"..."
The calligraphy and painting shop became silent.
Cao Huaji glanced at the painting sage Pei Xuanzi frequently, hoping that this master of painting could replace the third prince and re-evaluate Li Su's paintings.
The Painting Saint lowered his eyebrows and said nothing. In other respects, everything was fine. If he was asked to deliberately compliment others while painting, he really couldn't do it.
In particular, he just said that Li Su was an average painter, which was actually a very flattering statement.
"I haven't seen him attach much importance to this calligraphy and painting shop. Why does he care so much about other people's comments now?" Ziying held her breath and quietly watched the confrontation between Li Su and Xiao Yuancheng, feeling very speechless.
"Master Li's painter..." Tian Qi's eyes were a little erratic as he squatted at Li Su's feet, thinking that he might not be making random comments...
"Not bad." After a long silence, Xiao Yuancheng gritted his teeth and changed his words, feeling extremely aggrieved.
At this time, you can't completely break up with the bastard in front of you.
"It's just not bad?" Li Su was dissatisfied.
Xiao Yuancheng said angrily: "Don't bully others too much!"
Li Su paused and waved his hand generously, "Arty people only deserve to see vulgar works."
Everyone: "..."
Xiao Yuancheng left, feeling very frustrated.
"Go and close the door." Li Su sat on the old man's chair again and ordered.
Ziying nodded slightly and walked quickly to the door.
Tian Qi, who was squatting at Li Su's feet, just wanted to stand up when he felt a kind and big hand on his head, and his pretty face couldn't help but blush.
"Huh~." Li Su breathed a long sigh of relief and carefully thought about his confrontation with Xiao Yuancheng.
Forcing Xiao Yuancheng to change his words was not entirely due to his pettiness, but mainly because he wanted to confirm Xiao Yuancheng's attitude.
Under such circumstances, he was still willing to give in, which shows that Xiao Yuancheng is not a playboy, and he has roughly understood what it means once he is stigmatized as "treason".
Ziying came over, looked at Li Su who was slumped on the chair, and joked: "Are your legs weak from fear?"
"I'm scared, but Xiao Qi is helping me support me." Li Su hummed.
Tian Qi's pretty face turned red again.
"Miss..." Ziying's heart tightened, and she immediately ducked behind the counter. When she saw Li Su's hand touching Tian Qi's head, her eyes suddenly turned cold.
Li Su coughed lightly and calmly retracted his right hand.
Tian Qi stood up in time and gave Li Su a look with a blushing face.
"Asshole." Ziying gritted his teeth, feeling extremely angry. How dare this man take action just when the door was closed?
The same goes for Her Royal Highness, why don't you stop it?
"Are your legs numb after squatting for so long?" Li Su avoided Zi Ying's cold gaze and looked at Tian Qi, asking with concern.
Tian Qi lowered his head and shook his head gently.
"If you dare to look down on my lady again, I will destroy you!" Ziying pulled Tian Qi over and threatened with a sneer.
After saying that, he pulled Tian Qi and walked back to the courtyard.
"You can't understand even if you touch your head and kill me." Li Su muttered, got up and walked back to the courtyard.
…
On the streets in the north of the city.
Xiao Yuancheng's face was gloomy and cold, and while he was boiling with anger, he also felt a little aggrieved in his heart.
As the third prince of the Daqian Dynasty, how had he ever suffered such a loss?
Approaching the city lord's palace, Xiao Yuancheng finally calmed down completely. He glanced at the painting saint and asked: "You are the painting saint. Tell me, how good is his painting skills?"
Painting Saint Fu Xu said: "His Third Highness's initial comments are very pertinent. His painting skills are indeed average."
"Gu just said, I can't be wrong." Xiao Yuancheng sneered, then looked puzzled, "Doesn't he really know that his painting skills are average?"
"Of course he knows." The painting saint smiled.
"Since he knows, then he deliberately targeted Gu?" Xiao Yuancheng frowned.
"Maybe not." The Painting Saint muttered.
"What do you mean?" Xiao Yuancheng frowned tightly.
The Painting Saint did not answer directly, but smiled and said: "If His Highness the Third Highness says that an experienced painter is average, the experienced painter will not care and will just laugh it off."
"Oh?" Xiao Yuancheng raised his eyebrows slightly, thought for a moment, and complained, "You are a painting saint, who dares to say that your painting skills are average? If you dare to say this, it will only appear that he is ignorant."
The Painting Sage continued: "But if you say, Your Highness, that the fishing skills of an experienced Taoist are average, the Taoist may be impatient with you."
Xiao Yuancheng was startled, recalling the scene when he was walking with the painting saint. When walking on the waterway, the painting saint loved fishing, but he often couldn't catch a fish all day long.
This fishing technique is probably just average.
"Why is this?" Xiao Yuancheng whispered.
The Painting Sage glanced at Xiao Yuancheng, "If someone says that His Highness is inhumane, will His Highness be angry?"
"Isn't it humane?" Xiao Yuancheng smiled and said leisurely, "If there is such a rumor, it's easy to prove your innocence."
"If someone said that Governor Cao was inhumane, Governor Cao would probably be so angry that he would kill someone." The painting saint said with a smile.
Cao Huaji's face froze and he glared at the Painting Sage coldly.
Xiao Yuancheng paused and realized something vaguely.
"You are trying to say that Gu said that he was an average painter, which exposed his shortcomings." Xiao Yuancheng raised his eyebrows lightly.
"It's not a shortcoming." The Painting Saint muttered, "The tea in the shop has been left unchanged for more than half a year, and there is a little dust on many of the calligraphy and paintings.
That young man probably doesn’t care about the calligraphy and painting shop. It’s possible that he studied painting for a long time, but found that his talent in painting was average and he didn’t want to accept it..."
"It's strange that such a treacherous person has a good talent for painting." Xiao Yuancheng sneered.
"That's true." The Painting Saint nodded, agreeing very much, and said with a whisker and a smile, "If you want to achieve success in painting, you must be as kind as a seasoned artist."
Xiao Yuancheng: "Haha..."
"It smells shameless." Cao Huaji cursed secretly.
"Your Highness, you should think carefully about the countermeasures." The Painting Sage reminded, "The old Taoist will forget everything he heard in the calligraphy and painting shop."
Cao Huaji quickly followed suit and said, "My servant didn't hear anything either."
Xiao Yuancheng's face turned gloomy again.
"Framing Gu for treason..." Xiao Yuancheng frowned. At that time, after understanding Li Su's intention, he was almost confused and couldn't think calmly.
Return to the city lord's palace and board the high pavilion where Cao Huaji lives temporarily.
"Is there nothing you can do against him?" Xiao Yuancheng looked at Cao Huaji, his brows furrowed tightly.
"This..." Cao Huaji hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
As a Tiannu, he entered the palace at the age of eight. He knew very well that treason was different from other crimes.
For other crimes, it may be necessary to see irrefutable evidence before being convicted.
But when it comes to treason, I would rather kill the wrong person than let him go.
Once the seeds of doubt are sown, it will be difficult for His Majesty the Emperor to trust the third prince again in the future.
"I don't know." Cao Huaji lowered his head. He did not dare to make any suggestions on this matter.
Xiao Yuancheng's face showed irritation, and he felt very aggrieved.
When he arrived in Gusu City, before he even started taking action, Li Su caught his eye and caught him off guard.
Sitting on the soft couch, Xiao Yuancheng calmed down, closed his eyes, and thought about everything that happened in Boyang's calligraphy and painting shop.
"He knew Gu would come and dug a hole in advance to wait for Gu."
"I can't be sure whether he really arranged for other people to spread rumors about me..."
"Once that anti-poem is spread in the name of Gu..."
Thinking of this, Xiao Yuancheng frowned tightly and felt a little chill on his body.
As a favored direct prince, he knew very well that once such rumors reached his father's ears, he might smile and not care based on his temperament, but he would definitely be suspicious in his heart. Let’s use this to criticize…
"We must not let such rumors spread to Chaoge City!"
Xiao Yuancheng clenched his fists and thought hard about countermeasures.
Cao Huaji on the side held his breath and stood respectfully, also thinking about the anti-poem.
The power of making rumors out of thin air may be limited; but once this anti-poem is added...
"This is ironclad evidence of treason." Cao Huaji said heartily.
"You said Gu Ruo took action directly and captured that kid..." Xiao Yuancheng suddenly spoke.
Cao Huaji was startled and said in a low voice: "If the painting saint is willing to testify for His Highness, Your Majesty will believe His Highness. This servant is worried that that kid has a back-up plan."
"Backhand..." Xiao Yuancheng frowned, not believing it, "A young man from Gusu City, can he really get his hands into Chaoge City?"
"Of course he can't." Cao Huaji said, hesitating, "But he stays with Hua Nongying."
