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"This...how can this be so?" Zhao Kuangji couldn't believe it.

Zhan Shao said: "There are still three months until the middle school graduation exam. My father told me to study hard and not waste any more time. Everything will be discussed after I go to university. Don't come to see me again during the holidays from now on."

Zhao Kuangji shook his head and said, "No wonder I saw your father Lingtang just now. Although they greeted you with smiles, they always made me feel a little uncomfortable. That's all, you can rest assured to prepare for the exam and find you to play with after graduation."

"Feel sorry!"

Zhan Shao cupped his hands and sent the prince out.

When Zhao Kuangji came to the street, he didn't bother to ride in the car, so he led his mangy dog ​​for a walk.

He didn't want to go to Meizizhou. In today's Cuju competition, there was no team he liked.He was already tired of watching Suwashe's performance, but Hunwashe didn't dare to go, otherwise the accompanying guards would definitely sue.

After thinking about it, he turned to the Hanlin Academy.

Don't look at Zhao Kuangji's love of fun, but after he was in middle school, he often went to the Imperial Academy and Qintian Academy.As long as he is interested in something, he will study hard for a while, and then do other things when he loses interest. At the age of 12, he was obsessed with astronomy, and even went to live in Zijin Mountain, and went to the observatory in the middle of the night to learn the art of stargazing.

Many scholars from Hanlin and Qintian academies have served as Zhao Kuangji's teachers.

The prince came here to ask for advice, who would dare not teach him carefully?

Most of the scholars are still secretly proud of this, it's nice to hear what the prince said.As long as Zhao Kuangji came, he would put down his work and concentrate on imparting knowledge.It's a pity that they are destined to be disappointed. Zhao Kuangji's enthusiasm for learning never exceeds three months.

This guy learns things very quickly. He can master what others learn for a year in two or three months.Then I didn't want to make progress, I was doing things here and there, and I suddenly remembered one day, and went to study for a few days.

At first, Zhao Kuangji surprised scholars, but now it only makes people feel speechless and sigh.

When he arrived at the Imperial Academy, he went straight to the Painting and Calligraphy Hall. Zhao Kuangji planned to study painting today.

However, the small courtyard of the Painting and Calligraphy Museum was crowded with people, as if something important happened today.Zhao Kuangji was shocked immediately, handed the mangy dog ​​to the guards, ran in excitedly, caught the person in front of him and asked, "What is there to see today?"

The man obviously knew the prince, and hurriedly cupped his hands in a bow: "Your Highness, do you know that there is a fight in the painting academy?"

"There are a lot of fights, and you often fight with paintings." Zhao Kuangji said.

The man said in detail: "From the beginning of the establishment of the Painting and Calligraphy Museum, Your Majesty asked to study the combination of Chinese and Western painting methods. This painting method is divided into two schools. One school is dominated by Zhu Mou, a former royal family, and the other is dominated by Thai and Western scholar Li Zhicheng. Who are they? They didn't agree with anyone, so they made a fight five years ago and asked each other's favorite disciples to draw a picture."

"What painting needs to be fought for five years?" Zhao Kuangji became more and more curious.

The man explained: "Using the combination of Chinese and Western painting techniques, draw a picture of the wells in Nanjing. One person draws Changqianli, and the other draws Loujiangli. There is also an agreement on the size of the painting, which is three feet wide and fifteen feet long."

The name Changganli is very old, and it often appears in Tang poems, and the allusion of "childhood sweetheart, childhood sweetheart" comes from this.The location is outside the south city wall of Nanjing. Although it is located outside the city, it is the most prosperous market in Nanjing.

As for Loujiangli, it was a name only in the New Dynasty of Datong.The address is also outside the city, but it is next to the northwest city wall and the north city wall. The whole area is the Yangtze River Wharf area. There are no large shops, but small stalls and hawkers are everywhere.

"I'm coming!"

But I saw several people coming out of the painting academy, headed by Zhu Mou, the former Ming clan, and Li Zhicheng, a western missionary, divided into two groups clearly.

They didn't fight the paintings themselves, but their lovers: one named Zhu Da and the other Tang Fu.

Zhu Mouyi, who was over 70 years old, stood on the steps with his beard smoothed, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, please first."

"Being respectful is worse than obeying orders!" Li Zhicheng looked like a foreigner, but his accent and movements were no different from Chinese.

Li Zhicheng's apprentice Tang Fu took out the work, asked his disciple to hold the scroll, and slowly pulled the painting away.The huge painting, which is one meter wide and five meters long and took five years, appeared in front of everyone bit by bit.

The south city wall, Zhongshan Temple, glazed pagoda, restaurant, charcoal market, sheep market, bull market, pig market, stage, glasses shop, leather goods shop, cloth shop, bank, boats, carriages, sedan chairs... There are countless figures in the paintings, Boatmen, bearers, scholars, believers, envoys, merchants, folks, actors, audiences...

For a time, I couldn't count how many people there were, and I couldn't count how many buildings there were.

But all of them are painted vividly. If you look closely, you can even see the different expressions of the characters.

Zhao Kuangji kept pushing forward, and no one else dared to fight.This guy actually got close to the drawing paper, took out a magnifying glass from his pocket, and praised: "It's meticulous and good at drawing!"

Hearing the prince's praise, both Li Zhicheng and Tang Fu, master and apprentice, couldn't help smiling smugly.

Li Zhicheng cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Bagui, please."

Zhu Moou smiled slightly, and Zhu Da also began to show his paintings.

Zhu Da's painting is also meticulously drawn, but the form of expression is slightly different.He pays more attention to the characters, and the faces are not painted in detail, but with a few strokes, the expressions are vivid, and the movements are also lifelike, and the movements of some characters are even slightly exaggerated.

Every scene is wonderful.

One was the crane on the pier. Suddenly a rope broke, and the cargo box was upside down and hanging while being emptied. The foremen and coolies around panicked.Someone is yelling, as if to let the cargo box be put down quickly; someone is covering their head to avoid the box falling on them; someone is rushing to the crane winch, trying to stabilize the cargo box so that it does not fall...

One is on the east side outside the north city wall, which is where King Jin ate his stomach.The food stalls there are very lively, some squatting, some standing, some sitting, all eating.There were also people waiting in line, looking back and laughing while waiting.There are also diners patting their stomachs and talking to their companions with five fingers, as if to show off that they have eaten five bowls of rice.There was also a person holding a rice bowl in one hand and a half-cut newspaper in the other, leaning to the side, as if asking for words he didn't know.

One is that a large ship arrived in Beijing, traveled to the center of the river, and was about to dock.There was a group of candidates rushing for the exam standing on the deck. Some of them held their heads high and talked loudly, some pointed to the pier and shouted excitedly, and some were reciting poems with scrolls in their hands.

One is in front of Dinghuai Gate, dozens of foreign envoys stared at the towering city tower in a daze.Several foreigners knelt down to worship on the spot, and the Chinese people next to them looked down on them.

The two paintings, in addition to the different techniques, are also different in painting materials.

Zhu Da's paintings on silk are calm, simple, thick and dark in color.

Tang Fu is painted on paper, elegant, extravagant, bright and colorful.

Zhao Kuangji stood there watching for a long time, but he couldn't tell which one was good and which was bad. He could only say that each had its own merits.These two paintings do not belong to traditional Chinese painting methods, and are also very different from European paintings. They can be regarded as two mature and different schools combining Chinese and Western styles.

The artists from the Painting and Calligraphy Gallery are all here at the moment, and the scholars from other galleries next door have also heard the news.The small courtyard was full of people, buzzing with comments, some said that Zhu Da was better at drawing, and some said that Tang Fu was better at drawing.

Even calligraphers and painters who are not used to Western painting techniques were shocked by these two paintings.

Zhao Kuangji had learned calligraphy and painting a long time ago, and he was just getting started.At this moment, he bowed to the two painters, regardless of whether others agreed or not, he directly performed the disciple salute: "I admire the superb skills of the two gentlemen, please don't hesitate to teach me."

Zhu Da didn't know whether to laugh or cry, he had taught the fifth prince for two months before, but after teaching, he couldn't find anyone.At this moment, he had no choice but to return the salute, not daring to refuse, but his heart was not fluctuating.

Tang Fu was a little excited, and replied: "Don't dare to be your Highness's teacher, learn from each other, learn from each other."

Zhao Kuangji laughed happily, stopped talking to the two teachers, and continued to admire the two paintings.First use a magnifying glass to look carefully, and then step back to look at the overall effect, no matter how far or near you can find any flaws.This strengthened his determination to learn painting, but even Zhao Kuangji himself couldn't guarantee whether he could persist for three months.

The Hanlin Academy was busy for a whole day, and the next day two paintings were sent to the palace.

Zhao Han was very happy to see it, promoted Zhu Da and Tang Fu to doctorate, and gave some gold and silver.Then, let the Painting and Calligraphy Hall of the Hanlin Academy take the painting back. If you want to copy it, you can copy it, and then send it to the palace to hang in a year.

The news spread quickly, and a large number of scholars came to the Imperial Academy to ask for appreciation.

Qian Qianyi, who has already decided to retire this year, feels that he has a bright face.It was decided to exhibit these two paintings on the first and fifteenth day of every month, but they must be well-known literati to be allowed to enter, and they can only be viewed collectively from a distance, and if you want to get closer, you can see them one by one.

The few folk literati who were lucky enough to appreciate the paintings all blew up the two paintings to the sky after they left the Imperial Academy, saying that Wu Daozi could be painted like this after his resurrection.

Literati touted it, and naturally it spread quickly. After only half a year, there were even related news in Guangdong and Beijing.

These two new painting styles combining Chinese and Western styles have gained a firm foothold at once, and more and more learners are learning them. They are collectively called the "Jinling School of Painting".

Chapter 980 [Your Majesty, it's time to repair the imperial mausoleum]

When Zhu Cihong returned to Nanjing to report on his work, he found that a lot had changed here.

The street scene in the city has not changed much. The Baoen Temple outside the city has become the Zhongshan Temple. Meizizhou not only has a dike, but also built a stadium.

He went to the Ministry of Officials to report, and the new official position was implemented within two days.The speed is so fast, it must be in the honor of Concubine Tian and Concubine Zhu, otherwise it will have to wait for the arrangement.

The new official position is the director of the Bureau of Officials in Long'an Prefecture, Sichuan, who is responsible for the selection and transfer of officials in the state government.

In the Ming Dynasty, it was the Zheng Liupin Tongju who was in charge of the administration of officials in a government.

The former crown prince is 33 years old, and now he is at the sixth rank, so he has some prospects.After all, in the past, there were many people who were still in the imperial examination in their 30s.It's just that Zhu Cihong's upper limit is definitely not high. If he can reach the third rank, who made his identity so sensitive?

Zhu Cihong was allowed to enter the palace, but he didn't dare to visit Concubine Tian, ​​and it was a bit awkward to go.

"My minister, Zhu Cihong, pay my respects to Concubine Zhu, Empress Shun." Zhu Cihong's greeting was very formal.

The name of the Datong New Dynasty basically follows the Ming Dynasty.

The title of the concubine is a certain concubine and a certain empress.If you are already dead, posthumous name + surname + empress, or posthumous name + old + empress.

Auntie Zhu was very happy, and said with a smile: "Brother, you don't have to be polite, sit down quickly!"

"Thank you for your seat." Zhu Cihong was a little cautious.

Auntie Zhu asked, "Have you filled my elder brother's official vacancy?"

Zhu Cihong said: "It's done, it's the sixth grade, and the Bureau of Officials in Long'an Mansion is in charge."

"The Bureau of Officials is the best, it manages people," Aimee Zhu asked with a smile, "Where is Long'an Mansion?"

Zhu Cihong said, "Sichuan."

Aunt Zhu smiled and said, "Sichuan is also good, the land of abundance."

"It's all thanks to His Majesty's grace." Zhu Cihong didn't explain too much. Long'an Mansion is located in the northern part of Sichuan, namely Pingwu, Qingchuan, and Jiangyou.

What a land of abundance, so poor!

The siblings hadn't seen each other for a long time, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, they couldn't find a topic to talk about.

Zhu Cihong looked left and right, and there was only one court lady in the room, so she couldn't help asking: "Sister... how is your mother doing?"

Aimee Zhu smiled brightly: "I'm fine. All the older sisters in the palace take good care of me. I have a son and a daughter, and they are also very smart. Last time my younger brother entered the palace, I asked him to send money to my elder brother. Will my elder brother receive money?" arrive?"

Zhu Cihong said: "I received it. The postman sent the silver to the province, and the official documents delivered by the province were brought to me."

From Aimee Zhu's smile, it can be seen that she is really happy.

There is indeed intrigue in the harem, but it is basically not revealed, and it is relatively harmonious on the whole.

And even if Gong Dou can't fight against Aimee Zhu, let alone the princesses of Brunei and Portugal.With the identities of these three, even if the empress died suddenly, even if the emperor favored them, it is impossible for them to have any promotion in title.

Let's put it this way, unless all the other princes and grandsons die, the sons of the three of them will have a chance to succeed.

After chatting for a while, a total of half an hour, Zhu Cihong got up to leave.As a foreign minister, he was allowed to visit relatives in the harem, it was already the emperor's kindness, and it was really inconvenient to stay for too long.

The female officials and maids took Zhu Cihong away and left the harem. There were guards and carriages waiting for him, and they sent him all the way out of the Forbidden City.

When passing by the cabinet, I happened to meet the prince's car driver.

Zhu Cihong's carriage stopped far away to avoid it.He got off the station in a hurry and stood up, saluting to the prince's car, with mixed feelings in his heart.

Unexpectedly, the prince got off the car there and recognized him immediately.

Zhao Kuanghuan walked up quickly, cupped his hands and said, "So it's the elder brother of the Zhu family. It's been a while since we last saw each other."

"Don't dare," Zhu Cihong hastily made a bow, "My subject Zhu Cihong, I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhao Kuanghuan smiled and said, "There's no need to stick to etiquette, I still remember that you taught me to climb trees and catch cicadas when I was young, and more than ten years have passed in a flash."

Zhu Cihong also laughed: "I was not sensible when I was young."

The two of them didn't have much to talk about, and after a few words of reminiscence, they said goodbye.

Like Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhao Han was very kind to the prince.

At the beginning, Zhao Kuanghuan was allowed to read the cabinet proposals, and he was also allowed to attend every imperial meeting.Now he goes directly to the cabinet to observe politics. He can sit next to a certain cabinet minister and watch how the cabinet ministers work.If the prince is sitting beside him, the cabinet ministers will review the official documents and explain to the prince why they should be handled in this way.

The cabinet ministers didn't think it was troublesome, but enjoyed it, because they could instill their own political ideas into the prince while explaining.

When Zhao Kuanghuan came to the cabinet, he first visited the cabinet ministers.

Those who are relatively close, such as Fei Chun, can still joke with the prince.

In order to "spread rain and dew evenly", Zhao Kuanghuan learned from different cabinet ministers every day.Today it was Wu Yingji's turn. Mr. Wu Ge worked extremely fast and spoke very fast, explaining while writing.The content goes straight to the point, there is basically no nonsense, and the key points are revealed in a few words.

"Uh..." Wu Yingji suddenly stopped talking.

Zhao Kuanghuan hurriedly read the content, and after only reading the first few paragraphs, his expression brightened.

A doctor of the Ministry of Rites asked Shangshu to determine the address of the imperial tomb, and said that the Ministry of Industry should design and build the imperial tomb early.

This was a normal thing, and the imperial mausoleum should be built in advance.Zhu Yuanzhang's mausoleum was started in the 14th year of Hongwu.Zhu Di's mausoleum was started in the seventh year of Yongle. He often went to his own graveyard and renamed the mountain "Tianshou Mountain" himself.

Several years ago, the ministers proposed to survey the imperial tomb, and all these memorials were kept by Zhao Han. After a long time, no ministers mentioned this matter again.

Now it suddenly appeared again, as if Zhao Han was afraid of sudden death.

Wu Yingji thought about it carefully, and wrote with a red pen on the ticket paper: "Submit to His Majesty's imperial order."

He couldn't make decisions on behalf of the cabinet with this thing, so he asked a member of Zhongshu She to show the memorial to Zhang Bingwen next door.Zhang Bingwen also wrote "Submit to His Majesty's imperial decision", and then the memorial continued to be passed around in the cabinet.

The next day, Zhao Han took it in his hand, glanced at it casually, and Zhu criticized, "Stay in the middle."

A few days later, the routine small meeting before the imperial court.

Chen Maosheng was probably pushed out by the cabinet ministers, and he took the initiative to talk about this matter: "Your Majesty is in the heyday of spring and autumn, and the mausoleum is naturally in no hurry to build. But the address of the imperial mausoleum is related to the fate of the country, and must be surveyed in advance. Near Nanjing, Fengshui is the best The most important one is Zijin Mountain. But there is already Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, will it be a taboo? If not, where should Zijin Mountain be chosen? If not Zijin Mountain, where should I choose the imperial mausoleum of the Datong Dynasty?"

This is not to choose a tomb for Zhao Han alone, but to choose a tomb for all future emperors of the Datong Dynasty.

Zhao Han said unhappily: "Just bury Zijin Mountain, Fengshui doesn't matter, the main reason is that it is close to the capital, and it will be convenient to build a tomb for funerals in the future." Then, Zhao Han suddenly laughed, "What are you doing with this expression, the saint respects ghosts and gods?" Far away, I also respect Fengshui and stay away. The dragon veins of the imperial tombs of the Ming Dynasty were dug up by coal diggers every day, and no Ming Dynasty civil servants said that Fengshui was broken."

Chen Maosheng said: "There is a folk saying that in the previous Ming Dynasty, there were many disasters, and finally the army was defeated and the country was destroyed. It was because the coal diggers moved Feng Shui."

Chen Maosheng is the one who sticks to his heart the most, but he still believes in Fengshui and ghosts.He felt that the imperial mausoleum should be carefully selected in order to preserve Datong forever.

Zhao Han joked, "Fortunately, our country is not located in Beijing, otherwise there would be coal digging everywhere, and the country would be destabilized with a few shovels."