bookpub Chapter 48 There are words on the painting
Chapter 48 There are words on the painting
Zhao Fuquan was quite surprised; how come there were even more people than yesterday?
Even the second-floor windows of the teahouse across the street were crowded with people, all craning their necks to look in that direction.
Immediately afterwards, a group of constables rushed over from across the street. The leader was the same dark-skinned middle-aged constable from yesterday. He pushed through the crowd in a few steps and rushed to the bulletin board, tearing the paper down with a "rip".
"Get out of here! What are you all doing here? Aren't you doing your job?" The constable stuffed the paper into his pocket and waved his hand to shoo people away.
Several constables joined in the shouting, and the crowd erupted in a chorus of boos and sighs, quite loudly.
Some people were still muttering "Here we go again," but in the end they didn't dare to confront the officials directly. They moved away in twos and threes, looking back as they went, their faces full of lingering resentment.
Zhao Fuquan stood still, not leaving immediately. This time he was smarter; he waited a while, until the outermost circle of people began to disperse, before reaching out and grabbing a middle-aged man who squeezed out from the crowd.
This man was thin and bony, with a goatee and a lewd smile on his face.
"Hey buddy," Zhao Fuquan asked in a low voice, "what exactly is that thing stuck in there?"
The man turned his head to look at him, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards, his eyes narrowing into slits as he smiled: "Pornographic pictures, huh?"
It's another erotic picture.
Zhao Fuquan released his grip, his brows furrowed, his bewilderment almost overflowing: "Is a pornographic picture really worth this much commotion? Yesterday there were over a hundred people gathered, and today it's more than doubled. Have none of the people in Qinghe County ever seen a pornographic picture before?"
The man clicked his tongue, gave Zhao Fuquan a look that said, "You're an outsider, you wouldn't understand," and leaned in half a step closer, lowering his voice to say, "Brother, you didn't see that. Could that be just an ordinary erotic picture? It's drawn like a real person. The eyebrows, the figure, it's more alluring than a living person. The one posted yesterday isn't even the same person as this one. Yesterday's one had big eyes and a pointed chin, today's one has phoenix eyes and an oval face. Each has its own charm, tsk tsk."
After saying that, he smacked his lips as if he hadn't had enough, shook his head and walked away. After a few steps, he turned back and glanced at the bulletin board, as if he wished the picture could be put back up.
Watching the man leave, Zhao Fuquan was completely baffled.
Even if a pornographic painting is beautifully drawn, it's still just a pornographic picture.
No matter how well it's drawn, it's just ink on paper, not a real person standing there. Why block half a street?
When Zhao Fuquan arrived at Yanchun Tower, he found the servants discussing the erotic pictures.
"Hey, did you see that picture?"
"I didn't get close to see, but I did catch a glimpse of her from afar. That figure, wow."
"You live in the east of the city, right? Are there any places like that in the east?"
"Hey, it's not just in the east of the city, it's in the south and west as well."
......
Zhao Fuquan was getting annoyed and snapped, "What are you chatting about? Get back to work and stop slacking off, or I won't pay you!"
Upon hearing this, the servants dared not say another word and lowered their heads to get to work.
after a while,
Zhao Fuquan went out of the house, intending to get some fresh air.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw several scholars in long robes walking towards him.
These men were all dressed in square caps and scholar's robes, with sashes around their waists and folding fans in their hands; they were clearly scholars from the county school.
Zhao Fuquan had never had a good impression of them.
However, as these people approached...
He heard about the erotic pictures from these same people again.
"Brother Sun, did you see that painting yesterday?"
"Hehe, to be honest, Brother Li, I have indeed seen it."
"How about the painting?"
"I've read through several painting manuals, and I've copied the 'Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting' in the county school's library dozens of times, but the brushwork in those paintings is truly unheard of. They look as if they're about to step off the paper. This kind of skill is very different from ordinary painting methods. If I may not be ashamed to say, even the old master of painting at our county school probably couldn't achieve this effect."
Some of the scholars nodded in agreement, while others looked on with a mixture of belief and doubt.
The scholar surnamed Li, being impatient, pressed on, "What about the woman in the painting? Is she really as...as the rumors say...a disgrace to literature?"
Brother Sun chuckled and replied, "Brother Li, there's no need to beat around the bush. We're all scholars, so what's there to hide when we're commenting on a painting? I'll be frank: the woman in that painting is truly stunning."
He paused, then closed his folding fan: "If I had to give my opinion, her beauty and charm are comparable to the ten most famous courtesans of Huai Lou."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding scholars immediately let out a chorus of hushed exclamations.
Huai Lou was the most famous brothel, and the names of its ten most famous courtesans were well-known even to scholars in small places like Qinghe County.
To compare a woman in a painting to a famous courtesan of Huailou is an extremely high compliment.
The scholars left after talking, leaving Zhao Fuquan even more curious.
It's one thing for a pornographic picture to attract a crowd of idle men, but why are these students also so interested?
......
Another day has passed.
Zhao Fuquan went out and came to that street.
As he had expected, the street where the notice board was located was full of people.
Zhao Fuquan looked around, trying to find a gap to get a good look, but found that everything was completely blocked.
A moment later, the group of yamen runners arrived as promised.
Zhao Fuquan reacted extremely quickly this time. Taking advantage of the crowd moving aside, he shifted his feet, lowered his body, and squeezed in right behind the group of yamen runners.
The first few constables were so busy clearing the way that they didn't notice the extra tail following behind.
When we got to the bulletin board...
He finally saw the woman in the picture posted on the column. Although it was only a glance, he could tell that she was indeed exceptionally beautiful.
There seemed to be some words written on it as well.
But before he could examine it closely, the bailiff tore the painting down.
Zhao Fuquan also felt quite regretful, wondering what exactly was written on the painting.
As evening approached,
The renovation inside Yanchun Tower was finally completed. Several craftsmen carried their tools out in a single file, and Sister Wu told the maids to go up and sweep.
Zhao Fuquan walked around the building, upstairs and downstairs, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the tables and chairs were arranged neatly and the curtains were hung properly.
But then I thought of that kid Qin Chuan.
In the past few days, he had seen this kid a few times, but every time he asked how to recruit people, the kid acted as if he didn't hear him. He would either smile and not say anything, or he would casually say, "Just do your own thing," and then turn around and leave.
Zhao Fuquan had spent half his life in gambling dens and had seen all sorts of things, but he simply couldn't stand this kind of treatment that left him hanging in mid-air without any clear answer.
Thinking about this, Zhao Fuquan became angrier and angrier. He had even emptied his coffin money buried under the jujube tree to set up this gambling den. If that kid couldn't recruit anyone to join the gambling den, he swore that even if Master Qian didn't take action, he would still skin that kid alive.
Just as he was gritting his teeth, he heard voices coming from across the street.
He looked up and saw the same group of scholars in long gowns from yesterday, except this time, there was one more person among them.
The man was dressed in a blue robe, the material of which was clearly more refined than that of the other scholars beside him. He had a fine jade pendant hanging at his waist. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, and his demeanor carried an air of self-satisfaction that others did not possess.
The scholar surnamed Li beside him turned his head and asked, his tone tinged with urgency and ingratiation, "Brother Zheng, did you really see that painting with your own eyes?"
Upon hearing this, the man in the blue robe paused slightly, his folding fan swung open with a "whoosh," and an undisguised air of arrogance appeared on his face.
He gently shook his fan: "Of course. The paintings confiscated by the yamen runners are now placed on the desk in the back hall of the county government office, and no one else can go in. However, the magistrate of Qinghe County is my uncle. What's so difficult about me going to my uncle's study to pay my respects and taking a look?"
Several scholars immediately let out a hushed gasp of amazement, their eyes filled with envy as they looked at him.
The scholar surnamed Li repeatedly bowed, saying, "Brother Zheng, you truly have connections everywhere. We could never have such a sight to behold. You must have seen more than just this, Brother Zheng?"
The scholar in the blue robe smiled even more deeply, gently waving his folding fan. He glanced at his companions and spoke with increasing composure: "I not only saw it, but I held it in my hands and examined it carefully for quite some time."
"You touched it with your own hands?" The scholars around him stared wide-eyed, as if they had heard something incredible.
Some people gasped in astonishment, while others shook their heads repeatedly, unsure whether they were in awe or envy.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Fuquan thought of the woman's appearance in the painting and felt a sudden itch in his heart.
The scholar surnamed Li stepped forward and asked, "Brother Zheng, I heard that besides the woman, there are words on that painting? I caught a glimpse of it from afar the other day, but before I could see it clearly, the yamen runners dragged me away. May I ask what it says?"
Upon hearing this, the scholar in the blue robe frowned slightly, his arrogance fading somewhat, replaced by a rather regretful expression. He tapped his folding fan against his palm and sighed, "There are indeed words. The woman in the painting was originally a fairy, elegant and otherworldly, beyond compare. It's just a pity that these words have spoiled much of the scenery."
He waved his fan twice, and after a moment continued, "A perfectly fine painting of a fairy has been marred by a line of vulgar words added to the side, like a few specks of mud splashed on white jade. It's a complete eyesore, a real eyesore."
The scholars exchanged bewildered glances, their curiosity only growing stronger.
The scholar surnamed Li couldn't help but press, "What exactly did you write? Brother Zheng, please stop keeping me in suspense."
The scholar in the blue robe stopped, snapped his folding fan shut, and scanned the faces of the crowd before slowly uttering four words:
"Heaven and Earth".