Zhao Feiyan murmured, "But I still find it a bit unbelievable."
Chu Nian laughed and said, "What's so incredible about that? Think about it, aren't many of the rouges we use made from flower petals?"
Sima Xiu walked over. He wasn't interested in how to add color to the painting. He sat down opposite Chu Nian with a grand air and said, "I have a question in my mind. I wonder if Miss Nian could help me answer it?"
Chu Nian already guessed what he was wondering about, but asked without showing any emotion, "I wonder what is troubling you, Young Master Ma?"
Sima Xiu said, "Since Miss Niannian is a hermit of the Left Bank Mountain, may I ask if, when you painted that 'Lone Chrysanthemum on a Cliff,' you thought it would enter the palace and be presented to the Empress Dowager?"
Before Chu Nian could answer, Zhao Feiyan questioned, "Young Master Ma, how could you have such a thought?"
Sima Xiu chuckled and explained, "When Young Master Li announced that the Confucian Academy would be auctioning this painting, he described its features very clearly. And the chrysanthemums depicted in the painting, as well as the artistic conception it expresses, happen to be exactly what the Empress Dowager loves."
He was looking at Li Wenzhuang as he said this.
Li Wenzhuang was never one to hide his emotions, and his expression changed upon hearing Sima Xiu's words: he had never intended to offend the Empress Dowager, and more importantly, he simply couldn't afford to.
Seeing that his expression changed, Sima Xiu guessed that when he released the news about the "Lone Chrysanthemum on a Cliff," he would explain the content and artistic conception of the painting very clearly, which must have been something Chu Nian had specifically instructed him to do.
He realized that his previous doubts were indeed true.
Zhao Feiyan pressed further, "How do you know those are the Empress Dowager's favorites?"
Sima Xiuli replied matter-of-factly, “Many people in the Eastern Chu Kingdom know this, just as your sister Tong knows that the Empress Dowager is a devout Buddhist.”
Zhao Feiyan looked at Chu Nian: "No matter what, I don't believe my sister is a schemer."
Chu Nian chuckled softly and said, "Yan Yan, you silly child!"
Zhao Feiyan asked in surprise, "Sister, what do you mean by that?"
Chu Nian looked at Sima Xiu and said, "Young Master Ma guessed correctly. When I was painting that chrysanthemum, I did think that it might be presented to the Empress Dowager."
Sima Xiu raised his lips in a cold laugh: "Just as I thought. What is your purpose in doing this?"
Chu Nian raised an eyebrow and said, "This is exactly what I wanted."
Sima Xiu looked at her thoughtfully.
Zhao Feiyan thought of modern marketing and suddenly realized, "Sister, you mean, create hype?!"
Chu Nian smiled and said, "Yan Yan is still the smartest."
Sima Xiu said coldly, "You want to become famous, so you use the Empress Dowager as a stepping stone? Aren't you afraid of being beheaded?"
Chu Nian: "Fame? Not at all. I never intended to use the Empress Dowager as a stepping stone. As I just said, when I painted this, I only thought that this painting 'might' be presented to the Empress Dowager; furthermore, even if this painting was presented to the Empress Dowager, if no one came to question me, this scene wouldn't have happened today." As she spoke, the smile on her face was full of sarcasm.
Zhao Feiyan snorted, "That's right. Wutong Xue is a common spice in our markets and villages. So many people use it and no one seems to have a headache. But the Empress Dowager only smelled a tiny bit of it in the painting and got a headache, and she actually made such a big fuss to interrogate her. This person is too..."
"Yanyan!" Chu Nian interrupted her. Zhao Feiyan came from the modern era and had always held a dismissive attitude towards imperial power. Besides, she didn't know that Sima Xiu was the emperor, so she spoke without thinking.
Sima Xiu coughed lightly. Originally, the Empress Dowager didn't want the investigation to proceed; it was he who felt there was something wrong with the matter and insisted on investigating, but...
He was a little embarrassed, but then he thought for a moment and said, "Miss Yan Yan, your Sister Tong is a real schemer. She's made a name for herself by doing this. What, you won't let anyone investigate?"
Zhao Feiyan rolled her eyes and said, "She didn't harm anyone. Who told that Madam Yang to spend so much money to bid on that chrysanthemum painting to present to the Empress Dowager? If anyone should be held accountable for this, it should be Madam Yang first!" She paused, then added warily, "By the way, why do you always speak up for Yang Jie? What's your relationship with him? You're not like that Young Master Liu, actually acting as his pimp, are you?"
These words made Li Wenzhuang chuckle, and he looked at Sima Xiu with a hint of smugness: This time he didn't have to worry about Niannian getting this young master Ma to redeem himself. Although Niannian hadn't said it herself, he could tell that Niannian really disliked Yang Jie, and anyone related to Yang Jie would definitely not get anything good from Niannian.
Sima Xiu was taken aback by Zhao Feiyan's words: How did he become a pimp? And which Young Master Liu was it? As far as he knew, Liu Hong was a decent person and would never pimp for Yang Jie.
Chu Nian said, "Fei Yan, don't talk nonsense." He winked at Zhao Fei Yan.
Zhao Feiyan knew that Sima Xiu might find out about their beating of Yang Jie in the suburbs that day, so she didn't discuss the matter further. Instead, she said, "Anyway, even that Wing King didn't seem to care, so there's no use in you being dissatisfied. Also, who exactly are you?"
Sima Xiu said with a stern face, "Does it matter who I am?"
Zhao Feiyan: "Of course it's important. If it's someone related to Yang Jie, then the door's over there, and you can really leave."
Sima Xiu smiled helplessly, "You're practically asking me to leave, but do you have that right?"
Zhao Feiyan stared at him, her brows furrowing. "So, you're saying you're really connected to Yang Jie?!" She might even be one of Yang Jie's accomplices! A look of disappointment flashed across her face: What a pity, someone as handsome as him as Yang Jie, who's hanging out with that scumbag, is definitely no good either.
Sima Xiu had exceptional insight; the disappointment on her face did not escape his notice. He asked, "What, does it disappoint you if I'm related to Yang Jie? What makes you disappointed?"
Zhao Feiyan: "What's it to you?!"
Sima Xiu: "Isn't it me you're disappointed in?"
Zhao Feiyan: "You can really leave now." She felt this person was being delusional; she was only slightly disappointed by his appearance: why didn't she put on a good person's persona?
Sima Xiu: "I'll say it again: Do you have the right to ask me to leave?" He then looked at Chu Nian.
Chu Nian smiled and said, "Why are you looking at me? Of course I'm on Fei Yan's side."
Zhao Feiyan immediately raised her pointed chin, her small face full of smugness as she looked down at Sima Xiu sitting there.
Zhao Feiyan was undoubtedly a beauty, and with her appearance resembling a spirited little rooster, Sima Xiu found the girl quite adorable and couldn't help but chuckle.
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