The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 465 - 433: Revealing the Painting Secret (4 Updates)
Song Wei finished listening and felt puzzled, "Since you have such a big leverage against them, why didn’t those two just kill you to silence you, and instead kidnapped your wife and child?"
"Because I can perform Deinking, which is useful to them. Killing me is simple, but by using my wife and child as leverage, they can gain more benefits."
Song Wei realized, "So, in other words, senior, you just don’t publicly announce your deinking skills, but in private you’re being forced to work for them, correct?"
Chu Xu gritted his teeth, "If it weren’t for my wife and child, why would I be in this situation!"
"Have you never thought that perhaps your wife and child were harmed long ago, and they might just be using this as a pretense to threaten you?"
Chu Xu’s eyes were filled with more hatred, glaring at Song Wei, "If they are still alive, failing to do as told would be equivalent to killing them myself."
"Alright, I promise you." To appease the temperamental master, Song Wei had to reassure him, "I will quickly find out the whereabouts of your wife and child and rescue them. Don’t forget the promise you’ve made to me, senior."
Chu Xu could see that the young man in front of him was not one to speak frivolously. He took a deep breath, "As long as you can rescue them, I will naturally keep my promise."
...
Leaving Xianyi Square, Song Wei called out Wei Qian, who had been following him, in a deserted alley and asked if he could find out the whereabouts of Chu Xu’s wife and child.
Wei Qian shook his head directly, "That mother and child are long deceased."
Song Wei was somewhat surprised, "You know?"
"The Prince Consort once had me inspect the silver coin expenditures for the traveling palace construction and accidentally stumbled across this line. But since it involved two Chiefs of Staff, the Prince Consort had no real power, and the Eldest Princess didn’t involve herself in matters, it became difficult to topple those two, so it had to be quietly dropped."
Song Wei pinched his brow, feeling the situation was a bit tricky, "Chu Xu has always thought his wife and child were alive, so he’s willingly worked for the two Chief of Staffs of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works for so many years. If he’s suddenly made aware that they have long since passed away, accepting this fact might be difficult for him; it would be fortunate if he doesn’t go mad, let alone expecting him to help in the palace?"
Wei Qian suggested, "If things really don’t work out, sir, ask the Emperor to issue a secret edict and summon him to the palace. With an imperial order, he can’t refuse."
"Not appropriate." Song Wei did not agree with coercion, "The matters in those four paintings concern the future destiny of Great Chu; if Chu Xu’s mindset destabilizes and he destroys the paintings, it would be equivalent to destroying Great Chu."
"But in the short term, sir, you can’t handle those two Chief of Staffs."
"Exactly, dealing with the two Chief of Staffs of the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Works requires time and authority, and the matter of the paintings is urgent. I can’t afford to wait; you all continue to help look and see if there’s truly anyone else who understands deinking."
After Wei Qian left, Song Wei went to Xianyi Square to find Chu Xu again.
Chu Xu didn’t understand why he returned, "Young man, could it be that you’re having regrets?"
Song Wei admitted candidly, "Yes, I am regretting it."
Chu Xu didn’t expect such bluntness, "Are you incapable of saving them?"
"I don’t have the time to waste on you. There are others in this world who know how to deink besides you. If you’re unwilling, I can simply find someone else; no need to burden myself with all this trouble."
Having said that, Song Wei turned and left.
Chu Xu, watching his back, thought that this was the only person who might save his wife and child, so he called out, "As long as you promise to help me save them afterward, I can help you first."
Song Wei’s steps halted.
...
After Chu Xu bathed and changed clothes, Song Wei disguised him and directly took him into the Imperial City.
With the Hidden Guards protecting along the way, everything went smoothly without any further problems.
Not until entering the Qianqing Palace did Chu Xu realize he was brought in to work for the Emperor. He was so excited that he couldn’t speak, kneeling for quite a while when paying respects to Emperor Guangxi, until Mr. Cui finally helped him up.
Emperor Guangxi looked suspiciously at Song Wei, "Is this the Master of Deinking you mentioned?"
Even though he was disguised, his drunkard image still showed that he recently drank quite a bit.
Emperor Guangxi cared about Liu’s Divine Weapon more than anyone could imagine; he hesitated to entrust the paintings to such a person.
Not only Emperor Guangxi, but Old Marquis Lu and Elder Qi also found Chu Xu unreliable.
Song Wei said nothing, silently looking at Chu Xu, as if waiting to see how he would prove himself.
Having a skill gave Chu Xu some pride; being questioned now made him feel unsatisfied.
Even though the ones doubting him were the Emperor.
Taking a few steps forward, Chu Xu stared at the four paintings on the east wall for a moment and asserted, "These are double-layer paintings, using the single Xuan paper unique to the Jin Dynasty. These paintings don’t need deinking; just peel off the top layer."
Old Marquis Lu asked him, "How can you guarantee that after peeling off the top layer, the painting underneath will remain?"
"Family secret skill, not for disclosure."
This man carried an exceptional pride.
Old Marquis Lu didn’t argue with him, looking at Emperor Guangxi, clearly waiting for the Emperor to decide whether or not to entrust the paintings to Chu Xu.
Before Emperor Guangxi could speak, Chu Xu spoke on his own, "Use people without doubt, and doubt not those you use. Since you have chosen me to enter the palace, but refuse to trust me, just send me out directly, saving you the trouble."
Mr. Cui was about to send him out, but Emperor Guangxi raised his hand to stop him, his gaze fixed on Chu Xu’s back, "If you fail to restore the paintings, what then?"
"A mere commoner’s cheap life; if the Emperor desires it, take it."
For the mechanical beast, Emperor Guangxi tried to suppress his temper as much as possible, "Song Wei, take him to be tested."
"Your humble servant obeys."
Afterward, Chu Xu was taken to the side hall.
The methods Song Wei used over the previous days to test those "masters" were all tried on him.
Chu Xu didn’t let others watch his secret skills, so Song Wei didn’t know exactly how he did it, but in the end, all those paintings and calligraphy pieces were miraculously restored.
Song Wei brought him to the main hall and truthfully reported the testing situation to Emperor Guangxi.
Hearing he had passed all the tests, Emperor Guangxi was both surprised and aware that this was a man of real skill. A bit of pride in him was understandable, so he immediately ordered Old Marquis Lu and Elder Qi to make room for Chu Xu to unroll the paintings.
Chu Xu made a request, "The family secret technique does not allow outsiders to watch, so I ask that the Emperor and the officials temporarily leave."
Emperor Guangxi hesitated for a moment, then complied and led everyone out of the main hall.
After the hall doors were closed from the inside, Old Marquis Lu looked worriedly at Song Wei, speaking in a low voice, "If he fails, it will surely implicate you. Why did you take on this difficult task?"
"If I don’t, then the one taking on the burden might be Master." Song Wei replied, "It was difficult for Master to enter the Imperial City openly; as his disciple, I don’t want his decades of effort to be trampled once more."
"Alas, you child..." Old Marquis Lu could only sigh.
At this moment, Emperor Guangxi was more anxious than anyone.
If Chu Xu failed, killing him would be simple, but the Divine Weapon Atlas would become an eternal legend, unreachable by anyone, no matter their abilities.
Sitting in the side hall, even when Mr. Cui brought him tea, he couldn’t drink it, frequently glancing outside the hall.
After not seeing Chu Xu come out for a long time, Emperor Guangxi stepped out from the side hall, walked to the main hall entrance, and saw Song Wei and Old Marquis Lu speaking in hushed tones. He went over, "What are you two talking about?"
Old Marquis Lu remained composed, "The old minister is discussing with Scholar Song what secrets might be hidden in the painting."
"What did you deduce?"
Song Wei picked up the conversation, "Your humble servant believes that the Divine Weapon Atlas is very likely hidden inside the statue of Abbot Cunxin."
"That possibility had crossed my mind, but all indications suggested that Mr. Liu was extremely cautious in his actions. He wouldn’t wrap the atlas directly in a heap of clay; otherwise, leaving so many clues would be pointless."
Song Wei nodded, "The Emperor is not without reason. How the statue conceals the atlas will be known once we inquire with Master Chu."
Emperor Guangxi glanced at the still tightly closed main hall doors, "He better not mess things up, or I will eat him alive!"
The group stopped speaking, the hall exterior gradually quieted, and time passed particularly slowly, with each moment testing their patience to the utmost.
The air was quietly tense, putting pressure on everyone’s nerves.
Despite the cold weather, Mr. Cui was sweating with anxiety.
Emperor Guangxi’s face grew more solemn, pacing back and forth, constantly peeking at the main hall doors.
Just when everyone’s nerves were stretched taut, the hall doors suddenly opened from inside. Chu Xu came out looking as if he’d seen a ghost, immediately grabbing Song Wei, asking, "Who painted these four double-layer paintings?"
Song Wei was puzzled, asking him, "What’s wrong?"
