Dong Shulan had already informed Yu Wenjun that Fu Xiaoguan was coming to the capital, but the end of the year was approaching and the royal family had many affairs to attend to. Today was the day they had to pay a visit to the Empress Dowager, so this matter was of course extremely important. Naturally, Concubine Shang did not allow Yu Wenjun to come out so early.
Yu Wenjun is probably done with her work now, but she said she had something urgent... What else could it be?
The two did not stay in Tingmei for long. Fu Xiaoguan just exchanged a few words with Dong Xiude, but Dong Xiude was talking about Liu Yaner of Hongxiuzhao.
His beaming look made Dong Shulan want to kick him twice.
"Okay, okay, after we finish our work in a few days, let's go to Hongxiuzhao and listen to Liu Yaner sing "Wang Ningmei"."
The two took a carriage back to the Fu Mansion. Yu Wenjun was standing alone in Taoran Pavilion, wearing a red dress and a sable cape, looking at the snow rolling and unrolling on the frozen Xuanwu Lake.
Fu Xiaoguan and the other man walked over. Yu Wenjun turned around and smiled, but Fu Xiaoguan saw a hint of sadness in that smile.
The three of them sat down, Chunxiu took another pot of charcoal fire and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
"Didn't they say your father and your mothers would be here?"
"You won't believe me, but my father was incredibly powerful. Three months after we got married, all five of my wives were pregnant. They couldn't stand the bumpy ride, so we had no choice but to stay in Linjiang."
The two girls blushed immediately, but what they were thinking in their hearts was... that.
With two stunning beauties, one in red and one in white, sitting beside him, Fu Xiaoguan had a strong urge. He wanted to hug the two women in his arms, but he strongly suppressed the idea. After all, there was still a long way to go.
"That's right..." Yu Wenjun suppressed his inner impulse and turned serious. "Just two days ago, the Wu Dynasty's envoy to the capital brought a document stating that the Wu Dynasty will hold a literary gathering at Hanling Temple during the Cold Food Festival next year, inviting talented scholars from all countries to participate. Firstly, it's to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Emperor Wen's accession to the throne. Secondly, it coincides with the Empress Dowager Wu's sixtieth birthday. Thirdly... the Wu Dynasty's literary spirit is gradually rising, but it lags behind that of the Yu Dynasty. Emperor Wen hopes to use this literary gathering to spur the Wu Dynasty's scholars. Our Yu Dynasty has one hundred places, Fan State has thirty, Yi State has only twenty, and Huang State has only ten."
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiaoguan asked, "This has nothing to do with me. Can't we just ask Master Shangguan Wenxiu to send a hundred students?"
Dong Shulan rolled her eyes at Fu Xiaoguan. This guy was sometimes very smart, and sometimes he was like an idiot. She couldn't even understand what he was saying!
Sure enough, Yu Wenjun looked up at Fu Xiaoguan and said, "The strange thing is that you are the only one named in this document!"
Fu Xiaoguan opened his mouth in surprise, "Does this mean I have to go?"
"This is a matter of friendship between our two countries. Since Emperor Wen has mentioned you, Father will certainly let you go. This is a time to promote the reputation of our Yu Dynasty. In fact, even if Emperor Wen hadn't mentioned you, I believe Father would still have sent you. After all, you are now the most famous talent in the Yu Dynasty."
As he said this, Yu Wenjun stared at Fu Xiaoguan with resentment. Fu Xiaoguan also looked innocent at this moment.
These women are strange creatures. If you are unknown, they will not look down on you, but if you are too famous, they will be very worried.
Why did this document specifically mention Fu Xiaoguan's name? This matter has troubled Yu Wenyun for a long time. He asked his mother about it today, and his mother just smiled.
"My mother asked me to invite you and Shulan to Dieyi Palace for a simple meal tonight."
Fu Xiaoguan didn't know what was going on here. He had to go to Concubine Shang's invitation, but he really had no interest in the Wuchao Literary Meeting.
The Cold Food Festival is a day or two before Qingming Festival. He has many things to do in the capital, and Xishan also needs him to communicate through letters. If he goes to Wu Dynasty, it will be delayed for at least two or three months. The key is that this mess has no benefits. In other words, even if the literary meeting wins, at most His Majesty will promote him from the fifth rank of Chao San Da Fu.
Well, that seems to be a benefit.
This incident disrupted Fu Xiaoguan's original plan, so he had no choice but to change it.
Dong Shulan didn't know much about the Wu Dynasty. He only knew that there was a very famous scholar named Wen Xingzhou in the Wu Dynasty - Wenyuan is like the sea, and he is sailing on a small boat. It is difficult to reach the other side, so he just takes a look at the scenery!
This man had been to Jinling and had lectured at the Jixia Academy for over a month. He was truly a learned man, and even Lord Shangguan Wenxiu admired him greatly.
Since it is a Wuchao literary gathering, I think Mr. Wen will definitely participate. It is even very likely that he will set the topic or be the final judge.
Dong Shulan thought again, Fu Xiaoguan's poems and essays are also top-notch in the world. Even Wen Xingzhou can hardly find any faults in Fu Xiaoguan's poems and essays. So it is not a big deal for Fu Xiaoguan to become famous in Wu Dynasty.
After lunch, the three of them chatted about family matters. Fu Xiaoguan handed the soaps and perfumes he brought to Dong Shulan. There were not many perfumes, but there were several large boxes of soaps.
"This thing is for bathing. I've made two scents for now. Take a look."
Dong Shulan and Yu Wenjun took the soap, opened the wrapping paper and felt it carefully. The first thing they noticed was the fragrance. The one in Dong Shulan's hand smelled of jasmine, while the one in Yu Wenjun's hand smelled of osmanthus. Both were much lighter than the scent of perfume and felt extremely smooth. It was very cold at the moment.
"I don't know what you usually use for bathing, but if you apply this on your body during the shower, it can cleanse your skin better and make it softer and smoother. Anyway, you should try it yourself first."
Dong Shulan's eyes lit up. If this thing was really as Fu Xiaoguan said, it would definitely sell well, especially in summer.
"I'll have someone send these things to Tingmei right away, and leave two boxes. I'll give some to the noble ladies later."
"I'll also bring some back to the palace. If it works, I think Auntie will be interested. If I include it in the Imperial Merchants, it will also provide more sales channels."
Dong Shulan looked up and asked, "How much does this cost?"
"It cost about five cents."
This thing is made of lard, wood ash, alcohol and diluted essence. The output is very high and the cost is not expensive.
“We’ll try it first and then set the price.”
Fu Xiaoguan was completely hands-off about this. The perfume that was originally planned to be sold for one or two taels of silver was now sold by these two women for ten taels of silver per bottle, and it was even out of stock. This was still winter, and it would be even more out of stock if it were summer.
Fu Xiaoguan decided to take the time to write a letter to his father, saying that the production of perfume must be increased and that Yu Zhongtan from the glass shop should produce dozens more sets of utensils.
At the time of Shen, the three of them got up and went to Dieyi Palace.
Concubine Shang was not in Dieyi Palace, but in Banyanxuan in the back garden.
Banyanxuan was surrounded by bright windows, with a tea table, a desk, a zither and a long sword in between. When Yu Wenyun and the other two came to Banyanxuan under the guidance of Eunuch Nian, Concubine Shang was standing in front of a window, gazing at the garden full of snow and wind.
There was another person sitting next to the tea table. He was the fifth prince Yu Wendao, who was making tea at the moment.
When Fu Xiaoguan came in, he looked up, then smiled at Fu Xiaoguan and lowered his head to make tea.
This is rock tea picked from the mountain behind Jianlin, made with fresh snow water. At this moment, smoke gradually rose from the pot. The water had not yet boiled. Yu Wendao took a spoonful of rock tea and poured it in, then turned down the fire a lot. Then, a rich fragrance filled his nose.
Fu Xiaoguan stood behind Noble Concubine Shang, bowed respectfully, and said, "This Xiaoguan pays his respects to the Noble Concubine."
Concubine Shang withdrew her gaze, turned around, and said with a smile, "You are being more polite. Come, sit down. Shulan, come to my side."
Yu Wenjun pouted and stood on Concubine Shang's left and right. Fu Xiaoguan and Yu Wendao sat side by side opposite Concubine Shang.
"Just now I was looking at the chrysanthemums in my garden, but they're gone, covered in snow... Actually, there's nothing much to see. The stems beneath the snow have withered, and I'll pull them out soon. As for those once beautiful petals, I wanted to collect some, but then I realized there was no point, so I let them wither naturally. I'm afraid they've melted into the soil now."
Yu Wendao poured tea and respectfully handed a cup to Concubine Shang.
"In your Dream of the Red Chamber, Daiyu buried flowers three times. I think she was right. She understood flowers and felt that they were purest when they fell into the soil. The poem about burying flowers was also very well written. 'Once spring ends, the beauty grows old, the flowers fall, and the person dies, unaware of it...' It was a little too sad, so I actually expected Lin Daiyu's ending. I don't know why you could write such a story, but what I want to tell you is that the end of spring doesn't necessarily mean that all the flowers have fallen. Just follow me—"
Concubine Shang came to the window again and this time she opened it. She seemed unaware of the chill that came over her.
"Look, the chrysanthemums I carefully cared for are gone, but look at that plum grove. There are already many buds. In a while, they will bloom again."
"I'm not saying this because I lament Lin Daiyu's ending. I've just been wondering, 'You're such a sunny person, why are you portrayed so darkly in the book?' I've been rereading the book these days, and I seem to understand a little bit about your thoughts. I called you here today to ask you: Daiyu used flowers to express her aspirations. Is the Jia family really that dark and filthy?"
Fu Xiaoguan understood what Concubine Shang said, which seemed endless. Indeed, the hidden meaning of "A Dream of Red Mansions" was dissatisfaction with the court. The original author expressed this dissatisfaction implicitly through the Jia family.
What others may see is just a story of the rise and fall of love between young men and women in the Jia family, but someone as astute as Concubine Shang naturally understood the meaning behind it.
Fu Xiaoguan bowed and smiled, saying, "Actually... I am sunny by nature, and I will always be sunny."
Concubine Shang turned and looked at Fu Xiaoguan, who continued, "It's true that the Jia Mansion is dark and filthy, but it can actually survive decline simply because it lacks sunlight. When I wrote this book, I didn't wallow in gloom. Instead, it taught me a lesson: sunlight will eventually dispel darkness, just like this flower, which blooms throughout the seasons."
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