Chapter 19 Part 1

When she reached the threshold of the nunnery, Xuyu felt as if all her strength was exhausted. She paused for a moment before finally lifting her foot and stepping out of the gate.

As the evening approached, the street was still bustling with pedestrians and carriages. The moment she stepped out, a torrent of sounds rushed into her ears, pounding against her heart with such force that she felt like her chest was about to burst. Struggling to breathe, she managed to walk a few steps before a carriage came speeding towards her from the side. Unable to dodge in time, she was nearly hit. The driver turned his head and cursed at her for being blind, then drove off with a roar.

She retreated hastily until she stopped at the foot of the Taoist nunnery’s wall.

It should be because she hadn’t eaten all day that she felt dizzy and had tinnitus, her back was dripping with cold sweat, her eyes were full of stars, and she was shaking. She held onto the wall to avoid falling down, and after supporting herself, she slowly sat down on the ground, then weakly lowered her head and closed her eyes.

She lay there, leaning against the wall until the discomfort in her body subsided and her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. Then she could hear voices again, and heard someone talking about her.

“…What’s wrong with this man? Is he sick?”

“Is it heat stroke?”

“It doesn’t look like it. It’s not a hot day…”

She slowly opened her eyes and raised her head.

Several passers-by stopped and looked at her. Seeing that she was still pale, someone kindly reminded her that there was a charity hall in the Zanxing Nunnery where she could rest and asked her to go in and ask for water.

Xuyu wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and forced a smile. She stood up and continued walking along the high wall of the Taoist nunnery. When she reached a lane gate, she saw people hurrying on the street outside. Then she realized that the rumbling sound of the street drums sounded in her ear again.

Another night fell.

She stood by the gate for a long time, until the last street drum sounded and the gate slowly closed in front of her.

The place where she was located was one of the most prosperous parts in Chang’an City, bustling day and night with lights on all the time.

That night, Xuyu walked aimlessly among the bright lights until she could no longer walk. She returned to Zanxing Nunnery and sat in a corner near the back door for the night. There were no lights here, and no one would come. In the darkness, she closed her eyes and spent the second night after her return.

At dawn, the gate of the nearby Chongren Lane opened. The servant of Sitong Inn was opening the door while yawning when he saw a thin young man standing outside the door. Although his clothes were wrinkled and his face was pale, his eyebrows and eyes were handsome. He thought he was a scholar who came to take the imperial examination and wanted to stay at the inn. When he heard the other person say that he was looking for a man named Zhou He who stayed here, he pointed the way and pursed his lips.

“That penniless painter! Sticking out his belly pretending to be full! He’s already behind on half a month’s rent. I told him to move to a common room, but he refused. If he hadn’t begged, I would have kicked him out long ago!”

Chang’an was full of wealthy guests. Many poor scholars would rather borrow money to stay in respectable inns or private houses after arriving, so as not to lose face and be looked down upon, which would affect their social life. Chongren Lane was adjacent to the imperial palace, sandwiched between the East Market and the old Ministry of Chancellery Selection Office, and became a place that attracted many scholars. It was difficult to find a place, so the price of the inn was naturally high.

Zhou He probably lived here with this thought in mind.

Xuyu found the room where he lived and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She knocked again. After several times, the door finally opened a crack. The person inside said, “Why are you asking for money so early in the morning? I said I can get it together in a few days…” He then raised his eyes and saw who knocked the door. He was stunned, and his face turned slightly red.

The person who opened the door was Zhou He, but he looked different from yesterday, with messy hair, dark circles under his eyes, and an annoyed look. Although the door was not opened wide, she could see at a glance that the room was in a mess, with drawings and dirty water pot stained with dried paint everywhere, and a pile of paper that looked like essay and poems scattered in the corner.

Xuyu nodded at him and smiled, “Excuse me for disturbing you so early in the morning. If it’s convenient, can I borrow your time? I want to ask for some guidance from Brother Zhou.”

Zhou He quickly regained his composure and opened the door to invite Xuyu inside. With a self-deprecating smile, he pointed to the sketches and said, “To be honest, I’ve been strapped for cash lately. I don’t want to move to a lower-class place and live among merchants and laborers, so I’ve had to rely on selling my paintings to make ends meet. You know how it is; without a name or reputation, no matter how well you paint, there’s no one to appreciate it. I can only ghostwrite for others and sell the paintings to art shops. I worked half the night to finish this one. Just now, I thought it was the innkeeper coming to ask for the rent again, so I didn’t answer. I didn’t expect it to be my little brother who came to visit. I’m sorry to make a fool of myself.”

Xuyu looked at them and found that the contents of these paintings were mostly beauties among flowers, with exquisite colors, rich and gorgeous, which should be used in taverns, elegant houses or brothels. Although they were ghostwritten and rushed, leading to some repetitive details, but the lines were delicate, and the expressions and postures of the figures were different, some were affectionate, some were frowning and smiling, and they were sitting and lying down differently. This required years of painting skills to achieve such results.

Xuyu smiled and said, “My last name is Ye, and I am the second in the family. Brother Zhou, you can just call me Ye Er. I was the one who was rash and disturbed you so early in the morning. It’s a blessing for me that Brother Zhou doesn’t blame me.”

Zhou He waved his hand: “Yesterday I thought that after we parted, we would have no chance to meet again. Today, you came; I couldn’t be happier. You mentioned seeking guidance, but how can I dare to claim such task? If you have something to say, just tell me.”

“I remember Brother Zhou said yesterday that you once worked with your father to paint tomb for Empress Zhaode. I would like to know the details. Can you tell me?”

Zhou He was stunned, probably because he didn’t expect her to come so early because she was interested in this, but he quickly responded, “Yes, it’s true. The reign name of the current emperor is called Qiande, I believe this happened in the fifth year of Qiande. As for the mausoleum, it should have begun construction in the second year of Qiande. It took several years, employing tens of thousands of workers, with craftsmen working day and night to chisel the mountain until it finally took shape and the painting began. Not counting the unnamed painters who painted the corners and miscellaneous decorations, even the well-known court painters, numbering a dozen or so, were sent over, with the total number of painters in the hundreds. I remember that at its busiest, the interior of the tomb was filled with scaffolding, and torches were kept burning day and night.”

Xuyu settled down.

Zhou He, caught up in the story, sighed and said; “The saying ‘to honor the dead as if they were still alive‘ is probably like that. Everyone faces the end eventually, and to rest in such an elaborate tomb after a hundred years can be considered both an honor and a sorrow. But the strange thing is that there was a rumor back then that this mausoleum is actually just an empty tomb, a cenotaph…”.

When he got to this point, he suddenly paused, probably regretting having said that. He coughed, changed the subject and said with a smile, “Did Brother Ye Er have breakfast yet? If not, why don’t we go have breakfast together?”

Xuyu did not move: “Didn’t you say you knew a lot about the palace? Tell me everything you know, including this rumor.”

Zhou He looked slightly surprised and glanced at her, his face showing embarrassment: “Brother Ye Er, it’s not that I want to break my promise, but some things involving imperial secrets, how can people like us discuss it rashly.”

“How much money do you want? I’ll find a way to give it to you.”

Xuyu said while looking at his eyes, which were still bloodshot from staying up late to paint last night.

Zhou He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Where did you learn to paint? Who was your teacher?”

He had a talent for painting, and had been influenced by his father, a court painter, since he was young. Along with years of hard work, he was far from ordinary. His discerning eye was sharper than most, and ordinary works rarely impressed him. But yesterday, when he accidentally saw the painting made by this teenager who was much younger than him, he was quite shocked.

The content of the painting was the door gods Shentu and Yulei, which was an extremely common theme that had been overused and had no originality. Even an ordinary craftsman or the lowest-level folk painter could likely create such a piece with their eyes closed. But how the other person brought it to life was quite different. The brushstrokes were vigorous and flowing, strong yet graceful, giving the impression of clouds and water in motion. The eyes of the two door gods were sketched with a few strokes, yet they seemed to shine with an electric gleam, exuding an aura of authority and anger, as if ready to leap off the paper, intimidating any evil spirits that might approach.

The painting style and brushwork were obviously derived from Ye style’s paintings, but they were not rigid or blindly imitated, and were free and easy.

It was said that Ye Zhongli was a wandering knight when he was young. He had no valuables and only knew how to use sword and brush. It was from the way of swordsmanship that he realized the brushwork, integrated the two, and formed his own style, becoming a master of his generation, admired by thousands of people.

Zhou He had a very high opinion of himself. In terms of painting skills, he didn’t necessarily hold the Hanlin court painter Fang Shanjin, or Yao Xu, the most favored painter at present, in high regard either.

Naturally, this young man’s painting skills could not be compared with Ye Zhongli’s original works, but in terms of the thorough comprehension of the essence, to be honest, even he, who had studied Ye’s paintings for many years, was not as good as him.

Now he finally had the opportunity to ask this question, Zhou He stared at the young man in front of him.

Xu Yu said: “Ye Zu is revered as a deity by the world, yet he always considered himself merely a painter and was open with his knowledge. I’ve heard that when he was still in Chang’an, he would attentively guide even the most humble of folk painters who came to seek his advice, generously sharing his skills. Before he left the city after completing the capital long scroll, he wrote a manual on painting, documenting all his techniques, color research methods, and various insights. This was meant to ensure that his skills would be passed down and that all aspiring painters could have a guide to study from. The manual has been widely circulated to this day, benefiting countless painters, and these are well-known facts that Brother Zhou would surely be aware of.

“My teacher was just an unknown painter in the mountains. He also traveled around the prosperous world in his early years. Later, he saw through the world and studied hard. He taught me everything he knew.”

Xuyu stretched out her right palm, which had several calluses on its knuckles, towards Zhou He.

“I have no talent, but fortunately I met a good teacher who taught me that hard work can make up for lack of talent. If my paintings are lucky enough to catch Brother Zhou’s eyes, it is my honor.”

Zhou He looked at her for a long while and said, “Ye Er, if you get ahead in the future, don’t’ forget to bring me along with you. As long as you agree, I will tell you everything I know. You also know that when it comes to the court, there are some things that cannot be said, you may even lose your head–”

“If I can, I will not forget.”

“Fine! I believe you!”

Zhou He clapped his hands lightly, turned his head and looked at the walls, “It’s inconvenient to talk here, just follow me!”

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