Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination

Chapter 54

Views:

Soon after Zhirong Bookstore closed, various bookstores also launched color-printed books and drawing notes, a series of color-printed products with "Authentic Color Printing", "Original Color Printing", "Ancient Color Printing", "Hire Cui Meiren as Painter" and "Cui Meiren's Inheritance". Squeeze to market.

Some of these books are printed with outlines and coloring, some are line art and some are colored in pieces, and some are multi-printed in color... It fully reflects the copycat skills and imagination of Daming craftsmen. Originally, when Cui Jian, "Lianfang Lu" and "Three Kingdoms" were hot selling in the market, the quality of these books was very different. Occasionally they were listed with color-printed signs, and readers would rather save money to buy that one. But once Zhirong Bookstore collapsed, some people would be willing to buy these.

Just like when Apple came out, the mobile phone could never return to the keyboard era. After the color-printed novels were published, the single ink-colored novels, storybooks, and playbooks would not sell well. No matter how rough the color map on the book is, it's still colorful, it looks more comfortable than the ink version, and it's good to take it out.

Mrs. Xu sent out to find the servants who took over the technology of Cui's bookstore and was stunned by these shops: a real family today, an orthodox family tomorrow, and many talented girls who claimed to be Cui Meiren and her sisters and nephews came out, and they spent a lot of money , in the end did not find any results.

Even the person who bought the bookstore was not in a hurry to open it, and he closed the door and didn't know what to do inside. The servants of the Cui family approached to inquire, and Zaoli, who patrolled the streets, came to drive them away.

He said that he was sent by the owner of the Cui family, and the clerks laughed strangely and said, "What kind of character does Mr. Cui have? Can his family send someone like you here? Don't be the thief last time. The master's stuff is like a thief, right? Walk around, grab it and stand in the cage for a day, and watch him tell the truth and not tell the truth!"

The servant turned his head and ran. Because the last time Cui Ming came to Qian'an County to teach the eldest son a lesson, he was imprisoned, and the fate of the whole family was still in front of him. He didn't dare to talk to Cui Xie or complain to Mrs. Xu. He suffered this loss silently. Back in Beijing, Mrs. Xu asked, and he only said that the owner of the family had a deep background and could not find out what happened.

Mrs. Xu's private house is limited, and her husband needs money to run away from office. Almost all the income from the outer court can't pass her hands and is spent like running water. She couldn't support such expenses, so she had to take a break from her mind for a while, and instructed the person to go to Qian'an every few days, keep an eye on their bookstore, and check the people behind when the new shop opened.

The servant only responded, turned his head and left the matter behind. He only excused himself to go to Qian'an when he was short of money, and asked his wife how much the travel expenses would cost. Then, instead of going there, he just found a comfortable place outside. Mix it up for a few days.

The Xu family's investigation was temporarily suspended, but the person they were looking for showed up on the market. In this wave of merchants claiming that they are the source of color printing and printing genuine portraits of Cui Meiren, a copy of the "Diamond Sutra" was only sent in stalls and bookstores, with a seemingly conventional "traditional color printing" signboard. " but quietly sold.

This book appeared silently, as if the bookstores in Qian'an, Tongzhou, and Beijing were covered with book stalls in Beijing overnight, and then it was highly recommended by booksellers.

This is the real source of color printing!

Zhirong Study had it before it collapsed!

This painting method is really Cui Meiren's painting method!

Those books that follow the trend are all shoddy, and Qingzhutang is a conscientious bookseller!

In the first half of the year, people who bought the "Diamond Sutra" and those who wanted to buy it but couldn't buy it one after another. The husbands in the palace who were good Buddhists heard about this and quickly sent their family members to buy it, and they forced people to ask where the book of Qingzhutang was. Tang, where did such a good Buddhist painter come from

It's a pity that no matter how you ask, the owners of the bookstores in Beijing couldn't tell who the seller was, but said: "It seems to be a privately printed book, although there is a sign, the shop of 'Qingzhutang' is nowhere to be found. No. And they don’t usually sell it, only in the three festivals of Qingming, Bathing Buddha, and Xiayuan, I saw his family deliver goods a few times, and there is not even a shop that sells it for many years.”

You are a seller of Buddhist scriptures, not erotic pictures, why don't you open your business in a serious way, but you are so elusive!

At any rate, they knew the name of Qingzhutang in advance this time, and after rushing over the Buddhist scriptures, they finally had something to offer. But this Buddhist scripture is also a rare thing. Only one copy can be regarded as a tribute, and only one donation is called filial piety. If everyone holds several dozens of books, it will become a pile of useless things. How can I please the emperor's concubine

When Eunuch Gao returned to his house when he was not on duty, he sighed with his adopted nephew, Gao Qian.

Although he was not as favored as Liang Fang, who was in charge of the Dongchang factory, he had a bit of face in the palace. Hearing the news, he said: "I also read the scriptures, the printing is not really fine, and it is not comparable to the inner-made Ciqingdi'er mud-gilt scriptures. It's only better than the face, like Cui Meiren. Why don't you call your father? How many paintings did the painters come to Beijing to paint?"

Eunuch Gao said: "Why don't our family know about this! But I am in the palace, and the people under my hands are not strong enough, where can I find the painter? If Eunuch Liang was like Eunuch Liang, why would I be unable to find someone? "

Gao Qian said confidently: "Father, why should you be discouraged. Then Cui Meiren is not difficult to find. I heard that there is a picture of her in Chen Ying's family. Besides, there are pictures of her everywhere on the market today, so I can't find it. Go to the original owner, find a painter who is good at imitation, and draw a large picture of the scriptures, wouldn't it be better than the small paintings on the scriptures?"

Eunuch Gao frowned: "That Cui Meiren is good at painting erotic women, and also painted men with bare chests. I think she is not a serious family. If it is her, I would not dare to offer her Buddha statue. Forget it, I will go to Wensi. Let’s find someone to enshrine in the courtyard, but your Majesty has seen the techniques of the painters in the palace, it’s not as fresh as the outside.”

Gao Qian said, "Otherwise, I'd better go look for it for my father, and then write someone's name after drawing it."

Eunuch Gao sighed: "It seems that it is Xiayuan, and if we find people again, we will not be able to keep up with the rituals of Wanyao. We don't have any Dongchang Fanzi or Kuaishou available in our family. We can't compare to the previous ones. Forget it. If you find a good painter, you can ask him to draw a picture of the feast of the gods in detail and present it to the emperor on New Year's Day.

What he can think of, sure enough, others can also think of it.

The ritual in the Xiayuan Festival Palace had just begun, and Liang Fang, Li Rong and other trusted eunuchs presented paintings to the imperial concubine's palace: there were Guanyin holding a bottle, the face was like the moon, the white clothes were like water, and it was just like Cui Meiren's brushwork; In the picture of the Buddha preaching the scriptures, the Buddha's face in the painting is solemn, with two ears hanging from the shoulders, there are thirty-two statues, eighty kinds, and the arahants below have different expressions.

Gao Liang didn't catch up with Xian's diligence, and when he looked at the pictures that seemed to come from the hands of one person, he couldn't help but secretly despise them - they all took the pictures they drew to please the empress, and they didn't know how to be ashamed! It's not as good as him, at least he knows to find someone to draw a fresh immortal picture.

He turned his head around in the palace, and his heir and nephew Gao Qian diligently ran outside and broke his leg. In the days of Xia Yuan Festival, he asked people to buy and compare all the color-printed and imitated Cui Meiren paintings on the market. A fairy figure in the style of a child.

Drawing a big picture is a waste of time. First, draw a single picture to tell his father to taste it.

These painters are all familiar with drawing and drawing, and they are drawing pictures for the eunuchs of Supervisor Sli. When Gao Qian returned from the value, he opened it one by one, and wanted to pick the best one for his father to see.

Unexpectedly, when he opened it, he was so angry that he almost tore up the paintings—a Liu Bei with a hibiscus crown and a yellow-brown and purple silk; a Cao Cao with a dark crown and a green-brown-yellow silk; a Zhao Yun with a golden armor and a golden crown; another female crown The Zhen family dressed up... There is even a perfunctory family who didn't even bother to change their clothes, and directly drew a picture of Guan Yu in the six-talented version, with the title "Showing Spirit, Righteousness, Braveness, An Yingji King", and it was regarded as the statue of Emperor Guan Sheng!

How can I show this to my father? How can this thing get in

It's not as good as finding someone to draw a Buddha statue and send it up!

He angrily smashed the scroll, and when he returned to the guardhouse, he was still annoyed. He complained to people that there were too many profiteers doing business in the world today, and he dared to fool the eunuchs! Several other Jin Yiwei, who are also the righteous sons and nephews of the eunuch, said angrily: "There is still such a person? If nothing else, Guan Di is too fooled, can we Jin Yiwei be angry with this? Arrest him! "

No, there are only a few companies that have published color editions. The family of painting Zhen Shi heard that they are going to publish Luoshen Zhuan, and the family of painting Guandi will also supply Er Qiao Yudongnan's albums. If you catch them, you will not be able to buy them!

There are those who add fuel to the fire in the guardhouse, and there are those who appease the situation. The news slowly spread, and finally reached the ears of Xie Ying, who was supervising the training of the former school captain.

He heard that he was the heir of Eunuch Gao, and he couldn't help thinking of the time when he and Eunuch Gao went out to issue the decree: at that time, Cui Xie stood in the courtyard dressed as a scholar and looked at them with gratitude. Later, knowing that it was he who had invited him, he almost kowtowed to him in the courtyard. Before leaving, he wished he could give them something in return.

Later, he sent him two portraits, and they were more detailed than others.

What if he let him know that Eunuch Gao wanted a painting? Will you also draw a picture of a god and Buddha that seems to jump out of the painting

But in the eyes of the literati, having a relationship with the eunuch will ruin his reputation in the future. Moreover, he had such a glamorous name on his body, and he didn't want to reveal his true identity, and he always painted under other people's names. If he made that fairy tour map for Eunuch Gao, wouldn't all arrangements be in vain.

It's just that Cui Xie, a person with a kind heart, if he knew that Eunuch Gao had begged him, but he couldn't help him, would he feel that he was indebted to him and wanted to make up for it

That kind of thinking is the worst thing in the court. Otherwise, with Wei Ningbo's prestige and military merit, he would not have been demoted because of Wang Zhi's drag...

When Xie Ying met Gao Qian again, he casually mentioned the Six Talents Criticizing the Three Kingdoms, which caused him to complain fiercely to those painters.

Xie Ying listened patiently and said with a smile, "Since Eunuch Gao is going to present a painting to the emperor and be elected as a famous artist, why does it have to be Cui Meiren? Besides, I don't think his paintings are difficult to imitate. Isn't it the same? It's just that Baihu pressed too hard on the day, and the craftsmen would inevitably be perfunctory. If you find a real good painter to paint slowly, you will definitely get good paintings. If Baihu doesn't believe it, I will ask someone to find it A painter, he spends two months of hard work and careful revision, and he will be able to come up with a good one by the end of the year."

Believe it or not, Gao Qian said, "Can you really find it? I have asked them to repaint it, and those people can't paint such vivid people without the original painting of the Three Kingdoms.

He shook his head and sighed: "I heard that there is a man named Ruan Sheng in Luanzhou who can imitate it. He painted the four beautiful pictures of Chen Tongzhi's house in the Houjun Mansion. Beauty's paintings are generally the same. It's a pity that the painter disappeared a few months ago, and he couldn't find anyone for a while. When he found him, he was afraid that he would be like other painters, and he would not be able to paint that without the original painting. The face is coming…”

Xie Ying raised her eyebrows slightly, revealing a hint of arrogance: "Then Cui Meiren's paintings are only vivid in color and fresh in painting methods. Could it be that he is the only one in the world? Well, since I have said this. , I must give Eunuch Gao an explanation - even if Cui Meiren's imitation painting can't be imitated, can Xie Mou still not be able to come up with a Song people's wandering immortal picture?"

Gao Qian is also a dead horse as a living horse doctor, gritted his teeth and said: "If this is not possible, I will admit it, and I dare not ask for Qianhu's immortal pictures; It must be kept in my heart, and my father will naturally know it.”