climbed the mountain behind the village, and took in the crisscrossing paths, mountains and rivers below. Then she closed her eyes and recalled the scenes she had seen and the shock she felt when she traveled to famous mountains and rivers in her previous life. Finally, she splashed ink and painted this picture on the mountaintop.

In the past, when she was drawing, she always wanted to get high scores, so she consciously trained herself in certain skills, thinking about how to plan the composition, where to draw mountains, where to draw water, and what techniques to use to express each part.

But when she was painting this picture, her mind was completely free of any distractions; her heart was filled with the same awe she felt when she first saw Victoria Falls.

When she put down her paintbrush and came to her senses, she looked at her painting and was stunned for a long time.

That evening, she returned to the capital and presented the painting to Kang Shilin. Kang Shilin stood there for a long time, and finally burst into tears, startling Zhao Ruxi and Kang An.

Finally, the old gentleman said, "Zhiwei, the reason I, Kang Shilin, will become a historical figure in the future will not be because of myself, but because I am your teacher."

At the time, Kang Shilin was extremely reluctant to part with the painting and wanted to keep it. However, Zhao Ruxi promised to paint an even better one for him, saying that this was the first time her painting had been shown to the world and that she wanted to present her best work to everyone. Only then did Kang Shilin give up the idea.

Now, the painting is displayed before Xiao Lingpu, Fu Yunkai, and others. The magnificent waterfall Flying Torrent down, its surging and powerful momentum is extremely awe-inspiring, causing the two once-fierce warriors to stand up abruptly, their hearts pounding with excitement and a surge of heroic spirit.

Although this was his master, Eunuch Qin did not intend to show favoritism. Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was distracted, he bowed and left with his servant, heading to another private room.

After he left, it took Fu Yunkai a long time to calm himself down before asking Xiao Lingpu, "Who painted this picture? Does Your Highness know?"

He was a military general who had never dabbled in literature or paid attention to such things, so he knew nothing about the art world. For example, with the second lot, a painting by Zuo Qiusheng, if Xiao Lingpu hadn't explained it to him, he wouldn't have known who the painter was or why his work had fetched such a high price.

Xiao Lingpu and shook his head. "I don't know. I've never seen it before."

Such a style of painting is unforgettable for anyone who has seen it, and the painter could not possibly be an unknown figure.

Where did the fifth brother get such a painting?