Since there was no watermelon, Zhu Ping'an bought some seasonal fruits such as lychees and cherries, and packed some snacks. He took them all to Zhang Siwei's house, and later bid farewell to Zhang Siwei and Wang Shizhen, and went out again to Huaishu Hutong to pay a visit to his teacher Xu Jie.
On the way, Zhu Pingan spent two taels of silver and chose a pound of West Lake Longjing before Qingming in the tea shop, and asked the shopkeeper to pack it carefully and delicately for him to take away. Longjing tea has always been known as "the best before the rain, the treasure before Qingming". Longjing tea picked before Qingming is called Longjing before Qingming, and Longjing tea picked after Qingming and before Guyu is called Longjing before Yu. The price of Longjing before Qingming is about twice that of Longjing before Yu, and it is the aristocrat among Longjing teas.
It would not be nice to visit the master empty-handed, and giving gold and silver is too vulgar. Besides, I was not rich, so I chose this top-grade Longjing tea as a gift. The tea shop also had the best-grade Longjing tea, which cost more than ten taels of silver, which was too expensive.
This trip was not to seek Xu Jie's favor, but to visit the master in accordance with official practice.
The memorials before returning home were not a trivial matter, and getting married after returning home was a major event in life. In addition, he was not in the capital during the Dragon Boat Festival some time ago. Although Wang Shizhen and Zhang Siwei had brought him a festival gift, they were not there in person after all. With so many things going on, it was reasonable for him to visit his teacher Xu Jie, otherwise he would be accused of not respecting his teacher.
"Please inform me that my disciple Zhu Ping'an is here to pay a visit to the master."
After entering Huaishu Hutong and arriving at the gate of Xu's mansion, Zhu Ping'an honestly passed the visiting card through the gatehouse.
While waiting outside the door, the side door of Xu's mansion opened, and a handsome young man wearing a jade hairpin and a crown, and a blue silk gown walked out. He walked out of the door with steady steps, escorted by the servants of Xu's mansion. An elegant and handsome aura came towards us.
A breeze suddenly blew, bringing with it a faint scent of balsamic.
Seeing this person, Zhu Pingan took the initiative to bow and greet him with a simple smile on his face, "Zihou greets Senior Brother Zhang."
This person was Zhang Juzheng. Just like in the past, Zhang Juzheng paid great attention to his appearance. His clothes were spotless and he wore makeup. This trend was hundreds of years ahead of the Korean pop idols who put on makeup in later generations.
Zhang Juzheng also returned the greeting with a smile on his face, and the two exchanged simple greetings at the gate of Xu's house. However, before they could talk for a few words, the doorman of Xu's house came over to invite Zhu Ping'an into the house, so Zhu Ping'an also bowed to Zhang Juzheng and said goodbye, and entered Xu's house.
The exterior walls are tall and shining, and the interior is elegant. This is the second time Zhu Ping'an has stepped into the Xu Mansion.
"Sir Zhu, please sit for a moment. The master is now in the study writing a poem for the emperor." The servants of the Xu residence invited Zhu Ping'an into the reception room. The maid came in and poured a cup of tea and asked Zhu Ping'an to sit for a moment.
"Thank you." Zhu Ping'an nodded, sat down, and thanked the maid who poured the tea.
Zhang Juzheng had just left the house when Xu Jie was already writing a poem? Was it because of the memorial that he deliberately ignored him and tried to show his favor to Yan Song? Or did the emperor really suddenly request a poem, and Xu Jie worked overtime to meet the emperor's needs
Based on Zhu Ping'an's understanding of Xu Jie, the latter is more likely.
Xu Jie had a habit of encouraging and supporting young people. When Xu Jie was still the president of the Hanlin Academy, he often took time to talk with new Hanlins, encourage them, discover useful talents, and train a team for his own use. This is how Zhang Juzheng came into Xu Jie's sight. I don't think I'm so bad that Xu Jie would give up on me so quickly, right
Moreover, since Emperor Jiajing began cultivating immortality, officials who were good at writing Qingci were promoted, and Qingci had become popular in this dynasty. The first thing Yan Song did when he entered the cabinet was to build a Qingci room next to the cabinet's direct residence to provide Qingci for the emperor at any time. Yan Song could see the importance of Qingci, and Xu Jie could see it too. So from what he had learned since entering Beijing, Xu Jie, like Yan Song, regarded Qingci as his top priority at work. If the emperor needed Qingci, Xu Jie would definitely be the first to write Qingci for him.
Perhaps it was during Zhang Juzheng's visit that Xu Jie received the emperor's request for Qingci. Xu Jie had to work overtime to write Qingci, so Zhang Juzheng took his leave.
Of course, it is not ruled out that Xu Jie pretended to ignore Yan Song in order to please him. After all, in history, Xu Jie imitated Gou Jian's trick to paralyze Yan Song in order to get rid of him.
Less than half an hour later, Zhu Ping'an heard footsteps. He looked up and saw Xu Jie, wearing a Zhongjing crown and uniform, walking towards him quickly with a kind smile.
The Zhongjing crown and robes were designed by Emperor Jiajing himself seven years after he ascended the throne. They were a symbol of status and could only be worn by officials of the seventh rank or above, the eighth rank or above in the Hanlin Academy, the Imperial College, the Ministry of Personnel, as well as officials in local government offices, prefectures and counties, and Confucian school instructors. Military officers could only wear them if they were governors or above.
"The student has met the teacher."
Before Xu Jie reached the door, Zhu Ping'an hurriedly stood up, went to the door, bowed, and greeted Xu Jie respectfully.
"Zihou, welcome, come in and sit down and let's talk." Xu Jie was very friendly. He took Zhu Ping'an's arm and walked into the house without any airs of a cabinet minister.
"My student got married at home a month ago, but I did not inform you in advance. I am here to apologize." After a brief greeting, Zhu Ping'an handed Xu Jie the invitation to a thank-you banquet ten days later with both hands.
Xu Jie took the invitation, read it, and put it into his sleeve. He nodded and said with satisfaction, "Very good. You are the youngest among my students. I am very pleased to hear that you have married. As the saying goes, to establish a family and a career, Zihou has already established a family, so why worry about not establishing a career."
"I am a student of limited talent and knowledge, and I am afraid I will not be able to live up to your expectations." Zhu Ping'an said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Zihou is a top scholar in the imperial examination, so there is no need to be modest. Oh, yes, I know Zihou is also quite knowledgeable about Qingci. How about this Qingci I just wrote?" Xu Jie said with a smile, then took out a Qingci from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"How can a student with the light of a candle compete with the teacher's brightness? Today I have the opportunity to read your great work, which is truly a great honor for me." Zhu Ping'an stood up respectfully, picked up the Qingci that Xu Jie had placed on the table, and gently unfolded it on the table.
Xu Jie smiled and shook his head, looking at Zhu Ping'an with admiration, and said slowly: "I have seen Zihou's Qingci works... ... I hope that God will be so energetic and send down talents in all kinds of ways... ... There are not many people who can write Qingci to such a level."
Well... ...
Zhu Pingan smiled bitterly. Of course, the Qingci that is widely circulated in modern times and included in textbooks is good, but it is a pity that it is not his original work. Although he has studied the "Qi Jiao Qingci Jing" given by the mysterious old Taoist, and his Qingci level is much better than that of ordinary people, there is still a gap compared with Xu Jie, Yan Song, Yuan Wei and other people who are really good at Qingci and take Qingci as their first priority. However, he cannot say these words.