After three rounds of tea, the topic turned to the calligraphy that Li Mo had recently found. Mr. Qin knew very well about Li Mo's abilities, so the three of them came to the desk, and Li Mo took out two calligraphy and paintings from his bag.
"Two pictures?"
Li Mo first unfolded Liu Zizhuang's painting and said: "This is a picture of an old farmer taking a morning glory. Mr. Qin, Grandpa Shi, you all have a look."
"I don't understand."
Mr. Shi shook his head. Although he didn't understand, he still came over to watch the excitement.
"The painting is quite good, and the signature seal is Liu Zizhuang. It's really rare that this person still has works handed down to the world. It's a pity that this person is unlucky, and the works he has handed down are not of the highest quality."
"Mr. Qin knows the origin of Liu Zizhuang?"
"One thing I know is that this man should have been an imperial examination champion during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. He was considered a late bloomer. He only ascended the Jinluan Palace when he was about forty years old. He died of illness within a few years of becoming an official. There are not many records about him in the history books. This painting Although it is not recognized by the market, it is still a good ancient painting, so keep it for yourself to appreciate."
Li Mo admired Mr. Qin's profound knowledge. He could know such an unpopular figure.
"After all, this painting is also the work of a scholar. Looking back, I will hang it on the wall like this. It still has a bit of style."
"Put this one away, we focus on the words on it."
Li Mo rolled up Liu Zizhuang's painting, and then slowly spread out the calligraphy.
A stunning piece of wild grass appeared in front of the three people. Even if Shi Lao didn't understand, he was still moved by the momentum of the wild grass in front of him.
Mr. Qin himself is a calligrapher, and his thin gold calligraphy by Song Huizong is as pure as fire, giving him the style of a great master. So when he saw the Kuangcao body on display, his eyes lit up.
"The mountain is not high, if there are immortals, it will be spiritual. If the water is not deep, if there are dragons, it will be spiritual. This is a humble house, but I am virtuous."
Mr. Qin read the first few sentences word for word, and the crazy cursive style was not a problem at all in his eyes.
After hearing what he read out, Li Mo checked it again and found that he could read it vaguely.
"The moss marks on the steps are green, and the grass color is green in the curtains. There are scholars who talk and laugh, and there are no white people in the world. You can tune the plain piano and read the Golden Scripture. There is no mess of silk and bamboo, and there is no labor of writing documents. Nanyang Zhugelu, Xishuzi said Pavilion. Confucius said: What's so shameful?"
Mr. Qin finished reading it in one breath, and then he came closer to take a closer look, as well as the inscription left at the end of the title.
"Zhengde Dingwei's Qiuzhi Mountain."
Li Mo looked shocked. This wildly cursive "Inscription on a Humble Room" turned out to be Zhu Zhishan's masterpiece.
Who is Zhu Zhishan?
One of the four most famous talents in the Ming Dynasty.
In calligraphy, together with Wen Zhengming and Wang Chong, they became the "three great masters".
His calligraphy absorbed the wisdom and trends of many calligraphy masters, integrated it, and developed into his own unique wild calligraphy, which was praised as the best in the Ming Dynasty.
There is a saying in history that "Tang Bohu's paintings are Zhu Zhishan's calligraphy", which shows that Zhu Zhishan's cursive calligraphy had the supreme status in the Ming Dynasty.
At the end of Kuangcao’s work is Zhu Zhishan’s seal.
"Little friend, this is really Zhu Zhishan's handiwork." Mr. Qin's voice changed, full of disbelief, and he couldn't believe it.
Li Mo now looked at the entire text, and there was no obstacle in reading "The Inscription on a Humble Room". The whole picture was very expressive.
Taking a closer look at his handwriting, his writing is full of rebellious character, bold and unrestrained, wild and uninhibited, splashing with ink, and jumping quickly.
He is worthy of being the first cursive calligrapher in the Ming Dynasty. His wild cursive style amazed countless calligraphers in later generations.
"Mr. Qin, today is really a feast for the eyes."
"Yeah, it's very emotional."
The old man and the young man were unwilling to look away for a long time. The wild grass in Zhuzhishan seemed to have infinite magic power in their eyes, making them unable to stop.
"Old man Qin, you should pay attention to controlling your emotions. Don't think that you are still a young man." Mr. Shi was not so excited. After all, he had no interest in calligraphy and painting.
"Happy!"
It took a long time for Mr. Qin to regain his mood, and he motioned to Li Mo to put the words away carefully.
"Old man Qin, is this calligraphy really the masterpiece of Zhu Zhishan?"
"The momentum, spirit, and boldness of this Kuangcao are not something ordinary people can achieve. Judging from the name and seal, there is no doubt that this is the authentic work of Zhu Zhishan."
"How does this wild cursive compare to the calligraphy in your collection?"
Mr. Qin glanced at Shi Lao and said with a smile: "It's okay to say it clearly. Compared with Zhu Zhishan's Kuang Cao, my collection of calligraphy really lacks a kind of grace. But whether it is Kuang Cao, running script, or regular script, every font is different. It has its own unique charm. I like the wild grass, but I prefer the thin gold body.”
"Just admit defeat, I don't care about the rest."
"Hahaha, you old Shi, you are no match for me in chess. Now you can regain your ground here."
Li Mo put away the calligraphy and paintings and sat back on the sofa with his elders.
"Little friend, where did you find this calligraphy? There are very few authentic works of Zhu Zhishan among the people."
"Liulichang, we have been holding an antique festival in the past few days. This afternoon I went to visit Niu Sanpang for an hour or two."
"Besides these two calligraphy and paintings, are there any other gains?"
"There are still three small leaks, which are not worth mentioning. The antique festival will end in a few days. Tomorrow, Sanpang and I will go shopping for the rest."
"According to the current market price, Zhu Zhishan's original work is about eight to nine million per square foot. If this wildly curated "Inscription on a Humble Room" were put up for auction, it would start at at least 150 million."
"I plan to keep this authentic work for myself, Mr. Qin. I will ask you for more advice on the maintenance of calligraphy and painting later."
"That's all on me."
"Dad, what are you doing?" Qin Yali walked into the study with a smile on her face. She said hello to Shi Lao first, and then looked at Li Mo. "When I got home, I heard from my elder brother that you were here too, so I put down my things. Just come over here and see what treasures you have found."
"You were a step too late. This guy got an authentic painting of Zhu Zhishan's wild cursive painting."
Mr. Qin pointed to Li Mo's backpack.
"What, is it the authentic work of Zhu Zhishan, the first person in the Ming Dynasty?" Qin Yali was also surprised. The Kyoto Museum has an authentic work of Zhu Zhishan in its collection, and she is usually reluctant to put it on display.
"Xiao Mo, what is the content of that authentic painting?"
"I'll show Aunt Qin's "Inscription on a Humble House" by Liu Yuxi, a poet from the Tang Dynasty."
"Forget it, I'm not proficient in calligraphy, so I just looked at it with blank eyes. Dad, Uncle Shi, Xiao Mo, dinner is ready, let's go over to eat first."
"Xiao Mo left in a hurry last time. Did you add some meat for him today so that young people can eat it?"
"Added a portion of barbecued pork, a portion of lion's head, a portion of beer-battered duck, and a portion of braised beef. I heard Sirui say that Xiao Mo's food alone is enough for her to eat for three days."
Li Mo couldn't laugh or cry and said, "I sound like a loser."
"Haha, it's a good meal. You can eat and drink. By the way, didn't Sirui say that he will go to Kyoto tonight? You will stay here overnight after dinner. Sirui will have a rest tomorrow and you can take her to the antique festival. Let her take some time to relax.”
After Mr. Qin finished speaking, he winked at Mr. Shi beside him.
"That girl Sirui is usually too busy with work and studies, and running around every day is tiring. Tomorrow you young people will go shopping and have a good meal. You have to live like a young man, don't imitate us old men. , staying at home all day long and not going out."
"I'm afraid not. The antique festival was really crowded. The three fat men and I were so crowded that we were sweating all over. It's not appropriate for Sirui to go."
"There's nothing inappropriate. It's okay to go for a walk in a place with few people."
