“What is Autumn Geese and Sunset Clouds?”
“I just looked it up on my phone. My goodness, this is actually a surviving masterpiece by Ni Zan, one of the Four Masters of the late Yuan Dynasty!”
“I know Ni Zan. He’s ranked among the top ten ancient painters and was even selected as one of Britain’s Top 100 Historical Figures. There’s a memorial garden dedicated to him in Liangxi City, Jiangnan.”
“It’s actually Ni Zan’s final work. Could it be that Young Master Ye understands calligraphy and painting?”
When Ye Feng revealed the origin of the painting, the entire place erupted. Lin Yi’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had never imagined that Ye Feng possessed such knowledge.
With that, all the talk about targeting Lin Yi or cutting him off halfway completely fell apart.
“Lin Yi, this is where you’re wrong. Young Master Ye also understands calligraphy and painting. How can you say he snatched it from you?”
“Exactly. You couldn’t even come up with 300 yuan, but Young Master Ye paid 500 yuan.”
“Buying something isn’t like dating. Why talk about who came first?”
“What nonsense. Why should dating care about who came first? Even if she has a boyfriend, if I win her over, that’s my ability.”
“Brother??? Something’s wrong with you!”
“How are you any different from Cao Mengde?”
In an instant, Lin Yi became the target of everyone’s criticism. Spit practically flew in his direction.
Even the approving look in Yan Wenjing’s eyes gradually shifted toward Ye Feng.
“Trying to compete with me?” Ye Feng’s lips curved slightly upward.
So what if you’re the male protagonist of a novel?
So what if your protagonist’s luck defies the heavens?
Your luck and opportunities. I will take them all!
“That’s not necessarily true. Lin Yi doesn’t just understand calligraphy and painting. He understands antiques too.”
“Who knows if certain people deliberately followed the trend and forced the purchase?”
“It’s like when a singer writes a good song. Some people not only plagiarize it but also suppress the original creator.”
“Does simply stating the name of a painting prove he understands it?”
Suddenly, a voice rang out. Lin Yi’s heart leapt with joy. It felt like a beam of light breaking through darkness.
He turned around and discovered that it was Lin Fengjiao who had spoken.
Lin Fengjiao pursed her lips. She had once had a favorable impression of Ye Feng and looked down on Lin Yi instead.
But who told Ye Feng to block all her contact information?
From that moment on, she turned from a fan into a critic.
“Fengjiao is right. With Young Master Ye’s ability, it wouldn’t be difficult to look up information about this painting.”
“But as for Autumn Geese and Sunset Clouds, I know a thing or two about it,” Lin Yi quickly added.
If this argument held, then Ye Feng really would be bullying the weak and maliciously rush purchase.
Even if he didn’t have to return the painting, his reputation would suffer. Besides, Chen Tianlei was present, along with the old gentleman beside him who was willing to stand up for Lin Yi.
“Hahaha!”
Ye Feng suddenly burst into laughter. His expression shifted, his gaze turning sharp as he said, “This is utterly ridiculous. Without exaggeration, no one here understands calligraphy and painting better than I do.”
The crowd fell silent. Young Master Ye, that’s a bit too arrogant.
We were just about to side with you.
Yan Wenjing frowned slightly. Though the words were spoken casually, the listener felt their weight. He felt as if Ye Feng was slapping him in the face.
Chen Tianlei’s brows furrowed deeply. His evaluation of Ye Feng dropped even further.
“Everyone, please look at the painting.”
Ye Feng took out the artwork, stepped forward, and pointed at it. “This is Ni Zan’s Autumn Geese and Sunset Clouds. I dare to say I understand it. But Lin Yi, do you dare to say you do?”
Lin Yi was about to speak when Ye Feng pointed to a line of wild geese in the painting and said, “Look carefully. These geese either have heads without tails or are missing a wing. Do you know what that means?”
“This…”
No one understood.
Yan Wenjing was slightly curious. It was also his first time seeing this painting, and he wasn’t very familiar with it.
But he knew Ni Zan. Ni Zan had lived freely and painted with effortless grace. He would not create such a work without reason.
“Lin Yi, you say I don’t understand painting. Then let me ask you, what do these geese represent?” Ye Feng asked.
“Uh…”
Lin Yi was speechless. When selecting the painting, he had only recognized Ni Zan’s style and hadn’t noticed the details of the geese.
“You don’t know, do you? Then I’ll tell you.”
Ye Feng paused briefly before continuing, “As everyone knows, Ni Zan lived during the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties. The Yuan Dynasty lasted only 98 years. During Ni Zan’s prime, the world was relatively stable. But in his later years, the world fell apart and uprisings broke out everywhere.”
“As a scholar, Ni Zan lamented the broken mountains and rivers and the change of dynasties. The common people suffered, yet no wise ruler emerged.”
“At the time, Zhang Shicheng controlled Jiangnan. His younger brother Zhang Shixin invited Ni Zan to paint. Ni Zan despised them. Not only did he refuse, he tore up the silk they sent and threw their money into a cesspit.”
“Later, while traveling near Taihu Lake, Ni Zan encountered Zhang Shixin and was even beaten by him.”
“Ni Zan looked down not only on the Zhang brothers but also held little regard for the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.”
“In his entire life, he never encountered the enlightened ruler he longed for. He lamented his own fate and the suffering of the people. That is why he painted these incomplete and bewildered geese drifting in the autumn wind.”
When Ye Feng finished speaking, the entire venue was stunned.
Is this really the Young Master Ye we know? His knowledge is unbelievably profound.
Even Yan Wenjing looked at him with newfound respect. Everything Ye Feng said matched Ni Zan’s life.
“Anyone can make up a story,” Lin Fengjiao muttered.
“Make up a story?” Ye Feng chuckled and pointed to a line of poetry in the lower left corner of the painting. “A river of autumn water faint with cold mist, reflections clear as silk; before my eyes, rows of geese bear the sorrow of parting beneath a snow-cleared sky.”
“Ni Zan wrote this line in the clerical script of the Han Dynasty.”
“His political aspiration was to drive out the barbarians and restore the Han people’s realm. What he desired was the glory of the Great Han.”
“Miss Lin Fengjiao, how do you think my story was woven?”
Ye Feng sneered softly. Lin Fengjiao was rendered speechless.
All eyes turned to her. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
What on earth was going on? When did Ye Feng become this knowledgeable?
It completely contradicted his usual persona.
“A river of autumn water faint with cold mist, reflections clear as silk; before my eyes, rows of geese bear the sorrow of parting beneath a snow-cleared sky.”
“That line comes from Ni Zan’s Yue Tune: Little Peach Red.”
“And the preceding line reads, In the rear court, the jade tree once played its tune; pitiful singing girls, unaware of a fallen nation, played the purple luan flute.”
“Young Master Ye’s talent is extraordinary. This old man truly feels inferior,” Yan Wenjing laughed heartily as he stepped forward, praising Ye Feng without restraint.
Before coming to Jinling, he had heard Chen Tianlei mention Ye Feng, describing him as an ignorant and idle playboy.
But now it seemed Chen Tianlei had misjudged him.
“You flatter me, sir. I only know a little,” Ye Feng replied with a faint smile.
Autumn Geese and Sunset Clouds was Ni Zan’s final surviving masterpiece. The background story behind its creation had long been lost.
No one present, including Yan Wenjing, could possibly know.
But Ye Feng was different. With his mastery in calligraphy and painting, he possessed knowledge spanning two thousand years of artistic history.
“So now, does anyone still say I’m targeting Lin Yi?”
Ye Feng smiled as he looked around.
Lin Yi’s expression, meanwhile, turned increasingly awkward.