The inscription on the monument must be written because it is to inspire the younger generations of Xiahe Village, so the inscription must be particularly good. The village elders and the village chief were not satisfied with the inscription provided by the engraver, so they came to Zhu Ping'an's family early in the morning to talk about the monument and flagpole stone. In fact, the main purpose was to ask Zhu Ping'an to write the inscription.
So they couldn't even have breakfast. Zhu Ping'an and his family were surrounded by the village elders, the village chief, and neighbors who had rushed over after hearing the news, and went to the place in the center of the village where the monument was erected.
Because of the monument and flagpole stone erection, Zhu's father could no longer drive the ox cart. As usual, his eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan took over driving the ox cart. Now almost everyone in the town is used to or relies on the Zhu family's ox carts.
There is an open space in the center of Xiahe Village, and in the middle of the open space stands a towering banyan tree, which is hundreds of years old. Its roots are like coiled dragons, its bark is like cracked rocks, and it looks like a centenarian stroking his long beard. The thick branches are winding and circling in various shapes, just like an umbrella, with a sense of covering the sky and the ground.
Now there is a stone tablet about ten feet high standing under the big banyan tree, and there is a stone platform around the stone tablet.
In the middle of the stone tablet is engraved a line of words, "Erected by Zhu Ping'an, a successful candidate in the imperial examination in the 30th year of Jiajing's reign". Both sides are left blank, waiting for the inscription to inspire future generations to be engraved.
When Zhu Ping'an and others arrived under the big banyan tree, dozens of villagers came over after hearing the news. Normally, there was nothing fun in the village, but now that there was such a big happy event for the whole village, they naturally came with their children to watch the fun. They took Zhu Ping'an as a role model and instilled the idea of learning from him in their children. For a while, the scene was very lively.
Not long after Zhu Ping'an and his companions arrived, a villager came to say that someone had come to Zhu Ping'an's house again.
Before the villagers could explain clearly, a sedan chair came staggering over, followed by two horse-drawn carriages full of things.
The scene was so grand that all the villagers looked over there. Soon the sedan chair arrived in front of Zhu Ping'an and others. A middle-aged man wearing a green sunflower round-necked shirt, a gauze hat, and black boots got off the sedan chair.
This is Mr. Zhang who is in mourning at home. He is from the next town, in his forties, and used to be the county magistrate in Wangjiang County. Last year, he was in mourning at home. Because Mr. Zhang's wife is from Kaoshan Town, Mr. Zhang is also very familiar with Kaoshan Town. This time, Mr. Zhang's wife is visiting her parents' home, and Mr. Zhang came with her. I heard that Mr. Zhu, who is 13 years old, happened to be from Kaoshan Town, so I came to visit her.
"Haha, I come uninvited. I hope I haven't caused any trouble to Mr. Zhu and your village." Mr. Zhang was a county magistrate and was very tactful in speaking. As soon as he got off the sedan chair, he smiled and cupped his hands to greet Zhu Ping'an.
"It is a great honor for Mr. Zhang to come to our Xiahe Village." Muramasa was also a well-mannered person. He had met Mr. Zhang before and was worried that Zhu Ping'an didn't know Mr. Zhang, so he took the initiative to welcome Mr. Zhang as soon as Mr. Zhang finished speaking.
After hearing what Muramasa said, Zhu Ping'an also knew that the visitor was a scholar named Zhang, who seemed to be quite prestigious in Kaoshan Town, otherwise Muramasa would not know him.
"I have long heard of Mr. Zhang's name, but I have never had the chance to meet him, so I will not wait to pay him a visit." Zhu Ping'an also bowed and stepped forward, very gracefully.
Before Mr. Zhang came, Uncle Zhu Shouren was arrogant in front of his fellow villagers and Zhu Pingan. But when he saw Mr. Zhang, he immediately crossed his legs and was very respectful and dignified, just like a primary school student meeting his teacher. He wanted to greet him, but he was afraid of being ignored. He felt uneasy.
"I came here in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts. I hope Mr. Zhu won't mind." Mr. Zhang bowed and said, and a servant beside him handed an envelope to Mr. Zhang.
"Mr. Zhu has already become a juren before he is even 20 years old. This is really a cause for celebration. I have nothing to show my respect for you. I would like to present you with a gift of 50 taels of silver and some fruits and vegetables. I hope you will not despise it." Mr. Zhang handed the envelope to Zhu Ping'an, saying congratulations.
Fifty taels of silver were given as soon as they were told. The villagers around took a deep breath and stared at the envelope in Mr. Zhang's hand with burning eyes, especially his uncle Zhu Shouren, whose eyes were burning with excitement.
Zhu Ping'an smiled and declined, "No reward without merit."
Mr. Zhang insisted on giving it, pretending to be angry, "Master Zhu, do you think it's too little?"
Zhu Ping'an shook his head and declined.
"You and I will have to support each other in the future. If Mr. Zhu continues to be like this, it would be like being distant and looking down on me, Zhang." Mr. Zhang insisted on putting the envelope in Zhu Ping'an's hands, his tone a little excited.
Zhu Ping'an had no choice but to accept it.
Mr. Zhang was satisfied, and then he talked with Zhu Ping'an and the village elders for a long time. When he heard that Xiahe Village was going to erect a monument and a flagpole stone for Zhu Ping'an, Mr. Zhang became even more interested. Because Mr. Zhang had experienced his fellow villagers erecting monuments and flagpole stones for him, he still had some experience. Mr. Zhang talked about his experience endlessly, which benefited the village elders and the village elders a lot.
After simple modifications were made to the styles of the stone tablet and flagpole stone, the next step was to write the inscription and find a stonemason to carve the tablet.
"Brother Zhu is young and promising, and his name is well known in Nanzhili. Writing an inscription on the tombstone is a piece of cake. It is also a blessing to encourage the younger generation."
When he heard that the monument was still missing an inscription, Mr. Zhang also recommended Zhu Ping'an to write the inscription himself. Mr. Zhang also wanted to take the opportunity to see Zhu Ping'an's literary talent, because he heard that Zhu Ping'an was the last on the list of candidates, but he also heard about the reversal of the Zhao Lord's son-in-law and the Lu Ming Banquet, which made people curious about Zhu Ping'an's literary talent.
When talking about the inscription, Uncle Zhu Shouren seemed to be eager to do something, as if he had prepared it in private.
Originally, Zhu Ping'an was asked to write the inscription, but now that Mr. Zhang has also come, it would be embarrassing to ignore Mr. Zhang. The village chief and the village elders discussed it, and then uncle Zhu Shouren also expressed his opinion.
"It's a rare opportunity for us in Xiahe Village to have two successful candidates in the imperial examination. Why don't we both leave our calligraphy works to encourage future generations?" After they finished discussing, Muramasa came out and made a suggestion.
"As long as Brother Zhu is here, I'll let it go." Mr. Zhang smiled and shook his head.
"The stone tablet needs an inscription, and there are stone pillars on both sides, which also need calligraphy. The ancestral hall also needs calligraphy. Mr. Zhang should not refuse."
Muramasa invited again, and finally Zhang Juren compromised and said, "I see that the two sides of this stele are left blank, and so are the stone pillars. Since it is to encourage future generations, why don't we all write one or two couplets, and then select a few? The rest can be used as a reference if needed in the future."
Mr. Zhang's proposal was exactly what his uncle Zhu Shouren wanted. Seeing Zhu Ping'an's success in the imperial examination, he was also very jealous. If he could have his inscription engraved on the stone tablet, wouldn't he also be famous for generations to come
Zhang Juren proposed, and Muramasa naturally would not object. Zhu Pingan also had no objection, so Muramasa arranged for several younger generations to carry a few tables and chairs, and put the writing brushes, inkstones, and paper under the banyan tree. The village elders, Muramasa, and uncle Zhu Shouren and other literate people also followed Zhu Pingan and Zhang Juren to the table, ready to write. (To be continued.)