Chapter 134 A Painting Worth a Thousand Golds
After the Qionglin Banquet, the emperor recognized Su Fengzhang's painting skills and he became popular in the capital.
As the saying goes, "What goes around comes around." If the emperor likes a painting, the common people will naturally like it even more. Su Fengzhang still lives in the Scholars' Building, and there is an endless stream of people coming to him to ask for paintings.
Su Fengzhang always politely declined those who came to him to ask for paintings. After all, he had no intention of making a living by painting. Even if he did, he knew that things are valuable because they are rare. If he painted a painting for the emperor and then spread it all over the world, the emperor would probably not be very happy if he knew about it.
Fortunately, he had experienced this kind of thing once in Qingzhou, so even Su Arong could handle it easily. He was polite and did not offend anyone openly, but no one knew what happened in secret.
Officials should be more restrained. At least they have some dignity and will not persist in pursuing the painting of a new number one scholar.
But there were also some people who pursued him relentlessly, causing Su Fengzhang a headache.
Just like now, Su Arong came in with a helpless look on his face and reported: "Erlang, that Mr. Huang is here again."
Su Fengzhang was originally practicing calligraphy, and hearing this also gave him a headache. He looked up and said, "Then send him away."
Su Arong said helplessly: "I told him, but he didn't leave. He's waiting downstairs."
Su Fengzhang rubbed his brows. This was the Scholars' Building, and Mr. Huang was a regular. If he waited any longer, everyone in the building would probably know what he was doing there. "Alright, let him come up."
Soon, Su Arong came up with a man. This Mr. Huang was only in his early forties, with a chubby face and a very kind smile. However, Su Fengzhang did not have a very good impression of him, because when he saw him, he thought of Mr. Chen.
They both seem kind but are actually very smooth.
As soon as he saw him, Su Fengzhang said directly: "Mr. Huang, I have already said that I will not sell paintings, and I have no plans to sell paintings in the future. Mr. Huang's repeated visits to my house are really embarrassing for me."
Mr. Huang laughed awkwardly and immediately said, "Mr. Su, you misunderstood. I'm not here to ask for a painting this time."
Su Fengzhang raised his eyebrows slightly and asked curiously, "Then why did Mr. Huang come here?"
Mr. Huang pulled out a brocade bag from his bosom and said with a smile, "As the ancients said, rouge is given to beauties, and swords are given to heroes! I have always admired Mr. Su's talent. Even if I can't obtain a painting, I still admire him in my heart. This small gift is not enough to express my respect. I hope Mr. Su will accept it. This is also a token of my appreciation."
This statement puts his own status very low, which is what scholars like the most. This kind of courtesy is really hard to refuse.
Unfortunately, Su Fengzhang was not an ordinary person. He smiled and did not take the brocade bag. He just said, "I accept Mr. Huang's kindness, but please take the gift back."
Mr. Huang was also surprised when he saw this. He thought to himself that Su Fengzhang was really smart, but he smiled and said, "Mr. Su, why don't you open it and take a look? Maybe the gift I gave you is exactly what you want."
Su Fengzhang said, "A gentleman loves money but earns it in a proper way. Since I don't sell paintings, how can I accept Mr. Huang's generous gift?"
Mr. Huang smiled and said, "Why not? This gift is not a reward, but a greeting. If Mr. Su accepts it, we can get along as good friends. If Mr. Su is willing to give me a painting, I will be happy too. If he is not willing, I will not force him."
Without waiting for Su Fengzhang to speak, Mr. Huang opened the brocade bag directly, and found that what was placed inside was actually a house deed, a house deed in the capital, and the location was excellent. Although it was just a small house with one entrance, it would probably cost at least one thousand taels to get it.
Master Huang observed his expression and asked with a smile, "Master Su, why don't you take a look first to see if it suits you?"
Su Fengzhang suddenly laughed, reached out to take the house deed and the brocade bag, and a smug smile appeared on Mr. Huang's face.
Who knew that the next moment, Su Fengzhang reached out and folded the deed three times, stuffed it back into the brocade bag, and then put the bag back into Mr. Huang's hand: "It's not satisfactory."
Mr. Huang was shocked and shouted, "Mr. Su, what I just said was the truth. I have absolutely nothing to ask for."
Su Fengzhang smiled and nodded, "That's why I can't accept it. I understand the principle of not accepting rewards without merit. Please, Master Huang, take back this gift."
Mr. Huang finally stopped laughing. He was now certain that Su Fengzhang was not selling his paintings to increase their value, but because he really did not want to sell them.
It is not surprising that Mr. Huang made such a guess. After all, there are many scholars who have become famous for their calligraphy and paintings in recent years. Many of them said they would not sell at first, but in fact they were just trying to maintain their status and waiting for others to pay a large sum of money.
This kind of thing happened frequently. Mr. Huang was a shrewd person. Every time he was rejected at the beginning, he would always find the lifeline of those scholars after three or four times to achieve his goal. Who knew that this time, he would hit a wall with Su Fengzhang again and again.
Su Fengzhang's face was still full of smiles, but his eyes had turned cold. "Master Huang, my painting depends on my mood. If I'm not in a good mood, I can't paint. I don't want to ruin my reputation, so I have no intention of selling my paintings."
"Mr. Huang has been coming to my house so many times. I feel bad seeing this. It's really a waste of both of our time. I hope Mr. Huang won't come again in the future, otherwise I will feel guilty."
Mr. Huang's smile was a little stiff. He kept saying that he felt guilty, but his eyes were full of threats.
Only then did Mr. Huang realize that he was indeed a wealthy businessman in Beijing, but Su Fengzhang was also the new top scholar and a real official appointed by the court. He seemed polite, but if he did not give face, Mr. Huang would be helpless.
Finally, Su Fengzhang asked Su Arong to personally escort Mr. Huang to the door, and politely said, "If one day Su becomes destitute and has to make a living by selling paintings, then I will ask Mr. Huang to take care of me."
Leaving the Scholars' Building, Master Huang couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, cursing inwardly, "Is Su Fengzhang really going to sell his paintings only when he's down and out?"
Under the pressure of Su Fengzhang's aura just now, he didn't dare to say a word. Now he couldn't help but complain: "He's just a newly crowned champion. Who knows how many newly crowned champions there are in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and in the end, they all disappeared without a trace."
Having said that, even if this newly crowned number one scholar did not do well and was only a minor official throughout his life, he was not someone that a businessman like him could offend. Mr. Huang sighed and completely gave up the idea of asking for the painting.
But deep down he was unwilling to do so. When Mr. Huang got drunk, he complained to his relatives and friends about his experience of asking for a painting. Although he didn't get the painting, the reputation of Su Fengzhang's paintings being worth a fortune and hard to come by spread.
Originally, Su Fengzhang had become famous after the Qionglin Banquet. Now that the story of his painting being worth a thousand gold coins had spread, his reputation became even more mysterious, attracting more and more attention from interested people.
Among them, the Xu family is one of them. Before and after the Qionglin Banquet, the Fourth Prince blatantly spoke for Su Fengzhang. Even though Su Fengzhang himself was not close to the Xu family, outsiders had actually classified him as a member of the Xu family.
This is actually not surprising. Su Fengzhang himself is from Qingzhou. Everyone knows that Concubine Xu's ancestral home is in Qingzhou, and the Xu family's base is in Qingzhou. People born in Qingzhou have always been partial to the Xu family.
Moreover, Su Fengzhang has a good relationship with Xu Zifeng, and now the Fourth Prince favors him. In this case, unless Su Fengzhang himself jumps out and draws a clear line with the Fourth Prince, they are inseparable.
It was naturally impossible for Su Fengzhang to jump to the opposite side of the Fourth Prince for no reason, and he was pushed into this situation out of necessity.
But as the maternal family of the Fourth Prince, the head of the Xu family actually understood very well that this time's new number one scholar was not very close to them, or was deliberately keeping a distance from them.
For this reason, Xu Siyuan, the Minister of Revenue, specially called his grandson to him and asked with a frown, "What exactly is Su Fengzhang thinking?"
Xu Zifeng groaned in his heart. He also participated in this palace examination, but who knew that his ranking was not good and he almost fell into the position of a fellow Jinshi. Originally, he was a member of the Xu family, and the emperor should have taken more care of him, but during the palace examination, the emperor seemed to have completely forgotten about this nephew of Concubine Xu and did not pay any attention to him.
Because of this, there are now quite a few rumors secretly saying that Concubine Xu has fallen out of favor and that Concubine Yu is the most favored in the palace now. It is not known whether this is true or not, but it is true that the emperor has become increasingly indifferent to Concubine Xu in recent years.
The Fourth Prince has become increasingly anxious and restless today, and I'm afraid this matter has something to do with it.
As the maternal family of the Fourth Prince, the Xu family naturally had to share his worries. Unfortunately, although they had recruited talented people over the years, few of them could really make a name for themselves. The literary world of the court was still controlled by Grand Tutor Zhang and others.
It is precisely because of this that the Xu family is paying more and more attention to the new top scorer in the T subject.
Xu Zifeng hesitated for a moment before answering, "Grandfather, I don't know Su Fengzhang very well either. He has a better relationship with Meng Ting, and he is usually a very gentle person."
"Gentle?" Minister Xu sneered and asked, "If someone had a gentle temper, he wouldn't have written 'Song of the Year Flower,' nor would he have repeatedly won first place in literary competitions. And he certainly wouldn't have chosen to offend others rather than sell his paintings."
Xu Zifeng frowned and said, "Indeed, he took the initiative to compete with He Jun in archery on the boat that time, and his prowess was also on full display at that time."
"It's just that, when I'm with him, I just feel comfortable everywhere. He has a very good temper, is caring and considerate. I've never seen him get angry or get angry."
Minister Xu raised his eyebrows and suddenly said, "The fact that you can say this proves that this person is not simple."
Xu Zifeng looked up inexplicably, and Minister Xu said, "Su Fengzhang doesn't give you face, but instead asks you to remember his kindness. Isn't that enough? If he wasn't so scheming, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to do this."
Xu Zifeng frowned slightly and couldn't help but defend himself: "He is a warm-hearted person, not someone who is scheming."
Minister Xu sighed inwardly and didn't pursue the topic any further. He simply said, "Since Su Fengzhang is unwilling to get close to our Xu family, we can't just give him help for nothing. Once he's suffered enough in the Hanlin Academy, he'll understand the pros and cons."
"Meng Ting... might be someone who can be supported." Minister Xu said this hesitantly. Meng Ting was also a man of great talent, but Minister Xu had talked with him several times and always felt that he was too flamboyant and his style of doing things was not to his liking.
If Su Fengzhang was willing to follow the Xu family, he would be the best candidate. Unfortunately...
Minister Xu had to settle for the second best and turn his attention to Meng Ting, who was also born in Qingzhou, had a good reputation for talent, and was of the same origin and lineage as their Xu family, and was even related by marriage.
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The author has something to say: Pre-collection:
Copy 1:
When An Yirui first met Shaohui, she thought this little wolfdog had a pretty bad temper.
So she pinched the little wolfdog's ears and said, "I'll protect him!"
Shao Hui was furious: "Take your stinky hands away!"
Copy 2:
On the first day after bringing Shaohui home, An Yirui set some rules: "No smoking or drinking at home, no throwing clothes around, and clean the bathroom immediately after using it..."
Shaohui raised his hand: "I have a question?"
An Yirui: "Speak!"
Shaohui: "Then can I hug you?"
Copy 3:
Shaohui's daily proposal: "Sister, let's get married!"
An Yirui's daily rejection: "Either get out or shut up!"
Shaohui: "Sister, you are irresponsible!"
An Yirui: "I'll just scum you, stop pushing me!"
An Yirui: a graduate of a prestigious university, a well-known lawyer, an independent woman, a single woman who values both beauty and wisdom, a bohemian who loves freedom all her life
Shaohui: His mother died young, his father was in jail, he dropped out of high school, he's a bar singer, he has nothing but good looks, he looks like a jerk, a badass, and a bit of a jerk, but he really wants to get married.
Remark:
This article is sweet
Romance - Domineering Female CEO and Little Milk Dog/Little Wolf Dog Come, Sister Loves You
Click on the author's column on your mobile phone, enter + come, sister loves you + click to collect, sister loves you too
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