The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 311 Your Majesty’s Visit
The editor whispered mysteriously, "Editor-in-Chief Qian, the two people who came are an old man in his sixties and a middle-aged man in his forties."

"Although they refused to reveal their names, I can see that these two are not simple people. They must be wealthy or powerful people. We must not treat them lightly."

The editor must be worried that Master Qian would neglect the guests, so he added.

"Editor-in-Chief Qian, although these two people are wearing sunglasses and deliberately hiding their identities, they seem familiar to me, but I just can't remember who they are. In short, Editor-in-Chief Qian must be careful when dealing with them."

When he heard that the other party was not from a gang, nor even from the two newspaper companies in Hankou, and came to him to ask for a price reduction, Master Qian couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Although Master Qian was a man who had seen the world and even experienced many ups and downs, he was, after all, just a master and an aide. He only made suggestions, and all the final decisions, including personally negotiating, were done by Yu Lu. As an aide, he did not feel much pressure.

Now everything has to be solved by him personally. The two times are completely different and there is no comparison at all.

Although he was less worried, Master Qian was still a little nervous and asked in a low voice.

"Where are these two now? Have you invited them to the reception room for tea?"

The editor smiled bitterly and said, "We have invited the two guests to the reception room, but they refused to drink our tea. They brought their own tea. As long as we provide boiling water and tea sets, they will make their own tea."

"Have we served good tea to our guests? Have they ever seen our tea?"

Master Qian was a little upset that the guest refused to drink his tea, because his tea was the best Lu'an Guapian, which was given to him by Yu Lu several months ago.

The editor said, "I saw it. The old man said that Editor-in-Chief Qian's Lu'an Guapian is very good, but the weather is hot now, so he prefers to drink West Lake Longjing recently."

"I took a look at their tea. It should be the best West Lake Longjing. I'm afraid it costs several hundred taels of silver per pound. It is indeed much better than your Lu'an Guapian."

Anyone who can drink such precious tea is definitely not an ordinary person. Since the other party is a wealthy person, Master Qian feels more at ease.

In fact, he was not worried about the government and wealthy businessmen causing trouble for him. With Teng Yuzao as his backer, he would not take ordinary officials seriously. When things were out of control, he would bring out the great god Teng Yuzao to scare all the officials.

What he was worried about were the gang forces that were being directed by others. To deal with these people, it would be inevitable to use Li Yaoting's people.

Fighting and killing is not Master Qian's style, and it can easily lead to trouble.

Master Qian waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, just follow me to meet them."

In the reception room, there was an old man with a white beard and a vigorous look, and a slightly plump middle-aged man with a short beard. Both were wearing Ma褂, but the texture of their clothes were made of the finest material. They both wore a black six-in-one hat.

If they were not wearing a pair of western sunglasses, the two men would look like rich men from some unknown family, without a trace of hostility on their faces.

When Master Qian walked into the reception room, the two men were standing in the middle of the room with their hands behind their backs, looking at a banner hanging on the wall and talking in low voices.

Master Qian had very good hearing. As soon as he walked into the room, he could tell that the old man spoke Mandarin with a slight Guizhou accent.

Hearing the door open, the old man and the middle-aged man turned around and looked at Master Qian.

Master Qian, who was smiling, saw the two people looking at him and bowed deeply to them. "Dear guests, I am honored to visit our humble abode. What advice do you have for me?"

"Are you Qian Fuzhi, the owner and editor-in-chief of the Ta Kung Pao from Tianjin?"

The old man ignored Master Qian's question, but looked Master Qian up and down and asked back, his tone completely like that of a superior.

The old man's words made Master Qian's heart tremble. He had already vaguely guessed the old man's identity.

He hurriedly bowed and said, "I am the editor-in-chief of Ta Kung Pao, Qian Yi and Qian Fuzhi, may I know you two..."

Master Qian really wanted to confirm the other party's identity, but the old man did not answer. Instead, he turned around and pointed at the banner on the wall and asked.

"The way of the great Dao is that the world is for all. This is best said in the Book of Rites. I think your Ta Kung Pao is derived from this."

When the great way is practiced, the world is shared by all. The original sentence is, When the great way is practiced, the world is shared by all. It comes from Li Yun in the Book of Rites.

"I admire you very much. What you said is absolutely right. It is exactly from the Book of Rites. Li Yun." Master Qian complimented hurriedly.

The old man changed the subject and said, "This sentence is not only upright and aboveboard, but also a wise saying."

The old man turned around and smiled, saying, "To write such a wise saying, you need not only good handwriting, but also a good font."

"The thin gold calligraphy on this scroll is indeed good, thin, hard and vivid, with fine and vigorous strokes and open and clear structure. It can be called good calligraphy, but it should not be used to write this sentence."

"Slender Gold Style was popularized by Emperor Huizong of Song, the emperor who lost his country. The font has the spirit of a fallen country and decadence. It is not suitable to write such upright and dignified words."

The old man changed the subject again and asked, "Excuse me, who wrote this scroll?"

Master Qian smiled and said, "Your Excellency is right, but my handwriting is the only one in my shop that is worth showing off, so this scroll was written by me."

Master Qian then took advantage of the situation and said with a smile, "I wonder what kind of font you think should be used? Can you write a new one for me?"

Although Master Qian felt a little regretful after saying this, and even felt uneasy, he didn't expect the old man to nod and say.

"To write such a sentence, one should use a formal font, with regular script and official script being the best. Since you don't mind, take the pen and ink."

Upon hearing the old man agree to write, Master Qian immediately became excited. Without waiting for the editor accompanying him to make a move, Master Qian rushed to the door, went out first, and quickly got the pen and ink from the editor-in-chief's office next door, and then skillfully ground the ink for the old man himself.

The old man was not pretentious. He picked up his brush and dipped it in thick ink, and began to write smoothly on a piece of rice paper brought by Master Qian. In one go, he finished the eight powerful official script characters "The way of the great Dao is that the world belongs to all" appeared on the paper.

"Good calligraphy!" Before the old man finished writing the last stroke, Master Qian couldn't help but cheer.

The old man hesitated for a moment at the signature place, then wrote the two words "Baobing", then put down his pen with a smile, obviously in a good mood.

Master Qian stared at the calligraphy the old man had just written, carefully trying to figure out the old man's writing style, and even imitated it a few times with his hands. Suddenly, he was startled, stepped back a few steps, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to the old man.
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(End of this chapter)