Lu Wuxie turned his head, looking at the woman behind him, a hint of surprise in his eyes. Did she know what was in the quilt just now?
As a woman, and not yet married...
So... audacious?
"Young Master, what is this?" a voice interrupted Lu Wuxie's thoughts. It was Lin Jin, who had entered with them.
At the same time, Lu Wuxie and Zhong Li both turned their gaze to Lin Jin in another part of the room.
Lin Jin, having sheathed his long sword at his waist at some point, was now displaying a scroll in his palm to the two of them.
As the scroll was slowly unfurled, it revealed a portrait of a woman.
The woman's appearance was not stunning, but she possessed a reserved and steady demeanor. With her hands clasped behind her back, she exuded an air of proud integrity.
However, the painting seemed unfinished. Apart from the woman, there were no inscriptions or dates in the corners.
"You were all wrong. I think Miao Jie was married, perhaps his wife died early," Lin Jin said, glancing at the woman in the painting.
"Lin Jin, give it here." Lu Wuxie looked at the scroll with a peculiar expression and gestured to Lin Jin.
Hearing this, Lin Jin quickly handed the painting over.
Lu Wuxie spread the portrait of the woman on the only dust-covered table in the bedroom and began to study it carefully.
Time passed quickly as Lu Wuxie explored and gently sniffed the painting.
Just as the setting sun cast its rays through a small window onto the three of them, the man engrossed in the painting finally reacted.
Lu Wuxie glanced at Lin Jin and asked, "How old is Miao Jie?"
Lin Jin was somewhat perplexed by the question but quickly replied truthfully, "Thirty-eight."
"That explains it. This scroll is at least forty years old. According to your reasoning, this woman is Miao Jie's unborn... child bride?"
"Pfft..."
As Lu Wuxie finished speaking, the other guards from the Prince Xian's mansion, who were guarding their master's safety outside the courtyard, stifled their laughter.
Lin Jin's face turned slightly red. A child bride would imply that the in-laws knew about the wife giving birth to the man. Clearly, Miao Jie was at least two years older than the person in the painting, so how could she be a child bride, let alone a wife?
"Forty years ago? How did you deduce that, Young Master?" Zhong Li, unlike the others who were amused, asked Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie, having enjoyed antiques and calligraphy since childhood, had reached the pinnacle of his discernment in these matters.
He rubbed the scroll with his fingertips, then brought it closer to Zhong Li. "Smell it."
Zhong Li, not understanding, stepped forward and sniffed carefully.
"Do you smell a woody scent, mixed with a hint of carbon odor?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li nodded. The smell was just as Lu Wuxie described, reminding her of when she sold old books that had been stored at home for over a decade before she transmigrated. Those books had emitted a similar aroma.
"But based solely on this scent, how did you determine that this painting is over forty years old?" Zhong Li asked. In her opinion, the scent only indicated that the scroll was old.
Lu Wuxie smiled slightly, as if he had anticipated her question. He said, "There are two points. First, did you touch the paper?"
Zhong Li's fingertips glided over the paper. At first glance, the paper seemed fine, but upon closer touch, it felt much rougher. "This is..."
"Yes! This is Teng paper from the Ningping era," Lu Wuxie finished Zhong Li's unspoken guess and continued, "The second point is this woman."
"This woman?" Everyone outside, listening to Lu Wuxie's analysis, couldn't help but lean in with curiosity to examine it.
Zhong Li also looked up at the woman in the painting.
"The woman's attire is not problematic, rather it is too outdated," Lu Wuxie said, his finger tracing the woman's neckline. "This is the mid-collar style popular in the Ningping era, whereas now..."
His gaze fell on Zhong Li. "Most women wear the open-collar style."
Receiving Lu Wuxie's gaze, Zhong Li instinctively looked down at her clothes, then remembered she was wearing a man's shirt today. A momentary chill crossed her face.
Lu Wuxie seemed to enjoy provoking her, looking at her indignant eyes with a smile. "Li'er, please don't misunderstand. What I mean is, the clothes you wore in Anding County before also had a mid-collar style, which was popular in the Ningping era."
Hearing this, Zhong Li's eyes cleared somewhat. Her few faded daisy print shirts were given to her by her adopted father. She hadn't realized they were no longer fashionable in the current Nan Yue Kingdom.
"But there is one most important point." Seeing Zhong Li's expression soften slightly, Lu Wuxie, for some reason, found his mood fluctuating with hers and naturally stated the focus of the entire painting.
"What is it?" Not noticing the subtle undercurrent between the two, the others quickly pressed.
Lu Wuxie's gaze rested on the woman's coiled black hair.
At the same time, everyone's eyes focused on it.
After a long while, everyone's eyes were straining as if they were about to turn into cross-eyes, but they still couldn't discern what Lu Wuxie was referring to.
"Red coral lotus hairpin?" Zhong Li glanced over and stated what Lu Wuxie was hinting at.
As soon as she spoke, everyone noticed a barely perceptible red speck on the painted woman's hair bun.
"Young Master, how did you know it was a red coral lotus hairpin?" Lin Jin frowned, rubbing his eyes, and staring intently at the speck of red. But no matter how he looked, he couldn't discern the style of the headdress of the woman in the painting.
Lu Wuxie coughed lightly, his expression inscrutable.
Everyone focused their gaze on him, and even Zhong Li couldn't help but glance sideways.
"I guessed!" Lu Wuxie replied, clasping his hands.
"Pfft... mm-hmm!" As soon as he finished speaking, the people in the room were almost overturned by the remark.
Lu Wuxie's expression darkened slightly, and everyone dared not act rashly.
Zhong Li looked at Lu Wuxie and, seeing his expression of "I believe I am correct," curved her lips and said, "I agree with Young Master."
With that, she turned and walked towards the outside.
Lu Wuxie did not expect to be supported at this moment. Watching the receding figure of the woman, the dissolute smile on his face gained a hint of unfathomable depth.