Chapter 773: Portrait of King Yu

Prince Wei stayed in the courtyard for a quarter of an hour.

When he left, his expression was heavy.

Yunxiang walked out the door. She only glanced at the King of Wei, saying nothing.

The King of Wei raised his head, looking instead toward Chen Changsheng.

There was a strange look in his eyes.

To Chen Changsheng, at least, it was highly unusual.

But the King of Wei said nothing. He gathered his guards and left, leaving behind the cart of prepared gifts.

Chen Changsheng and Yu Hongjin exchanged a glance.

"Why was he looking at you?" Yu Hongjin asked.

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "Who knows."

"Suspicious."

Yu Hongjin narrowed her eyes. "You haven't been bought off by that King of Wei, have you?"

Chen Changsheng chuckled. "This Chen isn't like you. A single jug of wine won't buy me off."

Yu Hongjin pouted. "You make me sound so cheap."

Yunxiang crossed over to Chen Changsheng's courtyard.

Yu Hongjin was unusually well-behaved, quickly standing up. "Sister Yun, come sit."

Yunxiang patted her head with a smile. "Such a good girl, Hongjin."

Yu Hongjin beamed, looking quite smug. "Of course I am."

"The King of Wei sought you out about the trade routes, didn't he?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Yunxiang nodded. "He wants me to connect him with Young Master Tang. Weidi hasn't traded with the outside world for years. Most of the time, its goods and wealth simply circulate internally. Over the last two years, the drawbacks of that isolation have become obvious. He really can't hold out much longer."

"What terms did he offer?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Yunxiang paused before answering. "The King of Wei is a prince who can swallow his pride."

Yu Hongjin blinked. "How much? Don't tell me he got down on his knees for you, Sister Yun."

She said it as a joke.

But Yunxiang remained silent, her expression completely unchanged.

Chen Changsheng froze in surprise, staring at Yunxiang.

Realizing the atmosphere had shifted, Yu Hongjin blinked. "Wh—what's wrong?"

Yunxiang recovered and replied, "It's nothing."

Clearly, Yu Hongjin had hit the mark.

During that quarter of an hour, the King of Wei really had dropped to his knees.

This was far beyond merely swallowing his pride.

This greatly surprised Chen Changsheng as well. Although he had spent the last two days bickering endlessly with the King of Wei, he could tell that beneath the man's foolish exterior lay a deeply calculating mind.

Sometimes, the more obvious a person appeared on the surface, the harder it was to discern their true thoughts. Perhaps it was a disguise, or perhaps it was genuinely who he was. Regardless, it provided the King of Wei with an excellent layer of camouflage.

Who would have thought the normally foolish and timid King of Wei possessed such resolve?

Chen Changsheng asked, "So, what was decided in the end?"

Yunxiang replied, "Actually, Young Master Tang had predicted the King of Wei would seek me out. He foresaw the predicament the King of Wei was about to face, so he arranged everything in advance."

"Speaking of which," Chen Changsheng said, "This Chen hasn't seen Tang Mingjing in many years."

"He's doing quite well."

Yunxiang smiled. "He's in the Capital City, living a very comfortable life."

She paused before continuing. "The matter is settled. Once I write a letter to Young Master Tang, the manager of the trading firm will take over. However, Young Master Tang previously sent me a letter asking me to request a certain item from the King of Wei. I brought it up as our condition, but strangely enough, the King of Wei looked shocked, and his behavior became rather odd."

"I don't understand why."

"What item?" Chen Changsheng asked.

"According to Young Master Tang," Yunxiang replied, "it is a Portrait of King Yu preserved from King Yu's Manor. Does Mister know what use this portrait might have?"

Chen Changsheng froze.

"A portrait?"

He snapped out of his daze.

Tang Mingjing knew about the portrait?

In this world, very few people knew about that portrait.

King Yu—who was also Mister Zhulan—had his soul scattered long ago. Yan Ruchu was one of the few who knew, but he had passed away recently. Zhu Sheng, the bamboo demon who guarded the White Pagoda inside the painting, had long since stopped caring about it.

There was one other person who should know: Lan Ting, the master Chen Changsheng had arranged for Ruyi. But even knowing of its existence, Lan Ting shouldn't be very involved with the portrait.

Could it be...

Chen Changsheng could think of only one possibility.

This matter had to be inextricably linked to Yan Ruchu.

Could the Tang Family Trading Firm have been one of his chess pieces as well?

It was certainly no coincidence that the painting had been kept here all this time. Perhaps Yan Ruchu hadn't wanted to draw attention, and its very existence had been left as a hidden trump card for today.

"Mister?" Yunxiang called out.

Chen Changsheng snapped back to reality and shook his head. "It's nothing."

He suddenly understood why the Tang Family Trading Firm had been able to expand so rapidly over the years.

Given Tang Mingjing's family background, a trading firm would inevitably face suppression once it reached a certain size. Such smooth sailing couldn't be attributed entirely to capability; there had to be a powerful backer pulling the strings behind the scenes.

In truth, if he just connected the dots, he could easily find the clues hidden within.

Chen Changsheng looked at Yunxiang and said, "He is doing something incredibly dangerous..."

Perhaps it was also inevitable.

The Tang Family Trading Firm enjoyed its current status today, but that didn't guarantee its future.

Tang Mingjing was getting older and had to think of his descendants. The trading firm needed greater support. For this, he was willing to take a gamble, hoping that the Tang Manor would endure through the ages as a true aristocratic family.

A merchant's status simply wasn't enough!

Yunxiang paused upon hearing this. "Young Master Tang?"

"Yes."

Yunxiang fell into thought. Young Master Tang had always been exceptionally steady and cautious. Why would Mister suddenly say such a thing?

Still, she couldn't help but worry.

Chen Changsheng added, "It's hard to say for sure, but he must have already arranged everything. There shouldn't be anything to worry about."

Yunxiang fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

She didn't pry into the details, though she would probably look into the matter herself.

Over the years, she really had paid less attention to the affairs of the trading firm.

Yu Hongjin, confused after listening to their exchange, asked, "What are you two talking about?"

Yunxiang patted her head. "Children wouldn't understand adult talk."

Yu Hongjin pouted, immediately upset.

Chen Changsheng smiled. Yunxiang was probably the only person who could chide Yu Hongjin without her talking back.

.

.

As night began to fall, Chen Changsheng brought the Portrait of King Yu out from his room.

This whole situation was truly quite a coincidence.

The item the King of Wei had casually brought along had ended up right here with Chen Changsheng.

Perhaps it was the work of fate.

Or perhaps...

It was the will of heaven?

Chen Changsheng looked up at the bright moon.

He vaguely felt that something wasn't right.

These events were simply one coincidence after another, each more incredible than the last.