…
…
On this day, at midnight in the evening, in an elegant room on the third floor of Xianyunju, Zhao Junchen hosted a banquet for the owners of several famous gardens in Suzhou. Lok Man Novels
Because of the fighting game between Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing, people from all walks of life in Suzhou are now in a panic, fearing that they will be affected. In addition, Zhao Junchen's reputation is indeed strong enough, and he also hints that a great honor will be given to them, so After receiving Zhao Junchen's name card, these garden owners all attended the ceremony with honor, and no one was missing.
These garden owners include monks and laymen, old and young, rich and poor, noble and humble, and their statuses can be described as diverse.
For example, Canglang Pavilion is the oldest garden in the south of the Yangtze River. After many changes, it is now the property of Nanchan Temple in Suzhou. Therefore, the person who came to the banquet on behalf of Canglang Pavilion was also a middle-aged monk with a rosy face and a plump figure. His dharma name is Hui Bao, and he is the abbot of Nanchan Temple.
The owner of the Lion Grove is Wan Changling, a descendant of Wan Xuanzhi, the former minister of the dynasty. Wan Xuanzhi was a world-famous Confucian at that time. He was a die-hard supporter of Zhu Xi's thoughts and was notoriously pedantic. His descendants also inherited Wan Xuanzhi's temperament. Although he was still under thirty, he was already He has a dignified, mature and well-behaved look.
The situation in the Humble Administrator's Garden is the most complicated. It is now divided into two. The eastern part is inherited by the descendants of the former minister Wang Xinyi. This man is named Wang Longzhi. He is about forty years old, with luxurious clothes and a shrewd look. Although he came from a family of officials, his road to the imperial examination was repeatedly frustrated. Now he has given up politics and engaged in business. He is a well-known merchant near Suzhou. Under Wang Longzhi's management, the eastern part of the Humble Administrator's Garden is now very prosperous, with many organizations organized The cloisters, murals, and rockeries make the scenery even better than before.
The western part of the Humble Administrator's Garden was inherited by Xu Manhua, a descendant of the Xu family. The Xu family is now gradually declining. Life is also quite embarrassing. It is said that the western part of the Humble Administrator's Garden has now been turned into a large vegetable field, and the descendants of the Xu family even have to rely on selling vegetables to make a living. At this time, Xu Manhua was attending the banquet. Although he was wearing a brocade dress, the brocade dress looked very shabby. It was an old model from many years ago. Sitting at the banquet, his expression was also very reserved, which was in sharp contrast to Wang Longzhi beside him.
In addition, Liu Bolai, the owner of the Lotus Garden, Zhao Shusen, the owner of the Odd Garden, Niu Jinyan, the owner of Wanbai Villa, etc., also appeared.
*
Zhao Junchen is a second-rank official in the imperial court. Although everyone was invited to the banquet, the status of the two parties was very different, so naturally Zhao Junchen would not welcome them in person.
In fact, after the guests arrived, Zhao Junchen still did not show up.
At this time, the owners of Suzhou's famous gardens gathered together with different expressions. They were waiting for Zhao Junchen to appear while chatting with each other and inquiring about news.
Among them, the performance of Hui Bao, the abbot of Nanzen Temple, was the most exquisite. He always smiles and has a humble expression. When talking to others, he will always deliberately cater to flattery. From time to time, he would quote a few Buddhist scriptures to emphasize his status as a great monk, which made people feel good about him.
Wan Changling, the owner of the Lion Grove, has a nonchalant look, with a hint of aloofness and pretentiousness. When talking to others, he speaks the least. Most of the time, he just nods or shakes his head. Only when facing Hui Bao, Only then can he speak a few words. But once he speaks, he will always have the prefix "Confucius said" or "The sage once said", which is very rigid and pedantic. Make people avoid it.
As for Wang Longzhi and Xu Manhua in the Humble Administrator's Garden, they are neighbors. But one is rich and one is poor, one is noble and the other is humble, so the friendship between them is naturally not good. When the two sat together, Wang Longzhi would always seize every opportunity to ridicule Xu Manhua, and his words had a vague intention of forcing Xu Manhua to sell the western part of the Humble Administrator's Garden to him. Faced with Wang Longzhi's sarcasm, Xu Manhua became even more embarrassed, but He didn't dare to talk back.
It is worth mentioning that in the face of Wang Longzhi's aggressiveness and Xu Manhua's pitiful embarrassment, both Hui Bao, who looked like a eminent monk, and Wan Changling, who claimed to be the heir of Confucianism, turned a blind eye and did not help at all. the meaning of.
Then, the garden owners did not wait too long. At midnight in the evening, Zhao Junchen appeared on time wearing casual clothes!
*
Seeing Zhao Junchen's appearance, the garden owners behaved differently.
Unexpectedly, after Zhao Junchen appeared, the person who stood up quickly to greet him and showed the most humility among the people was actually Wan Changling, who looked like a scholar! While bowing, Wan Changling's upper body was almost parallel to the ground.
In addition, host Hui Bao was not left behind. When he stood up to greet him, he not only chanted the Buddha's name, but also took the opportunity to compliment Zhao Junchen, saying that Zhao Junchen was blessed and would be blessed by the Buddha.
Then, Wang Longzhi, Xu Manhua, Liu Bolai, Zhao Shusen, Niu Jinyan and others also stood up and greeted each other with compliments.
Facing the greetings of everyone, Zhao Junchen behaved quite gently. He smiled, raised his hands and said, "I am clearly inviting you to a banquet today, but I am the last to come. It is really rude. I hope you can forgive me." .”
After hearing Zhao Junchen's confession, everyone naturally said that they didn't mind and found various reasons to excuse Zhao Junchen.
Then, Zhao Junchen took the seat first. Under Zhao Junchen's greeting, the owners of famous gardens also took their seats one after another.
After everyone was seated, Zhao Junchen didn't talk nonsense, but went straight to the topic and said: "I am summoning everyone this time because I have something to ask for your help."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's opening remarks and taking into account Zhao Junchen's previous hints, everyone became energetic and said one after another: "Please make it clear, sir, that as long as it is within my power, there will be no excuse."
"Yes, Mr. Zhao, if you need me to wait somewhere, just say hello."
"If we can provide some help to Mr. Zhao, we and everyone will only feel honored."
After hearing everyone's opinions, Zhao Junchen smiled and nodded, and then said: "Everyone should have received some news. I am responsible for all the arrangements related to your Majesty's southern tour. As a close minister of your Majesty, I , and shouldering important responsibilities, he has always regarded His Majesty's mood as his top priority.
During his southern tour, His Majesty stayed in palaces and official residences in various places. Although the palaces were all solemn, luxurious and royal, His Majesty would inevitably feel bored after seeing them. greasy. Now, His Majesty is visiting Suzhou, and Suzhou's gardens are famous all over the world. I thought that if His Majesty could stay in Suzhou's famous gardens and experience the unique landscape of Suzhou gardens, Your Majesty might be able to It feels fresh, and the southern tour will not be boring. If His Majesty is happy when the time comes, it will be good for me and the owner of the garden. "
After saying that, the smile on Zhao Junchen's face became even bigger. After looking around at everyone, he said: "However, most of the famous gardens in Suzhou are your private property, so I will invite you to a banquet to see who is the owner." I am willing to provide my garden for Your Majesty to stay temporarily for a few days."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation, everyone's eyes lit up and they looked slightly excited.
What an honor it would be if Emperor Deqing could live in his own garden? With such honor, our family's status in Southern Zhili will be greatly improved in the future, and the related benefits will be countless. If we can take the opportunity to please Emperor Deqing and gain his favor, maybe our family will be able to win. Jump over the Dragon Gate and become a wealthy family of the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop!
So, as Zhao Junchen finished speaking, everyone on the court couldn't wait to express their opinions without any hesitation!
"The poor monk Hui Bao is willing to provide Canglang Pavilion as a temporary palace for His Majesty. The Lion Grove has been famous all over the world since the Song Dynasty. The scenery inside is elegant and full of wonders. Your Majesty will definitely not be disappointed after your stay."
"Sir Zhao Mingjian, we, the Wan family, have been loyal subjects for generations. It is most suitable for Your Majesty to stay in the Lion Grove of our Wan family!"
"The Humble Administrator's Garden of the Wang family is the most famous garden in Suzhou. It would be a great honor for the Wang family if the Humble Administrator's Garden is handed over to His Majesty for temporary residence. I hope Mr. Zhao will understand the sincerity of the entire Wang family."
"I am willing to provide Wanbai Villa to your Majesty as your majesty's temporary palace..."
"My Zhao family's Garden of Thoughts has the most elegant scenery. It is the best choice for His Majesty's temporary palace..."
"The scenic beauty of the Lotus Garden is famous in Suzhou. Your Majesty should come and stay in our Lotus Garden temporarily..."
Faced with everyone's scramble to be the first to express their opinions, Zhao Junchen still looked smiling, but when everyone was about to fight over the choice of Emperor Deqing's temporary palace, Zhao Junchen did not express his opinion at all.
…
…(To be continued.)
