The young master actually decided to take a bath in the Hun Tang, which was unprecedented. Lu Jiu was caught off guard. He could neither throw Li Dan into a mixed hall used by ordinary people in the city, nor dare he walk further along Jingzhao South Street. It was too glamorous there!
After thinking about it, he turned onto Xueyan Road and walked south from Wanhe Bridge along the river. The west bank of the Cai River is close to the official residential area and is relatively elegant.
After asking around all the way, an old man pointed out that there was Fengruntang in Gujing Lane ahead, which was an elegant and quiet place. He also said that officials often visited this place, but carriages couldn't get in.
So Lu Jiu parked his car at the entrance of the alley, and Li Dan took Mao Zaidi and walked inside along the alleyway, which was only eight feet wide. Fengruntang lit a sheepskin lantern at the door and placed it on the ground. It could be seen from afar in the dim alley.
Before he reached the door, he saw two men in Taoist robes walking out, but Li Dan recognized one of them. He quickly stepped forward with a smile and bowed in salute: "Dan pays homage to Prime Minister Zhu. Why is Mr. Youtao (Zhu Zhanxi) so free today?"
Zhu Zhanzhen was amused at the sight: "Hey, Li Tanhua, are you free today?"
"Oh, no! My nephew was so busy this morning that he slapped his feet on the back of his head and was sweating all over! No, I just wanted to come and freshen up, otherwise it would be hard to see people in such a mess."
Zhu Zhanzhen knew that he was working part-time as a director, so it was hard to ask him what he was busy with. He nodded and said, "You go first, I have to help my friend find a gardener to sell the garden. We can talk at home later when we have time."
Because his brother Zhu Zhanji wrote a letter asking him to pay great attention to this young man, and he was very helpful to his nephew Zhu Qizhen, so he talked to him like an uncle and nephew, without any airs of sympathies. The person next to him was very surprised.
Li Dan originally just wanted to say hello and say hello, but when he heard the words "selling garden", he immediately became interested. "What are you selling, the garden? Uncle Shi, please stay. Can you let Dan know how big the garden is and where it is located?"
"What, are you interested in buying a property?" Only then did Zhu Zhanchen remember that this guy was a big financial backer!
It is said that he built the Dongrisheng carriage, as well as the Wanfu coal cake cast iron stove, the coal cakes now used in every household, the popular pencils, etc.
"This garden is not far away by the Jincheng Bridge." After he finished speaking, he patted his forehead and quickly introduced the person next to him: "This is Shen Zhenji, Mr. Nan Zhai, from Changzhou in the south of the Yangtze River.
Hehe, he built a "Ban Garden" beside Jincheng Bridge, which is very famous! Now he wants to return to his hometown, so he plans to sell the garden.
But..., it has been listed for half a year now, and he has not yet succeeded in making a move. He is trapped in the capital and is very anxious, so he comes to ask me for help. "
"Then...have you found a home for Brother Shen?" Li Dan asked.
"No, I just said that someone wanted to look at the house, so Brother Shen came to look for me. I have to go quickly, I can't let people wait too long."
Li Dan looked at Shen Zhenji and knew in his heart that he was a scholar who couldn't afford to bargain with others, so he found a helping hand. It was funny in his heart, but Li Dan still held up his hand and said:
"Uncle Shi, please go and get busy, but don't agree to the other party immediately. How about waiting for my nephew to freshen up a little, and then rush over to see what's going on, and then we can make some arguments."
Zhu Zhanzhen really wanted to help the Shen family, and with Li Dan's financial resources, he was convinced and nodded: "Okay, let's do it like this, let's go first, San Lang will come quickly!"
After saying that, he took Mr. Nanzhai and left. Shen Zhenji didn't know why, so he asked: "Brother Youtao, who is this person? Is he familiar with you?"
"Very familiar, couldn't be more familiar." Zhu Zhanchen bared his teeth and said, "If he is interested, there is a high probability that you can take action on this garden!"
"Why?"
Zhu Zhanji introduced him in a low voice, and Shen Zhenji was shocked: "This is what the storyteller in the teahouse said about 'Li Sanlang who rode into Shangrao alone? Why is he so young?"
"He is very capable! He is capable of quelling rebellions in the military, and is a top performer in literary studies. Your Majesty's favorite minister is now going to the Liao governor to fight against Kerge.
You don't know that a few days ago, His Majesty went to his house incognito to give him instructions and returned late at night. Someone in the cabinet secretly called him 'foreign minister'. So I said, if he likes your garden, then you should
Put it in your belly! "
"But...he won't take it without giving me any money, right?"
"I'm just kidding. I have strict military disciplines. The three major military disciplines and the eight points of attention are not allowed to touch even the grass ropes of the common people. Not to mention your garden...?" When he came to the carriage, Zhu Zhanchen patted the carriage:
"Did you see that? I bought it from him. He has a lot of money. Even the military bonds issued by Dakel this time were underwritten by his trading company. How can you not afford the money for a garden?"
A smile appeared on Shen Zhenji's face: "If it goes smoothly, I will proudly present the picture to Brother Youtao with all my heart."
Zhu Zhanzhen laughed loudly: "Easy to say, easy to say!"
Because of this incident, Li Dan didn't stay in the hall for too long.
I hurried out and put on the new clothes prepared by the store (the changed clothes will be washed and delivered to the guests' homes). The shopkeeper and the proprietress diligently walked straight to the alley, and then watched in surprise as Li Dan got into the car. It turned out that the one he received was Jinke Li Tanhua.
"Oh, why did you let this Wenquxing go?" The shopkeeper stumbled and said, "It would be good to just ask for a few words!"
Banyuan is actually only 300 steps away from Jincheng Bridge. The location is very good. Although it is not facing the street, it is quiet in the bustle.
More than 300 steps east there is a Songjing (there are many ancient wells nearby, so it was once called Gujing Village, and the Gujing Lane where Fengrun Hall is located comes from this). There is a hillside behind the well.
It is said that a large number of wild cranes died in East Lake during the former dynasty's attack on Shangcheng. Some scholars gathered their corpses to bury them here, so it was called Heling. After passing the lush hillside of Heling, you will find the back wall of Daiyanshou Temple.
Sitting in the Madara Garden not far from here, listening to the bells of the Brahma Temple, it must be a special kind of tranquility in your heart, right? Li Dan didn't go in first. After getting off the car, he walked around the side wall of the garden.
Look at the environment, understand the terrain, and be aware of it. Then he turned back to look at the situation in front of the door.
The road and field in front of the door are surprisingly wide and can accommodate a dozen carriages without any problem. Lu Jiu came over and whispered, and Li Dan looked south in surprise, realizing something.
It turns out that in the three mansions in front of them, Fan Zhengxiu, the left Shaoqing of Dali Temple, Chang Jun, the censor of Zuo Du of the Imperial Procuratorate, and Fan Xitong, the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment, lived respectively.
Hey, with the three Dharma Masters gathered together, no wonder this garden can’t be sold! Li Dan was convinced. I guess when he first built the garden, the owner had in mind that such a pattern would form in the future.
"Do you think we should buy this garden?" Li Dan asked, looking at the vitality inside the wall.
"Why don't you buy it?" Mao Zaidi sneered: "Those who don't dare to buy it are all because of their evil intentions. Our young master is upright. Even if the palace is here, there is nothing we dare not buy!"
"That last sentence is unnecessary!" Li Dan glared at him: "You are getting more and more arrogant!" Amao was so frightened that he quickly shrank his neck. "What do you think, Lao Lu?" Li Dan asked.
"Students say that Tianyu always suffers the consequences. I think there is nothing wrong with the first half of Amao's sentence!"
"It's God's fault if he refuses to do so." Li Dan turned around and said, "But we have many brothers. Amao will walk around to see if there are any empty houses or open spaces that can accommodate so many people." ?
Lao Lu paid attention to pedestrians. I'll go in and meet the owner of the house. After saying that, Li Dan stepped forward.
The main entrance has three pairs of six side doors. The middle pair of these doors is slightly wider, allowing the owner and distinguished guests to enter and exit. There are two green copper bracelets on the door, which looks like the owner rarely comes in contact with him.
Li Dan stretched out his hand and was about to knock on the door, when the door creaked open, revealing the face of a young man who looked at him in surprise, then raised his hands and asked, "Is this Li Tanhua opposite?"
"That's right." Li Dan opened his eyes wide when he saw the admiration on this young man's face, and couldn't help but smile: "Excuse me, little brother, who are you?"
"Are you really Mr. Li?" The young man suddenly took a step back and bowed deeply in salute: "Caomin Changzhou Shen Zhou, pays homage to Mr. Li!"
"Shen Zhou?" Li Dan frowned slightly: "Shen Qinan?"
"Hey, how do you know the word Cao Min?"
Li Dan thought to himself, I’m not the only one who knows. Hundreds of years later, you will be famous all over the world. If you don’t know, you will be embarrassed to say that you are a cultural person, okay? "I've heard about your skills in calligraphy and painting, and I've long wanted to have the opportunity to discuss them in person," Li Dan said.
"Oh? Do adults like these too?"
"I have studied under a teacher for several years, but you, Mr. Huang Gongwang, and the Taoist Plum Blossom Master (Wu Zhen), I have learned more by myself, I'm afraid I can't compare!"
Seeing that Li Dan spoke kindly and had the same interests as him, Shen Zhou smiled more and became more talkative.
He led Li Dan to a bamboo forest. When he walked around, he saw a few simple thatched houses. Zhu Zhanzheng and Shen Zhenji were sitting in the yard talking.
Seeing them coming, the two stood up from the bamboo chairs and looked at each other. Li Dan noticed this action and asked, "Why, my nephew came late and neglected you two?"
"No, no." Shen Zhenji waved his hands hastily.
Zhu Zhanyang laughed loudly, pointed at Shen Zhou and said, "His nephew has always been indifferent, and he is always lukewarm towards visiting officials. Just now, brother Zhenji was worried about whether there would be a verbal conflict if he asked him to greet you. I said No, the result is true!
Seeing you two chatting so affectionately all the way, you know I won! Li Dan then asked Shen Zhou to take him around the garden, and Shen Zhenji felt relieved and readily agreed.
The two of them turned east along Yuanzi West Road, chatting all the way. They talked about the cultural figures of the dynasty, who had good calligraphy and whose painting skills were good, and they also talked about Qian Min's collection of books and the bookworm No. 1 Scholar Dou. green.
Li Dan relied on his own experience and understanding from two generations to introduce the differences between Western painting methods and Chinese painting methods to Shen Zhou.
"Western painting is inseparable from engineering construction. Westerners want to know how to calculate things, so they strive to be precise and accurate in their drawings.
As for me in China, I place my feelings on painting and express my ideas through painting, so what I pursue is the profoundness of artistic conception, and the expression and expression of the painter's mood in the brush. There is a big difference between the two.
For example, in the same painting "Dwelling in the Mountains", the Chinese painting is probably the thatched roof of the thatched house exposed under the towering peaks among thousands of trees, and the wooden shoes stored by the owner under the eaves.
If a Westerner painted this painting, he would not necessarily see the mountains, but the huts, sill windows, and rising smoke under the shade of trees and in the crevices of the rocks. The sunlight shines through the distant peaks and into the windows, which are vaguely visible. Half of the owner’s face and the beard on his face…. "
"So there is such a difference?" Shen Zhou was surprised: "Have you ever seen Western paintings with your own eyes?"
Li Dan stopped, looked at him, and suddenly said with a smile: "Now I can make my dear brother appreciate the wonders of Western techniques. Are you willing to give it a try?"
"Okay! But..." Shen Zhou raised his eyes and looked around: "There are only lotus ponds, bamboo forests and wooden bridges here, and there is no paper and pen. How can I draw?"
"Wait a minute." Li Dan took out a small notebook and pencil from his bag, made a few sketches of the proportions of the scenery in front of him, and then just stood there and started drawing.
Shen Zhou quietly walked behind him to look at him, and was stunned. In just a few strokes, the scenery in front of me has appeared on the paper. The setting sun seems to be shining over the rockery behind, shining a little glow on the water in the pond.
Li Dan stopped writing, took off the piece of paper and handed it to him: "How about it?"
"Brother, how did you draw so realistically?" Shen Zhou's eyes widened.
"Simplicity, proportion and light. The former determines the size and positional relationship of objects, while the latter determines light and shade, thus expressing the texture of different materials.
The same light shines on ponds, rocks, and trees, and the colors and shades seen by the eyes are different when reflected back. Which ones should be soft and which ones should be hard, which ones should be bright and which ones should be dark, this requires careful understanding and discovery through investigation of objects. "
Li Dan continued to introduce as he walked: "At the same time and under the same light, the brightness of the nearby table and the distant table are different, and the details and textures that can be seen are also different.
Therefore, when studying Western paintings, they can paint specific objects very realistically. In this regard, they are better than our Chinese painters. However, in terms of expression of artistic conception and pattern, Western paintings are often difficult to express.
They pay too much attention to what is in front of them, so they have some limitations.
Therefore, my Chinese painting methods and Western painting methods have their own merits, each has its own expression, and each has different techniques and painting tools. If we can learn from each other and introduce the advantages of each other, it will be a wonderful thing! "
"Listen to what my brother said, are you talking to Westerners?
Has the technician studied painting? Shen Zhou asked impatiently.
"Back then, I sent people to Guangzhou and invited a group of Thai and Western monks from there. Among them were two Thai and Western monks who were good at painting. One was good at painting figures and the other was good at painting landscapes."
"Can you introduce me to my little brother?"
"Huh?" Li Dan stopped and said, "I heard Uncle Zhu Shi say that you are planning to sell the garden and return to the South, right?"
"Ahem!" Shen Zhou smiled bitterly: "My family has land and shops, and we have no worries about food and drink, but no one has been an official for three generations.
My father and uncle thought that they should try and give it a try, so they found ways to donate to the imperial examination for their uncle. However, he failed the three exams and was quite discouraged. In the end, he and his father discussed going back to study the music of the pre-Tang Dynasty.
As for me, I had no intention of pursuing an official career and would rather live in the mountains and rivers. I really had no interest in the imperial examination, so my uncle said that I wanted to go back, so I decided to go back with him. but……,"
He suddenly hesitated: "Your introduction aroused my curiosity. Maybe I can stay a little longer and ask the two Thais for Western techniques?"
Li Dan laughed loudly and thought to himself, maybe this boy's paintings will be more valuable in a few hundred years! "Absolutely, they all speak Chinese."
Li Dan nodded and said, "I have obtained His Majesty's consent to help them purchase a piece of land on the south side of Zijing Road in East Baohe to build a worship hall.
Twelve Thai and Westerners jointly guaranteed a loan of 500 taels, of which 150 taels were purchased to purchase a farm of more than 200 acres near the outskirts of Beijing, allowing them to be self-sufficient and have enough money to repay the loan.
So if you want to find Rod and Bamont, they live there and I can write you a letter of introduction. Li Dan started writing in his notebook as he spoke, and said while writing:
"Rhode is good at life drawing and oil painting. He is also good at landscape painting. Moreover, this guy has been to many places and is a traveler. He has enough knowledge to talk about it for days and nights!" After writing, take it down. The paper was handed to Shen Zhou.
Shen Zhou looked at it and was dumbfounded: "This, is this Thai?"
"One of them, called Latin, was very popular among their missionaries and nobles."
"What does this say?"
"Tell them that I introduced you to meet them to learn about Western painting techniques, and then my signature." Li Dan pointed and said, "The word Dan is pronounced Daniel over there, so they mentioned Daniel, that means me."
"You actually know their characters and can you speak them?"
"Of course!" Li Dan nodded:
"Don't you know? I am also the head of the Staff Department of the Ministry of War. I not only speak Latin and Egu, but also English, a small amount of Germanic, Iberian (the Kingdom of Spain has not yet been formed) and Frankish, and I am proficient in Japanese. And some Korean."
Shen Zhou was silent, and the two of them walked for a while, passed through the courtyard wall next to the flower hall and returned to the front. He stopped Li Dan, stood there with his hands crossed and said: "Zhou only knows today that there is a heaven outside the world. From now on, he will not dare to underestimate the world." also!"
"My virtuous brother is too modest." Li Dan helped him up and said kindly: "I don't think my virtuous brother is too arrogant. It is a good thing for a scholar to have character. As long as he does not go overboard, it is fine. To go overboard is self-righteousness."
After he finished speaking, he patted Shen Zhou on the shoulder: "Let's go, the two seniors are still waiting for us. I think there is nothing wrong with your pursuit of the realm of calligraphy and painting.
There are people in the world who are engaged in business and politics, and there are also people who practice martial arts and worship others. There are people I call cultural people who spread knowledge, inherit traditions, and spread morality at home and abroad.
Since Xiandi's family is rich and he has no worries about food and clothing, there is nothing wrong with being an educated person.
Repair books, study music, and study calligraphy and painting, but the important thing is not personal improvement, but passing these on to future generations. If you have done this well, it will be a great service to the country and the people! "
"If we practice calligraphy and painting, can we also contribute to the country and the people?" Shen Zhou thought thoughtfully and nodded slightly.
After viewing the entire garden, Li Dan was quite satisfied.
His original intention was to find a place big enough for the whole family to live. This place should be able to accommodate Yu Qian's family and not be crowded.
There is also a certain amount of space, which can meet the needs of receiving guests and working.
The total area of this garden is as big as two gardens in Yangzhou, which is enough!
The disadvantage is that the owner is too attached to the natural landscape, so there are far more landscapes and gardens than residences, and the living parts are insufficient and too simple, requiring a lot of later renovations. I guess this is another reason why it couldn't be sold.
However, Li Dan's eyes lit up as soon as he entered the house. There were calligraphy and paintings everywhere on the wall. The fish tank in the house did not contain fish or water, but was also filled with scrolls. .
Among them are masterpieces by brothers Shen Zhenji and Shen Hengji, as well as works by Shen Zhou, and some may be gifts and exercises from visiting celebrities.
The Shen family originally spent more than 300 taels of silver to buy this land, and spent 2,400 taels on building the garden, layout, and landscaping.
Now they are asking for 3,000 taels, but the buyers think they are buying a farm, and this hut is worth 3,000 taels.
Li Dan heard nothing and said, "Uncle, you will definitely need travel expenses when you return to the south. I will give you a total of three thousand two hundred taels."
In addition, my nephew just said that he intends to stay in Kyoto for a few days to continue studying. After I moved here, the small courtyard where I originally lived can accommodate him free of charge, and the food is also subsidized by my trading company. But there is a condition:
Every painting and calligraphy in this room will be the property of my trading company from now on.
My uncle and nephew can discuss it. If we agree, I will pay three hundred taels of meeting votes as a deposit now. how? "
Not only were the Shen family uncles and nephews shocked, but even Zhu Zhanzhen did not expect this result.
The two parties immediately laid out paper and ink to establish a written agreement. Fatty Zhu, a cabinet bachelor, served as a witness. Then Li Dan counted three hundred taels from his arms and completed the delivery.
The uncle and nephew of the Shen family did not expect to act so resolutely, and looking at Li Dan's back, they still felt like they were in a dream. Little did he know that Li Dan was ecstatic in the car: "My descendants, our family will make a fortune today!"
"Oh, this is called a big deal, a big deal!" Zhu Zhanchen said with emotion, shaking his fat head.
"Opportunities are for those who are prepared!"
