Chapter 604

Zhan Peng secretly let out a breath of relief; Hu Xiaotian was indeed formidable, relying on Yang Lingqi's landscape painting he successfully knocked on Xue Shengjing's door — to say today's affairs still depended on the power of Yang Lingqi's brushwork. Tie Zheng had been warily watching Zhan Peng the whole time; the arrow Zhan Peng had just shot actually broke him out in a cold sweat.

Hu Xiaotian turned around and said to Zhan Peng, "Zhan Peng, you go back first; I'll go in and have a word with the Prince." His decision to enter the Prince Yan's mansion alone was meant to dispel the suspicions of those mansion warriors, and it also showed his frankness.

Upon hearing that Zhan Peng would not follow him inside, Tie Zheng's expression visibly relaxed.

Prince Yan Xue Shengjing grabbed Hu Xiaotian's arm, and the two chatted as they walked into the Prince Yan mansion. Zhan Peng watched Hu Xiaotian's retreating back, inevitably feeling a bit worried, yet he realized this worry was entirely unnecessary; given Hu Xiaotian's mind and wisdom, he should be able to handle any situation. He handed Xiao Hui over to the mansion staff to look after, and did not follow Hu Xiaotian inside.

Hu Xiaotian accompanied Prince Yan Xue Shengjing to the mansion's waterside pavilion; Xue Shengjing had obviously grown tired from walking those paths, sat down in a chair and kept wiping sweat. Along the way he kept asking about Yang Lingqi, showing great interest in him, and Hu Xiaotian deliberately let slip that he still had another of Yang Lingqi's paintings in hand, in order to whet the Prince's appetite.

Although Hu Xiaotian's reason sounded plausible, Xue Shengjing was not so easily convinced; if one claimed Hu Xiaotian was merely helping a destitute painter fulfill his wish, he would not believe it even if beaten to death. Xue Shengjing was certain that Hu Xiaotian had come today with some ulterior motive.

Yet Hu Xiaotian, though young, was remarkably composed; this fellow, since entering the mansion, never mentioned his purpose for coming, chatting with Prince Yan Xue Shengjing about everything under the sun — his knowledge is indeed profound. He knows a bit of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, astronomy, geography, medicine, divination, and astrology; having been tempered in the Dakang imperial palace for so long, he is certainly no idle layabout, and his ability to read people and situations has long been honed to perfection.

The two sipped tea while exchanging pleasantries. Despite that, Prince Yan Xue Shengjing's impression of Hu Xiaotian was favorable. After chatting for about an hour, Hu Xiaotian still had not revealed his purpose; he smiled, rose to take his leave, and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Prince. I still have pressing matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you further."

Xue Shengjing had never before met a young man like this who would give him such a precious landscape painting without stating what he wanted the Prince to do for him. Hu Xiaotian had already succeeded in arousing his curiosity. Xue Shengjing said, "It's almost noon; why don't you stay for a meal at my humble abode, Sir Hu? We've hit it off immediately, our conversation flows so well — how about a few drinks?"

According to ordinary thinking, the Prince's proactive invitation should not be refused, but Hu Xiaotian often acts against the grain; he had already seen that Xue Shengjing was exceptionally shrewd. He must have guessed that Hu Xiaotian might have some request, and since he would be staying in Yongdu for a while, there was no need to make his request outright the first time — instead, he would arouse the Prince's curiosity, then dangle another of Yang Lingqi's paintings to whet his appetite, unafraid that the Prince would not later come seeking him. Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "I am grateful for the Prince's warm invitation, but I still have an unfinished matter; I must go visit Mr. Liu of the Shen Nong Society."

Xue Shengjing heard him out and couldn't help but startle: "You mean Mr. Liu Changsheng of the Shen Nong Society?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Exactly him!"

Xue Shengjing burst out laughing: "Looks like we really are fated — I had invited Mr. Liu to come as a guest today, and he should be arriving any moment." As he spoke, he seemed a bit restless, and in front of Hu Xiaotian he scratched his crotch, a rather ungainly gesture.

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but glance there, but Xue Shengjing seemed unaware; after scratching the itch, he lifted his Chazan, took a sip, and said, "Sir Hu, please wait a moment."

Xue Shengjing was clearly growing impatient, furrowed his brow and said, "This Liu Changsheng is really unpunctual — he promised to come at the si hour, and now it's already wu." He turned to Tie Zheng beside him and said, "Tie Zheng, go see what's keeping Liu Changsheng."

Tie Zheng acknowledged the order and departed.

Seeing that wu hour was approaching, Xue Shengjing also felt it improper to keep Hu Xiaotian waiting, so he had a banquet prepared and invited Hu Xiaotian to join him.

Although Hu Xiaotian had not originally intended to eat here, seeing the host's warm enthusiasm, he did not want to refuse the favor; he accompanied Prince Yan along the waterside pavilion's long bridge toward their dining spot, following the winding bridge out of the mansion garden's pond, then along a meandering path into the garden's depths, where rows of bamboo and jagged rocks lined the way, each step a view, breathtakingly beautiful.

Hu Xiaotian noticed the stones varied in shape, some resembling the specialty of southern Tun Yun Lake, and tentatively asked, "Are these stones from the south?"

Xue Shengjing laughed: "Yes, they are all imported from Dakang, produced at Tun Yun Lake; this lake stone is famed for being slender, translucent, and perforated, while northern stone is sturdy but far less exquisite than the southern kind."

Hu Xiaotian also knew that Tun Yun Lake stone, due to its great fame, had been heavily quarried, so now even within Dakang's own territory it is scarce; yet in Xue Shengjing's estate they are everywhere — just these stones alone are worth a kingdom.

Looking ahead, he saw a withered old tree standing straight before him; the tree grew very strangely — entirely black, yet without a single leaf, apparently long dead. Hu Xiaotian stepped closer and only then realized this withered giant was in fact a whole piece of black ebony.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian's astonished expression, Xue Shengjing felt secretly pleased; his collection, what Hu Xiaotian could see, was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Further ahead lay the Buddha Smile Pavilion where they would dine; entering the hall of the small building, the first thing that met the eye was a slab of Hetian jade carving three zhang wide and one zhang high — Hu Xiaotian, even putting together his past life, had never seen such a huge jade carving, larger by several times than the Yu the Great flood control relief he had once seen in the Forbidden City; only this piece could truly be called a jade mountain. What's more rare, this jade mountain is flawless throughout, entirely made of top-grade mutton-fat jade, carved with the picture of a hundred beauties dancing and playing music — from palace halls and towers down to each beauty's fine strands of hair and fingernails, every detail rendered exquisitely lifelike. Moreover, the massive jade carving bears hundreds of beauties, each with a different expression, their faces vivid and lifelike, brimming with a mysterious, unfathomable vitality.

When Hu Xiaotian saw this jade carving, his eyes instantly glued to it — not because he was greedy, but because he was moved by its artistic beauty; even Zhan Peng couldn't help sighing at the jade carving's beauty.

Xue Shengjing, full of pride, narrowed his eyes in a smile and looked at Hu Xiaotian, saying, "Sir Hu, what do you think of my jade carving?"

Hu Xiaotian finally came to his senses; from Xue Shengjing's tone it was easy to hear his boastful intent, and the words of praise almost slipped out, but suddenly he realized: Xue Shengjing was just showing off — no wonder he didn't want to let me go; he took me for a country bumpkin who'd never seen the world, keeping me here just to let me view his treasures. Hu Xiaotian said, "Not bad."

Xue Shengjing had thought Hu Xiaotian would surely lay on the flattery, but he hadn't expected his tone to be so flat — rather unexpected — and he chuckled, "Does Dakang also have jade carvings like this?"

Hu Xiaotian replied, "I've never seen one!"

A hint of smugness appeared at the corner of Xue Shengjing's mouth.

Hu Xiaotian added, "But things aren't necessarily better just because they're bigger; in Dakang I've seen plenty of jade carvings whose craftsmanship surpasses this one."

Xue Shengjing thought Hu Xiaotian was just stubbornly holding his ground, and without offering a rebuttal he continued forward; Hu Xiaotian noticed that the four walls of the small building were hung with famous calligraphy and paintings from dynasties past, many of which bore names he knew well — the landscape painting Yang Wenqi had given him, though certainly a rare masterpiece, would still be unable to outshine all these masters' works if placed among them.

Xue Shengjing asked Hu Xiaotian, "Lord Hu, what do you think of my collection of these paintings?"

By now Hu Xiaotian fully grasped Xue Shengjing's meaning; this dead fatman obviously wasn't so easily moved by a single painting — he was telling himself that his hand was never lacking in timeless masterpieces, and to think a mere painting could sway him into helping with affairs was hardly that easy.

Hu Xiaotian merely said "Not bad," then pretended to appreciate the paintings; he had to admit that Prince Yan Xue Shengjing's collection was rich and of high quality, truly rare — this person could absolutely be called worth a kingdom.

Upon reaching the third-floor chamber, various dishes were already laid out on the table, and the surrounding walls also bore many calligraphic works and paintings; among them, a portrait of a woman caught Hu Xiaotian's eye — the woman in the picture was dancing gracefully, and what attracted Hu Xiaotian was not her face but her posture, which actually supported her entire weight on the tip of a single foot.

Hu Xiaotian's mind immediately conjured the name Huo Xiaoru, yet the woman depicted in the painting did not resemble Huo Xiaoru at all.

Xue Shengjing said, "Sir Hu, please take a seat."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Prince, is this portrait of Huo Xiaoru?"

Xue Shengjing chuckled: "Sir Hu, you have keen eyes — you recognized her at a glance. Not bad; this lady is indeed the famed courtesan Huo Xiaoru. Do you think this painting captures both her form and spirit?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed a few times, then shook his head.

Xue Shengjing said, "If it's not a likeness, how did you recognize her as Huo Xiaoru?"

Xue Shengjing couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief, nodded and said, "Miss Huo's dance skills are unrivaled under heaven, especially this toe‑tip dance, which is her unique secret art — no wonder Sir Hu could recognize her at a glance."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, "Of course I can recognize her; this toe‑tip dance of Huo Xiaoru was my inspiration for her."

After taking their seats, Xue Shengjing saw Hu Xiaotian's gaze still fixed on the portrait of Huo Xiaoru and couldn't help asking, "Sir Hu, do you know Miss Huo?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "When I was in Kangdu, we had met several times; I suppose that counts as some friendship."

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