Daming Yinghua

Chapter 38 On Cases, On Paintings

Huang Zunsu couldn't help being a little annoyed, staring at the teacup and said: "Should have sent people to Suzhou earlier. But a while ago, the prefect Wu was in office, and when the Dong family was almost smashed, he showed such a strange attitude, and when Miss Japan and Korea I have spoken uprightly for the Dong family, how dare I believe that the prefect Wu will scrupulously investigate the case for the Han family. If you are so hesitant, when the prefect Zhuang takes office, the time will be delayed."

Zheng Haizhu hurriedly said in relief: "Master Huang's thoughts are good, don't blame yourself. My master has been looking for people but failed."

The man Zheng Haizhu mentioned was a silk merchant.

At the beginning, Han Zhongwen met a Huaiyang silk merchant at the gathering of Confucian merchants in Songjiang.

The silk merchant spoke politely, saying that he wanted to change careers, and asked Master Han about the market for cotton cloth and silk yarn.

Han Zhongwen took it back to his niece Ximeng. Ximeng couldn't get out when he saw the needle-turning embroidery method, and insisted on inviting his seniors to Songjiang to teach the art.

Han Zhongwen was originally obedient to his niece, but he immediately ordered his housekeeper, Lao Peng, to go to Suzhou, but he returned home in defeat.This is the story of Ximeng sneaking away to Suzhou with his aunt and nephew Zheng Haizhu to learn from him in person.

"Master Huang, if you think about the coincidence, the silk merchant is a polite person, and the senior embroiderer has his own secrets that cannot be exposed to outsiders; but if you think about the sinister place, the silk merchant uses the embroidered handkerchief as the first bait, then The senior embroiderers used teaching skills as the second bait, which attracted us to leave Songjiang Mansion for the first time without the protection of our family members, and dared not take a big ship, and eventually became the prey of water bandits. But my master has always been kind to others, and it is common for us to help others As for the matter, the cotton cloth business is not the biggest thing in the Songjiang area, so why would any enemy insist on doing such a dirty thing?"

Huang Zunsu raised his eyes and looked at Zheng Haizhu: "If you really have a grudge against Mr. Han, it should be Mr. Han himself, or the young master of the Han family. No matter how much the eldest lady is loved by her uncle and aunt, she will eventually leave the court. Zheng Girl, maybe think about it, is there anyone who doesn't want your young lady to marry Young Master Gu?"

In Zheng Haizhu's heart, he had already thought about the way Huang Zunsu said.

In the Han Mansion, Han Xiying from the third room, although she is obviously coveted by her sister's fiancé, she is still a young girl who has just reached her age, how much courage and financial resources can she have?How could they have the ability to mobilize the adults including Qiu Wanliang to weave such a situation?

Han Xiying's mother, the Yang family, is even more unlikely to cause trouble.

The reason is also simple, Gu Mingshi not only has good friends with Dong Qichang, but also has a close relationship with Xu Guangqi, Xu Guangqi's daughter-in-law is also a distant relative of the Gu family, also surnamed Gu.

And Xu Guangqi became a Catholic more than ten years ago.In Yang's view, her husband, Han Zhongyu, neglected to enjoy a good family fortune and did not take the serious imperial examinations, but went to preach in poor villages outside the south of the Yangtze River because he was bewitched by those monkey-like foreigners.

Therefore, Xilai evildoers are enemies.

An enemy's friend is also an enemy, and Mrs. Yang saw that the Gu family was not pleasing in every possible way, and Han Xiying didn't dare to say "Brother Gu family" to her mother.

Who could it be?Could it be from the Gu family?

Deep house and compound, complex relationships, ulterior motives...

Zheng Haizhu nodded at Huang Zunsu: "Master Huang reminded you rightly, after returning home, I will definitely sort it out with Miss."

"Okay, as long as you encounter strange people or things again, you can come and talk to me at any time."

After Huang Zun said that, he stood up, seemed to hesitate a little, and still walked towards the backyard.

Huang's wife, Yao Shi, was still wearing the green velvet pomegranate cloud shoulders, and was holding her youngest son Huang Zongyan, who was a few months old, watching the butterflies flying among the crabapple flowers.

The baby's pink fist was shaking, and the nurse on the side smiled and teased, but Yao Shi, the biological mother, seemed a little absent-minded.

Only when she saw her husband turned back not long after, followed by Zheng Haizhu who was also separated by a certain distance, although her posture was no different from that of a servant girl, the thin cloud in Yao's eyes dissipated slightly.

Huang Zongsu stared at Yao Shi's shoulder, and said kindly, "This is Miss Han's needlework, right? It's really delicate and elegant, like Li Congxun's painting style."

Li Congxun was also a famous painter in the Southern Song Dynasty, good at painting flowers and birds.

Zheng Haizhu hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Master and grandma both have good eyesight. My lady has been studying painting for several years before holding a needle, and she really loves the paintings of the two Song Dynasties. Just now, grandma also saw at a glance that the fish on the silk fan, It's an imitation of Liu Yu."

"Oh?" Huang Zunsu turned his gaze to the round fan placed on the stone table. After participating in the study for a while, he smiled at Yao Shi, "It's the meaning you like."

Ever since Zheng Haizhu met Huang Zunsu, her impression of him was that he was serious and unsmiling. In the past few months, it was almost the first time she saw Huang Zunsu smiling so softly and warmly.

What a bowl of hot dog food that is made and eaten now...

Looking at the beautiful pair of pianos and violins in front of him, Zheng Haizhu also felt lighthearted, reached out from the gift box and took out four half-foot-high table screens, unfolded them side by side, and placed a delicate red sandalwood shelf on the table screen forward.

It turned out to be a jewelry stand where a woman put hairpins.

But the amazing thing about this set of objects, of course, is not the expensive woodwork, but the embroidery on the table screen.

The four frames of crescent-colored Weitang gauze are all embroidered with women.

Some are playing Cuju, some are dancing swords, some are playing polo, and some are competing in archery.

There are more than a dozen beauties on the silk surface, all with different hairstyles, appearances, dresses, and figures, all of which are wonderful and vivid, as if the viewers can truly hear the crisp and hearty voices of orders, applause, and laughter. .

Yao shi stared at the woman on the screen with a pair of almond eyes, not hiding his surprise.

Before she married Huang Zunsu, the main content of her life in the boudoir was just reading and writing, practicing women's red, cooking soup, and occasionally went to the cloth shop in the city to choose new materials with the elderly women at home. During festivals, go to mountain temples to offer incense or go for an outing by the water.

Yao Shi couldn't imagine that a young woman could dance with a spear, stick a stick, ride a horse and shoot an arrow just like a man?
There are also some, such as Hua Mulan and Mu Guiying written in the script and performed on the stage.

But those images, when women in this world think about it, they are just watching the excitement and fun. Why would they compare the heroines of the previous generations with the women's life they have been disciplined long ago?
Mrs. Yao was still in a daze, but Huang Zunsu pointed to the woman dancing sword on the silk, and commented with great interest: "This is Mrs. Gongsun written by Du Gongbu. Ms. Han embroidered the heroine of Tang Dynasty with the style of Song people. Girl, there is no shortage of free and easy in the elegant, wonderful, wonderful! Miss Zheng, can you also contribute to this embroidery?"

Zheng Haizhu's face was full of humility, but she replied very seriously: "I know a thing or two about Zhang velvet and silk dyes, but I am still a layman when it comes to acupuncture. I thought about using plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, but I feel that it is a little more ordinary."

Yao quickly continued: "It can't be said to be ordinary. The master loves orchid bones and bamboo. In the matter of painting, palaces, utensils, ladies, and birds all have regular shapes. Bamboo, wood, rocks, smoke, water, Yunyi, although impermanent, has common sense and is always more pure."

Huang Zunsu waved his hand and interrupted his wife: "It's good to use things as a metaphor for aspirations. I prefer bamboo, magnolia and stones, which is also true. But Mi Fu's argument is not my favorite. He said that in paintings, Buddha statues and story pictures are aimed at Admonishment is the top grade. The second is mountains, rivers, smoke and clouds, which have infinite interest. The third is bamboo, wood and stone streams, and the third is flowers and plants. The last stream is ladies' feathers, playing in the ears, not pure play. This is a narrow-minded statement. I think Han These four screens embroidered by the young lady, with all the ladies painted on them, look natural and unrestrained, with a fresh air, and even a heroic air, and they will be inferior to each other."

(End of this chapter)