Chapter 5 Chapter Four

Chapter Four of the First Southern Chu Champion Xiande was eighteen years old, and in March, I was already twenty-two years old. When I first won the first prize, many people came to my door to talk about matchmaking, but I declined them all. The reason was that I was still young and wanted to study more. Serving the imperial court, later, such things became rare.Because anyone with a discerning eye can see that I, the young number one scholar, has absolutely no desire to become a success. I am completely immersed in the sea of ​​books, and even a little obsessed. Such a person does not meet the requirements of those aristocratic families, so I got the rare clean.

On this day, I came to the Hanlin Academy to prepare for work as usual, but I saw a lot of people gathered around the main hall. As for the points, because I am the number one scholar, I skipped the lowest level of Shujishi and Censorship, and directly became the editor of Zhengqipin. On top of this, there are editors, Shijiao, Shidu, Shijiao, and Shidu. There are multiple levels of bachelors and masters, but I saw that among the group of people, there was Xie Xian, the master of the master, and a second-class Jinshi and a Shuji who were in the same discipline as me. This surprised me. I know that many of those who are above the bachelor's degree are people who often accompany the king, so how could they gather together.I walked over, but I saw Yin Xueshi and Tian Xueshi were arguing about something eloquently, and on the table between them, there was a scroll of ancient paintings, and a red note next to it, which read "Qingshan layman is coming." "Jiang Tu" seven words, it turned out that they were discussing the authenticity of this painting.Only then did I understand that since the lord of the country issued an edict to build the Chongwen Palace, many people have sent treasured books, calligraphy and paintings, hoping to be included, but the real masterpieces are still hard to find.

Xueshi Yin said gracefully: "This painting must be a fake painting. Layman Qingshan's early works were all green landscapes with gorgeous styles. Later, because he practiced Buddhism and Taoism, most of his works were ink landscapes, and his painting style became calm and beautiful. Although this painting is an ink and wash landscape, but you can see that the brush strokes are craggy, the clouds and mists in the painting seem to rush towards your face, and the river is rushing, you seem to have heard it, so I say this is not the work of Qingshan Layman." Tian Xueshi did not show weakness and said: "Although what you said is reasonable, but you see, the paper of this painting is selected curtain pattern paper. Although it is well preserved, it can still be seen that it should be two hundred years ago. You can see that this painting has the five-party seal of Layman Qingshan, and there is absolutely no problem from the inscription and postscript."

The others supported both sides and quarreled endlessly. I became interested, looked carefully for a long time, and searched for a long time from memory before finally making a decision.At this time they also saw me coming, because I have shown my familiarity with calligraphy and painting appreciation these days, and I am a newcomer, so the two bachelors came to me at the same time, and the bachelor in charge coughed: "Suiyun , what do you think?" I walked to the front of this painting, looked at it carefully, and said, "First of all, judging from the inscription, the first inscription of this painting is 'Brother Ke Ziyuan Yawan', and the second inscription is 'Jiashen in the second year after Yuanyou'. On the ninth day of the seventh lunar month, there is the famous seal "Lan's Ningquan", with the seals of Qingshan Layman in the four corners of the painting, the "Ningquan Painting Seal" in the upper left corner, and the "Linyuan Hall Seal" in the lower left corner. The square seal in white text, the upper right corner is the square seal in white text of "Kuizhang Pavilion Attendant Talking Blue", the lower right corner is the square seal in Zhu text of "Qingshan Layman", these four seals have basically appeared in the paintings of Qingshan Layman, the identification of the seal Mr. Tian is one of the leaders, so he must not be mistaken. Judging from the textual research, Qingshan Layman was originally a famous scholar in the Jin Dynasty, and he was a scholar in the fourth rank of Kuizhang Pavilion. In the Linyuan Hall in the middle of Sichuan, it is said that the lay people were poor at that time and could not support themselves. Thanks to the help of Ke Ming, a wealthy businessman in the middle of Sichuan, they survived the years of war. You can see that there are two seals of Ke in the lower right corner of the painting, which shows that this painting is a green hill. It was given to Ke Ming by a layman."

I took a breath, and then said: "These seals all have their origins, and I have read the "Chronicles of Shuzhong" written by Qingshan Layman. Huan, farewell, Ke held his hand and begged for my own work, feeling sincere, to make Linjiang map', later I checked Ke's records, although Ke has disappeared, but I remember the "Shu Zhi" written by Tao Kai at the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty It is mentioned in "Shi Chong Pian" that "Shi Chong Shaowei served as the Ke family, and the Ke family treated him poorly. Afterwards, Shi Chong became rich and became the world's leader, colluded with the eunuchs, polluted the Ke family for rebellion, and punished the nine clans." Look at this painting In the lower left corner, there is also the seal of Shi Chong's "Secret Collection of Jingu Garden". Moreover, Shi Chong died and his family was exterminated. Wang, the royal family at the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was favored by Emperor Jin and Yuan. It was Emperor Yuan who confiscated Shi Chong, so it is very likely that this painting was in the hands of King Changling. From this, it can be seen that the inheritance of this painting is very clear, so I think it is Authentic."

Most people nodded when they heard it, only Xueshi Yin said unconvinced: "Even if you are right, how can you explain the painting style?" I smiled and said: "This is my personal opinion. Please correct me if there is any error. Layman Qingshan's painting style before Nandu was bright and intense, so he likes to paint green landscapes, but before Nandu, those one or two days In 2000, his painting style has gradually become calm, basically all are small green landscapes, with ink and wash as the base and light colors as the base and green and other overlays, and ink landscapes have appeared occasionally. No works have been handed down from generation to generation. It was not until after the Eastern Jin Dynasty settled down that they began to specialize in ink and wash landscapes. However, in the early days, they still liked to use thick ink for rendering, and the brushwork was upright. From these points of view, I think the period in the middle of Shu must be the period when laymen changed their painting styles, which is also in line with the rare The circulation of works, after all, immature works may often be burned by the owner, I have seen the record of Qingshan layman burning paintings in the seventh volume of "Chronicle of Shuzhong".

Hearing this, everyone has already recognized my judgment, and their eyes have become respectful and eager. After all, there are not many people like me who are so knowledgeable and memorized. After this incident, I had more work, and the most important thing was to go to the Da Nei Library to sort out the imperial letters. It turned out that when I was preparing to build the Chongwen Hall, someone suggested that I had been established in Southern Chu for 60 years. The two dynasties related to Zhao Sheng, the current ruler of the country, are not perfect in the historical records. I hope to take this opportunity to organize Emperor Wu's Zhu Zhu and Yuzha into a book for the royal children and nobles to learn. Although I find it very boring, but The Hanlin Academy recognized it very much. After inviting the lord, the lord was very happy, but it was very troublesome to sort out those royal decrees and verdicts. Xia Ji, the most senior attendant, is in charge, and I am assisting Xia Ji. Xia Ji is actually over sixty years old, and will soon retire, so I am the actual person in charge, and Xia Ji is running after me. After a few days, I automatically asked for leave and went home to rest.The most troublesome part of this job is that I have to work in the library behind the imperial study, where all the documents are stored, and I can't check them myself, I must be accompanied by the steward who manages the library, so I will not be able to leave the country. I started my work at a distance of hundreds of feet, which is probably the interpretation of being close at hand and far away in the sky.

The eunuch in charge was surnamed Wang, and his beard and hair were all white. Sitting for six or seven hours a day would kill him, so on the first day I persuaded him cleverly and obediently: "Eunuch Wang, we should stay together for ten hours anyway." It’s been a month and a half, so don’t be polite, just find a clever little father-in-law to help, and you can just come and see it every now and then.” The prince is getting old, and he is doing idle work, although the library is far away from the imperial study It's very close, but the fathers-in-law of the Supervisor of Rituals are all young and powerful patriarchs, so the princes can't get on the side of the king at all. Since he has no ability to compete for favor, and he is old, no one will embarrass him for no reason, so, He didn't have to worry too much about being accused of not doing his duty.So he sent a new student, Xiao Shunzi, to help me for less than a year, because this Xiao Shunzi is smart and capable, and has studied for several years, and has hundreds of texts in his chest, which is already considered by eunuchs. It's very rare, after all, not everyone needs to receive special training like the eunuch of the chief of ceremonies.

But I was taken aback when I saw Xiao Shunzi, because if I remember correctly, that boy was the boy I met when I first arrived in Jianye who prostituted himself to bury his father, why is he now a eunuch, but there is probably something sad It’s not easy for me to ask him, anyway, he didn’t recognize me, so I just treat him as a stranger. He can find a memorial or imperial letter as quickly as possible, so we cooperate happily. The original workload of 20 days, according to the current speed, it seems that it will take about 12 or 3 days. At noon on the third day, I was drinking a cup of tea after dinner, and I was about to take a break to continue. Suddenly, the prince rushed in angrily, served by two eunuchs, and shouted: "Xiao Shunzi, Xiao Shunzi!" Shunzi, where are you little slave?" I looked at him suspiciously, what's going on.

When Wang Gonggong saw me, he put on a smile and said, "Jiang Zhuangyuan, are you there?" Nonsense, where I am not here, I am not allowed to go home and take a nap here.I thought to myself, and said in my mouth: "Elder-in-law, what's the matter, what made you so angry." Wang Gonggong said angrily: "Xiao Shunzi, that little bastard with dirty hands and feet, stole my beloved snuff bottle, which was given to this old slave by the late emperor." Xiao Shunzi opened his eyes wide, knelt down on the ground and said, "It's absolutely nothing. A servant doesn't have the guts to steal something from the emperor." He has been cleansed for more than a year, fourteen or five years old His age was developing again, so his voice was high-pitched. At this time, he was panicking, and it was even more piercing.

The little eunuch next to him said in a sharp voice: "You still dare to talk loudly, don't you think we don't know? You are a criminal who committed the crime of robbery. I lost the things belonging to the king. I thought it must be you who did it. Father-in-law arrived You searched the room, and sure enough, you found it." Xiao Shunzi's face turned blue, he kowtowed again and again, "It's not a slave, it's not a slave who did it, someone must have framed it." Wang Gonggong said angrily: "Are you saying that I planted your spoils, or that Xiao Fuzi planted your spoils." Xiao Shunzi broke out in cold sweat, turned around and rushed to my side, begging: "Master Jiang, you are a learned person, please tell your father-in-law, the slaves are serving by your side these days, how can you have time to steal things?" ." I was watching this good show with great interest. Although that little Fuzi was a good showman, I heard his breathing was a little short and his heart beat faster. I had already seen that he was framing, but Xiao Shunzi had a bad background. , the background is not clear, so it is impossible to distinguish.I don't intend to intervene in the affairs of the harem, so I just glanced at him lightly and didn't make a sound.Xiao Shunzi was in a hurry.Seeing that I was silent, Wang Gonggong said sharply: "You tied him up, sent him to the respect room, and beat him to death. I let him dare to steal. This is a serious crime in the palace." My heart trembled, no way, I want to kill him.Xiao Shunzi was so frightened that he hugged my legs and cried, "I beg your lord, for the sake of Xiao Shunzi's considerate service, please give me a favor. I really didn't steal anything." I suddenly thought of the miserable look he had when he sold himself to bury his father, and I couldn't help but feel relieved. It wasn't a big deal anyway, and he was indeed wronged.Turning my eyes, thinking about it, I calmly said: "My lord, I think this servant is crying so much, maybe he is really wronged?" Wang Gonggong was a little hesitant, and said after a while: "The things were found from his room." I smiled and said, "This kid has been following me for the past few days, when did the father-in-law lose his things?" Wang Gonggong thought for a while and said, "It was still in use last night, but it disappeared at noon today." I frowned on purpose and said: "It's really hard to tell, let's see, the official is quite proficient in the Book of Changes, the best way to judge people's misfortunes and fortunes, and to clarify people's grievances, I will take it as a lesson." The eunuchs Wang Gonggong believed in fate the most because of the ups and downs in their lives. His eyes lit up and he said: "Your Excellency knows how to do fortune telling. Okay, this old slave will go get the fortune teller." I waved my hand and said, "It's a small lesson, so there's no need to count it. Let's do this, since it's a grievance, anyone who has been wronged must be upright, I have a way here, let Xiao Shunzi and this little Fuzi who reported Eat one of my specially made golden pills, and I will pray to God, if you are innocent, then you will be fine, if you are guilty, you will have abdominal pain." After speaking, I took out a jade bottle from my arms and poured out two golden pills The golden pill, and handed it to the two young eunuchs. The prince smiled and said: "Okay, let this old slave see the skills of the champion. You two still don't want to eat it." Xiao Shunzi swallowed the golden pill without hesitation, Xiao Fuzi hesitated a moment, brought the golden pill to his mouth, and with a small movement, the golden pill rolled into his sleeve.Good job, I am amazed.Then he pretended to pray to God, and before a single incense stick, Xiao Shunzi's face suddenly turned pale, and he knelt down on the ground with his hands hugging his belly, excruciating pain.But Xiao Fuzi was completely fine.He proudly said: "Sure enough, you stole it. The Zhuang Yuangong's prayer really came true." Wang Gonggong looked at me hesitantly, and was about to give an order, I smiled slightly and said: "Although I have some talents, but I don't have the ability to ask the gods to punish you, this kind of golden pill is specially made by me, it is specially used to clear the stomach, yesterday I heard from Wang Gonggong that he is old and often accumulates food. If the old man takes this medicine with lotus seed soup, it will be effective. If the young man is full of blood, he will have abdominal pain. Little Fuzi, your medicine Well, where is it hidden?" Xiao Fuzi backed away in fright, only to see Wang Gonggong strode up to him, gently squeezed his wrist and lifted it, Xiao Fuzi immediately turned pale from the pain, Wang Gonggong relaxed from childhood Fuzi found the golden pill in his sleeve.Then he let go of his hand, and Xiao Fuzi fell to the ground, frightened out of his wits.The prince said calmly, "Xiao Shunzi, don't go to my room yet. There is a bowl of cold lotus seed soup on the table." Xiao Shunzi nodded, rushed out, and came back within a moment, with a refreshed face, the prince squinted his eyes with a smile, and said: "Thank you, Mr. Zhuangyuan, for thinking about this old slave." He snatched the medicine bottle in his hand.While talking, he said goodbye and went out. After a while, two middle-aged eunuchs came and took Xiao Fuzi away.Xiao Shunzi knelt down in front of me gratefully, and thanked him a thousand times: "My benefactor saved me twice, but even if Xiao Shunzi is like a cow and a horse, he can't repay this great kindness." I widened my eyes and said after a long while: "Do you still remember me?" Xiao Shunzi said blushingly: "Actually, the servant recognized the champion at a glance. Back then, the adults generously donated money, but the young one still remembers it fresh." I asked curiously: "Then why didn't you say you remembered me earlier?" Xiao Shunzi hesitated for a long time before saying: "Slave, it was a lie that I sold myself to bury my father." My eyes widened even more now.Xiao Shunzi said: "The slave was originally from a scholarly family, but after my father died, my uncle secretly sold me to a theater troupe in order to seize the property, and the slave has been wandering around since then, because the slave can't stand the bullying of the troupe, so I have a relationship with the troupe." A few brothers escaped and had no way to make a living, so they begged and stole and cheated. When I met my lord, the servant was partnering with an old beggar. He pretended to be his own father, and I acted as a dutiful son. My lord gave generously, but my two companions were greedy for profit. Sneaking after the adults..." Speaking of this, he was even more embarrassed, and I immediately understood who was the one who knocked me out.However, I asked in confusion: "You have so much money, enough to live on, what do you do, what do you do?" I was a little speechless. Xiao Shunzi smiled and said: "Perhaps the retribution has come. We were coerced into becoming bandits, but we were caught by officers and soldiers. We robbed a clan, and they were all used to being thieves, so we were sentenced." The death penalty, we are still young, the master who judged the case said that if he is willing to enter the palace as a slave, he can avoid death, my two brothers insisted on going to the execution ground, slaves are timid, so they entered the palace." I sighed: "You are not timid, you are courageous. Although life is hard, but we have to struggle to survive. If you can survive and treat the past as a joke, you are a warrior. Most of those who throw their lives away are not warriors, but avoiding responsibility." Xiao Shunzi suddenly knelt down and hugged my legs again, the pain made me suspect that he would repay his kindness with revenge, and then I felt water droplets soaking through my official robe. After that, this kid served me with all his heart. Later, I heard that Eunuch Wang is a master of martial arts, and Xiao Shunzi was learning martial arts from him. On a whim, and because I admired this kid's perseverance, I smuggled a copy of " The transcript of "Sunflower Canon" came in.Xiao Shunzi looked at it silently, but accepted it solemnly. Half a month later, I left the palace, with the tidied royal letter, and one of the biggest gains, I had an extra friend who often came to visit me in the middle of the night.