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According to the conventions of past dynasties, the annual leave will not end until after Yuanxiao. During this period, ministers do not need to attend court. Apart from major war reports and government affairs, Qin Mu has fewer affairs to deal with and is relatively free.
When I arrived at Gu Hanyan’s small building, it was as quiet as usual.
A curtain of spring breeze gently brushes the calligraphy and paintings on the wall, and people are leisurely playing chess and music on the sandalwood table and the couch. The room is filled with faint fragrance and is spotless.
Gu Hanyan was wearing a skirt embroidered with lavender butterflies and crescent-shaped lotus leaves, like a girl from the south of the Yangtze River picking lotus by the waterside. On her hand, she wore a delicate bracelet with nine turns and red gold beads, which made her wrists as white as frost and snow. Her slender fingers like jade were carefully spreading out a landscape scroll.
Standing next to them were Dong Xiaowan and Liu Rushi, one tall and graceful, the other mature and charming, and they were admiring the scroll that Gu Hanyan had opened together.
Liu Rushi was a maid with a different status, so when she saw Qin Mu coming in, she quickly stepped aside. Gu Hanyan and Dong Xiaowan woke up and turned around, and quickly bowed.
Qin Mu waved his hand, sat down on a chair beside the table and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Gu Hanyan replied softly, "Sister Dong just brought a painting of Tang Bohu's "Apricot Blossoms and Thatched Cottage". I like it. King Qin, please take a look. If you like it, I will embroider it and give it to you."
"Uh... Picture of Apricot Blossoms and Thatched Cottage? Isn't that a pornographic picture?" Qin Mu joked.
"King Qin!" Gu Hanyan was very shy, her beautiful face was like a peony stained with spring smoke, so moving.
Qin Mu chuckled and looked at the scroll on the table. He saw towering mountains and a wide field of vision. On the left side of the picture, there was a steep cliff, with huge rocks and dense trees below, and a vast river in the middle. Between the rocks and trees, two noble men were talking to each other on the side of a small bridge.
The whole painting is elegant and graceful, graceful and smooth, with a slightly weak brushstroke and soft hooks. There is no trace of wildness. There is a poem inscribed in the blank space of the picture:
Green water and red bridge with apricot blossoms between them.
Several thatched huts are fishermen's homes.
The host should not refuse the flower-viewing visitors.
I have money in my pocket and I won’t buy wine on credit.
The theme of the picture, that of a noble and elegant man living in seclusion in the mountains and forests, is exactly the realm pursued by Chinese literati landscape art, and is also the artistic spirit of literati landscape painting.
Gu Hanyan was deeply influenced by the Wu School of Painting and liked this kind of landscape painting the most. Dong Xiaowan yearned for a quiet life in the woods and springs and also liked this kind of painting. She was so engrossed in it just now that she didn't even notice Qin Mu coming in.
"Although it's not an erotic painting, I also like it very much." Qin Mu smiled and pointed at the chairs beside the table, motioning Gu Hanyan and Dong Xiaowan to sit down.
In fact, speaking of erotic paintings, they were very popular in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Not to mention Dong Xiaowan and others, they were already accustomed to them. Even a lady from a noble family like Gu Hanyan would not be surprised to have seen erotic paintings.
There were many famous people like Tang Bohu who painted erotic paintings. It would be strange if there were no erotic paintings in the private rooms of wealthy families.
On the other hand, the fireworks industry was unprecedentedly developed in society. Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao once inspected prostitutes. During the Jiajing and Chongzhen years, some people even held various "Lotus Terrace Fairy Meetings" and other prostitute beauty pageants to evaluate famous prostitutes and set "flower lists". The rankings were: the top female scholar, the second and third female scholars... The excitement was no less than that of beauty pageants or talent shows in later generations.
Erotic novels such as Jin Ping Mei were also very popular. In short, the pornography industry in the middle and late Ming Dynasty was more prosperous than in any previous dynasty.
All this is in stark contrast to the idea of "preserving the principles of heaven and eliminating human desires" advocated by Zhu Xi and Cheng Yixue in the mainstream culture of the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps this is why the stricter the restrictions, the greater the backlash.
From a certain perspective, this is not only a manifestation of Zhu Xi's and Cheng Yi's Neo-Confucianism losing its popular support, but also a manifestation of the people's attempt to break free from ideological constraints.
"Hanyan. I remember you said that you learned embroidery from your aunt. By your father's generation, your family had fallen on hard times, so your aunt set up a school to teach apprentices and passed on the family's secret embroidery skills to people outside your family, right?"
"Yes, why did the King of Qin suddenly ask this?"
Qin Mu tapped the table with his fingers and said thoughtfully, "Nowadays, due to the long-term war, there is a serious imbalance between men and women. Many women are helpless. If we leave them alone, many of them will be forced to live in prostitution. In short, their lives will be extremely difficult..."
Qin Mu's words touched upon Gu Hanyan's heart. Her father died in the war against the Qing dynasty, leaving her, her mother and her younger brother. If she could not find a husband in time, she would be forced to become a prostitute due to financial difficulties.
Qin Mu continued, "Because the number of orphans and widows is staggering, if they are not properly resettled, not only will their fate be miserable, but they will even become a heavy burden on the country. This king intends to address this problem from multiple aspects, one of which is weaving and embroidery."
Qin Mu made the matter so serious that Gu Hanyan was frightened. She said hesitantly, "King Qin, do you want me to teach you embroidery? But how much can I teach? Besides, this embroidery is different from other embroidery. It requires long-term learning and a certain talent to embroider fine products. I'm afraid teaching this is like far water can't put out the fire nearby."
Liu Rushi poured the tea and Qin Mu took it and took a sip. Regarding embroidery, what Gu Hanyan said was not without reason. Not everyone can learn such a sophisticated art as painting and embroidery.
He rubbed his forehead and said, "Well, people's appreciation level varies. It is not necessary for everyone to be able to embroider as exquisitely as you, Hanyan. Think about it, if you show your exquisite embroidery to ordinary people, they probably think that there is not much difference between your embroidery and that of others. So, as long as you can embroider the pattern accurately, it will be fine.
As for Westerners, they don't know much about Chinese culture. This embroidery doesn't need to be too complicated. Many women can embroider some flower and bird patterns. What this king needs is someone to drive this industry, just like marching to war, you need a flag bearer to hold the flag as a guide. Hanyan, you are the most suitable person to hold the flag for this industry."
"I... want to be the one holding up the banner?" Gu Hanyan's delicate head shrank unconsciously. She was gentle and docile by nature. It was embarrassing enough for her to show up in public, and she couldn't help feeling a little nervous when she was asked to hold up the banner of an industry.
Qin Mu smiled, hugged her and comforted her: "Hanyan, you can do it. Also, don't forget that I am behind you. With this king backing you up, what are you afraid of?"
Gu Hanyan blushed and said, "But... ... But I don't know anything except embroidery. It might be okay for me to teach those women how to embroider, but why would I be asked to support the banner? I'm afraid it would ruin the King of Qin's plan."
"Hahaha... Don't be afraid, Hanyan. I will plan everything for you if I need you to do anything. You just need to do as I say. As for holding the banner, it actually means that you can exert your influence. Well, in Wuchang, the queen unknowingly led many people.
How about this, Hanyan, you collect all your old paintings and embroidery, including your aunt's and others'. I will ask Han Zanzhou to hold a traveling exhibition in Jinling and Jiangnan. Then, I will ask Gu Yanwu and Fu Qingzhu to write a few poems to praise it and increase its influence."
Gu Hanyan is a very gentle little woman. She will do whatever Qin Mu says.
Well, the first thing to be confiscated is the painting of "Green Landscape" that Li Xiangjun won in the game of tossing pot on New Year's Eve. Now Qin Mu has found a legitimate reason.
Then, Qin Mu thought of the cross-stitch of later generations. It seemed that it was very simple. Few women in later generations had learned embroidery. The manufacturers had already matched the patterns and thread colors, and anyone could embroider it.
Women of this era were different. Basically everyone started learning embroidery from a young age. So in those days, it should be relatively easy to run some large embroidery factories.
Of course, Qin Mu wants to run more than just a large embroidery factory, but also a spinning factory, a weaving factory, and even a clothing factory, a shoe and hat factory, etc. For a clothing factory, if there are some new styles, he can find some Qinhuai famous courtesans to show them off. If they are promoted, they will definitely sell well. If that doesn't work, let Yang Zhi and the others wear them first to lead the trend... ... ..
These industries are all labor-intensive and suitable for women to do, and the social resistance they encounter should be relatively much smaller.
Perhaps, through these industries, we can promote an industrial revolution.
It seems that the Industrial Revolution in Britain started with the textile industry...
Gu Hanyan, Dong Xiaowan and Liu Rushi were so amazed by the grand blueprint outlined by Qin Mu that they opened their mouths half open and forgot to close them. Qin Mu kissed the two girls on their lips respectively, then laughed and stood up to leave.
Since things need to be planned, we can't just work in isolation. It is necessary to gather Sima An, Xu Yingjie and others to discuss it.
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ps: I was feeling much better yesterday, but today my fever seemed to be getting worse. I slept for a while and when I woke up, it was almost nine o'clock. Sorry for the late update.
For me, it is not easy to make it to the monthly ticket list, and I cherish this achievement very much. The battle for monthly tickets at the end of the month is so fierce, I dare not slack off. Although I am not feeling well, I will update as usual. I hope my brothers will support me. I don’t have the strength today, so I can only weakly ask for monthly tickets.
.(To be continued..)
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