Li Guang was unwilling to live in the palace, perhaps because the shadow cast by Li Hui in the past was too deep on him. If he lived in the palace, he would definitely not be able to sleep.
Living in the Marquis's mansion, Li Guang felt much more at ease and had a sense of home.
Li Guang planned to settle things first, and the next day he would take Meng Yaoyao and Li Nan to pay their respects to the Emperor and his mother.
The Marquis's mansion was very large, and all of the more than one hundred followers that Li Guang brought back lived there.
After traveling for more than ten days, the group was exhausted and needed a good rest.
The next morning, Li Guang, having made all the preparations, went to the palace to let the emperor and Consort Yao meet their daughter-in-law and grandson, and also brought along the several cartloads of gifts he had brought from Shuixian Village.
In the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Imperial Palace, the Emperor and Consort Yao had been waiting for a long time, eager to see their daughter-in-law and grandson.
At this moment, a eunuch came to report that the young prince Li Guang had come to pay his respects, and the emperor quickly let them in.
Li Guang, carrying Li Nan and leading Meng Yaoyao, quickly stepped forward.
Li Guang put Li Nan down and knelt down with Meng Yaoyao to kowtow to the Emperor and Consort Yao.
Seeing this, Xiao Li Nan also knelt down and kowtowed in a very proper manner.
Upon seeing this, the Emperor and Consort Yao were overjoyed and quickly got up. The Emperor picked up Li Nan, while Consort Yao went to Meng Yaoyao's side, helped her up, and carefully examined her, growing more and more fond of her with each look.
After the meeting, Li Guang had the gifts brought in, and soon several large boxes were brought before the emperor.
The gifts brought from Narcissus Village were definitely rare items. The Emperor ordered the boxes to be opened so he could take a good look.
This time, I brought some gifts, some of which were modern items that Zhao Xian had carefully selected.
Items like the clock and thermos were custom-made by Zhao Xian from the system. They were meticulously crafted, making it difficult to discern any traces of modern craftsmanship.
Of course, this thermos is not made of glass, but of stainless steel using a special process, so it is not afraid of breaking.
Li Guang introduced each item to the emperor, who was both surprised and curious. He marveled that the Great Northern Dynasty had such an extraordinary person who could create such a thing.
Li Guang was not surprised by these items. His brother Zhao was omnipotent and could come up with all sorts of novel things.
Li Guang and his family of three stayed in the palace for a whole day, only returning to the Marquis's residence when it got dark.
It was already past the Lantern Festival, but the capital city was still very lively, with a constant flow of traffic.
At this time, the village of Shuixian was still full of festive atmosphere. On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Wufang Academy took advantage of the exchange meeting to hold Yu Jie's calligraphy and painting exhibition.
In the past, few people in Shuixian Village went to school, and most villagers were illiterate. But now things are different.
Shuixian Village is no longer what it used to be. People who can live there permanently are generally well-off. They either come to do business or have become villagers of Shuixian Village.
Overall, the general quality of the people in Shuixian Village has significantly improved.
A significant number of people showed great interest in the calligraphy and painting exhibition held at Wufang Academy.
Especially those who own restaurants and inns, they all want to buy some calligraphy and paintings to decorate their storefronts, in order to enhance the cultural atmosphere of their shops and improve their class.
At the same time, an exchange activity led by the County Confucian Academy was also held at Wufang Academy. This exchange activity, which was organized by multiple academies, had a very wide impact.
Ruan Fang took advantage of this exchange activity to exhibit Yu Jie's paintings. There were so many of Yu Jie's paintings, numbering in the hundreds, and most of them were masterpieces.
Ruan Fang suggested that if anyone is willing to collect Yu Jie's paintings, they could consider selling some of them.
After all, Yu Jie's financial situation was not good. His life only became more stable after he started teaching at the academy. He would be happy to sell his calligraphy and paintings to earn some income.
Yu Jie is very loyal. Last time, when he gave Shan Jindou a painting of the Four Gentlemen of Flowers, Shan Jindou wanted to pay him two hundred taels of silver, but he refused, which shows that he does not value money.
In ancient times, it was extremely rare to hold calligraphy and painting exhibitions. The fact that Nguyen Phuong could think of holding such an event during the exchange meeting organized by the County Confucian Academy shows that she was very forward-thinking.
When the first phase of the market construction project was underway in Shuixian Village, Ruan Fang's novel ideas and insights led Zhao Xian to suspect that she, like himself, was a modern person who had traveled from the past.
This calligraphy and painting exhibition features more than two hundred pieces of calligraphy and painting. The fact that these exquisite works can see the light of day again is largely thanks to the contributions of several senior scholars in the academy.
When they were mounting these paintings and calligraphy, they spent more than 100 taels of silver just on materials. If they had hired someone to mount them, it would have cost at least 300 taels.
Yu Jie didn't have much money on him; it was all advanced to him by several elderly gentlemen. Yu Jie hoped that his paintings would be collected and that the proceeds from selling them would cover the expenses advanced by the elderly gentlemen.
To everyone's surprise, the paintings in the exhibition hall were very popular, and a large number of them were bought directly.
A few years ago, Yu Jie's paintings were quite famous, but a family tragedy caused him to disappear from the public eye.
Years later, Ruan Fang took advantage of this exchange meeting to showcase Yu Jie's works to the world once again, which sparked people's pursuit of calligraphy and painting works.
The calligraphy and painting exhibition was a great success, and most of the exhibited paintings were sold.
Yu Jie did not sell these paintings for a high price. After paying off the expenses advanced by the elderly gentlemen, Yu Jie still had more than 500 taels of silver in income.
Five hundred taels of silver may seem like a lot, but for a master of calligraphy and painting, these works represent years of hard work, and some of the better pieces are worth hundreds of taels of silver.
It's fair to say that most of the works in this calligraphy and painting exhibition were either sold or given away for free.
The art exhibition boosted Yu Jie's confidence, helping him emerge from the shadows and seemingly transforming him completely.
After the calligraphy and painting exhibition ended, Wufang Academy is making preparations for the start of the new school year. In two days, the children in the village will be going to school.
On this day, Yu Jie found Ruan Fang. He hoped to keep several homeless children in the academy so they could study there, and he would cover all their expenses.
In fact, Ruan Fang had already decided to keep these children and let them study at the academy, which wouldn't cost much money.
Furthermore, the academy has a considerable amount of money in its accounts, all of which are donations from people. The expenses for these children's education can be covered by this money, without the need for Yu Jie's financial assistance.
However, it's good that Yu Jie brought this up. In doing so, Yu Jie has an added responsibility and will be more diligent in doing his job and actively engaging in calligraphy and painting creation.
Ruan Fang plans to return the money that Yu Jie sponsored for the children's education to him through other means.
During the meal, Ruan Fang told the children that the academy planned to let them stay and study there, with Mr. Jie covering the tuition fees.
The children were overjoyed; their wish had finally come true, and they all knelt down to kowtow to Ruan Fang and the old men.
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