One afternoon in mid-April, after Chen Caozhi copied Ouyang Xun's "Zhang Hansi's Perch Post", he washed his pen and looked out the window. The sky was dark and drizzle continued. It seemed that he could not go to Jiuyao Mountain in the evening. Suddenly
I remembered that I had not yet entered the study room of my late brother Chen Qingzhi. There should be some readable books in there.
There are twelve large spacious rooms on the third floor on the west side of Wubao. Each large room is divided into two rooms inside and outside. Only Chen Cao's family of four and an old man named Yinggu lived in such a huge semi-arc building.
The maid, Aunt Ying, came to Chenjiawu with Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, more than thirty years ago.
Chen Caozhi's bedroom and study room are on the right side of the stairs. Chen's mother, Li, and her eldest son, Run'er, live in the big room on the left side of the stairs. Past it is Aunt Ying's room, and beyond that is Chen Qingzhi's study room, and then Chen Qingzhi's room.
Next to Ding Youwei's bedroom was the residence of the four dowry maids. After Ding Youwei was forcibly taken back to Qiantang's Ding Mansion, the four maids were also taken away by the Ding Mansion's people, so the west building is deserted now.
The large room on the innermost left side of the third floor is the "Heming Hall". Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, goes to the "Heming Hall" every morning and evening to recite "Laozi's Five Thousand Essays". It is where the Tianshi Taoist ancestors are enshrined.
Dan and the "three organs" of heaven, earth and water.
Although Chen Caozhi can be regarded as a follower of Tianshi Tao, he does not have to do his morning and evening homework because he is underage. On this drizzly afternoon, he walked into his late brother's study.
The layout of this study is the same as Chen Caozhi's. Lai Gui's wife Zhao comes to clean it every day. The tables and mats in the study are spotless, as if Chen Qingzhi is still studying here as usual.
Chen Caozhi was delighted to see hundreds of scrolls on the bookshelf here. He took out a silk book next to him and unfolded it. The first line from the right was - "The heart is still decorated with the utmost care."
It is "Women's Training" written by Cai Yong, a great scholar in the late Han Dynasty. It was written for his daughter Cai Wenji. Naturally, it cannot be Cai Yong's original work, but the official script on the silk script is different from Chen Qingzhi's calligraphy style. Chen Qingzhi studied Han Li
"Zhang Qian's Stele" is written in a thick, powerful style, while this volume of "Nv Xun" clearly follows the example of "Cao Quan's Stele", with beautiful fonts and graceful style——
"This is your sister-in-law's handwriting."
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, didn't know when she stood behind Chen Cao, with a faint smile on her old face.
"Oh, this is written by my sister-in-law. My sister-in-law's calligraphy is so beautiful." Chen Caozhi admired sincerely.
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, sighed and said: "Youwei is known as the first lady of the Qian and Tang Dynasties. She is beautiful and gentle, good at calligraphy and painting, and she and your brother are very close friends. It is a pity that Qingzhi died young, and it is really hard for her - today is the day."
On April 15th, if the weather is fine, people from the Ding Mansion will come to pick up Zongzhi and Runer. When you see your sister-in-law, send your greetings to my mother, who has not seen her in almost three years."
Chen Caozhi looked at this charming scroll of "Women's Training" written in Chinese stele style, and tried hard to recall the image of his sister-in-law Ding Youwei, but in the young man's memory there was only a vague image of gentleness, graceful and distant -
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, suddenly said: "Chou'er, mother is thinking that she should make a marriage arrangement for you."
"Ah!" Chen Caozhi said in surprise: "Mother, my son is not yet fifteen years old."
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, smiled and motioned for Chen Caozhi to sit down.
The mother and son sat across from each other, with Chen Caozhi leaning slightly to the left and sitting at the bottom to show respect for his mother.
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, said: "I don't want you to get married now. You can get engaged first."
"Engaged? To whom will my mother want to have a child?"
Chen Cao has a big head and is famous for his filial piety. If his mother decides which girl she wants to marry him, he will not be able to disobey her. This arranged marriage will be really troublesome!
I only heard my mother say: "Qian Tang Feng Mengxiong is an old friend of your father and a clerk in the county office. He has a daughter who is fourteen years old. It is said that she has a beautiful appearance and is knowledgeable and courteous. If you are interested, mother will ask your fourth uncle to ask
Just ask, it should be possible."
Chen Caozhi frowned slightly and said softly: "Mother, this marriage is a lifelong event and should not be taken lightly. We don't understand Miss Feng. If you marry someone with a bad temper, wouldn't it mean that you will be troubled for the rest of your life?"
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, nodded repeatedly, appreciating her son's foresight, but said: "Although the Feng family is not a noble family, they are also a family of poets and writers. The Feng family girl should not be aggressive - by the way, your seventh sister returned to Ning last time
, said her sister-in-law is smart and beautiful, and wants you to marry her sister-in-law, how about that?"
This was really endless. Chen Caozhi changed his mind and asked deliberately: "Mom, are Miss Feng and Seventh Sister's sister-in-law as good as my sister-in-law?"
"Youwei," Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, shook her head and said with a smile, "I don't dare to hope for that. Your sister-in-law is the first lady in Qian Tang. She is beautiful and has a good temperament."
Chen Cao said: "Mom, my son will marry a noble girl like my sister-in-law in the future. She has a gentle temper and can respect you as an old man."
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, smiled slightly and sighed in her heart: "Cao Zhi is really arrogant, but it was a coincidence that Qingzhi was able to marry the nobles. Moreover, Mrs. Ding regretted it later. Wasn't it possible that Xiaowei was taken over by them?"
Have you taken her back? With this experience in mind, which noble family would marry their daughter off to a poor family?"
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, was so anxious to get her son engaged because she felt that her energy had declined severely in the past two years, and her eyesight and hearing were not as strong as before. The deaths of her husband Chen Su and her eldest son Qingzhi were a huge blow to her. If it hadn't been for
She could hardly support Cao Zhi, Zong Zhi and Run'er, so she wanted to see Cao Zhi marry a good wife as soon as possible so that she could die in peace. But now that she heard what Cao Zhi said, she felt that she shouldn't be too hasty.
Although it is impossible to marry a girl from the noble family like Youwei, with the family prestige of the Chen family, people from poor commoner families can still make good choices.
"Okay, let's not talk about this for now. Mom will slowly find a girl from a good family for you. Her appearance is not inferior to your sister-in-law. You can just study and practice calligraphy in peace. Every year on the ninth day of September, Qiantang County has a riverside
At the gathering where you can express your ambitions, the county official responsible for selecting the ninth grade will also be present. If you want to gain fame, that is the best opportunity. Ten years ago, your brother masterfully expounded the "Analects of Confucius" at the riverside gathering.
It’s a blockbuster, but you’re still young this year, so it’s not too late to go next year.”
After saying this, Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, got up and left the study so that her son could concentrate on reading.
Thinking of his mother worrying about his marriage, Chen Caozhi shook his head and smiled bitterly. Putting aside distracting thoughts, he took out the volume numbered "Jia Zi" from the bookshelf, opened it and couldn't help but be overjoyed. This was "The Analects of Confucius Explained" by the metaphysical genius Wang Bi. It was very good.
, I will read it in the future. The Analects of Confucius, which is less than 20,000 words, is now recited by Chen Caozhi very well, and Ma Rong’s annotations are also well understood. What is needed now is to understand the different interpretations and expressions of the meaning of this classic by famous writers in the past, especially
A unique interpretation of this Confucian classic by a master of metaphysics.
In addition to "The Analects of Confucius", the collection of books in Chen Qingzhi's study also has a famous work "Zhouyi Commentary" by Wang Bi that pioneered the trend of the generation. It has twelve large volumes. Although "Zhouyi" is profound, Chen Caozhi still
I am preparing to study, but I don't know if "Yi" will not make me a famous scholar.
In addition, there is a copy of "The Chunqiu Zuo Family" and half of "Zhuangzi" in the study. This half of "Zhuangzi" only has "Xiaoyaoyou", "Qiwulun", "Health Preservation Master", "Zhibeiyou", "
There are six chapters in total, "Autumn Waters" and "Fisherman". Judging from the delicate handwriting, it was also written by my sister-in-law Ding Youwei, and must have been copied from the collection of books in the Ding family.
Brother and sister Zongzhi and Runer walked in, and Yinggu, an old maid who was nearly fifty years old, stood at the door with a smile. Yinggu usually helped Chen's mother Li take care of Zongzhi and Runer.
Run'er said: "Uncle Chou, you climb Jiuyao Mountain every day, why don't you take Run'er and brother to go with you?"
Chen Caozhi flicked Run'er's cute little face with his finger and said: "It's raining now. If it's sunny tomorrow, I'll take you two to climb the mountain. Remember, you have to go by yourself. Don't be coquettish and ask someone to carry you on your back."
.”
Zongzhi said: "I'm eight years old. I can walk, but Run'er is so cute and cute. She must be carried on someone's back."
Run'er pursed her little lips like rose petals and said, "Run'er walks by himself, never let anyone carry him on his back."
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "Okay, Tianqing will take you there. Now you two are going to my study to practice calligraphy. Let me read quietly here, and don't be naughty with Aunt Ying."
Zong Zhidao: "Uncle Chou, Run'er and I have already practiced calligraphy. Each of us has one large page."
Run'er said: "Run'er and Brother A are both well-behaved, aren't they, Aunt Ying?"
Aunt Ying responded with a smile: "Yes."
Run'er shook her fine and soft forehead hair and said sweetly: "Uncle Chou, Run'er won't disturb Uncle Chou. Run'er will go inside and play for a while."
This large study also has two rooms, an inside and an outside, separated by a large bookshelf. Chen Caozhi has not yet entered the inner room.
Zongzhi and Run'er both went in. Yinggu waited at the door for a while and then left. The two little guys didn't know what they were playing inside, and they were silent.
Chen Caozhi started to read carefully from the first volume of "The Analects of Confucius". He knew the original text, but only looked at Wang Bi's annotations and expressions. Wang Bi's annotations were full of speculative colors, novel images, concise and concise. Wang Bi, who died young, really understood Confucianism.
The genius of Xuan Er Sect.
Chen Caozhi was watching intently when he suddenly heard the sound of "zheng" strings coming from inside. He couldn't help but feel happy, it turned out that there were musical instruments at home.
