Two guards had already flanked Ye Xuan, one on each side.
Ye Xuan's mind raced,
considering whether to reveal his strength,
to fight his way out,
but soon abandoned the idea.
After all, the dead-eyed Joyous Elder was also present.
If he revealed his strength, he would surely be discovered by the Joyous Elder.
He knew that he was currently poisoned by the Joyous Elder's Five Stone Powder,
his life and death were entirely in the Joyous Elder's hands.
If the Joyous Elder knew that he was a martial arts grandmaster,
who knows what he would do to threaten him.
Since he couldn't reveal his strength,
how could he escape?
Ye Xuan carefully examined the secret room,
searching for a way out.
Suddenly,
he noticed a painting hanging on the screen in the secret room.
His eyes lit up,
he found a chance to survive.
Ye Xuan burst into laughter in front of everyone, "Prince Ning, you look down upon the treasures presented by us brothers, yet you regard this fake as a precious item, hanging it in the most prominent place. How ridiculous!"
"Hmm!?"
Prince Ning was slightly taken aback, then followed Ye Xuan's gaze,
looking at the Wu Daozi relic hanging in his secret room, he laughed heartily, "You say it's a fake!?"
"That's right!"
"Boy, bragging requires you to weigh your own strength first. This relic of Wu Daozi, this prince has personally had it appraised by no less than four calligraphic experts, all of them gave the same answer, this painting is a genuine work of Wu Daozi, from both the paper, brush, and ink!"
Prince Ning was extremely confident.
Ye Xuan chuckled lightly, saying nothing.
Seeing this, Prince Ning raised his hand, signaling the two guards to release Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan strode towards the painting by Wu Daozi.
He took it down from the screen,
walked to Prince Ning and pointed at the fruit knife on the table, "Your Highness, could you please lend me the knife?"
Prince Ning nodded.
Ye Xuan picked up the knife,
about to cut the painting.
Seeing this, Young Master Lin panicked, "Ye Xuan, what are you doing!?"
"Proving this painting is a fake!"
Ye Xuan smiled calmly.
"Don't be reckless, if this is a genuine Wu Daozi work and you destroy it, you will be committing a serious offense!"
Young Master Lin reminded him.
Prince Ning laughed, "It's alright, if it's indeed a fake, this prince can let you all live, but if it's a real Wu Daozi relic, then Young Master Lin, you will share their fate!"
"Ah!"
Young Master Lin panicked immediately, "Your Highness, don't joke with me!"
"Do I look like I'm joking!?"
Prince Ning laughed, carefree and unrestrained, giving the impression that he was indeed joking.
But Young Master Lin's legs were already trembling with fear, he slumped to the ground.
He trembled uncontrollably, "Brother Ye, my life is in your hands, are you really sure!?" Young Master Lin looked at Ye Xuan in despair.
Ye Xuan grinned, utterly confident.
"Don't worry!"
Without another word,
Ye Xuan directly cut through the painting with the fruit knife.
It was revealed that
there was a layer of thin paper on top, and another layer of thicker paper underneath.
Ye Xuan explained with a faint smile, "The cleverness of this fake lies in using pasted paper to forge. The top layer of thin paper is used to copy Wu Daozi's genuine work, while the bottom layer uses Li Houzhu's Chengxin Hall paper, to create an illusion..."
"Although Chengxin Hall paper is similar to the paper Wu Daozi usually used, it's difficult to discern authenticity, but there's a faint plum blossom mark on it, a mark of Li Houzhu..."
Upon hearing this, Prince Ning,
picked up the Chengxin Hall paper and examined it carefully.
Indeed, there was a faint plum blossom mark on it.
"The two are separated by over two hundred years, how can it not be a fake..."
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, calm and composed.
Prince Ning's face darkened, he ordered his subordinates, "Bring in the Minister of Rites who gifted this painting, execute his entire family. And those four experts who appraised this painting, seize their properties. Damn it, they dare to deceive me..."
Seeing Prince Ning so fickle,
Wei Yangsheng and Young Master Lin, as well as the other literati and scholars present who were prepared to present their treasures, all felt a chill run down their spines.
Only Ye Xuan, remained calm and composed, unmoved.
After burning the fake, Prince Ning turned back to Ye Xuan, gave him a thumbs-up, and laughed, "Your eyesight is truly a rare treasure. Alright, this prince allows the three of you to enter the Magnificent Tower!"
"Thank you!"
Ye Xuan bowed.
Wei Yangsheng and Young Master Lin also hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed,
thanking Prince Ning for sparing their lives.
Then,
several more people began to present their treasures.
Apart from a few rare treasures that caught Prince Ning's interest,
most of the others,
were beheaded by Prince Ning,
and their treasures were treated as garbage, destroyed.
Finally, it was the Joyous Elder's turn.
"This one is the Joyous Elder, greetings to Your Highness Prince Ning!"
The Joyous Elder bowed humbly.
"Hmm, this prince has heard of you, you seem to be a wanted criminal!"
"But don't worry, within the Magnificent Tower, even if you're a heinous criminal, no one can touch you!"
Prince Ning was incredibly domineering.
"Thank you for your protection, Your Highness Prince Ning!"
The Joyous Elder expressed his gratitude.
It turned out that
after Ye Xuan left the Joyous Elder's hiding place,
the Embroidered Uniform Guard discovered the Joyous Elder's whereabouts.
And now,
desperately hunted, the Joyous Elder thought of the Magnificent Tower,
so he personally came to seek refuge.
"However, the prerequisite is that you can produce a rare treasure that pleases this prince!"
Prince Ning changed the subject and spoke sternly.
"Of course!"
The Joyous Elder smiled confidently, "Your Highness Prince Ning, this one has a unique skill, I hope it will catch your eye..."
Having said that,
the Joyous Elder had the little old men behind him bring out a carriage wheel.
Then,
his unique skill, the Wheel King Lu Ao, was activated.
It stunned everyone,
with the rotation of the carriage wheel,
everyone present was speechless,
the scene was silent,
including Prince Ning,
was stunned,
except for Ye Xuan,
who looked disdainful~~
Clap, clap, clap~~~
After watching the Joyous Elder's performance,
Prince Ning clapped and laughed, "It's truly as rumored, amazing, amazing. Alright, this prince also allows you to enter the Magnificent Tower!"
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Ning!"
The Joyous Elder knelt down and thanked him.
Prince Ning looked at the remaining people and laughed heartily, "I presume everyone has seen the Magnificent Tower, how do you feel!?"
Wei Yangsheng, who had escaped the gates of hell, was the first to speak, "It's simply an earthly paradise, a place for the gods, it makes one reluctant to leave!"
Prince Ning looked at Wei Yangsheng, chuckled, and gave him a scornful look, "Hmph, your taste is just as bad as your choice of treasures, trash!"
"Ah~~"
Wei Yangsheng felt embarrassed,
Young Master Lin reminded him, "Brother Wei Yang, it's best if you don't speak!"
"Yes, yes!"
Wei Yangsheng repeatedly agreed.
Prince Ning didn't bother with Wei Yangsheng anymore, instead, he continued to address everyone, "Since everyone has passed my test, I will now take you to see the true Magnificent Tower – the Joyous Pavilion!"
…
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