Zhang Yue's Shuzhu Zhai in Daxiangguo Temple had a net income of dozens of dollars every month. However, after he became an official, because officials had a bad reputation for doing business, he turned the Shuzhu Zhai to a businessman.
Because he was famous and had all the signs, he got 700 yuan in one go.
Although there is no source of income from Souguzhai, there are countless people who come to Zhang Yue to write inscriptions.
You must know that writing inscriptions is really a matter of making money and establishing good relationships. Cai Yong of the Eastern Han Dynasty was famous for being good at writing inscriptions for people. In the Tang Dynasty, Pei Du asked Huangfu Shi to help write inscriptions, and one inscription was given to him for a total of nine thousand yuan. Through.
There is also Cai Xiang of this dynasty, who became the largest bibliophile in this dynasty by writing inscriptions for others.
Nowadays, Zhang Yue's calligraphy is praised personally by current officials, and there is even a saying that he was awarded the No. 1 Scholar because of his calligraphy. Of course, after the self-made subjects entered the third level, such opinions are no longer available.
But it is different after being praised by officials. Although it is not unprecedented, the official who has never been the best at calligraphy has certified that "the number one scholar is good at calligraphy". Besides, Zhang Yue himself is also capable. He is a disciple of Zhang Youzhi. , although cursive script is not legal, regular script and seal script are all inherited from him, and he himself has the bonus of Shuangkui's reputation.
Anyway, at the beginning, Zhang Yue planned that one day, if he could not pass the Jinshi examination and become an official or could not survive in the officialdom, he would make a living by selling rulers and tablets.
But what is unexpected is that after he passed the Jinshi examination and became an official, he became better able to make a living by selling calligraphy.
Since the release of Brown, there has been an endless stream of requests for Zhang Yue to write inscriptions.
Zhang Yue didn't mind at first. Many businessmen were willing to pay a lot of money to polish Zhang Yue's writings for a piece of inscription on Zhang Yue. Zhang Yue thought it was a good thing. He helped others and made money for himself, but he wrote a few words for others. But the text doesn't feel right.
He made a lot of money, but he got a lot of irritation from it, so Zhang Yue realized it after writing two or three posts, and then he rejected them all and stopped writing, even though some businessmen offered hundreds of dollars for Zhang Yue. More and more inscriptions were recommended.
As for the officials who ask for letters, that's a different story. They all come through connections, so it's embarrassing to mention the money, but other "elegant gifts" are also indispensable.
But there is a problem with sending words in official circles.
When you give a letter to the other person, there is some kind of relationship. It can be regarded as protection, or it can be treated as a tiger's skin. This reminded Zhang Yue of the time when Peng Jingyi came to ask him to get a pair of Zhang Youzhi's cards for his uncle Peng Xianwei. The words are the same.
Therefore, if you are not an acquaintance, it is better not to give him a gift.
Therefore, Zhang Yue cherished ink very much, and those who came to ask for words were all able to guess.
So the routine came up. There was a classmate in Taixue who often wrote to Zhang Yue. He even wrote several letters in a day. The content was not important. He just talked about things, reminiscing about the great years of his classmates. Zhang Yue read it. I'm also confused. I didn't know you very well at first, so why did we become life-and-death friends in the letter?
In addition to a large number of such letters, the other party even sent more than a dozen letters to say hello. Zhang Yue thought that it would be okay if he didn't reply. This would not hurt people's feelings. The other party also said in the letter that he knew how busy Zhang Yue was, so he didn't want to. Whatever Zhang Yue said in the letter, even if he only wrote the word 'an', it would be fine.
Looking at the waiting servants, Zhang Yue thought that it was just a classmate, and it seemed impolite to write the word "an" alone, so he simply wrote two lines of words happily.
Later, Zhang Yue heard that he had resold the letter and got 8,000 yuan for nothing. What this man was quite conscientious about was that he exchanged the proceeds from selling the letter for wine money and treated his classmates to a feast. A meal.
Zhang Yue was speechless after learning that he had been tricked. He sent someone to deliver another letter to this classmate. The letter contained a few simple words: "Brother has the meaning of Mengchang, please give me another meal." From then on, Zhang Yue I rarely reply to letters anymore, and when I do, I have Zhang Qiu write for me.
Zhang Yue saved a lot of money due to the proceeds from selling the collection house and donating calligraphy.
The small building I bought myself had to be renovated and renovated. The original leaks were repaired. An additional floor was built on top to create two more rooms. The walls were repaired and the doors were replaced. In the end, Zhang Yue didn't use it to live in, but sold it to another family for 1,850 yuan, which was a lot more money than when he bought it.
Anyway, Zhang Yue is living a good life now.
On this day, Zhang Shi went to the Wu Mansion to discuss the marriage.
Wu Anshi was very polite to Zhang Shi, and even invited Zhang Shi to ride in his carriage and took him around Bianjing, talking to him about the customs and customs of Bianjing along the way.
Wu Anshi didn't feel like showing off, but talked very calmly about where to eat and have fun - telling the truth one by one.
Wu Anshi asked: "Mr. Zhang Dalang, I heard that your family now lives in Zhang Dalang's mansion?"
Zhang Shi said: "Yes, Duzhi originally had a house in Bianjing, but it was a bit remote and small. I didn't want to live there, so I stayed in Zhang Langzhong's house temporarily. He is also my uncle, and my relatives are not here. You're welcome."
Wu Anshi smiled and said: "Dalangjun, although he is a close uncle, there is a saying that brothers settle accounts clearly. Aren't you ready to find a place to settle down in Bianjing?"
Zhang Shi smiled and said: "Of course we have such a plan. You are a wealthy Wu family and your daughter is also a wealthy person. We will not treat him poorly. In a few days, we will buy a house."
Wu Anshi smiled and said: "It's not easy to buy a house in Bianjing. Don't misunderstand me, Mr. Da Lang. I don't mean anything else. Our Wu family originally had a house next to the Imperial College. It turned out that my younger brother was going to the Imperial College to study." I bought it nearby.”
"I've seen this house. Although it's not very neat, it can accommodate twenty or thirty people. I can give it to you to live in first. Maybe we have five or six other houses in Beijing. You and your brother can go there whenever you have free time. have a look."
Zhang Shi immediately said: "You can't do it, you can't do it, our Zhang family doesn't have such rules."
Wu Anshi advised: "Da Langjun, we will be the in-laws from now on. We don't say polite words between the in-laws. Since we are out today, we will take you to see us on the way."
After saying that, Wu Anshi ordered someone to drive Zhang Shi to visit several places, all of which were houses purchased by the Wu family in Beijing. Only then did Zhang Shi know what it means to be a wealthy official and a prime minister.
After Wu Anshi accompanied Zhang Shi to visit these houses, Wu Anshi said with a smile: "These houses must be attractive to the big man."
Zhang Shi asked: "It's in your eyes, it's in your eyes, how much is it worth?"
Wu Anshi smiled and said: "These houses were not expensive when I bought them, but now it is different from the past. The cheapest of these houses is said to be worth two or three thousand guan, and it is so expensive that it is worth five or six thousand guan."
Zhang Shi actually took a breath when he heard this.
Wu Anshi said: "Dalangjun, Your Majesty has granted you a marriage. This is the face of the imperial court. Everyone in Bianjing is watching. No minister in the imperial court is paying attention. We, the Wu family, also want to live a prosperous life. If you fancy these houses,
Please say something, and I will deliver the deed to your residence tomorrow."
