Rebirth and Reversal of Fortune

Chapter 14 The Turmoil at the Banquet

At the banquet, a noblewoman deliberately made things difficult for Su Jinxiu, challenging her to paint on the spot. Su Jinxiu calmly responded and created a stunning painting that drew admiration from everyone.

The noble lady's name was Lin Wan, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue. She was always proud and arrogant, and she was extremely jealous of Su Jinxiu's outstanding performance at the banquet.

"I've heard that Miss Su is incredibly talented. Would you be so kind as to paint a picture on the spot today and broaden our horizons?" Lin Wan said provocatively.

Su Jinxiu smiled slightly, not angered by her difficult words: "Since Miss Lin has such an interest, then Jinxiu will make a fool of herself."

The servant quickly prepared the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. After a moment's thought, Su Jinxiu picked up the brush and began to write. Her strokes were fluid and confident, and in no time, a landscape painting appeared on the paper.

The mountains are steep, shrouded in mist, with flowing streams and lush trees. The whole painting has a profound artistic conception and delicate brushwork, as if it brings people into a peaceful and beautiful world.

"Great! Great painting!" the crowd couldn't help but exclaim.

Lin Wan's face turned very ugly. She hadn't expected that Su Jinxiu could actually create such an outstanding work.

"It's just an ordinary landscape painting, what's so special about it?" Lin Wan said stubbornly.

Su Jinxiu replied calmly, "If Miss Lin doesn't like it, why don't you paint one yourself and let us see your superb skills?"

Lin Wan was speechless. She knew that her painting skills were not as good as Su Jinxiu's, so she dared not accept the challenge.

Just then, another noblewoman stepped forward.

"Miss Su's painting skills are indeed excellent, but I wonder if she is equally proficient in poetry? Why don't you compose a poem on the spot, using this painting as the subject?"

Su Jinxiu said calmly, "Then Jinxiu will respectfully comply."

After a moment's thought, she recited: "Mountains and rivers are painted with rich ink fragrance, the shadows of clouds and the shimmering waves are endless. My heart yearns for a paradise, a gentle breeze caresses my face with boundless charm."

Upon hearing this poem, everyone was once again amazed, praising Su Jinxiu's talent.

Seeing this, Lin Wan and the others could only slink away to the side.

However, the controversy did not end there.

Midway through the banquet, a strange man suddenly barged in, claiming to be an old acquaintance of Su Jinxiu and wanting to meet her.

Su Jinxiu looked completely bewildered, having no idea who this person was.

The man shouted, "Jinxiu, how could you forget me? Back then we..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was stopped by Xiao Ling's guards.

Xiao Ling's face darkened: "How dare you cause trouble at my banquet! Drag him away!"

Su Jinxiu knew in her heart that this was another deliberate attempt to frame her.

"Your Highness, thank you for helping me out of that predicament," Su Jinxiu said.

Xiao Ling looked at her and said, "Don't worry about it. Someone must be jealous of your talent and is deliberately trying to sabotage you."

Despite these twists and turns, the banquet continued.

But Su Jinxiu remained vigilant, knowing that those who harbored jealousy would not let her off easily.

Sure enough, not long after, someone else tampered with the food.

Su Jinxiu had just taken a bite of the pastry when she felt an unbearable stomachache.

"Oh no, Miss Su has been poisoned!" someone exclaimed.

The banquet descended into chaos.

Xiao Ling was extremely anxious and immediately sent someone to fetch a doctor and ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.

After the doctor arrived, he treated Su Jinxiu. Fortunately, the poisoning was not severe, and she was fine after taking the antidote.

After some investigation, it was discovered that a servant in the kitchen had been bribed to poison Su Jinxiu's food.

Xiao Ling was furious: "Bring that servant up here. I want to interrogate him myself!"

With the servants' confessions, the mastermind finally came to light: it was Lin Wan's brother who had orchestrated this series of conspiracies to avenge his sister.

Xiao Ling severely punished Lin Wan and her brother and apologized to Su Jinxiu.

"It was my oversight that caused you so much danger at the banquet," Xiao Ling said guiltily.

Su Jinxiu smiled and shook her head: "Your Highness, there is no need to blame yourself. Fortunately, it was a close call."

After the turmoil at the banquet, Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling's relationship deepened, and they decided to face the challenges of the future together.