Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 10 Reply
As soon as Jia Cong returned to the East Courtyard, he met the servant guarding the granary, who asked him to go to Rongguo Mansion to meet a guest.

Entering the Songxuan Hall next to Rongqing Hall, which was used to receive guests, I saw a middle-aged man with a white face and black beard sitting in the main seat. He was humble and kind, and was wearing a brown and yellow Shu brocade suit.

The servant called him Second Master, and Jia Cong knew that this was Jia Baoyu's father, Jia Zheng, the second son of the old lady of the Jia family.

In his previous life, when Jia Cong read Dream of the Red Chamber, he had some favorable impression of the character Jia Zheng. Although this man was a bit pedantic, his values ​​were normal and he was not a shameless playboy like Jia She.

As a father, he realized that Jia Baoyu was a man of extraordinary talent and a promising talent, but he was deeply ashamed that Jia Baoyu spent all day hanging out with girls of fancy dresses and neglecting his studies.

He wanted to discipline his son strictly, but was always stopped by his mother and wife in various ways. Before the great ceremony of filial piety and righteousness, he was tied up and was a helpless father.

He loved scholars the most, was respectful to the wise and humble, and helped the weak and the needy. He gave great help to Jia Yucun, a Jinshi who had been dismissed from office and fell into poverty, and helped him become a high-ranking official again, but he didn't know that he had raised an ungrateful person.

He has a helpful heart but lacks the ability to judge people. He is a mediocre and old-fashioned good man.

Later generations called him a defender of feudal ethics. Jia Cong always scoffed at such perverse ideas.

Every era has its own standards. Using the concepts of later generations to evaluate people from another era is itself a ridiculous ideological kidnapping.

Sitting below Jia Zheng was a middle-aged scholar in a blue shirt. When he saw Jia Cong come in, he immediately turned his head and looked at him with interest.

In this big family, Jia Cong's humble background and the exclusion and abuse he suffered from Jia She and his wife.

In addition, the old lady of the Jia family sincerely disliked her grandson, which led to Jia Cong being almost completely ignored in the Jia family.

Sometimes it seemed as if he didn't exist at all, and when the Jia family talked about their children and grandchildren with outsiders, they would subconsciously skip him.

Therefore, Jia Zheng had a very vague impression of his nephew, because he had only met Jia Cong a few times since he was a child.

But today, when he received Zhou Changyan and learned the reason for his visit, Jia Zheng was completely shocked.

The nephew was wearing an old robe that was too small for his size, with the cuffs even having traces of patching. He was thin and had sunken cheeks.

There was also less warmth and color on his face, as if he didn't eat enough food every day, which made Jia Zheng frown.

He saw Zhou Changyan looking at Jia Cong with a burning gaze, and even a hint of pity in his eyes, and he felt a little ashamed.

He secretly blamed his elder brother for not taking better care of his son. Those who didn't know better would think that the Jia family was mistreating their descendants.

In a wealthy family like the Jia family, Jia Cong's appearance was a bit shabby and eye-catching, but Jia Zheng saw that he had a pair of warm and crystal clear eyes, a calm and composed demeanor, and an aura that was inconsistent with his age.

He thought of Zhou Changyan's purpose of coming again, and when he made the connection between the two things, he was somewhat moved by this half-grown child.

When he was young, Jia Zheng was determined to pass the imperial examination and become an official to bring honor to his family, but due to his limited talent, he could not make any progress in his studies.

Later, his father Jia Daishan wrote a memorial to the emperor, and the emperor rewarded him with a fifth-rank position as a deputy minister of the Ministry of Works, thus saving him from the embarrassment of failing his studies.

But his passion for reading, his love for scholars, and his yearning for fame and status are engraved in his bones.

Today Zhou Changyan said that Prince Jiashun admired Jia Cong's calligraphy very much, calling him a rare talent in calligraphy, and even predicted that within a few years, the Jia family would produce a master of calligraphy.

Moreover, Prince Jiashun also wrote a letter personally, inviting Jia Cong to attend the Nanxi Literary Gathering on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and to serve as the recorder of the gathering.

There was actually such a miraculous thing in the world, and it happened in the Jia family, and happened to this unknown nephew of his.

As he was in officialdom, he naturally knew Prince Jiashun, a wise prince of the royal family with outstanding literary reputation and excellent reputation.

Compared with other royal descendants who have risen to prominence, Prince Jiashun is simply a role model and a clear stream of the royal family.

What made Jia Zheng feel close to him the most was that Prince Jiashun also loved reading very much. He was proficient in calligraphy and painting, and was well-versed in compilation and scholarship. He gathered many talented and famous people under him, who did some great work such as compiling ancient books and lists.

This is simply the perfect image of a scholar in Jia Zheng's mind, doing the scholarly things he wanted to do but was unable to do.

Moreover, the Nanxi Literary Society, which was held by Prince Jiashun the following year, was known as the first-class literary society in the Great Zhou Dynasty. All the invited participants were great scholars and celebrities with high reputations in the literati circle. If one wrote a good poem at the Nanxi Literary Society, it would become famous all over the world within a few days. What a pleasant and elegant literary thing it was.

Even if Jia Zheng could attend the Nanxi Literary Gathering once, it would be enough to make him proud for the rest of his life, but his literary talent and reputation were mediocre, and he would definitely not be invited to this world's number one literary gathering.

He wanted to make friends with people like Prince Jiashun, but his official position was mediocre, he was not good at socializing, and he had almost no talent, so it was difficult for him to enter the vision of people like Prince Jiashun.

Moreover, the Jia family had always been cautious about associating with members of the royal family. All these prevented Jia Zheng from having the opportunity to meet the most noble scholar in the world, which always made him feel a little regretful.

Jia Zheng naturally had great confidence in the judgment of a man of such outstanding literary reputation as Prince Jiashun. Since he praised Jia Cong's calligraphy so highly, it must be correct.

The scholarly and noble man whom he had imagined meeting day and night, now actually came to his house in person and wrote a letter to invite Jia Cong. How could his unknown nephew do such a shocking and inexplicable thing?

When Jia Cong looked at the letter from Prince Jiashun, he was confused. He didn't even know Prince Jiashun, so why would the other party suddenly come to him and invite him in a letter?

Seeing his expression, Zhou Changyan knew that he was confused, so he told him about the day he bought the couplets from Zhao Ma's house. Only then did Jia Cong realize that the ten taels of silver should be here.

Jia Zheng, who was standing by, was both surprised and delighted. This was a legend that only existed in operas. A poor scholar with amazing talent could finally not hide his talent, and one day he was appreciated by a nobleman, and from then on, good fortune came.

Such a thing actually happened in his Jia family. The Jia family was so lucky to have such a literary and elegant atmosphere. He was so excited that his face turned red and he wished he could be part of it.

It's just that Jia Cong came from a wealthy and aristocratic family, so he can't be considered a poor scholar. But when Jia Zheng looked at Jia Cong's appearance, he knew that he was definitely a poor scholar.

Although Jia Cong did not know Prince Jiashun, it was always a good thing to be appreciated by others. Since the other party wrote to him personally as a prince, he naturally had to write back to show courtesy.

When Jia Zheng heard that Jia Cong had written a reply, he immediately asked a maid to go to his study to get the best paper and pen, and asked Jia Cong to write a reply in the hall.

Prince Jiashun had such a broad vision that he praised Jia Cong's calligraphy so much. Jia Zheng couldn't wait to see it.

When Zhou Changyan saw Jia Cong pick up the brush, the down-and-out young man just now suddenly had an unusual aura.

Like a mountain standing tall in the abyss, or a pillar in the middle of a stream, Zhou Changyan was a well-educated man and knew that this was the aura that came naturally when one was fully focused on one's skills and the Way.

Those who are extremely talented and have focused on one method all their lives often have such a reputation, but Jia Cong is just a half-grown child, so it is too unbelievable.

But when I think of that extraordinary calligraphy, it does not seem so strange to think that the handwriting reflects the writer.

Jia Cong picked up his pen and wrote quickly: I have heard that Nanxi is a gathering place for the best talents in the world, and the scholars in the literati circle regard it as a scenic spot. The younger generation has long admired it. Now I am honored to have the king come to show respect to such a virtuous person...

When Zhou Changyan saw the calligraphy, he was amazed by its clear, elegant, simple and graceful style, which was exactly the same as the words on the couplet that day.

I thought to myself, no wonder the prince had doubts. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who would have believed that such outstanding calligraphy could be created by a young boy?

Jia Zheng, who was standing by, was also amazed by Jia Cong's calligraphy. He was not as proficient in calligraphy and painting as Zhou Changyan, and his appreciation was not as profound as the other's.

But after all, I have been reading for half my life, and I can still tell the good from the bad. Such a mature, smooth and elegant handwriting could only be written by a famous scholar.

But now it was written by a ten-year-old child. When had the Jia family ever produced such a talented and elegant young man? He suddenly felt very pleased and proud.

How could my eldest brother give birth to such an outstanding son? It would be great if he was my own son.

Thinking of Baoyu and Jia Huan, his two sons, neither of them is up to standard.

His eldest son, Jia Zhu, whom he valued the most, had entered school at the age of twenty. He was very much his own favorite, but he died young.

If that child were still alive, he would not be weaker than Jia Cong, and the second house also had cultural seeds. Now... Jia Zheng's heart was gloomy again.

At this time, the maid outside came to report that after Cong'er had met the guests, the master took him to Rongqing Hall, where the old lady wanted to question him.

　Students who clicked into the book, while reading the previous chapters, please click on the latest chapter and browse it to help accumulate follow-up reading for this book. It is difficult for new authors to read new books, so please give us your support. Thank you very much!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)