In my past life, I was buried alive! Reborn, I'll overturn the capital.

Chapter 54 Painting Appreciation Banquet

The snickers from the surroundings made Jiang Chuchu's face turn ugly for a moment.

"You old man!" An elderly woman with gray hair, the one Lu had hired to invite Master Xue, stepped forward to smooth things over. "She's the young girl I told you about."

After all, he owed the Lu family a favor, and since the matter wasn't resolved yet, he naturally had to help out a little.

Upon hearing this, Master Xue finally took a good look at Jiang Chuchu and nodded slightly.

"Madam, Miss Jiang, please don't mind him, that's just his temper."

"It's alright, it's alright." Naturally, Madam Lu wouldn't turn against them over this, so she could only smile and let it go.

At this moment, the three princes had already taken their seats, and Master Xue bowed and sat down as well.

His expression remained unpleasant. He was unwilling to visit, as it would require exchanging pleasantries with everyone, which would be extremely troublesome. Furthermore, some people had ulterior motives, so any answer he gave would be wrong.

Therefore, he set a rule that without his painting, there was no point in discussing it, and he declined many people's requests, finally getting some peace and quiet.

At the same time, he doesn't visit people easily, even if it earns him a bad reputation for being arrogant. He doesn't care; in his eyes, reputation is just an external thing. He only needs to prove himself with his abilities. Socializing is a death sentence for him.

I just didn't expect my friend to keep pestering me to come over, so I had no choice but to come. Therefore, don't expect him to give me a good look; it's good enough that he even came.

"Today, I am honored to have everyone here. My daughter, Chuchu, is fortunate to have received Master Xue's painting 'Visiting a Sage in a Bamboo Grove.' We are holding this appreciation banquet for everyone to enjoy it together. At the same time, I would also like to thank Master Xue for personally attending and providing guidance."

Jiang An stepped forward and, after making some polite remarks, prepared to invite Master Xue to the stage. However, Master Xue did not say a word, leaving Jiang An feeling somewhat awkward.

"The purpose of today is to appreciate paintings. I'm just here to show my support. You all chat and don't need to pay attention to me."

"Alright, then, everyone please!" Jiang An quickly composed himself and invited the officials and dignitaries to come and enjoy the view.

The group walked along the garden path, where a painting was hung every ten steps, providing ample space for the group.

As everyone admired the painting, they discussed the imagery within it.

But most people were focused on Master Xue's paintings.

"This painting is absolutely amazing! The lines, the fluidity—it's incredible!"

"I am not knowledgeable about painting, but this painting looks like it is far superior to ordinary paintings."

"Look, and this color scheme perfectly captures the essence of this light-colored landscape painting."

"..."

The crowd began discussing the painting, but Jiang Chuchu, standing to the side, received little attention.

But as time went by, some people slowly walked forward and saw a painting that was different from the others. They couldn't help but feel a sense of novelty. "Everyone, come and see! Why does this painting look so out of place among all these other paintings?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of people curiously gathered around.

"Hey, this painting doesn't look like it was done by a master. The brushstrokes are quite immature, but it has a lot of potential."

"But today is a banquet for appreciating paintings, and we are going to appreciate the calligraphy and paintings of famous artists. Suddenly, a painting like this, by an unknown artist, and not even in the same league as the other famous artists, is being brought in. Is this just to make up the numbers when we don't have enough? Isn't that a bit too much of a rip-off?"

"That's not quite right. I think this painting has very bold brushstrokes, lines, and colors, and it has extraordinary potential." Song Wuyan pushed through the crowd and walked up, admiring the work with great interest.

"Is this Master Song?"

"Master Xue is still alive, I dare not accept this title of master." Song Wuyan smiled modestly, then focused his attention on the painting.

"May I see this painting?"

Song Wuyan was very interested. The style of the painting matched his own. Although it was still immature, it was not bad. Given time, with his guidance, it would surely achieve something great.

Even Master Xue heard the commotion and couldn't help but look over out of curiosity. After taking one look, he lost interest.

"This was drawn by my daughter, Chuchu. I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself," said Madam Lu, pulling Jiang Chuchu forward with a humble smile.

Jiang Chuchu also looked shy, "I'm sorry, I made a fool of myself, please forgive me."

"Ugly people are always up to no good. They know they're making a fool of themselves, yet they still dare to show themselves off." Someone muttered, and Jiang Chuchu almost couldn't keep up her smile.

"Originally, I didn't want this either, but in the art of calligraphy and painting, there is no progress without criticism. The tutors we hired at home, because of their connection with the Prime Minister's residence, mostly offered flattery, and it was difficult to hear any genuine feedback."

Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to display my paintings at this art appreciation event and receive everyone's guidance and criticism so that I can improve. I hope everyone will be generous with their advice.

Jiang Chuchu adopted a humble attitude, and no one present accused her of being attention-seeking. Instead, they looked at her with new respect.

"Miss Jiang is too modest. Your painting is probably unmatched among your peers, yet you still seek to improve. This spirit is truly admirable."

"That's right. Nowadays, people are so restless and impatient. It's really rare to see someone so humble."

"May I ask where Miss Jiang studied under, and whether she would be interested in having another teacher?"

Even Master Xue couldn't help but glance at Jiang Chuchu a few more times.

Although the drawing skills aren't great, the attitude towards learning is commendable.

Song Wuyan was overjoyed. What a fine gem this was! Why did the Prime Minister's Mansion send him to teach Jiang Qingyue, that good-for-nothing, instead of Jiang Chuchu?

If he had made arrangements earlier, he would have directly accepted Jiang Chuchu as his disciple. There would have been no need for this situation today, with a bunch of people vying for his disciple.

"I am truly flattered by the kindness of all the masters. I will continue to work hard." Jiang Chuchu smiled politely, feeling extremely proud inside.

This is the kind of life I deserve—being the center of attention. After suffering so many setbacks at Jiang Qingyue's hands, this time I've finally gotten my revenge.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chuchu looked at Jiang Qingyue with a smug expression, "My paintings still have a lot to improve, how can they compare to yours, sister? Why don't you show your paintings to everyone and give them some pointers? Criticism is the only way to improve!"

Jiang Chuchu felt that this was not enough; she was determined to make Jiang Qingyue lose face so that she would never have the face to attend such occasions again.

Thinking of Jiang Qingyue's painting, Jiang Chuchu smiled even more smugly, as if she could already see Jiang Qingyue making a fool of herself in public.

Upon hearing Jiang Chuchu's words, everyone's eyes turned to Jiang Qingyue.