A look of interest flashed across the face of the Princess of Lin'an. "Oh? Miss Xiao actually has such discerning eyes. Then please come up, Miss Xiao, and help this princess appraise these paintings. If you choose the real one, I'll reward you with a hundred taels of silver. But if you're wrong," her voice paused, and a cold sneer curled up the corner of her mouth. "If you're wrong and make this princess look bad in front of the Grand Empress Dowager, that's an act of great disrespect!"
Great disrespect!
The noble ladies gasped in horror at these words. Disrespecting the royal family was a crime punishable by beheading. Could this Miss Xiao really choose the right painting?
Some of the more observant ones came to their senses and whispered to each other. "I feel like the Princess of Lin'an is deliberately making things difficult for Miss Xiao. It's too much to start like this..."
The person beside her quickly tugged at her sleeve. "Shh! Keep your voice down. Just keep it to yourself. Don't make a fuss. Be careful the princess will ask you to choose the painting too."
The whispers of the crowd reached Xiao Bao'er's ears. Facing the expectant looks of the onlookers, Xiao Bao'er reluctantly stood up and was about to decline. After all, she really didn't know how to appraise paintings.
But Xiao Jinghui sensed Xiao Bao'er's intention and interrupted her first. "Elder sister, just give it a try. Today is the princess's flower - viewing banquet. Let's just have some fun for the princess. Sister won't spoil the princess's mood, right?"
Declining would mean spoiling the fun, and not declining would mean making a fool of herself. Xiao Bao'er felt like she was being put on the spot by Xiao Jinghui. She gritted her teeth and stepped forward. She knew today would be tough, but she didn't expect it to be this suffocating. In her previous life, she didn't experience this. Because of that fall, she was still changing clothes in her room when it was time to choose the painting.
It was only after returning to the mansion that she heard about this from Lingzhi. She said that the Princess of Lin'an had rewarded Third Miss Xiao Jinghui with a hundred taels of silver because Xiao Jinghui had chosen the real painting.
But ironically, that painting was publicly exposed as a fake at the Grand Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, which made the Princess of Lin'an lose a great deal of face. So which one did Xiao Jinghui choose back then, the one on the left or the one on the right?
While Xiao Bao'er was deep in thought, Xiao Jinghui stood on one side, her palms sweating nervously. She and the princess had set this trap to make Xiao Bao'er look bad. The real painting was tied with a green string, and the fake one with a red string for identification. To be on the safe side, they had also aged the fake painting. They thought it would be more than enough to deceive someone who didn't know how to appraise paintings.
After Xiao Bao'er chose the fake painting, she would then choose the real one and plead for Xiao Bao'er in front of the princess. In this way, they didn't really have to punish Xiao Bao'er, and at the same time, they could save the princess's face. After all, her father was the prime minister, and she would also gain a good reputation. It was really a win - win situation.
But if Xiao Bao'er chose the real painting, the people the princess had arranged among the noble ladies in advance would say some ambiguous words. Given Xiao Bao'er's personality, she would surely waver. With a little more persuasion from them, the matter would basically be settled.
The two paintings looked exactly the same on the surface. Xiao Bao'er looked at them until her head hurt and couldn't find any difference.
In the Xiao Mansion, Mrs. Xiao never bothered to teach Xiao Bao'er music, chess, calligraphy, or painting. When she was a child, seeing her sisters playing the piano or painting, she had pleaded with Mrs. Xiao with envy in her eyes to let her learn too. But Mrs. Xiao had used the saying "a woman without talent is virtuous" to fob her off. She even didn't allow Xiao Bao'er to learn basic reading and writing.
Later, Xiao Bao'er secretly stole books from her brothers' yards and found out that "a woman without talent is virtuous" didn't mean what Mrs. Xiao had explained at all.
Facing the current predicament, Xiao Bao'er had no way out. After all, something she didn't know in her previous life, she still didn't know even after being reborn.
So she just pointed randomly and chose the painting tied with a red string. When she saw the look of joy on Xiao Jinghui's face, she knew she had chosen the right one.
But then she started to worry. Now the Princess of Lin'an thought the real painting was the fake one and the fake one was the real one. Even if she had chosen the right one, how could she explain it and make everyone believe that the painting she had chosen was the real one?
"Has Miss Xiao made her choice? Is this the genuine one?"
The princess's voice made everyone tense up, and they secretly held their breaths for Xiao Bao'er.
Xiao Bao'er nodded. "Your Highness, this subject has made her choice. The painting I've chosen is the genuine one."
Hearing this, the Princess of Lin'an sneered and slammed her teacup on the table. "Bold! This princess has always heard that Miss Xiao is very talented, so I wanted to consult you. But now, with just a simple test, you've shown your true colors."
Xiao Jinghui took the opportunity to chime in. "Your Highness, please calm down. Elder sister is just a bit confused for a moment. This subject thinks the other painting is the real one. This painting was done by Lady Wei of the previous dynasty. Lady Wei's landscape paintings are famous for their delicate and realistic brushstrokes. Although the other painting looks similar, the end of the brushstrokes is a bit too rigid. Moreover, the signs of artificial aging on the other painting are too obvious. So this subject thinks this one is the genuine one."
The Princess of Lin'an nodded appreciatively. "Miss Xiao is right. This one is indeed the genuine one."
Seeing that the princess agreed with Xiao Jinghui, the noble ladies looked at her with envy.
"I didn't expect Miss Xiao to be the one with real talent. On the contrary, Miss Xiao..."
"Exactly. If you don't know, just say you don't understand. Why try to show off? Now you've just made a fool of yourself."
The flattery and praise from the crowd made Xiao Jinghui squint her eyes contentedly. She looked at Xiao Bao'er proudly, hoping to see embarrassment and distress on her face. If today's incident got out, the Crown Prince would surely notice her, right?
But the eyes behind Xiao Bao'er's veil showed a half - smiling look, which made Xiao Jinghui frown.
"Miss Xiao, if this princess had listened to you and presented the fake painting to the Grand Empress Dowager, have you ever thought about the consequences?! Although your father is Prime Minister Xiao, to prevent you from being so reckless in the future, this princess will reward you with twenty boards. Guards, take her away."
The old maids around immediately stepped forward upon hearing this, but were stopped by Xiao Bao'er raising her hand.
"Your Highness, please look here. In the upper - right corner of the painting chosen by Third Sister, the color used to paint the clouds has started to fade. But the pigments used by Lady Wei were all specially made and worth a thousand taels of silver. They won't fade for a thousand years."
Everyone looked over curiously and saw that the color in that area was obviously lighter. Compared with the same - colored area beside it, there was a big difference.
When the Princess of Lin'an saw the green string on the painting, she was convinced that it was the real one. She disdainfully thought that Xiao Bao'er was just struggling in vain. "So what? Maybe Lady Wei deliberately painted it with different shades. Apart from this, can you point out any other differences? If not, then go down and receive the punishment..."
"Ah..."
Suddenly, a soft chuckle from a man interrupted the Princess of Lin'an. Everyone turned around and saw a young man standing in the flower bushes. The young man had a pair of peach - blossom eyes that seemed to be smiling, a straight and upright figure, and was wearing a sky - blue robe, standing against the wind. The surrounding flowers seemed to be just a foil for him. The corners of his mouth curled up into a soul - stirring smile, and the red mole at the corner of his eye added a touch of coquettish charm to him.
Many noble ladies blushed and turned their heads away, not daring to look directly at such a stunning young man. They just stole glances at him from the corners of their eyes.
The moment the Princess of Lin'an saw the young man, she stood up excitedly. "Brother Yu Mo!"
Xiao Bao'er didn't know who this person was, but she couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of her heart that this person was really good - looking. Just standing there, he was like a carefully drawn scroll.
After hearing the Princess of Lin'an call the young man's name, Xiao Bao'er's heart skipped a beat.
Yu Mo?
Xie Yu Mo?
Was it the Xie Yu Mo who was shot into a hedgehog by the Seventh Brother Xiao in her previous life?