Chapter 19: The Prince Consort
The fourth day of the second month, at noon.
Shen Kuo and his old friend Huai Bing sat opposite each other and sighed, without saying a word for a long while.
Someone was walking hurriedly outside.
"Master Huailiang, put down the cup. I have something urgent to ask you. I have a stamp waiting for you to rush..."
The man was of medium build, plump and fair, dressed elegantly and looked either rich or noble.
"Pei Dalang, has the fake painting you sold been discovered again?"
"Master chef, you are joking again. Whether it is real or not, the buyer will naturally know it. It's just that..." The wealthy businessman came over quickly and nodded when he saw Shen Kuo. "It's just that you encountered a difficult and tough guy this time, so you deliberately make things difficult for him?"
"How did he make things difficult for you this time? Didn't your guys use a broom to kick him out?" Huai Liang said with drunken eyes.
"This bomb is incredible. It's from a certain background."
"Someone has a background? What kind of background can be better than Pei Dalang's?"
"No kidding, but he's a tough nut to crack."
"Which fake painting was exposed?"
"It was the painting 'A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains' by Li Houzhu. I clearly sold it and paid for it, but the buyer came back and insisted that it wasn't real. He refused to buy it back at the original price. He just wanted to blackmail me."
"These fake works attributed to ancient people are everywhere in the streets of Bianjing. They are just bought by brothels and wine shops to show off their elegance. How can they be real or not?"
"But our Pei Ji's Jicui Painting Pavilion has a reputation of being 'better than the ancients'. Not only the Painting Pavilion, but also the Jicui Literature Society and the Riddle Society. It is also a place where relatives, nobles, and scholars in the capital often gather. The signboard is also quite famous. We can't let him tarnish its reputation by making up stories and making nonsense."
Shen Kuo standing by suddenly remembered that he still had the important task of carving a fake seal today, but he was not in a hurry now. He also did not expect that the legendary forgery master was his idol.
"So, that guy didn't dislike the painting you sold because it wasn't authentic, but because it wasn't authentic enough?"
"That's right, that's right, hehe, I finally understand."
"Hmph, even if you don't tell the truth, I see that you came here in a hurry, so you must not be seeking fame. As a fake painter, when have you ever coveted fame?"
"This is actually what happened. A few days ago, the stuttering Prince Consort Li Wei came to my shop and saw this painting. He loved it and bought it. For some reason, he came back today and said that he saw the painting of the emperor in the palace and there was a seal of the Southern Tang Palace in front of the title."
"So it's the prince consort who's causing trouble?" Huailiang seemed to have come to his senses. "He's indeed someone with some connections. Even if he's an expert, he must have bought it as a fake painting. Why is he causing trouble again? What do you think?"
"There is a story behind this. I heard from the eunuchs in the palace that this stutterer often collects rare paintings and calligraphy and sends them to the palace to please the princess. When he can't get the originals or doesn't have enough money, he also hides some fakes. Our painting pavilion is naturally the best imitation of antiques in the capital, and it is indistinguishable from the real thing. Even if there are some flaws due to incomplete research, the princess, who is thirteen or fourteen years old, naturally can't understand it. He bought this kind of paintings from me more than once. When the princess loves Zhou Fang, he asks for Zhou Fang's paintings, and when she loves Zhang Xuan, she comes to buy Zhang Xuan's paintings. These paintings of the masters of the previous dynasty are not so easy to get. Everyone knows whether they are real or fake, but they are tacitly understood."
"What a foolish heart, and also obsessed with appearances."
"Recently, the princess has fallen in love with the emperor's paintings, so she wants the emperor's paintings and calligraphy that were not collected by the imperial court but circulated among the people."
"The emperor is famous for his lyrics and music, but I have never heard that he is good at calligraphy and painting."
"This does leave some room for forgery, unlike the paintings of great masters, which have been seen by many people and have all the titles, signatures, seals, dimensions, and damage recorded, making them easy to be seen through."
“But it was still discovered?”
"The princess has an expert by her side. He found out that a seal of the imperial court was missing. Anyway, he embarrassed the big-headed stutterer. He was angry and brought people to me to vent his anger, saying that our painting studio was not worthy of the word "authentic" and wanted to tear down my signboard."
"That's true. Let's take it down first to let him cool down. It won't be too late to put it back up tomorrow."
"Hehe, Master, you're joking. We can't let him take down the signboard. I said at the time that it was easy to get the seal. It's not like I haven't seen it before. I was just afraid that if I stamped it, someone with bad intentions would take it as the real thing to deceive others, so I deliberately left it blank. This is the rule of our business - to make it look real but not completely authentic."
"How dare you talk nonsense. What did he say?"
"That fool stuttered when he was anxious. He said, if...if...there is, then cover it up. He will come to see...see...see it at night. If it is 90% true, then forget it. If not...no...no, then he will still tear down my sign. Look, the princess hasn't even married yet, but this consort has become so arrogant? If it weren't for the fact that he is the nephew of an official, he would have dragged him to Kaifeng Prefecture to confess his crime of slander."
"You also know that he is the nephew of an official? And you still say those lies. What should we do now?"
"Isn't this coming to see you?"
"I have never seen the imperial seal, so how can I forge it for you?"
"I have it with me. To save face, I asked someone in the palace to bring out a genuine copy of the "Auspicious Crane Snow Village" by the emperor, which has this seal on it."
As he said this, he took out a scroll of painting from his bosom and unfolded it on the table. Shen Kuo and Huai Liang looked at it together. It was a long landscape scroll, depicting a Jiangnan village in the cold winter season that Shen Kuo was familiar with.
"This is a genuine article. I owe you a lot of favors for only borrowing it from the palace for half a day."
"You usually borrow genuine works from the palace to make fakes, right?"
While asking, Huailiang read the entire scroll from beginning to end. He did not see Li Yu's signature, only the three words "Zhong Yinbi" on the promotion list. There were also a dozen seals in front of it, including the seal of the Jixian Hall Academy. This seal looked a little worn and the edges were not very clear.
"Although the emperor's landscape paintings are not as good as his lyrics and music, they are still quite good," the monk sighed.
"Is this the 'Golden Book'?"
Shen Kuo on the side exclaimed in surprise.
"Sir, do you know the origin of this seal?" Shopkeeper Pei asked in surprise.
"I have sorted out Gu Hongzhong's notes for my father, so I know a little bit about it. There are the most paintings and calligraphy in the Jiangnan treasury. The emperor often used seals such as 'Jianye Wenfang Seal', 'Neihetong Seal', and 'Jixiandian Academy Seal'. It is said that only these seals are made of gold, so they are called 'Golden Books'. Among the paintings and calligraphy, there are sometimes postscripts by the emperor, but they do not have the real name. All the ones with the three characters "Zhong Yinbi" are authentic. This seal must have come from the same place as the three characters "Zhong Yinbi"."
Huailiang lowered his head and looked again, and sure enough, the seal was right above the three words "Zhong Yinbi".
"I was wondering if this seal has such thin and vigorous characters and sharp corners, it turns out to be a gold seal." Huailiang looked at the seal carefully. The businessman named Pei beside him observed Huailiang's expression, anxiously watching if there was any chance.
"I can only make this one seal, but it's too late today."
"You don't have to use a piece of jade to make a whole seal. A simple seal will do. As long as I can fool that stutterer, I'll pay for the whole seal."
Shen Kuo didn't quite understand what Shopkeeper Pei said. It was obviously some cryptic conversation between him and Huai Liang.
"Jade is too smooth to have such sharp edges...Xiao Yi, go get a radish from Lao Zhang, one with a few stems."
"Okay!"
Xiao Yi ran out, Huailiang continued to observe the seal, then took the pen and without dipping it in ink, he just drew some strokes on the seal in the painting.
After a while, Xiao Yi brought the radish. Huai Liang stood up and stopped looking at the painting. He took a wooden box from the stove and opened it. There were all kinds of carving knives. He quickly cut off the excess part of the radish, leaving the square core in the middle, and began to carve. Xiao Yi had already started to grind the ink, and it was obvious that he was very confident in Huai Liang's speed.
Huailiang's hands flew, and in just a moment, the radish seal was carved. The small ink was also ground, and he dipped it in the ink and pressed it on a piece of waste paper. When he lifted it up, it was exactly the same as the seal on the original painting (at least Shen Kuo could not see the difference). Huailiang then used a small knife like a sewing needle to fine-tune the seal, and after another test print, the shopkeeper Pei beside him breathed a sigh of relief, it was obviously done.
"Old Pei, you have to hurry up, or else you'll lose the water and get out of shape."
"Don't worry."
Shopkeeper Pei quickly put the scroll into his arms, then ran away with the radish seal in his hand, leaving two hundred coins on the table.
"Master, your craftsmanship is amazing." Shen Kuo complimented him when he had the chance, and this was indeed what he really meant.
"What a shame. What a shame."
"pity?"
"It's a pity that despite his great talent, Emperor Li Houzhu was unable to bring order to the country, and he did not have a good end."
"Master Huailiang, actually, I came here for another reason, which was that I lost my seal on the way to Beijing."
"Hey, that's easy. Xiao Yi, go get another carrot."
"No, no, no, I can't use that carrot seal. It must be carved from jade."
"Oh, is it urgent?"
"It will be needed in two or three days."
"Then two days will do."
"Thank you, Master. Actually, I not only lost the seal this time, but also the money for traveling, so I can't leave the deposit..."
"How can I not trust you, sir? I will come to get it in two days."
"Besides, I have another unwelcome request. I wonder if you will ..."
" No need to be polite, just say it straight out."
"This time, my business trip..." He was thinking about what to say and what not to say. "In my opinion, there may be some mechanisms that need to be understood. I have to consult the master."
"Hahaha, you've found the right person. I love weird and profound things the most. If you have any questions, come to me."
"Thank you, Master."
"No need! I'm happy if you come, and chat with me." Huailiang shook his hand.
Shen Kuo got up and left a letter to Yang Wei De with a seal on it, and then said goodbye to Monk Huai Liang. Someone from Huai Liang's side also came to buy meat, but he did not send it off, and Shen Kuo hurried back by himself.
Along the way, I felt that the world is unpredictable. Who would have thought that the handsome monk in the past would become so lonely now? Thinking too much, I couldn't help feeling a little melancholy, so I walked for a while longer on the street with lights just coming on.
When I returned to Yang Wei De's house, it was already dark, but I heard someone banging on the door of the dark courtyard opposite. It was too dark to see the person clearly, but the banging was very strong, and it was obvious that the person was in a bad mood.
The door creaked open.
"My son is back? Has he taken down the sign of Pei's Gallery?" an old woman asked angrily.
"Oh my god... tear it down... what are you tearing down..." a stuttering voice answered, "That Pei Dalang is also a bit... omniscient. He actually repaired the seal, and it is exactly the same ? The seal was there long ago but it was not covered, causing me... to be seen through by Liang Huaiji, who is by the princess' side and wants to... cut her into pieces..."
"I said that eunuch was the worst. My son showed the painting to the princess. What does it have to do with him whether it's real or fake?"
"I originally wanted to...want to please you, but you saw through my tricks...It's so painful...When will...my uncle make the decision for me?"
Before he finished speaking, the door slammed shut. Shen Kuo guessed that it was probably the unlucky prince consort talking to his mother. It roughly matched the story of Shopkeeper Pei, who was also infatuated but ended up being humiliated. Shen Kuo secretly felt some sympathy for the prince consort.
He returned to Yang's Mansion and looked through the records of the hat monster from thirty years ago, but he still couldn't figure out the principle, so he fell asleep peacefully.
He returned to Yang's house and looked through the records of the hat monster from thirty years ago. It was Yang Wei De's father who was in charge of the investigation at that time. He also drew some drawings and put them in the books, but there was no conclusion. The appearance is almost the same as the one that appears now. The text description is: "The hat monster often appears in the dog, rat, and ox. When the three lights are not seen, it hangs in the air, shaped like Fan Yang's hat, surrounded by clouds and smoke. Every time it appears, it is only slightly higher than the low wall, and it does not fly up but walks straight away..."
According to the records at that time, this thing appeared at night, hovering at a height of two or three meters, and always "walked straight". There is reason to believe that the witnesses saw the same thing thirty years apart. Someone "reproduced" this thing, which shows that this thing can be copied. But Mr. Yang couldn't figure out the principle, so he attributed it to the underworld.
Shen Kuo couldn't figure out the reason at this moment, so he fell on the pillow and fell asleep peacefully.
