Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"As expected of the child I raised from a young age, he really understands things instantly."

Huang Jin burst into laughter.

"If one day the throne really falls to this prince, you, as the Prince's Attendant, are the only candidate to be the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial!"

We're betting on both sides; no matter how the throne is passed down in the future, the position of Grand Chancellor of the Directorate of Ceremonial is definitely ours!

. . .

Shandong, Yanzhou Prefecture.

Inside an antique and calligraphy shop.

"These are a batch of fine calligraphy and paintings that my shop just purchased from Suzhou Prefecture. Please have Mr. Feng appraise them."

The shopkeeper, with a fawning expression, led a eunuch dressed in a dark blue brocade robe with dark patterns and wearing a three-peaked crown towards the back hall.

"You always say you have good stuff, but we don't actually have many things that we like."

The eunuch muttered a complaint under his breath as he walked.

"Don't let us down again."

"Oh, I didn't expect you to actually have some skill this time. This painting, 'The Courtesans of the Shu Kingdom,' is a copy of Tang Yin's original, isn't it?"

The eunuch lingered in front of a painting for a long time.

"Although it is a replica, it is very well made. It can be seen that the painter is quite skilled, at least 30% as good as Tang Bohu."

"Have it properly framed and sent to Prince Lu's residence tomorrow."

"Please rest assured, Eunuch Feng, I will definitely use the finest materials to mount this painting."

The shop owner readily agreed.

"We would also appreciate your appraisal of other paintings, Eunuch Feng."

"Hmm, this flower-and-bird painting is alright, but it lacks a certain spirit..."

This eunuch surnamed Feng was clearly genuinely interested in calligraphy and paintings, and continued to critique each piece one by one.

"This portrait is also incredibly lifelike... Wait... Take the painting down and bring it to the window!"

The eunuch suddenly stopped in front of a portrait painting.

"Where did you get this painting?!"

A moment later, the eunuch surnamed Feng pointed to the portrait painting illuminated by the sunlight by the window and questioned it sternly.

"Please calm down, Eunuch Feng!"

Seeing the eunuch's anger, the shopkeeper immediately knelt down, trembling with fear.

"Our small shop has been operating in Yanzhou Prefecture for over ten years, and we have always been honest and upright in our business."

Father-in-law, you've always been a regular customer of our shop, as you know.

I acquired these calligraphy and paintings from a calligraphy and painting shop in Suzhou Prefecture just two months ago.

If there is anything wrong with this painting, it has absolutely nothing to do with our shop. We humbly request that Eunuch Feng make the informed decision.

"Hmm, it seems I was overthinking it."

Seeing the shopkeeper's attitude, the eunuch surnamed Feng chuckled self-deprecatingly, picked up the portrait, and examined it closely.

"Look at this paper, this painting is not a new work, and it is not well preserved. It was exposed to moisture, but fortunately it was not serious. As for its age, it is about ten years old."

Although the painter had some skill, he was not a famous artist after all, and this painting changed hands many times over the past ten years.

You purchased this painting from a calligraphy and painting shop in Suzhou Prefecture. It doesn't even have a signature, so how could you possibly know its provenance?

Get up!

"It's a good thing you ran into me, otherwise, if you had openly hung this painting up for sale, it might have brought you disaster one day!"

"May I ask, Eunuch Feng, what is wrong with this painting?"

The shop owner quickly got up and moved closer to the portrait.

"Although our relationship is just that of business partners, we've developed a certain level of friendship over the past ten years or so."

The eunuch surnamed Feng glanced at the shop owner, remained silent for a moment, and finally spoke.

"Take my advice and destroy this painting immediately, and never let anyone else know about it."

How can a portrait of the current emperor be openly displayed and sold in a store!

At the same time, inside a secret room behind a hidden door.

The Imperial Guard commander, Gao Mingqian, stared blankly, slowly uttering a few words.

"The Emperor... his true face...!!"