Both Emperor Jingming and the other court officials at the banquet couldn't help but look at Yin Mu with questioning eyes. The same doubt arose in everyone's mind: Could it be that this Fourth Prince, Yin Mu, was also like Qi Wenyuan—seeming loyal while hiding treachery, outwardly simple but inwardly cunning?
Yin Mu's skin crawled under their gazes, but he dared not speak, because the other shoe on the Sky Canopy had yet to drop. At that moment, he frantically prayed to every god he knew, begging that his historical self would have the self-awareness not to seek his own doom. He had even made up his mind: if the historical him really had colluded with Qi Wenyuan, he would quickly distance himself, sever ties with 'that version of himself,' and vehemently protest his innocence!
At this point, Yin Mu couldn't help but shoot a resentful glare at Qi Wenyuan, who was not far away. He felt that Qi Wenyuan had truly wronged him. His father the Emperor had more sons than just him—why did Qi Wenyuan have to drag him into this? Had he ever offended Qi Wenyuan in the past? If not for the distance between them and the two imperial guards standing by Qi Wenyuan, Yin Mu would have wanted to punch Qi Wenyuan just as Lu Shaoheng had done earlier.
Yin Mu's expression was too easy to read. Yin Ning, holding the little orange cat, couldn't help but want to laugh. Liu Sanqi didn't keep Yin Mu waiting long. Soon, she explained the reason why Qi Wenyuan had chosen Yin Mu:
"Qi Wenyuan's first principle for choosing a puppet emperor was obedience and compliance. In his view, Yin Mu, Emperor Jingwu's fourth brother, had always been unambitious and unremarkable, and would be easy to control. So Qi Wenyuan was confident in his plan. However, when he went to Yin Mu's residence and proposed his offer, Yin Mu kicked him out, both him and his gifts!"
Below the Sky Canopy, Yin Mu couldn't suppress the smile spreading across his face. He silently applauded his future self. He admitted he was unambitious, but seeing his resolute reaction toward Qi Wenyuan, how could he be called unremarkable? Yin Mu felt that the historical him had done him proud, not let him down!
Yin Mu's smug expression was not lost on Qi Wenyuan. Though his face showed no emotion, inwardly he was full of contempt for Yin Mu, considering him a useless piece of trash, a steaming pile of dung that couldn't be plastered onto a wall!
"Historically, Qi Wenyuan was, of course, furious at Yin Mu's refusal. Power blinds. Qi Wenyuan judged others by himself. He thought that by offering Yin Mu such a chance to ascend to the highest position, Yin Mu should have been grateful. Instead, Yin Mu had the audacity to be ungrateful!"
"However, in Yin Mu's view, one should not take on a task if one lacks the necessary tools. Yin Mu was self-aware of his own abilities. He knew he was not fit to be a ruler. If one's talent is insufficient for the post, disaster will surely follow. In Yin Mu's eyes, Emperor Jingli Yin Rui was a living example right beside him. After all, if not for Yin Rui's incompetence and fatuousness, Qi Wenyuan could never have risen to a position where his power overshadowed the court."
"We often say in life that self-knowledge is valuable, but how many people truly achieve it? So, although some might see Yin Mu as unambitious, I, Sanqi, see him as wise, knowing what he truly wants!"
On the Sky Canopy, Liu Sanqi's live stream occasionally showed bullet comments. At this moment, some netizens familiar with Yin Mu began to tease:
【All he pursued his whole life was to retire from the position of Air Force Commander, wasn't it?】
【How dare you mock our master of fish painting like that!】
【Hahahahaha, aren't you afraid Yin Mu will come to chat with you tonight out of anger?】
...
Below the Sky Canopy, Yin Mu looked at the bullet comments with a bewildered expression. He turned to his wife, Wu Zhiguang, and whispered, "Dear, do you know what 'Air Force Commander' means?"
Wu Zhiguang was well-read. She furrowed her brows and said, "I've never heard the term 'Air Force,' but in the early days of the previous dynasty, there was a post called 'Commander' held by female officials in charge of palace documents."
After hearing Wu Zhiguang's explanation, Yin Mu was even more confused. However, he had a guess about the term 'master of fish painting' mentioned in the comments, since he did occasionally paint fish when the mood struck him.
While Yin Mu was secretly wondering if 'Air Force Commander' had something to do with his fish painting, Liu Sanqi also noticed the bullet comments in her live stream. A smile appeared on her face as she said:
"Since some of you mentioned Yin Mu's 'Air Force' and fish painting, I'll talk a bit about it. Those of you who have visited our National Museum might have noticed that on the second floor, in the center of the exhibition hall, there is a painting titled 'Returning from Fishing at Dusk' with bright colors. That painting is by Yin Mu. He was actually a renowned painter in history, especially famous for painting fish."
"In that painting, Yin Mu depicted himself returning from fishing in the evening, holding several lively fish tied with a straw rope, a full catch. In the painting, his wife Wu Zhiguang and their three children are standing joyfully at the gate of their residence, waiting for him to come home."
"I believe those who haven't seen this painting might think it sounds very pleasant. But actually, every time I see this painting, I can't help but think of the phrase 'a guilty person gives himself away by conspicuously protesting his innocence.'"
Liu Sanqi's face beamed with a bright smile as she spoke teasingly:
"This painting by Yin Mu is practically a classic example of 'consoling oneself with false hopes' in the fishing world! In real history, although Yin Mu loved fishing, he often returned empty-handed! Because he failed so many times, his wife Wu Zhiguang one day couldn't help asking him how many times he had actually succeeded in catching fish. The painting 'Returning from Fishing at Dusk' we see now was painted by Yin Mu in just one hour on the very night after Wu Zhiguang's question. It's truly his masterpiece of anguish!"
Liu Sanqi's live stream was filled with hahahas. Below the Sky Canopy, the people of the Great Jing Dynasty roughly understood what the later generations meant by 'Air Force Commander.'
Yin Mu: "..."
Yin Mu had earlier suspected he might have offended Qi Wenyuan, but now he thought he might have offended Liu Sanqi instead. As for how an ancient man could offend Liu Sanqi, Yin Mu figured anything was possible.
【I only knew before that Yin Mu was Emperor Jingwu's fourth brother. I never expected he was such an interesting person.】
【Sanqi's live stream today has deepened my stereotype of fishermen. Hahaha, indeed, apart from failing to catch fish, they can accomplish anything!】
【What I find funniest is that Yin Mu not only painted fish but also deliberately included his wife and children. It seems his wife's question really got to him.】
【Let me share something more interesting: the fishermen around me all love Yin Mu's 'Returning from Fishing at Dusk.' Every one of them has a replica hanging on their wall or in their office.】
【LOL, my dad is a fisherman. He asked me to buy a print of this painting online to hang in his factory office.】
【My boss doesn't hang paintings. He uses this painting as his social media profile picture, hahahaha.】
【Actually, as an art student, I have to say that Yin Mu's painting is one of the essential works we art students study. My teacher is a die-hard fan of Yin Mu, always analyzing his different works in class, saying his paintings are light, ethereal, and full of vibrant life.】
...
Below the Sky Canopy, Yin Mu had initially felt embarrassed about being teased by later generations for his 'empty-handed fishing,' but seeing so many descendants praising his paintings, he perked up again, his face beaming with pride and spirit. Wu Zhiguang, sitting beside him, watched his emotional changes with a gentle smile. Because she understood Yin Mu's character so well, she had remained calm when she heard that Qi Wenyuan wanted to make him a puppet emperor, knowing that Yin Mu would never accept such a proposal.
On the Sky Canopy, Liu Sanqi looked at the camera with a smile and said:
"Alright, enough about Yin Mu's little anecdotes. Let's get back to the main topic. The news that Yin Mu had kicked Qi Wenyuan out spread quickly. When it reached the ears of Emperor Jingwu's fifth brother, Yin Yi, he became intrigued! Yin Yi was well aware of Qi Wenyuan's intentions. He knew Qi Wenyuan wanted to back a royal bloodline to legitimately oppose Emperor Jingwu in court and eventually force her to abdicate. After the puppet emperor ascended the throne, Qi Wenyuan could continue to be the uncrowned king of the court."
"But unlike Yin Mu, who had taken the initiative to refuse, Yin Yi eagerly sought out Qi Wenyuan to recommend himself, even offering to obey Qi Wenyuan's commands as long as Qi Wenyuan helped him seize the throne from Emperor Jingwu."
Below the Sky Canopy, when Liu Sanqi mentioned Yin Mu, Yin Yi had been gloating. He never expected to face retribution so quickly. Hearing that he had volunteered to collude with Qi Wenyuan and willingly act as his pawn, Yin Yi's face drained of blood in an instant. He fell to his knees with a thud, ready to kowtow and beg for mercy from Emperor Jingming. But Emperor Jingming, weary, simply raised his hand to signal the imperial guards to drag Yin Yi away. After experiencing sons like Yin Rui and Yin Wen, Emperor Jingming had no interest in hearing Yin Yi's excuses.
Yin Dan, Yin Yi's biological sister, was sitting right next to him. When she saw Yin Yi being forcibly dragged away by the imperial guards, she was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she didn't even dare to glance in his direction, afraid that her father would extend his anger to her.
However, the banquet attendees were not paying much attention to her. Since Liu Sanqi first appeared on the Sky Canopy, countless people had wanted to uncover the true identity of Emperor Jingwu. After the previous two live streams and this one, among Emperor Jingwu's sons, only the seventh prince had not been mentioned. Looking at the unremarkable appearance of the Seventh Prince, Yin Xin, everyone couldn't help but wonder if he had been deliberately hiding his talents all these years. Even Emperor Jingming, looking at Yin Xin, began to suspect if he was pretending to be weak. But the next moment, he thought it unlikely, because when he had examined Yin Xin's studies in the past, Yin Xin had seemed genuinely nervous, his legs trembling, and his speech stammering. Emperor Jingming couldn't believe that Emperor Jingwu would have such a personality.
As Emperor Jingming withdrew his gaze from Yin Xin, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of Yin Ning, who was standing not far behind Yin Xin, bowing her head to stroke the fur of the kitten in her arms. By some inexplicable impulse, a conjecture suddenly surfaced in Emperor Jingming's mind that made him widen his eyes in shock. His originally steady breathing became somewhat disordered.