An Art School Reject Transmigrates Into a Palace Painter

(Alternate history + multiple heroines + no System + showboating)

Toward the end of Emperor Yuan’s reign in the Western Han, corrupt officials hold sway and eunuchs wield power. The foolish emperor is obsessed with beauty and has countless consorts. Unable to choose among them himself, he entrusts the task to a court painter!

Naturally, the consorts bribe the painter so their portraits will make them look even more beautiful. Guan Ning, who transmigrated from the modern era, unexpectedly becomes a court painter!

But this seemingly cushy job is harder than it looks. The consorts all have their own connections and distinctive charms, so who can outshine the rest in a painting?

To survive in this era on the brink of chaos, Guan Ning, who has no backing, can only use the consorts to build a network of connections!

When it comes to painting, no matter how well you do, can your work really draw more attention than one of my portraits? You can rack your brains all you like, but will it draw more eyes than a close-up? I’m far better than you at handling a lecherous emperor!

But as he paints, Guan Ning makes an unexpected discovery: Wang Zhaojun, who left for the frontier, is among them? Zhao Feiyan, as supple as a boneless dancer, refuses to be outdone, while Zhao Hede, famed as a source of sensual delight, is eager to compete as well...

To top it all off, Wang Mang and Liu Xiu are about to step onto the stage of history!

All right, if this is a high-stakes game, then this failed art student will have to show his best work. I can’t let you sell a single steamed bun for five hundred thousand taels of silver, can I?