Zhang Leyi, Lu Xiaoman, Zhang Jiazhu and Liang Shiqiu are playing mahjong.
Now that it is during the summer vacation, Liang Shiqiu has a lot of free time and came to Shanghai from Nanjing to hang out with Xu Zhimo.
"Brother Xuan, what's this?" Zhang Leyi pointed at the three tubes and asked. She was new to playing cards and her skills and experience were still lacking.
Zhou Hexuan stood behind Zhang Leyi and commanded: "This one is going to be fired. Yu Jiu will definitely fight it."
Zhang Jiazhu asked speechlessly: "How do you know who I am?"
"You still need to ask? You have made it clear. I am too lazy to tell you which card you are listening to." Zhou Hexuan said with a smile.
After Zhang Jiazhu was exposed, he immediately said angrily: "Look at the cards and say nothing about a true gentleman. Look at Zhimo and he is a gentleman. He didn't say a word."
Xu Zhimo, who was sitting next to Liu Xiaoman and watching the cards, immediately laughed after hearing this and said: "Xiaoman's card playing skills are better than mine."
At this moment, the servant suddenly came in and said, "A man named Chen comes to see Mr. Zhou. Can you let him in?"
Zhang Jiazhu sneered: "It must be Chen Dezheng, he came so quickly!"
Xu Zhimo asked: "See you?"
"See you, why not?" Zhou Hexuan said to the servant, "Please come in."
A moment later, Chen Dezheng appeared with two scrolls in his hands. He clasped his fists as he walked in and said with a smile: "Oh, Mr. Zhou, I have admired your name for a long time. I have long wanted to pay you a visit, but I am just too busy to get away."
Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "That's right, Minister Chen is indeed a busy man."
Chen Dezheng seemed unable to hear the sarcasm in his tone, so he opened the scroll and said, "I recently obtained a pair of calligraphy treasures. I heard that Mr. Zhou is very knowledgeable about calligraphy, so I came here to ask for advice and discuss something."
Liang Shiqiu and Xu Zhimo looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.
Zhang Jiazhu spoke much more directly. He said, "You know how to inquire and know that Brother Mingcheng likes calligraphy."
Chen Dezheng didn't care about the sarcasm, unfolded the scroll and said: "This is Mr. Ziquan's work two years ago. I can't tell the authenticity, so I ask Mr. Zhou to review it."
Zhang Jiazhu immediately retorted: "You have the nerve to show off Tang Tuo's calligraphy? I have dozens of them at home, and these things are ruined on the street."
Chen Dezheng smiled and said: "The quality of calligraphy has nothing to do with how long it survives."
Tang Tuo was indeed a famous calligrapher in the Republic of China. The signboards of Zhonghua Book Company, World Book Company, and Dadong Book Company were all written by this person. Later, the words "Central Bank" and other words on the legal currency of the Republic of China were also written by Tang Tuo. Many of them are now
The words on the stamp are also Tang Tuo's.
He is famous and his calligraphy is good, but it is a pity that he has too many calligraphy works.
This man wrote 30,000 couplets in six years and hired two or three people to grind the ink. He felt that grinding the ink was too time-consuming, so he actually developed his own ink grinding machine.
This is no longer a calligrapher, but a writing machine.
Of course, Tang Tuo's character was still good. Among the 30,000 pairs of couplets, 10,000 were sold for charity and donated to build schools in his hometown.
Zhou Hexuan glanced at the two scrolls, but they found a pair of couplets, which read: The breeze cleanses the body, and it is easy to master the talents.
"Well, it's magnificent and well-written. It's suitable for hanging on the wall for appreciation." Zhou Hexuan nodded in approval.
In Zhou Hexuan's opinion, this couplet can only be called "good", with more than enough craftsmanship but insufficient charm. It is far from the elegance and agility of Xu Beihong, nor the capriciousness of Liang Suming, nor the elegance and strength of Liang Qi.
Of course, he is still much smarter than Mr. Yuan, and his reputation is not in vain.
This kind of calligraphy is suitable for plaques, door couplets, and general printed matter. It looks grand from a distance, but cannot be savored carefully over and over again.
When Chen Dezheng heard Zhou Hexuan's praise, he immediately smiled and said: "It is said that swords are given to heroes and pink flowers are given to beauties. Since Mr. Zhou likes this calligraphy treasure, I will give it to Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Hexuan did not answer, and said with a smile: "Forget it, Mr. Tang Tuo's calligraphy, I will spend money to buy a few pairs some other time."
Chen Dezheng was quite displeased when he heard this. He even came to apologize, but the other party actually still held it.
"Mr. Zhou," Chen Dezheng said patiently, "the matter of banning "Goddess" and "Dog Official" is purely a misunderstanding. We will correct the mistake as soon as possible."
Zhou Hexuan sneered and said: "Then the Shanghai Republic Daily said that I am a traitor who follows people's influence. Is it also a misunderstanding? That article could not have been written by Minister Chen when he was drunk, right?"
Zhang Jiazhu supported him and said: "Minister Chen is really amazing. He can write articles so well when he is drunk. I am ashamed of myself."
Chen Dezheng finally got angry and said: "Mr. Zhou, I came to apologize with good intentions. Since you refuse to appreciate it, let's continue. I, Chen Dezheng, have never done anything wrong in my life, and I am not afraid of causing trouble to the commander-in-chief!"
"It doesn't matter." Zhou Hexuan smiled.
"Well, I will seal down Ta Kung Pao when I get back!" Chen Dezheng said angrily.
Zhou Hexuan stared at him and said: "Try it. If you dare to block Ta Kung Pao, I will go to Peking immediately and question Chang Kaishen face to face, asking him what is the difference between him and the Beiyang warlords!"
As if he had been stung by a scorpion, Chen Dezheng jumped up and pointed at Zhou Hexuan: "How dare you call the commander-in-chief by his name!"
Two months ago, the "News" mistakenly arranged the word "Chiang" in "Welcome Commander-in-Chief Chiang" into the word "general". This mistake was caught by Chen Dezheng and criticized it for a while. The "News"
After spending money and making connections, he also published an apology in the newspaper, and then the matter was resolved.
"Aren't people's names called out?" Zhou Hexuan asked.
Chen Dezheng said: "Commander-in-Chief Chang is a great man, just like Confucius and Mencius. He is not allowed to be called by his first name!"
"It's a joke, the Qing Dynasty is dead, and you still talk to me about taboos." Zhou Hexuan sneered.
"I'm too lazy to be like a fool like you, so I'll say goodbye!" Chen Dezheng walked away. He felt that Zhou Hexuan was unreasonable.
Xu Zhimo asked worriedly: "Mingcheng, he won't make trouble again, will he?"
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Don't worry, he understands better than anyone else. Since "The Goddess" and "The Dog Officer" are placed in Chang Kaishen's study, Chen Dezheng will definitely lift the ban. But it is impossible to apologize to me in the newspaper.
He won't even take the initiative to explain the matter, because he has to worry about the majesty and face of the Shanghai Party Headquarters. It doesn't really make any difference whether I reconcile with him today or fall out with him. People like him, let's say, follow the crowd, but he also has backbone.
It’s true, even if I die, I won’t admit my mistake.”
As Zhou Hexuan said, Chen Dezheng quickly lifted the ban on "The Goddess" and "The Dog Officer".
However, the ban was lifted quietly without any proactive announcement. Even many bookstores did not know that they could continue to sell these two books. At the same time, Shanghai's "Republic of China Daily" did not write an article to criticize Zhou Hexuan, but put in good words for Zhou Hexuan.
Articles still need to undergo strict review.
Zhou Hexuan felt very sad. He had to move Chang Kaishen out, but in the end he could only get a confused result.
People like Chen Dezheng are equivalent to cruel officials in ancient times. They are just tools of those in power. When he makes people angry in the future, his master will naturally deal with him severely in order to calm down the public anger.
Although Chen Dezheng is hateful, what is even more hateful is the Kuomintang behind him.
A year ago, the Kuomintang was still a popular intellectual, traveling thousands of miles south to seek refuge. But what it is doing now is a huge disappointment. The Kuomintang is gradually losing the support of the people. 8