When it comes to Xie Yumo, one has to mention the Xie Family, the pillar of the Great Yi Kingdom. The Xie Family is a military family. Even the women in the family can go to battle and kill the enemy. In the chaotic times back then, it was the ancestor of the Xie Family who held a long spear and helped the founding emperor conquer this country. The 200,000 Xie Family Army even struck terror into the hearts of the enemies.
But by this generation, the Xie Family seemed to be on the verge of decline. General Xie had a total of four sons and one daughter, but the first three sons and one daughter had all passed away, leaving only Xie Yumo.
Back then, when Xie Yumo was thirteen years old, he returned to the capital city of Shangjing with his father from the northern border to report on his duties. He performed sword - dancing in front of the emperor. His amazing swordsmanship greatly pleased the emperor, who immediately bestowed on him a precious sword named "Breaking the Wind". Unfortunately, later on, Xie Yumo fell off his horse and injured his bones. He could no longer hold a sword. Frustrated as a young man, he had since haunted brothels and was no longer the same as before.
Not long after, General Xie and the 200,000 Xie Family Army died in battle in the northern border, with the whole army being wiped out.
The emperor ordered an investigation, which found that General Xie had been greedy for merit and advanced rashly, resulting in the 200,000 Xie Family Army being trapped and dying in the northern border. After that, the Xie Family was convicted, and all 105 members of the Xie Family were slaughtered...
Xie Yumo escaped this disaster, but he led some of the old generals of the Xie Family back to Shangjing City. He said he wanted to clear the name of the Xie Family and almost broke into the imperial palace. Finally, he was shot dead outside the imperial palace by Brother Xiao Qi. He was hit by several arrows, his eyes full of blood and he died with great indignation...
Thinking of this, Xiao Bao'er felt guilty and ashamed, because she knew the truth about the death of General Xie and the 200,000 Xie Family Army. But in her previous life, she didn't speak out for the sake of the Xiao Family. In this life... she wanted to save the Xie Family.
The Princess of Lin'an blushed shyly and curtsied to Xie Yumo. Then she said in a coquettish voice, "Brother Yumo, did you come here specially to see Lin'an?"
The sound made Xiao Bao'er's skin crawl, and she felt a chill all over.
Xie Yumo walked out from among the flowers. The bell on his waist jingled as he walked. Everyone's eyes were involuntarily drawn to him. As he got closer, people found that Xie Yumo's facial features were as perfect as if carved from jade.
"Is this the young General Xie... He is really handsome and extraordinary..."
"Who says no? But the young General Xie haunts the flower - filled places and has countless confidantes. Maybe he even has several illegitimate children. It's really a pity for his good looks."
"Exactly. If he hadn't fallen off his horse, he might have been a brilliant figure in Shangjing City by now. It's really a pity..."
"If he were still the young General Xie from back then, I would definitely beg my parents to let me marry him!"
"Don't even think about it. With his current reputation, no decent girl from any family would dare to marry him."
The whispering of the people below didn't affect Xie Yumo. He stopped when he was still more than ten steps away from the crowd. The smile on his face became even broader. "I was just passing by on my way to the men's seating area over there. I heard that the princess was going to beat someone with a board, so I took a detour to see what was going on."
After saying that, he secretly glanced at Xiao Bao'er, which made Xiao Bao'er feel quite puzzled.
The Princess of Lin'an glanced at Xiao Bao'er and still said in a coquettish voice, "Half a month later is the birthday of the Grand Empress Dowager. Lin'an searched hard and found a genuine work by Master Wei to present. I also heard that Miss Xiao is well - known for her talent. I wanted to ask for her opinion. But unexpectedly, Miss Xiao has poor eyesight and couldn't recognize the genuine work. Lin'an was so angry that she thought Miss Xiao was over - rated. That's why..."
Xie Yumo let out a soft laugh. His peach - blossom eyes were full of charm. When he looked at the Princess of Lin'an, the princess felt as if she was about to drown in those captivating eyes.
His cold and gentle voice sounded, "I also have some experience in ancient painting appreciation. Could the princess let me take a look?"
The Princess of Lin'an was so captivated by Xie Yumo's good looks that she couldn't refuse. She nodded repeatedly and asked the maid to bring the paintings in front of Xie Yumo.
The young man's long and fair fingers stroked the paintings, which made the Princess of Lin'an's throat go dry. She subconsciously swallowed a big mouthful of saliva. If those fingers were to caress her body...
The noble ladies held their breath and watched Xie Yumo, not really expecting the result but simply admiring his good looks.
Then, everyone saw a look of doubt appear on Xie Yumo's face. "Princess, which one did you say was the genuine work just now?"
The Princess of Lin'an pointed at the painting with the green string and answered confidently, "It's this one. Miss Xiao San from the Xiao Mansion also thought so."
Xie Yumo shook his head. "It seems that Miss Xiao San is not as good at ancient painting appreciation as Miss Xiao Da. I've looked at them two or three times, and I still think the one chosen by Miss Xiao Da is the genuine work."
"How is that possible!"
The voice of the Princess of Lin'an suddenly became shrill. Then she saw the shocked expression on Xie Yumo's face and awkwardly softened her voice. "How is that possible? Brother Yumo, did you misread? I told someone to paint the fake one. How could I not tell which is real and which is fake?"
What Xie Yumo did next surprised everyone present.
They saw him order a maid to bring a cup of tea. He splashed water on the mountings of the two paintings respectively, and then carefully wiped them dry with a handkerchief. Before long, the painting with the green string showed signs of damage, while the painting with the red string separated from the bottom layer, revealing the unique reddish - brown seal of Master Wei.
"Look, when Master Wei's paintings were mounted, a special technique was used. In order not to damage the composition of the painting, Master Wei's seals were always printed on the bottom before mounting. This is common knowledge."
Xie Yumo's words shocked Xiao Jinghui greatly. She looked at the Princess of Lin'an with a panicked look in her eyes.
What was going on? The Princess of Lin'an clearly told her that the painting with the red string was the fake one. How could it be the real one now? Just now, she had been so confident in front of everyone, but now she was exposed in public.
The Princess of Lin'an was also a bit confused. She looked at her personal maid Shihua standing beside her, but Shihua averted her eyes and didn't dare to look the princess in the eye.
As soon as Xie Yumo frowned, Shihua noticed something was wrong. She asked the little maid in charge of tying the strings. When she saw the little maid holding the red string but insisting it was green and the green string but insisting it was red, Shihua knew that things had gone wrong.
This little maid was actually red - green color - blind!
Shihua lowered her head and explained in a low voice. Seeing the angry look on the Princess of Lin'an's face, she wished she could kneel down and kowtow to plead for forgiveness on the spot.
The Princess of Lin'an let out a dry laugh. "So... it turns out to be like this. It seems that Lin'an wrongly blamed Miss Xiao Da. Miss Xiao San, you are not well - trained. You almost misled this princess. I trusted you so much!"
Xiao Jinghui's face turned pale. She quickly pleaded for forgiveness. "Please forgive me, princess. It... it's my fault. I won't show off my meager skills and make a fool of myself in the future."
The noble ladies below were not all stupid. Seeing the appearance of the Princess of Lin'an and her maid, they vaguely guessed something but didn't say it out. They just quietly watched the drama in front of them.
Xiao Bao'er stood there like an invisible person and secretly let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she didn't have to be beaten with a board. If she had to say something more, she really wouldn't know what to say. Fortunately, Xie Yumo showed up.
Xie Yumo was also the one who had identified the fake painting in front of the empress dowager in the previous life. However, at that time, Xie Yumo had been very straightforward. He had directly torn the whole painting apart and sneered at the person who had chosen the painting for being blind.
"Since Young Master Xie has recognized the genuine work, let's just end this matter. Everyone, continue..."
Just as the Princess of Lin'an wanted to brush this matter aside, Xie Yumo spoke up.
"Wait a minute. Didn't Sister Lin'an say just now that she was going to beat the person who misrecognized the painting with a board? Why aren't you going to beat now?"
The Princess of Lin'an was dazed by Xie Yumo's call of "sister". She stared at Xie Yumo's face in a daze and murmured unconsciously, "Beat, still beat."
Hearing that the Princess of Lin'an still wanted to beat someone, the nanny beside her quickly grabbed Xiao Jinghui and was ready to take her away to be beaten with a board.