Never divorce, never stop getting rich

The Grand Tutor wiped his sweat, looked at the painting Qian Qiansui gave him again and again, gritted his teeth and said:

"This painting technique is indeed that of the Painting Saint, but I have never heard of the Painting Saint painting anything other than mountains and rivers. Of course, I am limited in knowledge and know very little about the Painting Saint. I beg Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, and Your Majesty to forgive me."

The words were not final, but the ambiguous look made it easy for others to think that the Grand Tutor must have realized that the painting was a copy, but was too embarrassed to say it directly, so he could only belittle himself to give face to the Marquis' Mansion.

Many self-righteous know-it-alls immediately perked up and squinted their eyes and smiled:

"I've known this for a long time. I felt something was wrong when I took out that painting before. If such an ordinary scroll were an authentic work, it would definitely be placed in a sandalwood box. How could it be so casual?"

"That's right. Hey, the Qian family is finished. They gave such a shabby birthday gift. Even if it's a replica, they should have given some imitations of paintings by masters of the previous dynasty. I don't know where they found the painter for this little country house."

"I heard that all the exiled members of the Qian family are dead. Tsk tsk tsk... many people say they are rich but unkind."

"That's not groundless. I've heard that Madam Qian is quite a powerful woman.

"He relied on the support of the Marquis' Mansion and went to my cousin's house. Not only did he instigate a breakup between my sister and her husband, he also beat my ex-brother-in-law half to death. Now my ex-brother-in-law and his family are still in jail, and it's unclear whether they can get out."

"Is this lady so arrogant? I didn't expect her to be so sweet. I didn't expect her to be so cruel and ruthless."

"Let's see how she makes up stories. The Grand Master says it's fake, so how can she make it up? So, it's better not to try to be too gullible, or you'll suffer retribution."

But apart from these people, there are still a small number of people who really understand painting. It’s just that they are usually cautious and don’t like to talk loudly in such occasions. So they keep the matter in their hearts and plan to discuss it with their elders at home after returning.

After all, the paintings of the Painting Saint are now worth a fortune and cannot be measured by money at all. If this painting is indeed the fourth painting left by the Painting Saint, it will definitely be an irresistible temptation for literati.

"What would Brother Chan's daughter-in-law say?" The eldest princess didn't think the painting was real. The concubine was so kind that she was about to pluck the feathers of the passing geese. She only pretended to be indifferent to worldly affairs. What good things could the Qian family leave behind?

Can Qian Qiansui admit that this painting was painted by her?

Definitely not. She has been very busy in the past half month. Not only has she replicated the painting saint's painting techniques, but she also has to make the painting look old. The painting saint has been dead for almost 500 years in this time and space. It is impossible for the painting to be as smooth as new.

Anyway, as long as she insists on the authenticity of this painting, even if God comes, it will be the original.

"This painting is a family heirloom of the Qian family. There is absolutely no possibility of a copy."

Such a decisive statement brought about a wave of private ridicule, but soon, those who knew the Saint of Painting had different ideas.

"I seem to have heard that the Qian family in Qingzhou has a painting by the painting saint hidden away."

"Isn't that a rumor? Besides, weren't all the paintings confiscated during the previous raid? I've never heard of such a painting."

"Maybe this is it. It's possible that it was given as a dowry for my daughter."

Qian Qiansui suddenly relaxed. Her Qian family already had such a painting. As for what the painting depicted, no one knew.

She glanced at the Grand Princess and the Dowager Concubine. When something happened to the Qian family in Qingzhou, it was impossible for Fu Zichan to handle it all so quickly on his own. There must have been other people involved.

And the real original painting by the great master may be in someone's house here.

If you have the guts, just jump out and say that the painting in the Qian Mansion is not a picture of chickens pecking at rice, and let Qian Qiansui take a look and see who is so shameless.

"This is happening in front of His Majesty. If I don't tell the truth, I will be committing the crime of deceiving the emperor." The eldest princess now realized that the empress was involved.

"I have been seeing this painting since I was a child, and there is no way I am wrong about it." Qian Qiansui took the opportunity to scan the expressions of the people around him, which was truly wonderful.

"You've seen it since you were a child, so it's the original? Qian, you're still young, it's normal for you to be deceived. Hurry up and present the birthday gift and return home."

The Concubine Dowager had long known that the Qian family had the authentic works of the Saint of Painting, and she knew too well what the authentic works were, so she really couldn't bear to listen any longer and just wanted this woman to go back quickly, as she had already been embarrassed enough here today.

Leave? How is that possible? If Qian Qiansui walks out like this today, her reputation will be ruined tomorrow. Expecting her to submit and become a stepping stone for the Marquis' Mansion is just a daydream!

"Toffee..."

"Where is the painting? Where is the painting?" Before the eunuchs outside could report, a handsome middle-aged man ran in hurriedly, lifting his robe.

As soon as I entered the hall, I saw the picture of chickens pecking at rice, and I couldn't take my eyes off it.

Qian Qiansui widened his eyes and hurried to look at the empress. Sure enough, he saw the fleeting pampering and helplessness on the empress's face.

As expected, the CP in the book is the easiest to ship. She can be said to be shipping the CP firsthand, and it was posted by the real person.

"Lord Pei." The Taifu's heart sank when he saw that it was the Prime Minister. No one here, except the Empress, knew better than him how much the Prime Minister liked the paintings of the previous dynasty's Master of Painting.

This man once turned down a huge reward just to go and see a picture of the landscape in the national treasury.

"Master Yang." The Prime Minister just replied casually and immersed himself in the selfless state of appreciating the painting. He observed it bit by bit with a certain piety and forgot all the officials he brought with him.

The empress was curious and amused, so she could only ask the eunuch to greet those ministers. Who knew that these ministers were also painting enthusiasts. They followed Prime Minister Pei closely, not only observing carefully but also communicating with each other.

"It's very similar. Look at this. Although this isn't the landscape painting the Master of Painting loves, only a Master of Painting could mix these unique pigments."

"Not to mention the pigment, even the private seal was missing a little bit. No one who tried to imitate his painting could imitate his private seal, so he simply used his own private seal to directly indicate that it was a forgery.

But look at the private seal on this painting. The missing seal is exactly the same as before. How could it not be an authentic work?

"This technique is becoming increasingly sophisticated. It must be a work from his later years of landscape painting. After devoting himself to the landscape, he returned to the wildness of the countryside, working from sunrise to sunset. Isn't that pleasant? The painting master must have enjoyed such a life."

"No wonder I haven't seen any of his works since then. The painting master must have retired to the countryside!"

Qian Qiansui's cheeks became hot as she listened to this. She didn't know whether the Saint of Painting had retired to the countryside or not, but she was thinking of the farm life in her previous life.

[System, have all the works after the Painting Saint disappeared in the chaos of war?]

[Host, please wait a moment. According to historical records available here, after completing the first three paintings, the Painting Saint, despite his family's dissuasion, crossed the uninhabited forest alone and fell off a cliff, dying.]

Well, this is the ancient version of a suicidal hiker. I didn’t expect that this guy only has three paintings!

"I wonder if Madam Wen is willing to give up her love!"

The Prime Minister's voice echoed in the hall. The ladies who had just spoken out and concluded that the painting was a fake suddenly felt like they had been slapped hard in the face.