There is a god in the sky

Chapter 339 Revenge 8

"Who taught you to paint?" If the emperor hadn't seen Shen Lan paint with his own eyes, he would never have believed that this painting was created by her.

"Self-taught," Shen Lan replied without any modesty.

She didn't fabricate a false teacher for herself because she knew very well that no one in this era had the same painting style as her.

But many officials don't believe it.

"Arrogant brat, even if he practices every day without the guidance of a master, he could never have such painting skills."

"Could she be the last disciple of the Hermit of Rongshan?"

Editor Yuan denied this, saying, "This is not the style of Rongshan Jushi. Such a realistic painting is more like the style of Yu, a painter in the palace, but Yu never left Bianjing."

He also wanted to say that the person surnamed Yu didn't have that kind of skill either.

Ignoring the criticisms of others, Shen Lan pointed out the location of Shen's Medical Clinic and the Shen family home to the emperor.

She described the most common scenes of life in Guli Town, told several interesting stories circulating in the town, and mentioned the students she remembered who had gone on to study in Guli Town.

"Eleven years ago, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) came from the Zhang family in the town. His name is Zhang Qisen. If he is an official in Bianjing, we can ask him to be our witness."

The Vice Minister of Personnel reviewed the list of successful candidates from that year and said happily, "Zhang Qisen, a successful candidate from Jianzhou Prefecture, is indeed a real person. He is now a minor official in Jingzhao Prefecture."

The Emperor nodded and ordered, "Summon Zhang Qisen to the palace and bring the witnesses and evidence. I will personally preside over the trial of this case today."

Minister Tong kept his head down, so his expression was not visible.

Very few members of the Crown Prince's faction knew the ins and outs of that prescription, and everyone was worried for Minister Tong.

It's clear from the current situation that this young girl came prepared and with skillful methods.

A painting stunned everyone, but she wasn't showing off her skills; rather, she was using this method to demonstrate to the public the truth she was telling.

People are more likely to believe the words of a talented person.

While we were waiting, several imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau arrived, carrying the files they had found.

Every profession has its predecessors, and there are quite a few people in the Imperial Medical Bureau who still remember Physician Shen.

However, it is difficult to find any trace of his past existence.

Fortunately, Shen Yujing had only been gone for a few decades, and they found his diagnosis records from the late emperor's medical records.

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

The emperor pretended to flip through the pages.

He had already seen these things.

He would not take medicine of unknown origin. When the Crown Prince presented the prescription, he had already investigated Shen Yujing.

If it weren't for the information they found at the time that the Crown Prince had silenced all those who knew the truth, he would never have allowed these records to remain in the world.

"Hmm, that does match up."

The emperor closed the notebook and handed the items to Zhao Kaizhi.

Taking the opportunity, Xiao Ji let Shen Lan sit on the futon and rest for a while, then asked in a low voice, "Did you think about the consequences of what you did today?"

"I thought about it."

"Why were you so impulsive?"

Shen Lan winked at him, "There's no time like the present. It's a gamble after all."

“If you had really received fifty strokes of the cane, you might already be dead.” Xiao Ji’s tone was tinged with anger and heartache.

"I was prepared."

The two didn't talk much, but Xiao Ji kept blocking her way, giving her enough time to relax and rest.

Time passed slowly, and everyone was exhausted and hungry.

Zhang Qisen was quickly brought into the palace. He looked bewildered, thinking that he had done something wrong and been discovered.

The last time he entered this hall was more than ten years ago during the imperial examination. He never imagined that he would have the opportunity to enter this place again in his lifetime.

He walked forward with his head down, seeing only pairs of black official boots, not daring to look at the faces of any of the officials.

He stopped in his tracks when a huge painting appeared before him.

"this is……"

Zhang Qisen was immediately drawn to it.

He was nearly forty when he graduated from high school, and he had lived in Guli Town for decades. He knew every street and every well there.

Especially the archway at the entrance of the town; every time he left home to study, his mother would take him there before he could leave.

The carp lanterns hanging on the archway, were they hung up for him?

When he returned to his hometown after graduating from high school, he was told that his hometown no longer existed and that all the people in the town had died of plague. He almost couldn't recover from this blow.

Over the years, he has lived alone in Bianjing City, poor and lonely, and has lost the high spirits he had in high school.

Looking to the left, he saw a scene of purgatory.

"No!"

Zhang Qisen shouted at the top of his lungs, knelt on the ground, and reached out to wipe the half of the painting.

"No! That's not how it is! It can't be like this!"

Yuan Shenxing, who was closest, hurriedly stopped him, "Don't wipe it! Don't wipe it! You can't ruin this painting!"

"That's not how it is!" Zhang Qisen had no idea who was stopping him and pushed the person away forcefully.

Tears fell onto the painting.

Zhang Qisen frantically searched for his home on that half of the map.

Although this half of the painting is more chaotic than the other half, with corpses and fires everywhere, it obscures the houses and streets that should be there.

But he actually found his home, and the girl lying at his doorstep.

He was married twice. His first wife died in childbirth, and he married his second wife many years later. They had only one well-behaved daughter.

He tried to pick up the girl.

“Nannan…Nannan…Get up, it’s your father…Father has become an official, you are now the daughter of an official…Get up…”

Shen Lan walked behind him and also saw that spot.

She drew it from memory without thinking too much, but when she saw Zhang Qisen crying uncontrollably, she remembered.

She didn't know Zhang Qisen, but she knew Zhang Qisen's daughter.

"Uncle Zhang," she called out.

Zhang Qisen turned around in a daze, his eyes unfocused.

He didn't recognize Shen Lan either.

Even without their confirmation, the officials present were certain that Zhang Qisen was from Guli Town.

Lord Chen of the Jingzhao Prefecture recalled: "Brother Zhang has been all alone all these years, without father, mother, children, or relatives. We only knew that his family had all died in the plague. It turns out that this is where he was from."

Lord Chen introduced Shen Lan to Zhang Qisen, "This young lady is from your hometown. She says she is a daughter of the Shen family. Is there a Shen family clinic in Guli Town?"

Zhang Qisen nodded blankly.

Have you ever met Shen Lan?

Just as Zhang Qisen was about to shake his head, he suddenly pointed at her and asked, "Are you Yuehua's daughter?"

Shen Lan nodded, "My mother's given name is Zhang Yuehua."

In fact, the two families are related in a roundabout way. If the incident in Guli Town hadn't happened back then, Shen Lan would definitely have been able to attend Zhang Qisen's wedding banquet after he returned home in glory.

"You and your mother look so alike."

Zhang Yuehua was once the most beautiful girl in Guli Town when she was young, but she later married an outsider, which was a regret for many small-town boys.

"You're still alive? Tell me quickly, what exactly happened in this town back then?"

Zhang Qisen grabbed Shen Lan's arm; he was very strong and grabbed Shen Lan's injured area.

Despite the pain, Shen Lan told him, "Everyone is dead. They were killed by the soldiers because someone stole a medicine prescription from my Shen family. They wanted to silence them!"