Li Yuan's eyes lit up.
Xu Fenglei also stood up and raised his neck.
"Preface to the Lanting Collection"!
This is the best running script in the world! The value is much higher than the "Sang Luan Tie" in his hand!
It is no exaggeration to say that "Sang Luan Tie" could be sold for hundreds of millions in later generations, while "Preface to the Lanting Collection" is priceless.
A priceless national treasure!
Although Xu Fenglei didn't know much about calligraphy, it didn't stop him from wanting to see the treasure.
Wow.
On the desk, two slaves spread out the calligraphy sheets, and three heads immediately came up.
"Okay, okay... what a good word!"
Li Yuan caressed the calligraphy gently, as if caressing his lover's skin. He just glanced at it a few times and couldn't help but praise,
"Exquisitely elegant, worthy of being the best calligraphy in the world!"
"Erlang, where did you get this from? Why don't I know anything about it?"
Li Shimin grinned.
"If we want to talk about the circulation of "The Preface to the Lanting Collection", there is a story to tell."
He smiled and said,
"After this object came from Wang Xi's hand, it was regarded as a treasure by the Wang family and passed down to the hands of Wang Xizhi's seventh Zen Master Sun Zhiyong. Before his death, Zen Master Zhiyong passed it on to his favorite disciple, Monk Biancai."
"I earned this "Preface to the Lanting Collection" from the monk Biancai."
Li Yuan suddenly realized that this is what happened...
"What is profit?" he asked again.
"Well, at first I sent someone to ask for it, but Monk Biancai refused to give it and just said he didn't have it. In desperation, I had no choice but to make a trick and sent Xiao Yi, the censor, to coax him."
Li Shimin sighed lightly,
"Xiao Yu hid his identity and made friends with the monk Biancai. As expected, the monk fell in love with each other. When the two were exchanging calligraphy, the monk Biancai actually took out the Preface to the Lanting Collection!"
"Xiao Yi used a trick to steal the treasure. By the time Monk Biancai found out, the treasure was already in my hands..."
"Speaking of it, it's not very glorious..."
As an emperor, he actually resorted to sneaky tricks for a letter. This is not nice to say!
"What's this?"
Li Yuan waved his hand and said nonchalantly,
"This world belongs to our Li family, and so does the "Preface to the Lanting Collection". Monk Biancai is just keeping it."
"If the emperor insists on it, how dare he not give it to me? Then demolish his temple and search it out!"
Xu Fenglei curled his lips.
He didn't like Li Yuan's argument very much. It was even more ugly than the capitalists of later generations.
But then I thought about the feudal dynasty at this moment...
"However, now that you have obtained the "Preface to the Lanting Collection", you should give more rewards to Monk Biancai. It will be regarded as his meritorious service."
Li Yuan patted Li Shimin's shoulder and said with a faint smile,
"He's a monk... If you build the temple in a more elegant way for him, he will naturally be happy."
Li Shimin nodded slightly.
"My son also has the intention to allocate some money to rebuild the temple of the monk Biancai."
He said,
"We will visit the descendants of the Wang family among the people and give them some rewards. If they are talented, they can also be given official positions."
"In this case, it can be considered a great kindness."
The father and son looked at each other and already reached a consensus.
The emperor, if he takes your things and rewards you with three melons and two dates, that is grace!
Given the grace, there is no psychological burden at all when enjoying this treasure.
"Come on, I want to copy it!"
Li Yuan became interested and waved, saying,
"Here are the Four Treasures of the Study! Erlang, don't look at me playing cards and chess every day, but actually my favorite thing is writing!"
"Writing is the best way to cultivate your sentiments and recuperate your body and mind! I still remember that during the Wude years, my father wrote a thousand official appointment documents in one day. It was not tiring at all, but it was still full of ideas! Hahaha..."
"Come on……"
Li Shimin's face twitched.
You were so happy that you appointed a thousand officials in one day.
Do you know how difficult it was for me to eliminate these redundant officials? !
The paper I was wiping was almost torn!
He was slandering in his heart, but there was no expression of dissatisfaction on his face. Instead, he said enthusiastically:
"Okay, maybe I haven't seen your father write for a long time."
"Come here, I will grind the ink for you. Just write, even if you write it ten thousand times! I have enough pen and ink!"
Li Yuan nodded with satisfaction, took out the brush and held it in his hand.
"In the ninth year of Yonghe... It is not unreasonable for this "Preface to the Lanting Collection" to be called the best running script in the world. The first character is very mysterious!"
He raised his head slightly and asked,
"Erlang, and Mr. Xu Guogong, I'm here to test you... There are eight ways to write the word Yong. Do you know which eight ways it is?"
Xu Fenglei shook his head repeatedly.
How did he know? He felt that the calligraphy was well written, very beautiful, and very charming... But what was the best part about it?
Sorry, I'm a country bumpkin, but I know nothing about calligraphy.
"Of course I know."
Li Shimin responded,
"Yong is a small character, but it covers all the structure of the font. Often, just such a character can reveal the genre of the person who wrote it."
"The point is the side; the horizontal is the strangle; the vertical is the crossbow; the hook is the crotch; the lift is the strategy: the left is the plunder; the short left is the peck; the pinch is the hammer."
"This is the eight methods of Yongzi!"
Having said that, his hands were a little itchy, so he took a writing brush and started writing on the rice paper.
The father and son were in high spirits, but Xu Fenglei was dizzy. He could only stroke his chin and cheer for them pretending to be serious:
"The word Taishanghuang is well written!"
"Your Majesty's writing is not bad either!"
"Oh my... I'm almost catching up with Wang Xizhi!"
"..."
…
A few hours later, it was getting late.
Li Shimin walked out of Da'an Palace with Xu Fenglei with a satisfied smile on his face.
"It's been a long time since I got along so harmoniously with my father, and maybe it's been a long time since I've practiced calligraphy so well... I'm quite diligent in copying today!"
He laughed and said,
"It's great, it's great! Hahahaha... Listen, you did a good job with my father today. I can see that he is very happy!"
Today, Li Er has made up for the guilt he felt towards his father, and he has also become addicted to writing.
Even though the weather is hot, once you feel comfortable, you will be able to enjoy everything you see!
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Xu Fenglei yawned.
Of course I can accompany you! I don't even have the right words in my beautiful words. I almost praised Old Li Tou as Li Xizhi!
"alright!"
Li Shimin patted Xu Fenglei's shoulder and said,
"I want to go back and make good arrangements for the summer vacation at Renzhi Palace. As for the matter of supervising the country, don't refuse anymore. I can't trust anyone else!"
Xu Fenglei felt warm in his heart.
The emperor travels and the ministers supervise the country. This is indeed a great trust! It’s also a kind of reward!
It is foreseeable that after this imprisonment, his political status in Datang will continue to rise...
However, Xu Fenglei has never been satisfied with spiritual rewards. Material rewards must also be given, otherwise...
Don't do it.
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."
He slightly cupped his hands and said cheerfully,
"I can supervise the country, but it is a laborious task after all. There is no credit, only hard work."
"There are no rewards for being in prison. If something goes wrong, I will be the one to blame for death, so..."
Li Shimin glared.
"What?"
He said angrily,
"Supervise the country! This is a job that many people can't ask for, and yet you complain about it?"
"Do you want me to give you some reward?"
Xu Fenglei smiled.
"That's a good feeling!"
He continued,
"Your Majesty, I don't want anything else, so just give me the "Preface to the Lanting Collection". I want to use it as a treasure for my house."
Li Shimin: "???"
"You kid is looking for a kick, aren't you?"
Li Er said angrily,
"You're a guy who can't even write well. What do you want from the "Preface to the Lanting Collection"? Can you, a wild boar, taste the fine chaff?"
"What a joke!"
Hearing Xu Fenglei's request, he wanted to kick this kid.
So irritating! I decided to read his favorite "Lanting Collection Preface".
Just now my father wanted it, but he was not willing to give it to me!
"Isn't it just because I'm not good at writing that I need to copy and learn from it..."
Xu Fenglei was scolded, but he was not annoyed. He still grinned and said,
"Maybe with this "Preface to the Lanting Collection", Chen's calligraphy skills will advance by leaps and bounds and he will become a master of calligraphy."
"You think so?"
"Get out!" Li Shimin rolled his eyes and refused decisively, "Don't even think about it! I gave you Shang Fang's horse-killing sword, which is enough to be a treasure for the house! Besides, you don't have any children to pass it on to. What does it do?"
"I can take it into the grave." Xu Fenglei said seriously.
boom!
Li Shimin couldn't bear it anymore and kicked Xu Fenglei.
"Get out! You're not qualified!"
he spat,
"This treasure is the burial object that I have long recognized and will be taken into the grave!"
Xu Fenglei ducked out of the way deftly, and was kicked by Li Er only to hit a corner of his clothes.
"Then I won't do it anymore. Whoever wants to do this will do it."
He spread his hands and acted rogue,
"It's extremely hot in Chang'an, and I would like to follow Your Majesty to Renzhi Palace to escape the heat. Do you think that's okay?"
Li Shimin: "..."
"You're such a bitch...that's all! I've convinced you, what's the point of being so elegant..."
Li Er held his forehead and said,
"Don't you want to copy calligraphy? I'll give you this opportunity! I'll lend you this "Preface to the Lanting Collection" for now and keep it in your house for safekeeping until I come back from the summer vacation."
"Two months is enough for you to copy!"
"But remember one thing, this is my treasure, don't hurt it even a little bit, or I will come back and twist your head off!"
"Did you hear that?"
Xu Fenglei was shocked.
"heard it!"
He solemnly said,
"I will definitely take good care of it!"
"It's really... you feel uncomfortable if you don't get some benefits from me, don't you?" Li Shimin muttered, then waved to the maid behind him and said, "Pack this "Preface to the Lanting Collection" and send it to Duke Xu's mansion!"
After saying that, he walked away.
Xu Fenglei grinned.
If you are too upright and obedient without asking for anything in return, the emperor might even become suspicious.
Asking for favors from time to time is the best way to maintain the relationship between monarch and ministers. Otherwise, if you have no desires or demands, what kind of favor will the emperor give you?
If you don't reward me, how can he trust you?
Human nature...
Of course, he was also very happy to obtain the treasure of "Lanting Collection Preface", even if he only held it temporarily.
When the time comes, the two brothers Yan Liben and Yan Lide will make a hundred copies of it. In the future, whether it is used to decorate the facade or given as a gift, it will be more respectable!
…
A few days later.
After intensive planning, the emperor asked the Supreme Emperor to move to Renzhi Palace to escape the summer heat, and the trip is about to take place.
Chang'an Posthouse.
Chizuru Hiromiya sorted out the books on the floor and carefully classified and packed them into boxes.
At this moment, there were more than a dozen large boxes in front of her. Even if they were pulled by horse-drawn carriages, it would take at least five to pull them.
"There is an old saying in the Central Plains that people learn to be rich in five ways. Princess Qianhe, we can be considered rich in five ways, right?"
Pharmacist Hui Ri assisted Haogong Qianhe and said with a smile.
"No, it's much more than that."
Chizuru Hiromiya stood up and took a short rest. Looking at his 'masterpiece', he couldn't help but smile and wiped his sweat.
"There was no paper in the Central Plains before, so texts were recorded on bamboo slips. Five carts of bamboo slips may seem like a lot, but in fact they don't carry much text."
"Now our books are all recorded on thin paper. There are nearly a thousand densely packed books! They cover astronomy, geography, agriculture, medicine, mathematics, architecture, music, calligraphy, poetry, Buddhist scriptures, Taoism, the Four Books and the Five Classics There are dozens of types of books! The knowledge is extremely dense!”
"If Japan can digest and absorb all these books, it will be enough to become a powerful country!"
Pharmacist Huiri's eyes showed longing.
"It's not in vain for the princess to waste all her family wealth..." He sighed softly.
"Yes, it's not in vain that I spent all my wealth. For these books, I not only spent all the gold I brought, but also sold off my jewelry, just to exchange for a few more books."
Haogong Qianhe also sighed with emotion, then smiled and said,
"But it's worth it. Trading money for knowledge is a sure-fire deal no matter how you look at it!"
"Mr. Medicine Master, let's load the car! The weather is hot and muggy now, so be careful not to damage these treasures by insects."
"Ha Yi!" Medicine Master Hui Ri responded, "I'll go now!"
He picked up a box with both hands and was about to go downstairs when he suddenly asked:
"Princess Qianhe, when...will we return to Japan?"
Haogong Qianhe raised his eyebrows.
"Why, you are in such a hurry to go back, isn't it good for Datang?"
she asked rhetorically.
"Datang is very good."
Pharmacist Huiri shook her head and whispered,
"This place is a hundred times more prosperous than Japan, and there are all kinds of delicious food. Just having breakfast can have dozens of varieties..."
"There are many places to have fun in Chang'an. Just taking a look at them will make you dazzled."
"This is a place of bliss...but it's not my destination."
"I still want to return to Japan as soon as possible. I miss my hometown. Although it is barren, I feel nostalgic."
Haogong Qianhe nodded slightly.
"Soon."
She said,
"The purpose of coming here is to learn from the books of the Tang Dynasty and absorb their wisdom. Once these five carts of books are loaded, the purpose will be considered accomplished."
"The only thing left is to meet Emperor Tang. After meeting Emperor Tang, we will leave for home. My father is in Japan, so he is probably waiting impatiently."
Pharmacist Huiri nodded repeatedly.
"yes."
After he got the definite answer, he felt relieved and turned around to move the goods.
But there was a cold look in Haogong Qianhe's eyes.
"No ambition."
She sneered,
“What is there to miss in a barren land?”
"Good birds choose trees to roost. Only this empire of thousands of chariots and the prosperous Chang'an can be the habitat of thousands of cranes in my palace!"
(End of chapter)
