Chapter 626 Bronze Scroll, Guo'er pronounces "Zhao" [5k views, please vote!]
"An article that records a place full of peach blossoms...an article?"
"Later it was said that this scroll was left by Tao Gong."
"Isn't that the 'Peach Blossom Spring' story? It's also a scroll."
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then began to consider:
"【Humble Scholar】The swordsman Tao Yuanming resigned from his official post and went into seclusion in the countryside. Before he left, he not only left behind the sword manual 'Returning Home', but also the name 'Humble Scholar,' which was contained in the form of a scroll titled 'Peach Blossom Spring.'"
"The scroll-shaped [Humble Scholar] was always held by the imperial family of the Southern Dynasty Liu, and it assisted the Northern Expeditionary Army during the Yuanjia Northern Expedition. There is a detail here: according to Miaosi, who witnessed it, the sword aura of the [Humble Scholar] was like a long rainbow of sky blue..."
"Yuanjia's Northern Expedition failed, and the scroll-shaped [Humble Scholar] seems to have fallen into the hands of the Northern Wei cavalry. It was driven back to the north and most likely presented to Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei. What happened to it after that is unknown."
"According to the historical records found by the little princess, Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei seems to have taken no major actions afterward, at least not actions involving impoverished scholars... The most famous event was that Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, with the advice of a scholar from the Cui family of Qinghe, launched a massive campaign to abolish Buddhism and destroy temples within the Northern Wei territory, leaving only 320 Buddhist temples in the entire Northern Dynasty for a short period of time..."
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head, his thoughts shifting:
"And the current Yuan family of Jingzhao is the former Tuoba clan of the Northern Wei Dynasty... The original copy of 'The Peach Blossom Spring' still exists and has been collected by the Yuan family of Jingzhao to this day."
"Now it's been taken directly by that spendthrift Yuan Huaimin and is in my hands..."
Ouyang Rong's face showed no joy, but rather a solemn expression.
Is this authentic copy of "The Peach Blossom Spring" the scroll that originally fell into the hands of Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty? Or is it a forgery made by later generations and not an authentic work by Tao Yuanming at all?
"After all, it seems now that the original copy of Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring' should be the scroll that contained the poor scholar."
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, then shook his head.
"But there are still two doubts."
"First, this 'Peach Blossom Spring' has already been handled by too many people. Is there any chance I could pick up a missing piece?"
"For example, Rongzhen and Deputy Supervisor Song had already reviewed it, so why didn't they notice? Could it be that the real one had already been switched by them?"
"The second point of suspicion is that Rongzhen and I suspected that there was something fishy about this original copy of 'Peach Blossom Spring' because Li Zhengyan, Wei Shaoqi and his group had asked Yuan Huaimin for the original text of 'Peach Blossom Spring' before they raised the flag to rebel."
"Now that we know that the [Humble Scholar] may be in the form of a scroll and has fallen into the hands of the former Northern Wei royal family, looking back, they must have known this all along, which is why they approached Yuan Huaimin so early on."
"Wait a minute, something's not right. They asked Yuan Huaimin for the original text of 'The Peach Blossom Spring,' not this authentic scroll. Why is that? Is the information wrong, or did they already know that this authentic scroll wasn't genuine?"
As Ouyang Rong murmured to himself, he carefully examined the silk scroll in his hand, occasionally tapping the scroll's shaft with his fingernail to test the material's hardness.
However, no matter how he tested it, the silk scroll gave him the feeling of being an ordinary object, far less certain than when he violently tested the luminous pearl in the Pure Land Palace.
Is this all the indestructible Dingjian [Hanshi] is?
Just as Ouyang Rong was considering whether to roast it over a fire, and incidentally test the strength of his great friendship with Brother Huaimin.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly stood up.
"By the way, I remember Yuan Huaimin mentioned that when Li Zhengyan and others came to him, they showed him a picture of Peach Blossom Spring. Was this picture also on a scroll?"
Ouyang Rong put down the silk scroll, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the study, his face filled with suspicion.
Is there any connection between the "Peach Blossom Spring Picture" and the "Peach Blossom Spring Record"?
"But Miao Si clearly mentioned that the 'poor scholar' she saw in the Southern Song army during the Yuanjia Northern Expedition was a scroll containing an article about a place full of peach blossoms. Since it was an article, it should be a 'Peach Blossom Spring' story. It was clear that it was not a 'Peach Blossom Spring Map'."
"Moreover, Yuan Huaimin also said that the Peach Blossom Spring painting in Li Zhengyan's possession was painted by a Taoist priest surnamed Wu whom he knew, and it is clearly a contemporary work by a contemporary person..."
"If this is not the original copy of 'The Peach Blossom Spring,' then where did the poor scholar go?"
Ouyang Rong stopped in front of the desk, his gaze slowly moving down to the old silk book covered with the seals of many famous figures from ancient times.
His thoughts were temporarily stuck in a dead end.
"Could it be that the 'Humble Scholar' can be transformed in countless ways?"
"Could it be that Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty obtained the scroll-shaped 'Humble Scholar' and then recast it, so that this original copy of 'Peach Blossom Spring' is no longer the original?"
"But I've never heard of any [Calligraphy Sword] being able to be reforged."
According to Miao Si, the original form of the [Han Shi] was a standard sword shape, the only characteristic of which was that it had no hilt.
"However, when Tao Yuanming handed it over to the Liu Song imperial family of the Southern Dynasties before he went into seclusion, it was in the form of a scroll with 'The Peach Blossom Spring' written on it..."
"What exactly happened that caused this change?"
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
After a moment, his gaze slowly fell on the wardrobe in the inner room, and his expression showed a slight hesitation.
Should we call out to Miaosi and let it see this scroll of "The Peach Blossom Spring"?
"After receiving the pastries during the day, the little guy knew nothing about them. I don't know if he was pretending to be stupid or if he was hiding something."
He shook his head and temporarily put away the silk scroll containing the story of "The Peach Blossom Spring" on the table.
This time, however, it was placed in the Mo family sword box, along with the [Craftsmanship] and the luminous pearl.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the night sky, then turned and went back to his bedroom.
Early the next morning.
Under the supervision of his aunt Zhen Shuyuan, Ouyang Rong reluctantly finished a large bowl of nourishing chicken soup, put on his official robes, and quickly went out.
At the back door, Ali was feeding Dongmei hay, and Ouyang Rong nimbly boarded the carriage.
"Let's go, first to Chengtian Temple."
"Master, why so early today? The fodder..."
"It's alright, Yuan Huaimin has some hay, we'll go over there and have him feed it later."
"Yes, young master."
The carriage set off and sped towards Chengtian Temple in Xingzifang.
But as soon as they drove out of the alley, they were blocked by a palanquin with purple curtains.
Ouyang Rong frowned and lifted the carriage curtain.
He saw a chubby-faced maidservant step down from the purple-draped carriage and wave vigorously in his direction.
"Wait for me where you are."
"Yes, young master."
Ouyang Rong entered the purple-curtained carriage and sat cross-legged opposite the young woman in plum blossom makeup, who was bowing her head to pour tea and whose face was veiled by purple gauze.
"Your Highness, what urgent matter brings you here?" His expression remained calm.
Li Guo'er did not answer, but looked around as if to observe the confidentiality of the conversation.
Ouyang Rong also looked around, but what he was worried about was clearly avoiding suspicion, as it was a man and a woman alone in the car.
His tone was somewhat urging: "What's the matter? Why didn't you say so yesterday afternoon in the library? Why did you come all this way so early in the morning..."
Li Guo'er interrupted:
"Is that scroll, suspected to belong to a poor scholar, which was confiscated by the Northern Wei royal family, the original copy of 'The Peach Blossom Spring' that you showed me last time? Hmm, did you obtain it from Yuan Huaimin, the Prefect of this Prefecture?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent, glancing at Li Guo'er a few more times. The latter continued in a low voice:
"It also seems to be a silk scroll. Could it be the same one? Coincidentally, Yuan Huaimin is also a descendant of the Northern Wei Tuoba royal family, so it's very likely that it is..."
Ouyang Rong sat upright:
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. I will verify it when I get back."
Li Guo'er paused, her clear eyes falling on Ouyang Rong's face as if she were taking him in for a second.
Upon noticing his calm demeanor, Li Guo'er nodded slightly, lowered her eyes, and began to pour tea with elegance.
"Okay, that's good enough that you know this much." She said indifferently.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the streets outside the carriage, which were gradually becoming bustling with activity in the morning, and asked again:
"Does Your Highness have anything else to attend to? Surely you didn't come all this way just to remind me?"
"Who came here specifically for this?"
Li Guo'er's pretty face tightened, and she said in a cold tone:
"I was just about to go shopping here, and I had a poetry gathering at Xunyang Tower this morning... I remembered this on the way and just happened to come by. You don't think..."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand to interrupt, seemingly in a hurry:
“That’s not what I meant, Your Highness. I misunderstood. I meant that if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now. I also have some things to do this morning.”
"Oh, I am one too."
Li Guo'er responded faintly, but did not leave immediately. Suddenly, she spoke:
"Tao Yuanming is the legendary swordsman of the 'Humble Scholars,' so the things he left behind must be extraordinary. Is the 'Returning Home' poem that you gave me as a birthday gift also like that? Could it be... a sword manual?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent, neither confirming nor denying:
"Whether it is true or not, Your Highness must not spread this... Is there anything else?"
"Don't worry, this princess's mouth is tighter than yours."
Li Guo'er snorted coldly, stared at his expression for a while, and continued to pour tea, but did not pour any for Ouyang Rong.
She said calmly, "It's alright, but don't come here every day in the future to send me these mediocre doggerel poems. It's better not to send them at all."
"Thinking about it carefully, Ouyang Lianghan, you were quite thoughtful. Some of the gifts you gave me back then... excluding that hairpin, both the original manuscript of 'Returning Home' and the later 'Peach Blossom Spring' were extremely valuable. I misunderstood you before, thinking you were more biased towards my brother's side, as if you had some prejudice against me..."
As Ouyang Rong listened, his expression grew slightly strange.
What I really want to say is that when he gave those things, he had no idea they would be so important, otherwise he wouldn't have given them at all.
For example, the luminous pearl that's currently causing him to hesitate...
Li Guo'er suddenly spoke, interrupting Ouyang Rong's reverie.
“Ouyang Lianghan, actually, you once gave this princess something back in Longcheng, or rather, not something, but a word, which now seems quite important…”
"What word?" Ouyang Rong asked subconsciously.
Li Guo'er turned her gaze away, her small face beneath the purple veil showing a somewhat listless expression as she waved her hand:
"It's obvious you're not interested in this. I'm not going to talk anymore, you can leave now. This princess is also very busy, many people are waiting. I'm leaving."
The little princess with the plum blossom makeup spoke incoherently, leaving Ouyang Rong completely bewildered. However, he was in a hurry and did not linger, so he quickly got out of the car and left.
Li Guo'er watched the handsome young man's tall, slender figure walk away, and pursed her pink lips.
This guy really does seem nonchalant.
Anyway, his attitude towards her brother and towards her were completely different.
Li Guo'er was used to it, and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "But the things that are given to me are all things that this princess really likes..."
She paused here, then silently took out a piece of slightly yellowed Xuan paper from her bosom.
Li Guo'er opened the Xuan paper that had been preserved at the Su residence in Longcheng County. There was a character for "ink" on it, which was Ouyang Rong's handwriting.
"The sun and moon shine brightly in the sky, that's the character '曌', what a beautiful character... '曌'... was also the one you gave me that day. Speaking of which, isn't it also very important..."
"Miss, Miss."
As Li Guo'er lowered her eyes in thought, a chubby-faced maid's voice called from outside the carriage:
"Young Master Ouyang is gone. Where are we going now? I'm so sleepy. Didn't you say yesterday that there was nothing to do today?"
Li Guo'er quickly gathered up the Xuan paper and stuffed it into her bosom.
"Go back to the manor and catch up on your sleep," she said irritably.
"Yay!"
Caishou was overjoyed.
...
"Brother Lianghan, I must give you a stern reprimand."
"What are you criticizing?"
"Dongmei is getting so thin from being with you! You really don't know how to cherish her, oh dear."
"turn down."
"?"
In the courtyard of Yuan Huaimin at Chengtian Temple.
Ouyang Rong stood with his arms crossed, watching Yuan Huaimin energetically feed Dongmei hay.
When Ouyang Rong brought Ali, Yuan Huaimin and Li Yu had just woken up and were squatting in front of the steps washing themselves with willow branches.
Right now, Li Yu and Ali went to Zaozhaiyuan to get their meals, leaving the two of them to feed the horses in the courtyard.
"I have a question for you." Ouyang Rong crossed his arms and leaned against the stone table.
"Lianghan, you're too kind."
"It's still about Li Zhengyan, Huaimin. When they found you in Jiangzhou, did they show you a painting called 'Peach Blossom Spring'?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Are you sure this Peach Blossom Spring painting was painted by that Taoist priest surnamed Wu you know?"
"Of course, I would recognize Mr. Wu's paintings even if they were reduced to ashes."
Ouyang Rong chuckled and asked:
"How do you know him?"
"Back then, Mr. Wu was copying Buddhist paintings in an old temple in Chang'an. I once fell asleep in the temple drunk. When I woke up in the morning, I happened to bump into him. We had a pleasant conversation. At that time, I could tell that his painting skills were superb and I admired him. Mr. Wu then invited me to eat spicy soup. We got to know each other and became both teacher and friend. I learned to paint from him."
"Mr. Wu seems to be very interested in the Buddhist painting techniques of the Northern and Southern Dynasties left in the Buddhist temples in Chang'an and Luoyang. He likes to copy them and can concentrate on them. He is truly a master. No wonder he was later invited to the palace."
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked, "Is the original manuscript of 'The Peach Blossom Spring' in your family preserved to this day without any alterations? I mean, was the silk scroll of the original manuscript never disassembled or repaired along the way?"
"Hmm..." Yuan Huaimin, who was squatting down to feed the hay, was about to nod when he stopped.
"Not exactly," he said, turning around.
"What's the meaning?"
“Once, I invited Mr. Wu to my home to admire his family treasures. He especially loved the two bronze shafts of this authentic scroll. Since it wasn’t the original manuscript or silk book, I gave it to him as a gift because I saw how much he liked it.”
"Bronze axle?"
"That's right. The two scrolls of the original scroll at home were made of bronze. Hmm, they've been sitting for a long time and have developed a bluish-green patina. I've wanted to replace them for a while now. They're also heavy to carry, so I thought I'd give them away. Now that I've replaced them with new ones, this is what Lianghan is seeing now. Isn't it much more pleasing to the eye?"
Ouyang Rong took a deep breath.
"I see, I understand now."
Yuan Huaimin turned around curiously: "Brother Lianghan, what do you understand?"
"It's nothing." He waved his hand, walked over and sat down, resting his chin on his hands, his eyes flickering as he looked at the ground in front of him.
"The reason I'm certain that the 'Peach Blossom Spring' painting was painted by Mr. Wu is because I saw that the scroll rods of the 'Peach Blossom Spring' they brought were two bronze scroll rods... It seems that Mr. Wu really liked this painting."
Ouyang Rong turned his head, glanced at Yuan Huaimin who looked pleased, and nodded noncommittally.
Sure enough, the original copy of "The Peach Blossom Spring" was not preserved intact. It had been acquired by someone with ulterior motives, who even removed the strange bronze axle.
Wait a minute, the patina on the bronze shaft is bluish-green, while the [Han Shi] sword aura is bluish-green... Is there any connection between the two?
Could it be that the material of the [Humble Scholar] is bronze?
Are the two shafts another form of the "Humble Scholar"?
Various uncertainties flashed through his mind, and Ouyang Rong rubbed his face.
At this moment, Yuan Huaimin turned around, his expression somewhat strange:
"That's strange, why are you all asking the same question?"
"Who else has asked?" Ouyang Rong immediately snapped out of his daze.
“Ms. Rong also asked about it,” Yuan Huaimin said, scratching his head.
Ouyang Rong's expression changed slightly.
After a while, Yuan Huaimin asked somewhat guiltily:
"Um, why isn't Lianghan saying anything? Did I say something wrong?"
"fine."
Ouyang Rong, who was bowing his head slightly, waved his hand.
After a moment, he raised his head again and asked seriously:
"So when she asked you that question, you answered exactly the same way?"
"Of course, I can't let the Lady Historian think I'm dishonest and suspect me of colluding with rebels. I have to prove my innocence."
After saying this, Yuan Huaimin sighed, lamenting how difficult it was to be an official.
Ouyang Rong asked softly, "What was Lady Rong's reaction after hearing that?"
Why is Lianghan asking this?
Yuan Huaimin glanced at Ouyang Rong's calm face with a strange look, then shook his head and answered:
"There was no reaction. The Lady Historian was a woman of few words, and she never showed her emotions. I kept my head down and didn't dare to look at her. But she didn't say anything for a while. When I looked up, she was gone..."
"knew."
Ouyang Rong squinted.
At this moment, Li Yu and Ali returned with breakfast porridge.
Ouyang Rong and Yuan Huaimin dusted off their hands, went to the well, drew a bucket of water, and washed themselves.
The group ate breakfast together...
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