Chapter 38: Changing Positions

Chapter 38: A Reversal of Fortunes

◎It truly felt as if her world had been turned upside down in an instant, leaving her momentarily stunned.◎

After finishing the sweet soup, Li Ci noticed that the Ding kiln white-glazed plum blossom bowl, beyond its gilded silver rim, also featured three exquisite pink-hued plum blossoms painted at the bottom: a white plum in full bloom, a red plum in bud, and a pink plum just unfurling, revealing delicate stamens.

Each petal was meticulously outlined, some gently curled, others freely unfurled, each with a distinct posture yet equally vibrant and lifelike.

She gazed at the bottom of the bowl for a long time. Xie Zhenchuan observed her but said nothing, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Noticing Lord Xie's expression, Nan Xuan boldly interjected, "What does Miss Li think of the plum blossoms painted at the bottom of this bowl?"

Li Ci tilted the bowl to examine it more closely. The bottom was smooth and even, and she realized the plum blossoms were painted, not molded. She praised with genuine admiration, "They are incredibly lifelike—absolutely exquisite."

"This bowl was painted by Lord Xie himself on the raw clay before firing," Nan Xuan added with deliberate praise, then lowered his voice to whisper to Li Ci, "He originally painted a set, but unfortunately, the others either cracked during firing or the designs were distorted. This is the only one left—it’s quite precious."

Upon learning of the bowl’s rarity, Li Ci grew worried about accidentally breaking it. She carefully set it down and sat up primly, adopting a more formal posture.

The slight smile vanished from Xie Zhenchuan’s lips. He shot a glance at the talkative Nan Xuan and said calmly, "Miss Li, the reason I asked to see you today is actually to discuss a matter."

This was the first time Li Ci had heard Xie Zhenchuan say he needed her help. She pondered for a moment and thought of the only possibility she could imagine: "Did Lord Xie accidentally damage Grandfather Cang’s painting during the restoration?"

Without waiting for his reply, she generously added, "I’m already very grateful that you were willing to restore the painting. Even if there’s a flaw, it’s not a big deal."

Xie Zhenchuan gave a soft, dismissive snort, his slender fingers tapping twice on the table.

Hearing it was that renowned masterpiece, one rarely seen in the world, Nan Xuan felt his mind go blank with shock.

The painting, "The God of Wealth Inquiring of the Golden Toad Under the Money Tree," had been restored by Lord Xie two days prior and was currently drying in the study. Nan Xuan quickly washed his hands, reverently brought it out, and carefully held it overhead so both could view it in its entirety.

The painting depicted majestic mountain rocks, a money tree shimmering with gold, the God of Wealth holding a gold ingot, and a three-legged golden toad with a copper coin in its mouth—a scene symbolizing wealth, prosperity, and good fortune.

Li Ci instinctively held her breath. The creases on the paper had completely disappeared, and the painting was perfectly smooth. If she hadn’t known where the mold stains had been, she wouldn’t have known where to look. What was even more remarkable was that the restored sections—the mountain rocks—blended seamlessly with the original, indistinguishable even under close scrutiny.

Her eyes widened in amazement, and she let out a long, awestruck "wow," sincerely praising, "Lord Xie’s restoration skills are truly impeccable. Even if my father were here, he likely wouldn’t find any fault."

Xie Zhenchuan maintained his composed and confident demeanor, nodding with a hint of pride.

Instead of hastily taking the painting back, Li Ci considerately added, "Since Lord Xie is currently working on the 'Portrait of Guanyin Bodhisattva,' perhaps this painting could remain here for reference?"

Nan Xuan discreetly glanced at the image. It wasn’t that he lacked reverence, but trying to depict Guanyin—dressed in white, holding a pure vase and willow branch, standing on a lotus pedestal—while referencing the God of Wealth, who wore an official black hat, red robes, held a ruyi scepter, and stood on gold ingots, was quite a stretch. Unless Guanyin had decided to switch professions and become the God of Wealth that day.

Xie Zhenchuan struggled to maintain his composure, his expression nearly slipping. "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Li, but that won’t be necessary."

Nan Xuan, understanding the implication, quickly stored the painting, sealing it in a cotton bag before placing it in a painting case and returning it to Li Ci.

Li Ci thanked him, accepted the painting case, and asked Xiuchun to take it back to Jiahe Court for safekeeping. However, she grew even more puzzled about how she could be of help and simply said, "If there’s anything else, Lord Xie, please speak frankly. I actually have a favor to ask of you today as well."

Xie Zhenchuan nodded. "Then perhaps Miss Li should speak first."

Li Ci had prepared beforehand and stated directly, "Lord Xie, do you remember Jixian Bookstore in the West Market? The one where we bought paintings before."

Xie Zhenchuan took a sip of tea and replied nonchalantly, "I remember."

Li Ci continued, "The shopkeeper of Jixian Bookstore is surnamed Xu. I’m acquainted with her. According to Shopkeeper Xu, her husband hasn’t returned home since yesterday. Early this morning, government soldiers and officers from the Zhuoying Department went to the bookstore to accuse him of some crime. I also heard that her husband offended Commander Xie, which is why he was taken away. Does Lord Xie know about this?"

Xie Zhenchuan looked up at her. "It was indeed done on my orders."

Hearing his admission, Li Ci felt relieved and looked at him with trust. "That’s good then. Shopkeeper Xu’s husband should be unharmed, right?"

...Nan Xuan thought to himself, *This is bad. Bei Ming has probably already started the interrogation.*

Xie Zhenchuan cleared his throat lightly, avoiding the main point. "His life is not in danger."

Li Ci nodded innocently, indicating she understood, but doggedly pressed, "Then, may I ask how they offended you, Lord Xie? I’d like to inform them so they can avoid repeating the mistake."

Nan Xuan quickly thought of a reason for Lord Xie: Shopkeeper Xu had failed to recognize his stature, selling his painting for a mere fifty wen. Such ignorance, and she still dared to ask how they had offended him?

Xie Zhenchuan gazed at the tea leaves floating in his cup. "Miss Li, do you recall the day Xu Yuxuan came to deliver the painting and spoke a few words to me?"

Li Ci remembered quickly. "Yes, I do."

She had asked at the time what Xu Yuxuan said, and Xie Zhenchuan replied that he was urging him to study hard, so she hadn’t thought much of it.

Now, however, Xie Zhenchuan snorted coldly and declared with an air of righteousness, "What he said to me was, 'Relying on looks to serve others won’t last. You should plan for your future sooner rather than later.'"

...The study fell into an eerie silence. Nan Xuan feigned deafness.

Li Ci thought for a long moment before recalling the context. That day, she had brought "Brother Xie Zheng" to buy paintings, spending extravagantly at Jixian Bookstore. Xu Yuxuan had come to deliver the paintings and uttered some strange advice about pursuing imperial examinations and achieving scholarly honors. She had even said at the time that it wouldn’t matter if "Brother Xie Zheng" didn’t pursue official ranks.

His phrase "relying on looks to serve others"—could the person he was "serving" be her?

"Cough, cough, cough..." The moment this thought surfaced, even someone as bold as Li Ci choked on her own breath.

Xie Zhenchuan leisurely pushed a fresh cup of tea toward her. Li Ci reached for it and forced herself to take a sip.

Once she caught her breath, he adopted a serious tone and asked humbly, "What does Miss Li think I should plan for?"

Li Ci guiltily lowered her eyes, focusing on his slender, jade-like fingers resting on the cup’s rim. She thought to herself that with Xie Zhenchuan’s appearance, he really didn’t need to plan for anything.

Unable to conceal her thoughts, her mouth spoke her true feelings before her brain could intervene: "Lord Xie, you don’t need to plan. Your looks will surely see you through regardless."

The room fell silent again. This time, Nan Xuan genuinely wished he were deaf.

Only then did Li Ci realize the outrageousness of what she'd said. A flicker of regret showed in her eyes as she stammered an apology, "I... I didn’t mean to offend you, sir."

Nan Xuan watched discreetly and saw that Lord Xie wasn’t angered. Instead, he chuckled lightly and magnanimously said, "Don’t worry, Miss Li. I am not a narrow-minded person who holds grudges over minor slights."

Nan Xuan then remembered that if they were counting, Miss Li had unknowingly offended him numerous times already. If Lord Xie were prone to anger, he would have lost his temper long ago—why wait until now?

Only Li Ci nodded earnestly, likely the only one in the room who genuinely believed it. "Then, since Lord Xie isn’t angry, could you perhaps be lenient and release Mr. Xu soon?"

"Miss Li, you’ve misunderstood. When I said he 'offended' me, it was merely a pretext to mislead others," Xie Zhenchuan said with a slight smile, explaining patiently. "There’s more to this matter, which relates to what I wish to discuss with you."

Li Ci looked up at him attentively, adopting a posture of eager listening.

Xie Zhenchuan nodded slightly, his expression turning grave. "The reason I’ve come here under a changed identity is to investigate the imperial examination fraud case in Jiangnan from two years ago."

Though his tone was calm, his words carried weight. Li Ci, though not immediately grasping the full implications, sensed the determination behind them.

The Jiangnan examination scandal had caused a huge uproar at the time; even someone like her, a young woman confined to the inner chambers, had heard of it. She had even heard her grandfather speak of it with deep resignation.

A surge of righteous fervor welled up in her. Puffing out her chest, she declared boldly, "Please speak freely, Lord Xie. If there’s any way I can assist, I will not shirk my duty."

Xie Zhenchuan paused, his gaze resting on Li Ci’s innocent face. He suddenly recalled that day in the West Market when she risked herself to save Cheng Lixue from a group of thugs and helped pick up the scattered peaches.

Her eyes were always filled with naivety and fearlessness, clear as water, and now they were fixed intently on him, reflecting his image without blinking.

"This case involves many people. Shopkeeper Xu’s husband is one of them," Xie Zhenchuan said in a low voice, holding nothing back. "Xu Yuxuan is a key witness. The mastermind behind the fraud wants to capture and silence him, even at the cost of confronting the Zhuoying Department. The opposing side has deep roots and considerable influence in Jiangnan. To counter them, I had no choice but to reveal my identity."

Li Ci grew concerned again, "Would Lord Xie be in danger?"

Nan Xuan didn’t dare interrupt, but he thought to himself proudly that his own master, the Zhuoying Si Commander, had truly crossed mountains of blades and seas of fire, worlds apart from those silver-spoon heirs who merely inherited their titles. Even if there was danger, it would surely be the other party’s nine generations of kin who were in peril.

Yet Xie Zhenchuan wore a somber expression and spoke ambiguously, "I did intend to ask Miss Li to cooperate in staging an act, and I had previously discussed it with the Earl of Guangcheng. However, this matter might affect Miss Li’s reputation, and he did not approve."

Sure enough, Li Ci’s face lit up with curiosity, and she eagerly asked, "What kind of act is it?"

Xie Zhenchuan frowned slightly, looking as though he had no other options. "Although I have already made an appearance in Yingtian Prefecture, it is not yet time to alert the enemy. I can only publicly claim that I came to Yingtian for personal reasons. Yet I have no relatives or friends here, and I am traveling under a disguised identity—it's hardly believable."

Li Ci, moved by the tone of his words, also grew troubled. "Then what should we do? How can I help you?"

Xie Zhenchuan feigned helplessness and sighed, but without hesitation, he pinned the whole idea on Chen Ting, absolving himself completely. "It was Lord Chen who came up with a solution—to claim that I have long admired Miss Li and came here for you."

Li Ci stared at him blankly, her world had momentarily turned upside down. She hadn't quite wrapped her head around it yet.