Top Scholar

Chapter 173 Make a fortune
As soon as Steward Tian left, Su Lu and Su Tai jumped out of bed and opened the gift box to check the prizes.

Besides the four sets of books, the prize from the Li family was a painting of bamboo and rocks, inscribed with the words "New bamboo shoots unfurl their sheaths with powdery marks, old rocks are rugged with moss-covered spots," signed "Shen Zhou," and stamped with a small red seal reading "Qi Nan."

Although Su Lu knew nothing about calligraphy and painting collection, he was aware of Shen Zhou's great reputation. Shen Zhou was the founder of the Wu School of painting and was nearly seventy years old at the time, making him the most famous painter of his time. Even Tang Bohu was not as good as Shen Zhou at the moment.

Before they parted, Huang E told him that Shen Zhou's calligraphy and painting cost 1.15 taels per foot. Su Lu estimated that the painting was worth nearly 50 taels of silver.

"This painting is so expensive?" Su Tai exclaimed in disbelief. "In the old days, even if our family didn't eat or drink for two years, we would have to work for two years!"

"Now you know what a huge gap between the rich and the poor means?" Don't be fooled by Su Lu's calm demeanor. As a kid who was worried about tuition fees just a year ago, how could he possibly remain calm? He carefully rolled up the painting and put it away, keeping it away from fire and candles. He was afraid that if he put it away, insects and rodents would eat it, and if he hung it up, he was afraid that the wind and sun would damage it. He was at a loss.

Finally, the two brothers decided to put it back into the roll and hide it with more mothballs.

The Deng family's prize was a She inkstone, seemingly the most unassuming, yet the most expensive item... because it was made from old pit stone from Longwei Mountain in Shezhou, with a bluish-black color and gold flecks, representing the pinnacle of Southern Song Dynasty She inkstone material. The inkstone is cicada-shaped, skillfully crafted with smooth lines. The back is engraved with the seal of the Southern Song scholar 'Fang Yue,' and the stone is fine-grained, producing ink quickly, and shows no signs of wear or damage.

Huang E told Su Lu that the current market price for a Southern Song Dynasty Shezhou Old Pit Inkstone is around fifty taels. This inkstone, because it bears the mark of a famous person, will definitely have a premium, so in terms of price alone, it is the most expensive of the seven prizes.

This is probably because Deng Qing especially doesn't want to be looked down upon.

"This dark, unremarkable stone is worth fifty taels again?" Su Tai exclaimed, still clicking his tongue in amazement. "You scholars really know how easy it is to make money."

“It’s not that scholars’ money is easy to earn, it’s that the wealthy all pursue elegance, and in prosperous times, collecting is popular.” Su Lu smiled as he played with the Song Dynasty inkstone and said, “This thing is good. I can use it occasionally, and I don’t have to worry about insects or rodents eating it.”

"Then it has to be something you can bite through," Su Tai urged with a smile. "Quickly take a look at the other items."

In addition to the seven prizes won by the winning families, Prefect Jia also gifted Su Lu a blue-and-white porcelain brush washer from the Jingdezhen imperial kiln, valued at over five taels of silver.

Huang Bingxian also gifted Su Lu a Xuancheng purple-hair brush, with an ivory cap, a perforated lapis lazuli bead as the knob, and a gold-threaded cord. Su Lu had never held such an expensive brush before, and wondered if the writing it produced would appear even more luxurious.

It also came with a top-grade Xiuning pine soot inkstick. The front is shallowly carved with a 'pine and crane' design, and the back is engraved with 'Made by the Wu family of Xiuning in the Wuwu year of the Hongzhi reign'. It also came with an exquisite rosewood ink box. It's simply a work of art. I wonder what kind of family would be willing to use such ink.

Huang E didn't tell him the value of these two items. But Su Tai said that the two items together were definitely worth more than five taels...

Su Tai is an expert in calligraphy and painting, and has even seriously considered making a living from it. What he says is definitely reliable.

"So, all these prizes today must add up to more than three hundred taels of silver?" Su Tai was dumbfounded.

"That's how it should be," Su Lu nodded.

"Goodness!" Su Tai exclaimed, "I feel like money has become worthless since I came to Luzhou."

"Don't get excited. These things are valuable, but they can't be converted into cash, at least not now." Su Lu said with a wry smile, "The market for top-quality calligraphy and painting in Luzhou is too small. If we take them out this morning, the owner will know by the afternoon."

“That’s really not good,” Su Tai said understandingly. “It seems that we can’t pawn it unless absolutely necessary.”

“That’s right.” Su Lu nodded and smiled, “But when you’re really at your wit’s end, these things can save your life. You don’t even need to pawn them; just take them back to the original owner, and they’ll definitely give you a high price.”

"These things need to be kept very close," Su Tai said in a low voice. "They all need to be preserved."

“Indeed.” Su Lu lay back down on the bed and said, “It’s so much better in big cities. You’d never find something like this in Taiping Town, or even in Hejiang County!”

"That's right, that's right! If you only solve one riddle a year, we can become rich!" Su Tai said dreamily.

"This path is hopeless. I won't be doing riddles in Luzhou anymore, or people will get angry with me," Su Lu said with a laugh.

"Oh, that's a pity..." Su Tai sighed with regret, then cleverly added, "But we can fight elsewhere, Chengdu, Chongqing, there must be others there!"

"Wouldn't that make me a slacker? Wouldn't I have no shame?" Su Lu said helplessly. "Anyway, it's just a light novel. It's fine to play around with it occasionally, but you can't make a living from it."

“Alright…” Su Tai nodded and lay down, saying, “Anyway, we don’t have to worry about money now.”

"That's true." Su Lu yawned and said, "Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow."

"Oh." Sutai then blew out the candlestick by the bedside, plunging the room into darkness.

But Su Lu waited for a long time, but his second brother's melodious snoring didn't come. How could he sleep? "Brother, is something on your mind?"

"I just can't sleep," Su Tai said in a muffled voice. "As soon as I close my eyes, I worry that I'll learn too poorly and be kicked out of the martial arts school."

"Don't worry, brother. Most people in those places are just coasting along. You're unlikely to end up like a bad student." Su Lu reassured him, "Of course, we still need to strive for excellence and try to pass the imperial examination for military officers in the future."

"Mm," Su Tai replied.

Still no snoring...

"What is it now?" Su Lu asked helplessly. "My little brother still has a section of the *Book of Rites: Correct Meaning* to memorize."

"I'm fantasizing about becoming a military scholar again, and I'm so excited I can't sleep..." Su Tai said embarrassedly.

"Don't you ever dream about getting married?" Su Lu said speechlessly.
Fortunately, the two brothers are young, and not sleeping well in the first half of the night didn't affect their energy.

The next day, at dawn, two pageboys came to wake the two brothers up. After helping them wash and dress, they brought them their respective school robes.

Su Lu's outfit was almost identical to that of Taiping Academy, still featuring a black-edged white round collar and a scholar's square scarf. However, a big city is a big city; the robes were significantly improved in terms of both materials and workmanship.

The fabric felt light yet didn't sag, and it even had a flowing feel when worn; even the curve of the collar was perfectly tailored. It didn't constrict the neck, nor did it sway with movement, making him look much more dashing.

Su Tai's outfit was even more eye-catching! He wore a black turban, the two corners tightly knotted and hanging down to his shoulders. Over it was a dark blue long robe, short and knee-length, cut with a horse-face design and a slit at the hem. Arrow sleeves bound his wrists, a leather belt cinched his waist, and blue cloth trousers were tucked into black leather boots. His entire look was sharp, capable, and full of heroic spirit!

"Excellent! These two young masters, one a scholar and the other a warrior, are truly handsome and dashing!" Steward Tian personally brought them a sumptuous breakfast.

After the two had eaten and drunk their fill, the pageboy happily went to school with his book box on his back.

Just as they arrived at the gate, the Zhu family's carriage appeared.

"Get in the car!" Zhu Zigong and Zhu Zihe called to the two from inside the car. Luzhou Martial Arts Academy was right next to Heshan Academy, so Su Tai could also hitch a ride.

After getting on the bus, Zhu Zigong and Zhu Zihe looked at Su Tai with strange expressions, and hesitated several times as if they wanted to say something but then stopped.

"What..." Su Tai felt uneasy under their gaze.

"You'll find out when you get to school," the two said, becoming even more cryptic.

"..." Helpless, Su Tai could only get off the car in front of the Luzhou Martial Arts School with a lot of doubts.

Although both were schools, Luzhou Weiwu School was vastly different from the county school. A pair of imposing stone lions crouched in front of the gate, and two armed soldiers stood beneath the plaque, creating a rather solemn atmosphere.

Su Tai presented his admission documents, and the soldier called out to the gatehouse. A minor official came out and smiled at Su Tai, saying, "You must be Su Tai. My surname is Zhou, and I am a martial arts instructor. I've come specifically to welcome you and another classmate."

Martial arts students enroll every autumn, and it's already been half a year since the start of the semester. Su Tai is a transfer student, which is why he's worried about falling behind.

After waiting for a while, a group of warriors escorted a magnificent carriage and finally arrived.

Su Tai stared in disbelief at She Yunluo, who got out of the car, dressed in the same outfit as him.

"What a coincidence, we meet again!" She Yunluo looked exceptionally dashing and capable in men's clothing, even more pleasing to the eye than when she wore Han Chinese women's clothing.

"What are you doing?" Su Tai's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

“I’m here to learn martial arts. The position of Pacification Commissioner can only be inherited after passing the Ministry of War’s examination,” She Yunluo said matter-of-factly. “Otherwise, what would I be doing in Luzhou?”

“Oh.” Su Tai switched from a surprised state back to his blank expression.

"Please follow me, both of you." Fortunately, the instructor was already used to it; the young military officers, attendants, and students in the martial arts academy all had increasingly impressive backgrounds.

Of course, none of them have surpassed She Yunluo in terms of academic ability, yet Wei Wuxue has made an exception and admitted her as a female student.

~~
Leaving aside the bewildered Su Tai, let's talk about the Zhu family's carriage.

Zhu Zigong told Su Lu that She Yunlu would also be studying at the martial arts academy. Su Lu was dumbfounded and said, "She's not here for my brother, is she?"

"How is that possible?" Zhu Zihe then told Su Lu what he knew...

She Yunluo's entry into martial arts had nothing to do with Su Tai; it was arranged by her mother, She Saihua, the Yongning Pacification Commissioner.

All successors of chieftains needed to undergo long-term study at martial arts schools or even the Imperial Academy, and pass the Ministry of War's examinations before they could receive an imperial decree from the court and rightfully assume the throne.

Whether or not one learns anything is secondary; the key is to undergo long-term official education and develop a sense of identity and belonging to the Ming Dynasty...

Furthermore, She Yunluo was a retainer of the hereditary title, not the same person as Su Tai, and should normally report for duty after the New Year. The reason she spent the New Year in Luzhou was because She Yunluo grew up at her maternal grandmother's house in Guizhou, and at that time, Huang Ke was inspecting Guizhou and getting along well with the chieftain An. It was during this time that She Yunluo and Huang E met, and the two became close friends.

In addition, She Saihua also hoped that the two would strengthen their relationship, so she sent her to Luzhou ahead of schedule...

After hearing this, Su Lu could only sigh, "It's truly a matter of fate that brought us together from a thousand miles away..."

"I think She Yunluo seems to have a bit of a crush on your brother," Zhu Zihe said with a smile. "But don't worry, she's going back to inherit the chieftain's position in the end. Can your brother's charm be so great that he'd make her abandon everything?"

"That's definitely impossible." Su Lu was relieved; the two of them were indeed not a possibility.

ps.截止今晚11点，书友们支持7：30更新的有67位，支持0点更新的有21位，另有很多可爱的书友表示怎么都行。

So this is the last midnight update. Starting tomorrow, we'll update at 7:30...

(End of this chapter)