Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 4 Exploring Spring
Wenhan Street is on the east side of Rongguo Mansion. It takes a long detour to go out from the black oil gate of the east courtyard.

But passing through the back garden of Rongguo Mansion and exiting from the west corner gate saves half the journey.

When Nanny Zhao was walking through the back garden with the note written by Jia Cong, she saw a few young women walking towards her on the opposite stone path.

One of them had slender shoulders and a thin waist, a tall figure, an oval face, handsome eyes and thin eyebrows, a lively look, and a brilliant literary talent that made one forget the world when seeing her.

The other one had slightly plump skin, a medium build, cheeks as red as litchi, a nose as smooth as goose fat, and was gentle and silent, very approachable.

The woman with beautiful eyes and well-shaped eyebrows looked at Madam Zhao with a bright and sharp gaze, as if she could see into people's hearts.

Nanny Zhao got flustered and the note in her hand fell to the ground. It was picked up by the wind and floated away slowly.

She was not a born servant in the Jia family, and because of Jia Cong, she was not well-received in the Jia family.

She usually only went in and out of the East Courtyard and seldom came to the West Mansion, but she also knew that the West Mansion had three daughters.

Unlike Jia Cong who was hated by everyone, the three young ladies were the apple of the Jia family's eye and had been raised by the old lord of the Jia family since childhood.

There was also a legitimate son who was born with a jade in his mouth. He was extremely noble, like a pearl and a treasure, and was the most favored by the old feudal lord of the Jia family.

The one who looked at her just now was the third young lady, Tanchun. Not only was she as beautiful as a flower, but she was also smart and capable. She was the most valued by the old lady in the Jia family among the young ladies.

Although this third young lady was born out of wedlock like Jia Cong, no one dared to look down on her. Even the most powerful Second Lady Lian in the Second Mansion was wary of her.

The note dropped by Nanny Zhao was blown by the wind and happened to be rolled up to the edge of the embroidered shoes of the third lady, Tanchun.

Tanchun bent down to pick up the note, and her clear and beautiful eyes suddenly lit up. That moment was very touching.

The note read: A comprehensive study of ancient and modern historical facts, biographies of famous calligraphers, and two pieces of coarse linen and raw rice paper.

The note Jia Cong wrote was for what he wanted to buy. Zhao Ma was not very literate, so the note was for the clerk and the manager of the bookstore to see.

Tanchun loves calligraphy so much that even her personal maids are named Shishu and Cuimo, both of which are related to calligraphy.

She is naturally a person with good taste. The running script on the note is gentle and elegant, clear and free, skillful and concise, which makes people amazed and fascinated at the first sight.

Tanchun was deeply immersed in calligraphy and was more easily moved by the elegant and graceful calligraphy than others. She was so excited that two red clouds appeared on her pretty face.

She asked anxiously, "Who wrote this note?"

When Madam Zhao saw the third girl's expression of surprise, her fair skin, her rosy cheeks, which made her look even more pretty, she could not help but be stunned.

"This is written by our brother Cong. Let me buy him books and paper."

"Cong'er..." Tanchun was stunned. She was obviously unfamiliar with the name and didn't react for a while.

Jia Cong was detained in the East Road Courtyard since he was a child. Grandmother Jia had always disliked this grandson because his biological mother was of low status.

Jia Cong had almost never been to the West Mansion. Even his grandmother could not remember what her grandson looked like, let alone Tanchun and other sisters.

Yingchun on the side chuckled: "Why are you confused, third sister? Congge is my third brother, but he grew up in the East Road Courtyard, so third sister is not familiar with him."

Yingchun was born to Jia She's concubine, and is a half-sister of Jia Cong. Naturally, she knows her younger brother, but she rarely has contact with him in normal times.

Tanchun came back to her senses and said in amazement: "It turned out to be Third Brother Cong. I never thought that he could write so well."

"They are better than the books and posts in my room. What kind of brother is this that my second sister hides? She keeps quiet and doesn't often invite him to play."

Yingchun took the note from Tanchun and replied after a while: "I have never heard that he can write well before."

Tanchun was surprised, "How come I didn't know that my own brother was so outstanding?"

Yingchun blushed, for she knew that the eldest master and his mistress disliked Jia Cong very much, and had always beaten and scolded him since he was a child, and had treated him very harshly.

Although she and Jia Cong were biological sisters, she felt that it was inappropriate for him to be treated like this.

But she was gentle and silent in nature, and her words were soft and sweet. She was far less shrewd and upright than Tanchun, and she did not dare to argue with her parents about this matter.

She was raised in the West Mansion since she was a child, and she had little contact with her younger brother Jia Cong...

She was too embarrassed to tell Tanchun about these things. As an elder sister, she felt somewhat ashamed for not being able to help her younger brother.

Tanchun saw that she was speechless after a few words. This second sister was nicknamed "Second Wood", and she was used to it. Tanchun looked at the words on the note and couldn't let it go. She felt that it was a waste of elegance to write such beautiful words on the rough paper.

His eyes were bright and gentle, and he had a plan in mind.

"I have plenty of the books and papers that Third Brother Cong wants to buy in my room. Mom doesn't have to go out to buy them. She can just take them from me. Isn't that convenient?"

The third daughter, Tanchun, loves calligraphy, studies classics intensively, has lofty ambitions, and is the best among her sisters, even better than her brother who was born with a jade in his mouth.

She often regretted being a girl and not being able to start a career. She was obsessed with calligraphy and classics, and she had the subconscious desire to emulate men.

Therefore, the books that Jia Cong wanted were the ones that she had the most of in her room, which is why she said this to Madam Zhao.

Nanny Zhao had suffered so much bullying in the East Courtyard, and now the Third Young Lady was so polite that she felt a little flattered.

"How can I trouble the third lady?"

Tanchun laughed and said, "Mother, you are wrong. They are all siblings. What's the point of this? I will go back and pick out the best ones and have the maid send them over."

"Thank you so much, Third Miss. I will tell Brother Cong about your kindness when I get back."

Tanchun thought about it again, her face flushed a little, and said:

"Mom, please tell my third brother that I love his calligraphy and want him to write a piece for me to copy."

Nanny Zhao suddenly realized that the third young lady, like the old scholar, was attracted by Cong'er's calligraphy.

Scholars are really precious. So many people praise them just because they can write a few words.

"Don't worry, young lady. It's nothing. I will tell you when I get back. Brother Cong has written a letter and I will send it to you."

As Zhao Ma walked away, Tanchun said to Yingchun, "Second sister, Third Brother Cong is so young, yet he can write such beautiful calligraphy. I have copied many famous calligraphy works, but I have rarely seen such a good one. Today is really rare."

Yingchun was so stunned that she didn't know how to respond. After a long while, she said, "Brother Cong has grown up and has shown great promise."

At this moment, Tanchun had no intention of strolling around the garden with Yingchun, so she went back to her room with the secretary.

She selected the books that Jia Cong wanted from the bookshelf, and took out two rolls of the best Xuelang paper. This kind of paper is fine and absorbs ink well, making it the best for writing.

She called the maid to give her some instructions and asked her to find out more. Just now, she saw Yingchun hesitated to speak and knew there must be a reason for it.

After packing up my things, I copied the words on the note for a long time, and my admiration and love for it grew more and more. Then I saw Shishu had come back from his walk outside.

……

Hongyuanfang is close to the south of the imperial city, where the palace of Prince Jiashun of the Great Zhou Dynasty is located.

Zhou Changyan was a guest of the Jiashun Palace. He was good at fine brushwork of flowers and birds, well-versed in classics and articles, and also had great skills in calligraphy. He was treated very kindly by Prince Jiashun.

He carefully held two pieces of rough water-dyed red nitrate paper in his right hand and walked into the palace with a happy expression. He didn't care about the slight pungent smell of the water-dyed red nitrate paper.

Prince Jiashun was the youngest son of the retired emperor, in his twenties. He was described as handsome and elegant, a well-known talent in the royal family. He loved calligraphy and painting, reading, and was well-versed in compilation and scholarship.

The palace kept many retainers with great learning and talent. Prince Jiashun had never been interested in state affairs since childhood. He was determined to study and took his retainers to do the elegant work of compiling ancient and modern book collections.

Such an elegant and leisurely prince always has good popularity. The emperor emeritus loves this young son very much and often calls him into the palace to discuss books and paintings so that they can enjoy family time.

The civil servants in the court also had a good impression of this talented prince.

When Prince Jiashun was young, he was raised by his elder brother, Prince Wu. The brothers had a close relationship, but it was limited to brotherly love.

Because Prince Jiashun was only five years old when Prince Wu did the bad thing, even though there was such an embarrassing past event, the current emperor did not mind it at all and has always been kind to this younger brother.

At this moment, Prince Jiashun Li Xiaocheng was drinking and chatting with a group of guests in the hall, and saw Zhou Changyan coming in with a happy look on his face.

Prince Jiashun said with a smile, "I was just about to go to Changyan to have a drink. Where did you come from and what do you have in your hand?"

Zhou Changyan smiled and said, "Your Highness, I passed by Judefang today and encountered a rare thing. I brought something here for Your Highness to appreciate."

(End of this chapter)