Chapter 014 Calligraphy Master
Shen Yichen didn't know that Li Tingxiu was standing behind him, and he was still writing on the manuscript paper without distraction. As for why he used the Taige style, it can only be said that it was a subconscious habit, and it was also related to the work profession in the future.
In another world, Shen Yichen specializes in the restoration of calligraphy, paintings and ancient books. The reason is that he has been practicing calligraphy and ink painting since he was a child, and has a very solid foundation, especially in copying calligraphy . It is not an exaggeration to describe him as a gifted person.
After work, because of the difficulty of preserving paper books, Shen Yichen has been exposed to the most ancient books from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Taige style is considered the official style of calligraphy in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Whether it is the imperial examination papers or court documents, this font is used.
If one wants to repair damaged ancient books from the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is impossible without knowing the Taige style. After years of restoration and copying, Shen Yichen’s Taige style can compete with even the great calligraphers of ancient times!
After Li Tingxiu discovered Shen Yichen's handwriting, he did not move again. He stood silently behind him and watched him finish writing the entire "University" stroke by stroke.
"Well written, this handwriting has the charm of Master Shen!"
The Scholar Shen mentioned by Li Tingxiu is Shen Du, a lecturer in the Ming Dynasty, a representative figure of Taige style calligraphy. He was even called the Wang Xizhi of the contemporary dynasty by Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, which shows that his calligraphy attainments were highly evaluated.
Shen Yichen was startled when he suddenly heard a voice of praise coming from behind him. When he found out it was Li Tingxiu, he immediately stood up and replied modestly, "Sir, you are too kind."
Actually, to be honest, it is not an exaggeration, because the person Shen Yichen was imitating the Taige style calligraphy happened to be Shen Du, so it would be strange if there was no charm.
"I have been teaching you for several years, why haven't I seen you use the Taige style before?"
It wouldn't be appropriate to ask this kind of question at this moment, but Li Tingxiu couldn't suppress his doubts.
"Sir, I was not good at writing before so I was ashamed to show it to you. It was not until I made some progress in calligraphy practice recently that I dared to give it a try."
You have achieved some success at this level, so what is the point of my level which is even lower?
Facing Shen Yichen's explanation, Li Tingxiu had a wonderful expression on his face. He knew that this was serious nonsense, but he didn't know how to expose it because it was too outrageous!
In fact, Li Tingxiu had already noticed something very strange about Shen Yichen's behavior after he was late for class yesterday. He even suspected that Shen Yichen's laziness and stupidity during the past few years when he taught him were all just a disguise, waiting for the Duke to come back and show off?
But if you think about it carefully, it seems impossible. For a teenager to disguise himself for several years without any flaws, what kind of intelligence and planning does it take? And what is the point of doing so?
Li Tingxiu couldn't figure it out, and he couldn't ask any more questions.
"It seems that I don't know you well enough."
After leaving these meaningful words, Li Tingxiu walked towards the podium, waiting for the students who had finished copying to hand in their manuscripts for inspection.
As soon as the teacher left, Zhao Hongjie immediately leaned over and said, "Let me see, how can your shabby handwriting have the charm of Master Shen? Did the teacher make a mistake?"
Zhao Hongjie felt puzzled when he heard Li Tingxiu's praise before. Others might not know Shen Yichen's handwriting, so how could he not know it?
If Shen Yichen's calligraphy has the charm of Mr. Shen, then can't I be as good as Yan Jinliu Gu? Mr. Shen is in his prime, so it stands to reason that his eyesight should not be dim.
Not only was Zhao Hongjie curious, but even Li Da, who was sitting at the back table, also stood up and tried to see what Shen Yichen had written. In the past, they were all brothers in distress, and everyone had their own opinions. Why could Shen Yichen's poor handwriting be praised?
"Zhao Hongjie, Li Da, are you two peeping so blatantly?"
Li Tingxiu's angry shout came from the podium. In the past, when students cheated in dictation, they would at most turn their heads secretly. Now Li Da even dared to stand up. He was really unscrupulous!
"Sir, I don't have any..."
Li Da felt really wronged at this moment. Even if he wanted to peek, he would not peek at Shen Yichen, a poor student.
"After you finish reciting, you two will go back and copy the Great Learning five times. I will check it tomorrow."
Li Tingxiu did not give Li Da any chance to explain himself. He picked up the ruler on the podium, and the warning was obvious.
"Yes, sir."
Li Da responded dejectedly, like an eggplant hit by frost. But Zhao Hongjie grinned and couldn't help laughing. After all, it was more satisfying to see this kid being punished than to get a reward himself, even if they were punished together.
After the dictation was completed, most of the students in the private school were punished to copy the "Great Learning" or be beaten with a stick according to their completion rate. Indeed, an article of more than 2,000 words was a big challenge for these sons of military generals.
The only exception was Shen Yichen. When Li Tingxiu announced that there was not a single mistake in his entire article, the faces of the students in the lecture hall were filled with disbelief.
We have been classmates for several years and we all know each other's academic levels. If Shen Yichen had the ability to recite "The Great Learning" from memory, how could he not even pass the exam to become a student?
But the problem is that during the dictation process, the students saw Li Tingxiu standing behind Shen Yichen, so it was impossible for him to cheat. Now that he has made such great progress, it is almost like the sun rising from the west.
If today's dictation performance was just a warm-up, what Shen Yichen showed in the next few days would surprise everyone.
No matter whether Li Tingxiu assigned him recitation, dictation, or even increased the difficulty of interpreting scriptures, Shen Yichen could answer fluently, completely surpassing his previous level of knowledge.
The only thing missing is that the poetry and prose writing is a little insufficient. According to Li Tingxiu's evaluation standard, it is just like a child's doggerel. However, in the imperial examination, poetry and prose account for a very small proportion of the overall weight, which is the icing on the cake and can be supplemented in the future.
Three days passed and because the Chengguo Mansion was going to hold a family banquet, the students in the outer courtyard private school were given an extra day off.
In the past, Shen Yichen and Zhao Hongjie would be overjoyed when they encountered this free holiday. They would both run to Nanshi Street, stroll around the market all day, watch acrobatics all day, and would not return home until nightfall.
This time, Shen Yichen did not go out with Zhao Hongjie, but came to Duke Chengguo's Mansion as usual, because he had promised Chen Qingtong that he would attend the Duke Chengguo's family dinner.
Today, the official street outside the Duke Cheng's Mansion was bustling with people and cars, and all kinds of sedan chairs and carriages were passing by. The main gate, which was usually closed, was also opened, and the gatekeeper was calling out the names of the dignitaries who were attending the banquet. All of them were the top dignitaries in Nanjing.
Shen Yichen still didn't have the qualifications to enter through the middle door, or to put it more bluntly, he didn't even have the qualifications to attend this family dinner. So he could only move to the side corner door, but he unexpectedly saw Chen Qingtong already waiting there.
"Brother Yichen."
Seeing Shen Yichen coming, Chen Qingtong greeted him happily, with an irrepressible smile on his face.
