Miao Chu

Chapter 227 Appreciation
Master Chen covered the paper with his left hand, made a shooing gesture with his right hand, and said, "Go away! Do you need more articles to read? Go do your work! There are piles of them that you can't finish reading!"

"How can you say one thing and another the same?!"

As Liu Hanlin spoke, he leaned his head over.

He pushed aside Master Chen's hand that was blocking his way and said, "Reading good articles is like drinking sweet wine, you're drunk without even realizing it, while reading bad articles is like entering a fish market, it's stinking and unbearable—don't stop me, let me take one more look. Don't think you can hide this from me—it must be that Han Zhengyan has another masterpiece, right?!"

The two fought fiercely, one blocking, the other grabbing, one blocking, the other dodging, using both hands and feet, even their waists and legs, engaging in a stalemate where neither of them suffered a single hair. Finally, Master Chen, panting heavily, feigned resignation and spat, "No, no! Don't break my plum dew!"

He shouted again, "Let me show you! Let me show you! Who told you to be so incompetent, unable to produce even a few decent articles!"

Liu Hanlin was about to retort, the words "Did you bring this?!" were clearly on the tip of his tongue, but the moment his gaze fell on the paper, it was as if he had touched a millennia-old paste, which stuck him completely shut, and his mouth was also glued shut, making it impossible for him to open his mouth again.

The paper, which Master Chen had previously held high, was now snatched by him, and he looked down to read it.

There was clearly another chair about eight or nine steps away. He could sit down after walking five or six breaths, but he was so engrossed in reading the article on the paper that he stood there half-leaning against the back of Master Chen's chair, not moving an inch, and even his breathing became shallow.

Seeing his appearance, Master Chen nudged him and pointed to a chair not far away, saying, "Go sit down and see—don't let the servants see this and say that I wouldn't even give you a seat!"

He pushed once, and when the other party didn't react, he pushed twice more forcefully.

Liu Hanlin didn't even look up, waved his hand impatiently as if shooing away flies, and muttered, "Don't make a sound! Don't bother me!"

The article, only four pages long and a few hundred words long, was read over and over by Liu Hanlin. He read it repeatedly, and when he came across a sentence, he would unconsciously read it aloud. When he got excited, he would even shake his head and sigh, completely absorbed in the moment.

Just then, Xiao You walked in carrying a stack of documents. Seeing Liu Hanlin's state, he hurriedly asked, "Sir, what's wrong with Master Liu?"

On the one hand, they hurriedly moved the chair over for people to sit on.

Master Chen chuckled and said, "Never mind! What happened to you last night is what happened to him now—a bookworm, his mind is bewitched by literature!"

Liu Hanlin read the article, which was only a few hundred words long, for a long time, almost as if he could see through the paper.

As it was time to go to work, Master Chen urged him, "Come on! Aren't you going to do any work or not!"

Liu Hanlin sighed, and when he looked up, his eyes were red. He waved the manuscript in his hand and said, "Old Chen, lend it to me to take back for a while. I'll return it to you at noon!"

Master Chen stopped laughing, remained silent, and merely glanced at him coldly.

When Liu Hanlin wasn't looking at the article, he was quite tactful and quickly said, "Oh dear, it's all for official business—you know I'm compiling the History of Jin, and I'm currently working on the section on generals and commanders. But those bunch of slackers are just going through the motions all day long! Their writing isn't exactly unreadable, but either every piece looks like it was made from the same mold, with a framework set and then they just stuff it in, or it's just a jumble of fancy words, piling everything on top of it!"

"The generals and commanders they clearly describe are written in a cold and aloof style—it's not as inspiring as the straightforward description of an ordinary clerk here!"

“Last time I showed it to the political senators, and they sent it back to me asking me to revise it—how can I revise it with just a pen! This piece of 'Speaking Up' is just the right thing to do to lay a foundation for them, and they should know that there are no fixed styles of writing, and that there are not only a few ways to write it!”

While complaining, he secretly observed Master Chen's expression. Seeing that the other party was unmoved, he had no choice but to say, "Well then, Old Chen, I'll part with that 'Encountering Immortals' painting and let you enjoy it for a month or two?"

"What do you mean by 'giving up a little something'!" Master Chen glared at the bottle he hadn't put down while reading the article, and cursed angrily, "This 'Encountering Immortals' painting was traded for my plum dew!"

"I also have a newly acquired copy of the 'Cold Food Festival Scroll,' a rubbing of the Xunzi version!"

Master Chen merely raised his eyelids and coughed once.

Liu Hanlin gritted his teeth and said, "I borrowed Fan Zhongli's 'Travelers Among Streams and Mountains' a few days ago, but I haven't had a chance to look at it carefully yet. I only borrowed it for five days—I'll have my family send it to your residence in a bit. You can look at it for two days, and give me the remaining three days!"

Master Chen sat up abruptly, his beard trembling, and asked urgently, "Which one is Old Tao holding? Doesn't he never lend it out? How did you get it?"

"Shh! Shh!! Don't tell anyone!" Liu Hanlin whispered. "Never mind that, do you want it or not? Want to change it?"

"Only five days??"

"I begged for those five days!"

"I'll look at it for three days, and I'll give you the remaining two!"

With a determined look, Liu Hanlin said, "Deal!"

As he spoke, he grabbed the article and started to run.

Master Chen shouted desperately from behind, "My Qingmeilu!! Why are you taking my Qingmeilu away!"

***
Liu Hanlin ultimately failed to steal the Green Plum Dew.

With a manuscript in one hand and a bamboo tube containing plum juice in the other, he walked along the road, constantly savoring the article he had just read. After a few steps, he couldn't help but stop for a moment to look at it again. He had read it several times and could remember most of the content, but he was getting old and was not as good as before. There were always things he couldn't remember. He would look at it again, confirm it, and savor it once more. His legs felt like they had no strength left.

It was roll call time, and he walked around, stopping frequently, encountering many colleagues along the way.

The Jixian Academy was mostly inhabited by old men, and when they met, they would inevitably greet each other. Just then, someone saw Liu Hanlin walking along, staring intently at the manuscript in his hand, and stepped forward to ask, "Old Liu, what are you doing? You're so old, don't you watch where you're going? Be careful not to fall!"

He stepped forward to lend a helping hand.

Upon being helped, the person glanced at the paper, then exclaimed "Eh!" and their gaze seemed glued to the paper, refusing to move.

Passersby, seeing this, were puzzled and asked, "What is that thing? Why are they all staring at it like that?"

When more people gathered around, they initially muttered, "What the hell!", but soon they stopped and stared at the paper, refusing to leave.

One life two, two beget three, three beget all things.

As more and more people gathered around Liu Hanlin, fortunately, he was tall and held the manuscript high enough that those standing behind him could still see it clearly.

Finally, the fastest reader reached the end, snapped out of his reverie, and hurriedly urged, "Old Liu, it's time to turn the page! Quickly turn to the first page."

Liu Hanlin pretended to be stupid.

As more and more people read to the end, they all urged, "Old Liu, stop standing there, it's time to turn the page!"

Old Liu looked up, feigning just waking up, but instead hugged the manuscript to his chest and said, "Why are you turning the pages! I spent a fortune to get this, do you think I'd let you read it for nothing?!"

He said this in a hurry and was about to leave.

He was grabbed by seven hands and eight feet at once.

"Hey, don't rush off!"

Where did this article come from?

"Old Liu, isn't this a bit dishonest of you?"

"Don't pretend like that. We're all old, who can't see through whom? What do you want? Hurry up and say it, don't keep me from reading the rest of the story!"

"Let me see it first, then we can discuss the price!"

After a short while, everyone offered their prices and stood at the back, finally pooling their resources to finish reading an article.

Once Liu Hanlin returned to his room, seven or eight clerks from different departments quickly rushed in, each carrying a pen, ink, and paper. They grabbed their places and began to write furiously, copying the manuscript with great effort. As they copied, they also exchanged ideas with each other.

How many copies do you want to make?

"Master Wu told me to make two copies first, and then find someone to make them together when I get back!"

"I only need to copy one copy here. Tell me to hurry back after I finish copying, because they're waiting on the other end."

"Who has the first page? Let me copy the first page first, so I can start reading from the beginning!"

"Who doesn't want to copy the first page first? Let's draw lots!"

"Hey buddy, move your hand, it's blocking the words!"

Wow, this guy's changed his writing style!

"This article is simple, down-to-earth, and easy to read!"

"This is easy? Show me how easy it is! The simpler it is, the harder it is to write!"

"Exactly, and besides, when has he ever had a bad reading experience?"

"It's getting easier and easier to read. I used to pay a lot of attention to the writing style, but this year, apart from the use of parallel sentences in Dong Xun's Night Excursion, there are also many antithetical couplets. By the time of Baozhu and Yellow Dog, it was mostly short sentences. And this piece this time, the words are clearly very concise. It doesn't require any brainpower to read, and the emotions just follow along. Yet, it doesn't feel simplistic at all. Damn it, I've copied so many of his articles, how come I can't learn from him?"

"You've copied far too many articles, do you think you can learn them all? Do you think you're some kind of literary genius descended from heaven? You should have gone to take the imperial examinations long ago, or at least become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). How could you possibly end up like me, an old man still stuck here copying books!"

"Don't talk, don't talk, I haven't finished reading yet!"

"Hey, we'll be done with this once we've copied it, and those authors will be crying—every time this guy releases a new manuscript, they praise it first and then criticize it!"

A newly arrived clerk, not understanding, couldn't help but ask, "Brother Tian, ​​such a fine article deserves praise; why are the officials who wrote it criticizing it?"

Brother Tian laughed and said, "Brother, the official ordered us to copy books. Normally, we could just copy the official style and hand it in, but now he's giving us the official style and telling us to write it exactly as it is, but we have to retain its spirit and not just copy it exactly—aren't you going to curse him out?"

The new clerk's face changed instantly. He suddenly realized what was happening and asked in horror, "Could it be that our superior ordered them to write it exactly like this?"

He added, "I've heard you all talking about this and that the officials haven't given any explanation, and the article isn't signed. How come it seems like everyone knows who wrote it?"

"Let's forget about the others, but the Xiangfu Yellow Dog and the Cao Family Fighting Cock—don't you know who wrote them?"

The clerk didn't notice anything when he heard the yellow dog, but when he heard the two words after "Cao Men," he exclaimed "Ah!" and his hand slipped, leaving a long ink mark on the paper. He didn't even realize it, but instead hurriedly stood up, stopped copying the book, and rushed to find the first sheet of paper to read the beginning of the article.

That evening, as soon as Liu Hanlin returned home and entered his study, he saw that his desk was already covered with numerous "gifts" sent from the homes of his colleagues.

The ancient books that I had tried to borrow several times but were always brushed off with excuses, the paper that I had asked for a long time but was refused to sell—this time they sent me ten sheets directly, two rare hanging scrolls, and also some treasured manuscripts from the past.

Seeing these, Liu Hanlin even felt less heartbroken that he only had two days left to appreciate the "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams" painting that he had gone to great lengths to borrow.

However, despite the table full of dazzling array of dishes, he didn't look at them or have any interest in appreciating them. Instead, he lowered his head and reread the article in his hand.

"Young people are still full of vigor, strong-willed and upright, wielding their pens like knives... wielding their pens like knives!"

***
Many of the senior editors at Jixian Academy were not just editors.

They had someone copy the manuscript, partly to compare it with their own work and to teach their subordinates to be more careful in the future, and partly to take it back and distribute it to their students, friends, and students.

One pass ten, ten pass a hundred.

Soon, in restaurants, teahouses, and on the streets, scholars were nodding and swaying as they recited and discussed Han Li's new article.

Good articles will grow legs on their own.

Not only that, it can also transform.

It transformed from written words into stories told by storytellers, and into secret tales whispered by old men and women in the streets and alleys.

Two days later, it was finally carried by the Imperial City Guards across the Xuande Gate and presented to the Emperor's desk.

Recently, the Bian Canal has been blocked, making it difficult for grain transport to proceed, which has already affected the supply of goods to the capital.

Unfortunately, a report came from the upper reaches of the Yellow River, saying that continuous heavy rains had caused the water level to rise daily, and that the flood season was approaching.

When the Liuta River project was only halfway completed, the manpower, material resources, and financial resources consumed had already far exceeded expectations. It was like a greedy, ever-expanding beast that only ate and never excreted. The project was already halfway done, so it couldn't be stopped, and it was unclear whether it would even work.

The emperor was extremely distressed; he even had blisters in his mouth that hadn't healed after five or six days.

Everyone in the court wanted to speak, and with so many mouths, each voice was different. No matter how much Zhao Yu was the emperor, he only had two ears and was still a mortal. Moreover, the Six Rivers was the largest waterway project in the dynasty, with no precedent whatsoever. He really didn't know who to listen to.

On this rare day when there was no court session, Zhao Yu spent half a day discussing court affairs with the two prefectures in the Chuigong Hall. After learning that although the Liuta River could not be completed on schedule, it would not be completely unusable when the summer floods arrived as scheduled, Zhao Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After the officials dispersed, he spent half a day reviewing memorials, and it was already lunchtime.

It was hot, and I had mouth ulcers, so naturally I didn't have much of an appetite.

Knowing that the Empress was hosting a banquet for noblewomen today, he was the only one at the table.

The royal family of the Great Wei Dynasty has always valued frugality. Even the emperor only had a few dishes on the table. Zhao Yu barely ate two bites, but he did eat quite a lot of the iced lotus root slices.

After the meal, he had someone pick up the diary and saw that he hadn't paid his respects to the Empress Dowager for two days. Before the afternoon nap, he hurriedly went to Ciming Palace.

After entering the hall and exchanging greetings, the mother and son chatted for a while. Suddenly, Zhao Yu sensed something was wrong and couldn't help but ask, "Mother, why are your eyes a little red? Are you feeling unwell? Should we summon the imperial physician to take a look?"

Empress Dowager Yang quickly shook her head and said, "It's nothing. I just read an article and got so agitated that I accidentally shed a few tears, which made my eyes red."

"What kind of article could make your mother cry? That's not good," Zhao Yu remarked.

"Your Majesty must have already seen it, right?" Empress Dowager Yang pointed to the table beside her. "Does he have any thoughts on it?"

Zhao Yu was taken aback and said, "These past two days, my son has been busy with the canal transport and the Liuta River, and hasn't had time to take care of anything else."

Empress Dowager Yang hurriedly had someone fetch the article and handed it over, saying, "It's a new article by that student surnamed Han..."

Zhao Yu took it with both hands, and immediately noticed the three large words in the title on the far right.

Xin Fengchuan.

Who is Xin Feng?

Looking further down, the opening line is a straightforward narrative.

—Xin Feng was a resident of Pantao Lane and served as a patrol inspector. He was known for his violent and tyrannical nature, and people feared him.

(End of this chapter)