Chapter Twelve: The Art of Performing Demands Its Own Boundaries

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Receiving Ye Wuji’s praise, Ye Xiu immediately poured a bowl of wine and hurried to the butcher shop to find Zhao Yide.

“Brother Zhao, have a taste!”

Zhao Yide, a veteran soldier, was used to drinking strong spirits. He lifted the bowl and drained it in one gulp.

His eyes immediately widened, bloodshot veins spreading rapidly.

He felt as if a tongue of fire was crawling down his throat.

It was even more exhilarating than when he first went to the battlefield and killed four Japanese invaders in succession.

Smack!

Zhao Yide’s primal wildness was awakened; he slammed the bowl on the ground fiercely. “Roar! This damn wine is amazing!”

“Hahaha!”

Ye Xiu laughed excitedly. “Brother Zhao, you’re in for a treat from now on.”

With that, Ye Xiu dashed back home, leaving Zhao Yide standing there in a daze.

“Brother, what’s wrong?” Zhao Youyou poked her head out cautiously and asked.

“A benefactor gave me a bowl of wine. It’s the strongest I’ve ever tasted—truly the finest of the finest.”

“What is this benefactor’s intent…” Zhao Youyou glanced toward the Ye family courtyard, her eyes suddenly gleaming with a new light.

The Ye family courtyard.

“Son, are you planning to sell wine?”

Ye Wuji was already drunk, this time genuinely tipsy, his body swaying slightly.

“Yes. I bought two hundred jin of rice wine, which can be distilled into about one hundred jin of high-proof liquor. At half price, the cost of one dou of wine is 120 wen.” Ye Xiu paused. “Father, you drink often; how do you think my wine compares to Wang Youbai’s?”

“As long as you’ve tasted your wine, you won’t want to drink Wang Youbai anymore,” Ye Wuji gave the most sincere evaluation.

“Then what do you think is a reasonable price?”

Ye Wuji pondered briefly. “You don’t have a trading license or city registration, so you can’t sell it privately. You can cooperate with the Jinling wine shop, but because taxes need to be deducted, the price will be lower—around three to four taels of silver per jin.”

“That cheap?” Ye Xiu was puzzled. “Why is Wang Youbai so expensive when my wine tastes better?”

“Because yours isn’t tribute wine.”

Ye Wuji patted Ye Xiu’s shoulder. “Wine prices don’t always depend on taste. If you can get your wine into the palace, the price will at least multiply tenfold.”

Ye Xiu silently calculated. One hundred jin of wine could sell for about three hundred taels of silver—a substantial sum.

Jinling City was home to many wealthy merchants with extravagant tastes; if a rare fine wine hit the market, it would surely be fiercely sought after.

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Those high officials, noblemen, and merchant magnates never hesitated to spend lavishly on food and drink.

Ye Wuji, having drunk too much, went to sleep.

Ye Xiu distilled another batch of white wine, carefully sealed the jar, and then returned to his room to sleep.

Early the next morning, as Ye Xiu was preparing to start a fire for breakfast, there was a knock at the door.

Opening it, he found Zhao Youyou standing there.

She silently pressed a package wrapped in oiled paper into Ye Xiu’s hands and then turned and ran.

Against the rising sun, her shadow stretched longer and longer.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Turning around, Ye Xiu saw Ye Wuji standing behind him, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

“Just by the smell, I can tell this is a big steamed bun filled with mutton,” Ye Wuji said, snatching the package. “Son, are you anxious?”

“Anxious? What am I anxious about?” Ye Xiu looked confused.

“Keep pretending,” Ye Wuji glanced at him. “When you stick out your butt, I already know you’re about to drop a few fertilizer balls…”

“Wait… Father, why are you carrying that wine jar?” Ye Xiu turned to see Ye Wuji holding a wine jar.

“It’s a gift,” Ye Wuji said innocently. “Didn’t you say to send a gift to Old Wang?”

“Don’t send it yet!” Ye Xiu hurriedly stopped his father. “Father, you must wait for me to come back—I have a big gift for him.”

“All right then.” Ye Wuji carried the jar and the bun back inside, silently wondering: Old Wang’s favorite is the painting ‘Wild Battle Frolic’—how could you manage to get him that?

After breakfast, Ye Xiu looked over Ye Wuji’s test papers from yesterday. “Father, the first essay passed, but the second didn’t. Before I return, you should redo the second one.”

Ye Wuji wore a heavy look of confusion. Though his eldest son could read, he was not the scholarly type.

Wang Yuanhui had given Ye Xiu the courtesy name You’an, implying a life of ease and leisure.

But now this boy was more proficient in classical essay writing than him—that was intriguing.

Moreover, Ye Xiu had even found a job at Yuquan Bookshop. That was unbelievable.

Yuquan Bookshop was the largest in Jinling, even in Suzhou and Hangzhou. Would they really hire an illiterate?

Then it hit Ye Wuji.

Yuquan Bookshop was the property of His Highness the Prince of Yan.

The Prince of Yan’s son and my son are sworn brothers…

Could someone have recognized my son and deliberately given him a paid position?

This would not do. Although the Ye family had declined, they would never accept handouts.

When there’s time, I must investigate Yuquan Bookshop.

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Yuquan Bookshop.

Ye Xiu also displayed his true talent, finishing the remaining illustrations in a single morning.

Seeing it was still before noon, Ye Xiu painted another piece titled “Spring Outing Companions.”

Using the bookshop’s scrolls, paper, and pigments, Ye Xiu approached Manager Xiao to settle the account.

Manager Xiao was utterly amazed by the painting, silently thinking: This kid really can paint lively scenes!

“You’ve worked hard these days; the bookshop will cover the cost,” Manager Xiao said, trying to contain his excitement. “I also have a job here—Mr. Ye, would you be interested?”

“Another set of illustrations?” Ye Xiu asked.

“No, a painted manual,” Manager Xiao lowered his voice. “To be honest, it’s a commission from a noble in the palace. The requirements are high—not only secret erotic scenes but also group scenes… and backgrounds like gardens, streams, mountain valleys, and forests. Of course, if you have other ideas, you could add several different backgrounds.”

Ye Xiu immediately understood. “Basically, it’s a longing for outdoor life?”

“Exactly.” Manager Xiao was truly impressed by Ye Xiu’s unique talent. This kind of skill was rare and enviable.

“Manager Xiao, you must have approached many artists already?”

“Yes.” Manager Xiao’s expression turned serious. “Good artists lack experience, and older ones lack courage. After half a year of searching, we still haven’t found the right person.”

This…

Ye Xiu was torn. For ordinary commissions, he would just paint for money.

But palace commissions were different. If his identity were exposed, he could be silenced at any time.

Having lived in the capital for years, he knew these so-called nobles had special tastes—what if they took a liking to him?

One must have principles, and even when selling art, one must have limits.

“Rest assured, Mr. Ye, this will never be leaked. The noble commissioning the manual said if it’s well done, he’ll pay 500 taels of silver. You should know that the artworks of Jiangnan’s top talent Tang Zhengming fetch only 300 to 500 taels.” Seeing Ye Xiu silent, Manager Xiao continued, “The noble also said if the one behind the scenes is pleased, there will be an extra 100 taels as a bonus.”

In the past, 600 taels of silver wouldn’t even cover the expenses for Ye Xiu’s birthday banquet.

But now it was different—600 taels would be enough for his father to achieve the top scholar rank.

Though he was an artist with principles, the offer from Manager Xiao was simply too generous.