Chapter 87
Chapter 87
In the 37th year of Huayuan, Meng Mansion was built and the provincial examination was held.
On August 30th, the results of the autumn examination were announced.
There were 3,129 candidates, and 68 of them passed the exam.
After verification, people from the government school and government office came to inspect.
All candidates were registered and entertained at a banquet hosted by the government office.
Make crowns and clothes, prepare musical instruments, reward gold and silver, and hold banquets.
The sixty-eight new scholars have become the most sought-after figures in the city.
The leader among them is naturally Ji Yuan.
He is young and handsome.
When we played Cuju last year, we attracted a lot of attention.
But playing Cuju is not a serious matter, and this year because of the provincial examination, Cuju was suspended for a year, and no one mentioned it anymore.
This year's champion is what makes countless families excited.
Some of the bold ones even stopped Ji Yuan in person and insisted on arranging a marriage for him.
Even the fact that both his parents had passed away was something that the true noble families valued.
There will definitely be only benefits to marrying into Ji Yuan's family.
If these things were mentioned, they were just added points at the beginning.
His hiding here and there for a few days attracted the attention of more noble families.
Money? No.
To a beautiful concubine? She runs faster than a rabbit.
There was a mansion and a fine horse, but he was nowhere to be found.
I heard that he was either hiding at his doctor's place or at a friend's house, and during this time he also gave his friends some guidance on their homework.
Finally, he even hid in the home of the right instructor, who asked him to go over and look at his paintings, and only then did he find some peace and quiet.
He has good knowledge and good character, and he will not be shaken when he sees profit.
They like such a talented person even more.
However, there were also some families who simply backed out. It was obvious that Ji Yuan was not an ordinary person and there was no way they could compete with him.
Until Ji Yuan said that he wanted to establish his career before starting a family, and would not consider this matter unless he passed the imperial examination.
Wait a minute?
Isn't next year the examination year?
Ji Yuan added: "Let's talk about it after the twenty-five."
???
Is this too old?!
Anyway, his attitude is very clear, this matter is not to be considered, so don't think too much about it.
And the real big families even prefer this kind of young people.
Ji Yuan's escape has become a laughing stock.
His friends were also noticed.
Although Li Jin and Cai Fenglan did not pass the exam, some people still came forward to propose marriage to them.
Li Jin didn't say anything. He had a marriage at home. Cai Fenglan directly refused and shook his head no matter who came to the door.
White monk?
Monk Bai lived directly in the abbot's small meditation room of Qiyan Temple and never showed up.
Although he is not a formal monk, he is also a monk.
All the families in the city who had girls of marriageable age couldn't help but sigh.
They really like these students with good character!
The other candidates who failed the exam left the city one after another. The hustle and bustle of this place had nothing to do with them anymore.
But since they have come here with great difficulty, most students stay here to rest.
Not only do you have to rest, but you also have to go to the First Street in the East Market to do some shopping. This is the cheapest place to buy school supplies in the entire Jianmeng Mansion!
As long as I still want to learn, I will definitely buy it!
The teachers at Zhengrong County School even secretly gave Ji Yuan a long list of books.
We are all family!
Why are you being so polite!
Let Jiyuan buy it! Cheap! Cost price!
Their Zhengrong County School really needs these things!
Ji Yuan did have a good relationship with the Zhou family and would not shirk the matter of the county school. He took the list of books and found Li Ting, Qian Fei, An Xiaohe and the other two, and went directly to the first street of the East Market.
Needless to say, Li Ting and Qian Fei are both his good friends.
There were indeed some conflicts between him and An Xiaohe at the beginning, but An Xiaohe was only eleven years old at that time, and those things were long gone.
And he brought An Xiaohe here because there was something else he wanted to see.
That means An Dahai’s “Collection of Livestock Diseases” is about to be printed!
This book was brought by An Dahai during the Tongshi exam.
It was compiled by Mr. Zhao and An Xiaohe, and after being handed over to Zhoujia Bookstore, it has been printed according to the process.
It was in May, and now it is early September, and the first book is finally printed.
After all, it takes some time to find a penman and carve the lead plate.
An Xiaohe happened to be coming over, so he could go and take a look.
Although this book was not written by An Xiaohe, he was responsible for part of its compilation. He was naturally very happy to hear this.
Ji Yuan also took them directly to the back street of Zhoujia Bookstore.
This is where books are produced and processed, and this is our first time here.
Seeing that Ji Yuan was familiar with the place, the clerk greeted him as soon as he entered the workshop, and they knew that he was very familiar with it.
Zhou Bo was there too, and his first reaction when he saw Ji Yuan was to congratulate him.
"Brother Yuan, no, Ji Jieyuan, congratulations." Uncle Zhou bowed solemnly.
Although their master is also a juren, he really cannot be compared with Ji Yuan, the juren.
Ji Yuan smiled and waved his hand: "Uncle Zhou, please call me Brother Yuan, otherwise I would be embarrassed to trouble you."
As he spoke, Ji Yuan directly took out a list of books.
Zhou Bo didn't even look at it: "Are you from the county school? Don't worry, I'll arrange it."
Ji Yuan said, "Just tell me how much money you need. We have enough money in our county school."
Zhou Bo smiled and said, "The money you earned from the bookstore is enough to buy these books."
Uncle Zhou pointed to the recently printed materials. Mr. Ji Yuan copied two books as Runbi, and now the two books are being reprinted.
Having said that, Jiyuan still gave the cost price.
At least they didn't lose money. Uncle Zhou helped them arrange for loading. The people from the county school didn't have to transport the goods back by themselves. They could just ride the Zhou family's freight truck and deliver the goods directly to the county school.
Zhou Bo also felt emotional, saying that it was not easy for Ji Yuan to get to where he is today.
If it were someone else, he would have been arrogant and wished everyone would call him Ji Jieyuan, but to people he knew, he remained the same as usual.
It is a great honor for everyone to curry favor with such a scholar.
Not to mention giving books, even giving gold and silver is acceptable.
Of course, Ji Yuan wouldn't want these things.
Everyone knows this. It's just luck that the Zhou family can provide some help.
Now that the matter of purchasing books for the county school has been settled, all that remains is to read An Dahai's "Collection of Livestock Diseases".
Zhou Bo asked someone to bring the book over and said, "This book is very good. It contains all the common diseases of livestock. As long as you know how to read, you can get a general idea of it by holding the book."
However, there are many diseases in livestock, and having this book is certainly not enough, but it is also a great help.
This is just like a basic reference book, nothing fancy, and it’s specifically for treating livestock diseases.
What about literary quality?
Of course not, and many scholars may even think it is inappropriate.
It can be used as a reference book, which is completely sufficient. It even lacks many difficult-to-pronounce words and is easy to understand, and you can understand it at once.
Li Ting and Qian Fei also looked at it curiously, but they were more interested in the workshop.
I didn't expect the interior of the workshop to be like this.
An Xiaohe was particularly excited. He opened the first page and saw An Dahai's name on it, followed by editor-in-chief Ji Yuan, Mr. Zhao and his own name.
He had always read other people's books before, and this was the first time he saw himself in such a formal book.
This feeling is completely different and can be a little exciting.
After the new era was opened, my first reaction was, how come there is a name for me? !
Zhou Bo smiled and explained: "This is what Brother Dahai insisted on. This was originally your idea, and even the format was originally determined by you."
"He said that it was your contribution that this book existed, and your name must be added to it."
Given An Dahai's level of education, is it impossible for him to write a normal veterinary book? It would probably be confusing and incoherent.
But once you know the format of the era, you will know how to write it.
It’s more like filling in the blanks than writing.
Complete these fill-in-the-blanks and compile them into a book.
It can be said that from the most basic level, it was done by Jiyuan.
Without the era, it can be said that this book would not exist at all.
So when An Dahai came here, he insisted on adding Ji Yuan's name and didn't allow the bookstore to say it.
Ji Yuan felt helpless after listening to the whole story.
Zhou Bo was about to say that since this book has your reputation, it will definitely sell very well.
Even if some people buy it but don't read it, they will still buy a copy just for Epoch Times.
Ji Yuan said, "If you must write, then use a pseudonym."
Buy it because of his name?
That's not necessary.
Besides, he is currently in the limelight, so it would be a bad idea for him to show up again at this critical juncture, at least he should not put his name out there so openly.
That was really the cusp.
Ji Yuan is well aware of the role of keeping a low profile, although he has not been very low-key recently.
Aliases?
Zhou Bo understood and nodded: "What alias should we use? It's convenient to just change your name."
Ji Yuan looked at Qian Fei and Li Ting, then at An Xiaohe.
Suddenly I was out of ideas.
This is just like opening an alias. The name of the alias is neither important nor unimportant, but if it is unimportant, you can’t just write it casually.
Ji Yuan thought for a moment and wrote down three words: Qiaoziniu.
They were all educated people and they could tell at a glance that this was just another name for scalper.
Why use this name?
Before Li Tingqianfei asked, An Xiaohe nodded: "Is it because of Xiao Huang?"
Ji Yuan nodded: "It was because of Xiao Huang that I thought of making this livestock disease collection, so let's use its name."
By the way, he hasn't seen Xiao Huang for three years. He guessed that Xiao Huang has grown into a big guy.
I don’t know if you still remember myself.
Li Ting and Qian Fei knew something about it, but Zhou Bo was completely confused. Ji Yuan smiled and did not explain much.
Xiao Huang's kindness to him cannot be explained in a few words.
But the editor-in-chief, Qiao Ziniu, is not out of place, since this book was written specifically for the treatment of livestock diseases.
"If there are no other changes, it will probably be printed before you return to the county."
Zhou Bo is familiar with the printing process. If he says it can be published, then it can definitely be published.
In fact, printing a book is very quick, but the preliminary preparation work takes some time.
Today is September 3rd.
There will be a provincial examination banquet on the evening of September 6th, and you can go home after the banquet.
The work will start today and it will be printed around the seventh day of the first lunar month. Before they go home, they can take the book to An Dahai and Master Zhao to read.
An Xiaohe was still excited and was extremely excited holding the sample book.
I think his brother would be even happier when he sees this book.
After coming out of the back street, everyone looked towards the front street and saw that Li Ting and Qian Fei had bought a lot of things.
There's no way around it, since this is the number one street in East City, any scholar would be unable to walk here.
Ji Yuan took them to several familiar shops, and when he was about to go back, he saw Yin Mao who was extremely excited.
Yin Mao looks very much like Dr. Yin, and everyone became familiar with each other after a short period of interaction.
"Era! Look!"
When the few people met, Yin Mao directly took the things from the servant's hand.
It’s actually a painting?
Li Ting and the others were still wondering, but Ji Yuan had already walked forward. The mounting shop recommended by the Zhou family was indeed very fast.
Li Tingqianfei knew that Jiyuan could draw, so he immediately asked, "Jiyuan? You drew it?"
They looked at the people around them, and when they reached the corner of the street, they said, "Well, I drew this."
Everyone here is familiar, so there's nothing wrong with talking.
Thinking of Mr. Fang’s lessons, Li Ting and Qian Fei also shuddered.
In fact, both of them are students of Master Fang. Li Ting is good at calligraphy and Qian Fei is good at painting.
I thought they had enough homework to do on a regular basis, but I didn't expect Master Fang to give Ji Yuan such a big problem.
Then I heard that he didn't use his own reputation as a sign. Wouldn't that make it even harder to sell?
"Let's see how much it can sell for. There are many people in the city because of the provincial examination recently. Maybe someone wants to buy it."
Yin Mao said: "How could they not want to buy it? You don't even know how much that framing shop wants it."
As he spoke, a few people really came out of the shop. Seeing that Yin Mao had not gone far, they walked forward excitedly: "Mr. Yin, please give me a price. I will never give it back. Please sell this painting to me."
"You can sell it to me. Lao Li and I are good friends. You can appreciate it just as well if it's at my house."
"Don't I know you? You must be sent to Fujian. The imperial examination is very popular there, so you must hang up the painting to inspire your students."
This painting, "Imperial Examination Scenes", is really exquisitely done. Although no one has ever heard of the painter Qingtang, he will definitely become famous if he has this painting.
If I produce more excellent works in the future, I might be called a calligrapher and painter.
If you buy a painter's paintings when he is not famous yet, the price will definitely increase in the future.
Whether from the perspective of the painting itself or from the perspective of future prospects, it is always a good idea to buy it.
It was the first time that Ji Yuan heard someone make an offer for his paintings, and he found it quite novel.
Qian Fei asked directly: "What price would you like to pay?"
Seeing that Master Yin was surrounded by scholars in blue robes, the other party bowed and said quickly, "Five hundred taels of silver."
"Five hundred taels of silver, no bargaining."
"What a black-hearted person! I'll give you eight hundred taels."
"How come you two stingy people offer such a high price?" A painting and calligraphy dealer who happened to pass by was obviously familiar with them. He laughed and teased them, and then said, "Let me see. The price I offer is definitely more cost-effective than theirs."
When Ji Yuan and the others heard this, they already had some idea in their minds.
Yin Mao said directly: "Tomorrow on September 4th, and the day after September 5th, this painting will be exhibited at the calligraphy and painting competition stage."
"The painting will be auctioned publicly at that time. The highest bidder will win. The auction ends at the end of the afternoon of September 5th."
The auction will start at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning and end at 5 o'clock the day after tomorrow afternoon.
Want to draw?
See you tomorrow then!
Upon hearing this, the three calligraphy and painting dealers showed regret on their faces, but they did not plan to make a move.
Let's not talk about it first. This painter Qingtang is unknown. If I buy it back, what will happen if it is the same as Mr. Wutang back then? His paintings will not be sold in the future.
No matter how good the calligraphy and painting skills are, it also depends on how famous the painter himself is.
And who knows what the price will be.
Most of the calligraphy and painting dealers know each other, and no one wants to bid up the price, as that would cause everyone to suffer.
These young boys still want to be the one who bids the highest price?
You are dreaming.
As the three of them left, An Xiaohe said, "It seems they all know each other, and they won't bid against each other."
Ji Yuan nodded: "Don't worry about them, just hang it up."
"Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, we'll see if anyone buys it."
Yin Mao patted his chest and assured: "Don't worry, this matter will definitely be handled well."
Anyway, he has nothing to do recently, so it would be great if he could work for Ji Yuan.
Although he had some opinions about Ji Yuan at the beginning, after getting to know him, he completely understood why his father liked Ji Yuan so much as a student.
Of course, it was also because he knew that his father did not intentionally leave his mother and him at home to be bullied by his grandmother, and his father had always been thinking about him as his son.
Knowing this, Yin Mao’s personality became less gloomy and he gradually became more like his father.
This is probably the plight of many left-behind children.
Unfortunately, most left-behind children are not as lucky as Yin Mao.
After coming out of the First Street of East Market, Ji Yuan still didn’t want to go back to Qiyan Temple.
There was no way, there were too many people blocking him at Qiyan Temple.
It was not until dark that Ji Yuan finally returned from the city. He sneaked all the way and finally entered the Zen courtyard.
The White Monk's voice came out: "I've told you! Ji Yuan is not here! I won't marry him!"
After hearing this, Ji Yuan couldn't help laughing.
Monk Bai heard the noise and came out to see what was going on.
Fortunately, it was Ji Yuan who came back, not someone else who came looking for him.
The two people who passed the imperial examination were both angry and amused.
So early the next morning, White Monk also went out.
It is better to go and watch the excitement of the calligraphy and painting competition than to wait for someone to knock on the door in the Zen room.
Fortunately, those people didn't dare to force their way in, and were not allowed to enter without permission.
They can enter and leave the house of the Juren master at will. They must want to die.
On the fourth day of September, the First Street in East Market was as busy as usual.
Although some disappointed candidates have gone back, most of the students and their elders are still here.
When Ji Yuan first came here, apart from the dazzling array of bookshelves, the most shocking thing was the calligraphy and painting competition arena.
Generally speaking, things related to reading are more elegant.
This is the first time I have seen such a straightforward competition.
Ji Yuan, when Monk Bai arrived, it was still early and there were still seats available under the stage.
They found a secluded spot and reserved some space for their friends.
After a while, Cai Fenglan, Li Jin, Li Ting, Qian Fei, An Xiaohe all came over.
Everyone knows the inside story, there is no need to say more.
But Li Ting and his friends still didn't know the rules of the calligraphy and painting competition.
Li Jin would come to take a look when he had free time, so he helped explain: "From the name, you can tell that this place is for competitions."
"But there are also differences in competitions." Li Jin called for a pot of tea, obviously wanting to explain seriously. He pointed to the two tables on the arena and continued.
Anyone can bring their own brushes and ink to paint on stage.
But once you come to power, you implicitly accept the challenges of those who come after you.
After both paintings and calligraphy are revealed, people in the audience can bid for them.
If the first person to come on stage sells calligraphy and paintings at a high price, then the calligraphy and paintings sold by the challenger will also belong to the first person.
If the second person's price is better, the first person will have to give half of the price of his painting to the challenger.
In short, whoever's painting is better will win more money.
The silver and money here are more like praise.
It takes a certain amount of courage for the first person to come on stage, after all, he or she has to accept being challenged.
For the challenger, it is a gamble. If he wins, he gets half of the other party's honor. If he loses, he will give away his painting.
"Well, isn't that very intense?" Li Ting couldn't help but say.
Qian Fei and An Xiaohe were also shocked by this straightforward competition and were curious about what would happen next.
"I have another question. Qingtang's paintings will be sold for two days. Is this okay?" An Xiaohe asked.
Cai Fenglan smiled and said, "Of course you can. As long as someone keeps losing and someone keeps raising the price, then you can do it."
In other words, as long as this painting is there, there will always be people coming to challenge it and people coming to bid.
Until the end of tomorrow.
Among them, if someone's painting is more expensive than Ji Yuan's, then no matter how many Ji Yuan's paintings are sold, they will be sold at half the price.
Everyone opened their eyes wide.
Isn't this too exciting?!
The rules are not that complicated, in fact they are pretty straightforward.
It’s so straightforward that just understand that the winner takes all.
It's still early now, so not many people have come.
They were chatting here until Yin Mao came over with his servant.
There were several calligraphy and painting dealers surrounding Yin Mao, who obviously wanted to acquire the works before the auction.
Yin Mao ignored them. Not only was it not his thing, but looking at how eager they were, he knew that the painting was worth much more than they said.
This is indeed the case.
One of the calligraphy and painting merchants, Liu Yuan, stared closely at the things in Yin Mao's servant's hand.
The first time he saw the painting in the framing shop, he was sure that it was extraordinary.
So vivid.
Yes, fresh.
An ink painting of the various aspects of the imperial examination appears surprisingly vivid.
Needless to say, the theme of this painting is the appearance of the scholars taking the provincial examination and even everyone in the city.
It is vivid, interesting and brings fun to life.
On the one hand, it makes people feel that the imperial examination is very important, but on the other hand, it seems to be saying that the imperial examination is not that important and everyone is living a good life.
Such a vivid painting has a particularly profound brushwork.
Otherwise, how could one express the various aspects of human nature with just a few strokes?
The most wonderful thing is the blurred background, which is obviously the most inconspicuous place, but every tree and stone in the painting are autumn scenes.
Yes, the same goes for stones. The autumn in Jianmeng Mansion is dry, and it can also be seen on the stones.
A person may not have carefully observed the changes in stones in the four seasons, so he would not be able to describe the details.
But everyone has seen the stones and trees of the four seasons in their own local area.
The things I have seen in my daily life are already in my mind, so when I see this painting, I instinctively know that, oh, this is an autumn scene.
Because the painter has shown it clearly, because the painter has painted the details of autumn very well.
Liu Yuan looked at his colleagues. These old guys must have also noticed the unusualness of this painting.
But everyone is unwilling to give in now because they are afraid that the price will be raised too high.
The bid has now reached one thousand taels.
Even if you sell it, you can still make some money if you find someone who knows its value.
But who doesn’t want to earn more?
The other party was also thinking, why must he participate in the calligraphy and painting competition? Why must he stand out?
The old servant of Liu Yuan's family asked, "Master, do you remember Mr. Wu Tang?"
Mr. Wu Tang?
How could I not remember?
More than 20 years ago, he shocked the entire city of Jianmeng Prefecture with a painting.
If there had been no news since then, he would definitely have been called a great man.
Mr. Wu Tang.
Qingtang?
Really?
Do they know each other?
Is it Mr. Wu Tang himself or his disciple?
Liu Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "Buy it, I must buy it."
"Wait a minute, let's wait and see. There have been many people claiming to be Mr. Wu Tang in recent years. What if this is another one?"
It’s a pity that Mr. Wu Tang’s paintings were secretly bought by someone and I don’t know who has them now. Otherwise, we could take them and compare them, and maybe we could find some clues.
Calligraphy and painting dealer Liu Yuan said he was just taking a look, but he had already sat down at the very front of the arena.
Like him, there were also calligraphy and art dealers who saw the paintings.
These four or five people gathered at a table and agreed that they would never raise the price and everyone could do as they pleased.
But after they finished speaking, they looked at each other.
Really? I don’t believe it.
They all gathered together, and other calligraphy and painting dealers on the First Street of the East Market also sent people to check out the situation.
Did Liu Yuan and the others get any news?
Why are they all going to the calligraphy and painting competition arena? Is some master here to show off his skills?
It’s always a good idea to take a look at the situation first.
As soon as the hour of noon arrived, Yin Mao took his paintings to the stage and said directly: "I was entrusted by a good friend to bring his paintings to the calligraphy and painting competition stage for auction."
This is also allowed, but generally speaking, truly good paintings will go directly to real auctions or be sent to specialized shops. They will not lower their status to participate in calligraphy and painting competitions.
This competition arena has always attracted attention, but the first person who came now is different and instantly attracted the attention of many people.
"Everyone says this competition stage is interesting. Let's go see how interesting it is."
"Here he comes. If his paintings are not good, the people behind him will definitely rush to the stage to paint."
"We have quite a few great painters here."
As they were talking, the person on the stage opened the scroll and an ink painting appeared before everyone's eyes.
Yin Mao's two servants carefully unfolded the painting and placed it on the table for people to view.
As soon as the painting was unfolded, many people opened their eyes wide to look at it.
This painting, why is this painting so different? !
It is clearly made with ethereal ink and wash painting, but there is reality within the illusion and illusion within the reality.
The person in the painting seems to be coming alive soon.
The scene in the painting is exactly what they experienced.
You can say it is a painting while waiting for the imperial examination, or you can say it is a painting while waiting for the results to be announced.
It all makes sense.
Yin Mao looked at the infatuated eyes of the people in the audience and raised his head and said, "This is a work by the painter Qingtang. He named this painting "Imperial Examination Scenes". The auction will be held today and will end tomorrow afternoon."
"Everyone is welcome to challenge during this period."
These words were spoken calmly, yet they were full of power.
Everyone is welcome to challenge.
The challenge lasts two days.
Is painter Qingtang really that confident?
Aren’t you really afraid that in two days, a truly powerful person will come and compete with you?
Everyone went to look at the paintings again.
It seems like, you are really not afraid?
This painting is really great.
So good it made them want to cry.
Those who could come and watch were basically scholars. Even if they had not experienced the provincial examination, they had experienced the child examination.
How could this scene not be familiar?
Some people who have experienced the imperial examination could not help but murmur: "The picture of the imperial examination is really like this."
As he spoke, a scholar nearby actually burst into tears.
Li Jin looked at him and said in a low voice, "This is the second place in this year's provincial examination."
The first place in the provincial examination is called Jieyuan, the second is Yayuan, and the third to fifth are called Jingkui.
At this moment, the first Ji Yuan is here, and the fifth Bai Heshang is also here.
That Yayuan was also watching the fun?
It's not surprising.
For scholars like them, the First Street in East Market is the best place for entertainment.
Perhaps the other party saw the gazes of Ji Yuan and the others, wiped away her tears embarrassedly, and at the same time hid behind and continued to watch the excitement on the stage.
There are many people who are as sad as him.
This painting is indeed very emotional, especially for those who did not pass the exam, who will feel even more disappointed.
When thinking about everything before and after the exam, who can not sigh?
The painting was so good that they all wanted to buy it.
It was so good that the painter who originally wanted to go on stage to challenge him stopped talking at this moment.
I know everyone's level.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Yin Mao continued, "Does anyone bid?"
Sixteen-year-old Yin Mao is not very tall, but he looks a bit like Dr. Yin and has a rather imposing aura.
After living with his parents, his temper became more cheerful, and he even joked, "Don't worry, the deadline is tomorrow anyway."
Having said that, everyone was actually sweating.
Ji Yuan and his friends knew that these calligraphy and painting dealers were working together, so they would definitely negotiate to lower the price.
If there is really no bid and the price is successfully lowered, the painting will definitely be sold at a low price.
Ji Yuan looked at the table in the front and said, "No matter how much they are in collusion, they are still in the same industry."
Qian Fei was the first to react: "Yes, colleagues are enemies."
As someone whose family runs a business, I understand these things best.
It's very common to snatch business.
When faced with such a big deal, people would say that everyone should not rush to grab the goods and should not disrupt the "balance", but in reality they are still on guard against the other party.
Sooner or later they will make a bid, and once they do, a fight will inevitably break out.
They will definitely like such a good painting.
The imperial examination was popular in Tianqi State, and this picture of the imperial examination was so exquisite that anyone who saw it would find it interesting.
If you miss a painting like this, it will be gone.
Qian Fei confirmed: "Maybe there will be no bid in the morning, but it will be different this afternoon or tomorrow."
One is that the fame of this painting will spread, and there will definitely be real collectors and people who love paintings coming.
Second, he didn't believe that everyone could remain calm.
Qian Fei didn't know yet that his family's business skills could actually be used here.
Ji Yuan also nodded, he still believed in Qian Fei's judgment.
Sure enough, Yin Mao collected all the paintings for the entire morning, and only one person offered fifty taels.
This was just a joke. After he made his offer, the whole audience burst into laughter, and it was obvious that they knew he was trying to get a bargain.
But if it’s really fifty taels, I’m afraid there won’t be enough space on the stage.
The rest of the people remained silent.
Anyone with a discerning eye knows that this painting will probably be sold at an incredible price.
The more this happens, the more cautious people will be in bidding.
When Yin Mao appeared again in the afternoon, there were even more people coming to watch.
If Ji Yuan and the others had not reserved their seats long ago, they would have been squeezed out.
This was the case with the second place winner in this year's provincial examination. He wanted to watch the fun, but he couldn't squeeze through.
Ji Yuan looked over there and said, "How about asking him to come over and sit down?"
Naturally, everyone had no objection. He ranked second in the provincial examination! Although he was not as good as Ji Yuan, it was definitely right to make friends with him.
Unexpectedly, the other party refused and was a little wary.
Ji Yuan suddenly realized: "Maybe you are afraid of being invited recently."
For example, he and White Monk are like this.
Neither of them dared to go back to Qiyan Temple.
The other party is probably feeling the same, so they came out to watch the fun?
In that case, forget it.
Ji Yuan turned his attention back to the stage.
In the afternoon, someone really made a bid.
"Five hundred taels!"
"Seven hundred!"
"One thousand!" The calligraphy and painting dealer Liu Yuan shouted out his price, and everyone at the next table looked at him.
Liu Yuan chuckled: "This price is not too high. There is still one day left."
One thousand taels of silver.
Really not high?
Everyone looked at the lively and vivid painting again.
Not high indeed.
But even so, this price has exceeded all the calligraphy and painting works in this year's calligraphy and painting competition.
Even until now, no challenger has dared to take the stage.
The painters who can hang around in the First Street of East Market must be talented. They don’t dare to go on stage, which shows how much they recognize the painting skills.
With such a good painting, no one would want to serve food to it.
At that time, all your paintings will belong to others.
It was not until the afternoon that someone offered 1,200 taels and the market stopped temporarily.
It basically matches Qian Fei’s guess.
I guess the real fighting will take place tomorrow afternoon.
But Qian Fei hesitated for a moment and said, "But if that's the case, the total price shouldn't be more than two thousand four hundred taels."
Today's bids are all tentative, but we can also see everyone's cards.
No matter how high it is, it won’t be that high.
Ji Yuan nodded, he understood what was going on.
Cai Fenglan said, "I heard from Xiaozhi that painters without fame are at a disadvantage, and people who buy paintings also look at fame."
This has been the case throughout history, so it's not surprising.
There are painters who suddenly emerge, but if you buy someone like Mr. Wu Tang, who sells two paintings and then runs away, the calligraphy and painting dealers who want to invest will have no place to cry.
When Ji Yuan heard this, he even felt a little guilty.
He seems to be like this too?
After selling this painting, I will return to my hometown and then take the imperial examination next year. It is indeed a difficult thing to produce paintings steadily.
On the fourth day of September, when the first day of the auction of "Imperial Examinations" was about to end, someone waved to Yin Mao on the stage.
Yin Mao's servant obviously knew the other person. After they whispered to each other, Yin Mao put the painting away in advance and left with the man.
Upon seeing this, the calligraphy and painting dealers stood up immediately.
Today’s time hasn’t come yet!
Why did you leave?
Something is wrong!
Who is this important person who wants to see a painting?!
If this is true, do they still have a chance?
But Yin Mao walked so quickly and hurriedly that he didn't give anyone a chance to stay.
Not to mention the calligraphy and painting dealers, even Ji Yuan was a little surprised.
Only when Yin Mao passed by did he secretly point in the direction of the provincial school.
Direction of the provincial school?
Academic administration?
That’s not the case.
The academician is not such a person, and although this matter can be hidden from others, it cannot be hidden from these superiors.
They knew with a quick guess that there were only a few people who could get Yin Zhangyin's son to help sell paintings.
Ji Yuan indeed only covered it up slightly. After all, a good thing should not be made to look like a thief.
Half-covered is best.
It is fair and just to ask; if you don’t ask, you won’t know.
It’s probably like this: if you don’t ask, I won’t tell you. Once you ask, I’ll be surprised.
There is a limit to advance and retreat.
Yin Mao followed in a hurry, and since it was related to the provincial school, there was only one possibility.
Have the officials from the capital also heard about this?
That's the only possibility.
In the evening, they went to Taipei City for dinner, but there was still no news from Yin Mao, and even Dr. Yin was not at home.
As a result, it was not convenient for everyone to stay at the doctor's house, so they simply went to the Cuju field.
Nowadays, the Cuju fields in Jianmeng Mansion are almost always occupied.
Although Wuying and Liu Jun's main players have left, there are still many excellent players.
When the players saw Ji Yuan coming, they called out, "Come on, let's play football together."
Qian Fei and Li Ting also rolled up their sleeves to play. They also had a Cuju field in Zhengrong County! They could do it too.
With the addition of White Monk, the group of people had a great time.
At this moment, in a private room of another restaurant in Taipei City, Yin Mao was standing behind his father, watching the officials from the capital and the officials from the prefectural school admiring Ji Yuan's paintings.
This year's supervisor, Lord Zhu Jisheng, nodded slightly and said, "Yes, this brushwork is indeed top-notch, and most importantly, it is full of spirit."
"How much has the auction sold for now?"
Yin Mao replied: "One thousand two hundred taels."
"Is it really done by you, the top scholar?" Lord Zhu asked with a smile.
It’s similar to what Ji Yuan guessed. With a little guess, you will know the cause and effect of the matter.
Yin Mao thought about it for a moment, probably because he was afraid that the other party would think Ji Yuan was greedy for money, so he explained: "He should be raising money for next year's imperial examination."
"Also, he didn't want to rely on his fame to sell his paintings, so he used a pseudonym."
Both explanations are reasonable, not too ostentatious, and there is nothing wrong with them.
The supervising official, Lord Zhu, nodded slightly and said to the academic official, "You built the Meng Mansion, and it really produced a good student."
Unexpectedly, the academician did not say anything. He only reacted after being reminded by his subordinates. After smiling and replying, he looked at the right instructor and asked Yin Zhangyin's son: "What is the relationship between Jiyuan and Mr. Wutang?"
Mr. Wu Tang?
Who is this?
The supervising official, Lord Zhu, did not recognize him, so the right instructor stepped forward to explain that he was an excellent painter from more than 20 years ago, who only left behind a few works and had never been seen again.
As he spoke, the academician asked someone to bring over Mr. Wu Tang's painting from his home, which was the "Picture of Clouds and Trees in Jiangnan".
The right instructor immediately perked up, because their academician was usually very stingy and never let anyone look at him.
I didn't expect to have this opportunity.
The right instructor thought for a moment and said, "When Ji Yuan first came to the prefectural school, he imitated the "Yun Mu Tu Jiangnan". At that time, I thought he was smart and could imitate, but I didn't expect that he actually got the essence of Mr. Wu Tang."
When Lord Zhu heard that this painter was so legendary, he became curious. When the painting "Yunmu Tu Jiangnan" was brought to him, Lord Zhu, who was from Zhejiang, could not help but say, "This, this is indeed the scenery of Jiangnan."
Not to mention Lord Zhu, even Yin Zhangyin and Yin Mao could see it. They were all from Jiangnan, so they could naturally see it.
Lord Zhu had just recognized Yin Mao's accent, and now that he heard that they were from the same hometown, he also asked them where they were from.
After a few interactions, the relationship became closer.
At this moment, when a painting of "Clouds and Trees in Jiangnan" and a painting of "Imperial Examination Scenes" are placed together, one can only feel that the painting skills and techniques are similar.
The only difference is that one is the southern style of Jiangnan, and the other is the northern style of landscape.
This, why is this?
So back to the question.
What is the relationship between Ji Yuan and Mr. Wu Tang?
This Yin Mao really didn’t know.
Yin Zhangyin had some guesses but did not answer. After all, Ji Yuan had to say it himself.
The two pictures put together are really pleasing.
Mr. Wu Tang's "Picture of Clouds and Trees in Jiangnan" has beautiful scenery that easily immerses people in it.
The "Imperial Examination Scenes" written by Ji Yuan under the pseudonym Qingtang has a fresh air, which makes people feel emotional and some indescribable vitality.
All very good, all excellent.
I think the former can be sold for three thousand taels of silver, and the latter is about the same.
Of course, you have to meet someone who knows what he is doing.
Master Zhu was pleased, but just now he heard Yin Mao say that Ji Jieyuan would use the money from selling the painting to prepare for the imperial examination, so the painting could not be moved. He had no choice but to say, "Go ahead. If there is any result tomorrow, tell me."
This matter was indeed a lively one, after all, it had reached their ears.
When such an elegant event occurs, everyone must join in the fun.
Yin Mao felt relieved, but the academician next to him felt his heart bleeding.
Because it’s hard to get students’ things, but his things are different.
"Picture of Clouds and Trees in Jiangnan" even depicts the scenery of Mr. Zhu's hometown.
The right instructor wanted to laugh, but also felt that he was a bit immoral.
That evening, Mr. Fang's "Picture of Clouds and Trees in Jiangnan" was delivered to Mr. Zhu.
How much is this painting worth now?
It’s actually hard to say. In modern terms, this is the artwork of a niche painter, or it is the early work of this niche painter.
It is likely that people will applaud but not bid. If you meet someone you like, you can pay any amount of money. But if you meet someone who is just average at the price, then it is worth nothing.
It's a pity that the academician is a person who likes Mr. Wu Tang very much, he thought to himself.
Okay Jiyuan, the adults are too embarrassed to ask for your things, so they take my things. What a pity, what a pity.
Wait a minute, I'll ask Ji Yuan to draw a picture for me.
Anyway, his painting skills are exactly the same as Mr. Wu Tang’s.
The strange thing is, why is one from the southern school and the other from the northern school?
You can't say that Mr. Wu Tang can draw everything, right?
This is so amazing.
Ji Yuan's painting went around and finally returned to Yin Mao's hands. He even wiped the sweat from his forehead when he left.
Dr. Yin also thought he was bold, but it was indeed good to preserve Ji Yuan's paintings.
I think this painting has gone through a circle, and its price will definitely go up tomorrow.
I just don’t know what kind of sky-high price it will fetch.
But it's not surprising.
Anyone who has seen Ji Yuan’s paintings will be amazed by his ideas and inspiration.
Ji Yuan, who had already returned to the Zen room, tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, so he simply took out the two paintings that Master Fang had given him.
This was given to him by Master Fang before he came to the provincial school, and he was told to sell it if he needed money.
Fortunately, he wasn't that distressed most of the time.
These two paintings, one is from the Southern School and the other is from the Northern School.
It is estimated that when these two paintings appeared in front of the academician, the doubts in his heart would no longer exist.
After reading it, Ji Yuan realized that he is now no more than Master Fang was twenty years ago.
If we talk about the best paintings, then these two are the best, which are the pinnacle of perfection.
With this as his goal, Ji Yuan put the painting away again.
Tomorrow is the last day of the auction.
Let's see if he can complete his homework.
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