Chapter 1 Confrontation: Who is right?
The eleventh year of Chengping.
White Dew.
It happened to be the Empress Dowager's 70th birthday. To show his filial piety, the Emperor ordered the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to work together to renovate and expand the palace, and renamed it Wanyi Garden.
The palace was specially rebuilt for the Empress Dowager's birthday. A year in advance, it was decorated with magnificent scenery for the autumn season, and was planted with maple trees and chrysanthemums, which were the Empress Dowager's favorites.
The autumn is deep, and the maple leaves are dyed with chrysanthemums.
Under the red maple forest that looked like a sea of fire, the family members and children who had come to the palace with the officials to celebrate the birthday gathered to have fun.
There is a pavilion in the west, a spring in the south, and a pavilion for rest.
The palace maid who led the way brought people here to rest. The empress dowager, who was sitting high on the Juxin Terrace, stood in front of the terrace. When she lowered her eyes, she could see a group of young talents and beautiful girls.
I feel great.
It was known that the Empress Dowager loved lively occasions and beauties, so all officials and their children who were invited were dressed up grandly.
Under the maple forest, gorgeous clothes and beautiful skirts are in disarray.
The women were dressed in fragrant clothes and waving scented fans, like a flock of fluttering butterflies.
A row of palace maids who came to deliver fruits and melons could hear the young men and women arguing about something from a distance of about ten steps.
The crowd gathered around a square vase with flowers and birds of the four seasons, appreciating the flower arrangement and the relief glaze paintings on the vase.
This vase has a square and solemn shape, a calm green glaze color, and a delicate and beautiful glaze pattern.
Among them, there are scattered branches and lush leaves, and a vase is placed on a low table in the wild, which combines the plants of heaven and earth with the elegant arts of humanities, and is elegant and ingenious.
There is only one vase of this kind, and it doesn't look like it was made by the emperor.
The fact that this item can be taken out and displayed in this place where people gather today shows that it has an extraordinary status.
Even if it was not the Empress Dowager's collection, it was a treasure presented by some noble person.
The source of the controversy was that someone noticed the vase and praised the exquisite painting and glaze.
A round-faced girl asked the people around her.
"Sister Guo Wu, look at this skillful technique. Which master's work is it?"
Such a unique vase could have flowed from the folk into the palace. Judging from the exquisiteness of its shape, painting and glaze, it must have been made by the famous craftsmen of the four major porcelain kilns.
During the prosperous Xuan Dynasty, from the palace to the people, people valued literature and art, admired famous masters and their masterpieces, and studied music, chess, calligraphy and painting. There were also porcelain, embroidery, jade carvings, etc.
Especially those who have a family background in handicrafts are quite knowledgeable about them.
No one could answer the round-faced girl's question, so someone said, "Wait, I'll call someone who can recognize you."
As she spoke, she called out to a woman who was sitting under the tree. She was wearing a goose yellow short jacket and a dark green waist-length skirt. She was just over the age of 15.
"Ah Si, come and take a look at this."
Everyone looked at the woman who was called and saw that she had a graceful and neat figure, tall and beautiful, and was wearing a rich green dress, which was solemn and flamboyant.
Among a group of young girls who love bright and simple things, a vague glance is the most striking touch.
When she heard someone calling her, she raised her eyebrows and looked back, revealing an extremely beautiful face.
The tall nose bridge has a cold turn like the top of a snow-capped mountain.
Her skin is radiant and smooth, her eyebrows and eyes are bright, and her eyelids are lifted and lowered, making people dare not look directly at her.
The girl called Ah Si was cold and arrogant when she was not smiling, but when she smiled, she looked bright and generous.
Despite his young age, he has an extraordinary bearing.
"Let me see."
She uttered three words lightly, her voice clear and her attitude decisive. She walked to the low table with ease and grace, with eyes gathered from all directions.
She became the center of attention among the crowd of noble ladies and palace maids. She walked neither fast nor slow, did not lift her skirt, and did not move her limbs. Her character alone was very impressive.
Some people who didn't know her were curious and asked people around them.
"Whose family is this woman from?"
Someone who knew her answered, "Jiang Si, the daughter of Jiang Suian, the Minister of Works."
But a fourth-rank official.
A hint of contempt flashed across the eyes of the person who asked the question.
"No wonder I don't know him."
The children of wealthy families who grew up in Beijing often met each other at various banquets and parties. Even if they did not know many of them, they would find some familiar faces.
The person who asked the question saw that Jiang Si had a pretty face but looked unfamiliar, so he thought she was not from the capital, but the daughter of a prince or governor.
The girl who was asking the question was the imperial concubine's niece. Because her aunt was favored, she often attended banquets hosted by the royal family, where the daughters of minor officials were rarely seen. Because she saw Jiang Si as a woman of extraordinary bearing and could not be raised by a small family, she had a preconceived notion.
In fact, Jiang Si's family background was not high but not low either. Several elders in her family served as officials. Although they could not be considered a family of nobles, they could be considered to be of noble family for generations.
But compared with these girls who came from royal families, noble families, and high-ranking officials and nobles, she was immediately outshined.
The woman who asked the question raised her chin.
Even if I can't compare with her in appearance and temperament, it's satisfying to be superior in status.
Jiang Si didn't know this.
She stood in front of the low table, looking at the square vase with flowers and trees in it again and again. After thinking for a while, she slowly told the story.
"The gaps between the bamboo joints and the varying shades of glaze color from front to back suggest a similar brushstroke pattern to that of Wang Wanzhi, a Ru kiln artist. My grandmother had a set of teacups made by him, and the bamboo depicted on them was painted in the same way."
After hearing this, everyone nodded and believed what she said.
It is not difficult for people to appreciate calligraphy and painting. Paintings can be evaluated from many aspects such as composition, brushstrokes, content, ink application, etc.
However, there is not so much to rely on when appreciating porcelain. One can only rely on a lot of experience and meticulous observation.
The person who called Jiang Si over knew that her grandmother and uncle both liked to collect porcelain.
The Jiang family collected various styles of porcelain from the four major kilns. Jiang Si had been influenced by her elders since she was a child, so she thought that Jiang Si might be able to see some connections.
Look, it was recognized.
The round-faced girl praised: "Sister A'si is very experienced and has a good eye."
A disapproving voice came.
"I don't think so. The chrysanthemums on this side are full and plump like hydrangeas, but I remember Wang Wanzhi only painting skinny chrysanthemums shaped like dragon claws and as thin as crochet needles. I've never seen a chrysanthemum like this before. But I can't remember clearly. I'll ask Brother Yun Shuo to ask."
Jiang Si was familiar with the woman who was speaking. She was the second daughter of the Wenshou Marquis's mansion, and her name was Liu Weining.
She is related to the "Brother Yun Shuo" she mentioned, and the two are cousins.
When Jiang Si heard her mention Brother Yun Shuo, her brows drooped slightly and her expression became imperceptibly cold.
Although Liu Weining had always been at odds with her and often competed with her on various things, Jiang Si just thought she was idle and scheming.
After all, she is just a little girl. She won't cause any trouble and is not annoying.
But Jiang Si really disliked the young man she was talking about.
Not long after, because Liu Weining had already invited people over, a group of young gentlemen with extraordinary appearance walked slowly from the edge of the pool.
The leader was Xie Yunshuo, the eldest grandson of General Xie Jun.
Although he was not yet twenty, he had already followed his father to the battlefield at the age of fourteen. He put on brocade clothes and entered the battlefield. He fought with the army, made military achievements, was promoted, and became a captain, leading a hundred soldiers to launch surprise attacks on foreign invaders.
After two battles in four years, he has now earned himself the rank of eighth-rank lieutenant and is nicknamed General Xie.
Among a group of his peers who were still playing with cats and dogs and studying poetry and books, he stood out at a young age because he had already achieved military merit and became an official.
Putting aside his background and rank, just looking at his eight-foot-tall stature and face as bright as a star, few could match him.
It is said that his grandmother had Xianbei ancestry, so he has deep brow bones and a sharp jawline, and his appearance is somewhat different from that of the Han people.
He has been practicing martial arts, riding and shooting since he was young. He is tall and straight, like a sharp sword. He is born to be a military general.
Seeing them approaching from afar, Jiang Si's smile unconsciously faded.
The reason is simple: she and this young General Xie have been at odds since childhood and have quite a deep connection.
When Jiang Si was three years old, the two of them were fighting over a wooden horse in the market. Because they both liked it, neither of them would give in.
Xie Yunshuo was pushed to the edge of the stone steps by her and injured his leg.
When Jiang Si was six years old, the two of them entered the Tanfu clan school together. When Jiang Si was reciting, she forgot for a moment, but after a short delay, she remembered and was about to continue reciting, but Xie Yunshuo spoke quickly and answered first.
The teacher praised her and scolded her, punishing her by making her copy a hundred-character essay twenty times. Jiang Si would never forget it.
When Jiang Si was nine years old, Xie Yunshuo and his cousin Jiang Zixi had a conflict over a fighting game on the court, and each of them insisted on his own opinion.
The judge happened to be Jiang Si's maternal uncle. He didn't see the situation and favored his cousin. He didn't recognize Xie Yunshuo's ball, causing Xie Yunshuo to lose.
As a result, an irreconcilable grudge was formed between the two, and the rift between them became deeper and deeper.
Maybe your fate is incompatible and there are conflicts everywhere. Although nothing big happens, there are constant small things.
It doesn't hurt, but it's hard to get rid of.
I didn't expect that Liu Weining would call him over today to appreciate porcelain.
How could he, a mere warrior, understand these things?
When old enemies meet, they are extremely jealous of each other.
When Xie Yunshuo saw Jiang Si, he didn't smile at all.
He has been a favored child since childhood, talented in both literature and martial arts, and always ranks first in everything. However, the few times he has failed are all related to the woman in front of him who is as beautiful as a peacock.
Not to mention her ignorant past as a child, her cousin Jiang Zixi played basketball without a horse, stepped on the line when the ball hit the ball, and broke the rules everywhere.
But no one saw it, and it wasn't a serious foul, which made Xie Yunshuo feel very upset and unable to let it go.
Later, when playing polo with Jiang Zixi, he rarely got the upper hand. It seemed that those with the surname Jiang were born to restrain his nemesis.
No matter where they met Jiang Si, nothing good happened.
The two gradually grew tired of each other.
Xie Yunshuo came after hearing that Liu Weining asked someone to ask him to identify a square porcelain piece.
Because his second brother, who was born to the same mother, loved these very much, he followed him to see a lot of porcelain from the four famous kilns and also knew a little about them.
Xie Er didn't come today, but it's still okay to ask him.
After looking at the square porcelain, he slowly evaluated it.
"The petals of this 'Ten-foot Curtain' are as fine as hair, evenly proportioned, and a true example of meticulous brushwork. It must have been created by Lin Chengzhang of the Ding kiln."
He didn't know what had happened before, and after he said this, everyone present whispered to each other.
Everyone's gaze kept switching between Jiang Si and him, and the situation was delicate.
Xie Yunshuo had a bad feeling. Judging from his experience of fighting and clashing with Jiang Si for various reasons over the past decade, it was surprising that he was confronted with her again just over the appraisal of a piece of porcelain.
But this time Xie Yunshuo had no hesitation in his heart, because he knew that he was right.
However, coincidentally, Jiang Si also thought so.
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