TGCFNM -Chapter 367 Examining the Paintings

Old Master Song carried the air of a refined scholar. His hair and beard were completely white, yet his back remained straight, and his movements were brisk and efficient.

“So this is Xu Shiyin’s painting?” Old Master Song examined it carefully, then looked at Chu Ling with a kindly smile. “Lord Chu, the Song family has yet to properly thank you. You must stay and dine at the residence today.”

Chu Ling cupped her hands in thanks and then gestured toward the other scrolls. “I’ll have to trouble you, Old Master. There are seven paintings in total.”

With a wave of his hand, Old Master Song instructed the servants to take out all the paintings and hang them up one by one.

Song Lian helped Old Master Song take a seat.

Looking at Chu Ling, Old Master Song asked, “Lord Chu purchased these courtesan paintings—do you want me to help introduce buyers so they can be sold?”

Chu Ling immediately shook her head and pointed to Cui Wan at the side. “These were bought by Brother Cui’s friend. We’ve only borrowed them.”

Old Master Song looked at her in puzzlement.

Chu Ling turned apologetically to Song Lian. “Sister Song Lian, is it convenient to speak here?”

Understanding at once, Song Lian dismissed the household servants and had them stand guard outside the courtyard. “Lord Chu, it’s fine now.”

Chu Ling thanked her first, then looked at everyone present and briefly explained her suspicions regarding the courtesan case.

“I don’t know who the painter was in the later works, nor do I understand how merely painting a portrait could cost someone her life. But I must uncover the truth.”

“I want to know whether those innocent women were forced to become courtesans, and whether they were deliberately murdered.”

Song Lian’s eyes reddened. “At the time, there were even rumors that the fairy in the paintings had sucked away their souls—that’s why the courtesans died.”

Cui Wan shook his head grimly. “The reason no one thoroughly investigated the deaths of the courtesans is because they were courtesans—women of the pleasure houses… Pitiful.”

Wan Sanjin said, “That’s not right. My lord has said that every human life is precious. How can they be lost without clarity?”

“Well said!” Old Master Song pushed himself up from the table. “Let me take a close look at these paintings. Let me see exactly what’s wrong with them.”

Song Lian stepped forward to support him.

All seven paintings had been hung up. It could be said that each one was exquisitely done—lifelike, almost as if the figures might step out of the canvas at any moment.

Old Master Song stepped forward and examined them one by one with great care.

“These paintings are all by the same hand: Xu Shiyin.” He frowned. “His brush habits, the finishing touches, the blending of colors—it’s all evident. And he has always had a particular habit…”

He pointed to a specific area. “Whenever he outlines the eyes, he is especially cautious, meticulous in his detailing. Perhaps because the painting that first brought him fame—Lady Admiring the Spring Mountain Scenery—was most praised for the way the lady slightly turned her head, her eyes filled with shy tenderness. Since then, he has always paid extraordinary attention to the eyes.”

Chu Ling’s eyes widened. She turned to Wan Sanjin. “So it’s been him all along.”

Wan Sanjin was stunned as well. “Then… do we still stake him out?”

“We do. This is evidence.” Chu Ling frowned slightly. “Once we catch him, have someone follow him.”

Wan Sanjin nodded.

At that moment, Old Master Song moved on to the next painting. After frowning through it, he continued to the next.

He studied them with knitted brows, his expression growing stranger by the moment. He even muttered, “Something feels off.”

Song Lian also looked puzzled. Then suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she stepped back two paces. When she looked again at all seven paintings together, she hesitated before saying, “Is it… the order of the paintings?”

Old Master Song suddenly understood and stepped back as well. “Indeed—it’s the order!”

Cui Wan also stepped forward to look at the paintings. “My friend just displayed them casually. I didn’t pay much attention… How can you tell the order?”

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin were just as curious. The paintings all depicted beauties. Aside from their differing poses, how could one tell which came first and which came later?

Old Master Song looked at the inscription:

Gentle and quiet as a flower reflected upon water,
Moving like a willow swayed by the wind.

The courtesan: Sishui.

Old Master Song instructed the four of them to stand behind the paintings and lift them up, then began comparing them carefully.

“Xiao Lian, place yourself at the first position.”

Song Lian immediately moved as told.

“Magistrate Chu, go to the fifth position. Master Wan, place that painting at the seventh position. Mr. Cui, the third—no, the fourth…”

They quickly did as instructed.

Once the paintings were rearranged, Old Master Song examined them again and had Song Lian take another look. After a brief discussion, the two of them swapped the first and second paintings.

Song Lian stared blankly at the seven paintings. “This… seems right now.”

Chu Ling, Wan Sanjin, and Cui Wan walked around from behind the stands and stood beside Song Lian and Old Master Song to continue observing.

When Cui Wan looked again, the admiration in his eyes was gone—replaced instead by unease.

“Why… why does it feel so uncomfortable now?” he murmured.

Wan Sanjin frowned. “It does feel unsettling.”

Chu Ling looked at Song Lian. “Sister Song Lian, have you realized something? Could you enlighten us?”

Suppressing the fear in her heart, Song Lian nodded and walked to the first painting. “My lord, look.”

The others immediately focused their gaze.

“In this painting, the woman sits timidly. There’s a faint, gratified smile in her eyes, but also a trace of forced composure. That’s why the muscles here on her face are slightly tense,” Song Lian explained.

Chu Ling and the others nodded.

Old Master Song added, “And another point—the composition. The vase at her side, the desk before her, the fruits placed upon it—they all create a strong sense of discord with the woman herself. But the viewer’s eyes are drawn first to the beauty, and so the details are easily overlooked.”

After hearing that, Chu Ling looked again and indeed felt something was wrong. “The surroundings must be staged scenery, so they don’t match the expression on her face. It feels jarringly out of place.”

Old Master Song nodded.

Song Lian continued, “My lord, look at the second painting. The woman is still beautiful—perhaps painted even more exquisitely than in the first. The brushwork is more delicate, her features refined, and the tension has disappeared. Yet though she smiles, there is confusion in her eyes. The way her hands are placed also betrays a subtle nervousness, as though her heart is uneasy.”

Chu Ling nodded again.

“In the third painting,” Song Lian went on, “the woman appears sorrowful, her brows lightly furrowed, her smile forced… In the fourth, her eyes brim with tears, the corners slightly reddened, her lips turned downward in grievance…”

“In the fifth painting, she begins to show fear. Her brows knit together, and one arm lifts instinctively before her chest—that posture of self-protection…”

Suddenly, Chu Ling raised a hand, signaling Song Lian to stop. She walked alone toward the final two paintings.

In the sixth, the courtesan Sishui’s frightened eyes were slightly lowered. Her fingers clenched tightly around a handkerchief. Her entire figure radiated panic and terror, and even her lip color had been adjusted to a pale shade.

The seventh painting—Sishui’s final portrait—was also the most horrifying.

The woman in the painting was clearly terrified, yet her lips were painted a vivid red, the corners of her eyes slightly lifted. Within her gaze were shock, disbelief, and even a trace of hatred. Yet her hands were clasped fearfully before her chest. The only visible foot was angled subtly outward—

A posture of escape.

She was afraid.

She wanted to run.