It was night and it was snowing outside the house again.

The cold winter has arrived, and the wind and snow at night have caused the temperature in Kaifeng Prefecture to drop rapidly.

However, the Wu family's house in the No.1 Tianshui Lane was full of hot pieces. Feng Erniang and Wang Po'er worked together for almost an hour and finally got a "warm pot". The so-called "warm pot" is hot pot, which has actually existed since ancient times. Later generations said that the so-called hot pot was invented by Mongolians or Jurchens, which is completely nonsense.

Isn’t it just to cut the food into small pieces and throw it into a water pot or soup pot to cook? What a simple thing! In ancient times, copper pots and copper cauldrons could all be used to rinse hot pot?

This way of eating was called "warm pot" in the Tang and Song dynasties, and it was a very popular way to eat it in winter.

Of course, this kind of "hot pot" is different from the "hot pot" in later generations. When eating "hot pot", various meat slices are not put into the pot one by one, but are plate by plate... Anyway, Wu Haogu has never seen anyone simmering a piece of meat there.

Today, Feng Erniang prepared rabbit meat and mutton. Both meats were cut into thin slices, and two large plates were prepared each. He also made a sauce with wine, sauce, pepper and cinnamon, and several vegetarian side dishes such as tofu, gluten, bean sprouts and cabbage.

By the way, Wu Chengzhi and Feng Erniang have now "reunited" and they are loving couples again. When their wife was preparing dinner in the kitchen, the big man Wu Chengzhi took the initiative to help and brought the warm pots, meat slices, vegetables and sauces prepared by his wife to the dining table one by one.

The two brothers of the Wu family were busy with their own affairs at this time. Wu Haowen was reviewing his homework. He had received the recommendation from Kaifeng Prefecture School and was qualified to take the Imperial College entrance examination. At the beginning of next spring, he will take the Imperial College entrance examination with Confucian scholars gathered from all over the Song Dynasty. Among them, 2,000 lucky people can be admitted to the Imperial College Outside Room and become a glorious Imperial College student.

According to the provisions of the "Three-Stories Law", the semester of the Imperial Academy's external sacrificial student is one year, and both the inner sacrificial and the upper sacrificial student is two years. The exam from the outer sacrificial student is very intense. Among the 2,000 Imperial Academy's external sacrificial student is only 300 can enter the inner sacrificial student, and among the 300 students, 100 can enter the upper sacrificial student.

It can be seen that the competition in the Imperial Academy is still very fierce.

However, no matter how intense it is, there is an extra way to become an official - you can still participate in the imperial examinations when you enter the Imperial Academy! Therefore, Wu Haowen has been judging the "review materials" given by Ji Daren every day, and he will never go to bed until late at night every day. He really shows the spirit of being determined to win.

Wu Haogu locked himself in the house to draw and paint a picture of "Vishaman Heavenly Map", but it was not the original realistic style, but added freehand elements to the realistic basis and painted into semi-realistic and semi-freehand.

It is the painting method of Zhao Yi's improved version of "Vishaman Heavenly Picture" that he saw yesterday in the lobby of the middle building of Fengle Building. In fact, Wu Haogu can also draw such semi-freehand and semi-realistic paintings. His serious profession in his previous life was original painter, cartoon, beautiful, realistic, and all kinds of magical, science fiction, fairy tale, nishi, and Eastern and Western styles.

What he is painting now is a semi-realistic Lu Zhishen in Chinese magical fine brush style. The picture is very gorgeous and delicate, and can give people an extremely strong visual impact.

It is difficult to evaluate the quality of the art, but it looks pretty good.

Wu Haogu put down the brush in his hand, and with the dim light, he looked at the "animation version" of "Visha Mon Heavenly Map" that he had just drawn, but his brows frowned slightly.

It’s not that I’m worried that my painting skills will lose to that “common scholar Zhao Xiaoyi”, but that I can’t understand where Zhao Xiaoyi comes from?

Is he Zhao Ji?

Looking at the signature inscription, it seems that it is not thin gold...

But Zhao Ji is only sixteen or seventeen years old now, and he has probably not yet created a thin gold body?

Wu Haogu asked Zhang Xizai to find Guo Jing yesterday and asked Guo San Ge to go to Gao Qiu's house to inquire. But until now, there has been no reply.

Just as Wu Haogu was in deep thought, he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.

"Who?"

Feng Erniang, who had just finished dinner, wiped her hands and walked quickly to the yard to ask.

Wu Di's spoken words came from outside the door, "I am Ji Yi, Wu Dalang and Wu Erlang's friend!"

"Why did Master Ji come so late?"

Feng Erniang immediately opened the door for the person who came, without any doubt. This was the inner city of Kaifeng. At the foot of the emperor, there was a military patrol shop for hundreds of steps. Even when the heroes of Liangshan came, they had to hold their tails and pretend to be good people.

The person standing outside the door was Ji Daguan Ren, who had no carriages and horses. He should have come walking. In fact, Ji Daguan Ren's mansion in Kaifeng Mansion is on Rendian Street, not far from the Wu family, and he was not far from the Wu family. He was walking here for a few steps.

Wu Haogu heard the movement in the house, put down his brush, got up and left the study.

At this time, Ji Yi had already walked into the yard and strided to the eaves. She had just put away the paper umbrella. She saw Wu Haogu and said with a smile: "Dalang, have you been to Fengle Tower these days?"

"Let's talk about it in the house." Wu Haogu knew that the other party was also coming for "common man Zhao Xiaoyi", so he hurriedly invited him into the house.

Wu Chengzhi and Wu Haowen also welcomed him and greeted Ji Yi politely.

Wu Chengzhi smiled and said, "Officer Ji is here just right, so why not just use a hot pot in the humble house."

"Then I'll bother you."

"Please, please..."

The Wu father and son politely invited Master Ji to the table and took the seats with guests. Because there were guests, Feng Erniang was not convenient for him to attend the table, so she went to have dinner with Wang Po'er.

The heater had already been lit, but the soup in the pot was not boiling, so the father and son on the table and Ji Yi were talking while drinking wine.

"Do you know who the common man Zhao Xiaoyi is?"

After a few greetings, Wu Haogu got to the point. He knew that Ji Yi was a well-informed person. Not only did he have many friends in the officialdom, but he was also a leader of a student not long ago. So he asked him about Zhao Xiaoyi.

Ji Yi smiled and shook her head: "If I knew, I wouldn't come."

"Brother Yizhi doesn't know either?"

Wu Haogu raised his eyebrows.

I don't know it is also a very important clue!

The painting was picked up by Liu Youfang by Fengle Tower, and Ji Yi and Liu Youfang have a very good relationship. If Zhao Xiaoyi's identity can be said, then Liu Youfang would never hide it from Ji Yi.

Since I am hiding it now, it means that Zhao Xiaoyi is definitely not an ordinary person, and he is even King Duan Zhao Ji himself!

Wu Haoguxin said: If Zhao Xiaoyi was Zhao Ji, then... this man is much harder to serve than Mi Youren.

But it’s right to think about it. Mi Youren’s background is far worse than Zhao Ji. No matter how high his ambition is, he cannot be compared with the emperor who is "the best in ancient and modern times". If he didn’t go through a competition, he would probably not have been convinced of his name as "the first person in the painting".

If you don’t agree, let alone being his art teacher, you may not be able to do it even if you have a good friend.

Of course, Wu Haogu has the strength to crush this "Zhao Xiaoyi"!

"Zhao Xiaoyi" can at most copy Wu Hao's fine brushwork and realistic paintings. He can't copy oil paintings, let alone copy them.

But is it interesting to slap in the face like this viciously? If you want to be the emperor in the future, you will slap him in the face now and he will hold a grudge. Even if you don’t cut off your head in the future, you can still send you to Yalong Bay to live in the sea view villa...

In addition, Ji Yi came in the snow at night, probably not because she slapped Zhao Ji in the face fiercely, right? This man is generous and has a wide range of friends. He goes everywhere, and he is obviously a good person and an official.

How could such a person look at the future emperor being slapped in the face?

Thinking of this, Wu Haogu looked at Ji Yi and Ji Daren with a smile, as if waiting for his suggestion.

"This is a matter of making friends through paintings, and it is a matter of scholars."

Ji Yi set the tone as soon as he opened his mouth, and he continued, "Even if you want to distinguish between the superiors and inferiors, you have to take it slowly... to make friends."

It makes sense!

This face has to be hit slowly, gently, to express feelings, and to become good friends.

"It's reasonable to say it, it's reasonable to say it..." Wu Haogu nodded in admiration, "Brother Yizhi, is there any?"

"When you are comparing with the highest degree, it is best to increase the other party's painting skills."

Ji Yizhun determined that "Zhao Xiaoyi" was "Zhao Ji"!

When it comes to this, Wu Haogu is a fool if he doesn't understand it anymore. This time, King Duan wants to play, so he has to play with him. He has to let Zhao Ji have fun, improve his skills during the play, and of course he has to admire his ability... Only in this way can he be good friends with Zhao Ji.

Only by becoming a good friend of Song Huizong can you save the country and the people in the future!

"I understand, I understand." Wu Haogu nodded repeatedly, "Thank you brother Yi for your advice."

Ji Yi smiled and said, "In addition... Chongdao still remembers my wife Mo?"

"Remember, of course I remember." Wu Haogu nodded. How could he forget the best mannequin of Madam Mo? It would be a big regret if he could not leave her human body on the canvas and upload it to future generations!

Ji Yi smiled and said, "How about Dalang going to paint a piece of paper for Mo Niang and hang it in Fengle Building?"

This is not bad... Wu Haogu thought: If you can't draw a human body, portrait photos are also OK.

"Okay," Wu Haogu nodded, "If Brother Yizhi is willing to do so, then I'll draw a piece of paper for Madam Mo."

"Why can't you bear it?" Ji Yi smiled, "It's just a family trick."

"Okay, okay, then that's all." Wu Haogu paused, "How about going to your mansion tomorrow?"

"No, she is not at my house these days." Ji Yi smiled, "She lives in a cemetery in the west of the city."

Annunciation?

Becoming a nun? This is a pity!

Wu Haogu was stunned.

Ji Yi smiled and said, "I will send a carriage to pick you up tomorrow."

"Okay." Wu Haogu nodded with a smile, "By the way, Brother Yizhi, you ordered ten paintings at my painting vegetarian last time, saying that you want to hold a courtesan competition... When will this courtesan competition start?"

Ji Yi smiled: "Didn't this start?"

"The painting for Madam Mo is..."
Chapter completed!