Linjiang Academy, Lotus Garden.
Dong Shulan and a white-haired old man were playing chess by the lotus pond.
The old man, playing black, placed a piece on the chessboard and asked casually, "Has the matter of the Imperial Merchants been decided?"
Dong Shulan chuckled, "Grandpa Qin, if you don't help me, how do you know?"
"Hey, today, when playing chess, your moves were casual and brisk, yet very methodical. I guess you have nothing on your mind."
"Can you see that?"
"You can understand a person's character by watching his chess moves, and you can know a person by his handwriting. This is common sense, not some extraordinary skill."
Dong Shulan suddenly thought of the two words, felt that this statement was a bit biased, and shook her head.
Qin Lao smiled and said, "Why, you don't believe it?"
"Well, I went to the village a few days ago and met a man. You should have heard of his name. He is Fu Xiaoguan, the son of Fu Daguan of the Fu Mansion."
"Oh, that dandy. I heard that Senior Official Fu once begged me to teach his son. He offered me a monthly salary of... one thousand taels of silver. Haha, he was willing to pay me that. But by then, his son's bad reputation had spread throughout Linjiang, so of course I wouldn't go. Besides, since his son had provoked you before, he had someone bring me a painting by a former dynasty's calligrapher for me to appreciate."
Old Qin dropped another piece and said, "It's a genuine item. He wanted to give it to me, saying... He's a rough man who doesn't know how to appreciate it. It would be a waste to keep it at home. It really is a waste. Of course, I didn't want it... Did you have any conflicts with his son when you met him?"
Dong Shulan shook her head, recalling what she had seen that day at the West Mountain Courtyard. As she made her move, she asked, "Does everyone have some misunderstanding about him?"
"How is this possible? You saw it with your own eyes at Linjiang Tower."
"But..." Dong Shulan bit her lip. "When I saw him at the West Mountain Villa, it was like seeing a completely different person. His words and actions were completely different, but that look was always right. Besides... Grandpa Qin, wait a moment."
Dong Shulan stood up and ran into the small building, then walked out again with two pieces of paper in her hands.
Two pieces of paper were placed on the chess scale. "Grandpa Qin, according to rumors and my previous research, this person... has no literary talent. Just as you described him, he's a dandy, unlearned young man. But please take a look at these two poems."
Old Qin was slightly taken aback. He picked up the paper and began to read it, his brow furrowing as he looked up. "Did he write this?"
"Exactly. But the handwriting he wrote was really unreadable. I copied it down."
"The mountains and the singing brows are frowning, the waves are flowing like drunken eyes..."
“…Whose water tune is singing the first song? The sound flies around the green mountains and stays in the evening clouds.”
"Did he really write this?"
"I'm sure his maid said that on the night of the Dragon Boat Festival, he sat by the window, thinking carefully and counting his breaths, and the words came down on the paper."
"His maid also said that he hardly gave any thought to the second poem."
Old Qin frowned and picked up the second piece of paper.
"The moon in the south of the Yangtze River fills the western building on a clear night..."
"...Su'e must believe in the sorrow of separation. We share the same sorrow in heaven."
Dong Shulan rested his chin on his hands, thinking back to that day, and said, "This poem didn't have a title at the time, because the first line of his original poem was 'Jiangbei Moon', and according to the rhythm of this poem, it should be 'Looking at Jiangnan', so he later said to change it to 'Jiangnan Moon'."
Old Qin did not answer. There was silence. He read the two poems over and over again, then put them down.
"If this is really his doing... this kid has been hiding his incompetence!"
"Look here, all the tourists go up to the Thirteenth Tower, not envying the singing and dancing in Zhuxi or ancient Yangzhou. The Thirteenth Tower was a scenic spot near West Lake in the early years of the previous dynasty. It was destroyed in a fire, as recorded in the book 'Dreams of the Southern and Northern Dynasties'. Modern Hangzhou was part of the Yangzhou area back then. It was only at the beginning of the Yu Dynasty that Yangzhou and Hangzhou were separated. 'Dreams of the Southern and Northern Dynasties' is not a classic, so not many people have read it."
"Does 'Thirteenth Floor' mean thirteen floors?" Dong Shulan asked.
"No, the Thirteenth Floor refers to the thirteen buildings behind the Big Buddha Head Stone Mountain."
Dong Shulan's almond-shaped eyes widened, and her cheeks puffed up, "This guy... lied to me!"
Qin Lao laughed and said, "Why did he lie to you?"
"He said... I like thirteen... It's an imaginary number, you can also understand it as standing high and seeing far."
"Hahaha, this interpretation is quite unusual. This poem is written with exquisite technique, using empathy to describe the beauty of the lake and mountains while also conveying the joy of the feast. The second stanza uses the singing as the main theme, describing the tourists' enjoyment. Implicit in this scenery, they are intoxicated and unrestrained."
"Whose song is "Shui Tiao Ge Tou"? Look, using the tune name "Shui Tiao Ge Tou" in a poem is taboo, but it seems to be used here to evoke imagination. This is... something written by a great poet. Then look at the poems written by the talented scholars of Linjiang during the Dragon Boat Festival. Comparing the two, the difference is obvious."
After Mr. Qin's explanation, Dong Shulan had a better understanding of the word and felt that the person... was becoming increasingly unclear.
"Grandpa Qin, do you think anyone has had an epiphany?"
"There was indeed such a person, Yan Yunchuan, the renowned Prime Minister during the Taihe reign of the Yu Dynasty. He assisted the late emperor for twenty years and brought about the Taihe Era, a period of prosperity known in history. Born into a merchant family, Yan Yunchuan had little interest in learning and often lived in brothels. At the age of twenty-three, he suddenly became intelligent and secluded himself in his studies for three years. In the sixth year of the Taihe reign, he passed the imperial examination, and in the seventh, he became the top scholar. In the eighth year of the Taihe reign, he was appointed Magistrate of Lu County. The following year, he received an excellent evaluation from the Ministry of Personnel and was promoted to Governor of Luzhou Prefecture. Three years later, he entered the capital and served as Minister of the Secretariat. Three years later, he was appointed Prime Minister."
"Yan Yunchuan, a legendary figure. His son, Yan Beixi, assisted two generations of emperors and was appointed Prime Minister in the first year of the Xuanli reign at the age of sixty. And Yan Beixi's son, Yan Shidao, as you know, is now also the Privy Councilor. If nothing unexpected happens, he will also be appointed Prime Minister... Three Prime Ministers from one family, what an honor!"
The Yan family of Shangjing is now the most powerful family in the Yu Dynasty.
Elder Qin sighed for a moment, then suddenly asked, "I seem to have heard that Yan Xiwen, the youngest son of Yan Shidao, is extremely...admiring of you."
Dong Shulan blushed, "I asked someone to mention it to me...but I don't know anything about it yet."
"I've seen that kid before. He's quite good. He was the top scholar in the seventh year of the Xuanli reign. He's talented in writing and steady in his dealings. He's quite like his grandfather."
"But... it's boring," Dong Shulan muttered, and then said, "Then Grandpa Qin, do you think it's possible that this Fu Xiaoguan has finally come to his senses?"
"Just looking at these two poems, it's completely different from my previous impression. If I could concentrate on studying, I'm afraid I could also stand in the court."
Dong Shulan thought about the plans made by Fu Xiaoguan and his words about doubling the rice yield per mu. It seemed that he had never considered studying. She had to persuade him about this.
Even if a merchant family is as wealthy as a country, can it have the glory of the Yan family with three prime ministers?
After all, this world is still a world of scholars. As the saying goes, all things are inferior, and he should weigh the pros and cons and read.
"How about I ask him to come and see you, Grandpa Qin?"
"You wouldn't be... "
Dong Shulan was embarrassed, her face flushed. "No, it's not true. I just think that since he has talent, he should pursue academic studies. I would like to ask Grandpa Qin for some guidance."
"That's fine. I also want to meet the guy who wrote the opening of Whose Water Melody song."
…
While Dong Shulan and Old Qin were discussing Fu Xiaoguan, Fu Xiaoguan himself was doing something in Xifang that had nothing to do with studying.
"Boss Yu, I've seen all the items in your shop, but none of them suit my taste. What I want is this glass cup..."
As Fu Xiaoguan spoke, he squatted on the ground, picked up a small stone and started drawing.
"This small cup has a cup on top, a base, and a plate at the bottom—this is the shape of a red wine glass from my past life—the rim should be round, the body should be transparent, and it can only hold three grams of wine."
The pot-bellied Boss Yu squatted with some difficulty and said with a wry smile, "Master Fu, this thing... I'm afraid it can't be done."
"Think of more ways...you tell me the price, I want a lot."
“How much is a lot?”
"One thousand first."
Yu Zhongtan raised his head and stared at Fu Xiaoguan, "Really?"
"Of course, you can sign the contract first and pay the deposit later, but you can't mess around with the price because I want more later."
The two stood up, and Yu Zhongtan extended his hand to invite them in. "Come in for some tea. I'll ask the chef to see if there's any way to fix this."
"Let's have tea another day. You study first. I'll go to Yao Porcelain Shop across the street and come back later."
"Okay, I'll try to think of a solution."
Watching Fu Xiaoguan leave, Yu Zhongtan rubbed his hands. One thousand glass cups, this is a big order. If it can be done, the profit will definitely be huge, but... is the son of the Fu family reliable?
I saw him today and he's very efficient and doesn't look like he's joking. It's quite different from the rumors. Let's ignore that for now. We have to get this thing out. Anyway, we have a contract deposit. If I can't get the money, I can ask his father.
Fu Xiaoguan entered Yao Porcelain Shop, glanced at the goods in the shop, and said directly to the shopkeeper: "I am Fu Xiaoguan, looking for your boss, I have something to discuss with him."
Shopkeeper Li was stunned. He had heard of the name Fu Xiaoguan before. Could it be that he had some grudge against his boss?
"Mr. Fu, how about... you talk to me first?"
"You can't make the decision on this matter. I want 10,000 bottles. If you can make the decision, I can talk to you about it."
Shopkeeper Li opened his mouth, thinking he had misheard, "How many did you say?"
"At least ten thousand."
Shopkeeper Li turned and left, waving his hand, "Mr. Fu, I can't play a joke on you. Go find someone else."
"really?"
"certainly."
Fu Xiaoguan turned around and went out to the Jiangji Porcelain Shop next door.
"This big-bellied porcelain vase..." Fu Xiaoguan and Jiang's boss Jiang Shanglou squatted on the ground. "The arc of the belly must be smooth. Use red glaze and paint golden orchids on it. Stopper the bottle like this. Remember to make sure it is sealed well after plugging it. Leave words below and on the bottom of the bottle. Can you do it?"
Jiang Shanglou pondered for a while. "This artifact is indeed beautiful, but the difficulty... is that painting the golden orchid is a bit troublesome, and it requires secondary processing. Master Fu, do you really want tens of thousands of these things?"
"Of course, if you make a sample, we can sign a contract and pay a deposit. We can also ask for more and new equipment later. But you have to make this thing first before we can discuss the rest."
"Okay, I'll personally deliver the samples to your house tomorrow."
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