Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"Yuanruo, can this really be raised?"

Sheng Changbai advised, "Although I have never seen one, I have heard some rumors. Iron-eating beasts may seem harmless, but they are no less ferocious than tigers and leopards."

Upon hearing this, Mo Lan said with concern, "Brother Yuan Ruo, I have also seen related records in ancient books. Why don't we just forget about it?"

"Rest assured, sir!"

Worried that business would fall through, the shopkeeper hurriedly said, "Iron-eating beasts often sneak into villages in Sichuan, but as long as they are not with cubs, they will run away when they see people."

They will not attack people unless provoked.

"Those are livestock after all. If they hurt someone, can you take responsibility?" Mo Lan said irritably.

"It's alright!"

Qi Heng smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I have read about this in ancient books. Iron-eating beasts are docile and can be kept as pets."

After Qi Heng finished speaking, he indicated that he did not intend to pay, and seeing this, Sheng Changbai did not try to persuade him further.

Mo Lan wanted to say something more, but Qi Heng had already gone to tease the giant panda.

Based on the time it takes for giant pandas to give birth, this cub is probably only seven or eight months old.

Giant pandas are considered cubs until they are one and a half years old, and they rely entirely on their mothers for survival and are not aggressive.

Qi Heng poked it with his hand, but there was no reaction at all.

It wasn't until I paid for it and picked up the cage that it woke up.

The little one woke up groggily and huddled in a corner, somewhat panicked.

"Wow, this is so interesting!" Rulan's eyes lit up.

Even Mo Lan and Ming Lan showed their delight in their eyes.

I have to say, this thing was really cute when it was small.

"Don't be afraid, it won't hurt you."

Regardless of whether it understood or not, Qi Heng reassured it and instructed Buwei to put it on the carriage.

"Come find me at Zisheng Gate later."

"yes!"

Without responding, it took the cage and left.

"Brother Zecheng, Brother He, we've explored enough of this area. Let's go for a stroll in front of Zisheng Gate," Qi Heng said.

"Um."

None of them objected. There were stationery items for sale in front of Zisheng Gate, as well as calligraphy and paintings by famous artists and ancient books and rubbings. They would definitely want to take a look when they came.

When they arrived at the gate of Zisheng, they found that almost everyone there was dressed as a scholar.

There were wealthy young men, as well as some ordinary scholars with graying hair and white clothes.

Daxiangguo Temple had no restrictions on this, so every time it opened for business, a large number of commoners and scholars would come to the Zisheng Gate to read books and appreciate the original works of famous people.

Bookstores sell relatively common books, while those that are not common are expensive and rarely accessible to ordinary people.

Besides the common printed books, the bookstores in front of Zisheng Gate often had scholars selling their treasured books for various reasons.

Perhaps because they were all scholars, they did not forbid watching.

There were very few women in the crowd; only a few, like Sanlan, had come with their brothers.

Passing by a bookstore, they saw a large crowd gathered outside, which made them stop and watch.

Because there were many people gathered outside, they couldn't see what was happening inside, but they could understand why so many people were watching by listening to the discussions among the onlookers.

It turns out that the shop had displayed a copy of Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion".

Wang Xizhi is revered as the Sage of Calligraphy, and his "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" has been copied by many famous figures.

Therefore, copies of the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" are not uncommon, but well-written ones are extremely rare.

The copybooks displayed by the shop, lacking a seal and with handwriting that doesn't match that of some famous calligraphers, are considered by many scholars to possess a third of the style of the Sage of Calligraphy.

That's why so many people gathered around after the news spread.

Let alone a fraction of his style, if one's calligraphy possesses even a hint of Wang Xizhi's spirit, one can be considered a master calligrapher.

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng and his group immediately became interested. After some people in front had left, they finally managed to squeeze to the front row after some effort.

I saw a scholar in his early twenties talking to the shopkeeper, with a slightly younger scholar standing next to him.

"The shopkeeper is greedy; he asked for 1,500 taels. That gentleman seems to really like it, but he's short of money, and the shopkeeper isn't willing to lower his price."

"This copy is indeed quite good, but it's far inferior to Feng Yu's, and we don't even know who made it. It's not worth 1,500 taels!"

"If it were really a copy by Feng Yu, you might not be able to buy it even if it cost ten times more. I would be satisfied if I could just take a look at it."

"This is a copy of the finest running script in the world, and it even captures a fraction of its spirit. How can it be judged by something as vulgar as Huang Tingjian's calligraphy?"

Listening to the discussions of the crowd, Qi Heng roughly knew that the scholar who was talking to the shopkeeper actually wanted to buy this copybook.

As for the Feng and Yu they mentioned, these are not personal names, but surnames, referring to Feng Chengsu and Yu Shinan.

Although many people have copied the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion," these two copies are considered by most to be the best.

The former is similar in form, while the latter is similar in spirit.

"Ziyou, give me all the money you have on you."

After exchanging words with the shopkeeper, the older young scholar turned to the young man beside him and said...

"Brother, how about we call it quits?"

The young man, called Ziyou, said, "We only have two hundred taels of silver between us, far too little to buy this calligraphy!"

Qi Heng admired the hanging calligraphy for a while, finding it beautiful, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why it was so good.

Just as he was about to ask Sheng Changbai for his opinion, he was stunned when he heard their conversation.

Ziyou should either be called by his given name or by his courtesy name, but considering their ages, even if the other person is the elder brother, it is unlikely that he would call him by his given name directly.

When Qi Heng thought of someone named Ziyou, he was reminded of one person.

"I've already discussed it with the shop owner. I'll leave this jade pendant here as collateral and come back with the money to redeem it later."

"Brother, you mustn't!"

Ziyou said anxiously, "That was specially made for you by your mother, and a high monk even blessed it. We have limited funds with us this time, and no matter how good this calligraphy is, we can't spend all our money on it."

"You two!"

Qi Heng stepped forward, smiled, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "My name is Qi Heng, courtesy name Yuanruo."

"My name is Su Shi, Su Zizhan."

Su Shi returned the greeting with a puzzled expression, and asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Yuanruo?"

"I have had good hearing since I was a child, and I did not mean to eavesdrop."

Qi Heng first explained, saying, "I just heard that you two gentlemen wanted to buy this calligraphy, but you don't have the money."

Actually, I'd like to buy it too, but I don't have the money. How about we pool our money to buy it first, and then Brother Zizhan will return the money I contributed, and the calligraphy will belong to him; I only need to borrow it to admire for a few days. The reverse is also true, what do you say?

Although Qi Heng is young, his family background is evident from his clothing and demeanor.

Su Shi wasn't worried that Qi Heng would renege on his promise, so after a slight hesitation, he said, "We'll do as Yuan Ruo says!"

Su Zhe, who was standing nearby, did not stop them. The three of them, father and sons, had only a limited amount of money with them when they came to the capital.

Not only would he need to reside in Bianjing, but he would also need to manage the finances there. His father would most likely not agree, and in the end, the calligraphy still belonged to Qi Heng.

After discussing it, Qi Heng asked them to wait a moment, walked up to Sheng Changbai, and said, "Brother Zecheng, how much money did you bring? Let me borrow it for a while."