In the evening of that day, a banquet was held in Chenjiawu, and the halls on the four floors of the southeast, northwest and northwest were all packed. Of course, the heads and heads of the Qiantang gentry and common people from poor families would not have the banquet at the same table, but would gather in separate halls. But a gathering like this would also
It was unprecedented. The common people from the humble family were naturally very happy. This vaguely showed that their status had improved and they could compete with the gentry. The Qiantang gentry headed by Quan and Ding treated the Chen family and hosted a banquet for them and the people from the common people.
Although there was some slander, there was not too much dissatisfaction. They were still surprised that Xie Xuan and Yangzhou Governor Zong Lu arrived at the same time. It seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Chen Cao was a genius and outstanding scholar, but even if
No matter how famous Chen Caozhi was, the fact that he came from a new gentry clan could not be changed. The powerful Sima Huan and Wang Shu, the governor of Yangzhou, who came from the Wang family in Taiyuan, competed to recruit him. Wang and Xie's children did not have this
Such scenery!
But surprise is surprise, the arrival of Xie Xuan and Zong Lushi undoubtedly greatly increased the reputation of the Chen family in Qiantang. The eight surnames of Qiantang are obviously headed by the Chen family. A family with outstanding children can indeed revitalize the entire family.
Chen Caozhi had not eaten meat for more than two years. Although he was allowed to eat more today, he did not dare to eat more. He only ate a large bowl of white rice and a bowl of meat soup. Xie Xuan and Zong Lushi ate in response to the case and all praised the Chen family.
The rice in Wu is fragrant and the dishes are delicious.
Zong Lushi was a ninth-rank official of Yangzhou Governor's Office. This time he was ordered to hire Chen Caozhi as the state's literary director. Zong Lushi was surprised and puzzled by this. Of course, he was also deeply jealous. He last year
Wang Shao, the internal historian of Yangzhou, came to Qiantang to try the case. It was during the Tang Dynasty that the Chen family was promoted from a commoner to a scholar. Unexpectedly, after a year and a half, Chen Caozhi was actually appointed as a state literary minister. His rank was still above him, and in his heart
It was inevitable that he would feel a little unfair, but when he came here, he saw that Huan Da Sima's envoy had arrived earlier to conscript Chen Caozhi into the Western Mansion. The jealousy and injustice in Zong Lushi's heart were suddenly taken over by surprise. He knew that Chen Caozhi was conscripted.
The appointment of the literary director of the state was the result of Wang Shao's recommendation in front of the governor Wang. Wang Shao said that Chen Caozhi had Xia Houxuan's style and thinking, and Liu Kun's free and easy and affectionate. Wang Shao was the son of Wang Dao.
With his words of praise, Chen Caozhi's worth doubled, but Zong Lushi thought that Wang Shao had praised Chen Caozhi too much, and never expected to meet Huan Wen's envoy here. In the more than ten years since Huan Wen opened the mansion, he had gone in and out of Xifu.
They were all high-ranking officials, and it seemed that they were not qualified to become officials of the fifth rank or above without going through the experience of the Xifu. Huan Wen recruited Chen Caozhi to join the Xifu, and the envoy he sent was actually Xie Xuan of the Xie family in Chen County.
The courtesy is much more grand than the literary conquest of Pizhou——
Zong Lushi paid tribute to Xie Xuan and said, "If I had known that Xie Xuan was coming, I would not have dared to come. Although Yangzhou is good, Xifu is even better."
Xie Xuan looked at Chen Caozhi and said with a smile: "Then the two of us will ask Zizhong now whether we are going to Xifu or Yangzhou?"
Chen Cao said: "I still have to go to Jiankang to take the Dazhongzheng assessment. If I'm not careful, all my previous efforts will be wasted."
Xie Xuan laughed loudly: "Zizhong, with your current reputation, who can deprive you of the Qiantang Chen family's qualifications as a scholar! The chief Situ and the officials urged you to go to Jiankang because they just wanted to see your grace.
How can the Zhongzheng assessment fail you? Others only hear about talent in vain, but I have actually seen it."
Zong Lushi also laughed and said some flattering words in a measured way, saying that when the Yangzhou scholars heard that Chen Caozhi, the "Jiangzuo Weijie", would be appointed as the literary governor of Renzhou, they simply rushed to tell each other, hoping to see Chen Cao's appearance, and knowing that Chen Cao was
Cao Zhi was not yet married, but Yangzhou ladies had already begun to embroider sachets and fill them with spices, preparing to show their love to Chen Cao Zhi——
Everyone in the hall laughed, but Xie Xuanjian frowned slightly, feeling sad.
When the banquet broke up in Xushi, several heads of poor clans near Chenjiawu said goodbye and went back. Others who were far away rested in Chenjiawu for the night. Xie Xuan said that he would have a long talk with Chen Caozhi by candlelight, so they shared a room on the second floor.
room.
Chen Caozhi's former bedroom was on the third floor. Later, because his mother was weak and ill, he moved to the second floor with his mother. His sister-in-law Ding Youwei lived on the third floor after returning to Chenjiawu. Now Chen Caozhi is no longer the boy he once was.
He was still young and it was inconvenient to live in separate rooms, so Chen Caozhi still lived on the second floor.
The left room of Chen Caozhi's bedroom on the second floor was his mother's bedroom. Xiao Chan held up a lantern and shined it on Chen Caozhi. When Xie Xuan went up to the second floor and passed the dark bedroom, Chen Caozhi stopped and said: "Xiao Chan
Sister Chan, I want to see my mother’s room.”
Xiaochan said "Oh", then went to the bedroom door and pulled the rope. The rope bolt rose upwards. With a "squeak", the door opened. Xiaochan walked in holding the lantern and placed the lantern on the table.
, took out the lantern cover, and used fire to light a catfish lantern on the table. The soft yellow light instantly overflowed, rendering light and dark light and shadow in the room——
Chen Caozhi said to Xie Xuan, "Youdu come to my room and sit down for a while. I'll come over after taking a look."
Xie Xuandao: "If you please, Zizhong, I will stand on the corridor for a while."
Chen Caozhi walked into his late mother's bedroom, but saw the Guan mat, wooden benches, boxes, and copper urns were still there. His mother's furnishings had not been moved, so he raised the catfish lantern on the table, walked into the inner room separated by the screen, and lit it in front of the bed.
The bronze goose fish lantern on the small case——
The four-screen large bed has drooping gauze curtains, and it seems as if my mother has just left, only to never come back again.
The eaves of the box in front of the bed were spotless. Every night, Chen Caozhi, Zongzhi and Runer would sit on the eaves of the box to chat with his mother for a while, and then play two pieces of music. After his mother fell asleep, he would go back to his room to continue reading.
Calligraphy——
Chen Caozhi gently touched some small appliances in his mother's room - a copper stove to warm his hands, a cane, a bamboo basket for holding needlework, a bronze mirror with a pattern of seahorses and grapes, an ox bone comb...
Chen Caozhi saw a small porcelain jar and opened the lid. A musty smell hit his nostrils. A closer look revealed that there were several pills the size of fingernails at the bottom of the jar, which had dried up and become moldy——
Chen Caozhi was so sad that his tears immediately came down. This was the year before last when his mother was in poor health. He followed the advice of Yang Quan, a famous doctor in Yangzhou, and took Ran Sheng and Laide to the nearby mountains to collect wild hawthorn fruits for his mother to eat.
The mother's health improved. Because she was afraid of acidity, Chen Caozhi dried the hawthorn fruits and ground them into powder, mixed fine flour and honey to make hawthorn pills, and asked her mother to take a few pills in the morning and evening. Before she finished eating the hawthorn pills, her mother
After death, it is so embarrassing to see things and miss people!
Xiaochan also shed tears, but comforted her: "Don't be sad anymore, Mr. Xiaolang. The old mistress doesn't want to see Mr. Xiaolang's tears. The old mistress was happy when she was alive, and loved hearing people's laughter——"
Chen Caozhi said "hmm", wiped away his tears and said, "Sister Xiaochan, bring me the recorder. I want to play it for my mother one more time. I will not play these two pieces of music again in the future."
…
With the sound of the flute, the noisy Chenjiawu Fort suddenly became silent. Only the sound of the flute flowed like water, overflowing every corner of Chenjiawu. Chen Caozhi guarded the tomb for more than two years, and there was no more in Chenjiawu.
This beautiful and affectionate music sounded, and the Chen clan listened quietly together. The scholars and guests also listened attentively and sighed in their hearts: "This is the recorder of Chen Caozhi, who is known as one of the best!"
Ding Youwei didn't take Zongzhi with her because Xiaolang wanted to stay overnight with Xie Xuanlian, and Feng Lingbo also lived with her on the third floor. Runer went downstairs to find Uncle Chou. When they heard the sound of the flute in the quiet night, the two children immediately remembered
After seeing his grandmother, with tears in his eyes, Ding Youwei and Aunt Ying hurriedly brought them down, and Feng Lingbo followed with two maids.
When they came to the second floor, they saw Xie Xuan standing on the corridor. Zongzhi and Runer still called Xie Xuan "Little Zhu Langjun" to distinguish him from the Zhu Yingtai Zhu Langjun.
Ding Youwei led Zongzhi and Runer into the inner room. The sound of the flute stopped. Chen Caozhi stood up from the eaves of the box in front of the bed and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, take Zongzhi and Runer out." He blew out the wild goose lantern and came.
Go to the corridor.
Xie Xuan had already entered Chen Caozhi's room. After Chen Caozhi sent his adopted sister Feng Lingbo, his sister-in-law and two children upstairs, he returned to his bedroom. Xiaochan was fiddling with the charcoal fire, Qingzhi was waiting on the side, and Xie Xuan was sitting upright.
In front of the writing desk outside, read "A New Interpretation of the Analects of Confucius" written by Chen Caozhi——
While guarding his mother's tomb, Chen Caozhi wrote three books, namely "New Interpretation of the Analects of Confucius" with 80,000 words, "New Meanings of Laozi" with more than 50,000 words, "On Phonology" with 40,000 words, and "Ming Sheng Lake".
"Lun Xuan Ji" has also been expanded to more than 60,000 words. The seven inner chapters of Zhuangzi from "Xiaoyaoyou" to "Yingdiwang" are all wonderfully elaborated and developed.
》 and other articles also have unique and wonderful remarks——
There are nearly two hundred pieces of "A Volume of Ice and Snow Essays" that I have been writing intermittently. Each piece is hundreds of words long and a few crosses short. It is mysterious and magnificent, with meaningful meanings, and fully demonstrates the elegant deeds of celebrities in the Wei and Jin Dynasties——
"Treatise on Phonology" is the culmination of Chen Cao's collection of Sun Yan's "Erya Sound and Meaning", Li Deng's "Sheng Lei" and Lu Jing's "Yun Collection". It takes thirty-six Chinese characters as initial consonants and uses the "Yun Collection"
The rhyme characters are rhymes, and the fanqie phonetic notation method that had already taken shape during the Eastern Jin Dynasty was improved to make it more precise——
Xie Xuan looked at this thick stack of books, flipping through this one and that one, unable to put it down. He wished he could read them all at once, and sighed: "Zizhong, among the people in my generation, I only admire you for your three years of filial piety.
After studying hard and practicing hard, he actually wrote hundreds of thousands of words in books, with mystical words and witty sayings, every word is precious. How can this be compared to those who only know how to follow etiquette and observe filial piety, wasting their time and doing nothing?"
Chen Caozhi sat down opposite Xie Xuan, pressed the reed mat and cattail mat under him, felt the softness, and said: "Brother Youdu, I'm so grateful. I gained something from reading and thought about it, so I wrote this. I'm afraid
See laughter in a generous home."
Xie Xuandao said: "Tomorrow, Lord Feng will be asked to call some scribes from the county to copy the thirteen volumes of Zizhong. I will take them back and read them carefully."
The two talked under the lamp for a while, and Xie Xuan suddenly fell silent. Chen Caozhi knew that he had something to say, so he let Xiaochan and Qingzhi go and have a rest. He and Xie Xuan were going to have a long night talk.
When Xiaochan and Qingzhi closed the door and left, Chen Caozhi asked: "Youdu, how is brother Yingtai?"
Xie Xuan put down the scroll in his hand, stared at Chen Caozhi for a moment, and said slowly: "Zizhong, since we left in September of last year, has my sister written to you?"
