Chapter 16 Section 16. Anyone who has a skill does not dare to underestimate

When he arrived in Kaifeng, Henan, Zeng Guofan decided to stay for a few days. Kaifeng Mansion, commonly known as Bianliang City in Tokyo, is the birthplace of Zhao Kuangyin, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, and the capital of Wei in the Warring States Period, Liang, Jin, Han, Zhou, Jin and Later Jin in the Five Dynasties. It is known as the old capital of the Seven Dynasties.The famous Shansheng Temple is not only quite spectacular, but also has several historic sites and treasure temples.Only Xiangguo Temple, the forest of steles in Longting Hanyuan, and Yuwang Pagoda are the places Zeng Guofan has long been fascinated by.If Zeng Guofan doesn't come, it's fine. Now that he's here, Anken will leave?This is a common problem among scholars all over the world.

But Changshun and Taizhuang are only interested in the local snacks and the fireworks girls. The two of them accompanied Zeng Guofan for only one day to visit the Forest of Steles in Longting Hanyuan. Seeing Zeng Guofan rubbing and imitating, he was so busy that he even forgot to eat lunch. The two of them were really bored.Back at the inn, Taizhuang murmured to Changshun in private: "I really don't understand this Hanlin Gong, a stone slab, can touch a bird! Write at a high price all day, instead of this..." Changshun was annoyed by the quarrel, so he could only plead with Zeng Guofan tactfully: "My lord, Taizhuang is a bastard, he was beaten up by a lowly official, and he is crying now!" As soon as he said this, Zeng Guofan was taken aback: "Chief guard, How can this be done? Why do you want to punish the guards like this?"

Changshun pretended to be angry and said: "My lord, this bastard in Taizhuang, he said he followed the lord to see the scenery, and his stomach hurts when he saw the statue of the mountain god. Tell me, you are not angry! I will punish him for the lord. After watching him How dare you talk nonsense!" Zeng Guofan suddenly smiled: "Chief guard, does your stomach hurt when you see the statue?" Chang Shun hurriedly said: "Responding to my lord, in fact, even when I saw the statue of a mountain god... But Lord Su asked me to protect your safety, we must listen to your lord! Even if it hurts, we have to endure it, don't you think?" ?”

Zeng Guofan knew that Changshun and Taizhuang wanted to play alone for a few days, so he said along the way: "Changshun, do you think this is good? I will go to Xiangguo Temple alone tomorrow, and you two will have fun together for a day, and we will stay at the inn in the evening." We will be together." "Then how can I do it?" Chang Shun said seriously, "If Lord Su finds out, he will blame him!" Zeng Guofan said: "My lord Su asked the two to protect me, but he didn't say that I can't act alone? Besides, there is a saying that 'the king's life will not be tolerated'!"

Changshun was so happy that night that he bought three fat pig's trotters for Zeng Guofan, and Taizhuang also happily spent money to smoke two donkey ears to join in the fun. After daybreak, Changshun and Taizhuang got up, breakfast was useless, they just greeted Zeng Guofan, and then flew away from the inn, watching the fireworks and willow alley. Zeng Guofan thought to himself, if the guards in the palace are like this, what about the officers and soldiers of the green battalion!After eating breakfast alone, Zeng Guofan went out with a few taels of silver.Kaifeng in early summer is surprisingly hot.Zeng Guofan waved his bamboo bone fan and walked towards Xiangguo Temple while looking at the street scene.Although the population of Kaifeng is not as large as that of Beijing, the main streets are still full of people, giving it the appearance of an old city.

Zeng Guofan stopped and went, and arrived at Xiangguo Temple at noon, but there were more and more people. On the left side of the mountain gate, there are a row of more than 20 jugglers calling the market. Although there are not many people around, they are shouting happily; The horoscope fortune-teller, one of them guarding a piece of red cloth, quietly doing fishing. Zeng Guofan looked all the way along the right side of the mountain gate, and there were more than 30 plaster stalls, which were arranged in a fancy way, and there were plasters for various diseases, except ringworm.I finally came across a stall with a signboard that said "Cure All Diseases". When Zeng Guofan mentioned the symptoms, the stallkeeper shook his head like a rattle; while Zeng Guofan was not paying attention, he tore down the " Cure all diseases", no more words.Zeng Guofan sighed helplessly, so he had no choice but to walk forward, looking at the calligraphy and paintings one by one.

The sellers of calligraphy and painting are also uneven, and some of them have quite good techniques. The scenery can tell the distance, and the birds and beasts can see the fluff.Some are obviously beginners, and they can also draw insects and fish, but they can't draw insects or fish or insects. When asked, they said that it was the way of barbarian people.In one of the stalls, there was a four-foot nave hanging on it. The painting was obviously a cat, but it was inscribed with the words "Tiger Roaring Mountain Peak". Zeng Guofan saw that the stall owner looked like he was in his fifties, with a thin yellow braid, wrinkles engraved with dirt and dirt on his face, two small eyes that couldn't be opened, and a big red and purple nose hanging from underneath. He has an upturned tooth protruding from his lips, surrounded by a few strands of curly brown beard, and a shabby old gown of unrecognizable color is draped over his body, unbuttoned, with his sunken chest exposed. Dirty.Zeng Guofan couldn't help feeling secretly: It seems that he is a scholar who is useless, and it makes sense!It is very pitiful for scholars who have read to this level, and they are unwilling to let go of their airs and do more practical things, making life especially difficult!Isn't it just useless? !

Seeing more and more people onlookers, the stall owner boasted: "This is a prepaid money, and you can't sell it even if you give money, and you can paint it again. We scholars pay attention to the word of honesty, and we can paint a painting for one tael of silver. It's cheap!" Zeng Guofan looked at it for a long time, and asked with a smile: "Boss is really funny, the picture on this painting is obviously a cat, how can it be called 'Tiger Roaring Mountain'?" The stall owner squinted his eyes and looked at Zeng Guofan for a long time before he recognized that the speaker had a beard on his chin and was wearing a hat. He was a scholar or not, a businessman or a businessman; especially a pair of triangular eyes, with sharp edges and corners. Why don't you look like a nice person.

The stall owner snorted first, and then said disdainfully after a long time: "I'm not bragging to the guest officer. Don't think I've never seen a tiger, but I can draw a tiger just like a cat! This is a family tradition. It has been painted for three generations. No one dares to say that it doesn't look like it? If you call a real big tiger a cat, what kind of eyes are there!" The stall owner, who claimed to be a scholar, slapped Zeng Guofan's boss in a straight line, making Zeng Guofan dumbfounded; other spectators were also amused by him.Zeng Guofan privately speculated: "This must be a trick released by the businessman. He can't draw a tiger and dare to eat this bowl of food on the street?! He also said that he paid a deposit in advance, and the devil would believe it. It seems that the words 'we scholars' are also It can't be true."

Zeng Guofan walked all the way, watched all the way and laughed all the way, his feet were weak and his stomach hurt from laughing, and he was squeezed. He came to a stall that specialized in painting and selling plum blossoms, and stopped to watch.What attracted Zeng Guofan's attention was not how well the plum blossoms were painted, but the young people guarding the painting booth.The man was tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a big thick braid, short clothes, soap cloth boots, with his hands crossed on his chest, he looked like he was not a person who was used to wandering in the rivers and lakes.The strangest thing was that there was a set of ancient books wrapped in linoleum cloth under the man's feet. Although they were very precious, they obviously wanted to sell them.

Zeng Guofan knelt down, opened the ancient book, and found it was "Gongjinshui Warfare". Zeng Guofan roughly flipped through it, and it was all about Zhou Yu, the governor of Dongwu in the Three Kingdoms, who fought on water, and he didn't know who it was.Zeng Guofan became more and more strange, stood up and cupped his hands at the man: "I would venture to ask, "Gongjinshui Warfare" is a rare private collection, there will not be many, why sell it?" The man glanced at Zeng Guofan, and sighed helplessly: "To tell you the truth, my younger brother is from Zhajiang, Hengyang, Hunan. He was accidentally stolen when he went out to visit friends, and he ended up living here. This book is an ancestral item, and those who know how to get it It’s just a change of money.” The tone sounds like a scholar, and I don’t know if it’s the tricks released by the people who practice the stall, or they are telling the truth to make people sound sincere. Zeng Guofan did not dare to underestimate anyone with a skill.He pulled a free stool, sat down with the man, and asked with a pleasant face: "We talked for a long time, but I still haven't asked my dear friend's name, why do you still have a book with you?" The man clasped his fists and said, "Peng Yulin, whose name is Xueqin, my father once inspected Liangyuan in Hefei County. It can also pass the day. This book was handed down by my father, and I always keep it with me, so that I can read it at any time." Zeng Guofan asked again: "Have you ever studied?" Peng Yulin blushed, and said in a low voice: "In the past, he was also selected as a scholar. It's just because Yulin has a bad temper, offended the teaching order, was dismissed, and his desire for fame has faded." Zeng Guofan picked up the book again and asked, "Brother, I must have mastered this set of "Gongjinshui Warfare" by heart." Peng Yulin replied: "In my free time, I often read it. I know a little bit. I don't dare to be familiar with it. Listening to my brother's talk, I look like a man of fame. I would like to ask, where is my brother working? Listening to the accent, it doesn't look like a local, maybe it's not Folks?" Zeng Guofan put the book back to its original place, and clasped his fists together: "My dear friend, your guess is not bad. I, Zeng Guofan, is from Heyetang, Xiangxiang. He is now working in the Imperial Academy of the Imperial Academy. This time, he is going to Sichuan to preside over the provincial examination by imperial decree." "I'm rude, I'm rude!" One sentence made Peng Yulin bow down early, and said while saluting, "It turns out that it is Mr. Zeng, who has been famous for a long time! Please forgive me for the crime of being disrespectful." Everyone is looking this way. Zeng Guofan hurriedly helped Peng Yulin up, and was about to speak, when there was a commotion in the market, many people gathered around a calligraphy and painting booth, and other stall keepers also stretched their necks to wait and see.Zeng Guofan and Peng Yulin also stood up. "It seems like someone is arguing." Zeng Guofan whispered. "It's been like this for the past two days, no business, just watching the excitement." Peng Yulin replied.Obviously, he has been squatting here for two days. People who have already kept the stalls began to squeeze into the lively place.Peng Yulin couldn't help saying: "My dear friend, wait a moment, Yulin will come back after a quick look." He picked up the book casually and put it in his arms, leaning closer step by step. Seeing Peng Yulin put the book in his arms, Zeng Guofan blushed. Zeng Guofan was originally a quiet person who didn't like to make noise. When he saw Peng Yulin approaching him, he wanted to say a word or two to stop him, but because of the first meeting, Peng Yulin was still wary of him, and some words were even harder to say. , I had no choice but to follow along. Squeezing into the crowd was like God's will, and it happened that he was standing with Peng Yulin again, and the two of them looked at each other and smiled.Looking at the people arguing again, it turns out that the artisan who painted tigers like cats is being scolded by a green battalion. After listening for a while, Zeng Guofan finally heard the whole story: it turned out that the president had paid the money in advance for the painter to draw a house tiger, but the painter actually painted it like a cat.The painter was always asked to pay one or two taels of silver, but the painter just wanted to return the pre-collected silver. Seeing that the painter refused to pay the money, the general of the Lvying stared at him and said, "I didn't say that you must pay the money, as long as you draw a tiger for me right away, it's over? I'll give you thirty more money." Big money!" The painter argued nonchalantly: "Master, let me spare you this time. I can draw this kind of tiger, and I can't draw another tiger. Otherwise, I will draw you a picture of a group of dogs fighting How about the picture? That dog is well drawn!" The boss grabbed the painter by the collar of his coat, slapped him with two big slaps, and cursed: "You don't pay me the money, but you're still talking nonsense! I stripped you alive today!" The painter was shrunk into a ball after being beaten, begging again and again: "Even if the master beats the little one to death, the little one won't be able to get any money." At this time, a man who looked like a public servant came out of the crowd, dressed in soap clothes, holding a water and fire stick, raised eyebrows, seemed to be patrolling the street, and seemed to be looking for someone.