Cypress Boat Floating

Chapter 266 Redemption 3

As the selection date for the imperial merchants approached, the capital became bustling with activity. People from all walks of life and from all directions flocked to the city, carrying their skills and dreams, eager to get a piece of the pie in this competition. Once selected as an imperial merchant, it would mean endless glory and wealth.

However, among the many competitors, the once glorious Lin's Textiles gradually lost their advantage. In order to keep the title of imperial merchant, Lin Fanmao has been extremely busy these days. He goes out early and comes back late every day, and even frequently goes to the shrine to pray for the spirit girl to bless him so that he can be successfully elected.

At the same time, the people sent by Lu Ci Qiu also closely followed Lin Fanmao's every move. Lin Fanmao's recent actions were indeed quite a lot. In addition to visiting the shrine every day, he also met a lot of people from the prince's faction in the court, and gave away a lot of gold, silver and treasures. No one knew what the final result was. All we knew was that he and Yan Zhen were getting along very well recently.

Yan Zhen worked as a Langzhong in the Ministry of Revenue. He was the key person in charge of selecting imperial merchants this year. He was also the candidate strongly recommended by the prince's party. After careful consideration by the emperor, the important task of selecting imperial merchants was finally given to him.

This should have been a very secret piece of news, but who knows how those cunning merchants got to know it. For a time, the front of Yan's house was bustling with people, and merchants from all over the country came to visit one after another. Everyone knew that if they were lucky enough to have a relationship with Yan Zhen, they would most likely stand out in this selection of royal merchants. So, these merchants, like flies to stench and ants to meat, flocked to Yan's house, trying to seize this rare opportunity, hoping to catch a glimpse of the dawn of victory in the fierce competition.

Faced with such an attractive opportunity, how could Lin Fanmao easily miss it? However, Yan Zhen was very tight-lipped. No matter how hard Lin Fanmao tried, he refused to reveal a single word. Not only that, Yan Zhen seemed to have no special interests or hobbies, which really confused Lin Fanmao. He had no idea what he liked or hated, so he could only grope around.

It was another dark and windy night. Lin Fanmao rushed to Yan's residence without stopping, carrying a box of precious calligraphy and paintings he had just found, and handed over his name card to ask for an audience. After frequent contacts in recent days, Yan Zhen had become accustomed to Lin Fanmao's visits, and without much delay, he readily allowed him to come in to meet him.

"Brother Lin, you are here again!" Yan Zhen greeted him with a smile on his face. This smile came from the heart and was not false at all. Because he knew very well that every time Lin Fanmao came to visit, it meant a lot of money.

"Master Yan, I am here to bother you again." Lin Fanmao also smiled and hurriedly approached to get close to him. The relationship between the two seemed to be very close, like brothers.

Yan Zhen warmly invited Lin Fanmao to take a seat and ordered his servants to serve him tea. After everything was arranged, he sat there quietly, his eyes fixed on Lin Fanmao, as if waiting for something.

Lin Fanmao was naturally aware of the purpose of his visit. He knew that he could not let the host ask him about his purpose first. So, he took the box beside him, opened it carefully, and said to Yan Zhen: "Master Yan, I found an extremely precious painting somewhere else recently. It is said that this painting was created by the famous artist He Qin. I am just a businessman and I know a thing or two about identifying fabrics, but I am really incapable of appreciating paintings and calligraphy. So, when I received this painting, I immediately thought of you, an expert, and asked you to help me judge it."

He Qin is a famous calligrapher and painter in Da'an! His original works are now rare treasures, and ordinary people can hardly see them. When Yan Zhen heard about this gift, he naturally knew how precious it was, and he couldn't help but feel a little interested: "Oh... It's actually calligraphy and painting? Then I'd like to appreciate it carefully."

Seeing Yan Zhen's interest in watching, Lin Fanmao was overjoyed. He quickly opened the wooden box in his hand, handed it to Yan Zhen respectfully, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Master Yan."

Yan Zhen has always treated calligraphy and painting with the respect and awe of a scholar. He took out the scroll from the wooden box gently and slowly unfolded it. On the paper, a fish was about to appear, and it was clearly and vividly outlined with just a few strokes. This is He Qin's most famous painting, "Fish", and it is also the most imitated work in the world today. However, few people can depict the charm and agility of the original with just a few simple strokes.

"When He Qin was alive, he used Chengxintang paper to paint. This kind of paper is extremely white, as smooth and delicate as white jade, and it has excellent ink absorption. The paper is thick and tough." Yan Zhen said as he stretched out his index finger and thumb to gently rub the scroll in his hand: "However, this Chengxintang paper is now extremely rare. Most of the paper on the market is imitation and cannot be compared with the real Chengxintang paper. However, the scroll you brought should be the real thing without a doubt."

Hearing this, Lin Fanmao couldn't wait to ask: "So this painting is authentic?" His eyes were shining with anticipation.

Yan Zhen smiled slightly, revealing a hint of self-satisfaction on his face. As a scholar, he naturally had a unique vision and insight into the authenticity of calligraphy and painting. He coughed lightly, then slowly pushed the scroll back in front of Lin Fanmao and nodded, "Well, that should be the case."

Lin Fanmao carefully rolled up the scroll and put it in the box. However, he did not put the box away, but put it on the table, pushed it towards Yan Zhen, and then said, "Master Yan is really amazing, I admire you very much. But I think this scroll will be buried if I keep it here. If it is convenient for Master Yan, I wonder if you can keep it for me?"

This sounded like a request for Yan Zhen's help in keeping it, but both of them knew the deep meaning. Yan Zhen naturally understood Lin Fanmao's intention. He narrowed his eyes slightly and calculated secretly in his heart.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Lin Fanmao couldn't help but feel a little anxious, but this was also expected. After all, Yan Zhen had never accepted the gifts he had sent before, and this time would probably be the same. As expected, Yan Zhen said, "Brother Lin, your painting is too precious. I really don't dare to keep it for you! If it is accidentally lost or damaged in the future, I really can't afford to pay for it!" After saying that, Yan Zhen laughed a few times.

However, Lin Fanmao was not so relaxed. This painting was his family heirloom. If even this painting could not impress Yan Zhen, then he really could not find anything else that could impress him. Lin Fanmao laughed dryly twice, and the smile on his face looked very forced, but he still had to rack his brains to find a way to persuade Yan Zhen to accept the painting: "Sir, what you said is wrong. Only by keeping this painting with you can its value be truly brought into play. As for whether it will be lost or damaged, that is the most normal thing, why do you need to compensate for it?"

Yan Zhen still shook his head and rejected Lin Fanmao's proposal. Three times is the limit. Lin Fanmao proposed it three times and Yan Zhen rejected it each time. Lin Fanmao knew that the other party was not deliberately refusing but really didn't want it. He couldn't force the other party to accept it anymore.