prosperous age

"Well, that's right. This calligraphy is a stepping stone. Although the examiner won't be able to see your paper when you take the imperial examination, you will still have to write it many times in the future.

If your master or superior sees your ugly handwriting, it will also affect their opinion of you."

At this time, Wei Guangde was sitting in his study at home, reviewing the homework of his two sons.

Wei Guangde's eldest son Wei Fushou and second son Wei Ankang both stood in front of him obediently, listening to their father's lecture.

Wei Ankang was still young, so he was naturally just a supporting role. However, Wei Fushou was already fourteen years old, and Wei Guangde began to consider whether to move him to the capital or let him return to Jiangxi to take the imperial examination.

Relatively speaking, Wei Guangde hoped that Wei Fushou would return to Jiangxi to take the imperial examination. After all, the emperor was far away and it would be easier to manipulate some connections.

Even if I can't guarantee that he will pass the imperial examination, I can still help him cheat in the Jiangxi provincial examination.

It would take three or four years for Wei Fushou to obtain the title of Juren. For Wei Guangde now, it would be easy and effortless.

Judging from the homework he left for his eldest brother when he left the house this morning, his level is actually close to that of a scholar. Even if he really takes the exam, it will all depend on luck.

After all, as someone who had taken the imperial examination, he knew very well that the essay writing part was secondary. What mattered most was luck, whether his paper would end up in the hands of the examiner or the provincial education commissioner.

After thinking for a while, Wei Guangde felt that this paper might be passed, so he said, "Fushou, you have been back to the capital for six years. Have you ever thought about going back to your hometown in Jiangxi to see your grandfather and take the imperial examination there?"

"Dad, you want me to go back to my hometown in Jiangxi to take the imperial examination?"

Although Wei Guangde said that he had been away from his hometown for many years and it was time for him to go home to see his grandfather, Wei Fushou naturally knew better that his father was actually more concerned about his imperial examination.

To be honest, he didn't like reading, but he didn't dare to disobey his father's orders, so he still read books. However, in his free time, he often went out to play with the young masters in the capital.

"Yes, I went to Jiangxi to visit my grandfather and took the imperial examination.

I think your article is quite good. When the time comes, please ask Mr. Lin to go to Jiangxi with you to prepare for the imperial examination.

The county examination and the prefectural examination are just minor tests. The important one is the academy examination. As long as you can pass the academy examination, your chances of passing the provincial examination will be much better.

I think if you go back to Jiangxi now, with four or five years, you should be able to pass the provincial examination.

It would be just right for me to return to the capital to take part in the imperial examination at that time.

"Dad and mom have been in the capital for these years and have not been able to take care of your grandpa. Your coming to Jiangxi is just the right opportunity to take care of your grandpa on behalf of your parents."

Wei Guangde said.

"Oh, okay, then I'll go back to Jiangxi to take care of grandpa."

Wei Fushou is not stupid. He had grown up after spending two years in Jiangxi. Looking back now, he feels that life in Jiangxi was actually pretty good.

I am a cabinet minister in the capital. After returning to Jiangxi, his status is even higher than in the capital. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is the youngest man in Jiangxi.

I heard in my early years that my father spent two years traveling all over the mountains and rivers of Jiangxi, and he was very uncomfortable being under the control of his parents in Beijing.

Once he goes to Jiangxi, he can also travel around.

"Just father, does mother know about this?"

Wei Fushou asked hesitantly again.

"I'll talk to your mother, she won't object.

This time when you go back to your hometown in the south, why don’t you stay at your uncle’s house in Nanjing for a while? It seems like you haven’t really visited Nanjing.”

It is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books.

It is good to let children go out more often and broaden their horizons.

"Okay, the word Ankang is also good, but it still needs practice."

Wei Guangde picked up his youngest son's paper again and said with a smile.

The little guy was immediately delighted by the praise. After Wei Guangde sent them out, he called the servant outside the door and ordered, "Go and call the housekeeper."

"Yes, sir."

The servant agreed and then walked out quickly.

Soon, Zhang Ji appeared outside the study.

"come in."

After receiving the notification, Wei Guangde in the room shouted casually.

"Master, you are looking for me."

Zhang Ji bowed as he entered the room.

"There is something you need to remember. The young master may have to return to his hometown to prepare for the imperial examination next year. When the time comes, you should arrange for someone to accompany him and provide him with protection.

Be sure to send two smart ones to record the young master's journey south and everyone he meets and report it to me."

When he heard about this, Zhang Ji immediately nodded and agreed.

"By the way, you should make some arrangements for him to walk around and see the beautiful mountains and rivers along the way. He should also stay in Nanjing for a few days so that he can interact with the young people in the south."

Wei Guangde ordered again.

"By the way, who is the Jiangxi Provincial Education Commissioner now?"

Wei Guangde only knew the left and right provincial governors and the provincial judges of Jiangxi, but did not know who the educational official was, so he asked this question.

Wei Guangde had close contacts with Jiangxi officials, so he knew that Zhang Ji should know about it.

"Master, the current Jiangxi Provincial Education Commissioner is Mr. Zhuang Guozhen."

Zhang Ji only thought for a moment before answering.

"Zhuang Guozhen, oh, the one from Quanzhou."

When Wei Guangde heard the name, he remembered it immediately.

I should have heard of it before, but I didn't pay much attention to it. After all, he was the educational commissioner, and apart from managing the scholars, he didn't have much power.

"How is his relationship with the mansion?"

Wei Guangde asked again.

"Normally, we pay due tributes every winter and summer, but it's all normal, and we don't have much contact on a regular basis."

Zhang Ji answered immediately this time.

"Ah."

Wei Guangde nodded, knowing that this person was probably just sending someone to deliver things to the mansion as per custom, and had no intention of joining the army.

That is to say, we did it to save face and sent some gifts to his house according to the rules.

"How long has he been in office in Jiangxi?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked again.

Hearing Wei Guangde's question, Zhang Ji knew what his master was planning. After a brief recollection, he replied, "About a year ago, I took over the position of Lord Hou and was transferred from Guizhou to Jiangxi."

"Okay, got it. Go down and make arrangements for the young master's staff."

After Wei Guangde finished speaking, he told Zhang Ji to leave.

Wei Guangde sat in the study for a while, thinking about who to assign to go to Jiangxi to serve as the education commissioner.

Although my son's level is qualified to be a scholar, the same thing still applies: the academy examination is too much a test of luck, because each prefecture and county has quotas, and it doesn't mean that you will definitely get the title of scholar if your essay is good.

In order to win the exam, the county had to win the favor of the education commissioner. The most important thing was that the examination for the title of scholar did not need to be reported, because the education commissioner had the final say. If he said it was good, it was good, and if he said it was not good, it was also good.

They didn't contact each other often, and Wei Guangde didn't plan to contact Zhuang Guozhen to let him take care of his son's college entrance examination.

"Let's just change people."

Wei Guangde said something in his heart, then got up and left the study, going back to the backyard to rest.

In front of his wife, Wei Guangde expressed his considerations and asked his eldest son Wei Fushou to return to Jiangxi to take the exam and stay in Nanjing for a few days.

After hearing what Wei Guangde said, Xu Jianglan did not object.

In fact, for the Wei family, it doesn't matter whether the son takes the imperial examination in the capital or returns to Jiangxi.

However, there are many people in the capital city and if I fail those examinations, I am afraid that it will attract the attention of the censors, which will also be a troublesome matter.

At least on the surface, Wei Guangde has no connection with the Censorate. As far as the officialdom in the capital is concerned, most people believe that Zhang Siwei has a lot of say in the Censorate.

Wei Guangde was also happy to let everyone misunderstand him so that if there was any problem in the Censorate in the future, Zhang Siwei would be blamed.

Just as Wei Guangde was talking to his wife in the rear residence, a dark shadow appeared outside the Wuying Hall in the Forbidden City.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Although there are soldiers guarding the imperial city day and night, this black shadow seems to be particularly familiar with this place and can always avoid the patrolling soldiers just right.

Soon, the black shadow approached the Wuying Palace. After a team of soldiers passed by, the black shadow gently pushed open the half-open door of the Wuying Palace and then instantly entered the palace.

When the temple door was closed again, it seemed as if nothing had happened here.

Wuying Hall, located on Waichaoxi Road, Forbidden City, Dongcheng District, Beijing, was first built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty.

The Wuying Hall faces south, is five bays wide and three bays deep, and has a yellow glazed tile hip roof.

The Sumeru pedestal is surrounded by white marble railings, with a platform in front and a corridor leading directly to the Wuying Gate.

The rear hall, Jingsi Hall, is similar in shape to Wuying Hall, and the front and rear halls are connected by a corridor.

The east and west side halls are Ningdao Hall and Huanzhang Hall respectively, with a total of 63 corridors on the left and right. There is Hengshouzhai in the northeast of the courtyard and Yudetang in the northwest.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Wuying Hall was the place where the emperor lived in seclusion and summoned ministers. After the Wanli period, such activities were held in the Wenhua Hall instead.

During the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, Wuying Hall became the venue for the empress's centenary ceremony and other royal ladies' congratulations.

However, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Wuying Hall was not only used to host various royal activities, but also as a place where the imperial palace collected famous paintings and calligraphy.

During the Ming Dynasty, the imperial palace's calligraphy and paintings were generally collected in two palaces, the Nanxun Palace and the Wuying Palace.

Nanxun Hall is a palace building first built in the Ming Dynasty. It is located on Waichao West Road, southwest of Wuying Hall, and is an independent courtyard.

The hall is five bays wide and has a single-eaved hip roof covered with yellow glazed tiles.

There are five-story vermilion lacquered wooden pavilions in the main and secondary rooms of the hall, which house portraits of emperors of all dynasties. Each portrait is wrapped in yellow cloud satin, put in a small wooden box, and placed according to the level of the pavilion.

The east room of the hall houses the portraits of empresses of past dynasties; the west room houses a wooden cabinet that stores the imperial seals and imperial treasures of the Ming Dynasty. The wooden structures and paintings in the hall are all relics of the Ming Dynasty and are very precious.

The portraits of emperors stored in the Nanxun Hall are not limited to those of the Ming Dynasty, but also include those of emperors from previous dynasties. For example, there are three portraits of Emperor Taizong of Tang and four portraits of Emperor Taizu of Song.

Of course, there are also numerous portraits of emperors of the Ming Dynasty. For example, the portrait of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty has as many as thirteen portraits.

In addition, Nanxun Hall also houses a large number of exquisite folk calligraphy and painting works.

The Wuying Hall was also the place where these were stored, and there was also a special calligraphy and painting gallery inside for the emperor to appreciate calligraphy and paintings.

About half an hour later, the door of Wuying Palace opened a crack again, and then a figure jumped out of the palace and ran out along the palace road.

The only difference from before was that this time the black shadow was clearly carrying a long object on his back. After dodging the patrolling soldiers with ease, he quickly disappeared into the palace.

In an independent room next to the Silijian, the lights were on at this time, while the surrounding rooms were all pitch dark.

Zhifang is the residence of eunuchs in the imperial palace. It is said that there are 9,000 Zhifang in the imperial palace to accommodate tens of thousands of eunuchs and palace maids.

The direct room is where eunuchs eat and live, usually located near the moat of the Forbidden City, next to the inner palace transport warehouse.

These direct rooms were not only the eunuchs' residences, but also their working places. For example, the direct rooms of the eunuchs in charge of writing and the eunuchs in charge of the imperial court were located in the riverside direct rooms.

This is the riverside direct house, and the person who can own a direct house alone is naturally a powerful person in the palace.

"Dong dong."

There were two knocks on the door, and the eunuch's voice came from outside the door, "Godfather, Xiao Wuzi is back, do you want him to come in?"

"come in."

Feng Bao's voice was heard from the main room.

Soon, a figure pushed the door and walked into the main room holding a scroll in both hands.

"Did you bring it?"

"Grandpa Gan, I've got it back."

Feng Bao took the scroll from Xiao Wuzi, waved his hand and said, "Go back and have a rest. You've worked hard."

"It's not hard to do errands for Grandpa Gan."

Xiao Wuzi said in a flattering way.

"Good boy, go down."

Feng Bao said happily. After Xiao Wuzi left the room, Feng Bao could not wait to open the scroll and spread it directly on the desk.

The scroll was so long that it couldn’t even be put down on the long desk.

But it doesn’t matter, just open one end and release most of the paintings.

A few candles on the desk illuminated the entire painting.

In an instant, the urban appearance of Dongjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the living conditions of people from all walks of life at that time appeared vividly in Feng Bao's eyes.

Feng Bao carefully examined the large number of characters of various kinds, livestock such as cattle, mules, and donkeys, carts, sedan chairs, large and small boats, houses, bridges, and city towers painted on the paintings, each with its own characteristics. They embodied the features of Song Dynasty architecture and also recorded the prosperity of Tokyo, the capital city during the Northern Song Dynasty.

The painting begins with a few seals, followed by a scene of spring in the suburbs. As the picture unfolds, the next scene is the Bian River, and finally the streets in the city. Feng Bao looked at it very carefully.

Even Feng Bao carefully observed the details of those buildings, and it seemed that there were no mistakes or omissions at all, which shows how seriously the painter took when completing this painting.

Naturally, the painting that Feng Bao was looking at was the original "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by the Northern Song Dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan, which was highly praised by later generations.

There are many stories about this painting. After Zhang Zeduan created "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", it was collected in the imperial palace.

Not long after the Northern Song Emperor Huizong obtained it, the "Jingkang Incident" broke out. Huizong and Qinzong, father and son, were captured by the Jin army, and "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" was stolen from the palace.

After wandering among the people for more than a century, Along the River During the Qingming Festival was once again brought into the imperial palace when Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty.

"Along the River During the Qingming Festival" was brought into the inner palace of the Yuan Dynasty. There was a painting framer in the inner palace. When the framer saw that the painting was particularly good, he made a fake painting and secretly replaced "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" with it. Then he sold the real painting. As a result, the famous painting was once again circulated among the people.

The painting returned to the palace again when Cheng Shoujie accidentally discovered it when he was confiscating Yan Song's property.

Yes, after many twists and turns, this painting was acquired by Yan Shifan during the Jiajing period, who kept it until it was confiscated.

However, now the painting has fallen into the hands of Feng Bao.

Thinking of this, Feng Bao couldn't help feeling very proud.

When the front of the painting was rolled up again, revealing the final long inscription, Feng Bao could not help but feel happy. After only a moment's thought, he ground the ink himself and prepared to leave his own inscription after the painting.

At this moment, he had completely forgotten his identity, that he was just a servant in the palace, and now he had regarded himself as the owner of this painting. (End of this chapter)