Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 35

It was Prince Jing who had spoken.

"Good idea." The Emperor nodded. "Shang'er, please paint another one now."

Before Yun Shang could answer, Li Luo spoke up. "Your Highness, are you afraid? Fake is fake, don't you agree?"

Yun Shang didn't answer. Instead she smiled and looked at her father. "I'm innocent, but there are always troublemakers." Then she turned to the annoying man. "Let's make a bet! If I win, you must do me a favor, and if I lose, I will do you a favor. Do you agree?"

"Okay, but I don't believe you can paint so well." tittered Li Luo.

On hearing the bet, other guests also chimed in. "Li Luo will win!"

"Please make a note." Yun Shan instructed Lord Zheng.

The excitement around the bet increased and a number of other guests joined in as well. However, they all seemed to be supporting Li Luo. When the game was about to start, a cold voice could be heard above everyone else's. "I wager the Princess will win, " said Prince Jing.

In the guests' hubbub, Yun Shang took the parchment from Zheng and handed it to her father. "I humbly request you to be the judge."

"Agreed!" The Emperor readily consented and sat back. A servant quickly brought pen, ink, paper, and an ink stone. Yun Shang took the pen and smiled. "Besides lotus, I also like iris, which is said to be in the netherworld. I'm going to draw irises today."

As she began to draw, all eyes were fixed on Yun Shang. She drew with great decisiveness and skill.

Pretty soon, the painting was done. A servant took the paper and showed it to everyone.

With a smile, the Emperor spoke to a white-bearded minister who had not yet spoken. "As the most knowledgeable minister, you are accomplished in painting and calligraphy. Do you think the lotus and the irises were painted by the same person?"

"Your Majesty, I'll check both paintings now," answered the minister hastily. Then he came forward and made a careful comparison.

After a long time, he turned back to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, due to haste, the iris lacks detail, but its style is consistent with the other painting. Moreover, both paintings share common features, that is, the brushwork is heavy and random, thus implying that they were done by the same person."

"How could it be?" Li Luo looked pale. He stood and walked to the paintings. He stared at them for a long time, frowning and unwilling to accept that he had lost. Then he walked away without looking back.

How could he be so arrogant?

Yun Shang glanced at her father and found that he looked displeased. She lowered her eyes and smiled. 'Those who are arrogant will not live long,' she thought.