Chapter 12: Is the crisis over? Are you really planning to wait for Miss Jiang to come...
When he heard others talking about him, whether it was with implicit ridicule or sincere praise, Su Guanqing would just give a polite nod and say, "Sir, you are too kind."
The host took a bite of his dish, smacked his lips, and said with a smile, "I've always wanted to make friends with Master Su, but unfortunately the Su family was too prestigious back then, and our humble family couldn't reach them. Being able to invite Master Yuequan to the banquet today, I can say that I've finally fulfilled my lifelong wish."
A dandy said, "I remember Master Yuequan's painting 'Double Immortals'. It had two immortals in the wind, and everyone said they inherited the true teachings of Wu Daozi. Tsk tsk, what a pity! I'm afraid we'll never see Master Yuequan's calligraphy again."
When he said this, everyone sighed as if they really felt it was a pity.
"That's not what I'm saying," Xu Sheng wiped his greasy lips. "I actually think that even if Master Su can't see anymore, he's still incredibly talented. Just playing the zither and the flute, is there anyone here who can match Master Yuequan?"
Someone immediately echoed, "Of course not! Even if Master Yuequan became a slave, he could still support himself by singing. If we were to fall into that situation, we would have died long ago!"
Feng Fuliu was standing in the corner with Su Guanqing. Seeing him being mocked so harshly, his hands were already shaking with anger. Yet, Su Guanqing remained calm and composed, as if those harsh words weren't knives piercing his flesh, but merely a gust of wind brushing past him. Even the howling wind couldn't bend his spine.
After the banquet, Feng Fuliu pulled Su Guanqing's arm and was about to leave, but was stopped by Xu Sheng.
Feng Fuliu thought that Xu Sheng was going to humiliate Su Guanqing again, and was so angry that she wanted to punch Xu Sheng's pig-like face, but she had to restrain herself because of the difference in their status.
Su Guanqing couldn't see Feng Fuliu's expression, but he could feel Feng Fuliu's hand pinching his arm getting tighter and tighter, so he reached out and patted him gently twice to comfort him.
Xu Sheng didn't notice their little tricks at all. He smiled and said to Su Guanqing, "Mr. Su is of noble birth, how could he commit suicide in this quagmire? I am willing to redeem you and let you stay as a guest in my house."
He began to talk to himself, "None of my retainers have the talent of Master Yuequan. I simply love talent and cannot bear to see the moon in the sky fall into the mud. Guanqing, you will follow me from now on. When you have free time, you can accompany me to write poems and essays. You don't need to show up in public and entertain people."
Xu Sheng thought he was doing Su Guanqing a great favor and was expecting him to burst into tears of gratitude. However, Su Guanqing refused without a second thought: "Sir, I shouldn't refuse your kindness, but I have become a lowly person and I don't plan to write poetry anymore in this life."
Xu Sheng's face froze. He was used to getting whatever he wanted, and no one dared to refuse him. But now he felt embarrassed and said angrily, "Do you think I'm really asking for your opinion? I want to buy your indenture, and do I need your approval?"
Su Guanqing remained calm and composed: "Mr. Xu, you can certainly buy my indenture, but I said I can't write poetry, so I can't write poetry. Even if you buy me, you'll just be buying a walking corpse."
Feng Fuliu saw that Xu Sheng's face had turned from red to blue, and she felt bad. She hurriedly pulled Su Guanqing's arm and said, "Guanqing, Mr. Xu means well, just agree to it!"
He lowered his voice and whispered in Su Guanqing's ear: "Could it be that you really plan to wait for Miss Jiang to redeem you? I tell you, she is just deceiving you!"
Unexpectedly, Su Guanqing, who was usually soft-tempered, was more stubborn than anyone else at this moment. He bowed in Xu Sheng's direction, still maintaining his unyielding attitude: "Please forgive me for not being able to obey your command."
Xu Sheng's face turned completely pale, and he kicked Su Guanqing in the abdomen: "I gave you face, but you don't want it! Do you still think you are the eldest son of the Su family? Come! Take him away!"
Su Guanqing was kicked unexpectedly, and his lower abdomen began to hurt like a cramp. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but he clenched his teeth and refused to cry out in pain.
Seeing Su Guanqing collapsed on the ground and being picked up by the servants and dragged to an unknown place, Feng Fuliu panicked and wanted to persuade him immediately, but was grabbed by the servants and thrown out of Xu's house.
He was so anxious that he spun around like a top, spun around in front of the gate of Xu's house for a few times, stomped his feet, and headed in one direction.
…
When Jiang Tong put the last stroke on the center of the painting, a surprised voice suddenly came from above his head -
"Is this the tattered painting from before?"
Jiang Tong looked up and saw that an A-Qiao had been hanging on the beam.
Just as she was about to speak, a flash of light appeared before her eyes. A Qiao had already circled down like an eagle and came to her side. He asked in surprise:
"I was curious about what you were doing. Do you know any magical skills? You can even bring the painting back to life!"
Jiang Tong smiled and picked up a bamboo screwdriver. He carefully cut the edge of the destiny paper apart from the paper wall, removed the painting, and said:
"It's not a difficult task, it's just the technique of a paperhanger. But you, with your unparalleled skill, are truly admirable."
"It's not worth anything." Ah Qiao stood with his hands behind his back, watching Jiang Tong cut off the edge of the fate paper that had been torn a little unevenly. "It's amazing! Who could tell that this painting was soaked in water and had holes in it before?"
She leaned closer, trying to see the details, but as a martial artist with good eyesight, she couldn't see any signs of repair.
"Is this finished?" asked Aqiao.
"The restoration is complete," Jiang Tong said with a smile, "and after it's reframed, it can be sold."
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered that in her previous life, A-Qiao had come to her with an ancestral painting to be repaired.
At that time, Aqiao told herself that when she left her hometown, she sealed the painting in the wall with mud, thinking it was a good place to hide the treasure. However, when she went back to look for it decades later, she found that the painting was full of holes and holes caused by insects. She regretted it so much.
But I don’t know if she has already stuffed the painting into the crack in the wall.
"Paintings and calligraphy are inherently fragile. Even if no one deliberately destroys them, they can still develop problems if not properly preserved. Things like curling edges, degumming, and mold can develop. Even the glue itself can attract insects over time. Some people hide paintings on the wall, thinking they're safe, but they don't realize that damp areas are sure to cause mold and insects. Sometimes I get jobs like this, and it breaks my heart to see those ancient paintings destroyed."
A fragment of memory suddenly surfaced in her mind. A Qiao seemed to see her own heirloom broken into pieces. Seeing Jiang Tong buried in his painting without looking up, she couldn't control her expression, and a hint of anxiety appeared on her face: "If it's eaten by insects, can it be repaired?"
"Of course I can, but the painting is incomplete. Even if I can fill in the missing parts by continuing the brushstrokes, it will not be the original work after all. It's still a pity." Jiang Tong said.
A Qiao was about to say something, but his expression changed: "Someone broke in."
Jiang Tong was stunned: "Who's here?"
Before he finished speaking, he heard Zhong Wanci's voice, almost crying, "Why did you barge into my house without saying anything?"
A-Qiao moved the fastest and flashed out of the study.
When Jiang Tong followed him out, he saw A Qiao holding a man in a grappling posture.
"Mr. Feng?" Jiang Tong exclaimed.
The person who came was Feng Fuliu.
He was restrained by A Qiao and could not break free. When he saw Jiang Tong coming out, he roared:
"Aren't you going to redeem Su Guanqing? He's in trouble now, will you help him?"
…
Su Guanqing was in a rather embarrassing situation.
He had been thrown into this room by the Xu family's servants for most of the day, with no food or water.
He huddled in the corner, his black hair loose, but it couldn't cover the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth and the bruises on his face.
After an unknown amount of time, the door was opened from the outside and Xu Sheng's voice came in.
"How's it going? Is the article ready?"
Su Guanqing ignored him.
Xu Sheng felt unhappy when he didn't get a response from Su Guanqing.
He walked over and kicked Su Guanqing to the ground: "I'm asking you a question!"
"I... really can't write." Su Guanqing groaned in pain.
Xu Sheng was very angry. His entire growth experience was shrouded in the halo of Su Guanqing. Now he was finally able to suppress this person, but this person still dared not to bow down to him.
Xu Sheng stepped on him with one foot, as if to break his pride. "I asked you to write obscene lyrics and songs, and you said you couldn't. I asked you to write zither songs and wine poems, and you couldn't either. Now that the emperor's birthday is approaching, I asked you to write two congratulatory essays for me, and you still can't do it! You're the most talented man in the capital, and you say you can't write. Who are you trying to fool?"
"I really can't do it." Su Guanqing tried to get up but couldn't, so he just lay on the ground and didn't move.
"Can't write? Why do I remember that when the Su family was raided, they found an article praising the late emperor's divine power and sanctification?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he was not surprised to see that Su Guanqing's expression, which had always been calm and composed, turned ugly.
Xu Sheng continued, "Oh, right, I almost forgot. The second half of the article is about the current emperor forcing the emperor to abdicate and usurping the throne. Tsk tsk, Su Guanqing, you can write praises for the late emperor, but why can't you write praises for the current emperor? Could it be that..."
Xu Sheng moved his feet away and lifted Su Guanqing's chin with his toes: "You are just like your father, harboring rebellious intentions in your heart!"
Su Guanqing clenched his fists, his voice coming out through gritted teeth: "I have absolutely no intention of rebelling, but my family has been convicted for writing, and my father, on his deathbed, ordered me to remain silent and cautious, and never write poetry or essays again. Why does Mr. Xu have to make things difficult for me?"
Xu Sheng's chest heaved with anger. "Don't try that! You're afraid of being convicted, but aren't you afraid I'll beat you to death?"
"I am a lowly person and I am blind. My life is over, so why should I be afraid of death? Death is a relief for me." Su Guanqing did not raise his voice, but Xu Sheng could hear a tone of unyielding determination in it.
"Okay, you think I can't do anything to you, right? I'll let you know today that beating you to death is no different from killing a dog." Xu Sheng said as he raised his foot and kicked.
Su Guanqing couldn't see and had no idea where the punches and kicks would come from. He could only hold his head and curl up, passively enduring the pain.
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