Red makeup against the world

Chapter 140 Princess Zhaoyang
Xu Wanzhen stood for a while, saw Yuegui came out with Mrs. Zhao, and went down after seeing her salute.

Chunying came out of the gazebo and said with a smile: "Miss Xu, the princess invites you in."

Xu Wanzhen took a breath quietly, and ordered Madam Zheng and Sangzi to wait outside, while she calmed herself down and walked steadily and slowly into the gazebo.

The furnishings in the pavilion are simple and elegant. In the center is a rosewood Luohan bed, in front of the bed is a low table, and various fresh fruits are placed in white jade porcelain plates.There is a book case near the lake, complete with pen, ink, paper and inkstone. There are several sheets of rice paper, many of which are filled with words. It seems that the princess often posts by the lake.There are several bouquets of apricot flowers in the beauty shrug bottle in the corner of the pavilion.On both sides, there were two maids who were dressed similarly to Yue Gui, standing with their hands tied with smiles on their faces.

A woman sat in the middle on the bed, her skin was as creamy and as bright as the autumn moon.She has a slightly square face and a straight waist.The eyebrows are as green as distant mountains, the forehead is wider, and there are deep dimples on the cheeks.Looking at one part alone is not outstanding, but combined together, it becomes a charming face, beautiful and heroic, like a peony flower in full bloom, national beauty and heavenly fragrance, making people unforgettable.

She is not wearing a skirt like the women at present, but is wearing peony makeup and carved silk riding and shooting clothes, short shorts and narrow sleeves, and a pair of moire sheepskin boots, which makes her more heroic.Staring at Xu Wanzhen with star-like eyes, she gently opened her red lips and asked, "Are you Xu Wanzhen?"

Xu Wanzhen followed the etiquette taught by Madam Zheng to pay respects to the princess, kowtowed to the ground with her hands on the ground and said, "Minister Xu Wanzhen, I greet Her Royal Highness Princess Zhaoyang."

Only a crisp voice said: "Excuse me."

One of the maids stepped forward to help Xu Wanzhen. The light blue dress embroidered with green and lotus patterns made her look as graceful as an orchid. A gardenia flower decorated with rice beads was placed on the temple hairpin, and an elegant white silk flower of piled gauze was inserted at the temple. Announcing her filial piety, she wore a white jade bracelet on her left wrist.Elegant and refined, but not rude in front of the princess, just right.

Seeing her dignified and dignified manner, Princess Zhaoyang recalled what the treasurer Zhou said in her letter, and she felt a little curious, and asked, "Zhou Huaxi said, you are in Yangzhou, and you actually managed a big case?" What's the situation, you can tell me in detail." Zhou Huaxi is the shopkeeper Zhou in Yangzhou City, and only Xu Wanzhen knows the ins and outs of that matter best.After Princess Zhaoyang heard about it, she was always curious about the reason.

Xu Wanzhen smiled lightly and told the story one by one.From the moment when Yunshang was taken away by a faint, to when she woke up in the cabin, she deduced the general reason in her heart, guessed Yin Chengye's identity, and thought of a countermeasure.To preemptively strike, suppress the scene, deduce the identity of Mr. Lin, and make him panic and confess.In the end, Yangzhou officers and soldiers were used to escape smoothly.It's just that Han Runiang's identity is hidden, and she falls into the water with her.

Xu Wanzhen's voice was clear and shallow, and she narrated it in cadence, like a legendary story.Princess Zhaoyang was fascinated when she heard it, and she clapped her hands and praised: "A woman should be like this!" Xu Wanzhen's unruffled character in the face of danger fits her temperament very well.Princess Zhaoyang tried to put herself into that situation, and it was impossible for her to do better.

Princess Zhaoyang has a bright and cheerful nature, and she is the most impatient to socialize with those noble girls, thinking that they are too timid and weak, and they only know how to cry when they encounter problems.Right now, Xu Wanzhen looks fragile but has a strong character inside, which makes her feel refreshed.

Xu Wanzhen made a deep salute and said: "The folk girl dare not be a princess to appreciate it. Knowing that the princess is summoned, the folk girl prepared some gifts, and hoped that Princess Bo would smile." Present the gift list.

"Oh?" Seeing that she was serious, Princess Zhaoyang took the gift list presented by the maid, looked at it with interest, and said, "It's really interesting. The double-sided embroidered screen and quill look good."

"My princess, these two things are just outside the pavilion, do you want to take a look?" Xu Wanzhen said.

Princess Zhaoyang nodded, and Chunying went out to bring in the brocade box from Madam Zheng and Sangzi.

Xu Wanzhen picked up a royal blue satin brocade box, opened it and presented it respectfully.

On the deep purple orangutan felt, seven quills of different colors lay on it. Princess Zhaoyang reached out and took out a crimson quill, and asked, "Can goose feathers also write?"

"Back to the princess, yes. Goose feathers can absorb and store ink, and can write about fifty characters at a time, and then need to absorb ink again." Xu Wanzhen replied.

"You show me a demonstration."

Xu Wanzhen asked: "May I borrow a pen and ink?" Princess Zhaoyang nodded.

Xu Wanzhen moved lightly with lotus steps, and walked to the desk.Holding the ink stick lightly in plain hands, he added clear water to the inkstone, rubbed it for a while, and got the ink.Then he took out a snow blue quill, dipped it in the ink with his right hand, and started writing on a piece of blank rice paper.

She had nothing to do in modern times and practiced calligraphy with hard pens.After the Gaomang Dynasty, because they were still unable to master the brush calligraphy, after making the quill pen, they picked up the hard brush calligraphy again, combined with some copybooks of Zanhua Xiaokai.What is written at this time is the last paragraph of the "Diamond Sutra", which ends with "All conditioned dharmas are like dreams and bubbles, like dew and electricity, and should be viewed in this way." Gatha is the concluding remark.

A maid presented the handwriting she had finished to Princess Zhaoyang. She tasted it carefully, and saw that the handwriting was just like her own, soft on the outside and strong on the inside, gentle on the outside but powerful on the pen.On a piece of rice paper, neat lowercase letters are displayed on it. Although it lacks the flexibility of a brush, the characters are smaller and arranged closely. There are about a hundred characters, but it looks effortless.

With just one glance, Princess Zhaoyang saw the practicality of this quill pen.Paper was still a precious item in the Gaomang Dynasty, and ordinary people could not afford it, which also restricted the spread of book knowledge.Even a wealthy family can write more characters on the same piece of paper.Over time, how much paper will be saved?
Princess Zhaoyang's eyes lit up, and she asked, "How long does it take to make this quill?"

"Responding to the princess," Xu Wanzhen replied: "From the selection of materials to the completion of the production, the minnv spent three days. If Her Royal Highness is interested, the minnv can write down the production recipe and present it to the princess."

Although the use of the quill pen is convenient, it takes a long time to challenge the writing habits that have been followed for thousands of years, and it takes a long time to make a profit.The Xu family is in the silk business, and the profit from the quill pen is not considered.Besides, there is no patent protection law here. The production of quill pens is not complicated, and imitation is simple.

If you are competing for profit with the merchants in the market, it is better to dedicate it to the princess, and you can make a good impression.Perhaps this technology can also be popularized. If it can increase the dissemination of books and make the imperial examination easier for literati and students, it will be beneficial for thousands of years.

Hearing that the production of the quill pen is not complicated, and Xu Wanzhen is willing to present the recipe, Princess Zhaoyang is very happy.

This gift made her very happy.Looking at the next brocade box, she thought to herself, what kind of surprise will this double-sided embroidery bring her?

(End of this chapter)