There is no doubt that the person in front of him is the imperial minister Zhou Xu, so Shen Yichen also raised his hands and saluted: "Shen Yichen, a late student, has met Mr. Zhou."

Compared with Zhu Yi's title, Shen Yichen's title was a little unfamiliar. After all, it was the first time we met, and he was not as good as the legitimate son of Duke Cheng.

"No need to be polite, come in and sit down."

Zhou Xu doesn't have any airs, or in other words, when his knowledge reaches a certain level, he will naturally become more cultivated.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou."

Zhu Yi and Shen Yichen thanked her and walked towards the main hall.

However, when Shen Yichen passed by Zhou Xu, the other party said: "My father-in-law mentioned you to me after the court. You are the head of the Xiao Sanyuan case in Yingtian Mansion. Today I saw that you are indeed a talented young man."

"Lord Zhou, you are so complimentary. I was just lucky for a moment."

Shen Yichen acted very modestly. He knew that this kind of scholar-bureaucrat never liked frivolous people.

In addition, Shen Yichen did not expect that Duke Cheng Guo would be recommended. Shen Yichen would take it so seriously that he would tell him personally after going to court. He originally thought that it would be as simple as a letter from Zhu Yong, informing him that a junior in his family was going to visit.

"You can get away with Xiao Sanyuan in the imperial examination, but you can't get away with your status as Lin Zhuangyuanlang's disciple. I know Dun Sheng's character well. It is impossible for a person without talent or virtue to worship him as his teacher."

This is why in ancient times, the "seat master" ranked first among the three masters. Even the benefits of personal connections brought by the departed master are far more than the closest mentor in the private school stage.

Lin Zhen resigned from his position as editor of the Hanlin Academy. In theory, he was Zhou Xu's descendant, and they were quite familiar with each other.

If Shen Yichen could become Lin Zhen's disciple, he would naturally have the endorsement of the Number One Scholar. It is not surprising that Zhou Xu would take a high look at him now.

"Master Zhou, I am really ashamed of myself for studying late."

Shen Yichen still maintained a modest attitude, but changed his self-identification from a late-born student to a late-schooler.

A slight change means that the relationship between the two parties has become closer.

The three of them took their seats in the main hall. When they met for the first time, they did not talk about any profound topics, but more polite words to enhance understanding.

However, Zhou Xu's first impression of Shen Yichen was indeed good. In addition to Lin Zhen's relationship, several of his poems had already spread to the capital along with the scholars.

In a time when poetry was in decline like the Ming Dynasty, it was not easy to write three top-notch works at once. More importantly, Shen Yichen was very young, which meant there were infinite possibilities in the future.

After chatting for a few words, Zhu Yi stood up and said goodbye very wisely, because his main purpose today was to introduce Shen Yichen to Zhou Xu.

Now that the matter is done, if he continues to sit down, as the eldest son of Duke Cheng, he will inevitably take the spotlight. Therefore, finding an excuse to leave is the correct way to introduce him.

After Zhu Yi left, the conversation between Zhou Xu and Shen Yichen became obviously much more relaxed, and they began to talk about poetry, calligraphy and painting.

After all, Shen Yichen's poetry is famous all over the world, even if Zhou Xu is an imperial scholar, he has to obey.

It's just that Shen Yichen is obviously a little embarrassed about this kind of topic. His true level is far from being famous all over the world. If he talks too much, he is afraid that he will make mistakes if he talks too much.

Fortunately, at this time, Zhou Xu suddenly talked about calligraphy. Shen Yichen was strong in this area and immediately picked up the topic. It even aroused Zhou Xu's curiosity and invited him into the study room to show off his calligraphy. .

Zhou Xu's courtyard house has an unprepossessing appearance, but the study room can be called luxurious. The four walls are densely covered with books, and there are a few empty spaces where many famous calligraphy and paintings are hung.

You must know that buying books in the Ming Dynasty was not as easy as in later generations. The term "book collection" not only means personal knowledge, but also financial strength. If an ordinary family can buy all the Four Books and Five Classics and their annotations, it is considered good.

"Yi Chen, I have nothing better to do in this life than reading, calligraphy and painting. All the items in this humble room were collected in my lifetime and are worth ten thousand gold in my heart."

It was obvious that Zhou Xu was very proud of the books, calligraphy and paintings collected in this study, and even his words contained a hidden joy.

Shen Yichen specialized in the restoration of cultural relics such as books, calligraphy and paintings in his previous life, and he naturally has some research on these. This "treasure" of Zhou Xu's house just happened to be in the crosshairs.

At this moment, Shen Yichen was all fired up, and he was eloquently appreciating the calligraphy and painting in the house with Zhou Xu. Not only the source of the work, the creative background, and the style of calligraphy and painting were almost inseparable, but even the texture of the paper and the material of the inkstone could be said. Tell me why.

Even the masters of the Hanlin Academy like Zhou Xu were stunned when Shen Yichen mentioned it, and they were astonished!

In the past, I only knew that this boy was proficient in poetry. I never expected that his research on books, calligraphy and painting had reached such a high level. He is truly a genius!

"Yi Chen, I only know now what it means to be fearful in future generations."

At the end of the sentence, Zhou Xu couldn't help but sigh, no wonder Shen Yichen became the head of the Xiao Sanyuan case in Yingtian Mansion. This kind of depth of knowledge is unmatched among young people, and I am afraid that everyone in calligraphy and painting is no more than this.

Regarding this kind of praise, Shen Yichen acted very modestly, but there was a little pride in his heart. If this old Hanlin kept talking about poetry with him, he would probably make himself uncomfortable.

You are here to discuss calligraphy and painting with me. This is the ability of future generations to feed themselves. How can you fail?

As the saying goes, don't challenge my career with your hobbies. In a sense, what Shen Yichen has shown is his career!

After some compliments, Zhou Xu even felt like a confidant towards Shen Yichen. There were many people who came to his study room, but there were only a few who had common topics like this young junior.

I never thought that when I was approaching my 60th year, I would have such a good friend who would never forget to show up.

But at this moment, Shen Yichen's eyes were attracted by a set of calligraphy in the corner. There was nothing special about the calligraphy alone, nor was it written by a famous teacher.

What really surprised Shen Yichen was the signature. The four small characters on it were "Liu Yongle".

Yongle is the Chinese character for Liu Qiu. Shen Yichen really didn't expect to see Liu Qiu's works in Zhou Xu's study.

Zhou Xu also quickly discovered the strangeness of Shen Yichen. Seeing that the other party was focusing on Liu Qiu's poems, he said with a sigh: "Brother Yongle is an old friend of mine from the same hometown. We have worked together in the Hanlin Academy for many years, but now we have Yin and Yang are separated."

Liu Qiu and Zhou Xu were both from Jiangxi, and they were actually born in the same year in 1392. However, Zhou Xu passed the Jinshi exam one year earlier than Liu Qiu, so Liu Qiu was considered a junior in the imperial examination.

As Jiangxi fellows, the two served in the Hanlin Academy together, and their personalities were very similar, so they became close friends.

Now that Liu Qiu had offended Wang Zhen, everyone in the government and the public avoided him. Zhou Xu still hung his work in the study. Although it was in a less conspicuous place in the corner, there was no dust on it. It could be seen that it was wiped frequently. trace.

"Master Liu is a true national scholar. I hope he can one day be vindicated."

Shen Yichen silently replied that Liu Qiu's self-defense memorial was still with him, but he didn't know when he would have the opportunity to present it to the emperor.

"That's right, Brother Yongle is upright, outspoken and dares to remonstrate, even at the cost of offending the eunuchs. This is far inferior to me."

It can be seen that Zhou Xu really appreciates Shen Yichen and even treats him as one of his own. Otherwise, with the smoothness and sophistication of the officialdom, he would never treat Wang Zhen in front of a person who has not expressed his political stance. Call him an eunuch.

If Shen Yichen becomes obsessed with power and turns around to seek refuge with Wang Zhen, betraying what Zhou Xu said today, he may be killed.

But then again, this is also the character of Zhou Xu. In fact, in the eighth year of Zhengtong when Liu Qiu directly admonished "Ten Matters of Shuyan", Zhou Xu also ignored life and death and generously gave advice to Emperor Yingzong under pressure. , asking him to correct the mistakes of his ministers, govern bad governance, etc.

The only difference is that in Zhou Xu's essay, Wang Zhen's name is not mentioned directly, which is equivalent to saving a life for himself.

It has to be said that at this time, the scholar-bureaucrats and scholars of the Ming Dynasty were not like those who fell into party politics in the late Ming Dynasty, and the character of the scholars was degraded.

Such trouble-causing officials should generally be left to the Sixth Section to be attacked by officials involved in the matter, but there is no need for Hanlin Academy civil servants to take the lead.

However, this group of old Hanlin officials were not afraid of death. They were heartbroken when they saw the country's shortcomings. They hoped to reform the government through Shangshu, even if they offended the emperor's powerful officials. This is the true character of a scholar.

"Master Zhou said that we are both upright men and are examples that junior students should learn from."

Shen Yichen turned to compliment Zhou Xu's words, but this was not flattering, but a civil servant like Zhou Xu who was indeed worth learning from.

Faced with the compliment, Zhou Xu just smiled bitterly, shook his head and replied: "But my ability is limited. Not only can I not save Brother Yongle, I can't even save his wife, children, and children. Every time I think about it, I feel guilty. "

In fact, this cannot be blamed on Zhou Xu for not trying his best. After all, the final punishment is the imperial edict issued by the emperor. Although the Hanlin Academy is of noble origin in the official system, no matter how noble the Imperial Academy is, it is only a sixth-grade civil servant. How can it bring order to things?

"I wonder if Mr. Zhou knows the whereabouts of Mr. Liu's wife and children?"

In Shen Yichen's original historical memory, Liu Qiu's wife and children were not involved, and they just returned to their hometown.

However, things have changed in this world. The whole family was accused, and even the daughter was sent to the Jiaofangsi and became an official prostitute.

Liu Waner is currently alone and does not seem to know the situation of her mother and brother. Although she is not able to help Liu Qiu rehabilitate her right now, she can at least help her find out news about her relatives.

For Liu Waner in her current situation, it may be a great psychological comfort.

"I don't know. In order to set an example to others, the eunuch Wang Zhen is not allowed to check the distribution files of Brother Yongle's family members. Otherwise, no matter what, I will take care of him even if he is destined to do so!"

After saying this, Zhou Xu was so heartbroken that tears even appeared in his eyes. It could be clearly felt that he was filled with regret and self-blame for what happened to Liu Qiu.
Chapter completed!