The debate continued, but the judges on stage had already displayed the finished painting for everyone to see, demonstrating a fair outcome.

  Fan Liu'er and Zhao Yan's painting is a road, both are the scenery of chrysanthemums in full bloom in the garden. To be fair, it's also beautiful, but it's just too mediocre, naturally getting the ranking behind.

  Qin Qing painted a large chrysanthemum, "Red Immortal", which was probably a variety she was familiar with. The painting only depicted this single stem of chrysanthemum, with every detail vividly presented, as if it were alive. She also took a different approach, completely abandoning the concept of atmosphere and interest, and simply showcased her painting skills. A "Red Immortal" sprang to life on paper, truly beautiful. However, the evaluation was not just about painting techniques, but also about the idea behind the painting, so no matter how beautiful this chrysanthemum was, it ultimately ranked third.

  They soon arrived at Shen Yue's painting. Shen Yue sat stiffly beside Chen Ruoqiu, her lips pursed and a forced smile on her face, but her fists were clenched tightly. Normally, she would be smiling radiantly, basking in the genuine praise and admiration of the crowd. But now, this "Second Class" seemed like a deep sarcasm, making her feel that everyone's gaze was mocking and ridiculing her.

  Shen Yue painted the residual chrysanthemum. The wind and rain were rustling, and many petals of the chrysanthemum in the courtyard had fallen off, but the scattered petals still clung tightly to the branches, standing upright, as if they were people with great integrity. Next to it, two lines of poetry were also written: "I would rather die with fragrance on my branch than be blown away by the north wind."

  This painting is indeed of high and noble intention. Generally speaking, the quality of the chrysanthemum in the painting is pure and elegant, and the person who painted it must also have a straightforward and noble character. The chief examiner's favorite is such a talented and dignified person. If Shen Yue can't even get "first class" with this painting, it's really hard to imagine what kind of painting Shen Miao has done.

  "How can this painting be so good? How come it's only a second-class award?" Bai Wei exclaimed: "I really don't understand."

  Chen Ruoqiu was also puzzled, at first she thought Shen Yue was a bit nervous today and took the wrong path. Who knew that when this painting came out, she would know that her daughter had not done anything wrong, and it was indeed a well-deserved first prize compared to previous years' verification. But why was there another result?

  Ren Yuanyun was somewhat pleased to see Shen Yue's misfortune, as Shen Yue had always been a top student and had consistently outperformed Shen Qing. Seeing Shen Yue lose this time made her unhappy, but since it didn't concern her, she was happy to watch the commotion.

  The umpire on the platform ordered the two little boys to unroll the painting, and the noise stopped abruptly.

  The paper is very large, but Shen Miao's painting has too much white space left over. She was originally not skilled at painting, so she only roughly painted the distant scenery with bold strokes, but unexpectedly created a magnificent and majestic atmosphere.

  On the painting scroll, yellow sand is scattered everywhere, a slanting sun with blood-red color bursts forth, a broken sword stands in the middle of the yellow earth, under the sword lies a bunch of white chrysanthemum.

  In this painting, the chrysanthemum seems to be just a decoration, so small that even the veins of the petals can't be seen clearly. But in this picture, it's like the finishing touch of a dragon, and the desolate and bleak feeling is about to burst out.

  The people present were silent for a moment. Separated by paper and pen, yet seemingly able to feel the desolation and misery, the helpless struggle within.

  That is war.

  Chen Ruoqiu and Shen Yue trembled simultaneously, after seeing clearly what was painted on the painting scroll, they knew that this round, there was no possibility of turning over.

  Not bad, Shen Yue is indeed elegant and refined, with a temperament that does not flow into vulgarity, able to take care of character and nobility. But this painting by Shen Miao has completely jumped out of the "person" itself, if Shen Yue is using chrysanthemums to express people, then Shen Miao is using flowers to express her aspirations. How can a person's emotions be compared to the cruelty of war?

  No wonder those appraisers were arguing endlessly and reluctant to make a conclusion. They probably didn't expect that such a magnificent painting would come from the hands of Shen Miao, a nobody.

  The chief examiner and inspector of the Imperial Academy, Gong Ziqi, said: "Student Shen Miao, come forth and explain, what inspired you to create this painting?"

  Every student who got the "first prize" had to talk about their feelings on winning. But today, Shen Miao was asked to explain why she painted, and it was clear that everyone didn't believe she could create this painting, thinking she must have gotten the idea from somewhere else.

  Shen Qing smiled and whispered to Yi Peiran beside him, "Now we're in trouble."

  "But isn't this really not painted by her?" Yi Peilan was somewhat puzzled: "Just now we all saw it, she personally painted it stroke by stroke."

  "That painting skill is not outstanding, what's the idea behind it, who knows if someone has been guiding her." Shen Qing looked at Shen Miao with disdain as she walked onto the stage: "Having lived with her for so many years, I still don't know what she's capable of. Now that Master Zhong has asked her to explain the reason behind her painting, I'm afraid she won't be able to come up with anything and will lose face again."

  Yi Peilan smiled upon hearing this: "I said so, there's no such thing as a prodigy. I'm afraid it's just to attract that one..." She glanced at the men's seats with a sly gaze and fixed on Wang: "Inviting a master to guide her, Shen Miao has also racked her brains for his sake."

  Shen Qing's face stiffened slightly, suppressing the discomfort in her heart, and said, "Let's take a look."

  On the stage, Shen Miao stood quietly gazing at the unfolded scroll. She slowly stretched out her hand and stroked the painting under the astonished gaze of the crowd.

  "I painted this scroll simply because my father once told me that every year on the battlefield, countless heroes die young, their bodies wrapped in horsehide and buried in the desert sands. The roads are long and treacherous, so they can only be buried on the battlefield. At that time, the northwest deserts and northern grasslands were all places without chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums bloom in the warm south, bloom in the prosperous capital, where there is music and dance, peace and prosperity, but it is all at the cost of the lives of the border generals."

  The murmurs gradually died down, and everyone's eyes gathered on the purple-clothed girl.

  And she spoke calmly, telling the story in a gentle tone: "My father once said that soldiers who died in battle couldn't even get a handful of white chrysanthemums. On the battlefield, no flowers would bloom, and the soldiers wouldn't even experience complete mourning. Their wives and children could only wear white chrysanthemums far away in their hometowns, offering them up."

  "I think that you can all calmly appreciate the chrysanthemums here today, thanks to the brave warriors who are defending our borders. Alas, I am unable to do anything for them, and can only paint a few white chrysanthemums on a canvas, in front of a handful of yellow earth, to comfort their heroic spirits."

  The girl stands in the wind, her eyes clear and bright, her words ringing out loud and clear, as if only her voice is heard throughout heaven and earth, yet like a morning bell and an evening drum, striking at everyone's heart.

  Shen Miao's eyes slightly drooped.

  Ming Qi's Tianjia people, aren't they going to deal with the Shen family? But the world is so big, everyone will see and hear. It's more important to guard against the people's mouths than against a river, taking the initiative is stronger, since Tianjia wants to take action against the General's mansion, she'll let everyone in the world see it.

  Behold, the merits earned by the Shen family with their lives, the Shen family guarding the walls of Mingqi with their lives. Now you nobles' sons are enjoying music and dance in the capital, all built on the blood and flesh forged on the battlefield!

  Treading on the blood of martyrs, can you still brazenly suppress us?

  If you dare, don't be afraid of the eyes of the world!