Chapter 45

### Chapter 45: Tang Yin's Most Famous Painting

In a spacious and independent bathroom, Chen Xie finally felt like he was living the good life. Before he moved into a large villa in modern society, he had already enjoyed living in a big house during the Ming Dynasty. Now, with this divine doctor's exclusive bathhouse, everything was perfect. If only...

Lying on the stone slab, soaking in the hot water, Chen Xie swallowed the thoughts that followed the word "if." That was just fantasy; this was reality. Two maids entered quietly. This place was Chen Xie's exclusive backyard, guarded by Wang Qian at the gate. No one could enter without Chen Xie's permission, or Wang Qian would stop them by any means necessary.

Those who have read "The Golden Lotus" know what the backyard meant in the Ming Dynasty. Outside, even ghosts had to act like humans, but inside the backyard, one could do whatever they wanted, and even the emperor couldn't interfere. In this backyard, Chen Xie was the sky.

He closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, but a sliver of light from a gap revealed the four white legs and two white bodies entering the pool. This was a scene that Chen Xie, the great doctor, had fantasized about countless times in his mind, now come to life.

It was mid-afternoon. Was this considered public indecency?

For a moment, the past, present, and future were all set aside, and he indulged in the afternoon's freedom.

If he could forget his responsibilities, Chen Xie wouldn't trade his current life in the Ming Dynasty for even an emperor's throne. Even in modern times, who wouldn't want a carefree, worry-free, and free-spirited life, doing whatever they pleased?

The problem was, it wasn't possible! His brief respite was soon interrupted by visitors from Dengzhou City.

Zhang Xin, the eldest son of the Zhang family, brought his two younger brothers. The school had already closed for the winter break, and everyone was preparing to return home for the New Year. After Chen Xie returned from his sea voyage, he had not visited Dengzhou for a long time. Zhou Shi was getting anxious and discussed with Zhang Yao, wondering what the boy was up to, and why he hadn't come home to pay his respects.

Zhang Yao knew what she meant and defended Chen Xie, saying, "With so many things going on, how can he leave Si Hua?"

Zhou Shi thought about it. They had invested an entire village and the manpower of the merchant guild, just to enjoy the luxury of counting large sums of silver at home. Previously, the Zhang family's annual income was only about ten thousand taels of silver, and that was the total. The ship at sea was a joint venture with her family, yielding about five thousand taels annually. Zhou Shi didn't want to delve into the details.

The merchant guild had only been open for two months, but the profits calculated by Liu Zao were impressive. With a 40% share, they received 130,000 taels of silver, not including the deposits. For this, Zhang Yao felt guilty for several days, saying that their initial investment was too small and that the money felt undeserved. Zhou Shi felt the same way. They hadn't expected such a high return, and now she was worried about losing Chen Xie. Zhou Shi began to think of other means.

"No, this child is alone; we need to find him a wife quickly," Zhou Shi said, and Zhang Yao agreed. Starting a family and having children was a significant matter.

"There's a cousin from my family, quite beautiful, but her family is not well-off," Zhou Shi mentioned, and Zhang Yao smiled without a word. After so many years of marriage, she could read Zhou Shi's mind easily.

"My dear, what kind of person is Si Hua? It's meaningless to worry about this. Quickly, find a suitable match, preferably a daughter of a scholar. Otherwise, she won't match Si Hua's status," Zhang Yao said, and it was convincing. As a divine doctor, Chen Xie could easily become an official in the Ming Dynasty. Joining the Imperial Medical Institute, he could easily become a sixth or seventh-rank physician. Although his future prospects might not be great, the stability was a plus. A scholar's daughter had no right to act superior in front of Chen Xie. Not to mention, everyone in Dengzhou City knew his earning power.

After discussing, Zhou Shi began to take action. With her son on break, she sent him to Zhang Family Village to pay respects to the old grandfather and bring him back for the New Year, while also checking on what Si Hua was up to. Liu Zao had mentioned something about improving infrastructure, which seemed to be just building a bathhouse and digging some ditches.

When Zhang Xin found Chen Xie, he was giving instructions at the construction site of the school.

"Dig the ditches deeper, and use hidden drains! The reservoir is too small; make it twice as big." Wen Bajin's notebook recorded everything quickly. Carbon pens were really useful, though the name was a bit strange.

Zhang Xin quickly noticed that this school was no ordinary one. First, it was huge, about three times the size of the county school. Second, the architecture was unique, with long buildings in rows, three sides of which were already taking shape. The first floor was almost complete, and they were laying thick pillars and wooden planks for the second floor.

Chen Xie deeply understood how difficult it was to build in the Ming Dynasty without steel and concrete. Building a two-story structure was already challenging, let alone a large classroom 10 meters long and 5 meters wide, and two stories high.

After Wen Bajin's explanation, Chen Xie almost decided to use steel and concrete but ultimately gave up. This was not the time to push too far. He settled for a two-story brick and wood structure, with the timber transported by sea from Dongjiang Town. The pillars were sturdy enough to last for seventy to eighty years.

This place was the cradle of Chen Xie's future team, so he spared no expense.

Zhang Xin, carrying a small bag, approached Chen Xie with a smile. "Big Brother, Big Brother, I've brought you what you wanted." Chen Xie was happy to see Zhang Xin and even more so when he heard what he said. He ran over and asked, "You got Tang Yin's most famous painting?"

Zhang Xin patted his chest proudly. "Who do you think I am? This is a piece of cake. I just used Big Brother's name to get a small bottle of strength pills from Yu Zao and a few bottles of flower water from Liu Zao."

"These are small matters. Show me the painting," Chen Xie said, not really caring. The total cost was less than 500 yuan, and getting Tang Yin's painting would make him rich in modern times.

Zhang Xin looked around furtively and whispered, "Let's go to a corner; there are too many people here."

Chen Xie laughed. "What's the big deal? It's just a painting by Tang Yin. Why can't we look at it here?" He grabbed the bag and opened it, revealing a silk scroll. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly put it back.

In a secluded corner, Chen Xie asked, "Is this really Tang Yin's most famous painting? Did you get scammed?"

Zhang Xin was indignant. "How could I? Who doesn't know Tang Yin in this Ming Dynasty? Who doesn't know his unparalleled Spring Palace paintings? This is from a classmate who got it from his elders. It's a genuine treasure, bought from Nan Zhili for over 3,000 taels of silver. It's a long scroll with 36 positions, from the secret manual of Dongxuanzi. Look, it even comes with a book of bedroom secrets, a genuine Dongxuanzi secret."

"Enough, I'll take it back and look at it later. You do what you need to do," Chen Xie said, dismissing him. Zhang Xin smiled and said, "Big Brother, Mother has been tight with money lately. I can't even go to Chunxiang Tower with my classmates for fear of everyone hugging beauties..."

Chen Xie took out a small notebook, wrote a few words, and stamped it. "Find Yu Huan and get 100 taels. It should be enough for the New Year."

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Zhang Xin was overjoyed, took the note, and Chen Xie added, "I brought some snacks for the kids and gifts for Uncle Zhang and Auntie. They're with Yu Huan. Remember to take them when you leave. I'll go back too. I'll take this painting, and you can get the silver from Yu Zao later. I'll write you another note."

Chen Xie was eager to admire Tang Yin's painting and had no interest in the construction site. He gave a few instructions to Wen Bajin and hurried back. Zhang Xin had to return to Dengzhou before dark and didn't stay long. Before leaving, he urged Chen Xie to visit Dengzhou soon, as the New Year was approaching. It was the 26th of the 12th lunar month.

After sending Zhang Xin off, Chen Xie returned to his room and eagerly opened Tang Yin's most famous work, as the Ming people called it. It was indeed a long scroll, about three meters long, too big for the bed. He had to admire it one position at a time.

To be honest, after watching countless action movies, this was not very interesting. If it weren't for the money, Chen Xie wouldn't have been very interested. No matter how well-drawn, it was just a representation, not the real thing. After a quick look, he noticed a series of seals at the end. After identifying them, he groaned, "I don't know how to read seal script!"

Not knowing was not a big deal. The Ming people said it was Tang Yin's work, and a very risqué one at that. What they didn't know was that the Ming people were far more open about sex, especially within their own families, than modern people. This was considered a refined activity among scholars, and visiting brothels for beauties was not a big deal; keeping young boys was the fashion.

This was a relatively normal Spring Palace painting! Chen Xie found it interesting, as it was a treasure in the Ming Dynasty.

In modern times, with various media and channels, finding action movies was easy, so it was no longer a novelty. But in the Ming Dynasty, this was a rare and precious item. Chen Xie didn't know if it was genuine or if Tang Yin was indeed famous for Spring Palace paintings.

### End of Chapter 45