She continued to wipe …
Suddenly, she stopped.
Her pupils constricted.
The ox mask in her hand was soaked in water, and the thick layer of paint on it had melted as she wiped it. But …
The paint on this mask seemed to be different from the paint on the snake mask.
Bamboo Basket cleaned her wet clothes as she asked in confusion, "Miss Ji? Did I ruin this mask? "
"No."
"Then …"
"Bamboo Basket, go get me a small knife."
"Ah?"
"Hurry."
"Okay." Bamboo Basket hurriedly went to get a small carving knife.
Ji Yunshu used the knife to scrape off some dry, hard paint from the ox mask and snake mask, then placed them into two cups of boiling water. She added two spoonfuls of salt and a few drops of white wine, then slowly mixed them together.
Fortunately, ancient pigments were not acrylic, and could be completely melted with salt and white wine.
She waited until the paint had completely melted.
One of the cups had fine particles floating on top of it.
The color of the glass was like oil, and it was viscous.
She painted all year round, and developed her own pigments, so she had the ability to differentiate between the two.
Ancient pigments usually came from two sources.
One source was minerals!
The other source was plants!
When mineral pigments came into contact with water, there would be fine particles on them. When plant pigments were mashed, the juice would be more viscous.
"So that's how it is." She was pleasantly surprised.
Bamboo Basket asked, "Miss Ji? What are you doing? "
She was very curious.
Ji Yunshu strode out of the door and called out, "Ziran!"
。
Shi Ziran?
Didn't he disappear for a few days already?
Suddenly, a stone was thrown down from the roof, hitting a leaf in the yard.
A figure descended from the eaves.
Shi Ziran held a sword in both hands, a blade of grass in his mouth, and leaned against a pillar in the corridor.
He looked like a ruffian!
Ever since Shi Zijin's death, he had become Ji Yunshu's secret guard. However, he was very incompetent and often couldn't see her. Just now, Ji Yunshu had tried her luck by calling out to him, and he actually came out.
He asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"
Ji Yunshu walked over to him.
"I want you to help me investigate …"
…
The next day, the Chamber of Commerce Festival.
The imperial palace.
Wei Yi had already changed into casual clothes and was ready to leave the palace.
Dressed in a plain robe, his hair was tied up in a high bun with a silver button, and two greyish-white hair ribbons hung down, giving him an elegant demeanor.
Unlike before, the current Wei Yi had lost some of his youthful immaturity and gained some of his heroic spirit.
The eunuch Liu Xi, who was serving the Emperor, worriedly said: "Your Majesty, in this servant's opinion, it is better not to leave the palace today."
"Why?"
"There are too many people outside the palace today. What if …"
Wei Yi interrupted him. "We will bring Bodyguard Gao and some secret guards out of the palace. Moreover, Jing Rong will accompany us. Nothing will happen."
Liu Xi opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words.
She continued to tidy up Wei Yi's clothes.
When it was evening, he left the palace.
Wei Yi was dressed in plain clothes and did not hide his noble aura. He looked just like a young master of an aristocratic family. He was accompanied by a few imperial bodyguards, who also protected him along the way.
The beginning of the ninth month was exceptionally hot and the sky darkened very slowly. The whole capital was already a boiling cauldron of voices and bustling with activity. The stream of people flowed like a tide and everyone was smiling. The streets and alleys were decorated with lanterns and colored streamers. Both sides of the aisles were lined with a dazzling array of goods. There were too many to count. It was truly dazzling and dizzying. Peddlers and merchants hawked their wares on the street.
The sounds of food lingered in the ears and the aroma of delicacies assailed the nostrils. It was a mouthwatering taste that lingered in the air. All kinds of performances had already begun. Clowns juggling balls, acrobatic somersaults, human pyramids, and so on.
As far as the eye could see, the whole capital looked like it was engulfed by flowing lava. The flames were resplendent.
Wei Yi did not directly go to the Rong Estate. Instead, he brought his entourage to a random restaurant.
"Dear guests, this way please." The waiter enthusiastically welcomed them.
Bodyguard Gao blocked Wei Yi's path and solemnly asked, "Is there a private room upstairs?"
"Unfortunately, there isn't. However, there is a very good seat by the window upstairs. How about …"
Before he could finish, Bodyguard Gao took out an ingot of silver.
Then, he asked again, "Is there a private room?"
The waiter was dumbfounded for a moment.
The innkeeper of the restaurant suddenly bowed and took the ingot of silver with both hands. His eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "Yes, yes. The second floor's Sky room is empty. Dear guests, please come upstairs." He then nudged the waiter and ordered, "Hurry up and bring the guests upstairs."
The waiter led Wei Yi and the others upstairs. After entering the Sky room, he immediately went down and ran to the innkeeper who was doing the accounts behind the counter. He asked, "Innkeeper, hasn't the Sky room already been booked?"
The innkeeper used the ingot of silver he had just received to hit the waiter's head and reprimanded him, "We are doing business. How can you not earn money when you have it in your hands?"
"It's already booked. The Sky room belongs to Lord Shen!"
"Look at you. You've been with me for so long, but you're still a blockhead. You don't even know how to be flexible."
"Then what should I do?"
"Go to the Shen Estate immediately and find a reason. Just say … there's a problem with the roof of the Sky room or something else."
"Ah …"
"What 'ah'? Hurry up and go. "The innkeeper's face darkened.
"Oh, oh." The waiter shrunk his head. He put down his things and prepared to go to the Shen Estate.
Who knew that before he left, the Shen Estate's carriage had already arrived at the entrance.
Minister Shen dismounted first, followed by his son, Shen Zhangqin.
"Lord … Shen?" The waiter was a little flustered.
Minister Shen asked as he entered, "Have the arrangements been made upstairs?"
"This … Lord Shen, this is too much of a coincidence. The roof of the Sky room upstairs has been collapsing for the past two days, so …"
"Collapsing?" Minister Shen stopped in his tracks and his face darkened.
"Yes … Yes." The waiter was apprehensive.
The innkeeper saw this and hurried over. "Lord Shen, I'm really sorry. There's a problem with the Sky room."
Minister Shen glanced upstairs and continued up the stairs. He said, "Then just find a room."
"Lord … Shen, this …" The innkeeper could not stop him.
Minister Shen and Shen Zhangqin had already gone up with the servant.
Who knew that the Sky room's door was tightly shut and that there were four men standing outside with swords in their hands.
Minister Shen immediately understood and questioned the shopkeeper who had caught up with him, "How do you explain this?"
The voice was very loud!
"We … This …" The innkeeper stammered.
"Businessmen pay attention to credibility. I think … it's better for you to close down this restaurant."
"Lord, calm down. It's my fault, it's my fault. You …"
"Creak." The Sky room's door opened.
Someone came out.
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