Chapter 3: Little Girl is Interesting

  In two days, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival. The people of various colors in the Gongfu Temple have been busy with their feet off the ground. Hanging lanterns, preparing festive pastries, sweeping the courtyard, wiping furniture, there are always many things to do.

  Shen Ao and Wu San'er were assigned to wipe the furniture, today Zhou Dashao went out early in the morning, the two carried wooden buckets into Zhou Dashao's bedroom, one wiping the floor, the other wiping the table and chairs, chatting while they worked.

  Wu San'er was the most informed about the news in the mansion, and she told Shen Ao all the interesting stories. Shen Ao had been thinking about Shu Tong's matter, and asked: "Has the candidate for Shu Tong been selected yet?"

  "Wu Saniu said: 'It's almost done, the master of the inner court has recommended his distant nephew, and the lady's side says it's just to take a look. I'm afraid there will be results in one or two days. I advise Brother Shen to be more down-to-earth, we are just small servants in the mansion, can't compare with others.'"

  Shen Ao's heart was secretly calculating, he must strive for this book boy.

  Shen Ao is like that, either don't do it or do it to the best. Once the decision is made, there are no conditions to create conditions and complete them.

  "Third son, you must be afraid that after I enter the inner court, there will be no one to keep you company." Shen Ao was naturally an optimistic person. Although he knew it would be extremely difficult to compete for this position, he wasn't worried at all.

  Wu Sān'ér said: "Who says that? You leave and I live alone in a house, how comfortable it is."

  "Is that so?" Shen Ao smiled and wiped the stool leg with a rag, intentionally or unintentionally: "One person guarding an empty house, this kind of lonely taste is not good to suffer."

  Wu San'er also burst out laughing.

  Just then, a young maid walked in with a scowl on her face and asked, "Who's been keeping the lonely widow company?"

  This girl has a melon-seed-shaped face, with slightly plump skin, a nose like goose fat, and big eyes under thick eyebrows. She is indeed the Chun'er that Wu San'er mentioned last night.

  Wu Saniu saw Chun'er and was so frightened that she didn't dare to speak again, clutching the rag in her hand and scrubbing the floor vigorously. On the other hand, Shen Ao had no fear at all, smiling and saying: "Of course it's not Miss Chun'er."

  "Chun'er angrily said: 'How did you know my name?'"

  "It's over, the scheme has been exposed." Shen Ao glanced at Wu San'er, considering whether to expose this guy. Last time Chun'er passed by from outside the mansion, it was this guy who pointed her out to him. Otherwise, how could a young maid and a small servant, one in the inner courtyard and one in the outer courtyard, know each other's names?

  "It seems I have no choice but to sell you out." Shen Ao looked at Wu San'er with ill intentions, secretly laughing in his heart, just about to 'confess'.

  Chun'er didn't have the mind to investigate further, and instead gazed deeply at Shen Ao: "You, come with me to the outer courtyard to move Madame's potted plants."

  Shen Ao shook his head: "The master said so, today I and he are only responsible for cleaning, Chun'er young lady should find someone else."

  "Go on, then!" Chun'er stamped her foot. No servant in the mansion dared to speak to her like that before.

  "Why did Chun'er girl have to call me? Unbelievable, could it be that she has taken a liking to this humble servant...?" Shen Ao narrowed his eyes and sized up Chun'er with ill intentions.

  Shen Ao's way of staring at people was later called "electric eyes", and in this era, it could barely be called "communicating with eyebrows". Chun'er was measured by Shen Ao without any scruples, and suddenly lost her confidence, after all, she was a girl, and no matter how fierce she was, she couldn't get fierce.

  "Cough, cough... Spring girl, we are impossible." Shen Ao put down the towel and stood up straight, with a dashing young master's demeanor. His eyes fixed on Spring as he spoke, taking step by step closer to her.

  "What? What's impossible?" A hint of confusion flashed through Chun'er's bright eyes.

  "That... is just that... you know?"

  "Which one? I don't understand." Chun'er suddenly realized that the young man opposite her was so bold, in front of her husband's personal servant, he actually came over and stuck to her face, she could almost smell his breath.

  "What is that? What does it mean to understand again? When did a rascal come into the mansion? Should I shout for help? It doesn't seem quite right, this guy's appearance is actually quite likable, how can he be so dissolute?"

  Chun'er found her face was scalding hot, and countless thoughts were swirling in her mind.

  "Hey, come over here again and I'll shout."

  Shen Ao took another step forward, his boots already touching Chun'er's embroidered shoes: "Doesn't Miss Chun'er understand yet?"

  "I don't understand!" Chun'er's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum.

  "It's me and him..." His hand pointed at Wu San Er, who was staring blankly: "It's impossible... Impossible to move the potted plants with Chun Er, doesn't Chun Er understand now?"

  Dealing with this little girl, Shen Ao was still able to capture her easily, and in an instant, he had Chun'er at a loss.

  "It turned out to be like this......" Chun'er let out a sigh, and immediately felt that she was being teased by Shen Ao. She glared at Shen Ao with anger: "You have such a big mouth, you dare not listen to my words, I'll go tell the mistress."

  "Hey......" Shen Ao pulled her back: "You won't be so petty, it was just a joke."

  "Who's teasing you?" Chun'er blurted out, only to find her hand being held by Shen Ao. She tried to shake it off with a jolt of electricity, but couldn't break free. Her eyes suddenly turned red and tears welled up: "You're bullying me, you're bullying me, I'm going to tell the mistress..."

  "Still has a childlike temperament, always crying and telling tales at the drop of a hat."

  Shen Ao let her go and said, "Alright, alright, I'll follow you to move."

  Chun'er bit her lip and glared at him: "You're not a good person."

  Shen Ao shrugged: "You see, you come in and shout loudly, pointing fingers. Who is not a good person? We little servants also have self-respect, okay?"

  "Self-respect? I've never heard a young servant like you say that before." Chun'er thought to herself, actually this kind of little girl's temperament isn't all bad, it's just that the mistress dotes on her and the servants below respect her, so she's developed some spoiled habits. At this time, her heart softened, and in a gentle tone, she said: "So can I ask you to go help the mistress move the potted plants?"

  Shen Ao supported his chin and thought seriously for a moment, saying: "Alright, then this... young servant will reluctantly agree."

  "Ha! You're really something!"

  Just as Shen Ao put down the towel, a madman rushed in, shouting "Wah" and acting wildly.

  "Is Chun'er here too? Haha, you've come just in time. Quick, have this painting mounted for me..." Zhou Heng said excitedly to Chun'er, holding a scroll of painting.

  His eyes fell on Shen Ao: "You, immediately take my name card and invite people. Tomorrow afternoon, ask them to come to the mansion for a drink. All the young masters in Beijing must be invited, not one can be left out."

  Zhou Heng's spirit was lifted, and he proudly patted his waist: "I want to let all of Beijing know, I want everyone to come and see the famous painting given to me by Qinghe County Master. Haha, Zhou Heng is elegant and refined, with exceptional literary talent, it's only a matter of time before I win the favor of Qinghe County Master."

  Shen Ao's eyes almost popped out, the legendary Qinghe Junzhu was not only stunningly beautiful, but also had a high level of attainment in poetry and painting. Would such a great beauty take a liking to Zhou Heng? And even give him a famous painting?

  Shen Ao went to receive Zhou Heng's painting and said, "Young master, I am the most skilled at mounting paintings. Let me help you mount it."

  As he spoke, he unrolled a painting on the octagonal table, and a picture unfolded before Zhou Heng's eyes. The painting was "The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest", but only four sages were left in the picture. The faces, postures, and expressions of the four sages were all different, and they were supplemented by servant boys and utensils to enrich their personality traits.

  "Picture of Seven Sages in the Bamboo Forest?" Shen Ao's eyes turned green, staring blankly at the outline of the mountain rocks drawn with fine, tight and powerful lines, and the texture of the mountain rocks was meticulously rendered. And those sages, either sitting or lying down, showed a sense of ease. This work by Tang Dynasty artist Sun Wei almost brought the demeanor and behavior of the seven sages to life.

  The painting of the Seven Sages has been reduced to a fragment, with only four sages remaining. However, in later generations, this work became priceless and highly sought after.

  "Priceless treasure." Shen Ao sighed inwardly.

  Zhou Heng said with a pleased smile, "It's indeed the 'Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest' painting. The princess gave it to me as a gift, she must have had a discerning eye and considered me a virtuous person. Ha ha..."

  "TMD, what a thing." Shen Ao cursed in his heart, and his gaze, which had been scanning the Seven Sages Painting, suddenly stopped, then burst out laughing.

  "Sir, this painting is a forgery."

  "Fake?" Zhou Heng's eyeballs almost fell out, and he immediately scolded: "You lowly person understand what? This is the county lord's intention, how can it be fake..." Although he said this with his mouth, in his heart he was still a bit uncertain, stretching his neck to take a look.

  "Look, young master," Shen Ao said, pointing to the attendant in the painting. "This painting is a clever forgery. However, the lines of this attendant are a bit stiff, and here..." Shen Ao pressed his finger on the painting, and immediately a faint mark appeared where his finger was: "The ink is not dry, obviously a new work. And look at the inscription, this person may be good at forging famous paintings, but forging someone else's handwriting is apparently a bit unfamiliar to him. The author of this painting, Sun Wei, was a carefree person, and the inscription should have been written in one breath, but here there are obvious signs of tracing."

  "Furthermore, this painting is said to be a treasure from the palace, collected by the current emperor. Even if it was bestowed upon the Princess of Qinghe, how could she possibly give it away so easily?"

  Zhou Heng's face turned green, Shen Ao's words he didn't dare to believe, yet had no choice but to believe. This guy spoke with such conviction and certainty that Zhou Heng found it hard not to believe him.

  "Do you also understand painting?"

  Shen Ao smiled slightly and said, "I know a thing or two." His words were humble, but in his heart, he was even more arrogant than Zhou Heng. He hated to say to Zhou Heng, "The fake famous paintings I made are not less than 800, only the microscope of later generations can see the flaws, and appraising famous paintings is just a game?"

  Zhou Heng furrowed his brow: "Since it's a forgery, why didn't the Qinghe County Master tell Ben Gongzi? What does this mean? Is it to test Ben Gongzi?"

  Shen Ao said: "I'm afraid Qinghe County will mainly make things difficult for the young master."

  "Sir, you think, with your character, if you got this painting, would you invite people to come and see it?"

  Zhou Heng nodded: "This young master has a wide range of social connections, and naturally there will be many good friends coming together to appreciate it."

  "This is it. With more people watching, everyone knows that the princess gave the young master a famous painting. But one day, someone will find out if there's a flaw or not?"

  Zhou Heng thought for a moment and said, "That's right."

  Shen Ao continued: "This matter is well-known to everyone, but once it's discovered that this is a fake painting, what will others say?"

  Zhou Heng's face turned green: "There will definitely be many people laughing at me. Saying that this young master has no eyesight, and can't even tell a fake painting apart."

  Shen Ao smiled slightly: "I'm afraid it's not just that, people's words are to be feared, maybe someone will say that the young master wants to eat swan meat."

  "Who dares to say?" Zhou Heng gritted his teeth and said: "Quickly, put this painting away, and don't let anyone mention this matter again."

  Just now he was still in high spirits, but Zhou Heng is now like a defeated rooster. In his heart, he secretly congratulated himself, fortunately, fortunately, this fake painting was discovered in time, otherwise, if someone had come to see it, the whole city of Bianjing would have been laughing at him in just a few days.

  "The county master sent this fake painting to humiliate me? No way, I won't swallow this. What's your name?" Zhou Heng seriously sized up Shen Ao for the first time, feeling that this little servant looked somewhat familiar, but in his eyes, all lower-class people looked alike.

  "My name is Shen Ao."

  Zhou Heng clenched his fists and said: "Shen Ao? Come with me, let's go find the princess. I want to interrogate her and see what she's really after."

  "Sir, you can't go."

  "Why?" Zhou Heng was used to being arrogant and domineering, how could he tolerate this, the fire in his belly was about to erupt.

  Shen Ao said: "Even if the young master goes, it will be of no use. I have an idea."

  "Sir, I think the princess thought you were a rustic and deliberately brought a fake painting to humiliate you. Why don't we also forge a 'Seven Sages' painting to give back to her? First, to tell her that her trick has been exposed by us, and secondly, to let her see our skills."

  "Fake painting of the Seven Sages?" Zhou Heng exclaimed in surprise: "Although this young master has some talent, he can only imitate ducks and small chickens, but is not good at painting the Seven Sages."

  "What a naive fool." Shen Ao restrained his urge to kick him to death.

  "I have some insights into painting." Shen Ao's eyes rolled around with a hint of mischief, and he recommended himself.

  "Oh? You can?" Zhou Heng looked at Shen Ao with a skeptical gaze.

  Shen Ao said: "It's not me bragging, but the level of copying is at least higher than this painting."

  "This is great, heaven is helping me. Shen Ao, you don't have to do chores anymore, immediately copy the Seven Sages painting for me, and after it's done, this young master will heavily reward you, haha..." Zhou Heng turned from anger to joy, pulled out a paper fan from his waist, and fanned himself with a very elegant gesture.

  "You dare to underestimate me? Haha, just wait and see, I'll make you all open your eyes wide." Zhou Heng thought of presenting a painting of the Seven Sages to the Princess of Qinghe County, and burst into another fit of hearty laughter.

  Shen Ao pursed his lips: "Want to paint, it's not that easy. Take this 'Seven Sages' painting for example, it was created by Sun Wei of the Tang Dynasty. The paper used is from the Tang era, and the ink is Huī Mò (a type of expensive ink). Both are quite pricey..."

  Zhou Heng waved his paper fan and interrupted Shen Ao: "No problem, no problem, I'll go buy it."

  Shen Ao said: "Moreover, to make a fake painting, it takes a lot of time and requires several people's hands. Why not ask Xiang'er and Wu San'er to be my assistants?"

  "Never mind, never mind, I'll go and talk to Mother about Xiang Er's matter."

  Shen Ao's eyes swept across the room and landed on him, a faint smile on his face: "I heard that Young Master needs a book boy? What does Young Master think of me?"

  "You're just a lowly servant, I'm doing you a favor by noticing you, what's with all the nonsense?"

  "Ah, young master," Shen Ao laughed, "it's not easy to choose a good book boy, you know. For instance, a book boy can draw pictures for you, or copy out calligraphy and whatnot. You don't just want some little servant, do you?"

  Zhou Heng's paper fan paused for a moment, and he tilted his head to think: "Alright, as long as you can draw a good copy, I'll go talk to my mother, and she'll let you be my study servant."

  "A gentleman's word is as good as gold, and even a team of horses cannot catch up with it." Shen Ao stretched out his palm.

  "What are you doing?" Zhou Heng was stunned.

  "Clap your hands as an oath."

  "Haha, interesting! No problem, no problem, I'll give you a high-five." Zhou Heng laughed and stretched out his palm.