This plot did not appear in the original novel, but Chu Xinian was not too panicked. After all, the dead person had nothing to do with him, and Xie Jingyuan was sitting well next to him.
But for today’s banquet of heroes, it’s easy to get in but hard to get out.
The prince was very smart and stood with Xie Jingyuan. After all, the scholars present were barely strong enough to tie a chicken, so if a fight really broke out, it would be safer to be with Xie Jingyuan.
The prince reminded: "Xie Jingyuan, you must not forget to protect the emperor."
Xie Jingyuan's eyes were solemn. He was so busy talking to Chu Xinian that he didn't even notice when someone died. It was really a great shame. But then he thought, it would be nice to watch the excitement.
He grabbed Chu Xinian's wrist under the table, curled his lips and sneered, "Don't walk around. If that young master Jin is stabbed through, I won't collect your body."
The prince thought Xie Jingyuan was talking to him, and nodded seriously: "Don't worry, I will definitely not walk around randomly."
"… "
Xie Jingyuan's face darkened.
Chu Xinian couldn't help laughing, but then realized it was inappropriate. He coughed lightly to hide the smile on his lips, and said in a low voice: "General, don't worry, I will never leave your side."
He held Xie Jingyuan's hand and patted it twice.
The scene was now in chaos. The young prince of Guangping was obsessed with the painting he loved like his life. He beat his chest and stamped his feet, not even caring about the dead. At the critical moment, the gray-haired Yan Qinghe came out to stabilize the situation and said in a serious voice:
"Don't panic, everyone. Wait for the government officials to come. If anyone leaves the Golden Scale Pavilion rashly, they will be contaminated and arouse suspicion. We will wait here quietly, and no one should act rashly."
Someone immediately agreed: "What Yan Da said is true. No one should touch Mr. Jin's body. Wait for the government to come and inspect it."
The young prince of Guangping finally came to his senses after hearing this, and he gathered his strength to control the situation: "Pass the order and have the guards come quickly to guard outside the Golden Scale Pavilion. No one is allowed to leave the palace!"
Chu Xinian glanced at the prince and said, "Your Highness, why don't you leave first?"
The prince's status is extraordinary and his identity is noble. No one here would suspect him of murder, and he has no motive to kill. Even if he leaves early, no one will say anything.
The prince wanted to watch the fun, but he couldn't show it: "Why?"
Chu Xinian looked at the people in the room with different expressions, gently shook the cup in his hand, and said meaningfully: "Because the murderer is still here and has not left yet..."
Jinlin Pavilion is near the water, with only one road leading to the shore, which is heavily guarded. It took no more than a cup of tea for Mr. Jin to be found from his death, so the murderer definitely has not escaped and is hiding in the crowd.
It didn't matter if someone else died, but the death of the crown prince would definitely cause a stir in the court and the country. So the most important thing now was to protect the crown prince and send him away from the Prince of Guangping's mansion as soon as possible, instead of looking for the murderer.
Xie Jingyuan also frowned and said, “This is not a place for fun, leave quickly.”
Upon hearing this, the prince looked at Chu Xinian, then at Xie Jingyuan, without saying anything. After a moment, he suddenly laughed, "Look, those people haven't said anything yet, but you are worried about my life or death."
Although he was not a mere prince, he was not far from being one. The guests in the room were either panic-stricken or worried, and no one paid any attention to him.
"Don't worry, I'm not afraid of death."
The prince suddenly put his arm around Chu Xinian's shoulder, lowered his voice and asked with a smile, "Chu Xinian, it is said that anyone in the Golden Scale Pavilion who can shock the audience with his skills will become a force to be reckoned with in the future. You are both talented and intelligent. If you come here today and just sit far away and watch the show, wouldn't it be a pity?"
Although he looked playful when he said this, Chu Xinian seemed to see something more in the prince's eyes. It was hard to explain what it was, but it made people feel that the prince was not as out of tune as usual.
Chu Xinian waved his folding fan, his extraordinary temperament becoming more and more obvious, and said something that no one could understand: "I am an outsider watching the show."
The prince wanted to say more, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed by Xie Jingyuan, and he was thrown off Chu Xinian's shoulder: "Your Highness, do you understand the etiquette of the palace?"
The prince rubbed his wrist and glared at Xie Jingyuan: "I saw you two secretly holding hands under the table. Why can't I just put my arm around your shoulder?!"
Chu Xinian coughed lightly upon hearing this and looked away. Xie Jingyuan glanced at the prince sinisterly, wanting only to sew his mouth shut.
At this time, a dispute broke out on the field over another matter.
They had no right to investigate the matter of the dead, but they could at least ask about the missing painting. Seeing the young prince in a state of dismay, Yan Qinghe slowly stroked his beard and frowned, "May I ask the prince, what happened to the painting "Prince Chen's Banquet"? Is it a real or fake painting?"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Chu Xinian thoughtfully. If he remembered correctly, this young man was the first to reveal the truth.
"Ah, could it be true what Chu Xinian said, that the painting is fake?!"
"Why did the prince use a fake painting to fool us? Is he deliberately trying to humiliate us?!"
Scholars are good at talking, and as the people around them talked, things got worse and worse. The young Prince of Guangping had no choice but to stand up in shame and bow to the master: "It's embarrassing to talk about this. I apologize to you first. The painting... is exactly what Master Chu said, it's fake..."
As soon as he finished speaking, it was like throwing a stone into the water, stirring up thousands of ripples. Everyone looked at each other, they never thought that the painting was actually fake, and they couldn't help but blush when they thought of the scene where they had just praised a fake painting.
When the young Prince of Guangping came to Chu Xi, he was half impressed and half ashamed, and bowed to him: "Mr. Chu has a keen eye and can see the mystery of this painting at a glance. I am in awe."
Chu Xinian stood up to return the greeting, and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "It is not surprising that the prince, who cherishes paintings, would do this. I was reckless and ruined the prince's plan."
They were completely confused by the conversation. The old man who had just attacked Chu Xinian and the others turned even more pale and stammered, "Young Prince... this, this, this... what on earth is going on?!"
The young prince of Guangping had to tell the whole story: "I received the thief's letter that day, and I was very worried. I couldn't bear to part with the painting. In order to deceive him, I had to find an expert to copy it. However, time was tight and I was afraid there would be loopholes. That's when Master Chu revealed the truth."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Chu Xinian and asked hesitantly, "I dare not brag, but that master has mastered the essence of Meng Xiting's brushwork, which is enough to make the fake look real. How can Master Chu tell that this painting is fake? Please help me solve this puzzle."
Facing everyone's gaze, Chu Xinian paused and pointed out the flaw: "The master's painting skills are indeed outstanding, but the young prince made a mistake. The paper used for the fake painting is rouge silk that was only produced eighty years ago, and the ivory axis of the scroll is also decorated with phoenix and magpie patterns that are popular in our dynasty, which does not match the dynasty of the original painting."
Meng Xiting's paintings were extremely famous, but they had been lost after several dynasties of war, and few people had seen the originals. In addition, the painting was brought out by the young Prince Guangping himself, so no one dared to doubt that it was a fake.
Upon hearing this, the young prince of Guangping shook his head and sighed: "The technique of making blue silk has long been lost. It is really hard to find it in such a hurry. The young prince is being smart. Mr. Chu is very smart. The young prince admires him."
Chu Xinian nodded: "Your Majesty, you are too kind."
At this point, everyone finally understood what a farce it was. The old man who had just attacked Chu Xinian and the others also apologized with a blushing face: "I am stupid and just made sarcastic remarks. I hope Master Chu will not blame me."
There are some unqualified people in the Golden Scale Pavilion, but there are also some real scholars. It is not easy for him to bow his head and apologize at such a young age.
Chu Xinian reached out his hand and helped him up: "Sir, your words are serious. I am just making a random guess, but I can't take it seriously."
Chu Jiaoping, who was born in the Quyang Marquis's mansion, has taken up all the fame, so much so that everyone has overlooked that he has a younger brother. Everyone thought Chu Xinian was a fool, but they didn't expect that when they saw him today, he was a handsome man with a unique demeanor. Moreover, he was careful, measured, and polite, which made Chu Jiaoping look dim.
Some people sighed in their hearts, thinking that after today, there would be another talented person on the list of young masters in the capital.
Yan Qinghe frowned and stroked his beard. He couldn't believe the young prince's stupid move. His voice was old and he couldn't hide his regret: "I thought I could see Mengxi Pavilion disappear in my lifetime, but I didn't expect it to fall into the hands of bandits. It's really a waste of precious treasures."
When the incident was mentioned, the young Prince of Guangping was heartbroken and pointed at the servant and said angrily: "Tell me everything. How did the painting get lost?"
The servant was terrified, kneeling on the ground and knocking his head loudly: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was holding the box and went out. Before I took two steps, I accidentally fell down. The secret compartment of the box was broken open, and there was nothing inside. Only then did I realize that the painting was missing!"
It turned out that the young prince had kept a secret and put the two paintings in the same box. The difference was that the fake painting was placed on the upper layer, while the real painting was hidden in the secret compartment below.
After he tore up the fake painting in public, he thought he had fooled the thieves, and ordered his personal servant to take the box away and put it away. Unexpectedly, the servant accidentally dropped the box and discovered by accident that the real painting had been stolen.
The young prince of Guangping seemed to have lost all his strength when he heard this. He fell back into his chair with a thud, and looked completely devastated. He had underestimated the robber and muttered, "It seems that this painting can never be found again..."
The nobles and ladies also sighed, only Chu Xinian shook his folding fan thoughtfully, and suddenly said: "That may not be the case..."
The young prince of Guangping was stunned when he heard this, then his eyes lit up, and he stepped forward and excitedly grabbed his hand: "Could it be that Master Chu has a way to find it back?!"
Xie Jingyuan gnashed his teeth silently, thinking that just having a pretty face was enough to attract people. Why did they all like to come over and put their arms around Chu Xinian
Chu Xinian was just guessing. He looked at the servant kneeling on the ground and saw that his head was bleeding. He was afraid that what he said was true, so he asked, "When you first brought the box into the Golden Scale Pavilion, was the real painting still there?"
Before the servant could answer, the young prince said quickly, "It's here! It's here! When I opened the box, I took a special look and the real painting was still inside!"
Chu Xinian nodded and asked the servant, "Where did you find the real painting stolen?"
The servant pointed to a place a few steps away from the outer room and said tremblingly, "Reply... Reply, sir, I just walked out of the door of the Golden Scale Pavilion and didn't even have time to walk into the corridor. I fell down after taking a few steps. That's when I discovered that the real painting was stolen."
Chu Xinian shook his fan thoughtfully: "That means the painting was stolen from the Golden Scale Pavilion. Has anyone left the Golden Scale Pavilion since the banquet started?"
The young prince immediately sent his guards to ask, but the answer he got was no.
"The real painting is still in the Golden Scale Pavilion."
Chu Xinian looked around, searching the corners calmly. Ancient paintings are precious and cannot be exposed to water. The thief would not risk hiding the painting underwater. It would be impossible to hide it on the body. It would be impossible to find it in a single search. It would be impossible to hide it in a corner.
That only leaves... up.
Chu Xinian took a few steps back and looked up at the beam structure in the Golden Scale Pavilion. He found a barely perceptible white reflection at the most remote angle. He looked at Xie Jingyuan, pointed at that place and said, "General, can you go up and take a look?"
Xie Jingyuan covered his lips with a handkerchief and coughed twice, thinking that Chu Xinian finally remembered him at this time. He closed his eyes calmly and asked in a cold tone, "Why should I go up?"
Chu Xinian smiled, as if coaxing a child, and lowered his voice and asked with a smile: "General, if you are willing to go up and take a look, what can I do for you?"
It was rare for him, a cautious person who never suffered any loss, to offer such a condition. Although Xie Jingyuan had not yet decided what to do with Chu Xinian, he reluctantly agreed because it was better not to take advantage of the opportunity.
He did not go up directly, but picked up a date from the fruit plate and hit the angled area with force. With a slight clang, a white scroll fell from the beam and landed squarely in the arms of a scholar in green clothes.
The white jade scroll on the painting where the light was just reflected.
The scholar in blue was so frightened that before he could react, the painting in his arms was snatched away by the young prince of Guangping. He unfolded the painting tremblingly, and then said in ecstasy: "Authentic! Authentic! It's the authentic work of Meng Xiting!"
Everyone immediately gathered around, wanting to see the famous painting, but the young prince quickly rolled up the painting and held it in his arms, not letting anyone touch it. He walked quickly to Chu Xi, bowed with gratitude and said, "Mr. Chu, thank you so much. I was able to find my beloved thing thanks to your help."
Chu Xinian returned the gift: "It is a great blessing in life to recover something that has been lost. It is great that the prince can find his beloved item back."
Xie Jingyuan raised his eyelids and thought, what is there to be happy about? The thief was not caught. If he could get away with it the first time, he could get away with it the second time. It was too early for the young Prince Guangping to be happy.
Just as everyone was talking, they heard a commotion outside. A middle-aged man in a scarlet robe suddenly rushed into the Golden Scale Pavilion. He looked around and when he found Young Master Jin who had been dead for a long time, his face suddenly changed and he rushed forward in a shrill voice: "My son!"
The father of this man, Jin Gongzi, Jin Hai, the inspector of the Jin Department, was not of high rank, but he was in charge of the world's trade and was also the target that many kings wanted to win over. When he heard that Zhong Du Miao Miao was in trouble, he rushed over as soon as he got off the court, but he didn't expect that his beloved son was really in trouble.
The old man sent the young man off, and it was emotional to lose control. But everyone was afraid that he would ruin the scene, so they hurriedly pulled him back: "Master Jin, Master Jin, you must not do this!"
"The authorities are coming soon. We cannot move Master Jin now. If something goes wrong and we can't find the murderer, he will die with injustice!"
"Master Jin, I am in mourning!"
Jin Hai's eyes turned red with anger, and he was almost persuaded by everyone. His chest was heaving, and he looked at the young Prince of Guangping with tears in his eyes: "May I ask, Prince, why did my son come here to attend the banquet and die here inexplicably?! Today, you must give me an explanation no matter what!"
The young prince of Guangping should not speak. He had to bear some responsibility for this matter. Before the government came, no one dared to make a rash decision. He could only comfort him: "Master Jin, I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer. Now please be patient and wait for the people from the Mingjing Division to come..."
Jin Hai coldly waved his sleeves and interrupted directly: "Humph, Mingjing Division?! They didn't investigate the case of the female corpse in the suburbs last time, how can I expect them to clear my son's name? I don't trust them! Please tell me everything that happened today, and I will go to the palace to ask His Majesty to investigate it personally!"
His pair of red eyes swept over everyone present, as if they were the murderer, waiting for Prince Guangping to tell the truth and then he would start to interrogate them strictly.
The Prince of Guangping had no choice but to tell the whole story: "… This is the matter, Lord Jin, all officials in the court have their own duties, and the murder of the powerful has always been handled by the Mingjing Department. It is better for you not to interfere."
Who knows what a father who is blinded by anger will find out? If he wrongly accuses an innocent person, it is not what the young prince of Guangping wants to see. After all, the Mingjing Division is in charge of murder cases, which is better than an official who is in charge of money all year round.
Jin Hai heard what he hadn't said yet, and he was about to explode with anger. Seeing that the prince was also at the banquet today, he lifted up the hem of his robe and knelt heavily in front of him: "Prince, please make a decision for me!"
The prince was stunned for a moment, then he quickly helped him up, but Jin Hai held onto his legs and refused to let go, crying bitterly: "You are the only son among my old ministers, and he died in vain today. Even finding out the truth was blocked in every way. Prince, you must help me, Jin Hai!"
The prince's pants were about to be torn off by him, so he hurriedly pulled him away and comforted him: "Master Jin, you are a loyal minister of our dynasty. Now that your only son is in trouble, I will definitely take care of it for you. If you don't trust those idiots in the Mingjing Division, don't..."
He thought for a moment, and suddenly pointed at Chu Xinian who was standing beside him: "Why don't we let Chu Xinian find out the truth for Master Jin? He is extremely smart and a master at solving cases. He will definitely clear Master Jin's name!"
The prince, like Xie Jingyuan, looked down on those pedantic scholars. He let those idiots become famous and did not give the fame to Chu Xinian, who at least had some real talent.
Jin Hai's face froze when he heard this. He never expected that the prince would come up with this solution: "This... this, this, this..."
Yan Qinghe was the oldest and most respected. He frowned and said, "Nonsense! Solving cases is the government's job. Even if Master Chu has some intelligence, I'm afraid he's not good at it. Human life is of paramount importance. Your Highness must not treat this as a joke!"