"In old age,
Although I cherish spring, my head full of white hair has long been incompatible with the beautiful purple and brilliant red. "
When Madam Li read this sentence,
Holding the tabloid, her heart was filled with sorrow.
Although she was not old enough to have a head of white hair,
In her current life, she could see her old age at a glance.
The small rose bushes in the yard looked coquettish and restless,
They were uprooted by the widow who cleaned the yard. The green Boston ivy grew over the wall,
They were not very well-behaved and were uprooted by the people who managed the garden.
She remembered that after she had just married, she rarely spoke.
What did she say?
She looked at the chrysanthemums,
She said, "The mist is thick and the clouds are gloomy forever." They said privately, "It's strange."
She didn't do needlework,
They picked up the book and said, "I'm afraid she's not a serious person."
She stole her husband's newspaper and read it. They were shocked, "So restless!"
Half a step in the garden, without her husband's company,
She was not allowed to go out.
Her mother-in-law looked at her and said, "Others say that you are a talented woman." Then,
She was afraid that she was a restless woman.
From then on, in addition to chanting scriptures,
He asked her to accompany him in chanting scriptures. He asked her to copy the Precepts for Women.
The only person here who could read,
Who might be able to talk to her,
It was her handsome husband.
Last night, her husband came. Except for the deepening of the wrinkles on his forehead, nothing else changed. His monthly whereabouts were as fixed as Tessie's publication — the first five days of the month, he slept here with her.
When he first saw her, the first thing he said was, "Virtuous wife, you have to worry about the back house."
They ate five dishes together.
When he left, he ordered, "Virtuous wife, serve mother well."
Later, every time she saw him, his first sentence was still, "Virtuous wife, you have to worry about the back house."
They still ate all five dishes together.
When he left, he ordered, "Virtuous wife, serve mother well."
She couldn't even go home because her husband and mother-in-law were really worried about her past "unrestrained behavior."
Of course, her husband had also had tender and affectionate moments with her.
After all, she could play the softest and most affectionate music.
She could draw the most beautiful and lively pictures. She could talk to him about the troubles outside.
He could even manage his own wealth and reduce his burden.
So, occasionally, when the door was closed, they would write poems about Li Du under the light and play the phoenix-tailed zither under the moonlight.
In those days, when her chest was full of the expensive jewels he had ordered made for her, she had been fond of the blossoms he had cut off and worn askew in her hair; and when her chest was full of the beautiful dresses he had ordered made for her, she had been sorry for the old gown he had torn when he dressed her.
It's just that he raised a Yangzhou skinny horse outside. The skinny horse was multi-talented and could perform the Hu Xuan Dance. He had a few mistresses who were gentle and considerate. They were good at reciting poems and composing essays. He only needed a wife who knew how to look after the backyard, who could do a little accounting, who knew her place, who was responsible for giving birth to a legitimate son, and who had a clean background.
Not only could this wife read the account books, she could also support his family. She was gentle and obedient. She was also youthful, beautiful, and literate. She was a flower that understood words. Of course, that was even better.
If he couldn't, then so be it.
She remembered for the rest of her life that her husband had praised her for writing good poems, but when he found out that she had leaked the poems out of the boudoir and into the public square, he turned his head with a gloomy look.
She also couldn't forget that one time she had anonymously sent an article to a tabloid in the south. When everyone praised it, he found out it was her handwriting and beat her severely.
Mrs. Li was lost in thought for a long time.
Until the little Taoist nun anxiously asked her in a hoarse voice, "Grandma, are you okay?"
Only then did she come back to her senses. She rolled up the tabloid and hid it well. Then she handed the Taoist nun a rolled up article with a string and gave her a worthless pendant and some loose silver.
Although the little Taoist nun was young, she was very clever. She put the article in her loose Taoist robe and pretended to say, "Thank you for the reward, grandma!"
When she walked out of the door, the old woman in the courtyard glanced over and wanted to search her. She hurriedly smiled and gave the loose silver to the old woman, and the old woman let her go.
The sky was high and the clouds were vast. She sat under the low eaves and watched the little Taoist nun sing a song from Xiaoxiang's gentleman's book, "The Smiling Swan", and gradually walked away.
"Breaking cassia branches, weaving golden threads, casting a treasure cage … Sparrow in the palm, the smiling swan: Coming to Cangwu at night from the East Sea, there is no one to rely on in life, why not live in peace in a golden cage and jade lock!"
Her tears wet her old silk dress. This woman, who had been abandoned by her husband's family and was trapped here alone, couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Coming to Cangwu at night from the East Sea, there is no one to rely on in life …"
The sky was high in the morning, but after noon, it had been raining for several hours outside the curtain. The weather was gray and stuffy, and even the trees were withered.
The old shopkeeper was listlessly calculating on his abacus. There were only a few seats in the hall.
The children of the workers who had been ordered by the factory to distribute the rough booklets poked their heads out to look around. Seeing that there was no one around, they ran away in puddles.
Only a few young scholars in traditional Confucian attire were very energetic. They were holding a tabloid, their faces red with excitement and anger.
"Ha, the first thing they say is, 'The world has changed, and so has literature.' How arrogant. "
"It's all Xiaoxiang's fault. He's the most arrogant! It's not easy for a few eminent scholars to defeat him. Who would have thought that some drunkards and literary fanatics would become his literary friends and attack him together. "
"I've said it earlier. This Xiaoxiang gentleman must be the beloved of the reformists. Look, even that Li Baiquan has come out to support him. 'Moreover, the real literati in the world are not interested in literature at first. There are strange things in their hearts, things in their throats that they want to spit out but don't dare to. There are many things in their mouths that they want to say but can't. They have accumulated for a long time, and their momentum can't be stopped … 'There's also something like,' The foot that chases after the wind and lightning is not in the gap between the green and the yellow; the husband that responds to the sound of Qi is not in the scholar that searches for the lines and counts the ink; the writing on the wind and on the water is not in the wonder of every word.
’”
A tall young scholar with a slightly hunched back and meticulous wrinkles on his clothes frowned and said, "No matter how much he says, no matter how nice it sounds, Li Baiquan's meaning is just one sentence, 'Looking at the past and the present, the time is still changing.' As long as it's out of the so-called 'childlike innocence', as long as it's suitable for the current world, any person, any form of writing, even if it's a lowly novel that is specially written in vernacular to cater to the people of the business world, it should be promoted! Isn't it obvious that he's supporting that Xiaoxiang gentleman? "
Another short, fair-skinned young scholar with a gloomy expression slammed the table. Under the reminder of the old shopkeeper, "Don't break it", "Don't break it", he finished the cold wine in one gulp and sneered as if he didn't hear anything. He expressed his opinion, "Senior Brother Miao, novels are the lowly way. In the words of a lowly person, it's not a big deal. What should be worried is that after Li Baiquan, the reformists will swarm up and say that the novel is changing. Look at it, they're not just supporting the thief Xiaoxiang, they're clearly … Hey, do they think we don't know what they're thinking? "
A few young people were denouncing enthusiastically when the thick curtain was lifted. A young man in a blue Taoist robe came in and sat beside a low tea table.
He walked with a limp, as if his legs were inconvenient. However, with his long eyebrows, handsome face, and gentle demeanor, it was obvious that he was a scholar.
Everyone glanced at him and saw that he didn't have the "western style" of Tai Xi, so they ignored him and continued to talk loudly.
The young man drank a cup of tea, but he seemed to be gradually attracted by the impassioned discussion of the young people. He slowly opened his mouth and interrupted the young scholars, "Brothers, I'm very polite. Recently, I've been immersed in my studies and don't care about worldly affairs. Today, when I went out, I heard people talking about a few topics along the way, such as' common sayings', 'vernacular', and 'literature is also because of it'. I couldn't make head or tail of it. I hope that all of you will kindly answer my questions and dispel my doubts. "
The short man with a gloomy expression snorted and said gruffly, "In the South Seeking Tabloid, a few families were debating, and there was a lot of blood. What, you really didn't hear your schoolmates and friends mention it at all?"
The tall, meticulously dressed young scholar stopped him, "Mingzhi, why do you have to say such bad words? Didn't this brother also say that he's been immersed in his studies recently?"
As he said, he apologized to the young man on behalf of the short man.
The young man quickly waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing. Slowly, he joined in on their conversation.
The blue-clothed young man spoke elegantly, his manners were gentle, and he was knowledgeable. Soon, he integrated into the small group.
The young scholars all talked at once and told the young man about the bloody battles in the literary world during this period of time.
It turned out that a few months ago, Xiaoxiang, the gentleman, made an unprecedented "appearance" for the first time — he published a small counterattack story in the South Seeking Tabloid.
This small story basically offended the Jiaxing School of Thought completely.
The Jiaxing School of Thought was the most stubborn of the conservatives. They couldn't stand the phenomenon of Jiangnan's "gradually changing folk customs and no longer being ashamed of industry and commerce". Every time the conservatives and reformists fought, they definitely wouldn't stop waving flags and shouting battle cries, even if they didn't fight in the front row.
Whenever someone coveted the convenience of Jiaxing's water conservancy and wanted to build steam power and wanted to set up a factory in Jiaxing, these old gentlemen of the Jiaxing School of Thought would organize their children's relatives and friends to cause trouble. They said that they wanted to protect "Jiaxing doesn't produce traitors and scoundrels."
However, the Jiaxing School of Thought had been entrenched in the literary world of Jiaxing for a long time. Jiaxing had a strong academic atmosphere. Their students and old friends were all over most of Zhejiang, and they were often local village sages. Their superiors often covered up for them. In the end, most of the matters of building factories were left unsettled.
Even the South Seeking Tabloid, which built its stronghold wherever the factory was built, was also ostracized by the Jiaxing School of Thought. They smashed the newspaper several times.
Of course, they still bought the tabloids.
For example, Xiaoxiang, the gentleman, who had risen to fame and was repeatedly praised by the reformists and "unworthy disciples", was often talked about by the South Seeking Tabloids. Among the southern youth, "everyone covered their mouths and talked about Xiaoxiang" was naturally sand that the Jiaxing School of Thought could not tolerate.
After finding a few books of "Li Xianglan's Work Diary" and "Singing Immortal" that their disciples had smuggled in their own house, one of the Jiaxing School of Thought was even more furious. They went straight to the South Seeking Tabloids. They thought that they would definitely embarrass this junior.
Unexpectedly, although this Xiaoxiang, the gentleman, had been scolded by others and did not speak, but when he really showed his face, he was sarcastic and spicy, directly embarrassing the entire Jiaxing School.
This time, they had poked a hornet's nest.
The entire Jiaxing School of Thought immediately united against a common enemy and attacked together. It was not easy for the elders to appear, so they borrowed the words and pen of the students.
The younger ones simply rolled up their sleeves.
When the young man heard this, he laughed and said, "Great! This is exciting! I actually missed such a lively scene. "
The short scholar's surname was Li. When he heard this, his face darkened. "It's a lively scene. The seniors are besieging the thief Xiaoxiang and beating him up. Li Baiquan's group, on the other hand, are jumping around faster than the other. There are also some peers who don't know the truth. They don't even respect the elders of the literary world. Instead, they are arguing for this thief. "
How was Xiaoxiang, the gentleman, trapped? He was quick-witted and sharp-tongued. Starting from the ancient Zhou Dynasty, he started with the "Poem". He talked about ancient words and texts as one, refuting the Jiaxing School of Thought until they were speechless.
The young man poured him another cup of tea. He did not expose him and only listened to him with interest.
When he talked about how Li Baiquan led the Hailing School of reform and went into the water bare-armed, the speaker's face turned red and his neck thickened. He did not have the slightest bit of scholarly elegance.
Scholar Li sneered again and again, as gloomy as the sky outside. "It's fine if you only talk about novels, but you say something like 'literature changes at any time' and 'the spoken language of ancient times was the vernacular of that time.' You say something like 'Confucius added his own new words in the Spring and Autumn Annals, which is no different from us adding new words in the vernacular. Even the Four Books can be read in the vernacular.' What do you mean by this? You actually moved your thoughts to the Four Books, saying that literature changes at any time. When does literature change at any time? Does it change at the time when these businessmen are in power? I think these people don't have good intentions! "
"In the end, they just want to abolish the classical language and promote the vernacular." The tall scholar surnamed Zhang concluded.
Scholar Li shook his head. "Erlang, your thinking is too simple."
He casually rolled out a few fur-lined booklets from his bosom and slapped them on the table. "Look, I took these from the hands of that child. They told people to distribute these booklets everywhere. What do they want to do? "
Several people glanced at each other. These booklets were distributed in most of the factories in the south. It was said that they were reading materials in the vernacular compiled by those "fanatics" of the Hailing School.
They were easy to understand, designed for workers, farmers, and merchants, and talked about some shallow skills. The purpose was to let the poor people, through these reading materials, obtain some way to make a living.
Because the vast majority of people were illiterate, there would often be people who would open reading materials near the factories from time to time.
For this reason, they often received praise from the local officials. They said that they were different from profiteers and were a "family of charity."
Scholar Zhang laughed. "Mingzhi, what's wrong with this? I think this is one of the few good things that those fanatics rarely do. "
The old shopkeeper looked at the booklet and interjected. "My son studied for a few days and picked up this booklet. Some of the things in this booklet are indeed good and somewhat useful."
Li Mingzhi became excited. "Take a look!"
He pointed and read a few sentences. "'We believe that people are born equal and have the right to make a living and obtain financial resources. Therefore, we made this …' Don't you understand? Do they not need money to print booklets? They are merchants and workers, not a charity hall! Don't tell me that Hailing Li Baiquan and these people have nothing better to do? They advocate gradually changing the 'classical language' and say that the Four Books can also be explained in the vernacular. They are still doing these things. They clearly want to abolish the classical language and then take the lead in educating people. What kind of person would want to compete with a sage for the credit of educating people? It's nothing more than plagiarism … "
This Li guy is very interesting. The young man sipped his tea.
The others were frightened and hurriedly told Li Mingzhi to shut up. "Mingzhi, you must keep your mouth shut. Don't overstep your bounds!"
Inside the small teahouse, a heated discussion was in full swing.
In this county, the stronghold of the South Seeking Tabloid, a Taoist temple was also in full swing.
The little Taoist nun came back with a draft and a blueprint.
The person in charge of the South Seeking Tabloid was a skinny scholar with a pair of glasses in front of his eyes. When he received the draft, he immediately read it carefully by the carved wooden window. He immediately asked someone to proofread it and prepare it for printing. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Before he could breathe another sigh of relief, an envoy arrived.
A nineteen-year-old woman dressed like a crown followed the little Taoist nun through the door. She smiled and said, "You are indeed very resourceful."
"It's not my merit." The scholar looked down on the woman, but he didn't dare to say anything because she was an envoy of the volunteer army. He just muttered in his heart about how a beautiful woman could be an official. He stroked his beard and said with a smile, "If you want to thank someone, thank Mr. Xiaoxiang. Although he didn't mean to, he helped us a lot. "
He then lowered his voice and said, "What does your army want with this blueprint?"
The crown nun's two tassels hung in front of her chest. She looked delicate and delicate. There was a red mole between her eyebrows, which made her skin look even whiter. She wore a Taoist robe and was short in stature, but her eyes were cold and gloomy.
She glanced at the scholar and said with a fake smile, "This matter is confidential. My daughter doesn't dare to make a decision. Let's wait for your newspaper's supervisor to arrive before I explain in detail. "
The skinny scholar didn't dare to act rashly and hurriedly went to greet his superior.
The crown nun was bored and paced back and forth in the room with her hands behind her back.
She flipped through the new edition of the South Seeking Tabloid that had just been printed. She saw the long and stale words of the rotten scholar and immediately laughed in disdain. She continued reading and suddenly let out a "Eh?" She picked it up and skimmed through ten lines at a time. "Interesting. Advisor Yuan Du asked us to take care of this' Xiaoxiang gentleman 'if possible during the cooperation. Now it seems that this Xiaoxiang gentleman has caused more trouble than I thought. "
"Things have gotten serious. Bai Quan, take a look! "
Ying Chi took the tabloid that he had obtained from the inside and raised it in front of Li Baiquan. He pointed at the opening sentence under the title. His wrinkles could even squeeze a fly to death. "Take a look!"
Li Baiquan took the tabloid and read it out loud.
"This old man fully agrees with Mister Bai Quan of the Hailing Sect's proposition that 'literature can change at any time'. Times have changed. How can it be possible to proclaim the Holy Church's position and only be a millstone for the people to read the Heavenly Book?
This old man has no objection to Mister Ying Shan recommending novels. If they can educate the common people, then novels are also the best. "
"Ah!" When Li Baiquan saw that the signature was actually a leader of the Diehard Faction's literary scene, the old scholar Du Zhong Chang, he couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
What kind of person was Du Zhong Chang?
"He was the head of the Six Ministries in the past and was an official in the Cabinet. Even after he retired and returned to his hometown, he could still name half of the people south of the Yangtze River and carefully observe him. His family was the most conservative. Etiquette was strict. He was the most stubborn of the stubborn. "
Hearing her uncle's words, Lin Daiyu immediately recalled.
She had lived in her boudoir for a long time and didn't care about the changes in the officialdom. She only heard from Du Er that there was an official with the surname Du. His daughter's husband died, and she wanted to remarry. When he heard that his daughter wanted to remarry, he sent someone to deliver a cup of poisoned wine.
His daughter didn't drink it. He sent someone to deliver it every day. In the end, his daughter couldn't bear the pressure and died with her husband. Only then did he go to his daughter's corpse and cried.
Could it be this person?
Lin Ruoshan confirmed her doubts.
Daiyu was flabbergasted. Why would such a person take the initiative to speak for them?
Lin Ruoshan was also puzzled.
Du Zhong Chang didn't care about the affairs of the world. Although he was one of the leaders of the literary scene, he closed his door and refused to receive visitors. He didn't participate in the affairs of the younger generation. Not to mention reading fresh news like the South Xun tabloid.
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