The Emperor's Beloved: My Ancestor is the Crown Prince?

Chapter 50 Traditional Portraiture and the Camera

"It's Yiyi," Empress Zhangsun replied softly. "Does the painting resemble her?"

Xiao Qingyi looked at the painting, then at the people around her, and suddenly turned around and ran back to her seat, taking out the pink children's camera from her schoolbag.

"Uncle Emperor, Aunt Empress!" she exclaimed, raising her camera. Her voice was clear and bright. "Yiyi also has a way to 'draw' everyone! Even faster than this!"

Everyone's gaze fell on the rounded, pink object in her hand. Li Shimin raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

"Watch closely!" Xiao Qingyi ran to the spot where the artist had just stood, pointed her camera at the group in the pavilion, and shouted, "One, two, three—smile!"

"Click."

A crisp click of the shutter rang out. The camera screen instantly displayed the complete scene inside the pavilion: the emperor sat regally, surrounded by princes and princesses, children smiled brightly, and sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains onto everyone.

Xiao Qingyi ran back with her camera, proudly showing off the screen: "Look! This is the 'photo'! It was drawn in no time!"

The artist leaned closer in astonishment, and when he saw the clear, lifelike, and vibrant images on the screen, he gasped, "This... what kind of divine skill is this?!"

Li Tai also stood up, his eyes fixed on the small screen, unable to hide the shock in his eyes.

Li Shimin took the camera, his finger gently swiping across the screen. The images changed with the swipe—there was Si Zi's gentle smile, Cheng Yang's shy embrace of a panda plush toy, Li Chengqian's rarely relaxed profile, Li Tai's focused reading, Li Lizhi's tenderness as she adjusted Zhi Nu's clothes, and more…

The image freezes on the last shot: a panoramic view of the pavilion, with everyone in it. The light and shadow, the expressions, the vividness of that moment—these are things that a paintbrush can hardly capture completely.

The emperor raised his head, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone in the pavilion, finally landing on Xiao Qingyi's expectant little face.

"This thing..." he said slowly, "is indeed miraculous."

A gentle breeze stirred, causing the sheer curtains of the pavilion to flutter and fall. The charcoal sketch on the drawing table was not yet finished, but the digital image on the camera screen had already captured this moment of sunshine and smiles.

Looking at his father's thoughtful expression and then at the oblivious Xiao Qingyi, Li Chengqian felt a slight tension in his heart.

Xiao Qingyi, however, was too happy to contain herself and pulled Chengyang and Sizi to look at the photos: "Look! Little sister Chengyang is holding Tuantuan! Sister Sizi's smile is so beautiful!"

The artist stood bowing to one side, looking at his unfinished drawing and then at the magical "camera," his eyes filled with confusion and awe.

Li Shimin turned to the painter and said, "Continue painting. I want both kinds of 'portraits'."

When the artist picked up his brush again, the atmosphere was different from before.

Li Shimin held the small camera in his hand, examining it repeatedly. His fingers traced the smooth surface, but his gaze drifted to a certain empty space outside the pavilion. After a long while, he suddenly chuckled softly and whispered to Empress Zhangsun beside him:

"Does Guanyinbi still remember the first time I took Chengqian to the hunting grounds when he was a child?"

Empress Zhangsun was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then her eyes softened with tenderness: "How could I not remember? He was just six years old then, clinging to his little bow and refusing to let go, insisting on shooting a rabbit before he would return to camp."

"He chased the rabbit into the woods and got lost," Li Shimin continued, his tone carrying a long-lost relaxed smile. "When I found him, he was squatting under a tree crying, still clutching that little bow tightly in his hand."

Li Chengqian sat at the lower end of the table, and as he listened to his parents talking about his embarrassing childhood stories, his ears turned slightly red, but he couldn't help but smile.

Li Shimin's gaze fell again on the camera screen—it was a photo Xiao Qingyi had just taken. Li Chengqian was talking to Sizi with his head down, his profile gentle, completely unlike his usual composed demeanor in court. As he looked at it, a complex expression flashed across the emperor's eyes.

"Time flies." He sighed softly, handing the camera back to Xiao Qingyi, who was staring at him expectantly. "This thing... really does preserve time."

Xiao Qingyi took the camera, then suddenly remembered something and ran up to Li Shimin: "Uncle Emperor, would you and Aunt Empress take a picture of yourselves alone? Just the two of you!"

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun exchanged a glance, and Empress Zhangsun smiled and nodded. The emperor and empress sat side by side, Li Shimin's hand naturally resting on the back of his wife's hand. The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the light gauze, gilding them with a layer of gold.

Xiao Qingyi held up the camera, her little face serious: "One, two, three—"

"Click."

The scene freezes. On the screen, Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun are neither as imposing as they are in the court nor as distant as they are in the palace. They are just an ordinary couple sitting side by side, their eyes reflecting each other and the twilight.

Empress Zhangsun took the camera and examined it closely. After a long while, she said softly, "This one... I really like it."

Li Shimin also looked at the photo without saying a word, but simply held his wife's hand tighter.

By this time, the painter had finished outlining the basic shape and began to render the details. Xiao Qingyi curiously approached the painting table to watch how the fine brush meticulously depicted the folds of the dress and the curves of the hair on the silk.

"The old man draws so slowly," she muttered to herself. "Yiyi's camera finished drawing in no time."

Upon hearing this, the older painter was not annoyed at all. Instead, he stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "The young lady's magical object is indeed swift, but my brush seeks a certain 'spirit'." He dipped his brush in ochre and began to paint the patterns on Li Chengqian's robes. "For example, His Highness the Crown Prince's expression at this moment is three parts composure and seven parts gentleness, and there is also the composure of a crown prince between his brows—these things need to be carefully considered stroke by stroke."

Xiao Qingyi blinked, seemingly understanding but not quite, then looked at the clear image of Li Chengqian on the camera screen. Suddenly realizing something, she pointed to her pink backpack in the drawing: "But... this backpack is one Yiyi brought from home. Can Grandpa's pen capture its original appearance?"

This seemingly naive question caused the artist's brush to pause.

Yes, how can we use traditional techniques to depict this pink backpack with its unusual material and style? And how can we explain why it appeared alongside Tang Dynasty princesses?

A moment of silence fell over the pavilion. Even Li Tai looked up from his book, gazing thoughtfully at the unfinished painting.

Li Shimin laughed loudly: "What's so difficult about that? Just say it's a rare import from overseas, which Qingyi cherishes and carries with her at all times—historical records are seven parts fact and three parts 'appropriateness'." He looked at the painter, "Just paint it as it is, there's no need to worry about anything else."