The second volume is full of glory and splendor in the capital, and the spirit is full of vitality in the foggy city. Chapter 191 Three Gentlemen
This chapter has no subtitle:
Monday evening, April 25, 1921.
As the sun sets, this "organizational life meeting" has ended and everyone has dispersed. Only two Chinese people, Yuan Yanshu and Huang Zongyi, are left on the balcony.
Our Master Yuan walked to the balcony and stretched out lazily, squinting his eyes to admire the sunset in the sky. Then he turned to look at his nephew, who now seemed very respectful, and said, "Shuzhi, I'm sorry to have kept you here for an entire afternoon."
Young Master Huang naturally shook his head and denied it, saying, "Uncle, it's too formal for you to say that. Besides, my nephew has benefited a lot this afternoon, and I have also appreciated your style..."
He showed an expression of admiration and said, "My nephew used to think that the rumors about my uncle were a bit exaggerated, but now it seems that those rumors are still a bit exaggerated!"
"Hahaha..." Yuan Yan suddenly laughed and asked, "Shuzhi, have you heard about my story in London?"
"Of course, I've heard a lot about you from my sister and brother-in-law Shaochuan. My sister praised you highly, which shows that Aunt Mingzhu has a good eye for talent, and you two are a perfect match..."
Huang Zongyi took a look at his uncle, who was both talented and handsome, and felt that the idiom "talented man and beautiful woman" was a bit inappropriate.
Not to mention women, even men like Mr. Huang have to admit that if a man looks like Yuan Yanshu, even if he doesn't have this kind of talent, he can still live off a woman with a clear conscience.
No wonder Ms. Tang entered a French convent for him.
He could only swallow his saliva and said, "That's truly a match made in heaven! Brother-in-law Shaochuan said you are talented and noble... Well, he also admires your talent."
Master Yuan chuckled and said leisurely, "Haha, so talented and arrogant... Minister Gu is actually a modest and kind gentleman."
At that time, he had a quarrel with the two ministers, Gu Weijun and Shi Zhaoji, over the duel with Lieutenant Colonel Alexander, so it was really polite for the current minister to the UK to say that he was "talented but arrogant."
Compared to Gu Shaochuan, the more mature Shi Zhizhi was even more disgusted with the revealing true nature of Yuan Da, the time traveler. He believed that Yuan Da was too arrogant and domineering, not suitable for being a human being, let alone a diplomat. Therefore, the two of them had never met each other despite being in Washington together.
"Speaking of us Chinese gentlemen..." Yuan Yan suddenly changed the subject and said, "Shuzhi, there will be three more gentlemen coming soon. Are you interested in having dinner with me and them?"
"My nephew is better off being respectful than obeying."
"Well, that's fine. Uncle, I'll go change into some clothes first, and you should change into something too. Just be casual. We're not foreigners, so there's no need to wear evening gowns to dinner."
Our Master Yuan is actually a pretentious lunatic, not a truly crazy lunatic. This time he is inviting a stranger he has never met before, so naturally he can no longer wear pajamas and must change into meeting guests' clothes.
So when Mr. Huang saw his uncle again, he found that he had changed his style again.
Our Master Yuan used to follow the path of the famous scholars of the Wei and Jin Dynasties who chanted and whistled in the bamboo forest and talked about leisurely conversation with their lice. Now he has transformed himself into a Western gentleman who kills Indians on horseback and seduces ladies on foot.
He was wearing a well-tailored brown tweed plaid suit, which was not too formal but had a scholarly air. He did not have a tie or bow tie around his neck, but a plaid silk scarf of the same color, which instantly made the somewhat dull outfit lively.
Therefore, Yuan Yanshu's articles were not only frequently published in The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, but his photos were also frequently published in the old fashion magazine Vogue.and Vanity Fair》.
His daily coolness not only led the men's fashion trend in this timeline, but also really changed the stereotype of some Americans about Seres.
"Uncle, who are your guests tonight..." Huang Zongyi asked curiously when he saw the Chinese banquet sent from Chinatown in the side hall.
Yuan Yan suddenly smiled and said, "Shuzhi, everyone here today is Chinese..."
At this moment, three Seres gentlemen walked in, led by servants. As the host's uncle and nephew, they naturally stood up to greet them.
Master Yuan pointed at the three gentlemen and said familiarly, "Shouzhi, these three are my uncle's close friends. They are Luo Puxiang from Tianjin, Yang Jingbang from Shanghai, and Lu Yan from Hong Kong."
That’s right, Camel Xiangzi, Xiao Yang’s Fried Dumplings, the Six-Fingered Lute Demon and President Yuan Shikai are exactly the four great gentlemen of plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum.
He then introduced his poker partners, "This is the young master from the Huang family in Nanyang, nicknamed Zong Yi."
When these three dandy gentlemen heard the words "Nanyang Huang Family", they couldn't help but feel awe. So they immediately showed flattering smiles, casually greeted Yuan Yan, and quickly surrounded Mr. Huang.
"Mr. Huang, my uncle is the consul in New York. If you have any questions, just let me know."
"Mr. Huang, I am also a regular customer of Jianyuan Company. It is such a pleasure to meet you here."
Yuan Yan frowned upon seeing this, and pulled Lu Yan aside and asked, "Xiao Lu, where are the three classmates you mentioned?"
In fact, he was so serious not to entertain his three card partners, but to entertain the three classmates of Six-Fingered Lute Demon.
Even though Lu Yan is a member of the Hongmen, he is studying at Harvard University and is already in the sixth grade... Anyway, Harvard University is a private university that can be attended by paying money, and his family is not short of money, so he can study for as many years as he wants.
The diligent Six-Fingered Demon not only studied hard for six years as an undergraduate at Harvard University, but also transferred through several departments. He can be called an encyclopedic college student. However, others are missing a horn, while he has an extra finger.
His spirit of scholarship not only enriched his knowledge, but also had the added benefit of allowing him to meet many Chinese students at Harvard. One of them wanted to meet Master Yuan through him, which led to this evening's banquet.
Lu Yan then remembered the important matter and said, "Old Yuan, you are talking about them..."
Just then, footsteps were heard outside, and a housekeeper from Ms. Brooks's family walked in with three Seres gentlemen who were about the same age as Yuan Yanshu and the others.
The Six-Fingered Lute Demon smiled and said, "Look, they're here!"
"Old...that Hongjian, let me introduce him to you."
Lu Yan came forward with Master Yuan, and with a fresh look on his face, he acted as the introducer between the two parties.
"This is Tang Yongtong from Longxi, also known by the courtesy name Xiyu."
The Six-Fingered Demon is a cultured person after all, so he should use the ancient name when referring to someone's hometown. In fact, this Mr. Tang is from Weiyuan County, Gansu Province, and there is a Shouyang Mountain nearby.
Our Master Yuan immediately extended his hand and said warmly, "Brother Xiyu, nice to meet you."
He thought to himself, what a pleasure to meet you! Later, just to show off online, I even forced myself to read your History of Buddhism in the Han, Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties. At that time, I never thought I would see you so lively again.
With his current reputation, he could still be so polite. People were very touched and shook his hand and said, "Mr. Hongjian..."
"Brother Xiyu, I don't like to hear the words 'Mr.'"
"Very well, very well. We are sorry to bother Brother Hongjian today."
“No, no.”
After the two exchanged pleasantries, Master Yuan looked at the second gentleman and heard Lu Yan introduce him: "Hongjian, this is Wu from Xianyang..."
Speaking of Xianyang, it must be an old Qin person, a Harvard student named Wu from Shaanxi during the Republic of China period. Yuan Yanshu doesn’t need the Six-Fingered Lute Demon to introduce him, nor does he need to search Baidu for Master Ball to know who he is.
He asked directly, "Excuse me, are you Wu Yuseng from Jingyang?"
The rather handsome Xiao Wu was taken aback when he heard this, then nodded immediately and said, "I am Wu Mi. Brother Hongjian, do you know me?"
I have to say here that Wu Mi’s "Mi" has three pronunciations. One is "Fu", and Fuxi's "Fu" was also written as "Mi" in ancient times.
One is pronounced as mi with the fourth tone, which is the pronunciation in modern Chinese and means quiet .
Third, Wu Mi's students, such as Qian Zhongshu and Ji Xianlin, all pronounced their names with the fourth tone "bi". So when he pronounced his own name, it should be pronounced as "bi" .
There is nothing strange about this. In those days, there was no Pinyin and no standardization of Chinese characters. It was normal for a character to have several pronunciations.
The name Wu Mi is also an anecdote among the masters of the Republic of China.
Born Wu Yuheng, he had been sickly since childhood, so his grandmother decided to change his name and asked his uncle, the renowned late Qing poet Chen Bolan, to come up with a new one. The great poet, Chen, was drunk at the time and casually wrote the word "Tuman" on a scrap of paper, thus changing Wu Yuheng to Wu Tuoman.
In 1911, he entered St. John's University in Shanghai. Some of his classmates, children of foreign slaves, took advantage of Wu Tuoman's absence during class and wrote the homophonic "Hutumen" on the blackboard. When he entered the classroom, they burst into laughter. This made him decide to use his own name "Wu Mi" instead of "Wu Tuoman" when making speeches.
Yuan Yan suddenly thought to herself, Nonsense, I know you too well!
Those fans of the "Republic of China style" may not know the little Tang mentioned above... but how could they not recognize you?
Of course, those uneducated guys don’t actually know what academic achievements you have made. They only know that you are as famous as Xu Zhimo, and are known as the two biggest scumbags of the Republic of China.
Oh, speaking of this matter, it’s actually not too late at this point in time. I can save you... It just depends on my mood later.
He smiled and chanted in a slow voice: "Now I listen to the rain under the monk's hut, and my temples are already gray."
Wu Mi was greatly surprised when he heard this line from the Southern Song Dynasty poet Jiang Jie's poem "Yu Meiren - Listening to the Rain". This was the origin of his courtesy name "Yu Seng", but he had never told anyone else... Well, this is just speculation by later generations.
In his eyes, our Master Yuan suddenly became unfathomable.
Master Yuan smiled and extended his hand, saying, "Of course I know. He's the son of the Wu family in Jingyang, the niece of the Qing Dynasty's "Lady Protector of the Nation." How could I not know him, brother?"
That’s right, Wu Mi also has another identity as the richest woman in Shaanxi, and is the cousin of Zhou Ying, the heroine played by Sun Li in “Nothing Gold Can Stay”.
During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi fled to Xi'an. Zhou Ying offered 100,000 taels of silver to the Empress Dowager, and was adopted as her adopted daughter. Therefore, Wu Mi's aunt was truly a legendary woman.
Wu Mi was surprised and respectful and said, "Brother Hongjian is so knowledgeable and has such a strong memory. I admire him!"
After meeting Xiao Tang and Xiao Wu, Lu Yan introduced them again, "This is Xiu Shui..."
Xiushui was later known as Jiangjun City, a famous revolutionary base, but now...
"Xiao Lu, you don't need an introduction."
Our Master Yuan waved his hand , looked at the third gentleman with a half-smile, and said in a slightly teasing tone: "Brother Chen Shi, why are you so late? Do you need anyone to introduce me to you, my dear brother?"
Chen Shixiong, who was about thirty years old, blushed and said awkwardly, "Brother Hongjian, are you making fun of me or blaming me?"
"Hahaha, how would I dare?" Yuan Yanshu didn't want to embarrass the other party, so he changed the subject and said, "Brother Heshou, how is Mr. Yuan?"
Brother Heshou breathed a sigh of relief and said, "My father is very healthy, but..."
He suddenly remembered something and couldn't help showing a look of both laughter and tears as he said, "But of course it can't compare to your father's. Didn't that also lead you to write the piece 'Wives and Concubines'?"
Upon hearing this, Master Yuan's smile froze, and he felt really angry. The news that my father had taken a concubine had reached the ears of this family. My father's father really made me proud!
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit weird, Lu Yan next to him immediately tried to smooth things over: "Hahaha, I didn't expect Hongjian and Heshou are old friends..."
Wait a minute, how come people from Xiushui, Jiangxi, a famous Soviet area, and people from Wuxi, Jiangsu, a famous "sweet" area, become brothers?
This is because their fathers were literary friends and old acquaintances.
In 1900, Mr. Chen moved to Nanjing. Soon after, his father died, further weakening his interest in officialdom. Consequently, he built a ten-room house on the banks of Qingxi River in Nanjing, naming it "Sanyuan Jingshe." He often exchanged poetry and classical prose with friends, describing himself as "leaning on the railing, feeling the wind and clouds, to be a humble servant of the land."
By the way, who is Mr. Chen?
His name was Chen Sanli, with the courtesy name Boyan and the pseudonym Sanyuan.
He was the eldest son of Chen Baozhen, a famous reformist official in the late Qing Dynasty; he was known as the "Three Gentlemen of Hunan and Xiangxi" together with Tan Yankai and Tan Sitong; he was known as the "Four Gentlemen of the Reform Movement" together with Tan Sitong, Xu Renzhu and Tao Jucun; he was an important figure in the Tongzhi and Guangxu School of Poetry, and was also known as "the last traditional poet in China."
So, who is Mr. Yuan?
He was a traditional scholar who was obsessed with officialdom and wanted to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty, but he was always unsuccessful in the imperial examinations.
When this traditional scholar saw the famous poet and influential figure Chen Sanli approach his hometown, he would immediately go up to him to curry favor with him... that's how he would make friends with him. Thanks to Mr. Yuan's efforts in making friends, he actually became one of the "Shenzhou Sifuren".
As a result, the Yuan family and the Chen family became old friends!
And Chen Sanli, the son who came to Harvard to study, was naturally known as one of the "Three Heroes of Harvard" along with Tang Yongtong and Wu Mi...
Chen Yinke!
