The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

What did you say? Zhen Xi stood on the corridor, his eyes slightly narrowed, and he couldn't help but look sideways at the steward behind him, who bowed his hands.

He really laughed out loud, a small matter of buying land and converting it into mulberry trees. Let a useless slave achieve this evil behavior. Zhen Xi simply asked again: Are you telling me that a county magistrate ruined our family's business? Now he has invited a group of businessmen to cause trouble in Songjiang Prefecture?

Ha. Zhen Xi chuckled disdainfully, removed his left hand from the stove, tapped the accuser in front of him, and asked, Which big boss are you following?

Don't look at Manager Zhen showing off his power in front of Zhen Zijing, among the hundreds of slaves in the Zhen Mansion, there are dozens, if not dozens, of people like him. And above them, there are the four chief stewards of the mansion, who are specially following Zhen Xi, the eldest son of Zhen.

Seeing that Zhen Xi was about to turn his anger on him, Manager Zhen knelt down on the ground with a plop and said tremblingly: I'm sorry, sir, I'm sorry. It's the villain's fault. It's all the villain's fault. The villain didn't expect that. The No. 1 county magistrate surnamed Chen can directly ask his father-in-law in the capital for help. If Zuodu Yushi hadn't come forward, he would never have found so many helpers.

Get up. Seeing the useless look on his servant's face, Zhen Xi felt angry and said impatiently, Don't dirty my land.

After hearing this, Manager Zhen quickly got up from the ground, only daring to bend her body tightly. The upturned eyes slightly looked at the master's expression, fearing that the other party would suddenly kick him in. But no matter how hard he tried to peek, he could only see Zhen Xi's hand stove.

This is the Zhang Furnace from Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. It is a first-class precious and exquisite thing. The hand stove is in the shape of a turtle, and the lid of the stove is decorated with a pattern of five butterflies holding longevity, which complements the good luck, wealth, longevity and happiness on the stove body.

Asking Steward Zhen to briefly describe the merchant's name, Zhen Xi glanced at the chief steward behind him. He didn't bother to find out whose follower this idiot was. He just looked at the four capable servants and asked, You guys haven't received any news at all?

The four people looked at each other, and then looked at the chief steward on the far right. Brother, this little steward is yours. It's better to let us wipe your butt for the trouble you caused yourself.

This person is also an upright person. He knows that his subordinates make mistakes, and he himself is also to blame. He quickly took a step forward and leaned towards the uncle of the Zhen family, saying, Uncle, the whole house is busy with the old lady's birthday gifts these days. It was due to a momentary oversight that I forgot to take care of the important matter of buying a field to plant mulberry trees.

Zhen Xi glanced at him gloomily, indicating that this person had been following him for the longest time. Otherwise, we really have to catch him and give him a good beating. After thinking for a moment, Zhen Xi raised his hand and lifted the cloak on his shoulders, Tell me, how do you want to solve this matter.

The big steward rolled his eyes and realized that he was onto something, and immediately advised: Right now, the capital is still secretly investigating the corruption of nobles. Sir, our family's top priority is to fill up the gap in Jinling Mansion before the imperial court sends out the imperial envoy. Yamen's accounts.

We have already said hello to the weaving bureaus in Suzhou and Hangzhou. We just have to wait until next spring to buy our mulberry silk at a high price. Since it is difficult to continue in Huating County, we might as well buy land in Lou County, Jinshan, and Fengxian first. After this, we will slowly deal with a seventh-grade county magistrate.

Zhen Xi took a deep breath and knew that the situation in front of the Zhen family could not be delayed easily. He said harshly: If this thing goes wrong again, I will twist off your heads and use them as chamber pots.

After saying that, Zhen Xi didn't bother to look at the idiot one more time. He looked directly at the steward in charge of the birthday banquet and asked: In the name of the master of the mansion, go and send a message to Zhang Shangde, asking him to spare time to visit the mansion these days.

yes.

Is there any reply from the Jia family? Does anyone know who to send next year?

Uncle, both young masters from Rongguo Mansion will come to celebrate their birthday. Upon hearing Uncle Zhenzhong's question, the steward quickly replied.

Will Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu both come? Zhen Xi nodded, showing some joy. At such a turbulent time, the two legitimate sons of the Jia family were able to come to Jinling in person, which was enough to calm the people who were in turmoil at home and abroad.

The Jia and Zhen families share the same love. A few generations back, there was even more in-law relationships. In this way, the friendship between you and me, and you among me, is the confidence for the two families to run rampant.

When the time comes, we will clean up two courtyards in the house and let them live directly at home. Any request must be made without any shortcomings. Zhen Xi's mood improved, and he didn't care about the two people who continued to bend over. Taking the remaining servants with him, he ordered as he walked, Second brother Lian likes girls. You recently went to Suzhou to buy some girls from good families and provide him with entertainment. Let the two of them stay in the house as long as possible. The better.”

The chief steward who had previously answered was attentive. Hearing this, he quickly replied: Sir, the second son of the Jia family has just been married. I heard that he will bring his wife as a guest this time. If they see it then, will it be passed back? not too good?

Then you won't separate their yards further? Zhen Xi cursed angrily. Then he thought that Jia Baoyu married Xue Baochai, and the Xue family was also an old friend of the Zhen family in Jinling for many years, so he said, We will prepare two more shops and give them to the Xue family girls when the time comes. Will that boy Xue Pan come back?

The letter didn't mention anything about Mr. Xue's family.

Remember first, if he comes back, put him in Brother Lian's room. The two of them can live together for a long time. When Zhen Xi finished speaking, he was walking around a corner. Suddenly I heard a faint cry coming from a distance, and my sullen spirit, which was already on fire, immediately got angry and said, What an unlucky thing, go find out which maid in the house is the maid who is ignorant. Beat her to death and throw her out. .”

The new year is approaching, and there is an old lady’s birthday party ahead. Those who dare to cry and cry on such a festive day are really despicable people who don’t know whether to live or die.

Uncle, it's in the second master's house. Someone immediately answered and said cautiously, Master Ma sent a girl to the second master's house a few days ago...

When Zhen Xi heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. It turned out to be his younger brother Baoyu... whatever.

This woman keeps crying. I'm afraid she misses my brother. Go and call some nuns to send her over and have fun with my second brother. Zhen Xi sneered. He wished Zhen Baoyu could eat, drink and have fun all day long. Day after day, I feel confused.

If I didn't raise this younger brother to be a loser, how could such a big Zhen family fall into my hands in vain?

yes.

…………

…………

Outside, Zhen Baoyu was sitting in the wing of the brothel listening to music with Ma Yin and other friends. Today's banquet was arranged by Ma Yin. The girls who receive guests in the house are even more carefully selected. Warm a pot of wine and keep singing and singing. In this winter, it is also a rare and good place to spend time.

The people who accompany him are all well-known young masters in Jinling. Everyone gathered around Zhen Baoyu, who was dressed in brilliant clothes. While drinking and laughing with each other, they secretly held Zhen Baoyu in the clouds. When the crying girl arrived, frivolous laughter sounded again in the room.

Zhen Baoyu didn't expect this woman to come, so she listened to the grandmother who was accompanying her and told her the cause and effect. He took the beautiful woman with pear blossoms and rain in his arms.

I haven't seen you for just a while, and you feel like crying? Zhen Baoyu gently placed his hand on his opponent's waist.

Although Zhen Baoyu's words and deeds are really obscene, his appearance is indeed first-class, no less than that of Jia Baoyu. The girl was held in his arms, feeling frightened and frightened in her heart. She didn't care to answer for a moment and could only tremble. But what Zhen Baoyu loved was her appearance, which made her move even more vigorously.

Ma Yin knew her origins more clearly, and poured a glass of wine for Zhen Baoyu amidst the laughter of the audience. Facing the beautiful woman, he said in an evil tone: You can't still miss the old man in your family when you fly on a branch and become a phoenix, right?

When someone heard this, they immediately became interested and asked: Brother Ma, from what you said, does this girl belong to someone else?

When will Brother Zhen be able to take advantage of this?

Ma Yin and Zhen Baoyu looked at each other and smiled, and the former immediately told the whole story as a joke. This girl's husband's family was originally a small merchant in Jinling City. On weekdays, I do some selling of sesame cakes in the streets. However, this man didn't know what kind of luck he had. He married a beautiful girl like a flower, which was also a good talk among the neighbors.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, due to busy business, the vendors asked their wives to come out to help. This was an ordinary thing, but that night, Zhen Baoyu took Ma Yin out to walk on the moon. When I saw the beautiful woman under the lantern, she also had a certain charm, and I was immediately stunned.

Ma Yin was brave and saw Zhen Baoyu's heartbeat. After a few days, the girl was captured and sent to Zhen's Mansion. Counting the days, it has been several months now.

After telling the interesting story, everyone who listened laughed loudly and said that Brother Ma was a talent. Coincidentally, the shouting sound from downstairs suddenly reached the wing on the second floor. Ma Yin has practiced martial arts for many years and has a very keen ear. Hearing that the hawking voice sounded familiar, he smiled evilly. He walked directly to the window and opened it to make the hawking sound clearer.

Selling sesame cakes——Selling sesame cakes————

Such a familiar hawking sound could not be recognized by the beautiful woman's ears as the tone of her former husband. Seeing that her expression turned into indescribable sadness, Zhen Baoyu became more interested and whispered in the beauty's ear: Baby, tell me. Now I let you choose, are you still willing to go back to find him?

Hahahaha. Ma Yin laughed, catering to Zhen Baoyu's wishes, and said, Brother Zhen, what's the point of asking like this? We might as well call her husband up and ask again. Wouldn't it be better and more interesting?

After saying that, he ignored the panic and fear on the beautiful woman's face. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, a servant of the Zhen family came up with an honest man. Everyone looked around and saw that the man looked quite old and there were still bruises on his face.

When a couple just met, they both lost half of their minds. They looked at each other speechlessly, each with tears in their eyes, which made others watch extremely interestingly. Ma Yin asked again: Today, I would like to do a favor and ask Brother Zhen for a favor for you and your wife. You woman, say this in front of all of us. As long as you say that you want to continue selling cakes on the street with him, We will never make things difficult for you and your wife.

Zhen Baoyu was extremely excited when she heard that. While hugging the beautiful woman tightly, she kept asking: Baby, tell me, tell me quickly. Do you want to follow him or me?

Seeing the other party's hand around her waist getting tighter and tighter, the beautiful woman didn't know what to say, so she could only bury her face on Zhen Baoyu's shoulder and sob softly. Does she have a choice? She had no choice. If you dare to go back today, you might be caught tomorrow. If you fall into the hands of these young masters, you will die easily.

The man with a bruised nose and swollen face also lowered his head. Looking at his pitiful and timid appearance, he didn't know what he had encountered before. Ma Yin looked around proudly, and seeing that everyone was in high spirits, he threw fifty taels of silver to each other, Take your sesame cakes and get out of here. Take this money to buy something for your children. May your family have a good year as well.”

The honest man didn't say a word, he just silently picked up the silver on the ground and left in a hurry. He walked in such an awkward manner that he didn't even dare to look at the lady behind him.

The laughter in the hall became even louder for a while.

This is not the first time they have done something like this. Every time I see it, I still find it extremely interesting and fascinating.

…………

…………

In the Huating County government office, Chen Heng was still burying his head in front of the case. He was writing a secret letter to Li Zhi, and the most important thing was to explain the amount of donations from merchants. Then list the uses of the money.

The stones used to expand ports, build bridges and build roads vary. Some can be excavated directly locally, while others need to be purchased and transported from Zhejiang. It’s best to recruit old craftsmen from the shipyard now. It was also necessary to purchase a batch of winter clothes from Qiupu Street in Yangzhou and distribute them to the people participating in the corvee to avoid the cold.

The current situation is tight, but the people have to work hard. If you can make them live a better life, try to live a better life. Chen Heng kept writing on the paper, and by the way, he also wrote down his plans for Songjiang Mansion on the paper. Because it is a confidential document, it does not need to be reviewed by the cabinet first. Chen Heng's wording was also very straightforward, trying to be understood by Li Zhi at a glance.

He was busy here, but Xiao Ping, who had just left not long ago, walked into the study again with joy and said to his county magistrate: Sir, good news, really good news.

Chen Heng raised his head from the case and saw the other party's joy. He couldn't help but asked curiously: Master Xiao, did you hear some good news?

Xiao Ping, who was invited to take a seat, quickly replied: The mountain chief over at Fu Xue has sent a message, and he would like to invite you to go to Fu Xue to give lectures for a day tomorrow.

This is not good news, Chen Heng smiled. They poured each other a cup of tea and said with a hint of distress: How can I find the time now? There are so many things in my hands that I can't get away from.

Sir, this is the contribution of culture and education. Seeing Chen Heng's intention to refuse, Xiao Ping hurriedly persuaded, Sir, didn't you say a few days ago that you would recruit more people to help your subordinates with the things they have at hand? You should share the burden. Scholars from the government school are the best candidates. Besides, the county examination will be held in March next year. Sir, you should meet the scholars in the county.

That's true. Chen Heng understands Xiao Ping's painstaking efforts. Culture and education are a major event for the county magistrate's examination and relocation. He nodded immediately and replied directly: Okay, then I'll go there. Looking at you like this, I'm afraid you still have something to hide, so let's say it all at once.

My lord, I see you. Xiao Ping didn't bother to drink tea at all, but still said excitedly, The newspaper shop in Fucheng received a message from someone today. I would like to ask if I can meet with your lord to talk about the recent news in Huating. Many things about the county.”

This time, without waiting for Chen Heng to speak, Xiao Ping continued to persuade: Sir, Teng Zijing asked Fan Gong to write an essay on this matter. It is really a matter of speaking and listening to appease the people in the county. It's done well. Call for corvee service There may be more people. I kindly ask you, sir, not to shirk it, but to meet them.

Isn't this the Dayong version of the interview? Chen Heng shook his head and laughed. There are indeed many smart people in the world who know how to sell newspapers by themselves. As for what Xiao Ping said about Teng Zijing, he also knew about it.

This allusion tells that during the Northern Song Dynasty, Teng Zijing was relegated to Baling County and renovated Yueyang Tower during his tenure. At that time, the renovation of Yueyang Tower had just been completed, and Teng Zijing invited many literary figures at the time to write, and asked Ouyang Xiu and others to write a preface for Yueyang Tower to promote it.

Don't underestimate the influence of these literary giants. As long as they say a few words and write a few words, literati from all over the world can come to Yueyang Tower to visit and benefit the local people.

What happened next is familiar to everyone. A year later, Fan Zhongyan sent a manuscript, which started with the sentence Holding the distant mountains, swallowing the Yangtze River, the vast water, the endless horizon, the morning light and evening overcast, and the myriad scenes. In just twenty words, the magnificence and momentum of Yueyang Tower are described.

Every word and sentence of the subsequent articles is worthy of being read repeatedly by future generations. Especially the sentence worry first when the world is worried, then be happy when the world is happy, whenever I read it, it makes people feel excited.

I understand. Chen Heng nodded with a smile. He knew that the stage for Songjiang Mansion had just been set up, and a qualified publicity was needed to completely establish his reputation. In addition to the local newspaper shops, let's find the newspaper shops in Yangzhou as well.

This is our hometown party. With them here, we should be able to prevent those who are interested in using clever words and subtitles to change the situation.

Seeing that the adults did not resist, Xiao Ping immediately suggested: Why don't we find more people?

Chen Heng thought for a while and gave up the idea. It's not enough to go too far. If you are a fourth-grade magistrate, you can call more people. At present, he is still the county magistrate, and it is enough to have these two houses. What's more, with so many merchants participating this time, these merchants may not have a few newspaper shops in their hands. When there is a sample manuscript, these people can just copy the newspapers as usual.

When Chen Heng said what he wanted, Xiao Ping nodded in agreement. It was better for his county magistrate to think more long-term.

After reporting the two things, Xiao Ping didn't want to stay for a long time, so he got up and left directly. Coming and going in such a hurry, a cup of tea was wasted. Chen Heng laughed and simply lowered his head and continued busy.

…………

…………

Songjiang Prefecture School is located in the south of the city and is under the jurisdiction of Huating County. Located between the Confucian Temple and the Sanxian Temple, it goes without saying that this place is lively.

When Chen Heng walked out of the sedan, the door of the mansion was open. At that time, the mountain chief of Zhengmeng Academy led the scholars and waited at the door, waiting for the arrival of Duke Zhuangyuan.

The headmaster of the academy is an old scholar, older than Marquis Xu Jin. Seeing Chen Heng, the Sanyuanjidi, he looked a little excited. This is a living sign in this dynasty's scientific examination. Today I can see a real person.

When Chen Heng, who was wearing regular clothes, walked up to him, the old mountain leader raised his hand to salute. The former stepped forward quickly and took the old mountain leader's hands. He said directly: Teacher is my respect, nothing else matters today. Only the younger students from Yangzhou come to visit Zhengmeng Academy. The mountain leader does not need to be polite. The person who should be polite is me, a junior.

After saying that, Chen Heng didn't wait for the old gentleman's reaction and directly raised his hands to bow. When Chen Heng stood up straight, the mountain leader's face was already filled with a smile. He said in a gentle tone: I am so virtuous and capable, how dare I accept the gift of the number one scholar of this dynasty.

Chen Heng smiled modestly, continued to hold the old man's hand, and said comfortingly: The mountain leader has been educating people in the academy for more than thirty years. He has students all over the world and is known as a virtuous person in the state capital. This is the virtue of the mountain leader. Students from Zhengmeng Academy will benefit the people when they enter the court, but worry about the world when they are in the countryside. This is the ability of a mountain leader.

After what he said, the old mountain leader excitedly hugged Chen Heng. Being able to get this evaluation from the other party is enough to comfort him for his hard life. Immediately he stretched out his hand in front of him and said, Please move forward and take a look at the hospital.

Chen Heng smiled and nodded, and accompanied by the other party and the scholars, he slowly visited various places in Zhengmeng Academy. From the school to the dormitory, when the guide introduced each place, Chen Heng also took out interesting stories from his own study and shared them with others around him.

Under the warm sunshine in winter, amid the colorful forestry, bursts of laughter can occasionally be heard. After everyone walked around, the old mountain chief and the master in the courtyard invited Chen Heng to the lobby that had been prepared in advance.

There are one hundred and eighty-six scholars in Zhengmeng Academy, and there are quite a few of them today, filling the seats inside and outside the academy. Chen Heng stood in front of these people and looked at the energetic faces. Some of them are older than me, and some are students about the same age as me.

Facing everyone's expectant gazes, Chen Heng bowed briefly, then stopped his sleeves and said: Today there is no difference between up and down, only before and after. I will say something later. If you want to ask questions, just raise your hands. Each other. Between us, I am only called my senior fellow student, what do you think?

Seeing that Duke Zhuangyuan was so approachable, the students all chuckled and said, With the kindness of Duke Zhuangyuan, I dare not obey my order.

After receiving the reply, Chen Heng chuckled and said, I wonder what you want to hear today? What do you want to ask?

There was some noisy discussion among the crowd, but a consensus was quickly reached. This time I was able to invite the leader of the article, so naturally I wanted to ask about the art of writing policy articles. In the hearts of all the students, who doesn’t have a sweet dream of being named on the gold medal list?

Chen Heng nodded directly after hearing their words. He was not surprised that the other party would ask such a question. Just to give a clear answer, I need to think about it a little bit. Fortunately, he himself had learned a lot about others, and he settled on his thoughts in just a moment.

Today's topic, I'll leave it to you, and the two and three sons will listen to it. Although Chen Heng was wearing regular clothes today, he did not change his free and easy scholarly spirit.

The scholar, who is full of confidence in poetry and books, is walking with his hands behind his back, as if he is leisurely sitting in a mountain of books, and his style is outstanding. The loud voice resonated in everyone's ears, I personally think that there should be three meanings in formulating essays.

Everyone listened attentively, and in the quiet hall, Chen Heng was walking and talking with his hands behind his back.

When I was young, I studied with Master Meng for several years. Master Wang once pointed out the confusion of the original meaning. I thought: stick to it, cut the branches from the thick stem, and make knots with heavy weight. I am very pleased with it and deeply agree with it.

Chen Heng then cited several examples to demonstrate the key to grasping the main point of the article and not overshadowing it. Over the years, he has kept reading and has made reading a daily habit. Repeating the previous steps, the words coming out of his mouth are more direct and clear, so that people don't feel that they are trying to be mysterious or obscured by clouds and mountains.

This is the original meaning of the article. The important thing is to grasp the center of the article. A tree cannot stand without roots, and an article cannot be completed without intention. This is the intention of the article. Once you understand this point and start writing, a good article will become its own. The difficulty lies in writing more and practicing more. The most important thing is perseverance. After Chen Heng finished speaking, the students below were already writing quickly, fearing that they would miss every word of the Number One Scholar.

Now that we have a literary heart, there should be a distinction between a virtual heart and a real heart. This is what I realized when I was taught by the mountain leader when I was studying in Yangzhou Prefecture. Thinking of Pei Huaizhen's day and night teachings, Chen Heng sighed, What is the virtual heart? , What is reality? Is it empty talk, or is it true? The difficulty is difficult to distinguish without reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles.

A student raised his hand and asked: Brother, apart from this method, is there anything else... This person probably wanted to ask about cleverness, but he was afraid that after saying this, he would have a bad impression of the No. 1 Scholar. After all, cleverness itself, listen. It's a bit derogatory.

Chen Heng chuckled and said, Yes. He stretched out his hand to motion for the other person to sit down. At that time, the mountain chief once told me to go wandering in the city and countryside more often in my free time. I would write down what I saw and heard every day. At first, I didn't understand it. meaning……

Chen Heng took a long breath and said without any secret: Now think about it, if you want to write a meaningful article, it is really difficult to write it behind closed doors. You can only keep everything in the world in your heart and think clearly about how they come and why they go. . Only by being familiar with the reasons and connections can you calm your mind and turn the imaginary into the real.

He then asked with a smile: Do you think that a person who does not know the sufferings of the people can really write articles to help the world? It is one thing to be talented, but it is another thing to write articles to help the world.

There was a slight pause, waiting for everyone to write down these words. Chen Hengcai continued: These are the two meanings of an article: to speak with substance and to move away from fiction and toward reality. If you achieve this level, your article should have the spirit of a dragon and a tiger, and it should be enough to be published all over the world.

As for the three righteousnesses. Chen Heng took the tea from a nearby student, took a sip, and then replied solemnly, In recent years, I have had a lot of feelings about these righteousnesses, and I often have new ideas to add to my preface. What I say today is what I think today. I can’t say for sure until next year. If you ask me again, I won’t say if I change my words.”

Chen Heng didn't care when he heard chuckles coming from the hall. After the laughter faded away, he said softly: After passing the first two levels, it is like a person traveling on a river in a boat, passing through three mountains and five lakes. It is wonderful that a light boat has passed ten thousand mountains. At this time, you should stand...

Chen Heng tapped the ground with his feet, pointing to the special terrain of Songjiang Mansion, The mouth of the river where the river flows into the sea. Beyond that, there is the vast sea. There is no place to go before and no way back. In the vast sky and earth, there are only sand gulls and sea clouds. Companion. This is the most dangerous place. If you are not careful, your article will fall into the wrong category. Just because under the tide, there are turbulent undercurrents and material desires.

His expression condensed, and he looked slightly far away, as if through the wall, he could see the waves of water pouring into the sea from the river mouth. At this point, it is time to be a boat with a literary heart and a sail with ambition. Cross the sea and climb the fairy mountain. Only by not giving up the original intention can the article improve day by day. The meaning of Hengqu's four sentences should be exactly here.

Do you still remember the four lines of Hengqu? Come and recite them to me.

Everyone seemed to have realized something. First, a small group of people started to recite: Establish a heart for the heaven and earth, and establish a destiny for the people. Then more and more people joined in the recitation. By the end, it was overwhelming.

To carry forward the unique knowledge of the past saints and create peace for all generations.

Of course. Chen Heng laughed while stroking his hands, The first meaning is skill, the second meaning is law, and the third meaning is integration. Ambition is the sail, and it is also the destination. Those who are ambitious should take fame lightly rather than honor and disgrace. When their ambition is fulfilled, they should See the colorful fallen flowers and the sudden enlightenment.

Everyone present stood up, bowed to the senior students in the hall, and said in unison: I would like to be taught. Thank you, sir.

It’s done, it’s done, today is also 7,000 words. Asking for votes, asking for monthly votes, and asking for recommendation votes. Brothers, vote quickly.