Le paysage est comme une peinture

Chapitre 11

You Tong suddenly realized.

Just then, Li Yuqi carefully carried the painting back.

“Father loves Cang Feng’s paintings the most. They are usually locked in a box. It just so happens that he left the key today, so we were able to take them out. Otherwise, Sister Wen Feng would have had to wait until Father finished court to see them.” As she spoke, she stepped forward and placed the scroll on the table in the flower hall, slowly unrolling it.

"Night Excursion to Hanshan" is a painting by the famous artist Zang Feng in his youth. At that time, Zang Feng was young and vigorous, and his painting style was sharp and full of talent. As soon as this painting is unfolded, a sense of coldness can be seen from it. The trees and forests, the hermitage in the mountains, and the traveler in the forest are all depicted with just a few strokes, but the desolate mood is vividly portrayed.

However—You Tong frowned, carefully examining the seal below, then bent down and turned to look at it from the side. Her expression darkened slightly, and she said in a low voice, "This painting... seems to have some problems."

Li Yuqi had already been suspicious when he saw her actions, and was slightly surprised by what she said, but not angry. He just leaned closer to examine the seal carefully. Finally, his expression changed drastically. He grabbed the painting, rushed out the door, and looked at it in the sunlight for a while. His face turned deathly pale. "How could this be?"

"Sister Li, are you alright?" Wen Yan was a little flustered when she saw this, so she quickly stepped forward to support her and asked in a low voice, "What happened to the painting?"

Li Yuqi's face turned pale and then red, her eyes darting around unconsciously. Finally, she seemed to remember something, and left hastily after saying, "I have to go, please excuse me."

Seeing her figure disappear outside the courtyard, Wen Yan was very worried. She quickly turned back and asked You Tong, "Sister Li, what's wrong? Ninth Sister, is there anything strange about that painting?"

You Tong smiled bitterly: "That painting is a fake." Although it is a fake, it is copied very well. Not only is the shape similar, but more importantly, the spirit is similar. If it weren't for some minor issues with the seal, even she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

"No way!" Wen Yan exclaimed in surprise. "I heard Sister Li say that Lord Li paid three thousand taels of silver for that painting."

You Tong remained silent. Zang Feng's paintings were extremely rare on the market, and three thousand taels of silver was not much.

The two sisters talked for a while, and then Li Yuqi returned looking lost, still holding the painting in her hand, but she was clearly no longer as careful as before.

"Sister Li—" Wen Yan wanted to say something to comfort her, but the words wouldn't come out. After all, it was three thousand taels of silver, which was not a small amount even in the Cui family, let alone the poor Li family.

“My younger brother secretly took that painting to the art shop and sold it.” Li Yuqi closed her eyes, her face full of helplessness. “I’m not afraid you’ll laugh at me, but my father is obsessed with painting. Anything of value in the house was sold to buy paintings. Our family is really strapped for cash right now. My younger brother is ignorant and, seeing how hard the family is working, he secretly stole a painting from the study and sold it. Afraid that my father would find out, he exchanged it for this fake painting for two hundred taels of silver.”

Wenyan and Youtong exchanged glances, unsure what to say. Wenyan, however, felt a surge of relief; thankfully, she had sold it for money and hadn't bought a fake, so it wasn't a complete loss. She was still wondering how much silver the painting had sold for when she suddenly heard Li Yuqi say firmly, "No, I have to go to the shop and redeem that painting." With that, she stamped her foot and turned to leave.

Wen Yan was afraid that she would be taken advantage of, so she quickly followed. You Tong didn't want to be left alone, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go with her.

They drove in silence until they reached the entrance of the calligraphy and painting shop. Li Yuqi jumped out of the car first and rushed inside without looking back. Wen Yan quickly followed, and You Tong also lifted the curtain to get out of the car, when she suddenly caught sight of two familiar figures not far ahead and her expression changed instantly.

Those two...aren't they Shen San and Bai Ling?

Author's Note: I bought the house at the end of last year, and today I'm officially starting to prepare for the renovation. It's been really tough! %>_<%

Regarding the update:

Generally, if I'm not too busy, I'll update daily. I usually don't update on Wednesday nights because Wednesday is the busiest day for work. Thursday updates depend on the situation. However, if there's a ranking list, then I must update according to the minimum requirement for that list. This week's target is 20,000 words. I calculated that I've updated a little over 10,000 words since Friday, which means I still have at least 10,000 words to write before noon on Friday. %>_<%

Concealing the Edge and Nine Cauldrons

Twenty-three

Almost instinctively, You Tong lowered her head and quickly shrank back into the carriage. The curtain fell, immediately blocking everything outside the carriage.

Wen Yan and Li Yuqi were in a hurry to enter the store and did not notice that someone was missing behind them. You Tong sat upright in the carriage with a calm face, took a deep breath, and after calming down, carefully lifted the side curtain of the carriage a crack to carefully observe the two people slowly walking over not far away.

This was the first time You Tong had seen the two of them since the incident at the Huzhou estate. Shen San had completely shed the naivety and innocence he had shown when he was disguised as Shi Tou. His brows now held the aloofness characteristic of a scion of a noble family. He wore a dark blue robe with silver trim, matching silk shoes, a patterned pendant around his waist, and a jade crown on his head, which made his face appear even more handsome and his bearing even more imposing. As he walked along, he attracted the attention of countless passersby.

Bai Ling, standing beside her, was also dressed like a wealthy heiress. She wore a light green embroidered velvet short jacket and a lake-blue flowing skirt. Her hair was styled in a lily-shaped bun, adorned with a sapphire dragonfly hair ornament on each side. Two teardrop-shaped jade pendants hung from her ears, and a sapphire blue sachet embroidered with magpies perched on branches was tied around her waist. Such splendor surpassed even that of You Tong when she was still in Qiantang.

The two grew closer as they walked, chatting and laughing all the way. Bai Ling remained as lively as ever, with a sweet smile and a voice like a nightingale, calling out "Brother Shen" affectionately. Shen San, on the other hand, didn't say much, only occasionally nodding in response. Sometimes he would glance down at her, and even that one glance made Bai Ling's whole being bloom.

You Tong couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart. Although Qing Dai had subtly reminded her before, she always chose to believe Bai Ling. After all, it was a bond they had shared since childhood, and how could it be destroyed by a man in just a few days? But now, it seemed that she had been too foolish back then.

The two men had no idea that You Tong would be in the capital, much less that she would be sitting in the carriage beside them, coldly watching them pass by. As they passed the calligraphy and painting shop, Bai Ling suddenly took a liking to something and insisted on pulling Shen San inside. Shen San remained silent, expressionless, and followed her into the shop.

You Tong remained motionless, sitting quietly in the car, her face shifting between light and shadow, seemingly lost in thought.

The calligraphy and painting shops, however, presented a completely different and bustling scene.

Wen Yan and Li Yuqi rushed into the shop and explained their purpose to the shopkeeper. However, the shopkeeper just shook his head and said, "It's not that our shop wants to make things difficult for you two ladies, but this painting is too popular. It was bought by someone the day after Young Master Li sent it. Our shop wanted to return it to you, but we don't have any more in stock."

Li Yuqi said anxiously, "What should we do? If Father finds out, he'll probably break my second brother's legs." After thinking for a moment, she pleaded, "How about you tell me who bought it, and I'll beg him to sell it to me?"

The shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly, saying, "That won't do. We have our own rules in this business. How can we reveal a customer's identity so easily? If word gets out, who will want to come to our shop to buy things?"

Li Yuqi wanted to plead again, but the shopkeeper simply wouldn't respond. No matter how much she begged, he just shook his head and remained silent.

Wen Yan had heard Cui Weiyuan talk about the rules of calligraphy and painting antique shops before, and knew that pleading like this would be futile. So she whispered her advice, trying to persuade Li Yuqi to go home. But after a while, Li Yuqi pretended not to hear and followed the shopkeeper closely, hoping that he would relent.

Perhaps the voices outside were too loud and disturbed the guests inside, so someone came out to investigate. Wen Yan, with her sharp eyes, immediately recognized the man as Xu Wei's personal guard, named Leng Chang.

"The Tenth Miss?" Leng Chang clearly recognized Wen Yan as well, and greeted her in a low voice. He then quickly turned back to the inner room and said, "General, it is the Tenth Miss of the Cui family."

As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain was immediately lifted, and Xu Wei, dressed in casual clothes, walked out with a smile on his face. When he saw Wen Yan, he subconsciously looked behind her, but he didn't see the person he was looking for. A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled at Wen Yan, "Tenth Sister, what brings you to the calligraphy and painting shop again today? Is there a painting you've taken a fancy to?"

Wen Yan said embarrassedly, "I don't know anything about painting. I originally went with Ninth Sister to Sister Li's house to see the 'Night Excursion to Hanshan' painting in her collection..." She told Xu Wei the whole story, but as soon as Xu Wei heard You Tong's name, he couldn't hear anything else and couldn't help but interrupt, "You said Ninth Miss came too, why didn't I see her?"

"Huh?" Wen Yan turned around upon hearing this, only to suddenly realize that You Tong was no longer behind her. She froze for a moment, scratching her ear in confusion. "She clearly came with us just now, why didn't she come in? Is she still in the car?" As she spoke, she went to look for her in the car. Xu Wei followed closely behind.

Just as they were about to leave, two more people suddenly entered through the gate; they were Shen San and Bai Ling.

Wen Yan had met Shen San once before, so she recognized him immediately. She was delighted and was about to jokingly call him brother-in-law when she suddenly noticed Bai Ling beside her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she swallowed the address that was on the tip of her tongue. She frowned and called out "Young Master Shen" while giving Bai Ling a stern look from head to toe.

Xu Wei was even more surprised. He not only recognized Shen San, but he also knew Bai Ling. He had seen this personal maid quite often when he visited You Tong at the Yu family every year. Now, seeing her following behind Shen San, Xu Wei suddenly felt his mind was not quite right.

Shen San hadn't expected to run into the Cui family, but he remained completely at ease. After politely greeting Wen Yan, he led Bai Ling into the shop, seemingly without any sense that there was anything wrong with him bringing a woman out on the street.

Wen Yan couldn't possibly swallow this insult. She glared at Bai Ling from head to toe, noticing that although Bai Ling was dressed in fine clothes, her eyes were unusually unfocused. She was quite pretty, but her features carried a petty, uncouth air. Not to mention the daughters of noble families, even the maids in the Cui family were more generous than her.

Although Bai Ling hadn't been in the capital for long, she was quite perceptive and knew that there were many nobles around. Just by looking at Wen Yan's imposing manner, she knew that this person came from a noble family. Now that he was staring at her like this, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She lowered her head and timidly hid behind Shen San, her behavior and expression becoming even more timid.

After just a few glances, Wen Yan already looked down on her. She smiled mockingly at Bai Ling and asked, "May I ask how this young lady is addressed?"

Bai Ling lowered her head and remained silent, looking pitifully at Shen San. Shen San frowned, glanced at Wen Yan, and replied in a low voice, "This is a relative of a friend of mine, named Bai Ling." After speaking, he turned to Bai Ling and said, "This is the tenth young lady of the Cui family." Only after finishing speaking did he notice Xu Wei behind Wen Yan, and was slightly taken aback, greeting him in surprise, "General Xu?"

Xu Wei nodded and smiled at him, gave Bai Ling a deep look, and said nothing. Bai Ling, however, did not recognize him and frowned, avoiding his gaze.

Wen Yan naturally wouldn't let them off so easily. After hearing Shen San's words, she smiled and said, "So you are Miss Bai. May I ask if you are a young lady from the Bai family of Fengxiang Prefecture or the Bai family of Mengzhou?"

Shen San could easily sense the hostility in Wen Yan's words, but he didn't explain, as if he hadn't heard her at all. Seeing that he didn't speak, Bai Ling didn't dare to say anything either, hiding behind Shen San in silence.

Seeing her pathetic state, Wen Yan looked down on her even more and lost all interest in being hostile. She was too lazy to pay any more attention to her and turned to Xu Wei, saying, "Brother Xu, please wait a moment. I'll go and call Ninth Sister in." As she spoke, she glanced at Shen San intentionally or unintentionally.

Upon hearing Miss Jiu's name, Shen San finally showed a hint of unease on his face. He wanted to leave, but he didn't know how to say it.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ling's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but glance outside the door. Shen San saw Wen Yan walk to the carriage at the door and realized that the Ninth Miss of the Cui family had been sitting in the carriage the whole time. He figured that she had seen him and Bai Ling chatting and laughing all the way, and he felt a little embarrassed.

Although he had been making a fuss about breaking off the engagement these past few days, as long as the engagement remained unbroken, the Ninth Miss Cui was still considered his fiancée. His blatant act of leading another woman out in public, while seemingly innocent, was a blatant disgrace to the Cui family in the eyes of others. No wonder the Tenth Miss looked so hostile.

Wen Yan initially called for You Tong to come into the shop from outside the carriage, but You Tong remained silent. Bai Ling had been with her for so many years, and the two were too familiar with each other; she was afraid that if she spoke, her identity would be revealed. If she were to be recognized so rashly, wouldn't she be putting herself in a passive position? Therefore, no matter how Wen Yan called, she remained silent.

When Wen Yan didn't hear from her, she worried that something had happened to her. In her haste, she quickly lifted the curtain and got into the carriage. She found You Tong sitting there perfectly fine, her face a mixture of emotions. She assumed that You Tong had also seen Shen San and Bai Ling and was currently angry. She didn't expect that You Tong would recognize Shen San. She just stepped forward to comfort her, saying, "Ninth Sister, don't be angry. I don't think Shen San is a good man. With his character, even if he didn't mention breaking off the engagement, my father and the others would never let you marry him."

You Tong gave a cold laugh and said, "What my tenth sister says is true, but I really don't want to see that person, and I don't even want to talk to him, so I've been hiding in the car and don't want to get out."

Wen Yan said, "I understand. I'll go down and chase those two annoying guys away right away. I promise they won't get in your way." As she spoke, she stepped forward and patted You Tong's shoulder reassuringly, then lifted her skirt and got out of the car.

She didn't know what Wen Yan had said to them, but a moment later, You Tong saw the two men with unfriendly expressions hurrying out of the shop through the gap in the carriage curtain. She sneered inwardly, gently lowered the curtain, and sighed. Suddenly, she heard Bai Ling's voice from outside, "Miss Jiu... I... I have something to say to you."

For some reason, upon hearing Bai Ling's stuttering, humble, and submissive voice, You Tong felt a surge of disgust and wished she could turn away immediately.

"Who are you to dare speak to my Ninth Sister?"

Wen Yan followed them out of the shop. She was initially pleased that she had driven Shen San and his companion away, but she was furious that this shameless girl dared to go to You Tong. She snapped at Shen San, "Young Master Shen, since she's a 'relative' of your household, please keep a close eye on her and don't shamelessly meddle with her. Our Cui family's young lady is no different from those disreputable women."

She was convinced that Bai Ling was Shen San's mistress, so she spoke very rudely. Not to mention Shen San, even Xu Wei, who was following behind, couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

Bai Ling was about to say something more, but was scared back by a stern look from Shen San. Her eyes welled up with tears of grievance, and she dared not speak again. She could only obediently follow behind him and leave quickly.

Seeing them walk away, Wen Yan spat angrily and said to Xu Wei, "Brother Xu, isn't there still talk in the capital about how refined and talented the third young master of the Shen family is, praising him to the skies? I think he's a complete scoundrel. He takes advantage of his good looks to philander and even dares to flaunt his mistress everywhere. He's shameless."

Although Xu Wei felt that Shen San was not such a reckless person, he naturally wouldn't defend him in front of Wen Yan and You Tong. Moreover, Shen San was engaged to You Tong, and he even hoped that You Tong would dislike him. Although he wouldn't secretly use any means to ruin his reputation, he would still be happy to see it happen.

Hearing only Wen Yan and Xu Wei's voices outside, You Tong lifted the curtain and peeked out. After confirming that the two had long since disappeared, she breathed a sigh of relief, got off the carriage, bowed to Xu Wei, and said, "Brother Xu, it's been a long time."

Xu Wei, fearing she might misunderstand, quickly explained, "I visited the Cui residence twice, but the Fifth Young Master said that the two of you had gone out with the Second Madam, so I didn't get to see you." Since returning to the capital, he had made many excuses to visit the Cui residence, but for some reason, he could never see You Tong. As a grown man, he couldn't just casually ask to see the unmarried young lady of the Cui family, and not seeing You Tong for more than ten days had made him extremely anxious.

Wen Yan smiled and said, "That's true. I've been going around socializing with my mother these past few days, and it's getting really tiresome. I finally managed to find an excuse to sneak out for a stroll today, and I just happened to run into Brother Xu. Hmm, Ninth Sister and you two really are destined to meet."

Because Xu Wei was on good terms with the Cui family, and they had known each other since childhood, Wen Yan regarded him as her own brother.

The saying goes, "Don't let good things go to outsiders." Wen Yan naturally wished for a loyal and righteous man like Xu Wei to become the Cui family's son-in-law. However, all her older sisters were already married, and the only unmarried one, Wen Qing, had such a temperament that even she couldn't stand him, let alone Xu Wei. Then suddenly, her ninth sister appeared, possessing both beauty and talent, and more importantly, she suited her taste perfectly. Naturally, she wished the two of them could be together. Previously, they were bound by the Shen family's engagement, but now that the Shen family wanted to break off the engagement, and Shen San was so "shameless," she naturally wanted to do her best to bring the two together, lest Xu Wei be targeted by others and ruin the Cui family's good fortune.

These words delighted Xu Wei, who couldn't hide his smile. He turned to You Tong and said, "I heard from Wen Yan that Miss Jiu also likes to paint."

"That's right, Ninth Sister loves that painting by Zang Feng the most. It's just a pity that the Li family's 'Night Excursion to Hanshan' was secretly sold by the second young master of the Li family, who also made a fake. We came up empty-handed. The shopkeeper won't tell us who bought the painting. Brother Xu, could you please help us find out who bought it?" Wen Yan finally remembered Li Yuqi, who was still pestering the shopkeeper in the shop, and couldn't help but ask Xu Wei for help.

Before Xu Wei could respond, You Tong said seriously, "Since the shopkeeper is unwilling to say, he must have his reasons. How can we force him to do something against his will? Even if Brother Xu were to investigate, firstly, he might not be able to find out, and secondly, if he did find out, and the matter got out, wouldn't that put the shopkeeper in a difficult position? I think that copied painting is also a rare masterpiece, capturing both form and spirit. It's comparable to Cang Feng's work. Doctor Li has many collections in his mansion, so he probably won't examine it carefully. It's not impossible to deceive him."

“Sister Wenfeng doesn’t know,” Li Yuqi said dejectedly as she came out of the shop, “The style and technique of this forgery are indeed impeccable. Even I can’t tell the difference just by looking at the scroll. However, this painting is not by an ordinary person. It was copied by the famous ‘Jiuding’. This person has an eccentric personality. Although he has outstanding painting skills, he loves to copy ancient paintings. Fearing that others would not be able to tell the difference, he printed his name in the lower right corner of the scroll with a special pigment. It can be identified by holding it up to the sunlight.”

No wonder Li Yuqi immediately took the painting out into the sunlight to examine it when Youtong raised her question; there was a reason for this. She had been confined to Qiantang before and had never heard of the Nine Tripods; she was truly ignorant.

“Forget it,” Li Yuqi shook his head and said, “I just asked the shopkeeper, and he sold that painting for four thousand taels of silver. Even if I did find a buyer, even if that person agreed to sell the painting to me, I wouldn’t be able to raise that much silver.”

Wen Yan was also speechless. Although she came from a wealthy family and had been pampered since childhood, her monthly allowance was only five taels of silver. Even if she wanted to help, she couldn't.

Li Yuqi sighed and reluctantly prepared to return home. She had only taken two steps when she heard Youtong ask behind her, "Miss Li, if your father discovers this painting is a fake, could you possibly sell it to me?"

Li Yuqi was taken aback and asked in surprise, "What do you want to buy it for?"

You Tong said, "Although it's a fake, it's still a fine piece. If Lord Li doesn't like it, it will inevitably be left unused. Rather than letting it gather dust, it's better to sell it to me, someone who loves paintings. I remember that Second Young Master Li bought it for two hundred taels of silver. I'll add another fifty taels of silver, how about that?"

Li Yuqi thought for a moment and replied, "If that is indeed the case, I will definitely send the painting to your residence then."

After Li Yuqi had walked away, Wen Yan asked in confusion, "Why did Ninth Sister spend so much money to buy a fake painting?"

You Tong smiled and said, "There's no such thing as fake or not, I'll buy it if I like it."

Xu Wei, who had been watching her with a strange expression, remained silent. When he heard You Tong say that she liked the fake painting, he wanted to say something several times, but he held back in the end and only whispered, "It's rare that you like it. If that person knew, he would definitely be happy too."

You Tong glanced at him in surprise, her brows furrowing slightly.

The thing I care about most

Twenty-four

In the end, Xu Wei personally escorted You Tong and Wen Yan back to the mansion. Upon arrival, they had to pay their respects to the Second Master. Just then, Cui Weiyuan returned from his duty at the palace. When he saw Xu Wei and You Tong, his expression immediately turned sour. He stood there staring at them for a long time until Xu Wei politely came over to greet them. Only then did he seem to snap out of his daze and manage to force a smile.

“Brother Xu—oh, no, I should call him General Xu now,” Cui Weiyuan greeted, patting Xu Wei on the shoulder. Xu Wei had been appointed to a post a few days after arriving in the capital, and was now the Left General of the Imperial Guards, in charge of the capital's gate security. He had risen to the third rank in one step; such rapid advancement was unprecedented in the entire court. Everyone in the court was astonished.

Xu Wei said modestly, "Stop, we're brothers, why do we need to address each other like that? You're just embarrassing me."

Cui Weiyuan smiled and didn't press the matter further, casually asking, "Just now, I saw you coming back with Tenth Sister and the others. Did you run into them on the way?"

Xu Wei nodded and said, "That's right. Today I originally went to Chengde Hall to find a good painting to celebrate the old man's birthday, but I ran into Miss Jiu and Miss Shi. We chatted for a while, and I took them back to their residence."

"What a coincidence!" Cui Weiyuan laughed. "Those two girls are so mischievous. I told them long ago not to go out so casually, but they just wouldn't listen. Going out is one thing, but they didn't even bring a guard. Luckily, we ran into Brother Xu, otherwise, who knows what might have happened on the road. There are far more spoiled brats in the capital than in Longxi." He paused, then asked, "I wonder if you've managed to find any good treasures, Brother?"

Xu Wei shook his head and said helplessly, "You know that our old man has high standards. He doesn't care about ordinary things. After looking around for a while, he didn't find anything he liked."

“If you insist on finding ancient paintings, I do have a few by Yan Zimei in my study. However, they were all acquired from Longxi, and I don’t know if they are forgeries. If you are interested, why don’t you go to my study and take a look?” After saying this, he noticed that Wen Yan was still hiding behind the door and peeking in this direction. He frowned and scolded softly, “Why don’t you go back to the backyard? How can a young lady be so unruly?”