Chapter 48: Truth and Falsehood
"Hold on," Jiang Li said.
The abrupt voice cutting through the air drew the attention of everyone present, including the onlookers. Jiang Li emerged from the crowd.
Liu Zimin, who had been scanning his surroundings, brightened up at the sight of the elegant young woman stepping forward. His tone took on a teasing note as he asked, "What does this young lady mean by this?"
Bai Xue, witnessing the scene, stayed close to Jiang Li, resolved that if this rat-faced fellow dared lay a finger on Jiang Li, she would beat him until he was spitting teeth.
Jiang Li smiled and asked, "May I ask what this young master has done?" She pointed toward the young man beside them.
"What has he done?" Liu Zimin drawled mockingly, grinning. "Is this young lady trying to play the hero? Don’t tell me you think we’re bullying this gentleman. Then I must clarify—we are not taking advantage of our status to oppress others." He continued, "This gentleman, Ye Shijie, ruined a priceless heirloom ink painting from our estate. Look, this is 'Sparrows Drinking in Spring.'"
"Sparrows Drinking in Spring" was a masterpiece by Zeng Zimo, a renowned calligrapher and painter of the previous dynasty. After Zeng Zimo’s death, his works were bought at exorbitant prices, especially by scholarly families who took pride in collecting his pieces. If Liu Zimin’s painting was indeed the genuine "Sparrows Drinking in Spring," Ye Shijie had truly stumbled into misfortune.
"This 'Sparrows Drinking in Spring' is priceless and rarely available. Considering that Brother Ye is not from Yanjing, I’m willing to compromise. Asking him to compensate me with thirty thousand taels of gold is more than fair. Yet, Brother Ye here is utterly unreasonable—he refuses to pay even a single coin. And he’s from the Ye family of Xiangyang! So stingy—is this what they call the 'merchant’s nature'?" At this, Liu Zimin burst into laughter.
The surrounding crowd joined in, amused by his remark about "merchant’s nature."
In the Yan dynasty, merchants were looked down upon, ranked at the bottom of the social hierarchy—below scholars, farmers, and artisans. Ye Shijie gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, and retorted, "I didn’t damage that painting! You were the one who rushed over while I was writing!"
"Oh, dear," Liu Zimin said, "How dare you falsely accuse me? Would I, a young master with nothing better to do, ruin my own famous painting?" As if suddenly remembering Jiang Li’s presence, he turned to her and said, "Young lady, you be the judge."
Jiang Li smiled and replied, "Might I take a look at this painting of yours? I’ve never seen the real 'Sparrows Drinking in Spring' before. What a pity it’s been ruined." She sounded genuinely regretful.
Seeing her interest, Liu Zimin generously handed over the painting. "Since the young lady wishes to see it, by all means!" He noted that Jiang Li’s attire suggested she was not from an ordinary family, but he couldn’t recall any such delicate noble young lady in Yanjing City. He made a mental note to have someone inquire about her background later—if her family status was modest, she might make a suitable concubine.
Not far away, in a carriage, Jiang Youyao and the others observed the scene. Jiang Youyao asked, "What is she doing?"
"Third Sister," Jiang Yu'e reminded her, "That Ye Shijie is from the Ye family of Xiangyang—the family of Second Sister’s maternal relatives."
Jiang Youyao understood and turned her gaze back to Jiang Li. "Let’s watch a little longer."
Jiang Li took the "Sparrows Drinking in Spring" painting and began examining it carefully."The Sparrow Drinking in Spring" depicted a scene of spring's arrival, where a mountain sparrow perched on a flower-laden branch drooping over a stream, pecking at its own reflection in the water. The painting vividly captured the valley in full bloom, the sparrow's lively agility, and the crystal-clear stream in exquisite detail.
However, the artwork now bore a large diagonal tear from the bottom, nearly splitting it in two.
As Jiang Li appeared, the crowd of onlookers grew. Ye Shijie frowned, while Liu Zimin remained the most patient.
After examining it for a while, Jiang Li set the painting down. Instead of returning it to Liu Zimin, she remarked, "Master Zeng's ink treasure is indeed precious, valued for its artistic charm and rarity beyond price, but..."
With each word she spoke, Liu Zimin's eyebrows rose higher. When she paused at the last phrase, he instinctively prompted, "But what?"
"This painting is a fake," Jiang Li declared.
"This painting is..." Liu Zimin snapped to realization and exclaimed, "How is that possible?" His previously amiable expression toward Jiang Li vanished entirely.
Ye Shijie also stared at her in astonishment.
"This imitation is very skillfully done, but it still can't conceal the fact that it's a forgery. Based on the market value of the most convincing replicas, this piece is worth no more than fifty taels of silver. Young Master Ye," she turned to Ye Shijie, "you only need to compensate this gentleman fifty taels."
"Young lady," Liu Zimin sneered darkly, "how dare you claim it's fake with such barefaced audacity? This painting is genuine! Don't speak nonsense."
"Yeah," the crowd chimed in, "how can you prove it's real?"
Unhurried, Jiang Li explained calmly, "Master Zeng lived in the previous dynasty, when ink artworks were created on silk from that era. However, the previous dynasty never produced double-strand silk."
"Double-strand silk?" Bai Xue asked doubtfully.
"The previous dynasty only produced double-strand silk, which was coarse and thin. But look at this artwork—it's pure white and finely woven, clearly made of double-strand silk. Master Zeng from the previous dynasty wouldn't have used modern double-strand silk for his painting. That's the first point."
"Second, the seal is incorrect. The previous dynasty seldom used stone-carved seals. Authentic seals from that period bear distinctive traces: the ending strokes of each character in the seal script are slightly thicker than the original strokes but appear lighter and faintly yellowish. The seal on this painting has smooth, uninterrupted endings in the script and a reddish hue, which is clearly wrong."
As Jiang Li elaborated, she held up "The Sparrow Drinking in Spring" for the crowd to see. Initially unnoticed, the discrepancies became evident when compared to her explanations.
Watching Liu Zimin's face grow increasingly grim and Ye Shijie's astonishment deepen, Jiang Li smiled and added, "And the most crucial point: the brilliance of 'The Sparrow Drinking in Spring' lies in Master Zeng's attention to detail. When the sparrow pecks at its reflection, its eyes show the mirrored sparrow in the water, and likewise, the reflection's eyes contain the image of the sparrow on the branch. But in this version of 'The Sparrow Drinking in Spring,' the reflected sparrow's eyes are empty."
"So," Jiang Li concluded with a laugh, "this 'The Sparrow Drinking in Spring' of yours is a fake. Demanding three thousand taels of gold for a counterfeit is nothing but a fantasy."Liu Zimin, flushed with anger and humiliation, reached out to snatch the painting from Jiang Li's hands. But Jiang Li would never let him succeed—Bai Xue had already deftly taken the painting and held it high for everyone to see.
"Do you even know who I am?" Liu Zimin finally shed all pretense, his words turning vicious. "How dare you slander me like this? If my father finds out, you'll be in serious trouble!"
Hearing this, Jiang Li finally wiped the smile from her face and replied coolly, "I don't know who you are. But if you dare speak to me so disrespectfully, my father will make sure you face consequences too."
"I'd like to see which family you belong to! State your name!" Liu Zimin demanded furiously.
"The Jiang family of the capital. Second daughter of the Grand Secretary, Jiang Li," she declared.
Ali: My dad is Li Gang ╭(╯^╰)╮
(End of Chapter)
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