The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Gifting Her a Spring Colors Painting

At this moment, the atmosphere within the Elegant Poetry Pavilion became somewhat strange. It was unclear whether it was due to excessive drinking or the influence of the Five Minerals Powder, but the expressions of the several young masters gradually grew excited. Some even began to run wildly around the pool, stripping off their clothes in a frenzy!

“Why is it so unbearably hot today?” The frenzied Young Master Kong couldn’t help but complain irritably.

“And that Xiao Yun, it’s been so long, why hasn’t he come out yet? Could it be that he’s regretting it and wants to keep the young lady all to himself?”

“I think that’s a possibility. Forget about him, even if it were me, I’d want to monopolize this young lady. While there’s no shortage of beautiful concubines in my residence, I haven’t found a single one who possesses such elegant charm and talent as this young lady!”

“If that’s truly the case, then haven’t we been played by that brat Xiao Yun today!”

“Preposterous! Are we supposed to willingly be used, acting as mere stepping stones for him?”

The more the sons of aristocratic families thought about it, the more indignant they became. Coupled with the seemingly sudden heat and agitation within the Elegant Poetry Pavilion, their rationality began to slip away.

“Strange! Why am I finding it so hard to bear today…” Fourth Young Master Zhu remarked, his impatience growing.

“Quiet! What’s the harm in waiting a little longer?” Lu Sheng, who had also consumed several cups of wine, slammed his wine pot onto the ground, irritably removing a layer of clothing.

“Just because he hasn’t called for us, does that mean we can’t go find him?” He suddenly exclaimed in anger.

His words struck a chord with the others. Fourth Young Master Zhu immediately chimed in, “Right! Let’s go find him now. But where is he at the moment?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a voice responded, “In the Dream Journey Pavilion, my Young Master Xiao is in the Dream Journey Pavilion!”

“Dream Journey Pavilion?” The young masters, without even bothering to identify the speaker, rushed towards the Dream Journey Pavilion located deep within the corridor.

“Your Highness, something seems off about these people. What are they… Who exactly is in that Dream Journey Pavilion?” A guard, hidden in a corner eavesdropping, seemed to have realized something inconceivable, his eyes widening as he looked at the man in black robes.

The man in black robes also seemed to have grasped the situation, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“I see…”

It turned out that leading Xiao Yun to the Dream Journey Pavilion, then placing his own artificial skin mask onto Xiao Yun’s face, was all a setup for this very spectacle!

For the sons of aristocratic families who frequented this place for amusement, finding a specific location wasn’t difficult. In no time, seven or eight of them barged into the Dream Journey Pavilion.

They saw the silk curtains adorned with paintings of elegant ladies slightly swaying. On a flower petal carpet laid out on the floor, a young lady was lying on her side, seemingly in a light slumber. Her cheeks were rosy, her lips lusciously red ━ utterly alluring!

Wasn’t this Xiao Yun’s niece!

“Truly a feast for the eyes, so charming and captivating! I can’t hold back any longer…”

Fourth Young Master Zhu’s gaze was fixated on the young lady, his desire evident. He quickly shed his clothes and pounced towards the “young girl” lying asleep on the flower carpet.

With Fourth Young Master Zhu taking the lead, the other young masters, unwilling to be outdone, lunged forward like hungry wolves…

✿✿✿

Since Xiao Yun had been absent for so long, the two maids guarding the painting in the Elegant Poetry Pavilion were growing anxious.

“Eighth Young Master hasn’t come out for such a long time, could something have happened? And who was it just now who said our young master was in the Dream Journey Pavilion? Did you see them?” One of the maids asked.

“I didn’t get a clear look either, Lu Zhu. I’m a little scared. This whole thing was Eighth Young Master’s idea. If Madam finds out, will she punish us?”

“No, she won’t. Madam has always doted on Eighth Young Master. He’s only doing this to help Madam, to prevent that young lady from returning to the Xiao family!”

“But to treat that young lady in such a way, it’s ultimately against the laws of heaven, Lu Zhu. If something like this happened to us, could we still live on peacefully? That young lady is only fifteen, isn’t she?”

As the maid spoke, a voice suddenly interrupted coldly, “So you do know it’s against the laws of heaven, utterly inhumane, don’t you?”

The two maids were startled and immediately turned around. They saw a boy with exceptionally fair skin and azure blue eyes, handsome beyond compare, standing tall before them. He extended a hand towards them:

“Give me the painting! Otherwise, I’ll throw you in there too, and let you have a taste of what it’s like!”

Although the boy was breathtakingly beautiful, the icy glint in his eyes sent shivers down their spines. The maid Lu Zhu was quickly terrified, but the other maid was bolder and snatched the painting from Lu Zhu’s hands, attempting to flee.

Of course, she didn’t get far before Fenghuang intercepted her.

✿✿✿

The maid felt a sharp pain in her neck, then everything went black as she lost consciousness.

The painting fell, caught by another hand, and firmly grasped.

Fenghuang, paying no further attention to the two maids, hurried back to the room where Xiao Jinyu was waiting with the painting in his arms. Seeing that Xiao Jinyu was indeed still there waiting for him, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy and relief.

“Qing Gege, I retrieved the painting! And that Xiao Yun…”

“I know.” Xiao Jinyu nodded, smiling. “Fenghuang, let’s go play Pitch-Pot! Since we’re here, we should enjoy ourselves to the fullest. Let’s do everything we want to do!”

“Pitch-Pot?” The boy’s eyes lit up with interest, then dimmed again. “No, I can’t indulge in play anymore. My momentary negligence almost allowed Qing Gege to fall into their trap!”

Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, “Fenghuang, you worry too much. How could I possibly fall for their trap? It’s clearly them who have fallen for mine!”

Fenghuang, understanding the hidden meaning, also smiled. He thought to himself: I didn’t expect Qing Gege to be so cunning! But it’s better to be cunning than endlessly kind. Some people will always mistake your kindness for weakness. Why should you suffer when you can make those bad people uncomfortable!

As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard, “Let’s go! I’ll play with you this time!

And have A’xiu deliver a letter to the Xiao family’s mistress!”

✿✿✿

“What did you say? You saw her go to the Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower with that Northern Barbarian boy by her side?” In the Waterside Pavilion, Xiao Xian looked at Feng Dong, who had just returned from gathering information, and asked.

“Not only that, the people I sent also said they saw her drinking with Eighth Young Master and the others. Oh, and she also painted a picture for the young masters…”

“How many people were present?”

“I heard the Zhu family, the Kong family, the Lu family, the Fan family, and so on. All those young masters who usually go out with Eighth Young Master for nightly entertainment were there. They even praised the young lady’s painting, but…”

“But what?”

“But later, it seemed the young lady got drunk, and Eighth Young Master carried her away. After that, I don’t know… I don’t know where they went.”

Xiao Xian’s face turned pale, and Tenth Young Lady Xiao, who was sitting beside him, also stood up in shock.

“Is that girl stupid? Didn’t I tell her not to go to the Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower?”

“Tenth Young Lady, do you know, it’s precisely because you went to find her and told her all this that she decided to go to the appointment!” Xiao Xian suddenly said, “She’s repaying your kindness.”

“Repaying my kindness?” Tenth Young Lady Xiao seemed puzzled.

Xiao Xian then asked, “If she hadn’t gone, what would have happened to you?”

“What would have happened to me? I would have been humiliated by Ninth Miss and Eighth Uncle. But I know this is my fate. I can’t let her risk her life to save mine!”

“So, that’s probably what she thought too!”

Tenth Young Lady Xiao suddenly looked up, as if she had fully understood, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Seventh Uncle, you mean, she willingly went to face danger to protect me from harm?”

Meanwhile, the Xiao family’s steward received a letter. This letter was also addressed to the Xiao family’s mistress, Princess Yunyin. When Princess Yunyin opened the letter, she was astonished to find a painting inside. The painting used simple lines to depict several silhouettes, but it wasn’t difficult to recognize that it was an indecent Spring Colors Painting. However, there wasn’t a single woman among the characters in this Spring Colors Painting ━ they were all men!

“Shameless! Who delivered this letter?” Princess Yunyin asked, flinging the painting to the ground with a wave of her sleeve.

“It seems… it seems to have been a maid!”

The steward answered nervously, picking up the painting from the ground. He noticed that there seemed to be a line of text written on the painting.

“Madam, there are words on this painting, it seems to be addressed to you!”

Princess Yunyin took the painting and looked at it. Sure enough, she saw a line of text written below the painting: This Spring Colors Painting is a gift for Madam, may all your wishes come true! If you are not disgusted, please come to the Elegant Poetry Pavilion in the Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower for a viewing!

Many thanks to Coco He Miaomeng for the monthly pass, and to all the dear readers for the recommendation votes. I’m adding an extra chapter today to thank you for your support.