Chapter 69: The Evil Son Still Won't Kneel
Yu Yue'er is a mistress who cannot be seen in public, and her biggest fear is being reported to the police.

She quickly smiled and said, "What are you talking about, Academician Lin? We are willing to compensate you, but I don't know how much the damaged painting is worth."

When Academician Lin heard Yu Yue'er say this, he simply stretched out five fingers.

"Five taels of silver?" Yu Yue'er thought about it. There were only seven or eight taels of silver left at home. She could still afford five taels of silver as compensation. She could also use this incident as an excuse to ask Xu Jinhuai for more silver.

After hearing Yu Yue'er's words, Academician Lin's face instantly turned as dark as ink, "This lady really knows how to joke."

"I've already said that this painting is a treasure I've been looking for for twenty years. Not to mention five taels of silver, even five thousand taels of silver wouldn't be enough to buy it."

Yu Yue'er's expression changed immediately, "Then how much does Academician Lin want?"

"At least fifty thousand taels!" said Academician Lin with a dark face.

Fifty thousand taels?!

Yu Yue'er was stunned.

Even the people watching around were talking about it, "Fifty thousand taels? This is a sum of money that an ordinary family cannot earn in several lifetimes."

"This family's house looks quite large and impressive. They should be able to come up with 50,000 taels, right?"

"What I'm more curious about is, what kind of painting is it that is worth fifty thousand taels?"

When Yu Yue'er heard the discussions around her, she began to doubt herself. Could it be that Academician Lin saw that she was a secluded woman and was deliberately blackmailing her?

She pretended to be surprised and said, "Academician Lin, are you kidding? It's just a painting, how can it be worth 50,000 taels?"

Academician Lin’s face turned even darker.

He shouted angrily, "What do you mean it's just a painting? That's Mr. Ming Sheng's original work. It's a treasure that I have been searching for for twenty years. Let alone fifty thousand taels, even a hundred thousand taels is worth it!"

"Oh my God, the original work of Mr. Ming Sheng? It's actually the original work of Mr. Ming Sheng. It's really hard to find!" A scholar dressed as a scholar nearby couldn't help but shout.

"Yes, although I can't read, I know that Mr. Mingsheng's authentic works are indeed worth more than ten thousand gold coins." said another person.

"It's such a pity that there are very few authentic works of Mr. Ming Sheng, and now one of them has been destroyed." Someone else said.

When Yu Yue'er heard that it was Mr. Ming Sheng's authentic work, her expression changed.

Xu Jinhuai particularly likes calligraphy and painting, and would often discuss them with her, so she also knew Mr. Ming Sheng. There are very few authentic works of his, and each one is worth a fortune.

If what Xu Qingbai destroyed was really Mr. Ming Sheng's authentic work, then fifty thousand taels of silver was indeed not a lot to ask.

Yu Yue'er adjusted her expression, looked at Academician Lin and said, "Would you mind if I could take a look at the painting that Qing Bai destroyed?"

"What's the matter? Madam, do you think I am deceiving you?" Academician Lin asked with a gloomy face.

"Who in the entire imperial capital doesn't know my character? How could I possibly come here to deceive a woman like you?" Perhaps because he was too angry, Academician Lin's voice became a little louder.

"Yes, yes, Academician Lin of Fanglan Academy is a man of high moral character. How could he do such a deceitful thing? I don't believe it." A voice said from the crowd.

"I don't believe it either. Academician Lin is a man worthy of respect for opening an academy for children from poor families."

"Indeed, if the original work of Mr. Ming Sheng was mine, I would feel it was a loss even if I had to pay 100,000 taels, let alone 50,000 taels."

Academician Lin looked at Yu Yue'er with displeasure again and asked someone to take out the painting that Xu Qingbai had damaged.

"Since Madam doesn't trust my character, then come and see for yourself."

After Academician Lin opened the painting, everyone discovered that the calligraphy and painting had been destroyed and only some fragments remained.

Many scholars who had long wanted to get Mr. Ming Sheng's authentic work came forward, wanting to see the true face of the painting. "Oh my God, it's Mr. Ming Sheng's Thousand Peaks Painting!"

"This is Mr. Ming Sheng's most popular painting in his early years. I didn't expect it to be collected by Academician Lin."

"I have studied Mr. Ming Sheng's paintings for many years. Although this painting is in tatters, I can confirm that it is Mr. Ming Sheng's authentic work."

"What a shame, what a shame, it's ruined like this."

Yu Yue'er listened to everyone's discussions and looked very embarrassed, but of course she was more angry.

She glanced fiercely at Xu Qingbai, who was covered in wounds, and whispered to the servant, "Go to the Ministry of Works and find the master. Tell him about this matter and see what he says."

"Yes, ma'am."

Seeing the servant disappear, Yu Yueer quickly looked at Academician Lin and said, "Academician Lin, what are you talking about? I trust your character."

"However, fifty thousand taels of silver is not a small amount after all. I cannot make the decision. I have already sent someone to report to my master."

"Academician Lin, why don't you come in and have a cup of tea and rest your feet?"

Academician Lin saw that Yu Yue'er's attitude was okay, and his expression eased a lot. He put away the remaining painting, waved his hand and said, "Since Master Xu is not here, I will not go in."

Yu Yue'er glanced at the people around her and felt embarrassed again.

She walked up to Xu Qingbai again and shouted angrily, "Kneel down now."

Xu Qingbai clenched his fists tightly, with a hint of stubbornness between his brows.

Seeing this, Yu Yue'er became even angrier.

Another slap was thrown at him, "You evil creature, what else can you do besides getting into trouble?"

"I think you just want to make your father and I angry to death!"

Xu Qingbai had already suffered a lot of injuries, and now he was slapped twice by Yu Yue'er. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, and even his body became a little unstable.

Academician Lin looked at Xu Qingbai, feeling somewhat reluctant. After all, Xu Qingbai was one of the best students in their academy.

It’s a pity that he was ugly and could not take part in the imperial examination, otherwise Fanglan Academy would have become famous overnight because of him.

Seeing Yu Yue'er beating and scolding Xu Qingbai again, the discussions around them started again.

"The lady of this family is really cruel. She had the heart to kill her son even though he was injured like that."

"If I had a son like this, I would beat him to death. He is such a spendthrift. He squandered 50,000 taels in one go."

"That's true. We don't have 50,000 taels. If my son gets into trouble like this, I'd rather not have him."

"Who says it's not? That's fifty thousand taels. Even if you sell everything you have, you can't get that much."

"Madam, why do you still want to be with such a loser? Just break off the engagement."

Suddenly a woman in the crowd shouted.

"It's okay that he has an ugly face, but he has also caused such a huge disaster. It's okay to sever ties with his family and kick him out." Another voice echoed.

"Yes, no matter how wealthy the family is, it can't afford to have such a prodigal son in the family!" Everyone started talking about it.

Yu Yue'er found that the crowd around her gradually stood on her side, and the anger on her face finally dissipated a little.

(End of this chapter)