Great Qing Xiangguo

Chapter 43

Zhang Qian was ordered to go to Beijing, and he still temporarily lived in the Shanxi Guild Hall.Chen Tingjing was rarely quiet today, so he invited Zhang Qian to visit the Antique Street.The two strolled on the street for a while, and entered a shop called "Wu Mo Zhai".When the shopkeeper saw the visitor, he hurriedly greeted: "Hey, you two, just take a look! The things in my store are all genuine and high-quality products!"

Chen Tingjing said with a smile: "I heard that your store has good things, so I'm going to take a look today."

The shopkeeper looked at Chen Tingjing and Zhang Qian, and said, "You two should be experts. I have here a painting of "Kuang Lu Tu" by Jing Hao of the Five Dynasties."

Chen Tingjing was surprised when he heard this, and asked: "Jing Hao's painting? If it is really his, it is a masterpiece!"

The shopkeeper took out the painting from the cabinet, went to the side for a few cases, opened it carefully, and said, "This thing is too precious, and it would be a waste to leave it outside."

Chen Tingjing remained silent, and leaned over to appreciate it carefully.Zhang Qian looked at it, shook his head and said, "Ting Jing, it depends on your eyesight, I'm not good at it."

Chen Tingjing said: "I only know the surface."

The shopkeeper looked at Chen Tingjing's eyes, then looked at the painting, and said cautiously: "Many experts have seen it, and they are amazed."

Chen Tingjing looked at it for a while, nodded and said: "Looking at the style of his painting, he really has the atmosphere of Jinghao. This sentence of waterfall flying down three thousand feet, writing the five old peaks of Lushan Mountain, is a poem written by Ke Jiusi, a poet of the Yuan Dynasty. The characters of Haozheng's works should be inscribed by people in the Song Dynasty. There is no artist's inscription on this painting, and the so-called "Kuanglu Picture" is just a false statement passed down by later generations, which is called smooth."

Zhang Qian asked, "How did you see it?"

The shopkeeper also wanted to know what happened, so he opened his mouth and looked at Chen Tingjing.Chen Tingjing said: "Jing Hao encountered troubled times and lived in seclusion in the Taihang Mountains in his later years. The landscapes he painted are all northern scenery, with many rocks and little soil, tall and majestic. Brother Zhang Qian, you and I are both Taihang Mountain people. Please take a close look at this painting. Isn’t it our hometown?”

Before Zhang Qian could answer, the shopkeeper had already clapped his hands and praised: "Ah, you are really an expert."

Chen Tingjing shook his head and said, "You're welcome, shopkeeper. What's the price of this painting?"

The shopkeeper stretched out two fingers: "No second price, 2000 taels of silver."

Chen Tingjing shook his head and smiled, but kept silent.Seeing Chen Tingjing's appearance, the shopkeeper swears and swears, saying that you are an expert and understand the market, and the price is really not expensive.Chen Tingjing still shook his head with a smile, and looked at other things on the cabinet.

The shopkeeper was anxious: "Why don't you make an offer? Such a good thing must fall into the hands of experts, otherwise it will be a waste."

Chen Tingjing still shook his head.The shopkeeper was even more unwilling: "My lord, just say a word, there is no righteousness in business."

Chen Tingjing smiled and said, "I'd better not speak, otherwise I will offend you."

The shopkeeper patted his chest and stomped his feet very boldly: "My lord, where did you go? Please make a price."

Chen Tingjing also stretched out two fingers: "Two taels of silver."

The shopkeeper was furious: "You are really joking!"

Chen Tingjing still smiled: "I said I would offend you, wouldn't I?"

The shopkeeper seemed to suddenly feel that the visitor might not be an ordinary person, and immediately laughed: "Where is it! I just said, two taels of silver, it's too outrageous."

Chen Tingjing said: "It's only worth two taels of silver, you know it in your heart."

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and said, "My lord, you have confused me."

Chen Tingjing laughed loudly: "How are you confused? You are very smart."

Zhang Qian asked cautiously: "Brother Ting Jing, it may not be a fake?"

Chen Tingjing said: "Ask the shopkeeper!"

The shopkeeper said bitterly: "It's really a fake, I will suffer a lot! I collected it as the real thing!"

Chen Tingjing smiled: "The shopkeeper is still fooling us."

Zhang Qian looked at the shopkeeper and said, "Brother Ting Jing, I'm afraid you've hit the mark, the shopkeeper will keep silent."

Chen Tingjing said: "I don't really understand it, but Gao Shiqi really understands it. He plays a lot and he is an expert."

When the shopkeeper heard about Gao Shiqi, he clapped his hands together and asked, "Are you talking about Mr. Gao from the palace?"

Chen Tingjing smiled but did not answer, just asked: "Do you know each other?"

The shopkeeper quickly knelt down, kowtowed and said, "I dare not deceive the two adults!"

Chen Tingjing hurriedly helped the shopkeeper up, and said with a smile, "Both of us are not wearing court clothes, and we don't have any official characters written on our faces."

The shopkeeper stood up, patted the ashes on his knees, and said respectfully: "Since you two adults know Mr. Gao, you must be officials of the imperial court. Mr. Gao thinks highly of the small ones. If there are authentic high-grade works of the small ones here, please invite them first." Mr. Gao has eyes. This genuine "Kuang Lu Tu" is in the hands of Mr. Gao. The genuine "Kuang Lu Tu" is worth more than 2000 taels of silver. The small one was sold to Mr. Gao for only 2000 taels. It really only cost two taels of silver to buy a fake that is exactly the same as this one."

Zhang Qian asked: "What does Mr. Gao want to do with fakes?"

The shopkeeper said: "It's Mr. Gao's habit. He said that the real goods are ruined by leaving them outside. There are not many people in the world who can tell the real and the fake. He will only show the real goods to see if he meets an expert."

Chen Tingjing and Zhang Qian looked at each other and smiled.The two left Wumozhai, found a restaurant, drank a few cups, chatted, and returned at dusk.

A few days later, in the South Study Room, Mingzhu read the memorial and chatted, asking everyone about recommending honest officials and erudite poets.It turns out that the emperor has allowed senior officials of the fourth rank and above to select honest and honest officials from all over the world, and recommend well-educated people to become erudite scholars.Although Gao Shiqi's position is not as high as the fourth grade, he is the emperor's literary attendant, and he is ordered to recommend talents, so he said: "Shiqi is thinking about it, but he hasn't made it up yet."

Mingzhu asked Chen Tingjing if he had made up his mind.Chen Tingjing said: "Tingjing thinks that Lu Longqi, the magistrate of Jiading County, Shao Siyao, the magistrate of Qingyuan County, and Liu Xiangnian, the magistrate of Wujiang County, are all honest and loving officials. If you want to say that you are a well-educated person, Ting Jing first recommends Fu Shan."

After hearing what Chen Tingjing said, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.

Mingzhu said: "Ting Jing, although Lu, Shao, and Liu are well-known, their talents are mediocre. I have been in charge of the official department for many years, and I know it best. Fu Shan, please don't say any more, he has been thinking about it. Who in the world does not know about the anti-Qing and restoring the Ming?"

"Who wants to fight against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty?" Suddenly the emperor came in, and the servants were so frightened that they rolled to the ground.

The emperor sat down on the kang and said, "I didn't let Zhang Shande say hello first, so I just came in. Mingzhu, what did you just say?"

Gao Shiqi rushed to play back: "Returning to the emperor, it was Chen Tingjing who wanted to recommend Fu Shan to enter the erudition of Hongci. Mingzhu said it was wrong. Everyone in the world knows that Fu Shan and my Qing Dynasty are not of one mind."

The emperor sighed, and said slowly: "I have heard about Fu Shan since I was a child. His anti-poem is very famous. It was not only circulated among scholars, but even children in the market could recite it. Does anyone remember it? "

For a while no one said a word.After a long while, Chen Tingjing replied: "I still remember that the poem said, 'A lamp continues the sun and the moon, and troubles are illuminated when you are insomnia. If you are not born or dead, how can you be an embrace!' The sun and the moon are bright, and this poem is indeed an anti-poetry. "

The emperor smiled slightly and said: "You are all cunning! I don't believe you all don't remember. I was still a child with a yellow mouth, and I remembered it. I can't forget it for decades. Only Ting Jing dares to say that he remembers it." , It can be seen that he is frank!"

Chen Tingjing cupped his hands and handed over the memorial: "I want to recommend Lu Longqi, Shao Siyao, and Liu Xiangnian as three incorruptible magistrates. They are erudite in Ci, and I recommend Fu Shan, a famous Confucian in Shanxi! I have written the memorial, and I respectfully invite the emperor to read it!"

Zhang Shande took the notebook and put it at the emperor's hand.The emperor said: "You should discuss this book first. I remember that when I was very young, I heard Ting Jing talk about Fu Shan. I knew that he was a scholar who paid great attention to his reputation. For the sake of Taoism, it does not follow the Qing Dynasty."

Gao Shiqi heard what the emperor said, and immediately played: "Fu Shan and Gu Yanwu worked hand in hand, and they served the Nanming court who was dying."

Chen Tingjing said: "In the opening ceremony to the emperor, what Gao Shiqi said is indeed the truth, but time has passed and the situation has changed, so we should abandon our prejudices. If you want to talk about Fu Shan, I know it better than Gao Shiqi."

Gao Shiqi said: "That's true. Chen Tingjing and Fu Shan have been friends for many years."

Chen Tingjing heard Gao Shiqi's overtones, and said: "Your Majesty, I have met Fu Shan for a few times. Although they have different ambitions, they respect each other. It is not a friend. From the day I became a Jinshi, he has been Encourage me to leave the court; and from the day I met him, I persuaded him to return to the court."

The emperor nodded for a moment, and said: "Ting Jing, I allow you to recommend Fu Shan. How old is Fu Shan?"

Chen Tingjing hurriedly bowed his head to thank him, and replied: "Should be around 70 years old."

The emperor was quite emotional: "He is already an old man! The magistrate of Mingyang Qu County came to ask Fu Shan to come to Beijing. I want to meet this old man with a strong character. Well, you have worked hard enough, let's put the matter at hand aside and talk about it." Do something else."

Gao Shiqi hurriedly said: "I would like to report to the emperor that I have collected a painting of "Kuang Lu Tu" by Jing Hao, a famous artist of the Five Dynasties, and I want to present it to the emperor!"

The emperor was overjoyed: "Huh? Jing Hao's? Quickly bring it to me for a look."

Gao Shiqi fetched "Kuang Lu Tu" and slowly opened it.The emperor admired it carefully and nodded: "It's really a rare treasure! Chen Tingjing, you understand it too. Take a look, how about it?"

Chen Tingjing went up to take a closer look, and found that it was a fake, so he couldn't help but let out an "ah".The emperor hurriedly asked what was wrong.Chen Tingjing concealed: "Jing Hao's paintings are not many left in the world, it is really rare! I am amazed by this."

The emperor rejoiced and said: "Shiqi knows a lot! He is a miscellaneous man. His character was praised by the previous emperor, and he is also good at playing antiques. Back then, he made a slingshot for me. I have been hiding that thing. where!"

Gao Shiqi hurriedly knelt down and said humbly: "I have little talent and little learning, I can only do small things for the emperor, just to be loyal."

The emperor smiled and said: "You can't say that. If you want to say that I study, it is really the way that Shiqi led me in. When I was young, when I read any poem, Shiqi can know its age and whose family it came from. Later, I accumulated time and time, and I knew it myself."

Gao Shiqi cupped his hands and said: "The emperor is talented and intelligent, he is really a god!"

Chen Tingjing heard the emperor's appreciation of Gao Shiqi, he could only sigh inwardly.Back then, Gao Shiqi often carried a few golden beans in his arms, and when he was looking for time, he would ask the father-in-law of Qianqing palace what books the emperor had read these days and where he had read them.After asking, he handed over a golden bean.Gao Shiqi went to flip through the books when he turned his head, and made himself familiar with the book the emperor was reading.Afterwards, whenever the emperor asked questions, Gao Shiqi would answer them fluently.At that time, the emperor was young, so he always thought that Gao Shiqi was very knowledgeable.Little did they know that the father-in-law of the Qianqing Palace privately gave Gao Shiqi a nickname: Gao Jindou!For a while, "Gao Jindou" became the god of wealth for the father-in-laws, and some father-in-laws would go to tell him what books the emperor read recently.Back then Zhang Shande was young, so the old eunuch would inevitably bully him.Chen Tingjing couldn't see it, so he spoke up for him when he had the opportunity.Zhang Shande has always been grateful for Chen Tingjing's benefits, and told him everything he knew.

The emperor was very happy today, he stayed in the south study for half a day, and returned with all his heart.Sending off Shengjia, Mingzhu asked: "Shiqi, where do you get so many fun things? Honor the emperor every now and then."

Gao Shiqi smiled and said: "Shiqi just has this heart, and he can always find something that the emperor likes."

Mingzhu smiled, turned her head and pulled Chen Tingjing to a corner, and said: "Master Chen, since you have already interviewed the emperor, I can't say more. But I am worried for you!"

Chen Tingjing asked: "Master Ming, why are you worried about me?"

Mingzhu said: "Lu, Shao, and Liu are three people with good official status, but they are too stubborn, and they will cause trouble if they are not handled properly. I am afraid that they will hurt you!"

Chen Tingjing said: "As long as they are really good and honest officials, it doesn't matter if they implicate me?"

Ming Zhu was avoiding people to say these words, but Gao Shiqi listened with sharp ears, and unexpectedly interjected: "Master Ming, why should you worry about Master Chen? He is loyal! Master Zhang, do you think so?"

Zhang Ying was stunned for a moment, then raised her head suddenly, and asked in an incomprehensible manner, "What did you say?"

Mingzhu smiled subtly and said, "Master Zhang is really smart!"

(End of this chapter)