I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Adding a stroke to Chapter 242

The maidservant beside her noticed that the princess had furrowed her brows and was examining the letter closely, remaining motionless for a long time, which piqued her curiosity.

"Who wrote the letter to my wife?"

The maidservant, thinking of the white-robed hermit who had left recently, saying he was returning to Chang'an, asked curiously, "Was it sent by Wang Wei? Why would he send a mere Taoist priest to deliver the message?"

Princess Yuzhen looked at the paper and pondered.

Beautiful calligraphy, beautiful poetry, and the final inscription "Taibai"... made her inexplicably think of Li Bai.

I don't know what his courtesy name is.

Princess Yuzhen beckoned to her servants, a dot of vermilion between her brows suppressing her emotions, and said.

"Go check if that Li Bai is still in a Taoist temple."

The maidservant, observing the princess's expression, felt a surge of curiosity. She watched as the servants hurried off to search for the person. A short while later, the person returned.

The servants crossed their hands.

"That person went down the mountain."

……

……

Li Bai and his companions traveled all the way to Yuezhou.

On the boat, they met a scholar who was traveling with them and said he admired Chen Daizhao's paintings.

The scholar spoke with excitement.

"I once happened to see a painting of horses and saddles in a bookstore. Although it was a copy, I could still see the spirit of the original. The figures in the painting were elegant and refined, and the horses neighed and leaped off the page. It was the work of a contemporary master."

"In this art, it can be said to be unparalleled in its time!"

Sanshui listened from the side, scratching his head.

"But I've heard that there's an even more talented painter in Chang'an."

The scholar was speaking with great enthusiasm.

"That must be Wu Daozi, the great master. The two had their own strengths. Wu Daozi painted ghosts and gods, mountains and rivers, lakes and seas. It is said that he created the 'orchid leaf drawing' technique, and the clothes and belts he painted looked as if they were dancing in the wind."

"Chen Hong, a court painter, was skilled at painting portraits of emperors and horses, especially horses..."

This conversation covered half of the landscape.

Li Bai and his two young disciples discerned that this man loved horses, admired paintings of fine horses, and even claimed to have lived and ate with horses in the stable for half a year.

Upon hearing this, the other passengers on the boat moved further away from the scholar.

The scholar was completely unaware.

He said with great interest, "What a wonderful opportunity! To meet Chen Daizhao in Yuezhou. It's a pity that Daizhao is currently in mourning, and I don't know if we will be able to meet him."

His tone turned somewhat desolate at the end.

The scholar noticed the two young children staring at him and suddenly smiled.
“You don’t need to worry. At worst, I’ll just build a thatched hut near where Chen Daizhao lives. We’ll see each other all the time, and we’ll get to know each other sooner or later.”

Sanshui was thinking to himself.

What about this person's horse?
Before they descended the mountain, their master gave them many instructions. Sanshui listened to a bellyful of advice on observing etiquette, respecting elders, paying attention to safety, not shouting, and keeping a low profile. He felt he had become much more tactful and didn't ask directly.

she said.

"I know a senior who also owns a horse."

The scholar glanced at the two young Taoist priests and was surprised to find that they were quite wealthy, able to afford horses.

Chu Yi added, "You can also carry it with you and put it in your sleeve when you don't need it."

The scholar laughed loudly.

"So young, yet so childlike! That's an interesting remark. I wonder how big that horse is?"

Sanshui scratched his head, unsure of the exact number of feet.

"It's very big."

The scholar laughed heartily, thinking that it was probably just some kind of cloth toy that his teachers had tricked them into buying. He nodded repeatedly.

"That's amazing! That's an enormous horse... Hahaha, even if I didn't see Chen Daizhao today, hearing these childish words would have been worth it!"

……

……

Chen Hong built a thatched hut in front of his grandfather's grave and moved in. Fortunately, it was summer and Yuezhou was warm, otherwise he would have caught a cold sooner or later.

He secluded himself from visitors, occasionally going to Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries to participate in religious ceremonies, read and write, and correspond with friends.

He spent the last two or three months like this. He had previously painted for the emperor, and after the Fengshan ceremony, his fame spread throughout the land, attracting many people who wanted to visit him. However, apart from the local county magistrate, Chen Hong did not meet with any of them.

Li Bai and the scholar disembarked and walked not far.

Then we came across a thatched hut.

As the scholar was about to disembark, he began to tidy his clothes. Now, his clothes were spotless, and even the creases around his elbows were smoothed out.

He strode forward and asked the gatekeeper in a polite tone.

"I wonder if Chen Daizhao resides here?"

The servant agreed, and then said, "Our young master is currently observing mourning for his grandfather and is not receiving guests. Please leave, guests."

The scholar bowed with his hands clasped.

"I have traveled all the way from Taizhou, and it took me several days by waterway to finally have the opportunity to meet you, Your Excellency. I am most fond of the saddle and horse you have painted; they are truly exquisite... May I ask if you may inform me?"

"If the attendant does not wish to see you, that is fine; please inform him."

The servant hesitated for a moment.

"Then wait a moment."

After a while, the servant came out, cupped his hands in apology, and said apologetically.

"Please go back, sir. Our young master is chanting scriptures."

The scholar sighed.

Just as he was feeling regretful, looking around and thinking about where to have a thatched hut built for him to live in, he saw Li Bai walking over with his two small children.

The scholar shook his head.

He had shared a boat with these three men for several days and had developed a certain camaraderie with them. He advised them:
"The three of you should go back; the host is not..."

Before the words "receive guests" could be uttered, the two children raised their voices and shouted, "Chen Daizhao, we've arrived!"

The tone was affectionate.

The scholar glared.

The servants, no longer lazy, rose to greet him. Upon hearing that it was the one called "senior" who had come to invite someone, they didn't even bother to inform him, readily agreeing on behalf of their master with a beaming smile. They then bowed to Li Bai.

"My lord has been thinking of Jiang Langjun for a long time! I didn't expect you to come so soon."

The servant was overjoyed and quickly invited the three of them in.

The scholar stood outside and was turned away.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.

These men actually knew Chen Daizhao, and judging from their demeanor, they even seemed to have a good relationship. The servants didn't even need to ask their master before agreeing, which clearly showed their confidence.

Thinking about all the things I said along the way...

The scholar was furious. Why didn't this young master Li say so sooner?

……

indoor.

Chen Hong did not recite any scriptures at all.

Upon seeing the visitor, he was overjoyed and quickly put down the miscellaneous book he was reading, rising to greet him.

"What business does Mr. Jiang have with me?"

He traveled with Jiang She on the ship for two months and talked a lot. He not only admired Jiang's eloquence and knowledge and his understanding of the Taoist scriptures, but also liked the unique demeanor that Jiang possessed that others did not have.

A true scholar is one who is unrestrained and magnanimous.

I heard Li Bai say that...

Chen Hong was surprised: "Jiang Jun is actually proficient in painting?"

He recalled his own painting in the temple. He was actually not as good at painting gods as Wu Daozi. Thinking about it carefully, he realized that there might be some omissions in the murals he painted for the Taoist temple.

but……

Where should we add a stroke?

Chen Hong thought about it carefully, unsure whether the stroke was a metaphor or a literal reference.

If there's really a problem, what good would adding just one stroke do?

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)