Chapter 119: Overreaching oneself
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Yuwen Chu looked somewhat surprised at the rolled-up painting and didn’t reach out to take it. A slight smirk formed at the corner of his lips. “What’s this?”
Jiang Shanshan breathed a sigh of relief. She dreaded his icy rejection without even looking at it. Since he was willing to ask, there must be some interest. She smiled and revealed her most graceful and elegant smile. “I’ve wanted to give this to you for a while, but there never seemed to be a suitable opportunity. Perhaps there won’t be a better chance in the future, so… why not open it and take a look?”
Yuwen Chu replied casually, “I’ve never been particularly interested in calligraphy and painting.”
“But you’ll surely be interested in this. I assure you; it has nothing to do with sentimentality.” Jiang Shanshan was eager to have him open the painting. She was well aware of the fierce ambition hidden beneath his calm and gentle exterior. Once he opened it, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. Like Pandora’s box, once opened, he wouldn’t be able to resist. She was confident in this.
Seeing her insistence, Yuwen Chu didn’t refuse further. He took the painting and gently unrolled it to take a look.
The outcome was decided by this one action. Jiang Shanshan’s heart was in her throat, watching nervously as Yuwen Chu’s expression changed from surprise to silence. However, his eyes never left the painting. Her heart gradually calmed, replaced by a hidden joy. She knew he couldn’t resist this temptation. The power of this massive bed crossbow, once it appeared on the battlefield, would be undeniable. Yuwen Chu understood this well. He couldn’t resist it.
Yuwen Chu remained silent for a long time, casually rolling up the painting. He smiled and asked, “What is this?”
“This is a drawing.” Jiang Shanshan saw his smile and relaxed. She playfully winked at him. “What’s depicted on it is also very useful, isn’t it?”
Yuwen Chu remained noncommittal. “Where did you get this?”
“Is that important?” Jiang Shanshan blinked confidently. “If I say I stumbled upon it in my studies and then drew it, would you believe me?” In this regard, she had an absolute advantage over Fu Mingzhu, who was nothing more than a wine bag and a pillow embroiderer.
“I believe you.” For some reason, Yuwen Chu’s smile seemed somewhat meaningful. “It’s a pity it’s only half.”
Jiang Shanshan smiled. “For such an important thing, I dare not bring out the full version casually.” Otherwise, if she showed him everything, how could she lure him in?
Yuwen Chu returned the painting to her and said sincerely, “You’re cautious. Even if it’s just half, be careful who you show it to. If it’s stolen and completed by someone else, it would be disastrous.”
Jiang Shanshan laughed. “Impossible! That’s completely impossible. It’s only in my mind, unique in the world. Even my father doesn’t know.” She looked at Yuwen Chu affectionately, softening her voice. “Although I’ve had this idea for a long time, it wasn’t perfect, so I didn’t dare to show it off. After much consideration, I finally settled on it recently and only drew one. For safety’s sake, I burned the other half.”
So, if you want to get your hands on this, you must pay the corresponding price. She had even planned it out. The Fu family’s power was strong and not to be trifled with. If Fu Mingzhu wanted the position of the main consort, she could have it. Eventually, the Fu family would fall, and she would patiently wait for Fu Mingzhu to die in that position. She would reclaim everything that belonged to her.
Yuwen Chu smiled gently, his eyes dark and bright. “How recent is recent? It’s not that it was already drawn and only now revealed, is it?” Surely, it couldn’t be earlier than when he encountered Fu Mingzhu at the Jade Emperor Temple back in March?
Jiang Shanshan shook her head. “No, I won’t hide it from you. I finished this drawing ten days ago.” Then she saw Yuwen Chu’s expression, strange and thought-provoking, almost mocking, but also somewhat amused and faintly relieved.
She couldn’t understand such a complex expression, but she instinctively felt a chill spreading from the depths of her heart, making her uncomfortable. After thinking about it, she pretended to put the painting away and said lightly, “Perhaps Your Highness isn’t too interested in this. I’ll take my leave.”
She turned and walked away slowly. She thought Yuwen Chu would call her back, but she waited and waited, yet he didn’t stop her. Finally, unable to resist, she turned back to look, only to see Yuwen Chu half tilting his head to look at the sky, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he couldn’t understand something.
If he couldn’t understand, then let him figure it out! Jiang Shanshan sneered inwardly. This man was good at calculating. He was probably figuring out how to handle this situation to his advantage. After all, he knew what she wanted, but he didn’t know how the Fu family would react. You couldn’t pressure a strong and cunning man too tightly. Jiang Shanshan knew this better than many women. She could wait. Just a little longer, and when something happened to Fu Mingzhu, he would know what to do.
Yuwen Chu looked up at the sky and couldn’t help but smile.
It was fortunate that he was feeling gloomy because of Fu Mingzhu’s impending marriage to Yuwen You, so he went to the Jade Emperor Temple; fortunate that he couldn’t sleep and went to the Linkong winding walkway to stargaze, encountering Fu Mingzhu angrily dancing in the corridor; fortunate that Fu Mingzhu had a bad temper and threw her own shoe, forcing her to wait for someone to bring her another pair, allowing him to witness her interaction with Ban Jian; fortunate that he was sharp-witted and found the half-cut bed crossbow blueprint from Ban Jian; and fortunate that Fu Cong was so clever and so willing to trust him, willing to show him the model he had already made. If not for all these, just seeing Jiang Shanshan so proudly and confidently present this drawing would almost make people believe that she was the original creator.
It’s truly ridiculous, stealing someone else’s secret and being shameless about it, even the excuses are almost identical to what Fu Mingzhu came up with. The only difference is that Fu Mingzhu’s was from perusing ancient texts, stumbled upon by chance, not claiming credit; while Jiang Shanshan, on the other hand, came up with it herself through her wide reading and inspiration, truly a talented woman.
It seems he must remind Fu Cong to investigate who leaked the information about the blueprints, as it’s very dangerous. And this woman, she’s just too clever for her own good. Cleverness isn’t scary, but showing it off excessively is.
Yuwen Chu suppressed his smile, called over a eunuch standing nearby, and whispered a few words to him. The eunuch nodded and hurriedly walked outside the palace.
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