TGCFNM -Chapter 344 Shangguan Han

At this moment, Steward Liu lightly knocked on the door and entered. He bowed to Chu Ling and said, “My lord, the two young masters of the Shangguan family have come to pay a visit.”

Chu Ling raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Let them in.”

“Yes.” Steward Liu responded and went to receive them.

“Why would the Shangguan brothers come here?” Wan Sanjin asked, a puzzled look on his face.

Chu Ling furrowed her brow, thinking carefully for a moment. Then she quickly remembered the matter of the iron mine. Back then, she had asked Hong Shiyuan to deliver the evidence about the iron mine to Lord Shangguan in the capital. Since Lord Shangguan was Minister of Works, it was fitting for him to handle it. So the Shangguan brothers had probably come to express their thanks.

“Greetings, my lord,” the two Shangguan brothers said in unison.

Chu Ling waved them in and said, “Have a seat and have some tea. What brings you here?”

Shangguan Shi nodded. “My brother and I were sent by our father to express his gratitude. Father is busy with the investigation and couldn’t come himself.”

Chu Ling asked in surprise, “Only now starting the investigation?”

Shangguan Shi nodded apologetically. “Now is the right time. Earlier, we were detained because of the imperial examinations, and it seems the Emperor was very angry at the court at that time.”

Fu Qingyu thought for a moment and understood.

Chu Ling also realized: Lord Shangguan’s timing for investigating the iron mine conveniently avoided the Emperor’s wrath, so the Shangguan family had escaped the reckoning this time.

Wan Sanjin glanced at Shangguan Cheng carrying something and asked, “Is that silver inside?”

Shangguan Cheng widened his eyes. “Silver in a food box? No, these are snacks made by our mother, brought specially to thank you, my lord.”

Wan Sanjin made a small disappointed sound. “Silver would’ve been more convenient, actually.”

Shangguan Cheng gritted his teeth. “This is the capital. Do you think I dare openly bribe anyone?”

“That’s why you came in the middle of the night,” Wan Sanjin said with a look of “you wouldn’t understand,” leaving Shangguan Cheng a little frustrated.

Just then, Steward Liu returned.

“My lord, the young master of the Nangong family is here to pay his respects. It should be Nangong Han.”

“What’s he here for?” Shangguan Cheng sneered. “Nangong Jue is dead, and Nangong Jing is leading the Qingqi army in Dongle City. This illegitimate son thinks he finally has a chance?”

Shangguan Shi noticed Chu Ling looked a bit confused and explained, “Nangong Han was born to the Nangong clan chief’s second wife, whom the chief married later. By rights, he is also a legitimate son.”

Wan Sanjin poked Shangguan Cheng. “You don’t get along with Nangong Han?”

Shangguan Cheng gritted his teeth. “We don’t get along!”

Shangguan Shi awkwardly added, “My elder brother and Nangong Han have had conflicts before.”

Wan Sanjin understood immediately and poked Shangguan Cheng again. “Did you win?”

Chu Ling laughed. “If he had won, he wouldn’t look like this now… Steward Liu, let him in. I want to ask why he’s come.”

“Yes, my lord.” Steward Liu responded and went to open the door to receive him.

A short while later, Steward Liu led Nangong Han into the room.

Nangong Han was a man of striking appearance, his demeanor calm and composed. He first bowed to Chu Ling, then greeted Wan Sanjin, and after that clasped his hands to greet Fu Qingyu and Shangguan Shi. Finally, he shot a disdainful glare at Shangguan Cheng.

Shangguan Cheng slammed the table, ready to curse.

Chu Ling lightly cleared her throat, stopping him with a glance, then looked at Nangong Han and asked, “Did you come to see me for some matter?”

“I do have a matter,” Nangong Han replied with a slight smile. “When my eldest sister returned, she mentioned that my brother’s case was resolved only thanks to your efforts. So, upon learning that you were in the capital, I hurried here to pay my respects.”

“It’s nothing, just a small matter,” Chu Ling smiled.

Nangong Han shook his head. “This is no small matter for the Nangong family. I wanted to offer a generous gift to show my gratitude, but I felt that a lavish present would be an insult to you, so I specially brought an invitation instead.”

Chu Ling smiled awkwardly. A mere invitation instead of a grand gift—what use was that?

“An invitation to the painting master’s viewing?” Chu Ling read the words on the card. “What does this mean?”

“Where did you get this invitation?” Shangguan Cheng immediately asked.

Nangong Han smiled faintly. “Naturally, it was given by my father; otherwise, such an invitation would be impossible to obtain outside.”

Fu Qingyu explained to Chu Ling, “You’ve just arrived in the capital and may not know. This painting master is Xu Shiyin, a highly renowned artist. His portraits are lifelike to the point that they seem real, astonishing anyone who sees them, almost unreal.”

Shangguan Shi continued, “Over the past year, the painting master has been working in the Canghua Pavilion, so this invitation is to observe him at the Canghua Pavilion.”

Wan Sanjin poked Chu Ling. “Master, the Canghua Pavilion is the largest pleasure house in the capital. The girls there adore the rouge from our Yunyan Pavilion.”

Chu Ling nodded casually but still didn’t quite understand. It was just a skilled portrait artist—why did this invitation sound so precious?

“The painting master’s skill is truly divine. Even the subject of the painting cannot tell us apart,” Nangong Han said, deliberately glancing at the food box Shangguan Cheng was holding.

Shangguan Cheng slammed the table in anger. “It’s just a courtesan, so most people go merely to see her. Besides, painting one person leads to their death—what’s so entertaining about that?”

“Hmph, Young Master Shangguan doesn’t understand these matters, so naturally he doesn’t value the rarity of such art,” Nangong Han said disdainfully, turning his head away.

“Painting one, death follows?” Chu Ling looked at Fu Qingyu, questioning.

Fu Qingyu explained, “The Canghua Pavilion is the largest pleasure house in the capital. Every year, the chosen courtesan rides a flower carriage around the city. The people wrap money in handkerchiefs, shaped like flowers, and throw them onto the carriage to pray—it’s an extremely lively day.”

“Because it’s so festive, each chosen courtesan is meticulously portrayed by artists, who compete to see who paints the best. Then, one day, the painting master emerged, and his courtesans looked most lifelike. Since then, every chosen courtesan has been painted by him.”

“But perhaps it’s a curse. Though the courtesan’s beauty is preserved on paper, the woman herself grows thinner day by day, and within seven days, she dies. The public calls this the ‘Seven-Day Flower-Slaying Festival.’”

Hearing this, Chu Ling frowned. “This is clearly abnormal. Didn’t anyone investigate?”

Fu Qingyu sighed softly. “Master, of course they investigated. But truly, nothing was wrong, which led the painting master to consider not painting anymore… Yet only those painted by him could be called supremely beautiful. So many still chose to be courtesans and allowed the painting master to paint them, even knowing they would ultimately die.”

Chu Ling was stunned for a moment, then muttered two words: “Insane.”

Shangguan Shi tugged at his sulking brother, then explained to Chu Ling, “Master, my brother’s words are somewhat biased. The painting master was merely commissioned to paint; it’s not a curse. Moreover, the invitation is rare, and observing his painting is even rarer. You can see each step of his work, the delicate brushwork like a divine hand, perfectly capturing the woman’s features on paper.”

Chu Ling frowned, holding the invitation. “Only one person per invitation?”

Nangong Han shook his head. “One invitation, one private room. My father specially arranged it.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Then if everyone is free, come with me to see the painting master at work.”

She was determined to see with her own eyes what this so-called divine hand could do.