Chapter 114: Hello Chang’an
.png)
"IF YOU LIKE THE TRANSLATIONS, CONSIDER SUPPORTING US ON PATREON."
**Chapter 114: Self-Proving**
In an instant, everyone who saw the painting wore expressions of contemplation, each with their own thoughts. Perhaps it was simply because Chang Suining was wearing a blue dress today, just like the girl in the painting, making it easier for people to draw connections between the two. They indeed bore some resemblance, as if the person in front of them was the same as the one in the painting.
What was even more thought-provoking, or perhaps didn’t require much thought at all, was the red beans depicted in the painting…
If this painting was truly a gift from Lady Chang to Zhou Ding, it could not simply be explained as “charity”…
To personally include red beans in the painting as a gift, how could that be considered innocent?
Hearing the murmurs rise around them, Hu Yi instinctively said, “But… red beans aren’t only used to symbolize romantic feelings. For example, Wang Wei expressed feelings of parting and longing through red beans in a poem he gifted to his friend Li Guinian, didn’t he?”
“That may be the case, but that’s because both Wang Wei and Li Guinian were men, and no further explanation is needed,” Xi Zhiyuan looked at the girl caught in the storm, saying, “But Lady Chang is a woman, and the situation is different; we cannot make generalizations.”
Hu Yi grew anxious. “What should we do then?”
They couldn’t just stand by and watch Lady Chang be bullied like this! In his view, whether Lady Chang had any romantic feelings for Zhou Ding in the past or not didn’t matter; it was all in the past and hadn’t harmed anyone. Moreover, she was the one almost harmed; now she was facing the possibility of losing her reputation… this was outright bullying!
Hu Yi crouched down, urgently shaking the drunken Cui Lang, who lay asleep on a small table. “Young master Cui, wake up!”
Cui Lang couldn’t open his eyes, waving a hand dismissively and mumbling, “If I drink anymore, I’ll be drunk. I can’t embarrass myself in front of my elder brother…”
Hu Yi sighed in frustration. “How could you be this drunk at such a critical moment, Young master Cui?”
A servant kneeling beside her own young master also sighed, “Young Master Hu, don’t worry about this. Even if my young master wasn’t drunk, he wouldn’t be able to help much.”
With his mouth, he might even cause more trouble.
Hu Yi: “…”
That did seem to be the case.
“Don’t be anxious,” Xi Zhiyuan continued to watch the girl. “This matter cannot be determined by one person’s word alone; Lady Chang has yet to speak.”
Cui Jing, who had been standing beside Chang Kuo, responsible for keeping him steady, turned slightly, his gaze quietly crossing over the crowd to the young man who had come all the way from Dongluo.
“The painting is here… Does Lady Chang still want to deny her relationship with my nephew?” The man raised his hand to wipe away his tears.
“Did I give this painting to Zhou Ding?” Chang Suining asked Xi’er.
Xi’er immediately shook her head. “Of course not! The young lady only provided him with financial assistance!”
The young lady had never harbored any other feelings for Zhou Ding; it was Zhou Ding himself who had delusions from start to finish! Furthermore, it wasn’t out of some pure and noble romantic affection; he simply wanted to climb onto her high branch!
How frustrating it was; even in death, he still wanted a name for himself!
Xi’er reiterated, “This painting was absolutely not a gift from the young lady to Zhou Ding!”
“You all…” The man froze for a moment before saying, “You master and servant are singing in unison… Do you think you can cover this up?”
Did he think they were fools?
Wei Shuyi seriously assessed the situation.
It didn’t seem like they were merely working together; he could see that Lady Chang truly looked uncertain—her mind was probably genuinely disturbed.
The man holding the painting continued to cry, “I came here today with this painting to find my nephew’s whereabouts, but who knew he had committed such a grave offense? I can’t defend him… but every word I say is true; this painting is real. The Chang family is powerful; how could I bear the blame of slandering Lady Chang’s reputation? If I want to survive today, I can only ask you all to speak fairly for me!”
Faced with the man’s desperate “plea for help,” the reactions among the crowd varied.
“Enough!”
At that moment, two voices echoed together.
Chang Kuo turned to look at the person who had spoken at the same time as him—
To his surprise, it was Grand Tutor Zhu, now the Minister of Rites, and all the Scholars were taken aback.
“Who would have thought that today’s master-disciple banquet would offend someone?” The white-haired Grand Tutor Zhu stepped forward, his slender figure still upright. “If you want to disrupt the poetry meeting, do it properly with the methods of a poetry meeting! Griping about a woman’s reputation is utterly uninspired and truly beneath contempt, it’s simply annoying!”
“Who Lady Chang associates with privately is her business; it is not up to irrelevant people to point fingers and judge!” Grand Tutor Zhu’s gaze swept over the crowd, his voice old yet resonant, “One is the murderer, and the other is a person who nearly lost their life; having failed to take a life, now you come to ruin a person’s reputation. What kind of logic is this?”
He was not one to meddle in others’ affairs, but he simply couldn’t stand by any longer!
Old Qiao and the others were of the same household as this young lady; to avoid being caught on any misstatements, it was wise not to say too much, but he wasn’t afraid!
It would be best if someone were to censure him for his indiscretion during tomorrow’s morning assembly; losing the position of Minister of Rites would be even better!
Thinking this, Grand Tutor Zhu pointed at the man and began to scold him, “With your sinister and ugly face, it’s nauseating! You reek of stale alcohol; what are you pretending to be pitiful for here?”
“…” The man stared blankly, opening his mouth in shock.
This seemingly dignified old man... how could he resort to attacking his appearance!
The surroundings fell slightly silent.
“Brother Jin, quickly…” The young man named Tan, behind the ice basin, nudged his companion.
“What?” the companion asked, puzzled.
“Write a poem!” the Tan youth whispered. “Grand Tutor Zhu has made such an insightful statement; this is a rare opportunity. Such impromptu poetry, expressing one’s aspirations, is what you excel at, Brother Jin. If you create a good piece, it will surely be well-received…”
The companion suddenly understood.
Right! He immediately rushed to find paper and brush.
Watching the elder stand up for her, Chang Suining felt a bit dazed.
Although her teacher was old and sometimes harbored grievances, he was still her teacher, one worthy of being a mentor to the world.
In this brief moment, she quietly asked Xi’er, “Where should this painting be?”
With so many people around and no chance to elaborate, Xi’er could only reply succinctly, her voice as low as possible, “In the coffin.”
“?” Chang Suining asked, “...How far is that?”
Xi’er replied, “In Bingzhou…”
Chang Suining instinctively glanced at Cui Jing.
Cui Jing was the General of Bingzhou, and with the capital being Shangdu, Bingzhou, known as the northern capital, was a thousand miles away.
If one were to track down how this painting ended up here, gathering clues and finding witnesses, it would take at least ten days, even under the best of circumstances.
Ten days was too long; the truth by then would hold little significance, and perhaps no one would even listen.
Moreover, that the painting, which should have been in Bingzhou, appeared here, was enough to indicate that this scheme against her had been long in the making, just coincidentally hitting upon today’s good timing—if it was a scheme, then ten days would be enough for the rumors to develop to the most unbearable extent.
So, there was no time to lose.
Xi’er evidently realized this as well, her heart filled with anxiety: “Young lady…”
She knew all about the origins and ownership of this painting, but her words could not serve as evidence; she didn’t dare say anything before the young lady spoke.
With her mind already made up, Chang Suining looked towards Grand Tutor Zhu.
“Grand Tutor’s words are indeed correct,” she said, “As for a woman’s reputation, it should not be judged by others, nor is there any standard for judgment. The very existence of ‘reputation’ is, in fact, absurd and decayed.”
Madam Jie furrowed her brow and silently scoffed.
What shameless and arrogant words!
Not to be judged by others?
Could she possibly silence the whole world?
In her line of sight, the girl looked calm and boldly declared, “If I once had feelings for Zhou Ding, there would be nothing to deny.”
She viewed reputation as inconsequential and had never thought of erasing or denying anything belonging to Ah Li.
“But the truth is, there’s nothing to acknowledge; I absolutely will not accept this baseless stigma.”
Ah Li’s act of providing assistance came from genuine goodwill; even if a young girl in her boudoir was deceived and had become somewhat confused, it did not justify Zhou Ding harming her—
Moreover, after she was nearly harmed, she should not have to bear the stigma of being associated with a murderer. For Ah Li, this was a tremendous humiliation.
She absolutely could not allow Ah Li to be sullied by this fictitious stigma, not even for a moment.
Chang Suining stood in the center of the second floor, surrounded by the crowd, surveying everyone before her.
Thus, she couldn’t wait for ten days.
She needed to eliminate any possibility of this stigma sticking to her here and now, before everyone.
Therefore—
“This painting was not given by me to Zhou Ding,” she glanced at the painting of the girl with red beans and denied, “Nor was it painted by me.”
The painting in the man’s hand was genuine, but her words were false.
The masterminds behind this used half-truths as a means, having plotted for a long time, fully aware she would not find evidence to prove her words were false, convinced she was now in a position where she could not defend herself.
Since she could not prove the falseness of their claims, she might as well turn the truth into a lie.
So she denied again, “I have never painted this painting.”
Xi’er gasped in shock.
Although it was unnecessary to be concerned about methods when facing these scheming people, …could the young lady really pull this off?
Would anyone believe her?
If she were exposed as lying, would it lead to more trouble?
Xi’er felt anxious, nearly crying but not daring to show it—could the young lady’s mind be wavering now?
No…
It was outrageous!
Xi’er suddenly remembered the burlap sack from that day.
Yes, there must be a reason for the young lady's actions!
Following her sincere belief in the “burlap sack principle,” Xi’er gradually calmed down.
Chang Suining’s denial reached the ears of everyone around clearly.
“That lady Chang truly refuses to acknowledge it… but her name is clearly written on it!” the man exclaimed excitedly.
Chang Suining replied calmly, “I said it isn’t mine; therefore, it isn’t.”
“If Lady Chang says it’s not hers, then it must not be,” Madam Jie, who had been observing quietly, spoke up.
Chang Suining looked at her.
Wei Miaoqing also turned to her, a sense of inexplicable wariness in her eyes—could Madam Jie really say such things to defend someone? Was there going to be a “but” afterwards?
Madam Jie spoke softly, “But mere words carry no weight.”
Wei Miaoqing gritted her teeth: “…!”
She knew it!
Madam Jie regarded Chang Suining, her expression fair and composed: “After all, this painting is now presented before everyone. If Lady Chang wishes to prove the truth of her words, she must present convincing evidence.”
Chang Suining inquired, “Then what does Madam Jie suggest I do to prove myself?”
“The most convincing way would be for Lady Chang to paint a picture on the spot right now—” Madam Jie smiled slightly and looked at the crowd in the hall, “There are many well-educated scholars here today, including those proficient in calligraphy and painting. Lady Chang only needs to create another painting and present it to the scholars for their evaluation. If the two paintings truly do not come from the same hand, the renowned scholars will surely affirm Lady Chang’s innocence, and no one will dare to doubt her again.”
After a brief moment of thought, many people nodded in agreement.
“This is a good idea…”
“Lady Chang just needs to paint; although a girl’s work may look similar, we can certainly discern the differences!” someone assured.
“Exactly… everyone has their own style, and even the best imitators will show flaws in the details.”
Those subtle differences might easily deceive ordinary people, but among them were renowned masters of calligraphy and painting, not to mention the towering figure of Grand Tutor Zhu—
They had absolute confidence that they would not be misled by the work of a young lady.
Seeing the pairs of eyes that sparkled with excitement, perhaps because of her gracious hospitality, Chang Suining couldn’t help but feel fortunate that she was inherently “fake.”
With everyone’s agreement, Madam Jie was quite pleased and looked back at Chang Suining.
If she didn’t paint?
Then it would imply guilt and a silent admission.
If she painted?
If she deliberately made it look poor, there would be no possibility of convincing anyone.
As for deliberately changing her brushwork?
Madam Jie chuckled inwardly.
Just look at that painting of the girl with red beans to see that the other party’s talent was mediocre, with no skills to deceive anyone.
Even if all of these guests were here for her banquet, so what?
So many people cannot all be lying at the same time.
No one would risk their reputation to lie for the sake of a mere young lady's honor.
She wanted to see just how arrogant and ignorant this young girl was, and how long she could maintain her composure—
Amidst the chorus of agreement, she timely asked, “What does Lady Chang think?”
Chang Suining nodded. “This method is very good.”
Madam Jie slightly raised her brows and nodded.
Then she would wait and see.
Seeing his sister nod, Chang Suian immediately said, “Someone, prepare paper and brushes!”
Since others didn't trust his sister, he certainly did!
The young man, bursting with energy and with nowhere to put it, personally carried a writing desk over and slammed it down in the center of the second floor.
Yao Xia hurriedly stepped forward. “Sister Chang, I’ll grind the ink for you!”
“I’ll lay the paper for Lady Chang!”
The girls surrounded her.
Wei Miaoqing took a step forward and then suddenly pulled back—how strange, why did she also want to step forward?
Madam Jie looked at the group of girls and couldn’t help but chuckle coldly inside.
There were indeed plenty of them crowding around.
Today’s lesson should teach them a thing or two as well.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, the girl in the green dress picked up the brush.
The atmosphere made Cui Yuanxiang nervously want to bite his fingernails.
But his General didn't give him the chance to remain tense.
Finally freeing himself from Chang Kuo, Cui Jing tilted his head slightly and quietly instructed Cui Yuanxiang with a few words.
Cui Yuanxiang felt a little surprised.
(End of chapter)
►►CLICK HERE FOR ADVANCE CHAPTERS◄◄
Comments
Post a Comment