Chapter 173: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 173: 

 

Mian Tang casually picked up a letter and glanced at it.

These had already been thoroughly reviewed by Cui Xingzhou, Li Guangcai, and a group of clerks, so as a novice, there was no need for her to scrutinize them any further.

Thus, she set aside the letters and turned her attention to the other items.

Cui Xingzhou also realized that there was nothing to be found in the letters and thoughtfully pointed to a large porcelain jar filled with scrolls, saying, “It seems this General Eikushi-ji was quite the connoisseur, especially fond of collecting landscape paintings.”

Hearing this, Mian Tang walked over and reached for one, slowly unfolding the painting.

The painting had a beautiful atmosphere, depicting the famous Mount Tai within the Great Yan territory. Floating clouds swirled around, giving a sense of towering peaks. However, it wasn’t a masterpiece; the only signature was a seal reading “Master Wei.”

Mian Tang furrowed her brows, scrutinizing it carefully. She then pulled out several other paintings from the jar and laid them out one by one.

Cui Xingzhou knew she had a unique sense for appraising artwork.

It’s worth noting that when she competed with Zhao Quan for the chance to have the famous painter Master He create a dish for her family’s porcelain shop, she had a keen eye. She discovered the hidden significance of a maiden depicted in the dragonfly’s eye in the painting, outshining the Marquis, which had infuriated Zhao Quan quite a bit!

But within these paintings, could it be that, like the works of the painter Master He, there exists another world within the tiny canvas?

At that moment, Mian Tang pointed to a reddish-brown section of a mountain rock in the painting and said, “Look, isn’t there a speckled red rock in each of these paintings?”

Cui Xingzhou focused his gaze, and sure enough, the reddish-brown rock appeared in each of the paintings. However, since all of them were painted by the same artist, Master Wei, the styles inevitably resembled each other. Those rocks were not very conspicuous, and there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about them.

But Mian Tang leaned in for a closer look and then waved for Cui Xingzhou to bring her a brush and some white paper.

Cui Xingzhou, intrigued by her actions, decided to sit cross-legged on the floor, grinding the ink and preparing the paper for her.

Mian Tang meticulously examined the dates on the paintings, rearranging them in order, and then began to carefully make impressions of the parts with the red rocks.

As the red rocks from the several paintings converged, it became clear that these rocks fit together like pieces of a child’s tangram, seamlessly connected. Furthermore, the patterns on the rocks gradually outlined a larger picture—it was a diagram of the internal structure of a cannon.

Cui Xingzhou watched in astonishment as Mian Tang revealed the secret hidden within the paintings, unable to help but stand up in surprise.

“How did you discover this?” Most people, unaware of the underlying clues, would never think to piece together the rocks in such a manner.

Mian Tang looked up at him and said, “Back when I was on Yangshan… I once saw similar paintings in Liu Yu's study.”

Liu Yu was a person who enjoyed calligraphy and painting, and his study walls were filled with works from renowned artists.

So for paintings from relatively unknown artists to have a place in his collection was quite unusual.

“This method of interpreting paintings was something Liu Yu taught me. However, at that time, the hidden element in his paintings wasn’t rocks, but birds... The eyes of the birds contained the route maps for transporting grain… These paintings were all bought from a painting shop in the town at the foot of the mountain, and no one paid attention to them. Even if the soldiers inspected them, without knowing the hidden clues, they wouldn’t have noticed anything. But as for who painted these, I don’t know… Judging by the painting style, it’s slightly different, but still quite similar… I suppose Liu Yu knows who the painter is. If you want to find out, you can ask him when you return to the capital.”

Hearing this, Cui Xingzhou’s eyelid twitched slightly.

At the beginning of the war against Yangshan, a considerable amount of his supplies had been lost. At the time, he suspected there was a traitor working with the Yangshan bandits to cut off his supply line.

So when he personally commanded the campaign to eliminate Yangshan, he also took the opportunity to reorganize internal affairs, replacing all the grain officials and setting up several decoy grain depots to prevent further information leaks.

Had His Majesty ever received such paintings as well? Could he be familiar with the painter known as “Mountain Ghost”? Or, even worse, was the Emperor secretly colluding with Eikushi-ji?

With these thoughts, a cold expression crept into Cui Xingzhou’s eyes.

He had once thought that Liu Yu, who wandered among the common people, understood the hardships they faced. But if Liu Yu had gone to such great lengths to eliminate him, even using the Japanese to do his dirty work, then that would be truly despicable!

At present, the situation was still inconclusive, and Cui Xingzhou didn't want to think too deeply, especially not to consider the supreme ruler of Great Yan in such a poor light.

However, his mind was filled with a tangle of messy threads that needed to be carefully sorted out, one by one.

He did, however, correct one thing that the former bandit leader, Big Boss Lu, had said. “He is now the Emperor; you must not refer to him by name anymore.”

Back when he was jealous, Mian Tang had comforted him, promising never to mention Liu Yu's name again. But now, with Lu Wen, the female bandit leader, reappearing and speaking so recklessly, Cui Xingzhou felt the need to correct her, lest someone with ulterior motives overhear and twist the situation.

Mian Tang laughed lightly. “If you hadn’t said anything, I would’ve almost forgotten. It’s been years now, and nothing is as it once was. Those who have gained power have long since ascended to the heavens.”

After speaking, she stood up, intending to leave, but after a few steps, she noticed that Cui Xingzhou hadn’t moved. He remained leaning against the table, seemingly lost in thought.

Mian Tang returned, took his hand, and gently pulled him back into their bedroom. The two of them lay down together, holding each other.

Today, having received the shocking news of his mother’s grave illness, Cui Xingzhou was already in a low mood. Now, with the discovery of “Master Wei,” he likely wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. But tomorrow, they had a long journey ahead of them, and Mian Tang couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for him.

At first, though she had felt distant from him, after being married for so long, the countless small, daily details of life had become a source of comfort.

For example, he had never once asked her what had happened when Eikushi-ji had kidnapped her—whether anything had been done to her.

Later, out of curiosity, she asked him, "Aren't you jealous?" Cui Xingzhou simply responded, "You're back by my side now, aren't you? So, whatever offense he might have caused you doesn’t matter. Whether he did something or not, I won’t let him live..."

Those words made Mian Tang's eyes light up, thinking that Prince Huaiyang was truly a broad-minded, honorable man. Of course, she wasn't about to let her reputation be tarnished, so she clarified that Eagle Temple's head had always treated her with respect and propriety.

But after she explained, Cui Xingzhou actually did get jealous, questioning Mian Tang—was she praising him because she found him to be refined and handsome?

Mian Tang, caught off guard, answered truthfully without thinking. She did indeed admire well-mannered men.

As soon as she said that, Cui Xingzhou, with an expression as if he wanted to strangle her, fiercely kissed her instead...

It was only then that Mian Tang realized the man who always appeared calm and composed like a celestial being was, in fact, a jar of vinegar—jealous to the core. His jealousy just had a different twist, but his pettiness was no different from any other person!

What’s more, she actually liked seeing him jealous. Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but gently hug his arm. He wasn't asleep yet either and turned over to hold her in return, but just then, a rumbling sound came from his stomach.

At dinner, he hadn’t eaten much due to worrying about his mother. Now, in the deep of the night, hearing his stomach growl, Mian Tang felt a pang of sympathy again. She gently asked, “Are you hungry... We’ll be leaving early tomorrow, and it seems like Li Mama prepared some night porridge for breakfast... Fangxie and the others have already gone to bed, but do you want me to go get you a bowl?”

Cui Xingzhou was indeed a bit hungry, so he simply got up and followed Mian Tang to the kitchen.

The courtyard in Beihai wasn’t large, so it only took a few steps to get there, avoiding disturbing the servants, especially since they had to continue their journey early the next day.

The fire in the stove was still warm, and the porridge was hot. The two of them grabbed stools and sat by the stove, sipping their porridge while listening to the chirping of night insects.

Mian Tang found a jar of sugar by the stove, scooped a spoonful into Cui Xingzhou’s bowl, and stirred it gently, saying softly, “Back when I was on Yangshan, sometimes when you chased me too closely, I couldn’t help but envy you for being a government official. You could move openly and honorably, unlike me, always leading my brothers to scurry like field mice, hiding everywhere. But now, I realize that you, too, are like a mouse, trapped in the large jar of the court. If those in power above you don’t like what they see, they can throw bricks down into the jar, leaving you with nowhere to escape… Being a mountain bandit seems far more carefree.”

Cui Xingzhou drank the overly sweet porridge and then gave Mian Tang a stern look. “Are you trying to turn this prince into a bandit with you?”

Mian Tang laughed and said, “I’m just saying, if the bricks get too heavy, maybe it’s better to let the jar break. The world is vast, and there’s always a way to live. You don’t have to worry so much. If that day comes when we truly have to turn to banditry, I know the ropes well. I could even lead you to swear allegiance to a mountain, and we could set up our own stronghold.”

This time, Cui Xingzhou chuckled, “You’ve certainly thought things through for me… But if the jar really breaks, I’m afraid it won’t just be the mice inside that get anxious, will it?”

The two of them exchanged these cryptic remarks, speaking in a way that only they could fully understand. By the time they finished, the sky had begun to lighten with the first hints of dawn.

It seemed that sleep was out of the question for this night, but fortunately, the swaying carriage during their journey would be a perfect place to catch up on rest.

After about an hour of sleep in the carriage, Cui Xingzhou woke up.

A short nap had cleared his mind significantly.

No matter the outcome, at least he had managed to unravel a few threads, uncovering the existence of this deeply hidden “Mister Wei.”

As Mian Tang had mentioned, this Mister Wei was no ordinary spy. His method of transmitting information, along with his unique way of operating, suggested that he was a refined individual who held himself in high regard.

Cui Xingzhou couldn’t immediately think of anyone in his circle who could be so well-connected and had been hiding in plain sight for so long.

Thinking about the connection to the mastery of paintings, he couldn’t help but glance at his old classmate, Guangcai.

Guangcai was currently busy massaging his wife, Cui Fu’s back and offering her tea to help with her pregnancy nausea. Since they’d started their journey, this man had been entirely focused on his wife, so much so that when Cui Xingzhou called for him several times, his brother-in-law had been too preoccupied to respond.

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