The wine stains on the painting gradually dried up, and the words in the blank areas also disappeared. The shopkeeper couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw this.
Looking at the painting in his hand, he was in a dilemma. He now had two choices. One was to pretend that he didn't know the secret of the painting and secretly dispose of it so that he wouldn't be implicated. The other was to make the secret of the painting public and clear the name of the Zhenguogong Mansion.
After hesitating for a long time, he still didn't have the courage to make the second choice. Because if he revealed the secret of the painting, he and his family would be implicated and might even lose their lives!
Before, he had condemned Cheng Xun for forging a fake letter that led to the unjust killing of nine members of the Zhenguo Mansion, but in fact, how good was he himself?
Cheng Xun also said in the painting that he originally didn't want to do this, but his daughter and granddaughter's lives were threatened, so he had to agree. After all, although he admired the family of the Duke of Zhenguo, he couldn't risk his own life and the lives of his daughter and granddaughter for the Yun family.
After doing this, he was extremely tormented and filled with remorse.
He had a premonition that he would be silenced, but he did not try to escape because he felt that he was guilty and death would be a relief. As long as his daughter and granddaughter were well, it didn't matter if he, an old man, died. After all, he had lived enough.
Recalling Cheng Xun's confession written on the painting, the shopkeeper felt that if he encountered the same thing as him, he might make the same choice.
Thinking of this, he rolled up the scroll and put it at the bottom of the box.
He could neither completely dispose of the painting nor risk his life by making the contents of the painting public, so he could only lock it up temporarily.
Maybe this painting will see the light of day again someday.
The shopkeeper thought with a guilty conscience.
The moment he turned around, he was shocked because a young man in a light blue robe was standing behind him quietly. He didn't know when he came in and didn't hear any movement.
Who is this man? Did he see me hiding the painting just now?
The shopkeeper was extremely flustered and said in a timid tone, "Who are you? How did you come in without permission?"
This pale blue figure is naturally Xue Huan.
"It doesn't matter who I am, just give me the painting."
Hearing this, the shopkeeper's face changed. He had seen it! And he even asked him for the painting. Had he just seen the secret in the painting?
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a smile, "What painting? What are you talking about? Get out of here now! Or I'll call the guards!"
Xue Huan gave up talking to the shopkeeper and waved her sleeves, causing the shopkeeper to faint. She stepped forward and helped him onto a chair, then found the painting he had just hidden under the box and put it into the storage bracelet.
He cast another spell on the shopkeeper, asking him to erase his memory of the painting and himself.
The same operation was performed by Wang Meng.
In this way, only Cheng Yinniang knew about the painting, but she did not know the secret in the painting, so her memory did not need to be erased.
Xue Huan went back to Wang's house, said goodbye to Cheng Yinniang, and gave her a few words of advice before leaving.
Cheng Yinniang watched her leave.
Just as Xue Huan was driving the spirit boat into the sky, crucial news came from the nine-eyed ghost spider that she had previously placed on Xiao Kun.
The Nine-Eyed Ghost Spider is a special kind of poisonous insect. As the name suggests, it has nine eyes, but its body is very small, only as big as a mung bean, and its body shape is between half real and half virtual, just like a ghost, and it is difficult for ordinary people to detect it.
This kind of poisonous insect can convey everything it sees and hears to its owner.
Before, Xiao Kun came to consult a doctor, and when he left, Xue Huan put this poisonous insect on him. In this way, she would be the first to know about any conspiracy or trick Xiao Kun was up to.
This time, Xiao Kun came to a very famous restaurant in the city - Tiansheng Restaurant, and ate in a private room with the owner personally accompanying him.
Of course, the meal was fake, and the real thing was a secret meeting with the shopkeeper to pass on the message.
The owner of Tiansheng Restaurant, whose surname is Jin, is a Daxi native on the surface, but in fact he is a spy sent by the Jin Kingdom and has been lurking in the Daxi capital for many years.
All the spies sent here by the Jin Kingdom were under the management of Shopkeeper Jin. Xiao Kun's remote communication with the second prince of the Jin Kingdom was also facilitated by Shopkeeper Jin.
This time, the message that Xiao Kun asked Manager Jin to convey was that the Second Prince should quickly persuade the Khan of the Jin Kingdom to send troops to attack Daxi. Yes, to attack his own country.
Of course, Xiao Kun had a purpose for doing this.
He wanted to reach an agreement with the second prince of the Jin Dynasty. He revealed the military deployment of the border town of Daxi to the second prince, and the second prince cooperated with him to act out a play, helping him gain military merit and establish a god of war image in the hearts of the emperor and court officials. In this way, he would naturally have a greater advantage in the fight for the throne.
What kind of play does he need the Second Prince to cooperate with him in?
After the second prince learned the military secrets of the Daxi border, he naturally led the Jin soldiers to win the battle, broke into the city, burned, killed, looted, and plundered a large amount of resources. Those resources were the sincerity shown by Xiao Kun in this transaction.
Even though Manager Jin was a spy sent by the Jin Kingdom, he couldn't help but be shocked by Xiao Kun's "big move". The third prince of Daxi really lived up to the saying - those who achieve great things don't care about trivial matters, and those who are not cruel are not real men!
In order to seize the throne, he was willing to use countless people on the border as bargaining chips to negotiate with his own prince. He was really willing to go out.
However, his actions were of great benefit to the Jin Kingdom.
"Your Highness, aren't you afraid that our Highness will get hold of this information and attack Daxi all the way to the capital?"
Xiao Kun smiled calmly, "I believe in the Second Prince's credibility."
In fact, it was not that they believed in the Second Prince's credibility, but that they clearly did not take the Kingdom of Jin seriously. They felt that with the national strength of Daxi, even if they lost several cities on the border, the Kingdom of Jin would not be able to pose a threat to Daxi.
Seeing this, how could Shopkeeper Jin not know? He lowered his eyes, picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, hiding the dark gleam in his eyes.
"Now that the Yun family has been eliminated, there are only a handful of generals in the court who can go to war and take on important responsibilities. When the time comes, I can take advantage of the situation and request to lead the troops to the battle. My father will most likely agree. Then, the Second Prince will cooperate with me and act out a scene of defeat."
Shopkeeper Jin thought that Prince Ling was really willing to take risks in order to gain military merit, but did he think that things would really develop as he expected?
Doesn't he know that there is a saying called "letting the wolf into the house"?
However, these issues were not his concern at all. He was just a messenger and only needed to convey Xiao Kun's words to His Highness.
He raised his glass and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will definitely pass on my message. Just wait for my triumphant return."
Xiao Kun also raised his wine glass and clinked it with his. When their eyes met, both of them were filled with thriving ambitions.
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