Calm and Composed
He pointed to Zhao Ruxi's painting and said, "As everyone knows, the environment during a competition is noisy and time is tight, so people's condition is not very good. Even if you paint well normally, it is inevitable to make mistakes and leave flaws in such a situation. I can understand if everyone gives this painting an eight or nine out of ten. But to give it a ten out of ten is simply to say that everyone is being biased and unfair."
"Although judges' apprentices have participated in the past, the scoring was fair; no one gave higher scores just because the judges were their apprentices, so no one complained. But today, you all went too far. I, Mei, cannot stand by and watch, and I cannot help but stand up and say a few words of fairness."
As Mei Zhongjun was speaking, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.
He and Kang Shilin were sworn enemies, and he knew Kang Shilin had a fiery temper.
Normally, if he said that, Kang Shilin would have been furious and interrupted him. But this time, Kang Shilin was unusually calm, standing there looking at him with composure, as if waiting for him to finish speaking.
This isn't right, this is very wrong.
Mei Zhongjun glanced around, then looked at Zhang Xiuyan, hoping his disciple might discover something.
But Zhang Xiuyan was looking at him with gratitude and didn't notice anything amiss.
Mei Zhongjun couldn't help but curse inwardly: idiot.
If someone hadn't offered him benefits to cause trouble here, he wouldn't have stood up to Kang Shilin for Zhang Xiuyan.
Kang Shilin is too powerful, and he has the Emperor backing him up. Peng Guoan and others have even better reputations. Even if a conflict breaks out, Zhang Xiuyan won't be able to go from second to first. What good would that do him? He'd only needlessly attract more criticism.
His original plan was to secretly spread rumors after the competition to damage Kang Shilin's reputation. That would have been the best course of action.
Unfortunately, the benefits offered were too great, and he couldn't refuse.
Seeing that Mei Zhongjun remained silent, Kang Shilin slowly asked, "Are you finished? Now it's our turn to speak, isn't it?"
Mei Zhongjun felt uneasy. Recalling that he should have finished speaking, he nodded.
He said, "No matter how cleverly you try to justify yourself, you can't hide the fact that you've acted out of favoritism."
Kang Shilin, however, did not engage in a verbal argument with him.
He turned to look at Peng Guoan: "Lord Peng, you just gave my apprentice's painting a perfect score, what was your reasoning?"
Ever since Peng Guoan saw Zhao Ruxi's painting in the preliminary round, he had been full of admiration for her and envied Kang Shilin for having such a good apprentice. He didn't even think that Kang Shilin's apprentice had anything to do with him.
When Mei Zhongjun mentioned it, he thought for a long time before finally remembering that Kang Shilin's apprentice came from the Earl of Suiping's Residence, and his second son's wife was the eldest daughter of the Earl of Suiping's Residence.
Is this little girl in front of me my second daughter-in-law's younger sister?
Upon hearing Kang Shilin's question, he pulled himself back to reality and reviewed Zhao Ruxi's painting, his comments filled with praise.
After praising her, he smiled and said to Kang Shilin, "If I may say something that Mister Kumu might not like to hear, your disciple's paintings are, in fact, superior to yours. In any case, I prefer Miss Zhiwei's paintings a little more than yours."
Kang Shilin laughed heartily, "No, no, I love to hear that. I'm so old, this is pretty much all I'll ever be. I'm Gao Xing that my apprentice has surpassed me, how could I not love to hear that?"
Peng Guoan nodded, then his smile faded, and he glanced at Mei Zhongjun with a faint expression. "In my eyes, Miss Zhiwei's painting is flawless, comparable to Mister Kumu's painting, and not even in the same league as the second-place painting. Giving it less than ten points is insufficient to express my admiration for Miss Zhiwei's painting skills."
He raised his hand and bowed to the onlookers. "I, Peng, have always been upright and honest, and I only seek to act with a clear conscience. This is no exception."
Peng Guoan was a kind and talented man with countless close friends throughout his life. Mei Zhongjun, on the other hand, was despised by many.
Furthermore, once Zhao Ruxi's paintings were exhibited at the auction, they captivated those who loved this style.
Several factors combined led some people to stand up for Peng Guoan and Zhao Ruxi.
At this moment, someone in the crowd spoke up, "We all know Lord Peng's character; he would never do such a thing out of personal favoritism. It's just that some people have dark hearts and see darkness in everything."
"You say that Grand Duke Peng is biased? I'd like to ask you, Mr. Mei, why are you questioning this here? Isn't it because your student got second place and you want to take first? I think you're the one who's being biased! Putting aside whether your student's painting can compare to Miss Zhiwei's, I'll ask you, Mr. Mei, do you dare to compare your own painting to Miss Zhiwei's?"
This question made Mei Zhongjun blush deeply.
He feigned indignation and said, "My apprentice and I are not skilled enough to compare with Miss Zhiwei. But as I just said, there are bound to be flaws in a competition. Miss Zhiwei may be able to paint well in normal times, but in this situation, it's never quite perfect. The judges' decision to give her ten points is biased. This is a fact that no one can deny."
After these words were spoken, those who wanted to refute Peng Guoan and Zhao Ruxi were rendered speechless.
Even if they liked painting, they were still laymen. In addition, due to the distance, they could only see the general outline of Zhao Ruxi's paintings and could not see the details clearly. They dared not guarantee that Zhao Ruxi's paintings were perfect.
On the contrary, Mei Zhongjun spoke with such certainty that he could very well have seen the shortcomings in Zhao Ruxi's painting, which is why he dared to defy public opinion and question it in public, arguing with so many people.
Xiao Ge stood on the outer edge, closest to Zhao Ruxi's painting, and was able to see it clearly. He thought the painting was indeed perfect, even better than the one he bought for 25,000 taels of silver.
His relationship with Kang Shilin was as close as that of a father and son, and he also had a protective attitude towards Zhao Ruxi, his "junior sister." Emotionally, he naturally leaned towards Kang Shilin and Zhao Ruxi. He also deeply disliked Mei Zhongjun, who always opposed his uncle.
At this point, he speaks up to prove that the painting is worth "ten out of ten," which is the best effect.
Since the Imperial Guards have already surrounded the area, he can leave after presiding over this matter without any danger.
But Mei Zhongjun understood Kang Shilin even better than Xiao Ge.
Mei Zhongjun questioned why Kang Shilin was unusually calm and composed, standing there with an air of nonchalance, which made Xiao Ge feel that Kang Shilin must have a backup plan.
So he simply kept quiet and stood there watching the commotion.
Kang Shilin remained calm and composed after hearing Mei Zhongjun's words, and asked Zhou Wenbai, "Brother Zhou, why did you give it a perfect score?"
Zhou Wenbai was obsessed with painting all his life and had a great understanding of the art.
When Kang Shilin asked, he launched into a long and detailed explanation. Those who weren't experts in painting didn't quite understand, but they still felt that Zhou Wenbai's explanation made Zhao Ruxi's paintings seem very impressive.