Yinxiang has followed Yi Wu for a long time, so she is relatively familiar with Yi Wu's personal preferences, daily habits and trends. After listening to Xia Houshu's inquiry, she recalled the time before Yi Wu's death very seriously.
Behavior.
After a while, she shook her head and said: "No. Princess Mingjia is in charge of the inner palace of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and several other ladies, young masters and girls all look up to Princess Mingjia. Mrs. Yi has been in the mansion for more than a year.
She rarely goes out and rarely interacts with other ladies in the mansion. Even Princess Mingjia does not want to see her. The Prime Minister liked Mrs. Yi, so he ordered her to be exempted from the rule of giving morning and dusk instructions to his mistress, and she
Men other than the Prime Minister are not allowed to enter the Jade Pavilion where we live. When the Prime Minister doesn't come, Mrs. Yi locks herself in the room and dances, not allowing us to serve her."
Speaking of this, Yinxiang suddenly paused, as if remembering something again, and said hurriedly: "As for any unusual behavior, I remembered one thing. A few days before Mrs. Yi's sudden death, she invited the master of painting Cui
Mr. Lang painted her portrait, and I accompanied my wife there!"
Xia Houshu was shocked when he heard this.
The people of Nanqi are simple and simple. When it comes to painting, they prefer strange mountains and rivers, flowers, birds, fish and insects, and rarely paint portraits. Generally, there are three situations where people ask people to paint their own portraits: one is for the daughter's family who is not married, and it is convenient to hand it over to a matchmaker when negotiating a marriage.
It is brought to the family of the man in the photo to propose marriage; one is used by the oiran of the Red Mansion to attract or thank benefactors; the other is to commemorate the deceased.
Although Yi Wu was not of high birth, she had already left her lowly status and was Prime Minister Wang's favorite person. She was free from illness and pain, and was well-dressed and well-fed, so she had no reason to paint a portrait of herself.
"Okay, why did Mrs. Yi suddenly ask someone to paint her portrait?" Xia Houshu asked curiously.
Although Yinxiang was Yi Wu's trustworthy person, she was not a roundworm in her belly. She couldn't guess what Yi Wu was thinking, so she could only say vaguely: "I asked Mrs. Yi on the way to the portrait, but she didn't answer me.
, just sighing that time is ruthless and beauty is fleeting. I think she is probably worried that she will grow old day by day and the Prime Minister will never come again..."
Love fades and love lags behind. Probably all beauties who serve others with sex will have such worries. But would a beauty like Yi Wu, who is in her youth and in the full glory of her favor, have such worries?
In terms of age alone, Prime Minister Wang is old enough to be her father, and he is already half-buried in the loess. By the time Yi Wu is an old lady, Prime Minister Wang will probably have more than enough ambition but not enough energy. And the current situation
All signs indicate that Yi Wu is related to Prince Ling's Mansion. Prince Ling's Mansion wouldn't throw away such a big chess piece in vain.
However, Yinxiang has been with Yi Wu for so long and still hasn't seen her through. This shows that Yinxiang actually doesn't know much.
But if she could hear this from Yinxiang's mouth, it was not in vain that she spent so much money.
Hou Shu asked again: "Who did you say Mrs. Yi asked to paint her portrait?"
It is said that Yi Wu is a beauty, but there is still a difference between beauties. Maybe beauty lies in the skin, or beauty lies in bones, or beauty lies in unique grace and charm... There is always a shining point, and every aspect is beautiful.
There are only a handful of ones that are just right.
She was curious about which kind Yi Wu was.
Yinxiang hurriedly said: "This is the famous Mr. Cui Lang in the capital. He is a master of painting. He will definitely be able to paint Mrs. Yi to captivate the city and the country."
I don't know if she remembered Yi Wu's stunning appearance, but when Yinxiang said this, she couldn't help but feel a hint of pride on her face.
Xia Houshu occasionally heard the name of Master Cui Lang, and many official women in the capital who had reached the marriage proposal age often asked him to paint their portraits, so they were very popular. It is said that the two older cousins of the Zhong family had painted portraits of them before they got married.
She asked him to take a portrait of her, and the two cousins-in-law asked the matchmaker to arrange a meeting after seeing their portraits, so the groom's family didn't mind that they were concubines.
Xia Houshu has never seen Mr. Cui Lang's paintings, but she knows that several cousins of the Zhong family are very good-looking, and Princess Gong attaches great importance to their upbringing, and their behavior and temperament are not bad, even if Mr. Cui Lang's painting skills are not good
They are so exquisite according to the rumors, but they are not painted as ugly.
"Has that painting been retrieved?" Xia Houshu asked again. If she could take a look at that painting, maybe she would know Yi Wu better.
Yinxiang sighed and said regretfully: "It's a pity that Mrs. Yi disappeared before we had time to retrieve the portrait. I think the painting is still in the hands of Mr. Cui Lang."
If it was not retrieved, it should indeed still be in the hands of the painter.
Xia Houshu thought for a while and then said: "I heard that although Mr. Cui Lang is good at painting, he has a very weird temper. He doesn't always agree to painting if asked by him. It depends on who he paints and when he paints.
He is a man who does whatever he wants and is proud of his talents. Moreover, his whereabouts are secretive and he often disappears. Although he is famous and popular in the capital, no one has seen his true face. How did you meet him at that time?
Fuck him?"
Yinxiang said: "Although Mr. Cui Lang's whereabouts are uncertain, he often has paintings hanging in Shaiyuezhai for sale, and he is very familiar with the shopkeeper Zhao of Shaiyuezhai. Mrs. Yi also got in touch through shopkeeper Zhao at the beginning, and later when he painted
I chose Baiheyuan.”
Baihe was originally a great wonder in Beijing. It was located at the junction of the east and south of the city, at the lower reaches of the Qishui River. Because of the flat terrain, the river flowing through the city was diverted by various forks and the flow rate was very large.
The water decreased and accumulated here, forming a natural wetland, attracting hundreds of cranes to live here, hence the name Baiheyuan.
There are not only many cranes in Baiheyuan, but also many types. There are red-crowned cranes that symbolize longevity, good luck and elegance, as well as common varieties such as white-headed cranes, red-necked cranes, and gray cranes. Because people often associate cranes with gods, Baiheyuan cranes are also popular in Baiheyuan.
Heyuan has long been a popular place for dignitaries and celebrities to spend their free time, and many young men and women also choose to go on dates there.
There seems to be nothing wrong with Yi Wu asking Master Cui Lang to paint her portrait in Baiheyuan.
Xia Houshu thought for a while and then asked, "Have you ever seen what Young Master Cui Lang looks like in person? If he stood in front of you now, would you recognize him?"
Yinxiang shook her head and said: "When Mrs. Yi went to paint the portrait, I did accompany her, but Mr. Cui Lang was wearing a mask and didn't even take it off when he was painting. We couldn't see his face clearly, so even if he went there again,
I may not be able to recognize him when I see him."
"A man wearing a mask?" Xia Houshu frowned, and immediately remembered the mysterious fox-masked man he met in the Prime Minister's Mansion, and asked, "What kind of mask is he wearing?"
Yinxiang carefully recalled the person she met that day, and said uncertainly: "It's white, and there's nothing special about the style. It goes well with his lake green clothes."
"Are you sure it's white?" Xia Houshu asked again.
"It's white." Yinxiang's tone was very sure, "The Prime Minister's Mansion has many rules, so I never left the house when Mr. Cui Lang painted Mrs. Yi's portrait. I was always waiting for the tea fruits. I saw it really, Cui Lang
Mr. Lang was wearing a white mask. And he spoke very little. I asked him how long it would take to paint, but he didn't answer. Later I asked him if he wanted to drink tea, but he didn't answer either. But Mrs. Yi felt that a great talent must have this.
Such pride."
Since the mask was white, it meant it was not the same person he met at the Prime Minister's Mansion that night. The little spark of hope that had just risen in Xia Houshu's heart was extinguished in an instant.
Seeing that she had been asking about the painter, Yinxiang asked tentatively: "Does the girl also want to ask Mr. Cui Lang to paint her portrait?"
Xia Houshu waved his hand and said, "I just want to get to know Mr. Cui Lang."
Yinxiang was a little frustrated. After thinking about it, she asked again: "Does the girl want to get Mrs. Yi's portrait?"
Xia Houshu couldn't help but take a serious look at Yinxiang. It seemed that she was not stupid.
Yinxiang understood the idea and quickly said: "When we went to Shaiyuezhai to find a matchmaker with Shopkeeper Zhao, Shopkeeper Zhao asked us to pay a deposit first and then choose a place. He said that Mr. Cui Lang would wait at the agreed place in advance. What's more?
He said that after the portrait is framed, we can go to Shaiyue Zhai to pick it up. So if the girl wants that painting, she only needs to take the tail gold to Shaiyue Zhai and find the shopkeeper Zhao."
Of course Xia Houshu would not believe that it would be so easy to get the painting. Otherwise, wouldn't anyone be able to take away other people's paintings?
Yinxiang pursed her lips and said hurriedly: "Mrs. Yi originally planned to let me pick up the painting after it was framed, so she left my name and handwriting. If you really need the painting, I will
I can show you my handwriting."
Yinxiang knew that the road was inconvenient for her, so she only said to give her handwriting.
He is indeed a smart man, Xia Houshu praised him silently in his heart, and planned to take Yinxiang's handwriting to Shaiyuezhai to try his luck.
Seeing that Xia Houshu's eyes and thoughts were no longer on her, Yinxiang was worried that she would no longer have any value, so she added: "Girl, although I don't know who you are and why you want to check on Mrs. Yi, I can see that.
You are not a bad person. My life here is worse than death. Please save me because I have provided so many clues."
Bad people don’t write the word “bad guy” on their faces.
Xia Houshu looked at Yinxiang and felt that although she was a little clever, she was not capable of achieving anything. As for saving her from the sea of suffering, she was even more helpless.
The concierge of Shuyu Pavilion is not a decoration. She spent a lot of money to pretend to be Uncle Qiu's daughter to sneak in. It is not easy to take someone out again.
Seeing Xia Houshu's hesitation, Yinxiang immediately knelt down and kowtowed to her, saying sincerely: "I know the girl is in trouble, but I got into a big trouble today, and Shuyu Pavilion will definitely not be able to accommodate me. I just ask the girl to give me some help."
I have a way out, I have to leave Shuyu Pavilion, and I will never bother you again!"