Ye Wanqing entered the Liu Mansion and strolled around the garden. She had been to the Liu Mansion often before and was very familiar with it.

The guests gathered in groups, chatting, reciting poems, painting, appreciating flowers and composing music. The scene was very lively and elegant.

At this time, a long line formed outside the corridor of the garden. Many literati and poets gathered around a young man, holding their paintings and inviting him to appreciate them.

The young man was none other than the painting saint Liu Yan. He had just turned fifteen this year, and the childishness on his face had not yet faded, but he had already been surrounded by old men with white beards and was being called "Sir".

"Brother Yan, come and help Sister Xu look at her paintings first." The speaker was Liu Qingqian. She pushed through the crowd and unfolded a scroll of paintings.

Ye Wanqing looked over curiously and saw a magnificent scene of sunset over a long river painted on the canvas.

Warm colors, golden sand, sparkling water, and red sunset are magnificent and brilliant.

"This...how come this is exactly the same as the one my young lady painted?" Another woman in the crowd exclaimed and unfolded the scroll in her hand.

The content on the canvas was also a long river and sunset, but the artistic conception was obviously much worse.

Liu Yan looked at the two paintings and commented, "Sister Xu's painting is magnificent, vigorous, and skillful. It is a top-notch masterpiece."

"Miss Wang's painting has rich colors and soft ripples. Although it lacks some momentum, the painting technique is equally superb and it is also an excellent painting. If I must criticize it, I can only say that they have their own merits and are equally good."

Hearing this, everyone started talking about it. Some said that Miss Xu's brushwork was good, and some said that Miss Wang's colors were good.

Ye Wanqing looked at the two paintings carefully. After Liu Yan's words, she also felt that each painting had its own merits. Although Xu Wanrong's painting was majestic, it always felt that it lacked Miss Wang's smoothness.

At this time, Xu Wanrong, who was standing nearby, smiled and said, "I think Miss Wang's painting is more beautiful. The water ripples are gentle, and the overall look is bright and comfortable. It's just that I'm not very good at painting."

Liu Qingqian immediately objected, "How can they be equally good? Sister Xu's painting is obviously better. Her artistic conception is a step behind. The long river and setting sun are all about grandeur. Miss Wang's painting is too petty."

Liu Yan replied pertinently, "Although Sister Xu's painting technique is neat, the coloring is lacking. The color layers of the sunset are a bit bland, which makes the tone of the whole painting look weird."

Miss Wang's maid also said unconvincedly, "That's right, my young lady uses the finest cinnabar and orpiment to match the colors, so the colors she paints are naturally beautiful. Miss Xu can't even mix colors, so how can she be considered to have painted a good painting?"

Liu Qingqian put her hands on her hips and was about to argue with her. The onlookers also divided into two groups, each expressing their opinions.

At this moment, a young man in the noisy crowd stroked his chin and spoke, "You said cinnabar and orpiment, is there any special meaning in it?"

The person who spoke was Liu Zhang, the Minister of Dali Temple. He was tall and thin, with messy hair, dark circles under his eyes and stubble, looking a little unkempt.

He looked at Miss Wang with confusion, who looked unhappy.

Miss Wang nodded slightly, put on a faint smile, and replied politely, "Well, the pigment ratio does affect the color of the painting. I think Miss Xu must have been restrained when matching the colors. However, her painting skills are indeed better than mine. I still have more to learn."

Liu Qingqian was afraid that her elder brother would ruin her best friend's career, so she quickly pushed him away. "Brother, what do you know about pigment painting? Go study your corpse's skeleton! Qingqing's case is still unsolved, why don't you pay any attention to it?"

Liu Zhang originally wanted to chat up Xu Wanrong, but was pushed out by his sister. He said anxiously, "Hey, Qianqian, I, I have something to ask Sister Xu, don't push me."

"Brother, look at you. You still smell like a corpse. Don't get in the crowd. Go wash up quickly." Liu Qingqian didn't listen to him at all and pushed him out of the courtyard.

"I just got off duty, I really—"

When Ye Wanqing heard that Liu Zhang was investigating her murder, she hurriedly followed him, wanting to ask him about the progress of the case. Just as she was about to step forward, she heard a gentle female voice calling out from behind.

"Brother Zhang..."

The one who called him was Xu Wanrong. She was wearing a light pink smoke-silk dress and holding two scrolls of paintings in her hands. Her voice was slightly hoarse, but very gentle.

"Hmm?" Liu Zhang turned around, smiled slightly, and said happily, "It's Sister Xu. Is your throat uncomfortable?"

Xu Wanrong coughed lightly, cleared her throat, and said, "Nothing, just a cold."

Liu Zhang immediately praised her, "Sister Xu, your painting of the long river and sunset is really good. It's much more majestic than Miss Wang's."

"Thank you, Brother Zhang." Xu Wanrong raised her eyes, her eyebrows curved with a smile. She pulled Liu Zhang aside and asked with concern: "Brother Zhang, have you been busy with your work at the Dali Temple recently? How is the investigation of Qingqing's case going?"

Liu Zhang glanced at Ye Wanqing, who was standing nearby pretending to admire the flowers, but ignored her and replied, "You and Qianqian really care about the eldest daughter of the Ye family. Don't worry, the person who killed Miss Ye has been caught and is being interrogated. The case will be solved soon."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wanqing felt a little excited. It turned out that the Dali Temple had already caught the murderer!

"Who on earth killed Qingqing?" Xu Wanrong covered her mouth and said indignantly, "Qingqing is such a good person, why did they kill her?"

Liu Zhang replied, "It's still under interrogation. I can't reveal too many details. The truth will come out once the case is solved."

"Huh?" Xu Wanrong said with a hint of disappointment, "It's been so long, and the case still can't be closed?"

"Okay, let's not talk about such unhappy topics." Liu Zhang changed the subject and took out two books from his sleeve. He said quickly, "Oh, by the way, I heard that my sister likes reading. I accidentally found two books and wanted to give them to you."

Xu Wanrong happily took the book and flipped through it. "Thank you, Brother Zhang. These are my favorites: 'Joining the Army in My Father' and 'The Treasure Hunters'."

She lifted the book and sniffed it, frowning slightly, but quickly regaining her smile, she said cheerfully, "I've always wanted to read 'Joining the Army in My Father's Place'. It's the story of a heroic female general who defends her country and eventually meets her ideal husband, gets married, and has children. And this 'Treasure Thieves' is also a book I've been looking for for a long time. Where did you find it, Brother Zhang? You're amazing!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhang smiled brightly and said excitedly, "So my sister also likes to read Beihai folk tales. I also particularly like to read "Treasure Hunting Records". It's a pity that I can't find the second volume, but the first volume is also very exciting. It tells the story of-"

Xu Wanrong was holding the book, smiling charmingly. She quickly interrupted him, "Shh! Brother Zhang, please don't spoil the story. I want to take it home and read it slowly."

Liu Zhang stared blankly at the bright smile and nodded, "Okay."

"Ah, I think I heard Qianqian calling me. I'll leave now. I'll return the book to you after I finish reading it."

"Okay." He watched Xu Wanrong, holding a book, disappear around the corner. It took him a long time to turn back with a smile on his face. When he turned around and saw Ye Wanqing still standing aside, he immediately put on a stern face.