Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 341 Shen Family Poetry and Painting
"Be cautious when alone!"

Sheng Changquan also strode forward and soon arrived in front of Shen Li.

"Haha, Changquan, it's been a long time! You've become even more handsome!"

Although it had been a long time since they last met, Sheng Changquan and Shen Li had maintained correspondence, so when they met again, there was no sense of estrangement between them.

Yes, but it's just the joy of a long-awaited reunion!

"Really?"

Sheng Changquan smiled, then immediately launched into a round of flattery: "Shen Du, you're not bad either!"

"Look at yourself! Not only have you become more handsome, but you've also become much stronger!"

Sheng Changquan patted Shen Li on the shoulder with a smile: "Hehe, look, even in height, you've caught up with me!"

"Hmph, that's not true!"

Shen Li blinked and replied smugly.

Judging from his radiant appearance, he must be quite concerned about his height.

Although Shen Li is two years older than Sheng Changquan, Sheng Changquan has always been taller than Shen Li since they met because of their different "aptitudes".

Even six years ago, at the peak of his career, Shen Li was only about the same height as Sheng Changquan.

Moreover, they look similar, but if you really compare them, Shenli might still be a centimeter or two off.

However, things are different now. In Sheng Changquan's opinion, Shen Li has grown like a leek sprouting, growing straight and tall, and is now as tall as him.

"Ha ha!"

Seeing Shen Li's appearance, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but laugh for a while.

"By the way, Shen Du, is Uncle Shen at home?"

After laughing for a while, Sheng Changquan pulled Shen Li aside again and asked in a low voice.

Although he spoke eloquently when analyzing the situation with Xu Changqing, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but ask questions beforehand when things got to this point.

After all, if something urgent were to happen in the court, Lord Shen would definitely have to leave.

If we don't find out the truth, won't Xu Changqing think that he, Sheng, is all show and no substance and just talks nonsense when he discovers this later?

Therefore, it's always good to be prepared. If something goes wrong, he can think of a way to get away with it beforehand, so as not to embarrass himself later.

"Yes, my dad is home!"

Shen Li was unaware of Sheng Changquan's thoughts; he simply assumed that Sheng was nervous.

After all, Shen Li knew his father's status in the eyes of Sheng Changquan and others. To put it bluntly, his status was absolutely unattainable. If it weren't for the fact that Sheng Changquan had a very good relationship with him, Sheng Changquan would really not have been qualified to visit the Shen family.

"Changquan, don't worry, I already spoke with my father yesterday, and he's waiting for you in the front hall right now!"

Since it was his best friend visiting, Shen Li had prepared everything for him well in advance. He had already told Shen Shouzhen about it when he received the visiting card yesterday.

In fact, Shen Li had to muster up a great deal of courage when he explained this matter to Lord Shen.

He knew his father was busy lately, but for the sake of his good brother, Shen Li still dared to speak out about it.

For reasons unknown, perhaps for his son's sake, or for other considerations, Lord Shen surprisingly agreed in the end.

It should be noted that Shen Shouzhen is not someone that just anyone can meet. As the Minister of Revenue of the current dynasty, he naturally possesses a certain air of authority. The fact that he is able to meet with Sheng Changquan is most likely due to Shen Lizhi.

"Is Uncle Shen waiting for me in the front hall?"

Sheng Changquan narrowed his eyes, and began to ponder the matter.

He felt that Shen Shouzhen was only able to meet with him because of Shen Li, and that he might not know anything about the Yu family.

When Shen Li saw that Sheng Changquan looked dazed, he assumed he was nervous, so he patted Sheng Changquan on the shoulder and comforted him, "Changquan, don't worry!"

"My dad is always smiling, he's not fierce at all, so don't be afraid!"

"Besides, my father has heard of you and speaks highly of you!"

Shen Li, against his conscience, showered Lord Shen with praise, describing him as a kind and gentle elder, completely omitting any mention of his own fear of his father.

"Ah!"

Hearing Shen Li's words of comfort, Sheng Changquan didn't believe it at all. He glanced at Shen Li and sneered.

Don't forget, he has exchanged letters with Shen Li many times over the years, and Sheng Changquan could naturally see the fear he felt for Lord Shen between the lines at a glance.

Therefore, when Shen Li praised Lord Shen, he sneered, but did not believe a single word Shen Li said.

"hey-hey!"

Shen Li also noticed Sheng Changquan's gaze and knew that his "lie" had been exposed. However, he chuckled and grabbed Sheng Changquan, focusing on walking into the inner room.

"Changquan, stop worrying about so much. Now that you're here, are you going to refuse to come in?"

"You'd better hurry up and come with me to see my father!"

Shen Li pulled Sheng Changquan along, saying, "And you can't leave after you've seen my father!"

"You still have to do me a favor and help me persuade someone!"

"Persuade someone?"

Sheng Changquan looked puzzled, but because he was being dragged by Shen Lisheng, he didn't have time to speak. He just waved to Xu Changqing behind him, signaling him to come over quickly.

"Changqing, quickly bring the gift over!"

The gift that Sheng Changquan mentioned was actually a gift he had prepared for the Shen family upon their first visit. After all, it was their first time visiting, so they needed to show some courtesy.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Changqing responded loudly to Sheng Changquan, and then hurriedly followed, afraid that he might lose sight of the two people in front of him.

There was nothing that could be done; Shen Li's movements were so swift at that moment that he had already covered a considerable distance in the blink of an eye, almost causing Xu Changqing behind him to fall behind.

……

In the front hall of the Shen residence, Shen Shouzheng sat upright in the seat of honor, holding a memorial in one hand and a pen in the other. With his eyes closed in deep thought, he wrote line after line of text with flowing, graceful strokes, as if the writing were as elegant as flowing clouds and water.

Clearly, Shen Shouzheng is considering matters of state and organizing them into a speech so that he can present them to the Emperor and all officials at tomorrow's court assembly.

"Thum! Thug! Thumb!"

As a series of rather chaotic footsteps sounded, Shen Shouzhen's train of thought was suddenly interrupted. He frowned, seemingly a little displeased, but then he suddenly remembered something and paused for a moment.

After a short while, Lord Shen shook his head and smiled bitterly, regaining his composure once again.

"It seems that it is Li'er who has arrived!"

Shen Shouzhen had always paid close attention to Shen Li, his only legitimate son.

However, due to his temperament, or rather, the common nature of Confucian scholars in this world, Shen Shouzhen did not openly express his paternal love, but instead watched silently in the dark.

He had personally witnessed Shen Li's transformation from initial confusion to later vigorous pursuit, from struggling to pass the preliminary examination to finally achieving the title of Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). Even he, the so-called "cunning fox" of the Shen family, was astonished by the various changes in between.

It should be noted that, due to the Shen family rules, Shen Shouzhen once thought that Shen Li would not be able to inherit the position of the head of the Shen family in the future. However, Shen Li was able to live up to expectations, break through his own talent limitations, and obtain the qualification to inherit the position of the head of the Shen family.

Now that Shen Li has such qualifications, coupled with his own sense of righteousness as the direct descendant of the family and the help of Shen Shouzhen, the position of patriarch of the Shen family has already been designated as Shen Li.

From all this, Shen Shouzheng could easily draw a conclusion: Shen Li's change was entirely due to Sheng Changquan's efforts.

Although he didn't know the reason why the two of them had such a big change, Shen Shouzhen, as Shen Li's father, still felt indebted to Sheng Changquan. It was for this reason that he stayed at the mansion to wait for Sheng Changquan's visit.

Shen Shouzhen had already decided in his heart that when he met Sheng Changquan later, he would teach him carefully and guide him to the best of his ability in order to repay his kindness.

Don't underestimate Shen Shouzheng's guidance. You should know that, in terms of current affairs, what Shen Shouzheng knows is absolutely the main theme of the court. In other words, as long as Sheng Changquan receives Shen Shouzheng's guidance, he will not deviate from the court's main theme and write off-topic essays.

This point is especially important!

After all, the imperial court's talent selection ceremony places the most emphasis on the candidates' policy essays in order to understand their thinking. If this aspect is incorrect, it is basically a death sentence for their future prospects.

Of course, if you have connections in higher positions, that's a different story.

Finally, needless to say, Shen Shouzhen himself was also exceptionally talented, having been a top scholar in the imperial examinations.

This background is something only the most elite people in the world can possess, and having his guidance would be the best thing ever.

"Dang~"

As the person approached, the footsteps outside gradually slowed down. Shen Shouzheng could even hear the slight rustling sound of someone tidying up their clothes in the front hall.

"tread!"

Shen Li went first, followed by Sheng Changquan. The former stepped into the house first and said to Shen Shouzhen inside, "Father, Changquan is here!"

Sheng Changquan bowed respectfully to the person above him, saying, "Junior Sheng Changquan greets Lord Shen!"

Although he addressed Shen Shouzhen as Uncle Shen in public, at this moment, Sheng Changquan conservatively addressed him as "Sir" to avoid appearing too obsequious.

"Ah."

Shen Shouzhen slightly raised his eyes and carefully looked at the handsome and extraordinary Sheng Changquan in front of him. He nodded slightly and said, "Changquan, since you are a good friend of my son Shen Li, you are not an outsider. Here, you can call me Uncle!"

Since Shen Shouzheng was older than Sheng Hong, Sheng Changquan should address him as his uncle.

"Yes, Changquan greets Uncle Shen!"

Sheng Changquan readily accepted the suggestion and changed the form of address without being humble or arrogant.

"Father, look, Changquan even brought you a gift this time!"

Seeing that the two sides had already exchanged greetings, Shen Li, looking somewhat pleased with himself, presented the gift box in his hand to his father, as if praising Sheng Changquan for his achievements.

"Oh? Changquan, why are you being so polite?"

Shen Shouzhen squinted and carefully sized up Sheng Changquan, saying in an unchanged tone, "It's just a visit to a friend. How could my Li'er possibly deserve such a gift from you?"

Shen Shouzhen didn't know what Sheng Changquan had given him, and assumed that he had presented some precious treasure in order to obtain something from the Shen family. As a result, he couldn't help but lower his opinion of Sheng Changquan, thinking that he was too opportunistic.

However, because of Shen Li, Shen Shouzhen didn't say much. But he didn't want to get involved in any trouble, so he immediately pushed the gift onto Shen Li.

After all, even if the gift caused some trouble, as long as it didn't involve Lord Shen, it wouldn't be a big problem. As a high-ranking official, protecting his only son was more than enough for him.

Shen Li didn't understand the meaning behind his father's words, thinking he was just being polite. So he hugged the wooden box in his arms, pushed open the lid, and took out a scroll.

"Father, this is Brother Changquan's most prized work!"

Shen Li placed the scroll on the table, unfurled it, and began to explain: "This painting is called 'Autumn Moonlit Night on a Cold River.' It was created by Chang Quan a year ago, inspired by his feelings on the banks of the Han River."

This is a story that Shen Li heard from Sheng Changquan on the way earlier.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing Shen Li's words, Shen Shouzhen was slightly taken aback, realizing that he had guessed wrong. However, being an experienced and shrewd man, his expression remained unchanged, and he simply said, "Is that so? Then this old man will have to take a good look!"

After glancing once more at Sheng Changquan, whose expression remained unchanged, Shen Shouzhen lowered his suspicions and turned his curiosity to the painting.

The painting depicted a scene from a traditional Chinese ink wash painting. Under a bright moon, a few strokes outlined the mighty and surging Han River, flowing from east to west, never to return.

Above, amidst the lush and tangled reeds, two or three lonely birds fly out and linger under the moonlight. A small awning boat drifts along the river in the middle of the water, seemingly filled with helplessness and sorrow.

At the bow of the boat, there was a faint, indistinct figure, seemingly raising a cup to admire the moon, which for a moment revealed a strong sense of homesickness.

With its subtle black and white ink washes, it reveals a hidden power, making it a rare and exquisite work!

Moreover, in the upper left corner of the scroll, a poem is engraved: "The river is green, the bluebirds are whiter than frost; the mountains are green, the osmanthus blossoms seem to burn. Tonight, the moon is bright, and everyone gazes at it; I wonder whose heart is filled with autumn thoughts."

The poem is written in the "Changquan style" created by Sheng Changquan. The strokes are well-proportioned, with a strong and disciplined structure. However, the beginning and end of the poem show a free and easy edge, like a sharp swordsman, which shows the style of a young man.

"Great painting!"

"What a poem!"

"Good word!"

He quickly glossed over it, and Shen Shouzheng immediately blurted it out.

I went to the company to work overtime today. I'll revise this chapter tomorrow, bringing it to 4000 words.

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(End of this chapter)