Chapter 363

"Second Brother, I wonder if you could yield this painting to your younger brother."

The Second Imperial Prince, Chen Feng, was extremely familiar with this voice, and his brows furrowed slightly.

The man speaking was handsome and imposing, his eyes shooting toward the stars of the Ox and Dipper; he was truly a magnificent man of the world.

His features were resolute, and his gaze carried the oppressive weight of a towering mountain.

Li Li Xiangjun, Feng Yaya, Jia Yu, and the others present hurriedly bowed.

"Greetings, Your Highness, Prince of Yan!"

Chen Yong also smiled and greeted: "Greetings, Second Brother, Sixth Brother."

He Xiao and the others did not dare to be negligent; it was also his first time seeing this Sixth Imperial Prince, Chen Ting.

The Sixth Imperial Prince, who was rumored to possess the "legacy of the Prince of Yan."

Princess Princess Linxi's expression was poor; she was a firm supporter of her own full-blooded brother, Chen Feng.

With the Eastern Palace currently without a master, the Second Imperial Prince and the Sixth Imperial Prince, the Prince of Yan, were the ones with the greatest advantages.

The Prince of Yan had taken root in the military.

The Second Imperial Prince, Chen Feng, held power within the Six Ministries of the imperial court.

Both had grown their wings, waiting only for the final outcome of who would emerge victorious.

People in the court placed their bets, while others maintained a wait-and-see attitude, quietly awaiting the change in events to see the "truth come to light."

The Thirteenth Imperial Prince, Chen Mu, as the Prince of Yan's confidant and his own brother,

saw his Sixth Brother arrive, and his face immediately blossomed with joy as he smiled:

"Sixth Brother, you've come at just the right time. Quickly, take a look at this painting—is it worth four hundred taels?"

"Wouldn't this just make people laugh? A random scribble by some nobody—how could it be worth four million taels?"

After Chen Mu finished speaking, he turned toward Xie Guan, sneering repeatedly.

"You, a child of a concubine, a nobody—how dare you boast and sell it for the high price of four million?"

"I even suspect that these poems were not written by your hand, but that you plagiarized the work of others!"

These words were heart-piercing!

If these words came from the mouth of an Imperial Prince, and with the Prince of Yan present, by tomorrow, the rumors and gossip about Xie Guan would surely be overwhelming.

Xie Guan was originally a nobody, yet he could produce such shocking poetry, which had already stung the people of the Nine Great Clans present.

In this way, as if they had found a "reason that should have been," they would one after another accuse Xie Guan of plagiarizing poetry, adding fuel to the fire.

Even if Xie Guan did not "ruin his reputation," he would still be affected by it.

This kind of thing was something the descendants of the Nine Great Clans were well-versed in!

Zhang Yuanlai was filled with indignation, his hands clenched inside his sleeves; how could the quality of a painting be linked to one's background!

Unable to find flaws in the painting, Chen Mu secretly mocked Xie Guan's humble origin.

The common people of Great Qi had a nursery rhyme that said:

"Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and mice are born knowing how to dig holes."

"A tiger father has no dog for a son."

These words, though common sayings, satirized the deeply intertwined power of the Nine Great Clans of Great Qi.

Background seemed to have become the standard for measuring everything.

However, princes, nobles, generals, and ministers are not born of a specific seed!

Zhang Yuanlai felt helplessness and self-reproach in his heart; he was merely a Licentiate, so how could he dare to rashly refute an Imperial Prince?

As Chen Mu's words fell,

Su Yun was furious: "Chen Mu, stop your nonsense!"

"Young Master Guan's poetry is naturally his own work."

Chen Mu looked at the people around him, smiled lightly, and said slowly:

"But who can prove it?"

His tone was not loud, but everyone around could hear it clearly.

Jia Yu and the other two, following the arrival of the Second Imperial Prince and the Prince of Yan, had long since stood cautiously to the side, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The people around, under Chen Mu's gaze, all silently lowered their heads.

Li Li Xiangjun also sensed that the atmosphere was abnormal.

The two Imperial Princes were in an invisible confrontation.

Zhang Yuanlai turned back to look at "Xie Guan" behind him, only to see the youth lower his eyelids, his expression calm and composed.

Over these years, the various injustices the youth had suffered in the Xie family seemed to have long since made him accustomed to it.

Zhang Yuanlai remembered that all these things today were caused by him; if he hadn't invited Xie Guan, none of this would have happened, and he felt troubled in his heart.

He wanted to speak several times.

Feng Yaya understood Zhang Yuanlai's intention, pulled him tightly with her hand, and shook her head gently at him, her face full of pleading.

This kind of "vortex" of the big shots in Above Bianjing was not something people like them could get involved in.

The wind kicked up by the shoes of the big shots as they walked could grind them into powder, leaving no bones behind.

Zhang Yuanlai could only sigh silently; after all, he could not bear to let go of Feng Yaya.

Chen Mu's eyes were triumphant as he walked to the side of the Prince of Yan, Chen Ting.

The Second Imperial Prince, Chen Feng, saw this and heard Chen Ting's words just now.

Chen Feng suddenly smiled: "Since that is the case."

Chen Ting's gaze drifted between Chen Mu and Xie Guan.

At this moment!

A personal eunuch walked up to the Sixth Imperial Prince and respectfully handed him a note.

After Chen Ting opened and examined it, he tucked it back into his sleeve and looked at Xie Guan again.

He said with a face full of smiles: "Since the Thirteenth Brother has said that Xie Guan's painting is inappropriate,"

"I think it should just be returned to Second Brother; I won't snatch what others love."

A few words!

Two rounds of mutual refusal!

The two most famous Imperial Princes in Above Bianjing seemed to have determined that Xie Guan had no talent and was not worth four million taels.

After hearing this, the Second Imperial Prince, Chen Feng, was thoughtful.

The old red-robed eunuch who had been following Chen Feng walked over at this time and whispered a few words in his ear.

Only then did Chen Feng nod.

"I, Su Yun, have not agreed to yield it to you."

Su Yun was furious and said: "I will buy Young Master Guan's painting."

However!

Chen Ting just shook his head lightly, not caring at all.

Although Su Yun was the young master of the Su family and the grandson of Su Xiang, whom the two of them dared not easily offend, their conversation cleverly bypassed Su Yun.

Even if Su Yun was willing to spend a large sum of money to buy this painting, it could not change the fact that the two Imperial Princes had already determined it.

Xie Guan was not worth it, and there might even be a suspicion of "plagiarism."

Chen Mu also smiled contemptuously, looked at the youth by the table, and said, "Xie Guan, what else do you have to say?"

"Can you prove that you did not plagiarize others' poetry?"

Everyone looked over, their attention focused on Xie Guan.

Xie Guan did not speak.

Seeing this, Su Yun blocked Xie Guan and scolded angrily: "Chen Mu, whether Young Master Guan plagiarized poetry or not, what the hell does it have to do with you!"

"Stop being a busybody here!"

Chen Mu smiled: "I can't manage it, but justice resides in the hearts of the people."

He scanned the crowd, and the people around all dared not meet his gaze.

Chen Yong silently observed the two "Imperial Brothers" on the field and Xie Guan's painting, thinking it over repeatedly in his heart, and ultimately did not speak.

Li Li Xiangjun sighed secretly in her heart; although Young Master Su Yun came from the prominent Su family, he still appeared too immature in front of the two Imperial Princes who had been struggling in the imperial court for many years.

He had already been led astray by the two, yet he was completely unaware.

Today, Xie Guan originally had three poems sufficient to make him famous in Above Bianjing, but he encountered such a disturbance; I fear that tomorrow will bring more "rumors and gossip" to add fuel to the fire.

Chen Yong smiled: "Young Master Guan, this painting is indeed extremely brilliant, but the high price of four million is not a small amount."

"Young Master Su Yun also spent quite a lot of silver on hairpins at the Flower Banquet today; I fear you won't be able to take out so much to buy this painting today..."

Su Yun was speechless for a moment; today, all the gold and silver he had saved had been used to buy hairpins.

For a moment, he couldn't take out four million taels.

"I, Su Yun, tomorrow..."

Just at this moment!

A soft and clear voice rang out.

"If the Young Master's words count, this slave will buy it."

Chen Mu's expression froze, and he was surprised in his heart; who dared to be so bold, risking offending two Imperial Princes, to buy Xie Guan's poetry?

Chen Ting narrowed his eyes and slowly turned back to look.

A woman in white was walking slowly, her bearing graceful, her figure slender, her face covered with a thin white veil, revealing only a pair of eyes as clear as autumn water.

Although she did not reveal her full appearance, she gave people the illusion of a fairy descending to the mortal world, as if she did not belong to this dusty world.

Zhang Yuanlai and the others could not help but cast their gazes toward that woman.

Her temperament was truly too outstanding; it was as if she only needed to stand there to become a scenery that could not be ignored, making people unable to help but hold their breath.

Clearly extremely beautiful, yet she made people unable to give rise to evil thoughts.

One can only view her from a distance, not play with her!

Li Li Xiangjun and Feng Yaya looked at each other; there was only one woman with such a temperament in the West Wing Building.

The head of the flower beauties of the Qimo Spring Workshop, Su Su Shishi.

Fairy Su!

The woman whose famous name spread throughout the entire capital: "Her eyebrows are long like distant mountains, her waist is slender like a fine willow. One smile can topple a city, another smile can topple a nation."

The people of Above Bianjing all honored her as a "Fairy," saying she was like someone on a painting wall, drifting out of the world, not like a person in the mortal world.

Someone in the crowd recognized Su Su Shishi, and they all exclaimed.

Su Su Shishi had long since stopped showing her face in the West Wing Building, and this Flower Banquet was also her grand finale appearance.

The Second Imperial Prince saw this, his face full of surprise, and he hurriedly said: "Su Shishi, why have you come?"

Su Su Shishi, however, did not pay him any mind.

Li Li Xiangjun and the others were surprised that this Fairy Su did not bow to the two Imperial Princes.

She even dared to walk toward Xie Guan openly between the two Imperial Princes.

Chen Feng's eyes sank.

Su Su Shishi walked to the side of the table and carefully examined the Kunpeng painting on the paper, a flash of surprise in her beautiful eyes.

"This painting... is truly extraordinary!"

She raised her head to look at Xie Guan: "Young Master, the three poems you just wrote are all excellent, so I would like to request one of your poems."

"I wonder if one painting and one poem are worth four million taels?"

Yu Ke stood to the side, quietly observing this woman, a different kind of feeling rising in his heart.

He felt that Su Su Shishi's temperament was different from the people in the "Kunxu Realm," and there was a feeling of having participated in it himself in his previous life and seeing Lu Yu.

This feeling made him look at Su Su Shishi a few more times.

Yu Ke came back to his senses: "Naturally, that is fine."

Su Yun's face was full of joy as he looked at Chen Mu and said: "Fairy Su truly has a discerning eye, unlike some people who have eyes but cannot see, blind with their eyes open."

Su Su Shishi smiled, like the clear moon breaking through, like spring water melting: "Then many thanks, Young Master."

Chen Mu's eyes were cold and stern, and he was about to speak, but he saw the Prince of Yan, Chen Ting, shake his head lightly.

Chen Ting knew that this woman's identity was extraordinary; she was a princess of a former dynasty of an enemy state, and even Su Xiang had personally received her back then.

A palace coup in the Sui State back then, and the current Sui Holy Emperor killed his own brother and ascended the throne.

The Sui Holy Emperor washed the harem in blood back then, and I fear he could not have expected that the one who slipped through the net was an infant girl who had been swapped.

A Daoist priest from Mount Zhongnan calculated that this princess carried a portion of the Sui State's national destiny, and the Sui State had been pursuing her relentlessly.

As for why she ended up in the West Wing Building, it was also because the woman did not want to become the current Empress of Great Qi.

Su Xiang hid the person in the flower-filled place where the singing lasted all night; no one would have thought that the pearl of the former dynasty would disguise herself as a singing girl.

(End of chapter)