Chapter 38: Leaving Ink and Fragrance
"Not far from Yanbo Tower, there is a Boguzhai. Who of you can go there and buy some pens, ink, paper and inkstone?"
After Zhu Yuanhao finished speaking, he gave instructions to the students beside him.
"Slowly, slowly!"
"The pen, ink, paper and inkstone have already been prepared!"
A plump man dressed in golden silk clothes came trotting over, shouting.
A servant followed closely behind him, holding a tray with writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone on it.
The fat man in gold took a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said with a smile: "No need to bother to make another trip, we have pens and ink in our shop."
"Come on, Awang, put it up quickly."
Yan Xiaowu curled his lips and said, "Mr. Chen, you really know how to do business."
"Why? Mr. Chen has such a big business, but he still personally takes care of the guests in Yanbo Tower?"
He had already recognized that this man was the owner of Yanbo Tower.
Although he was unhappy with these pedantic scholars, he had to admit that Bailu Academy was indeed well-known.
Especially the old ones.
If their writings could be preserved, then Yanbo Tower would become truly famous in Nanzhou, and even in Daji.
Made a fortune.
That's why he said that Mr. Chen was good at doing business.
Mr. Chen had a friendly face and said with a smile: "You all are so kind and gracious. Our shop is so beautiful. How can we trouble you to worry about such a trivial matter?"
"Chen has been waiting on the side for a long time, but he didn't come forward because he was afraid of disturbing you all."
"The pens, ink, paper and inkstone have already been prepared for you, all we have to do is wait for you to start writing."
"Uh, which noble man wants to show off his poetic talent?"
He asked the question, but his eyes were already wandering around Xu Wenqing.
Zhu Yuanhao looked at Li and Dai, and seeing that they were smiling but silent, he said with a smile: "Haha, since the shopkeeper has already made preparations, then Wenqing, you should just obey his orders respectfully."
Chen Yuanwai was pleasantly surprised: "This is Xu Wenqing, the poet known as the Immortal Poet of Wuzhong, Master Xu ?"
"Oh my! What a deity that came to my shop today. I am so lucky! What a blessing!"
When Xu Wenqing saw that Mr. Chen had elevated his title of Wuzhong's top poet to the title of the Immortal Poet, he felt that it was a bit too much, but he was not embarrassed.
When it comes to poetry, he believes he is no worse than anyone else.
"Yes, sir."
He responded to his teacher, nodded lightly to Mr. Chen, and walked aside. The servant had already prepared the desk, paper, ink and other items.
Mr. Chen's eyes rolled up and he suddenly ran over hurriedly to stop Xu Wenqing who was about to start writing.
"Master Xu, wait a minute! I think this ordinary paper and ink are not suitable for writing the great works of the immortal poet."
Xu Wenqing frowned. Although he was proud, he would not be flattered by a few words of flattery from Chen Yuanwai.
"What does Mr. Chen mean?"
Chen Yuanwai smiled and said, "You are all famous scholars and virtuous people, with high talents and clean conduct, so you should be different from ordinary people."
"Mr. Xu, with your talent as a poet, why don't you write an inscription on this Yanbo Tower? It will surely become a legend that will be passed down through the ages!"
As soon as he said this, someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed:
"Oh! Yes, I remember that Yanbo Tower was built with jadeite and white sandalwood. The ink is rich and mellow, the fragrance lingers, it is not corroded by wind and rain, it is immortal over the years, and can be passed down for thousands of years."
"Green jade white sandalwood!"
Everyone, including the people at Bailu Academy, were shocked.
They looked around.
Sure enough, I discovered that the columns and walls on the building were all made of a dark, shiny wood, with faint jade-like green and white patterns.
Extremely extraordinary.
Those who knew the value of the goods exclaimed in surprise.
Just as that person said, this jadeite sandalwood is extremely precious.
Moreover, it is hard to find and is worth hundreds of gold .
If this huge Yanbo Tower was built entirely with such precious wood, it would be like a tower built of gold!
No wonder we often hear that many famous scholars and literati love to come to Yanbo Tower and are extremely keen on writing inscriptions on this tower.
However, if you are not a true celebrity or wise man, you are not qualified to write in Yanbo Tower.
Xu Wenqing was also very moved when he heard it.
"Then Xu will show his ugliness."
Follow the example of predecessors and leave a legacy.
Xu Wenqing was also excited.
He waved his sleeves and held the pen in his hand, revealing a little bit of wildness.
He walked to a cylinder that was almost as thick as a person and started writing.
The strokes are as smooth as flowing water.
People in the crowd watching on the sidelines kept reading it out word by word.
"The boat girl left the river singing at dusk..."
"The setting sun reflects on the water, and the water flows by itself..."
"good!"
"Great poem! Great calligraphy! Great writing!"
The Yanbo Tower is located on the Huaishui River and is surrounded by the river on three sides.
At a glance, you can see endless blue waves stretching from the sky to the sun.
It was nearly dusk, and the big orange-red sun seemed to float on the surface of the river, casting a golden red glow that rippled with the waves.
It's like the setting sun casting out thousands of golden lines, causing the river water to sway.
Thousands of fishing boats and passenger boats are competing in the race.
In Xu Wenqing's poems, short sentences can fully express the artistic conception.
This absolutely beautiful scene, captured by his bold brushstrokes, even added a hint of sadness, like silk or cotton, entwining people's hearts.
"I want to go down the Lutang and ascend to the Heavenly Palace, but there is only one boat in the vast green mountains."
"good!"
Everyone was immersed in that sad and beautiful feeling of separation, when suddenly Xu Wenqing's writing style changed.
But in the sorrow of separation, he was filled with lofty ambitions .
Lutang is Bailu Academy, which indicates that Li Dongyang will rise to a high position and realize his ambitions.
Even Zhu Yuanhao and others couldn't help showing their joy and relief.
Li Dongyang, the protagonist of the poem, strokes his long beard with his hand and nods his white head slightly.
Obviously appreciated it very much.
Only Yan Xiaowu curled his lips and muttered quietly: "What's so great about it."
"Ouch!"
“The pen shines!”
Suddenly someone exclaimed loudly.
It turned out that Xu Wenqing had just put down his last stroke, and the ink characters on the green jade and white sandalwood pillar actually emitted a faint glow.
"The pen shines with brilliance, the nine grades of Confucianism, a sign of a gentleman's conduct!"
"Oh my! This is incredible! This Mr. Xu is only in his twenties, right? He has already reached the level of a gentleman!"
"It's worthy of being called Bailu Academy!"
Everyone was amazed, and Zhu Yuanhao also stood up in surprise.
His disciple had previously only been hovering at the entry-level level, so how come he suddenly reached the ninth level in one step?
Xu Wenqing stood with a pen in his hand, looking at the glittering ink on the pillar, and couldn't help feeling full of pride.
He knew that his breakthrough this time was largely due to the inspiration from the Demon Patrol Guard's words.
And on this Yanbo Tower, the combination of emotion and scenery stimulated all his potential and accumulation, and he stepped into the realm of a gentleman's conduct in one fell swoop.
Although he is proud and conceited, he is not an ungrateful person.
He turned around and bowed to Jiang Zhou: "Thank you, Brother Jiang, for your help."
Jiang Zhou was looking at the glowing words on the pillar, complaining in his heart that it was "unscientific".
Hearing this, he waved his hand and said, "This is Master Xu's extraordinary talent, what does it have to do with me?"
Xu Wenqing ignored him and finished his greetings before standing up.
With a serious face, he said, "Please give me some advice, Brother Jiang."
He still did not forget to compete with Jiang Zhou.
Jiang Zhou was helpless: "I really can't..."
Before he could finish his words, Yan Xiaowu pulled him from behind and leaned over to whisper, "Hey, don't give in! Help me beat down this brat's arrogance, and I'll invite you to have fun at Chuyun Tower!"
Jiang Zhou: “…”
