The scholars in the courtyard all turned around and saw an energetic old man walking in.
Most people don't know this old man, only some children from aristocratic families who often go to the palace have seen him. He is Lord Qingzhang of Honglu Temple.
The Minister of Honglu Temple was in charge of diplomatic affairs and dealt with neighboring countries. He was either studying foreign language books at home or going on missions to frontier fortresses. When the palace entertained foreign envoys, the Jinshi present were not qualified to attend the palace banquet and naturally did not know him. .
Fu Zheli took the lead to greet him: "Master Zhang came here, but he didn't greet you from afar. It's rude to me as a junior."
"I heard that all the Jinshi appointed by the Holy Spirit are participating in the poetry competition here this year. I also want to feel the talents of young people, so I came uninvited." Mr. Zhang touched his beard and looked at Cheng Zhao, "Cheng Zhao Sir, I just heard you at the gate of the courtyard saying that you wanted to create a reading pavilion. Although I don't know the specific situation, if this can benefit the majority of poor scholars, it can be considered a merit. I will let someone choose a hundred volumes from the study. Books are donated to Reading Pavilion.”
Cheng Zhao quickly handed over his hand: "Thank you, Mr. Zhang, for your kindness and kindness. I am very grateful to you."
Fu Zheli smiled and said: "Master Zhang is not only concerned about state affairs, but also worries about the children of poor families. He is a role model for us. My Fu family has a private school, so I will make the decision to select fifty books from the private school and donate them to Brother Cheng's Reading Pavilion. "
With these two people taking the lead, it would be difficult for the Jinshis present to stand still.
"I'll donate thirty copies."
"I'll also donate twenty copies."
"My family is poor, so I can only donate five books to express my gratitude."
"..."
Cheng Zhao was immediately overjoyed.
He picked up his brush and wrote down the name of each donor. There were more than a hundred people present. The person who donated the most was Mr. Zhang, and the person who donated the least was the poor children who came from the same poor background as Cheng Zhao. Each person donated at least one copy. These books were added up piecemeal, totaling 578 volumes.
Although this amount is far from what Cheng Zhao imagined, it is at least the first step. If someone is willing to donate, it will be much easier to call for help later.
After the recording was over, Cheng Zhao thanked Master Zhang again.
"Young people have plans and can achieve great things in the future." Mr. Zhang patted his shoulder with appreciation, "It's just that in order to build this reading pavilion, in addition to books, we need money. If you have difficulties, you can actually write to the court. …”
Cheng Zhao smiled and shook his head: "The emperor has so many things to do, how can he bother you with such a trivial matter... The reading pavilion is not led by Xiaguan alone, but there are two others. One is Xiaguan's aunt, who is from Sui'an, and the other is He is an expert hermit, known as the Dongliu layman, and you don’t have to worry about money for the time being in the Reading Pavilion.”
Dongliu layman is his mentor Master Yu. If one day his injustice can be overturned, Dongliu layman's identity will be revealed. But if that day does not happen, then the world will never know who Dongliu layman is.
Master Zhang didn't care about the identity of layman Dongliu. He said with a smile: "I heard that Master Cheng is getting married the day after tomorrow. I wonder if I can go and ask for a wedding drink?"
Cheng Zhao cupped his hands and said, "If Mr. Zhang comes to have a wedding banquet, it will only bring glory to my Cheng family, which is more than I could ever ask for."
Master Zhang burst out laughing: "I quite like you, boy. What is your nickname? I will call you by your nickname from now on, and it will make you look closer."
He has a good relationship with Sui'an's nephew. Sui'an should not be stingy in teaching him...
Cheng Zhao and Mr. Zhang chatted for half an hour. After the poetry meeting was over, they went home.
Instead of returning to his yard on the outskirts of Beijing, he went to Cheng Wanwan's residence first and explained in detail about today's book donation.
"The donation will spread among the circles of scholars, and some people should donate spontaneously." Cheng Zhao said confidently, "Next, I will continue to participate in poetry gatherings, firstly to call for book donations, and secondly to let scholars know that the capital is about to open a new building. A reading pavilion.”
Cheng Wanwan took out the design sketch and said, "The courtyard you rented is the second courtyard. It is very spacious. I designed it like this: the first courtyard is a place for reading, with tables and chairs. , the environment needs to be decorated more elegantly... The second courtyard is the study room, there are eight rooms in total, and the books are divided into eight categories and placed separately. Each room can hold at least twelve vertical bookshelves, and one bookshelf can hold at least Two hundred books, that is to say, the amount you raise tonight can only fill two bookshelves..."
Hearing this, Cheng Zhao's face became serious.
More than five hundred books does sound like a lot, but when calculated this way, it is completely insufficient. It does not seem feasible to only raise donations from the scholar community.
He thought deeply and said, "Don't worry, Second Aunt, I will definitely come up with a charter."
"Now is not the time to think about this." Cheng Wanwan laughed, "Tomorrow will be your wedding, and I can't wait to see what Zhao'er's future wife will be like."
Cheng Zhao couldn't help being amused, his face suddenly turned red, and he quickly found an excuse to leave.
The next day is the day before the wedding. According to the custom in the capital, on this day the bride's dowry needs to be carried into the groom's home, and the groom's family has to greet her grandly. As an elder, Cheng Wanwan also needs to be present.
Starting from the small courtyard in the early morning and walking to the street, she heard many people talking about this matter.
"Who would have thought that this year's Tanhualang would actually marry the daughter of a fifth-grade official. What kind of luck did Miss Situ get?"
"If Mr. Cheng had taken the scientific examination three years earlier, he would have been destined to become a prince-in-law. What a pity."
"Do you think it's okay to be a prince-in-law? You will be suppressed by the princess all your life and have no real power. It is a joke to study hard for more than ten years. Mr. Cheng should have escaped."
"I heard that Mr. He also wanted Tanhualang to be his son-in-law, but unfortunately the Situ family beat him to it."
"No matter how handsome Tan Hua Lang is, he is just from a poor family with no background. Nowadays, the young master of the Fu family is the most popular among the old ladies in the capital. If he can marry his daughter to the young master Fu, that would be a good deal."
"That's true. People with no background and empty skin can't get far..."
Various sounds reached Cheng Wanwan's ears, but she didn't take them seriously.
In this era, background is important, but ability is also important. Just like gold, even if it is buried in the loess, it will shine brightly.
Now that Cheng Zhao has stood on his own stage, sooner or later, his light will shine.
The carriage slowly drove out of the city, towards Cheng Mansion.
The original courtyard was quiet and elegant. After it was decorated, red lanterns with Chinese characters for "happy" were everywhere, making it look particularly festive.
Those busy with chores in the yard, in addition to the Cheng family themselves, were also Mrs. Qi and Mrs. Yang sent by Cheng Wanwan, as well as eight young boys and eight maids sent by the Situ family to help. All of them were dressed in festive clothes. After everything is ready, wait for the dowry to be delivered.
As soon as the auspicious time comes, the sound of wheels can be heard in the alley.
Ah Fu stood at the gate and shouted: "Come on, come on, the Situ family is here!"
Cheng Jia and Cheng Ding each held a big firecracker and lit it at the door. The firecrackers exploded with crackling sounds. Many people in the alley came out to watch the excitement.
Amid the joy, the Situ family's carriage gradually approached.
