Chapter 59: Why fear the underworld? Perhaps there is nothing good or bad that cannot be…
The next morning, Jiang Tong was making preparations for the restoration in the study as usual when she suddenly heard the sound of a bamboo stick tapping the ground. She looked up and saw Su Guanqing lifting the heavy door mat and walking in.
He had a piece of white brocade wrapped around his eyes, obscuring his originally gentle and kind gaze. Combined with his moon-white gown, he appeared a bit colder than snow.
Jiang Tong's eyes lit up.
Zhao Quesheng looked at her master and then looked down at herself. Their winter clothes were all custom-made by Jiang Tong, and they were both moon-white cotton-padded clothes. But why didn't her master look bloated at all? Instead, she had a sense of being slender, clear-minded, and lofty like the moon, while she looked like a bloated steamed bun?
Zhao Quesheng muttered, "Master seems like a god descended from heaven."
Su Guanqing laughed: "What nonsense are you talking about."
When he smiled, that cold and fragile aura disappeared, and the warm and jade-like feeling returned.
Jiang Tong went over and asked, "Have you secretly used your eyes today?"
Su Guanqing shook his head.
The doctor said that he could see for the time of an incense stick every day, and he only wanted to use his eyes for this time when he was with Jiang Tong.
The corners of Jiang Tong's lips curved up: "Quesheng, light some incense!"
"yes!"
Jiang Tong took his hand, led him to a spot, and personally untied the brocade at the back of his head: "I have something good to show you."
Su Guanqing slowly opened his eyes and his gaze fell on her impatiently.
Jiang Tong urged him: "Don't look at me, look here."
She raised her arm, pointed to her left, and looked at him expectantly, her cheeks flushed a little, her fox eyes curved and shining brightly.
Su Guanqing was so captivated that he couldn't take his eyes off it——
His eyes are always so bright and lively.
Jiang Tong was so stunned that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He simply held his face with his hands and forced it to the left: "I told you to look over there!"
Su Guanqing then turned his gaze away. Jiang Tong had asked him to look at a painting on the wall of the study.
Different from the ancient paintings with yellowed paper that Jiang Tong often sees here, this painting is still white, like a world in snow. In the painting, a pair of fairy children outlined with white ink are flying up into the clouds, with spring breeze on their sleeves.
The wide robe and belt were completed in one stroke with the "orchid leaf drawing" technique. It is elegant and lively, full of charm and tension, as if it really held back the oncoming wind.
Even the viewer standing in front of the painting seemed to feel the strong wind blowing in their face.
Just a few strokes and it's already divine.
It was the "Double Immortals" painting that Su Guanqing had originally wanted to give to Jiang Tong.
Su Guanqing saw the painting clearly and was stunned. "Tongtong, did you find this painting?"
"Of course not! Zaishi Daozi's paintings are very valuable! Shouldn't I buy them back to collect?" Jiang Tong smiled proudly, with a cunning light flashing in his fox eyes.
She had said earlier that she would find a way to get it back, but Su Guanqing didn't expect that she could really get it back, and she didn't expect that her painting would be worthy of being hung in her study. She was very excited for a while.
"But," Jiang Tong put his hands behind his back and raised his chin, "this painting is of a boy. Now we are both not children anymore, you have to draw me a new one!"
Tongtong wants his painting!
In her lifetime, Tongtong actually asked him to draw a picture!
Su Guanqing was so excited that he was incoherent: "Okay, okay, I'll draw, I'll draw, whatever you want me to draw, I'll draw it! I'll draw it all!"
He spun around like a top and said, "I'll paint now!" Then he started looking for brushes and ink.
Jiang Tong held him back, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "What kind of painting are you doing? It only takes a stick of incense. How many strokes can you draw? Well, at most I'll let you touch the brush and ink and satisfy your desire to paint."
As she spoke, she gave him her seat. Zhao Quesheng, who had been watching them talk with a smile on his face, immediately stepped forward to grind the ink and spread the paper for Su Guanqing.
Su Guanqing picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and then casually drew a line.
It's just a line.
Zhao Quesheng, who was standing by, widened her eyes. She clearly didn't see her master use much strength, but the line was clearly full of power, as if it was firmly supported by an invisible energy inside.
But it’s just a line!
Jiang Tong laughed: "Quesheng, see, this is called using a line to establish bones. The skill of just this one line is enough for you to learn."
Su Guanqing looked at the lines he had just drawn, then turned his head to look at the "Double Immortals Picture" and sighed, "I was a little young back then, and lacked understanding. I was obsessed with change, so the lines are more elegant than strong."
Jiang Tong looked at the "Double Immortals Picture." With her exceptional eyesight, she could naturally spot its flaws. However, Su Guanqing was only a teenager at the time, and to have achieved this level of artistry was unprecedented. Young Master Yuequan's reputation as a young prodigy was well-founded.
Jiang Tong turned his gaze back and was about to admire Su Guanqing's current writing style again, but when he lowered his head, he found that Su Guanqing had already put down his pen and was looking up at him with a smile.
"Are you looking at me or the painting?" Jiang Tong asked.
Su Guanqing didn't say anything, just looked at her and smiled.
…
The next day, Jiang Tong showed him the "Early Spring Picture" which was printed on the fortune paper and framed by her separately.
Su Guanqing was so excited this time that he couldn't speak at all. He stood in front of the painting for a whole incense stick of time.
Jiang Tong sighed inwardly, he was indeed a person obsessed with painting.
She leaned close to the man's ear with malicious intent and jokingly asked, "Why, you won't look at me today?"
Su Guanqing quickly turned to look at her: "I want to see it."
Jiang Tong chuckled, pinched his chin, and turned his head away: "Fool, go look at your painting!"
She also turned her head to look at the painting. "It's a pity that the ink on the rubbing is very light, and some small details are not clear."
Zhao Quesheng hurriedly said, "I remember! Master, if there's anything you can't see clearly, you can ask me!"
So, that morning, the master and his two apprentices chattered non-stop in front of a very light ink painting.
…
On the third day, Jiang Tong took out Ni Zan's "Autumn Forest and Wilderness" and showed it to Su Guanqing.
Su Guanqing was dumbfounded: "Isn't this sold?"
"Yes, I sold it to Shopkeeper Zhao. I later bought it back and lent him another painting to hang." She looked into his eyes with a smile. "I promised you that I would buy it back and return it to you."
Su Guanqing was moved and was about to speak when a servant suddenly came in hurriedly.
Zhao Quesheng went to meet him and asked, "Is there a customer here? I'll go and entertain him."
"No!" the servant said tremblingly, his face pale with fear, "It's an imperial decree!"
Jiang Tong and Su Guanqing looked at each other and thought, what is coming has finally come.
She calmed herself down, picked up the white silk, and was about to blindfold Su Guanqing, but Su Guanqing stopped her: "Tongtong, how about we take it off?"
There was a trace of fear that was hard to conceal in his eyes. The last time an imperial edict was delivered to the Su residence, it caused his family to be destroyed. This time the imperial edict came again, and he couldn't help but be terrified.
"Don't panic. It's just an imperial edict. It's not as important as your eyes." Jiang Tong said in a deep voice.
Su Guanqing did not refuse again. He lowered his head and let her blindfold him. Then he was pulled by her and walked towards the main hall.
Feeling that Jiang Tong was taking every step steadily, Su Guanqing suddenly felt relieved. No matter whether Emperor Zhengtong wanted to kill them or skin them alive, as long as they were together, what was there to fear?
He suddenly thought with a smile: In the underworld, there is probably no law that prohibits marriage between the noble and the humble, right?
When they walked into the main hall, everyone was already kneeling. Even Jiang Huaishan was carried out by servants and knelt there.
The one who came to announce the decree was the eunuch beside Emperor Zhengtong.
Jiang Tong pulled Su Guanqing, followed by Zhao Quesheng, and knelt in front of the eunuch without saying a word.
The eunuch glanced at Jiang Tong and asked, "Are you Jiang Tong? The painter doctor Jiang who has recently become famous in the capital?"
"I don't deserve this reputation."
"At such a young age, you are truly gifted. It just so happens that there is an authentic Wu Daozi painting in the palace that Your Majesty greatly admires, but it's unfortunately badly damaged. Since Dr. Jiang is so talented and can transform decay into something magical, please have him restore the Scroll of Eighty-Seven Immortals."
The eunuch waved his hand, and a young eunuch beside him respectfully presented a scroll.
Jiang Tong took it with both hands, and then heard the eunuch continue: "If it can be repaired, His Majesty will reward you handsomely. If it can't be repaired..."
He looked down at Jiang Tong with a cold tone, "That is deceiving the world and stealing reputation, deliberately deceiving the king."
Jiang Tong gently opened the scroll, and when he saw the damage inside, his expression, which had been calm until now, finally changed completely.
The old man above me was still chattering in a hoarse voice, "I heard that Doctor Jiang took less than two weeks to repair a 30-foot-long Daodejing. This painting is only a little over 9 feet. Give Doctor Jiang ten days, and it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
When Su Guanqing heard that Jiang Tong was the one who would revise the painting, he felt greatly relieved.
Then, he heard Jiang Tong accept the order and express his gratitude in a calm tone. At this point, his heart was completely at ease.
However, when the eunuch left with his attendants, Su Guanqing realized that something seemed amiss.
He knelt beside Jiang Tong. After Jiang Tong stood up, she ignored him and walked away.
Without Jiang Tong's permission, Su Guanqing didn't dare to take off the blindfold easily, so he had to light a bamboo stick and rush to the study.
When Su Guanqing finally reached the study door, he was about to knock when Zhao Quesheng called out to him, "Master, the teacher said no one is allowed to disturb her. Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Zhong were both driven away by the teacher. I'm not allowed to go in either."
Su Guanqing's heart sank, realizing that something was wrong, and he knocked on the door hurriedly: "Tongtong! Can you let me in? Tongtong!"
He knocked twice before the door opened.
Su Guanqing hurried in: "Tongtong, is that painting difficult to repair?"
"Difficult?" Jiang Tong said in a cold and arrogant tone, "I'm not bragging, but if there's a painting in this world that even I can't repair, then no one else can. If the Zhengtong Emperor wants to test my skills, I'm naturally not afraid of him."
She paused and sneered, "But the Zhengtong Emperor doesn't want to test my ability, he wants me to die."
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