Chapter 11 Getting involved

The middle-aged man hurried to see the painting.

Even though the middle-aged man was unwilling in every way, he had to watch under the coercion of a domineering person like Fan Zhiyu.

The middle-aged man spread out the fourth painting, glanced at it casually, his pupils suddenly shrank, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

"Master, do you really want to take over this painting?"

The middle-aged man's voice trembled.

Fan Zhiyu grinned: "Why? Is this painting valuable?"

The middle-aged man's Adam's apple rolled, and he stammered out, "Very valuable..."

Fan Zhiyu's eyes lit up, "How much is it worth?"

The middle-aged man raised a finger tremblingly.

"Ten thousand taels?"

Fan Zhiyu was overjoyed and shouted excitedly.

When the middle-aged man heard this, his whole body trembled violently.

He raised a finger, pointing to one hundred thousand taels.

Unexpectedly, Fan Zhiyu mistakenly thought it was ten thousand taels.

The middle-aged man wanted to deceive Fan Zhiyu and take the opportunity to make a fortune, but considering his identity and the special nature of the painting, he immediately gave up the idea and could only grit his teeth and reply truthfully.

"One hundred thousand taels."

"One hundred thousand taels!"

Fan Zhiyu suddenly let out a scream and jumped up excitedly.

He suddenly grabbed the middle-aged man's wrist and asked in a trembling voice.

"How much would it cost if I pawned it alive?"

The middle-aged man's eyes moved between Fan Zhiyu and the scroll in his hand, and he spoke with a complicated expression.

"If the pawn is alive, redemption within seven days is 20,000 taels; redemption within fifteen days is 40,000 taels; if the pawn is dead, 80,000 taels."

Fan Zhiyu grabbed the middle-aged man's hand and gasped in shock.

A fake painting could actually be priced at 80,000 taels, which was beyond his imagination.

In an instant, he had the thought of dying as this painting.

But in the end he suppressed his greed.

This painting was created by Song Qianzhao.

If Song Qianzhao can paint one, he can paint more.

Compared with this painting, Song Qianzhao is naturally more valuable.

As long as he has a good relationship with Song Qianzhao, he can get more benefits.

When Fan Zhiyu thought of this, he became more and more excited, and unconsciously increased the strength in his hands.

The middle-aged man was pinched so hard that he grimaced and couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Mr. Fan is as strong as an ox!"

Fan Zhiyu reacted and quickly retracted his hand, smiling awkwardly, "I was just excited for a moment..."

"I'll pawn this painting. I'll redeem it in seven days. Give me the invoice and get the money!"

Fan Zhiyu slammed the table and shouted.

The middle-aged man suppressed his inner excitement and whispered, "This painting is unusual. Does Mr. Fan really want to be one?"

"when!"

"This transaction involves a considerable sum of money. I dare not take charge of it without first consulting the shopkeeper. Could you please wait a moment?"

Fan Zhiyu waved his hand cheerfully: "Go ahead and ask, I'll be waiting here."

"Okay!"

Jingming Street.

Wang family residence.

The owner of Xiangyun Pawnshop hurried to the gate of the palace and was led in by servants after reporting.

In the backyard pavilion.

Wang Yang, a man in his early forties, wore a gauze cap and stroked his goatee. His fat belly rested against the edge of the stone table, and his snow-white clothes were stained slightly, but he was oblivious to the stains, staring intently at the tabletop.

Spread out on the stone table was a famous calligraphy work, its ink dripping, its brushstrokes slithering like dragons and snakes, its spirit vivid. Wang Yang stared at the writing, his eyes gradually becoming fascinated.

"Master, the owner of Xiangyun Pawnshop is here."

Wang Yang was watching intently when he was suddenly interrupted. He frowned and asked, "Why is he here? Shouldn't he be staying in the shop at this time?"

The servants in the mansion bowed and smiled apologetically, "He said he got a very good painting."

"A good painting?"

Wang Yang was startled at first, but his eyes suddenly lit up and he said with great joy, "Let him in!"

Led by a servant of the Wang family, a middle-aged man walked through several courtyards and came to the backyard.

"I've met the boss."

Wang Yang smiled and said, "No need to be so polite. I heard that another rare item has been delivered to your door."

Wang Yang bowed slightly and nodded, saying, "It's even better than the previous Liuhe calligraphy."

When the middle-aged man said good, he was referring to the value, but Wang Yang misunderstood.

Wang Yang's eyes widened. "It's even better than Liu He's regular script!"

Wang Yang's heartbeat quickened, and he asked excitedly, "Whose is this? Huaisu, Zhang Xu, could it be the calligraphy of Yan Ming, the master of Yan style?"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Wang Yang was shocked.

Without waiting for the middle-aged man to respond, he shook his head repeatedly, reversing his previous words, "Of course it can't be the master's calligraphy. If the master's original work were to appear in the world, it would cause a sensation in the literary world."

Wang Yang thought hard for a long time but still couldn't guess, so he asked the middle-aged man loudly, "Tell me, whose calligraphy is this?"

"Brocade Calligraphy, Clouds, and Geese."

The middle-aged man slowly uttered five words.

Wang Yang's whole body trembled, his eyes widened, and his voice trembled: "This... How is this possible?"

"It's a brocade calligraphy painting of clouds and wild geese."

"impossible!"

"The Brocade Calligraphy, Clouds, and Geese painting has been gifted by the Queen to the Duke of Yingguo's Fan family. This painting is of great importance and has been preserved by the Fan family for many years. How could they possibly pawn it? It must be fake!"

Wang Yang's face darkened and he declared decisively.

The middle-aged man glanced at Wang Yang and said with a subtle expression, "What if the Fan family doesn't know the value of this?"

Wang Yang said coldly, "How is that possible? Fan Sheng knows exactly how important the Brocade Book, Clouds, and Geese Painting is to the Fan family. How could he sell it off, unless it was to that idle playboy Fan Zhiyu..."

Having said this, Wang Yang was suddenly stunned.

He looked at the middle-aged man in astonishment, "Could it really be Fan Zhiyu?"

The middle-aged man nodded.

Wang Yang stood there like a wooden stake, stunned for a long moment before saying, "In the Fan Mansion, only this idle playboy Fan Zhiyu would not understand the importance of this 'Brocade Book, Clouds and Geese' painting. It's a talisman!"

Wang Yang sighed, turned his gaze towards the middle-aged man, and said in a deep voice, "Will he take the pawn alive or dead?"

"It works!"

Wang Yang nodded his chin slightly, as if moved. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "He wants to pawn it to death, so I don't dare to accept it."

If Wang Yang dared to take this thing for himself, the Queen would not let him go.

But the more this happened, the more he wanted to get this thing, appreciate it carefully, and copy a few copies.

Although he could not possess the painting, it was still an elegant and interesting thing to be able to use it to peek into the secrets of the emperor's dragon bed.

The middle-aged man was visibly stunned for a moment, then asked, "I only know that this item is extremely important to the Fan family, but I don't know the secrets behind it. I beg you to explain it to me."

Wang Yang glanced at him and chuckled, "Well, then I'll tell you the secret. In the past, the Queen was sold by Fan Sheng and taken in by the Emperor. Someone plotted against the Emperor and reported this to Emperor Taizong."

When Emperor Taizong learned about this, he was furious and ordered the emperor to expel the empress from the palace.

The emperor was reluctant to leave the empress, so he built another courtyard in Yanyang, not far from the capital, for the empress to live in.

After the emperor ascended the throne, he brought the queen and the prince into the palace. In order to erase the queen's past, he issued an edict to allow the queen and Fan Sheng to become brother and sister.

At that time, the queen did not have a high status in the palace, while the emperor's harem was full of beauties.

The queen was afraid that she would lose the emperor's favor and would be unable to protect the Fan family, so she picked out a painting and gave it to Fan Sheng.

Whenever the Fan family commits a crime, His Majesty, upon seeing the painting, will always remember their old friendship and forgive them."

The middle-aged man looked surprised: "So there is a deeper meaning behind this."

Wang Yang smiled and said, "I am willing to accept this painting even at the risk of being punished by the Queen. Actually, there is another deeper meaning behind it."

The middle-aged man looked confused.

The old butler of the Wang family, who had been standing silently by the side, suddenly spoke up, "Master, are you trying to use this painting to get close to the Queen?"

Wang Yang nodded and smiled, "As expected, you understand my thoughts... Whether it's a merit or a fault depends entirely on a single thought. If I keep this painting for myself, it's a fault. If I keep it safe and don't let it leak out, it's a merit."

The old butler of the palace said with a smile, "The master has married Li Shufeng, and his foundation in the court is as solid as a rock. If he can marry the queen, he will surely rise to the top."

Wang Yang raised his eyebrows slightly, revealing a hint of self-satisfaction, but he spoke humbly, "It's too early to draw a conclusion now. I haven't yet challenged Song Jian in the court, so I'm not considered one of Lord Li's followers."

"Master, you are too modest..."

The old housekeeper of the palace and the middle-aged man flattered Wang Yang.

When Wang Yang was completely overjoyed, the middle-aged man asked, "Then I'll take the painting."

Wang Yang was not fooled by the flattery. He did not rush to agree, but only asked, "Are you sure that the painting is real?"

The middle-aged man replied, "I previously studied court painting with several teachers and am very familiar with their brushwork, pigments, and paper. I've also had the pleasure of seeing several authentic works by the emperor's personal painter."

The painting that Fan Zhiyu brought was very consistent with the painter's painting skills and favorite pigments.

Judging from the color of the paper, it is an old painting.

Most importantly, the artist used hidden seals that ordinary people cannot see or imitate."

"You dare to use a seal when painting for His Majesty?"

Wang Yang was shocked.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "That's why it's called a hidden seal. Most people can't see it. I learned this secret from the painter's descendants. No one else knows it."

Wang Yang looked at the middle-aged man and said with relief, "I feel at ease with you running the shop. Since the painting is authentic, you can take it. What is he going to do with it?"

"Live pawn, redeemable within seven days, twenty thousand taels."

Wang Yang stroked his beard and pondered, "Twenty thousand taels is no small sum, but using it to curry favor with the Queen is not a bad deal. And he's a living pawn, so he must be redeemed."

After these 20,000 taels have passed through his hands, they will eventually come back to me, and I can even make a few cents of interest.

If he doesn't redeem it..."

"Master can use this painting to get close to the Queen, and it also saves him the trouble of using the Fan family to get close to the Queen."

Wang Yang was stunned at first, then he clapped his hands and laughed: "Excellent! Excellent! Hahahaha!"

"That's it!"

Wang Yang clapped his hands and called the middle-aged man over, instructing him, "Twenty thousand taels is not a large sum. If the money in the pawnshop is not enough, you can go to the Ruiqi Gambling House to withdraw money. If necessary, you can waive his interest."

"I understand."