Chapter 3 Daily News? Let's get the juicy gossip going!
Xiao Jinghong is generally good-looking.
Although Xiaodie remained tight-lipped and didn't give a clear answer, her exact words were: "Xiaodie thinks the Second Miss is very, very beautiful... really, really beautiful."
But Chen Yi had already seen through her hesitation and glances, and knew her honesty - Madam Xiao Jinghong was a rare beauty in the world!
However, perhaps her beauty is somewhat different from the beauty that most people perceive?
Chen Yi thought that as long as she wasn't a female Zhang Fei, he would be willing to exchange his lifelong power, fame and fortune for it - after all, a son-in-law of the Wei Dynasty couldn't pass the imperial examinations or become a high-ranking official, so having power and fame was useless.
It’s better to change to something practical.
Furthermore, Chen Yi did not want to become an official or compete for fame and fortune.
Besides disliking mental and physical exertion and backstabbing, he was more unwilling to add any more burdens to his shoulders.
In his past life, he was a beast of burden, his eyes always open to work and study; in this life, he just wants to live a more relaxed life.
To paraphrase Tao Yuanming's poem, it would be: "Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely gaze at the Southern Mountains."
What Chen Yi wants is this tranquility and indifference.
Before we knew it, a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
From early spring to mid-spring.
The flowers in Chunhe Garden are becoming more and more vibrant, and the grass is tender and green.
Especially the pond, which covers a full ten acres, is surrounded by willows, pavilions, and kiosks, making it a very pleasant sight.
"Sitting there fishing and drinking tea, with a gentle breeze blowing, must feel wonderful."
But Chen Yi could only lie on the window and stare at the small pavilion, feeling a bit like tears behind bars.
I wish I could go out.
Unfortunately, Madam Xiao Jinghong insisted on having someone "protect" him for one hundred days.
Chen Yi turned his head to look at the doorway and met the gaze of four eight-foot-tall, burly armored soldiers. A friendly smile immediately appeared on his face.
"The sun is shining brightly today, perfect for a spring outing!"
Seeing that they were still looking at him expressionlessly, Chen Yi felt awkward and got up to remove the window support and close the window.
I don't know what these soldiers ate to grow up like this, but they are all about two meters tall and so strong.
Although Chen Yi was not short, standing at seven feet (about 1.8 meters), compared to them, he perfectly fit the image of a "weak scholar".
"Son-in-law, we've finished counting."
At this time, Xiaodie came over holding a stack of pine paper.
Chen Yi asked casually, "How much is it?"
“Eight hundred in total,” Xiaodie exclaimed in admiration. “Young master, you’ve written a full six hundred articles in the past month, which is an average of twenty articles a day, totaling two thousand words.”
There are still two hundred articles to go.
Chen Yi thought to himself that if he had a fountain pen or a pencil, he could write a hundred articles a day without any problem.
However, when using a brush, one also has to consider calligraphy attainments, so the speed is really not fast.
But this didn't stop him from being smug: "Isn't my son-in-law amazing?"
Xiaodie didn't refute this time, and praised sincerely: "Amazing."
"You know how powerful it is, why don't you give it to the young lady?" Chen Yi touched his stomach and said, "I'm hungry. Remember to bring lunch back."
That Wei Qing font is characterized by thick and heavy strokes and a broad frame. It is somewhat similar to the calligraphy of Mi Fu, a calligrapher in his previous life, and is extremely energy-consuming.
"Okay, I'll go right away. I heard from Sister Xiaoqin that the chef made roast duck for lunch, and it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Xiao Die rushed out the door with the cloud pine paper in her arms, still reminding the soldiers to keep a close eye on Chen Yi.
This girl.
Chen Yi smiled and shook his head, then leaned back in the recliner, his eyes sparkling.
The phantom screen appears:
Name: Chen Yi
Calligraphy: Minor Achievement (35/100)
Font: Wei Qing (Skilled·Full)
Opportunity: 1
[Daily Intelligence - Yellow-Rank Superior: Rain is expected on Wushan Mountain at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM). Fang Lichun, the daughter of the Fang family, eloped with her lover Wang Boyuan, but her family tracked them down and forcibly broke off their engagement. A small amount of good fortune may be obtained.]
[Comment: To not seize an opportunity presented itself before the person even arrives, before the voice is heard, and before the scene is witnessed, is the mark of an inherently lazy person.]
After reading it, Chen Yi thought to himself, "The content of this daily intelligence is getting weirder and weirder."
Over the past month.
The daily intelligence updates ranged from minor squabbles within the Xiao family to major incidents like local bullies seizing fertile land in Shu Prefecture. All of these made him feel that the opportunities provided by the "daily intelligence" were somewhat quaint and unsettling.
If a wealthy young lady eloped with a poor young man today, the scene would probably be like this—
Ignoring their young lady's cries, the Fang family forcibly dragged her away.
Meanwhile, Wang Boyuan, the lover, struggled to grab his beloved's hand, but was knocked unconscious by a stick and fell into the wind and rain.
The visuals are incredibly impactful, heartbreaking, and deeply regrettable.
When that time really came, Chen Yi was wondering whether he should eat melon seeds and watch the show, or be grateful to the two people for their sincere help.
"Daily news? I think 'eating melons today' is a more appropriate term."
If he wasn't under house arrest and not allowed to go out, with soldiers guarding the door, he would have gone to see what the daily intelligence was about.
With this in mind, Chen Yi focused his attention on calligraphy, concentrating on the "calligraphy fonts" section.
"Eight hundred family rules, a total of eighty thousand words, were written down, and Wei Qingzi was raised to the proficient level of perfection... Not bad."
Although he had some success in calligraphy, it could not give him direct calligraphy experience or allow him to have the strength to write for decades.
However, when he writes, it can enhance his understanding of calligraphy. From the simplest strokes and character frameworks to the structure, blank spaces, and themes of each piece, there is clear guidance, which greatly increases his growth rate in calligraphy.
He achieved the level of calligraphy skill that others take years, decades, or even longer to reach, in just one and a half months.
"It's a pity that the minor success in calligraphy can only improve calligraphy attainments to the skilled level. If there is another breakthrough, at least one can become a famous calligrapher of the Wei Dynasty."
Chen Yi said something, then found a book and started reading.
These days, apart from copying the family rules, he spent his free time reading books, mostly history books, and a few vernacular novels or travel essays.
According to the book, it has been 250 years since the Great Wei overthrew the Ganyang Dynasty, and the current Emperor Anhe is the thirteenth emperor of the Great Wei.
For the first fifty years, the Wei Dynasty waged wars year after year to expand its territory.
After that, there was peace for two hundred years, and it experienced the prosperous times of Rongping and the governance of Huijing. All nations came to pay tribute, pushing the prestige of the Wei Dynasty to its peak.
However, all things in the world follow the cycle of prosperity and decline. In recent years, the rise of several neighboring countries has led to friction and war with the Wei Dynasty.
For example, twenty-five years ago, when the Southern Barbarians rose up and marched north, it took the Marquis of Dingyuan, Xiao family, five years of fighting to drive them back.
The brutality of that battle can be described as "injuring one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of our own men." Almost every family in the major towns, counties and villages in Shuzhou had a funeral.
After that, the Xiao family began to decline.
Although there have been no major wars in the last twenty years, various barbarian tribes would occasionally come to plunder, and every now and then a member of the Xiao family would die a heroic death.
No wonder even a woman like his wife Xiao Jinghong would choose to go into battle.
"In a barbarian land, with foreign neighbors, it's really passive to go back and forth."
"If we don't slaughter and exterminate their entire clan, how can there be a prosperous and peaceful society?"
Chen Yi always believed in the saying, "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts."
When dealing with the barbarians or the Buddhist countries in the west, the only way to enjoy peace is to kill them until they are terrified, just like Huo Qubing did to the Huns in the northern desert.
"Ha, you're thinking too far ahead."
"I'm just a carefree son-in-law, content with a peaceful life."
Thinking it over, Chen Yi put down his book and stared longingly at the door.
Little Butterfly, if you don't come back soon, your son-in-law is really going to starve to death.
...
Jiaxingyuan means "harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things".
Twenty years ago, Lord Xiao felt that many of his family members had died or were disabled, so he asked a Taoist master to write an inscription and change his name.
Separated from Chen Yi's Chunhe Garden by only a wall, it is now the residence of Xiao Wan'er, the eldest daughter of the Xiao family, and Xiao Wuge, the young marquis.
Jiaxingyuan is smaller than Chunheyuan.
There are two three-story wooden buildings, one on the east and one on the west. There are trees in front of the buildings and a garden in the back. Surrounded by greenery, the view is serene and pleasant.
At this moment, in the west wing, which is a little further away.
Xiaodie placed the Yunsong paper on the table gently, lowering her eyebrows and saying, "Miss, here are all the family rules that my son-in-law copied today."
"Hmm." A question came from the study room behind a curtain: "Xiao Die, has he shown any signs of wanting to escape in recent days?"
The voice is soothing and clear, like the drizzle in the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River, but it is somewhat weak and lacks strength.
Xiaodie shook her head and said, "No. Lately, the young master has been either copying the family rules or reading books, and he hasn't written poems like before."
After thinking for a moment, she added, "However... however, Xiaodie could tell that he had been holding back for a long time, as he often looked at that pool."
Laughter could be heard coming from the study.
"It's human nature. If I were in your situation, I would also feel bored if I stayed in my room all the time."
The sound gradually approached.
Then the curtain was lifted and a graceful woman walked out.
She was extremely beautiful, with an oval face, eyebrows like distant mountains, and eyes like starlight, like a fairy who had fallen to earth.
Even in this late summer season, she was still wearing a thick cloak.
However, it was not hard to see a hint of illness in her fair skin; she looked slightly tired and pale.
It was none other than Xiao Wan'er, the eldest daughter of the Xiao family.
"Go and pass on a message to him later, saying that after he finishes copying these thousand family rules, he can move around in Chunhe Garden."
Xiaodie hesitated, "This..."
"Don't worry, I'll write a letter to Jinghong; she won't blame me," Xiao Wan'er said, picking up the pine paper on the table and looking at it one by one, her tone reproachful:
“It’s been a month and a half since she got married, and hiding like this isn’t a solution.”
Xiaodie shrank back; she dared not speak carelessly when it came to the Second Miss's affairs.
"Go and tell my brother-in-law as I said that as long as he stays in the manor safely, my Xiao family will not neglect him."
"Yes, I'll go right away."
After Xiaodie left.
Xiao Wan'er's eyes fell on one of the family rules, and a hint of surprise appeared on her delicate face.
"His calligraphy skills are truly extraordinary."
With Xiao Wan'er's knowledge, it's not hard to see Chen Yi's writing skills.
The so-called "calligraphy" is the same as "painting". Looking at calligraphy is like looking at an ink painting. You have to appreciate it from the brushwork, brush strength, structure and even the blank space between the lines.
It can be said that from the first family rules copied by Chen Yi to the 800th one, a sense of spirit has emerged from the words - just as Mr. Juyi of Jinling Academy once commented:
"Chen Qingzhou's calligraphy is quite spirited, reflecting the youthful vigor and talent of someone who has achieved success at a young age."
Although Xiao Wan'er didn't see "spiritedness and high spirits," she did see a carefree and composed demeanor, which was quite impressive.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have imagined that it was made by Chen Yi."
With such calligraphy, his talent can be seen from the poem "Shuzhou Yin: Marrying into the Xiao Family", so it is not difficult to understand why he chose to escape the marriage...
I just don’t know if Jinghong will change her opinion of him after knowing this.
After all, it would be hard for any woman to forgive her husband for running away on their wedding day.
Besides, he was a son-in-law who married into the Xiao family, and besides... he was as proud as Jinghong.
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Wan'er sat down at the table, picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote a few lines of delicate handwriting on the paper:
"To my esteemed friend, seeing this letter is like seeing you in person:"
You have been inspecting the three towns of Shuzhou for over a month now, and everything is fine at home.
Grandfather's condition has improved, and a few old friends have recently visited him, which has made him feel much better...
My brother-in-law has already shown remorse; please be aware of this. — Xiao Wan'er
(End of this chapter)
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