Chapter 132 Collection of Elegant Scholars

The sedan chair was carried to Zhu's mansion, handed in the letter of worship, and Zhu Xichun personally welcomed him: "Second brother, how are you okay?"

Weng Tong? Kneel down respectfully and kowtowed and saluted: "Please treat my elder brother."

"Get up, get up." Zhu Xichun grabbed him, "You came today, and the peonies in the garden are blooming. The old man said, if we talk about the merits of poetry, we guys are not as good as you, and you will be there by chance. Come in with me quickly."

"Is the old man in good health?"

"Okay, okay. It's just that a few of the teeth are loose." Zhu Xichun smiled and pulled Weng Tong and walked inside: "This time, when the old man saw you coming, he would drink a few more drinks when he was happy, but I'm afraid my mother would be unhappy again. Haha."

Weng Tong knew that Zhu Xichun's mother's mother's surname was Gao, and she was Zhu Shiyan's fourth wife. The old man died early. The other three concubines were old. The only one in the family was the "servant" who was in charge of the first gift. She did not let others go and managed the family in an orderly manner. Just as Zhu Shiyan could feel that, Gao had extraordinary knowledge and took great care of the inside and outside for more than ten years. People around her mentioned the fourth aunt of the Zhu family, and there was no one who gave a thumbs up.

Zhu Shiyan likes flowers and chrysanthemums and peonies even more. He specially transplanted several rare books in the Manchu Garden. One of them was a yellow peony purchased from Xi'an, which is a rare treasure in Hangzhou. Whenever the flowers bloom season comes, the clouds are steaming and the clouds are rippling, and a huge sight is very popular.

Whenever Zhu Shiyan arrived at the flowering season, he would send a post to invite gentry and famous officials at all levels in the city to visit the palace to enjoy the flowers and drink. It is only at this time of the year that the wife of Gao's wife would allow her husband to have a few drinks. Usually, it is strictly prohibited for the servants to bring wine to the palace.

When he arrived in the garden, the flowers were blooming brightly, and the garden was filled with guests, including the prefect of Hangzhou, the governor of Zhejiang, the vassal department of a province, etc., but they all came in casual clothes. He kowtowed Zhu Shiyan first, and then bowed to everyone beside him, and then sat down.

However, Weng Tong, a young talented man, is close to the emperor again. This time he rarely meets in Zhu's mansion. Others are not good, so he dare not look at him as a junior. After giving in to each other, he finally let Yang Wen set his position, Weng Tong? He was with him.

This flower-appreciation meeting is a collection of literati. I can’t talk much about government affairs, so I can only talk about some poetry and articles, “Shuping.” Zhu Xichun raised his glass and said: “Today, you must not only be without poetry, but also have to be a good poetry. Have a cup first to moisten the poetic intestines.”

Weng Tong? Sitting at the main table, he couldn't help but feel worried. He smiled bitterly and said, "I am a younger generation. This book is already too presumptuous. What good poems are you talking about?"

"I don't agree with what Brother Shupingshi said." Yang Wending smiled and shook his head and said, "Brother Weng Shi is very talented, and he has also picked it up by the emperor and used a commoner to make the scholars all over the world envious. How can he say something about being arrogant? If he is too talented, isn't it that the emperor has no wisdom to know people?" After that, he burst into laughter.

Weng Tong? He smiled reservedly and didn't say much.

Zhu Xichun saw that he was a little displeased and said smoothly: "Come on, Shuping, you are as talented as a sea of ​​poetry and a very wide belly. How can you have a white heart for such a poetic and essay?"

Weng Tong? After thinking about it, since Yang Wending said something contemptuous, it would be better to show his true colors today. He said, "Since that's the case, then the students will throw bricks and attract jade. Please give everyone a warning."

With a word, everyone's eyes gathered. Weng Tong picked up a glass of wine and chanted two sentences: "The brocade curtain was first rolled with Mrs. Wei, and the embroidered quilt was still piled with Yue Ejun."

"At the beginning, we used the parallelism, but we also used the eleven real rhyme. This can be considered a variation, and it must be good." The person sitting next to us read these two lines of his poem several times, showing an appreciative smile: "The first sentence you use the story of 'Zi See Nan Zi' to describe the gracefulness and wealth of flowers, which is fine; the second sentence describes the leaves, which actually uses the allusion of 'E Jun in Yue'. How did you think of it?"

Weng Tong? I just heard Zhu Xichun introduce this to him. This is Wang Youling, who works for Ning Shaodao. I don’t know which Jinshi he is. However, when he can tell the allusion of "E Jun is in Yue", he can tell that he is also a well-educated person. He can understand the wonders of his poems and essays, and he can’t help but feel a soulmate.

The allusion of E Jun in Yue comes from Liu Xiang's "Shuoyuan". This allusion tells that there is a person who is known as E Jun, who is the prince of Chu, and his sister is the queen mother of Yue. Once, E Jun visited Yue and was sailing on the lake. Because he was a famous handsome man, the boat girl who was called a girl was scrambling to love each other. She was beating and singing while singing. She was happy for the 'Where is today, I have to be on the same boat with the prince', and she also sighed at the regret of 'There are trees on the mountain and branches on the mountain, and I am happy to be the one who doesn't know'.

When Ejun came to the shore, the boatwoman "walked and hugged it, lifted the embroidered quilt and loved it". In Weng Tong's poem, "Embroidered quilt is like piled up with Yue Ejun" to describe the overlapping of peony leaves, rich images, and incredible. So Wang Youling would be praised "How did you think you came."

"Oh, the wind is rising." Zhu Xichun said: "Swaying and colorful is another way of writing."

This is equivalent to a test of the question. Weng Tong nodded and looked carefully. The wind was rolled upside down from the ground, so the green leaves flew first, and the patterns of the reflecting leaves were visible in the dark, just like a ring pendant carved by jade. Weng Tong blurted out: "Carrying jade pendant with your hands hanging down."

This sentence still describes the branches and leaves of peony. Flipped hands is a dance name, with names such as big hanging hands and single hanging hands, but it is just a helping dance. It is the ancient meaning of peony that is good, but still requires green leaves to support it.

"The next sentence is to describe the flower in the wind, Shuping, you must be able to suppress this sentence, otherwise you will bury all the good sentences in the previous sentence."

"It must be suppressed." Weng Tong smiled confidently, looking at the more than ten yellow peonies that stood out from above, with soft branches floating, lowered in the wind, and said to the back: "Bending your back and dancing with the tulip skirt."

"Okay" The guest clapped his palms and shouted, and woke up Zhu Shiyan, who was sitting on the side, who was drowsy, in shock, wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, and looked around blankly: "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"For the real work," Yang Wending also praised the words: "And it is wonderfully created and natural, without any trace of carving, but it is hard to continue."

"I have written all the movements of flowers and leaves," Wang Youling asked, "It's time to turn it over?"

"No, there are colors and fragrances that can be written." Weng Tong? He was amazed at the scene and said, "How can the Shi family candles be cut? Xun Ling's incense burner can be smoked."

"The incense burner is not silenced." Yang Wending shook his head and said, "Xun Lingjun came to someone's house and sat there for three days. Xi Zaochi's "Xiangyang Record" does not mention the incense burner."

Zhu Xichun turned around and asked Weng Tong: "Is there anything to say?"

"Some." Weng Tong said, "You will know the "Boshan Incense Burner Fu" by Prince Zhaoming."

This pointing out makes Yang Wen's belly look so wide that he is not as wide as Weng's. He can't help but feel ashamed, but he still grasps a weakness: "Old Bai's "Peony Poems" contains 'a hundred crimson flames', which describes the color of peonies. The "Xun Ling incense burner is ready to be smoked by Brother Shi.

’It’s just that you can’t help but plagiarize.”

He couldn't make up the mistake, but the word "plagiarism" was used too heavily, and Zhu Xichun couldn't help but feel unfair for his brothers: "Uncle Shishi, my nephew, thinks that there is no new idea in the world, and a long copy of the articles of the ages is just a matter of whether it is said well or not. Bai's poem is straightforward and shallow, so it is better to use the allusion of Shi Chong's family using candles as a cooking pot, which can describe the wealth of peony."

Dai Wengtong? After explaining a few sentences, Zhu Xichun deliberately changed: "Six sentences write about six things, which is different from the general seven-character style. It is a rare variation. However, the ending two sentences have to be changed and combined. How do you get it?"

The final sentence of this poem, Weng Tong, is already there, which is: "I am a colored pen in my dream, and I want to write a flower piece to send it to the clouds in the morning." These two sentences use a very familiar allusion, which is the goddess of Wushan, which was written by King Xiang of Chu in "Gaotang Fu".

Words are the voice of the heart. When the flowers bloom, reciting such poems will inevitably give people a sense of frivolity. So Weng Tong smiled humbly: "It's true that my brother's argument is really unsustainable. When I go back and think calmly, I will ask my brother to correct me next day?" The understatement made this matter go away.

After making friends with poetry and prose and talking, Yang Wending talked about another thing: "Yesterday, an anecdote happened in Hangzhou Prefecture, Qiantang County Magistrate Zhao Yansun..."

Weng Tong? At the beginning, he did not take this matter seriously, but just thought it was a slutty word during the banquet. He vaguely heard a foreigner arrested the Qiantang County Magistrate and threw him into prison. He was shocked and stopped eating. He listened carefully with his ears, "... It is really worth the reputation of the county-level official hall in the province. Zhao Yansun is so strong. My mansion wants to return to the mansion today, and immediately pay a visit to Zhe Mingfa and ask the court to issue an order to comfort him."

Weng Tong? Anxious: This time he quit his leave and left Beijing, shortly after the emperor returned to Beijing in early April, the General Administration Office was preparing for the revision of the contract for the British. Whether it was what the father and son talked about in the mansion, or what the emperor said while serving in the Nanshu, they all proved that the emperor was determined to break up with the British in this consultation opportunity and do something big. When talking about the American and Italians in this way, the emperor always said far-reachingly, "The American and Italians are different from the British and Italians, they are pure in nature and are filial to the Heavenly Dynasty. They are not a united party with Britain and France, or they can be sincere and honest."

He and Chongshi chatted privately that the emperor may be able to win over the United States and divide the British power in the future. This time, after hearing Yang Wending said that if there was such a big case in Zhejiang Province, he actually locked twelve Americans in the prison in Qiantang County, he would not mention the relevant aspects of international public law. If the emperor's sacred heart is considered, he may be sure to be ruined by Zhao Yansun's ignorance and stupidity. Even Yang Wending is afraid that he cannot afford such a crime?

He was thinking randomly in his mind, Weng Tong kept blinking, as if he was thinking about a way to temporarily resolve this matter.

Zhu Xichun, who was sitting next to him, noticed the weirdness he described: "Shuping, what's wrong with you?"

Weng Tong suddenly stood up, "Brother, I have a few words to say to my elder brother."

Zhu Xichun guessed Weng Tong? Is there anything inconvenient to say in front of everyone, and accused him of guilt and pulled Weng Tong? He walked around the path in the garden to a secluded place: "Shuping, what do you want to say?"

"Brother, I have something. I don't know if I can tell you."

Seeing him so serious, Zhu Xichun was also a little surprised, but he and Weng Tong were brothers who exchanged posts. When they were together, they were used to joking with each other. At this time, they deliberately relaxed the tense atmosphere and replied with a smile: "Then don't say it anymore, I have a narrow shoulder, I'm afraid I can't bear it."

Weng Tong? He didn't say anything, his expression on his face was very serious, as if he was blaming him for not being able to joke with him at this time.

"Okay, Shuping, I was wrong," Zhu Xichun asked with a rude smile: "What the hell is it?"

"Did your brother hear what Mr. Yang said just now?"

"I heard it. What's wrong?"

"If this memorial is not up, he will be fine if he reports it, he will cause a huge disaster."

“How to say it?”

"That's the case..."

Listen to Weng Tong? After analyzing the pros and cons of the words, Zhu Xichun blinked halfway through his eyes, and his spirit was used on the calligraphy and paintings of gold and stone. This kind of wave of the dynasty was not my heart's pleasure, but also could not hear the hidden truth: "Shuping, why not, why don't you say this again in front of Lord Yang?"

Weng Tong? I came to Zhu Xichun to avoid having a direct communication with Yang Wending. The emperor hated the closest people around him and colluded with foreign ministers the most. Once he found out, he would never show mercy when dealing with it. This is what the internal and external ministers saw. He hoped to convey his words to Yang Wending through Zhu Xichun's mouth, which could be considered as a gentleman repaying his kindness with grievances. Don't you think Zhu Xichun actually said such words?

While hesitating, Zhu Xichun misunderstood that he had acquiesced and said, "You wait here." He turned around and ran to the table.

After a while, Zhu Xichun asked Yang Wending to get close to him. The two of them walked and talked. Yang Wending was unhappy at the beginning. As he heard Zhu Xichun talk, his face changed drastically. When he arrived at Weng Tong? He approached, the old man bowed to the end: "If it weren't for Brother Weng Shi's guidance today, I would have made a big mistake. This friendship will definitely be rewarded in the future."

That's fine. Weng Tong thought to himself that even if the emperor knows it in the future, he can still say that it is not that he and Yang Wending are in touch, but that it is passed on to him through Zhu Xichun's mouth. When his expression turned into a gentle smile, "Sir, I am too humble." He asked, "I don't know how should I do next?"

"I think we always have to release American businessmen from prison first, well... it's not appropriate." Yang Wending finally went through the officialdom for a long time, and he knew what he had planned. If he let people out in such a unclear way, the Americans would return to Shanghai and tell others in a vain way. China did not act according to international public law and forced Americans to be imprisoned in prison. The final result would be that he would suffer.

After thinking for a while, he made up his mind, and smiled all over his face, bowed to Weng Tong and Zhu Xichun: "Two brothers, I suddenly remembered that there are still some official duties in the government office that need to be handled urgently. When I say goodbye to the old man, I will say goodbye immediately."

"Oh, oh." Zhu Xichun nodded and agreed casually: "Business matters, and I don't dare to force my uncle to stay."

Yang Wending once again looked at Weng Tong deeply? He turned around and walked back to the table.

Weng Tong and Zhu Xichun stood in the garden path, watching a commotion happening across the opposite side. When the two of them rushed over, they saw that the meal was deserted. Not only Yang Wending, but also Fan and Nie Shi, and Ning Shao Dao Wang Youling, had already said goodbye to the master's house.

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Chapter completed!