The two of them returned from the terrace to the hall. The Ding family's house was extremely luxurious, and the wealth of the owner was evident in every aspect. They did not skimp on various gold and silver decorations, giving people the illusion of being surrounded by jewels.
If this is the so-called collector's taste, Li Xuan really can't compliment it.
However, he also had to admit that this style could satisfy the appetite of the nobles. This had nothing to do with vulgarity, but was due to the ethos of the entire country.
Although the Yunteng Empire was once one of the most powerful countries on the continent, in recent years with the rise of the Fu Zhen Revolution, emerging powers have been born one after another, and their strength has grown rapidly.
The Kingdom of Chu, which was a tributary of the Yunteng Empire a hundred years ago, became independent thirty years ago and is now as powerful as the Yunteng Empire.
What is even more worrying is that after hundreds of years of peace in the Yunteng Empire, the number of nobles has become larger and larger, the corruption of the bureaucratic class has become increasingly serious, and the entire country has fallen into a lifeless situation.
The more such an environment happens, the more the nobles seize every opportunity to show off their power and wealth, just like the final madness! In this madness, art evolved into something similar to women's cosmetics and became
Luxury goods used by nobles to decorate their appearance.
Nowadays, in the aristocratic circle of the Yunteng Empire, if you don't label yourself an artist, it is like attending a banquet without wearing formal clothes. It is a very embarrassing thing! With the appearance of Ding Zhen and Li Xuan, a
A soft piece of music sounded, and the banquet kicked off.
"Spring flowers and autumn moon, birds chirping..." The beautiful song echoed in the hall, and a singer wearing a thin silk skirt, still showing her long legs in the cold winter, sang passionately.
On the dance floor, many young men and women danced gracefully. Even Li Xuan came off the stage and danced the recently very popular horseback riding dance with Ding Na, one of Ding Zhen's nieces.
This dance simulates the scene of nobles riding horses. It is said to show the good temperament and elegance of nobles, so it is very popular.
After the dance, Ding Na blushed and bowed slightly to Li Xuan, then stepped aside.
She was immediately pulled into a corner by several of her best friends, who were chattering about various details about the young imperial envoy.
Several aristocratic girls rushed to Li Xuan's side, showing off their beautiful faces and youthful figures as much as possible, hoping to get his invitation.
Li Xuan looked at the waists of the girls that were forcibly stretched by belts, and thought to himself that it was not easy for nobles. Would they really risk their lives for beauty?
With such a thin waist, it will burst after eating half a bowl of rice, right?
At this time, Ding Zhen came over and winked at a few girls, and they withdrew knowingly.
"Here, let me introduce you to two strong men from Maplewood City."
Ding Zhen took Li Xuan's arm affectionately and said.
Li Xuan smiled apologetically at the girls, followed Ding Zhen with a wine glass, and walked to a corner of the banquet.
"Mr. Li Xuan, this is Mr. Hu Qiong, he is the strongest alchemist in the city!"
Pointing to a middle-aged man with a slight bald head, Ding Zhen introduced.
"The imperial envoy is really young."
Different from the enthusiasm and restraint of others when facing Li Xuan, Hu Qiong's face clearly showed a kind of superiority and arrogance.
Li Xuan didn't mind this at all. This kind of arrogance was a common problem among people with special skills, especially those in the fields of talisman formation, alchemy, and weapon refining. Almost all of them had arrogance.
They always feel that they are creating great miracles, and of course they have a feeling of looking down on ordinary monks or wealthy officials.
The two shook hands slightly, indicating that they had met before. Ding Zhen turned to another person and said: "This is..." "This must be Lai Cang Qianhu!"
Staring at the young officer in uniform, Li Xuan smiled meaningfully.
Almost as soon as they met face to face, Li Xuan was 80% sure.
He has a similar body shape, a gloomy temperament exuding from his body, and the luster in his eyes. Although his appearance is somewhat different from that of the leather-armored young man he met in the valley before, he can be disguised and put on makeup using kung fu techniques here.
On a very easy continent, this difference is almost negligible.
The face can be changed, but the temperament cannot be hidden. As soon as he saw Lai Cang, Li Xuan concluded that he and the leather-armored young man were the same person! However, Li Xuan did not show any abnormality and still had a faint smile on his face.
, it was like meeting Lai Cang for the first time.
Lai Cang's expression was also very calm. He came over to greet Li Xuan and said: "Mr. Li Xuan, Her Royal Highness the Princess is also a member of the Six Gates, and you are the imperial envoy appointed by the princess. As the commander of the Six Gates of Maplewood City, I sincerely
I look forward to your guidance!”
Li Xuan smiled slightly and said: "No problem... I look forward to having some military discussions with Qianhu as soon as possible."
The two people's eyes separated at the slightest touch, and then they changed the subject with their own ulterior motives.
After meeting Hu Qiong and Lai Cang, I have met all the famous people in Maplewood City, and the rest are some unimportant people, and there is no need to know them.
Many big shots gathered together, and instead of talking about national affairs, the topic quickly turned to art.
On this occasion, it seems vulgar to talk about other things. Only art exudes nobility and is suitable for the aloof and spotless status of nobles.
“I have recently collected several paintings by Li Ran, and the more I look at them, the more I like them, especially those paintings about fairy mothers, which really vividly embody the kind and kind imagination of fairy mothers in my mind.
I think Li Ran should be the first person in history when it comes to fairy themes, especially the depiction of fairy mothers!"
Ding Zhen obviously not only studied Liu Shizhai, he was eloquent when talking about his paintings, with a deep sense of pride in his words.
“Li Ran’s paintings?
Haha..." Sarang smiled very strangely, a "haha", showing his contempt.
Even an outsider like Li Xuan knows that the Ding family and the Sa family are allies on the surface, but in fact they have been fighting openly and secretly for the dominant position in Maplewood City.
The Ding family has always suppressed the Sa family and is the unshakable largest family.
However, in recent years, the number of heirs of the Ding family has been somewhat thin. The previous heir, Ding Yue, provoked Li Xuan and was exiled. Currently, we are in a sensitive transitional period. It is inevitable that the Sa family will have ambitions.
Obviously, no one was enthusiastic about the affairs of these two families, and the atmosphere became cold for a while.
"Has Master Sa also studied Li Ran's paintings?"
Lai Cang seemed to be unable to detect the smell of gunpowder between the two families, so he interrupted at an inappropriate time and asked.
"Know a little bit."
Salang became more energetic, "Speaking of the depiction of the Fairy Mother, Li Ran did have some achievements, but it's a pity that there is another person whose paintings are far superior to Li Ran in terms of painting techniques and historical achievements.
It’s just that relatively few of his paintings have been handed down, so they have been ignored.”
"You are talking so wildly. I wonder which famous painter you are talking about?"
Ding Zhen said with some displeasure, obviously intending to defend his argument.