TGCFNM -Chapter 406 The Portrait

Wan Sanjin recognized that this must be the Master Wuwei, so he bowed sincerely:

“Master Wuwei, I hope you are well.”

Master Wuwei nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the scattered scriptures on the floor, a faint smile playing in his eyes. “Quickly tidy these up. I’d like to speak with this benefactor here.”

Two young novice monks immediately sprang into action, and the painting was slipped back among the scriptures and neatly arranged on the bookshelf.

“That painting was done by a dear friend of mine, not this little disciple,” Master Wuwei said with a gentle laugh, gesturing politely. “Benefactor, you’ve been mistaken.”

Wan Sanjin, understanding the hint, immediately apologized and then followed Master Wuwei into the back room.

Meanwhile, Chu Ling and the others had already drawn their oracle slips and interpreted them. After washing their hands, they prepared for lunch.

The vegetarian meals at Jinshan Temple were extremely famous, and the water came from mountain springs, so even on regular days, many pilgrims would climb the mountain just for the food.

Once they were seated, familiar faces gradually arrived.

Chu Ling simply gestured for them to sit and asked where they had gone after interpreting their oracle slips.

Nangong Yuankang spoke excitedly, “The scenery at Jinshan Temple is absolutely breathtaking. It’s so captivating that I’d wish I could just stay here and study.”

“This place is indeed serene, suitable for study, but the temple wouldn’t allow students to stay here,” Nangong Han replied.

Nangong Yuankang looked a bit disappointed. “What a pity.”

Chu Ling asked curiously, “Why not?”

Shangguan Shi spoke awkwardly, “They say students are noisy and disturb the monks from reading the sutras… I suppose some previous students caused trouble in the past.”

Chu Ling nodded. With too many students around, it could indeed get quite chaotic.

At this moment, Wan Sanjin returned, parched, immediately reaching for water. Su He poured him cup after cup, and only after the fifth cup did Wan Sanjin finally exhale deeply, recovering a little.

Everyone present knew that Wan Sanjin had gone to see Master Wuwei, and they all looked at him with curiosity and anticipation.

Shangguan Cheng leaned closer. “Master Wan, what did you talk about with the Master?”

Wan Sanjin let out a long sigh, his eyes deep and thoughtful. “The Master said that I may not have the root of wisdom.”

“Ah?” Shangguan Cheng was momentarily stunned. “What does that mean?”

Wan Sanjin frowned and shrugged. “It means that no matter what he said, I couldn’t understand. He even tried to correct some of my views, and then told me a few mysterious things about… goodness, and water…”

“‘The highest good is like water’?” Shangguan Shi guessed.

Wan Sanjin nodded, a little confused. “I suppose so.”

“And then?” Shangguan Cheng pressed.

“Then I just came back,” Wan Sanjin said innocently. “I told him I was hungry and wanted to eat the vegetarian meal. Could I leave first? The Master looked at me for quite a while, smiled, said I have no root of wisdom, and then let me go eat.”

Shangguan Cheng: “……”

Even someone as hopeless as him could imagine Master Wuwei’s helplessness at that moment.

Nangong Han remained silent for a moment. “Master Wan, once you finish your vegetarian meal, hurry down the mountain. Don’t get caught by the princes. If they find out that after meeting Master Wuwei you didn’t manage to learn anything, and you’re in such a rush to eat, they’ll definitely scold you.”

Wan Sanjin licked his lips. “It won’t be that bad, right…?”

Shangguan Shi lowered his voice. “So far, everyone Master Wuwei has met who has lit incense with the wicks inserted has been from the imperial family…”

Wan Sanjin was startled. When the vegetarian meal arrived, he immediately buried his head in his bowl and ate quickly.

Chu Ling and the others were also shocked, afraid that the princes might really catch them and scold them. So, they hastened their eating as well… In the end, under the various expressions of the others, they quickly finished, left the dining hall, and went straight down the mountain.

The King, realizing they had left a moment later, furrowed his brow slightly and rose to visit the small courtyard where Prince Rui was resting.

Once they reached the foot of the mountain, the group rested for a while before urging the carriage into a trot.

Along the way, Chu Ling told Wan Sanjin about the medicinal decoction. Wan Sanjin nodded in agreement. So, when they returned to the capital, they first sent Uncle Hong back to the bank, wrote down the prescription, and had him prepare the ingredients. The rest returned to the Wan residence ahead of time.

Once back at the Wan residence, everyone finally relaxed. After relaxing, they cleaned up and prepared to rest.

Wan Sanjin tugged at Chu Ling and followed her into her courtyard.

Seeing that Wan Sanjin had cautiously closed the door, Chu Ling subconsciously furrowed her brows. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Wan Sanjin came closer, lowering his voice. “You would never guess this, Master. In Master Wuwei’s scripture, I saw a painting—and the person in it looks very much like you.”

Chu Ling instinctively remembered Prince Rui’s expression when he had looked at her face, and immediately asked, “Was it a woman?”

“It was a child,” Wan Sanjin replied.

Chu Ling let out a small “ah” in surprise. “A child?”

Wan Sanjin hissed softly, resting his chin in his hand as he scrutinized Chu Ling’s face, his brows tightly knit. “It really looks like you, Master. It’s like… like you when you were a child!”

Chu Ling shot a curious glance at Cui Xi.

Cui Xi shook her head. “Miss could not have met Master Wuwei. Our second branch didn’t have the standing for that.”

Chu Ling: that stings.

“You’re saying that the painting tucked in the scripture looks a lot like me as a child? How much like me?” Chu Ling asked.

Wan Sanjin frowned. “Could it really be a portrait of Master when you were young…? Master Wuwei said the painting was done by his lifelong friend. That’s all I know—I didn’t dare ask more.”

Chu Ling looked at Wan Sanjin in confusion. “If it really is a painting of me as a child, then why would it be with Master Wuwei…?”

Wan Sanjin shook his head; he didn’t know either. But… “By the way, Master Wuwei said he can read faces, and he looked at mine. Afterward, he smiled and said I would have a life without worries. No wonder I have so little insight. So… someone asked Master Wuwei to read your face, Master?”

Chu Ling was completely flustered, unable to make sense of it. “Right… how old was I in the painting?”

Wan Sanjin thought carefully. “About ten, I think. Children around ten in the capital usually wear a pair of gold collars around their necks, symbolizing a life of completeness… My elder brother wore one, I don’t think I did—probably because I found it too heavy…”

“When Miss was ten… that was when the Second Miss was brought back, right?” Cui Xi recalled carefully. “Ah! Miss did have a pair of gold collars, very valuable. Second Miss even reached out to take them, but Madam immediately stopped her.”

Chu Ling’s eyes widened—no respect at all for the main branch!

Cui Xi’s eyes lit up, as if she remembered more. “Right, Miss. Because of that, the main and second branches had a huge quarrel. Even the General couldn’t intervene… In the end, it was Madam and Sir who brought Miss back to the estate, stayed there a long time, and then returned. Since then, Madam has disliked the main branch and never allowed Miss to meet them.”

Chu Ling instinctively clutched her chest: so this also explains why Chu Rou didn’t recognize her—because her mother didn’t allow her to meet the main branch.