Chapter 20 The Ancient Scholar Used as Cannon Fodder (Part 20) This is...

This is a very ordinary courtyard house, with a main house, east and west side rooms, east and west wing rooms, a rear house, and a small backyard.

The house was furnished with furniture, which was covered in dust. There were also a few potted plants in the yard, which had withered. Weeds had grown in the cracks between the bricks in the yard.

Lin You went back and explained the details, "...The room was quite large, and the furniture was all new. It looked a bit deserted, so it must have been a long time since anyone went there."

Chu Nanfeng nodded and asked the shop assistant to lead the way to the next place. The shop assistant seemed to be very familiar with the capital and led Chu Nanfeng to three places, where he could see the east, west and back of the house respectively.

The gate of the house was still sealed off and guarded by soldiers. Lin You went in and came out shortly after. "It's similar to the house we just saw, but the courtyard is a little smaller, and there's an extra gatehouse."

In the courtyard of the third house, there was an extra osmanthus tree. Because of Han Qige, Lin You was somewhat displeased with it. Chu Nanfeng smiled helplessly and continued to look at the next house.

The fourth house was fine, but the neighbor to the east was not easy to deal with. In the short time Lin You had been there, she had heard her cursing at three neighbors, seemingly because of the issue of sweeping fallen leaves in front of the door.

"This house is unacceptable. You absolutely cannot stand living next to someone like that!" Lin You couldn't bear to look at the Chu family and that person just thinking about their relationship.

When they arrived at the fifth house, Lin You's eyes lit up. It was actually a two-courtyard house. Compared to a traditional courtyard house, it had an extra row of rooms, a large courtyard in front, and a small garden to the west.

What I love most is the pond in the corner of the garden. The water is sparkling and crystal clear. Looking at the gently flowing water, I can tell that it is still running water!

Looking at the streets outside, they were noticeably more bustling than before. After returning, Lin You described the layout of the interior in great detail.

She couldn't help but ask Chu Nanfeng, "Baby, how much would it cost to buy this house?"

"If it were at normal prices, this house would be worth a thousand taels, but in these kinds of auctions, there will be some discounts."

Qian Youcai also said that the house was nice, and even offered to help cover the shortfall if anyone was short of silver notes.

The shop assistant led Chu Nanfeng to the last place. This house looked not much different from the previous ones, and was even smaller. The shop assistant didn't pay much attention to it and just gave it a casual look.

Chu Nanfeng gave the shop assistant a handful of copper coins, indicating that he wanted to wander around a bit more and told him to go back first.

"Little one, what's wrong with this house?" Lin You went inside and looked around, but couldn't see anything wrong.

“This place looks deserted, but it’s not far from the inner city, and the price is more than 30% higher than the three we initially looked at.”

Chu Nanfeng sat down in the teahouse at the corner, looking like he couldn't walk any further and wanted to rest. He even took out three coins to buy a large pot of coarse tea.

He continued, "The dimensions of that side room are also slightly off; it's almost a meter longer than the other houses. Sister, could you go in and take a closer look?"

Both the east and west wing rooms were locked and sealed. The system could actually pass through walls, but Lin You had never used this function before, so she had to learn it on the spot by browsing the system page.

Lin You successfully passed through the wall on her first attempt and entered the east wing. The furnishings inside were no different from the other rooms, but upon closer inspection, one would notice that the room was smaller than the outside.

Lin You passed through the south wall and entered a secret room. Through the faint light from the roof vents, he could see that it was filled with gold and silver jewelry and some yellowed calligraphy and paintings.

There was another secret room in the west wing, where some booklets and envelopes were kept, but Lin You couldn't open them to check the records inside.

But just that pile of gold and silver jewelry was enough to make her happy. When she got back, she excitedly gestured to Chu Nanfeng, "Baby, how did you guess there would be a secret room there? There are so many valuable things inside, as well as some antiques and paintings. Should we buy this house?"

"This is something we can't touch. Let's leave this place first." Chu Nanfeng got up and left without making a sound, explaining the key points to Lin You as he did so.

"The gold and silver jewelry was numerous and the paintings and calligraphy were piled up in a mess, mostly spoils of war that the general had embezzled. And the letters and account books were an even bigger problem..."

"Those might be his ledgers for smuggling salt and iron, as well as letters of collusion with the enemy." I thought this time I would have to analyze and explain everything in detail, but Lin You answered without hesitation.

"How did you figure that out, sister?" Chu Nanfeng was slightly gratified; her long-term teaching had finally paid off.

“That’s how all the storybooks in our area are written,” Lin You said casually, but Chu Nanfeng felt a mix of emotions upon hearing it.

So she guessed it?! Or did she guess it from the storybook?!

Chu Nanfeng sighed. Oh well, I'll teach him slowly.

After strolling around two streets and, following Lin You's suggestion, going to a famous restaurant to order a roast duck, Chu Nanfeng headed back.

As soon as he stepped out of the restaurant, he ran into someone who immediately lit up when he saw him. The person quickly walked over to greet him, "Mr. Chu, I didn't expect to meet you so soon."

"Greetings, Your Excellency." The man who came was the guard who had once packed up all of his paintings for three hundred taels of silver.

"My name is Xu Wuchen, a mere guard. I am unworthy to be addressed as sir." Xu Wuchen clasped his hands in a salute. "I have a matter I would like to trouble you with, sir."

It turned out to be his young master, who had a falling out with his elders and was drinking alone in a restaurant. He had only managed to offer a couple of words of comfort when he was kicked out.

"Well... in these kinds of matters, it's more effective to persuade someone you know well. I don't know this young master at all." Chu Nanfeng shook his head helplessly.

"He won't listen to anyone he knows right now, so please try to persuade him a bit, sir. It doesn't matter whether it works or not." Xu Wuchen was about to bow again when Chu Nanfeng quickly stopped him and agreed.

In the most luxurious private room of the restaurant, Xie Zian, dressed in a snow-white brocade robe, leaned back in his chair, tilted his head back and took another big gulp of wine. Then he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and slammed the empty wine pot onto the table.

The smuggling of salt and iron was an act of collusion with foreign enemies. It was obvious that Prince Cheng was behind it, yet they insisted on finding some solid evidence.

He said to arrest the person first, and then we could find no evidence later, but his father not only disagreed, but also scolded him severely.

Not only that, they also deducted a year's worth of his monthly pay! They even confiscated eight of his favorite paintings!!

"Bring me more wine!" Xie Zian shook the empty wine jug and shouted.

Chaos erupted outside the door. The boy looked at the pile of wine jugs on the table, curled his lip, and thought, "They only give me a small jug at a time, each jug containing only an ounce or two, and it's fruit wine. These guys are treating me like a fool."

When the door opened, the person who came in to deliver the wine was a scholar in a long, wide-sleeved robe, who was refined and elegant.

"And who are you to be dragged here to lecture me?"

Xie Zian took the wine pot from his hand and opened it. "Tell me, what's your name, and what remarkable things have you accomplished?"

Chu Nanfeng cupped his hands and replied, "This humble one is Chu Nanfeng..."

"puff!"

Before he could finish speaking, the boy spat out the wine he had just taken a sip, and his already mild intoxication immediately sobered him up.

"You, you, you, who do you think you are?!"

"I am Chu Nanfeng, just an ordinary scholar." The person before him still had that gentle and refined demeanor.

Looking at his disheveled appearance and the mess in the room, and thinking about what he had just said, the boy wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear!

This is Chu Nanfeng! Chu Nanfeng, whom he has long admired! He's been studying Chu Nanfeng's painting for over a month now!

Xie Zian had also imagined the scene of meeting this Mr. Chu. It should be a quiet and elegant place, brewing a pot of tea and lighting a stick of incense.

The two discussed the paintings and exchanged a few words about their life ideals. It would be even better if they could request a few more pieces of calligraphy and painting.

Instead of making a drunken scene on the very first meeting!

"Xu Wuchen! You just wait! I'll make you pay!!"

Xie Zian yelled at the door, then suddenly realized that his image was even more shattered.

Then, he abandoned Chu Nanfeng and ran away in a flash.

"This young master is quite lively and energetic." Lin You was stunned for a while before she came to her senses. "We... have we managed to persuade him?"

"He must be the one who asked Guard Xu to buy the painting." This person had a deep impression of his name.

Chu Nanfeng was about to leave when the servant at the door pleaded with him to stay, "Sir, please wait a moment, my young master will be here shortly."

Hearing him about to leave, there was another clattering sound from the next private room, as if a chair had been bumped.

Chu Nanfeng had no choice but to stay, and he specifically instructed, "I don't have anything urgent to do, so it's okay to wait a little longer."

"Does that mean it will be a long time before we can go back? That's a pity, the roast duck probably won't taste good if it gets cold."

Lin You looked at the roast duck that the servant was helping her carry and sighed deeply. That roast duck cost her three hundred coins.

The food at this restaurant is expensive; a live duck only costs a little over thirty coins.

After a chaotic scene, Young Master Xie finally changed his clothes, moved to a new private room, and had fine tea and snacks brought in before inviting Chu Nanfeng in.

“Mr. Chu, my name is Xie Zian. I have long admired your talent, and I was truly impolite just now.”

The young man clasped his hands in a fist salute, his posture dignified and full of youthful vigor, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor.

"Thank you for your kind words, young master." Chu Nanfeng returned the greeting with a gentle cupped-hand salute.

Lin You suddenly spoke up at this moment, "Chu Nanfeng, this is Xie Zi'an, your best friend!"

In the plot summary, Han Qige asks Chu Nanfeng to paint a picture under the pretext of making a name for himself, but he signs it with his own name and seal, thus befriending Xie Zi'an.

Han Qige usually acted like a respectable person, and Xie Zian, who judged people by their paintings, trusted him completely and even recommended him to the Emperor to become the Crown Prince's tutor. Little did he know that the painting was not actually his work.

Later, when Han Qige plotted a rebellion, Xie Zian, only twenty-four years old, volunteered to be the vanguard for the sake of the reputation and safety of the Marquis of Nanping's mansion. He fought for three days, killing countless enemies, and died from exhaustion.

"Chu Nanfeng, he's a very, very good friend, but he's too naive. You need to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get fooled again."

Lin You couldn't reveal too much, but Chu Nanfeng sensed something from her dejected tone.

Xie Zian spoke normally at first, chatting with Chu Nanfeng about everyday matters before the topic turned to paintings.

"Mr. Chu, your painting of the red maple forest has a profound artistic conception and skillful brushwork... The mountain scenery of the four seasons is layered and vivid... The dewdrops on the green bamboo are lifelike, like the finishing touch... And also..."

The boy's eyes lit up when he mentioned painting. He really knew his stuff, praising the brushstrokes and discussing the composition.

Chu Nanfeng initially tried to discuss things with him humbly, but seeing Xie Zian's posture, which seemed to indicate that he wanted to talk about all of Xie Zian's paintings, he had no choice but to interrupt.

"Young Master Xie, I've already sold the painting of green bamboo to the study. Did you buy it as well?"

"I've taken back all the paintings from your study, sir." Xie Zi'an paused, then said somewhat embarrassedly:

“With your skill, even ten times the amount of money for your writing would not be too much, but... but my father just deducted my monthly salary, and I am short of money. I will definitely make it up to you later, sir.”

Chu Nanfeng quickly refused, then subtly changed the subject: "I heard from Guard Xu that Young Master Xie had a quarrel with my father?"

Upon hearing this, the boy's eyes widened immediately, and he huffed angrily, "Brother Chu, you have no idea how outrageous he is! Yes, I'm wrong! But he's already deducted my monthly salary, how could he take my painting?!"

Xie Zian looked heartbroken: "Eight paintings! He actually took eight of them, including my favorite red maple painting!"

Chu Nanfeng suppressed a laugh and poured him a cup of tea, which Xie Zi'an drank in one gulp without any hesitation. Then he pulled him aside and began to complain.

Looking at his opportunistic manner, Lin You wondered if this was really the same person who later became a brave and fearless young man.

So he's already calling me Brother Chu?

"Chu Nanfeng, your best friend is very outgoing. Should we check his favorability rating?" Lin You suggested.

Chu Nanfeng usually doesn't use his cheat system to check other people's favorability ratings, but since Lin You brought it up, he just clicked on it casually.

"A whopping 52! No wonder he judges people by their paintings; no wonder he got scammed so badly." He must have a very high opinion of art.

Chu Nanfeng understood. He had been tricked after judging people by their paintings. Someone had used his paintings to befriend him. There was only one person who could do such a thing: Han Qige!

Seeing the boy's worried expression, Chu Nanfeng's gaze softened even more.

A note from the author:

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