Chapter 318 (1/2)
The old man was troubled and said: “But Lord Feng has already taken the painting!”
“Then we will return it to you!”
The old man pondered a little then sighed, saying: “That’s also fine. Then elder madam, please hand over the painting. After this old one has received it, I will leave!”
The matriarch pointed around the room: “Look for yourself! Which one is your antique painting?”
The man looked around the room and helplessly shook his head, “None of them is the painting.”
At this time, everyone from the Feng family had already turned their eyes to the shredded pieces on the ground. In her fury, the matriarch was unable to realize what they had noticed. The young servant that had run in earlier was finally unable to hold it in and helplessly said to the matriarch: “The one that you just tore to bits was that antique painting!”
“What did you say?” The matriarch stared wide-eyed at the torn bits of paper on the ground, as she felt her mind explode with a “boom” sound, “You said that this was the antique painting?”
The young servant nodded, “Master just sent someone to bring it back.”
“Why did you not say it earlier?” The matriarch became furious and suddenly swung her cane at the servant.
The servant quickly dropped to her knees in fear and began to beg for forgiveness. At the same time, she said: “This servant said it! This servant really already said it!”
“Small details!” The matriarch’s heart trembled.
The old man from Wonderful Treasure House squatted down at this time and began looking carefully at the pieces of shredded paper. He then stood up and said to the matriarch: “No mistake, this is the antique painting that Lord Feng took a liking to at Wonderful Treasure House. The artist is Fan Zhong Tian.”
The matriarch was lacking in culture, so she had no clue what the name Fan Zhong Tian meant, but the Feng family was not completely uncultured, with Feng Chen Yu as an example. At the time, Feng Jin Yuan had raised her in hopes that she would ascend to the position of Empress. Of the four arts, which one of them did she not have a great teacher for. How could she not know the name Fan Zhong Tian.
They saw Chen Yu say in shock: “Is it that artist from 400 years ago named Fan Zhong Tian?”
The old man nodded, “Young miss is very knowledgeable about such things.”
Upon hearing 400 years, the matriarch’s mind became even more of a mess. She did not have a very good understanding of antique paintings, but her mind’s first reaction to hearing 400 years was: If it’s that old, how much did it cost?
“400 years! I wonder, how much did father spend to buy it?” This question was asked by Feng Yu Heng.
They then heard the old man reply: “Originally, the asking price was 160 thousand taels of white silver, but since Lord Feng is young miss’ father, we reduced the price by 40 thousand taels. The total price was 120 thousand taels. Lord Feng had the painting brought back and had this old one come to fetch the money.” He said this and pulled out a piece of identification and a piece of paper. Everyone recognized it as belonging to Feng Jin Yuan. The piece of paper was a certificate written by Feng Jin Yuan. In this instant, she could not even deny it.
The matriarch regretted it too late, but the old man’s words caused her heart to relax, as she quickly said to Feng Yu Heng: “Fortunately, it is our own shop. Otherwise, it truly would cause too much of a stir.”
Fen Dai slyly said: “But of course! That hundred or so taels in the treasury aren’t even enough for many days of food. How could it produce 120 thousand.”
But Feng Yu Heng looked at the matriarch with a puzzled expression, her face filled with doubt: “How did it end up becoming your own shop? Did grandmother not hear him say that it was the Wonderful Treasure House?”
The matriarch was surprised, “That’s right! It is the Wonderful Treasure House.”
“Then what relation does it have with the Feng family?”
Upon hearing this, the matriarch became unhappy, “A-Heng, how many times must grandmother say this to you. You are the daughter of the Feng family! Right now, you have not yet married out of the family. Even if there is no need for you to pay your profits into the family, now that this sort of thing has happened, you cannot sit back and ignore it. Moreover, the person that took the painting was your father. Grandmother has decided that this painting will be said to be a gift to your father.”
“Ha!” Feng Yu Heng immediately laughed and was unable to stop laughing. It seemed as though she had heard the funniest joke under the heavens.
The matriarch angrily said: “Stop laughing! This matter has already been decided!”
“Stop!” Just after the matriarch made preparations to stand up, Feng Yu Heng’s laughter stopped, and her expression immediately turned gloomy, “Grandmother, most elderly people become senile. A-Heng will not argue with you, but there is something that I must remind you of. Wonderful Treasure House belongs to my mother, Yao shi. It has absolutely no relation to A-Heng.”
An shi also said from the side: “That’s right! Although second young miss is helping out with the three shops, the reality is that they were all given to elder sister Yao as part of her dowry.”
The matriarch was dazed from hearing this. She had forgotten about this. It had always been Feng Yu Heng that took care of the shops, so she naturally believed that the shops belonged to Feng Yu Heng; however, she did not think that the deeds were under Yao shi’s name.
Feng Yu Heng saw the change in the matriarch’s expression then faintly said: “My mother, Yao shi, has received an imperial decree for a mutual divorce from father. Does the dignified manor of a standard first rank official have the face to owe money to a woman that they mutually divorced? Speaking more simply, a man is marrying a new wife; however, he goes to buy things from his former wife’s shop. Do you think that this sort of behavior is worthy of praise? When word of this gets out, there will be honor?”